Grey Nirmala
Raya was watching us with curious eyes. Her showing up now would only make things more complicated for me. The last thing I wanted was to argue with Klein while also having to answer Raya's questions.
She leaned forward slightly, tilted her head, and let out a small chuckle.
"When two guys head to the bathroom together, it never ends well."
I didn't respond to her strange remark. She was a girl, after all — girls liked to tease boys. And considering it was Raya standing in front of me, I saw no reason to argue with her. Why would I start a fight with the girl I liked?
I glanced at Klein, and from the look on his face, I knew he was about to say something stupid to her. Sure enough, he did.
"You know, Raya, sometimes I really wonder what goes on in that head of yours."
Raya laughed, resting one hand on his shoulder. At first, I thought it was just a friendly gesture. Then her other hand curled into a fist, and she drove it straight into Klein's stomach.
The hit was so sudden that he staggered back, clutching his abdomen with both hands before slumping against the wall in pain. Raya smiled like an angel, looking at him as if nothing had happened.
"Sorry, Klein. I guess my hand slipped."
She laughed innocently before turning to me.
"I think we should get to class before the lesson starts, don't you, Grey?"
For Raya to hit him like that, there had to be something monstrous beneath that sweet smile. I looked back at Klein. I didn't care much about him, but I still felt a flicker of pity. She must have hit hard if he still needed the wall to stay standing.
Turning back to Raya, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of pride that the girl I liked was capable of that.
"Klein and I didn't come here for anything important anyway. We can deal with it later."
That was a complete lie. I still had no idea what had happened to the book, and it was eating away at me inside. Now that I knew supernatural things truly existed in this world, I had to protect it. At the very least, I could keep it safe, hide these strange things, and even use them.
But the fact that Klein could see the particles was a problem. How many others in this world could see them — or more? I couldn't trust anyone as much as I trusted myself. I was certain I was more responsible than any of them.
People were just excess. Those who weren't developed enough might as well vanish entirely, be erased.
I didn't see Raya or Klein as the kind of people who needed to be erased — but aside from them and a few others, everyone else was nothing more than inadequate clutter.
Klein Cylrit
Raya and Grey exchanged a brief nod before heading toward their classroom. I still wondered what Grey had wanted to tell me, but even more than that, I was curious about the purple particles.
Pushing myself away from the wall, I followed after them, trying to decide what I should do next. Grey clearly knew more about this than I did, but probably only a little more. Judging from the way he fumbled through his bag earlier, he hadn't seemed to fully understand what was happening either.
When they reached their classroom, neither of them looked back before stepping inside. I frowned slightly at that. Raya could have at least apologized.
I turned and began walking toward my own classroom. On my left, the hallway windows looked out over the school grounds. The weather was sunny and cloudless — something most people would take as a sign of a beautiful day. But I had a feeling it meant the exact opposite.
That thought had barely settled in my mind when I noticed something outside, something that made my skin prickle.
High in the air, staring straight at me, was a pair of massive shapes that looked like eyes. The one on the right glowed a deep violet, while the one on the left shone with a golden light. They were locked onto me, following my every movement.
Raya Marin
The moment Grey and I walked into the classroom, I saw Nya watching us from her desk. I had seen her leave earlier, but I hadn't realized she'd come back. Honestly, I wished she had just walked out that door and never returned. Grey and I sat down at our desks, which were back-to-back, and almost immediately he began rummaging through his bag. He was clearly looking for something, but I decided it didn't concern me and let my eyes wander around the room.
On my left sat Maki, with Lulu behind her. The two of them were whispering to each other, probably gossiping. I smiled to myself. Those two really did love gossip.
When my gaze drifted again, I found Nya still sitting there with her arms crossed, scowling at the floor. Her jet-black hair was even longer than mine. For a second she lifted her head and looked at me, but just as quickly, her eyes dropped back to the floor. She was definitely at the top of my "people I'd love to punch" list.
Klein briefly crossed my mind. Maybe I had hit him harder than I meant to earlier, but I was sure he could take it. I looked back at Grey, hoping he might glance up and talk to me, but he was still digging through his bag. I let out a quiet sigh. Sometimes, I just couldn't understand him. Seeing people like Nico bully him had always bothered me. I had never understood the kind of person who could take pleasure in hurting someone else. To me, bullies were just proof of how small, petty, and stupid a person could be.
My thoughts didn't get to wander for long; the teacher had already entered the classroom.
By the end of the first lesson, I felt more relaxed, though I doubted Grey could say the same. He had spent the entire period glancing around the room and rifling through his bag, earning himself a scolding from the teacher, which he ignored completely.
When class ended, I got up. Normally I would have gone over to Maki and Lulu right away, but lately I had found myself doing something else. I walked over to Grey and tapped his shoulder. He was still so absorbed in searching his bag that I wasn't sure he even noticed. I sighed and made my way to Maki and Lulu instead.
They waved at me, and I perched on Maki's desk.
"Ugh, everything's been so boring lately," I said.
Lulu slouched in her chair, pouting. Maki crossed her arms and shot her a teasing look.
"Don't worry, Lulu. You make our days even more boring just by being here."
"Shut up!" Lulu snapped, her face turning red.
I didn't step in. Their constant bickering had always been entertaining to me.
Then came the sound of something hitting the floor. All three of us turned to see Grey's bag lying there. Lulu groaned and rested her head on her desk.
"I swear, I'll never understand that guy. Are you sure you want to like him, Raya?"
Heat rushed to my cheeks. "Li–like him?"
I could feel my face burning even hotter when Maki chuckled and tossed her hair back.
"You're always talking about how much you like him. Did you forget?"
I exhaled in relief for a second, but then realized exactly what she had said. My face flushed even deeper.
"Please don't say that everywhere. I'm trying to keep up my image here."
Maki giggled again, and Lulu mumbled something into the desk that I couldn't make out. I was still flustered when Grey's voice rang out behind me.
"Finally!"
I turned to look, but before I could, the entire world around me plunged into darkness.
Grey was clutching a book to his chest, the same book I had seen before, his eyes shut as if he wasn't even aware of what was happening. I was about to call his name when I saw them.
A pair of eyes hovered above him, fixed on him. The same suffocating fear I had felt in the bathroom washed over me, but this time I refused to back away. I needed to know what was happening.
I started running toward him, but the distance between us seemed to stretch the closer I got. The eyes must have noticed me, because they flicked in my direction for a heartbeat before returning to Grey.
From the book in his arms, the same purple particles I had seen that morning began to spill out, swirling around him as if celebrating him.
I couldn't take it anymore. My hope collapsed, and I dropped to my knees. Hot tears blurred my vision.
In that moment, I was desperate, terrified, anxious, and furious with myself. If something happened to Grey, it would be my fault. He didn't deserve this. He had never harmed anyone. He was just trying to live.
I tried to scream, but no sound came out. My gaze locked on the eyes above him, watching as they seemed to pull him deeper into some kind of trance.
I crawled toward him, but he remained impossibly far away. Darkness pressed in around me, but I kept moving, hoping he might open his eyes and see me.
Damn it.
I slammed my forehead against the dark floor again and again. It didn't matter; I felt no pain, no blood. Still, I kept going, smashing my head down with all the force I could muster.
Grey Nirmala
I spent the entire class searching my bag for that cursed book, but it was nowhere to be found. I even checked the very bottom, nearly shoving my head inside, yet I couldn't find a single trace of it. Even when the lesson ended, I didn't leave the classroom. I just kept going through my bag over and over again.
At some point, I felt Raya tap my shoulder, but I didn't want any distractions. My frustration and impatience were building. Finally, in irritation, I lifted my bag and tossed it to the floor.
That was when The Eye of the Void fell out.
I froze. Was that all it took — just throwing my bag? Ridiculous.
I picked the book up and, in a sudden wave of relief, hugged it tightly.
"Finally."
Closing my eyes, I let myself breathe. At last, I had found the damn thing. The weight on my chest felt lighter, as though something had been lifted from me. Still holding the book close, I suddenly remembered I was in a classroom. I didn't want anyone thinking I was some kind of obsessive book-lover, so I loosened my grip and opened my eyes.
The sight that greeted me was bizarre. Raya was on the floor, writhing, while Maki and Lulu stared at her in shock.
"Raya?"
I called out to her, but she looked as if she was in some kind of trance. I quickly moved to her side and crouched in front of her.
At last, she lifted her head and looked at me, tears streaming down her face.
"Grey?"
Raya shot to her feet in a panic and bolted from the classroom. I glanced at Lulu and Maki, but from their confused expressions, it was clear they had no idea what was going on either.
I looked down at the divine book in my hands. There was something different about it. The cover now bore a faint eye pattern, hard to notice unless you were looking for it. To make sure I wasn't imagining things, I ran my fingers across the surface. It was real. The cover was no longer as smooth as when I had first received it.
Leaving the classroom, I went after Raya, but she had already vanished into the crowd of students. I searched the hallway for her, but there was no sign of her.
When I reached the garden exit at the end of the corridor, I hesitated. If she had run outside, she must have had a reason. Then again, I mocked myself — of course there would be a reason.
Stepping into the garden, sunlight hit my face, and a handful of teenagers in uniform were running around. I only enjoyed being out here when the place was empty, which was almost never, so I usually preferred the roof.
Every step I took felt like a small test. Girls were playing volleyball with a squealing ball of energy, while a group of boys wrestled over a girl, the duty teacher struggling to break them apart. The sheer simplicity of everyone here made me laugh.
I didn't like Raya because of her beauty or intelligence. I liked her because, unlike these fools, she wasn't simple and boring. People like Klein were boring. Helping everyone? It disgusted me. I wasn't against helping people, but making it your entire life philosophy was nothing but nonsense.
A ball rolled toward me, but I ignored it and kicked it backward without looking. From behind, I heard a few idiots boasting about my kick. Well, at least there was one thing I was the best at.
Finally, I reached the entrance to the opposite corridor and felt a bit of relief. At least I was done dealing with the people behind me. I didn't even know if Raya was in this corridor; I had simply come here on instinct.
I looked around for her, but there was no sign. After walking a bit farther, I spotted someone else instead — Rain, a girl I'd known since childhood. She was as cheerful as ever, though I hadn't seen her much lately. We weren't exactly close, just constantly ending up at the same schools. Considering this town only had one other high school nearby, our chances of crossing paths were always high.
Rain walked right up to me, slung an arm around my neck, and started walking beside me like we were the best of friends.
I wasn't exactly complaining about running into Rain, but why did it have to happen every time something important was going on? Then again, maybe I was complaining a little.
"Rain, it's really nice to see you, but now's not the time."
She didn't look at me, but whatever was running through her head made an amused smile tug at her otherwise innocent face.
"Don't worry. I'm not wondering why Raya ran away from you."
For a second, I was caught off guard. It seemed Rain had picked up on the situation faster than I expected. Not that I had any idea where she was leading me now.
"I don't want to break your heart," she went on, "but for someone to make Raya bolt like that, they'd have to do something seriously creepy."
She hesitated, as if uncertain how to phrase her next words.
"But I know you're not the type. So, I guess it must be something personal between you two."
I shook my head. "Honestly, I'm not even sure what happened. One moment she was here, then she just ran out of the classroom."
Rain sighed. "Hmm… I can't tell if that's boring or interesting. She's probably just upset about something."
She stopped walking and pulled her arm from around my shoulders, scanning the area as though searching for someone.
"Alora should be around here somewhere."
We stared at each other. I frowned. "Who the hell is Alora? Did you drag me all this way for some girl I've never even met?"
Rain lifted her arms in mock surrender, her expression briefly turning serious, as if she were judging me. The seriousness didn't last; she broke into a laugh.
"Hey, I didn't do anything. You're the one who walked here. Don't blame me."
With a self-satisfied air, she flipped her hair back and looked at me proudly, like she'd just accomplished something important. The shy hesitation she'd shown moments ago had completely vanished, replaced with smug confidence.
"You know, Grey," she said, narrowing her eyes, "sometimes you're really rude. No wonder you don't have any friends. And yes, I'm saying that to your face."
Rain judging me wasn't new, but it wasn't something I ever really got used to. Still, she was one of the few people in this school I found remotely entertaining. She held my gaze for a long moment before walking to the wall just ahead of us and leaning against it.
"Sometimes you're just impossible to deal with."
She glanced toward the door to the music club beside her and sighed.
"Raya's probably in there. Sometimes she hangs out with Alora in the clubroom."
Following her gaze, I looked at the empty room to our left. I had never seen this Alora before; maybe she was a year below us. Not that it mattered. Whoever she was, if she didn't concern me, she wasn't worth my time.
I turned my back on Rain, aware she was still watching me. At the very least, I figured I owed her a small thank you. I looked over my shoulder and gave her a faint smile.
"Thanks."
She nodded and glanced up at the ceiling. Maybe I had been a little rude to her — but really, who was I not rude to?
Raya Marin
The music club was covered in patterns of notes and staff lines. My eyes, however, were fixed on the piano by the door. I let my fingers drift across the keys, pressing a few by accident, but I didn't care. I had always loved pianos for as long as I could remember, though I had never truly managed to play one correctly. Maybe I simply lacked the talent.
I sat down on the bench, stretched my fingers, and began pressing random keys. Each note sounded different, each one calm and soothing in its own way. I played purely by instinct, letting my fingers choose whichever notes they wanted.
The piano wasn't the only instrument I loved — guitars, saxophones, flutes… I cherished them all.
After a little more aimless playing, I slowly lowered the piano's lid and stood up. Moving toward the center of the room, I stopped and began softly humming Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. My eyes closed, and I started to dance right there in the middle of the clubroom. My movements were graceful and fluid.
After what I had experienced in that void, this was the only way I could truly relax. I didn't know why these motions always managed to soothe me, but they weren't improvised. I had memorized them from a book I found in the local library as a child, and I had been using them ever since whenever I needed peace.
The dance lasted less than a minute before I stopped, opened my eyes, and gazed down at the marble floor. Closing them again, I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
When I opened my eyes and lifted my head, I was caught completely off guard.
Standing there, watching me with an expression of quiet admiration, was Grey — his unnatural golden eyes piercing straight through my soul.