"Hey, Asher, we're running late already!" A boy, neatly dressed in an academy uniform, shouted at the huge black crooked door.
Suddenly, a boy not more than fourteen years old came running out with a thin slice of bread and bacon held tight between his teeth.
He hobbled slightly as he tried to put his shoe on properly, almost cascading into the plant manure the housekeeper had placed near the entrance.
His balance teetered precariously as he slipped on a wet leaf, but he regained his footing, letting out a sigh of relief as he avoided disaster, though his breakfast had landed on the musky ground.
It had rained heavily the previous night, and everywhere, including the streets, was damp and wet. Asher finally hopped on his bike, ready for some pedaling with his friends, Five and Ivan.
"Took you long enough, Asher," Five, the sole female in their group, said as they all raced down the hill. They cycled downtown with sheer delight.
About five minutes away from Asher's home, he pulled his brake, taking a full scope look at the castle across the street. The front gates were heavily guarded by the city guards, but that wasn't what was troubling Asher.
"Are we doing this again?" Five groaned from her end.
"Let him be," Ivan said with a knowing smile. "This is the only chance he gets to see his girl."
"Shut up, Ivan!" Five rebuked. "Now that the princess won't be letting her hair down, why don't we head to school before we fall into Mr. Landon's trap?"
Asher took a deep sigh, and they all kicked their bikes back into the street—finally ready for school.
"Why do you fancy the princess anyway?" Five asked as they rode. "She's not even that pretty."
"I'm not after her heart, Five; I just want to be one of the few that leads her into the astral realm, protect her and guide her."
Ivan laughed at this, almost going off track with his bike. "How bold of you to assume you can be one of the chosen." He continued with a cackle. "Only special people can be one of the five chosen, Asher, and us? We are very far from special."
Five hissed at Ivan's comment. "Guide her, protect her? What difference does it make? You're so in love with her!"
Before Asher could reply, a car sped past them, its tires running through the water puddles on the street and splashed all three of them.
But before the car zoomed off, they all caught sight of who was seated in the backseat with a sadistic grin of satisfaction settled on his face—the infamous Rylan Darkstar.
"Rylan Darkstar!" Five grumbled as she saw him. The next minute, all three of them chased after the exotic car, pedaling relentlessly with a new burst of adrenaline swelling within them with great rigor.
Despite this, they were quick to lose trail on the car Rylan was riding in—but they'd find Rylan Darkstar somewhere else—at school.
The heavy buzz, giggles, chattering, and shrill screams forever present at Evergreen Academy welcomed the trio. As they pedaled through the gates, they caught sight of Rylan's ride parked in front of the assembly hall, which was being flooded with students going into the building in twos and trios. Soon, Asher, Five, and Ivan found their way into the assembly hall in pursuit of Rylan.
They caught sight of him in the midst of his friends. In his left hand, he was holding a transparent bottle filled with hot coffee, with steam rising up to the heavens.
"You splashed us intentionally, did you not?!" Five charged at him, interrupting their conversation.
Rylan made a dramatic turn at the trio, sizing them up with pride embedded in his eyes before speaking. "Did someone just say something?" Rylan asked, and his friends laughed hysterically at his joke.
"All I can see here is a little witch and two of her minions with no balls!" He continued, giving a little smirk at the end. Again, they all laughed, but this time, Five pushed forward, attempting to throw a punch at Rylan, but Asher and Ivan held her back.
"Let it go, Five. He's not worth it," Ivan frowned.
"He's right. Let's stay away from more trouble," Asher said to her softly.
Five, still fuming at the sight of Rylan before her, eventually toned down, allowing the words of her friends to marinate. She turned away, ready to leave, and the other two followed behind.
"Hide behind Five, boys, because she's the only mother figure you'll both be getting in this life," Rylan spat before taking a sip of his coffee.
Asher stopped in his tracks, balling his fist hard. His eyes turned cold, and he could feel a burning sensation in his skin. It wasn't the first time for him, but he was trying to get used to this feeling, even though he didn't understand it. He turned around to face Rylan, his once cheerful eyes now trimmed to something entirely cold.
"What did you just say?" Rylan could feel the murderous intent in Asher's gaze, but he was quick to deflect that feeling.
"What? Are you going to try to kill me like that whore of a mother of yours tried to do?"
Rylan had barely finished saying those words when the bottle he had been holding exploded, snapping at his skin, which began to bleed immediately. The chandelier above him also snapped, exploding into millions of tiny bits and shards.
They all rushed down towards Rylan in fury, but it was just gravity doing its job. Rylan could see himself kissing death the next second, but in a flash of speed, he was pushed out of the raining glass shards into the floor, away from where the chandelier bits flooded.
Surprise screams and fright filled the whole hall as this happened, and when silence took over with surprise and shock written over everyone's faces, they turned at Rylan.
"It- was- him!" Rylan stuttered, his whole body trembling while his hand bled non-stop as he imagined what would have happened if he hadn't been saved in time.
"Someone get a nurse. FAST!" Mr. Landon shouted as he pushed through the crowd in the hall.
People were already moving after the chaos broke out, not sure what had happened. They just wanted to get out of the assembly hall before more evil broke out.
They had forgotten about Asher entirely, but if any of them had looked for him, they would have seen that he was no longer there.