Meanwhile at a school on Earth...
A young girl of around 15 was sitting at the school canteen along with few of her friends. Her navy blue hair cascaded down her shoulders as she smoothed down her shirt.
Her eyes darted between figures, a serene expression on her visage.
Half of her attention was fixated on her friends talking amongst themselves while the other half wandered in thoughts better kept to herself.
Seeing her being absentminded, her nearest friend nudged her with an elbow and asked, "Alessia, all fine? You look distracted."
Alessia snapped out of her thoughts. Looking at her friend with a sweet smile, she answered, "Of course, I am all fine. Just thinking about...stuffs."
Ok hearing that, another girl with glasses giggled as she glanced at the group of boys behind her at a certain table.
Subtly pointing at the group who were all older than them, she whispered in a conspirational tone.
"Hey, hey are you interested in any of them?"
Alessia involuntarily glanced at the group of boys before turning back to her friend with a raised eyebrow.
"Did they bribe you or something? This was the umm sixth or....seventh time you have been asking me this question. It's almost as if you want me to pay attention to one of them."
The girl with the glasses raised her hands in mock surrender as she shook her head. "No, n-no. Why would I do that to my friend? I was just curious."
"Hehe are you sure of that? I actually happened to overheard the deal you made with that boy." Another girl whispered as she glanced back at a handsome boy, pointing him out to the girls.
She continued, "You asked him for the number of your own crush. In exchange you promised him that you shall make Alessia pay attention to him."
Few of them gasped dramatically while Alessia's lips twitched.
The girl with the glasses on the other hand looked embarrassed as she stuttered out. "S-see that guy is really handsome Alessia."
"Shut up dummy. Just ask us for help and we shall make your crush give you attention." The girl nearest to Alice said as she raised her right arm in a mock salute.
At this, all of them laughed.
Then she turned to Alessia and asked in curiosity, "But even then are you sure you don't have crush on anyone? I mean teenagers like us should have one."
Alessia's lips curled up in a melancholic smile.
Her fingers traced the beads of the handmade necklace tucked in her collars as she said, "Having a crush is overrated. And no, I am completely certain that I have none."
At that moment, her smile paused as her lips parted in evident discomfort. But she shook it away just as quickly.
"You sure you are okay?" One of them asked her.
"Completely." Alessia smiled back.
But as time passed by, she shifted in her place. A burning sensation itched in her chest even as she tried to compose herself.
Unable to take it any longer, she hopped off the table she was sitting on. Her friends looked at her in a questioning manner.
"Just need to use the washroom. I shall be real quick."
Without waiting for an answer, she darted away from there.
Her brisk steps carried her to the empty washroom.
Rushing, she held on to the edge of a sink as she looked at her heaving form in the mirror.
Her eyes widened as she noticed her pupils were turning a golden hue, radiating something only she could feel.
It felt...divine.
The door creaked open as another fellow student entered.
Alessia hurriedly opened the tap and pretended to splash her face with water.
She didn't want anyone else to see the changes in her eyes.
Only characters as dumb as those in the fictitious films wouldn't notice changes as conspicuous as hers!
After the girl went back from the washroom, she stopped her act and sighed in apparent relief.
However her attention turned back to her changing eyes.
The previous glow in the golden hue had dimmed slightly but now there were black spots underneath her eyes. It almost looked as if it was creeping its way into her skin in the form of webs.
Suddenly those vine-lile structures cracked with anaheible sound. Wisps of black smoke erupted out of them.
Alessia's normally composed expression crumbled into sheer horror. She tried washing away the cracks and the black vunes using water.
But they stuck to her skin in a stubborn manner.
But that was only for a minute...
After which, the black spots suddenly disappeared.
"Akhhh!!" Alessia gritted her teeth as she felt a massive pain inside her, starting from her chest and crawling up to her stomach, arms and her head.
She bit her tongue. But that only caused the pain to increase as blood dropped from her mouth.
"Pleasee....please, let this pain end." Tears flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks as she crouched on the floor.
She curled up to find any measure of comfort. She wanted to shout out for help but didn't even have the energy left in her to do so.
She trashed rapidly on the floor, her legs repeatedly kicking on them.
In her final desperation, she bit on the handmade necklace. Hard and consistent.
Slowly but surely, her pain started subsiding.
As she opened her fatigued eyes, she was surprised to see gold embers flowing in her air.
Lifting her head slightly, she was even more surprised when her eyes fell on her sprawled form.
It was glowing brightly. And also releasing the embers.
The embers surrounded her randomly and within moments had covered her entire form.
They obstructed her vision as she wasn't able to see through it.
Suddenly, the huge orb of these glowing embers twisted rapidly in an anticlockwise direction.
Soon, it turned into a tornado.
At the epicentre of it lay Alessia. She felt her eyes close as she was suddenly hit by a wave of sheer drowsiness.
As she lost her consciousness, she whispered for the final time. A name precious to her.
"Karl..."