{"Hoshimi."} Reina's voice echoed in his head from the night before. {"The middle child is a witch, be careful of her."}
Even in a family full of normal people, a witch can awaken due to dormant DNA being activated by specific conditions.
It was early in the morning, maybe a little bit too early. The morning sun was a blade against the back of his neck. Hoshimi stood at the gates of the Mirlo estate, his hands in his pockets.
His face was carefully blank, even with the dark circles around his eyes. Reina had been spewing cryptic warnings and dirty jokes the whole night, he couldn't sleep for even a second.
"Why would she tell me that and nothing else?" he muttered.
Kira glanced up at him, her fingers still twisted in the hem of her jacket. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Just thinking aloud.".
The Mirlo family's estate. The head of the family is even unknown to all the children, only a single person knows of his face, the head servant.
Neila stood ahead of them, her small frame silhouetted against the green gates. "I can't believe they didn't even tell us who we needed to protect. Total pieces of shit."
"I think you're being a little bit overdramatic," Lucy stepped up beside her, her crimson eyes sweeping across the building's facade. "Maybe they have their reasons."
"Come on." Neila turned to face her, one eyebrow raised. "What possible reason could there be for hiding the identity of the person we're supposed to die for?"
"I didn't say they were good reasons."
"Then why defend them?"
"I'm not defending them. I'm just..." Lucy paused, her crimson eyes searching for the right words. "I'm trying to understand. That's all."
"You're trying to sympathize with a corrupt government, do you hear yourself?"
"You really think everyone is stupid, don't you?"
"I think everyone proves me right eventually." Neila shrugged her shoulders. "Your expectations are too high." Her eyes started to narrow. [I doubt that our task is just as simple as guarding this family, this must be some kind of fucked up test.]
Lucy scowled. "Maybe. But they shouldn't be treating us like weapons."
"Why not? That's what we are."
"No. We're human."
"You're delusional."
Dominic had his hands in his pockets, staring up behind his sunglasses at the architectural monstrosity of clean concrete, thick steel and bulletproof glass that looked less like a home and more like a bunker meant to withstand a nuclear explosion.
Dominic adjusted his sunglasses, still staring up at the building. "This place looks like it could survive a nuclear blast. What exactly are they expecting to happen here?"
"The patriarch clearly has enemies," Lucy said. "Otherwise we wouldn't be here."
"Still, does the head really think that this place is going to get bombed or something?"
"This menial task could be left to some other third rate witch, is this what the academy is up to nowadays?" Sarah ran her fingers through her long brunette hair, as she spoke in a condescending tone. "They're not even working together. The longer time passes, the more that their egos get the better of them."
She started to stretch as her crimson eyes narrowed, a glow unlike the Walker family's blood red, a sudden glow that was more divine and pure.
"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Dominic said.
"I'm speaking from observation. There's a difference."
"Mhmm?" Sarah glanced at him, her eyebrows raising ever so slightly, but she ignored him and walked past.
Neila's eyes wandered to Hoshimi's body. [He's quite well built, but his mana, it's rapidly fluctuating. Like a child recently acquiring their use of mana for the first time, is it just me or does no one else notice this? Maybe the others just aren't as observant as me]
Kira stayed quiet as always, half a step behind Hoshimi, her fingers fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket. Her mana pulsed erratically, her soul shook. "We have to work in a group? I-I'll just stick with you then."
Hoshimi glanced at her. "You don't sound happy about it."
"I'm not unhappy. I'm just..." She trailed off, her fingers twisting in the fabric. "I don't work well with others. I mean, I try. But I always end up saying the wrong thing, or doing the wrong thing, or just... being in the way."
"You haven't been in the way."
"That's because I haven't done anything yet." She let out a shaky breath. "I'm really clumsy and kind of stupid so like….when I try to help people, either I can't pick up on what they're trying to say or forget something or drop something."
"Maybe this time will be different."
"You don't know that, no matter what I do to fix myself, I can't do it, even with how hard I try, I'm always a detriment to whatever group I'm in."
"I think you should just stop worrying at all, there's no point. It just makes you anxious."
"I'm always anxious."
"I noticed."
"Is it that obvious?"
"You're gripping my sleeve hard enough to tear it."
Kira looked down at her hand, at her fingers white-knuckled on the fabric. She loosened her grip immediately, her face flushing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine."
"That's not-" She stopped herself, took a breath. "You're being nice to me."
"Is that surprising?"
"A little bit. The people that took me from my parents weren't very nice."
"Most people are idiots."
(The middle child is a witch, be careful of her.) He glanced at Kira. [One wrong move and she could kill everyone in the building. I really shouldn't anger her.]
The gates creaked open. The sound was deep and heavy, like the groan of something ancient stirring from sleep. The head servant stood in the gap, his face impassive.
The man was in his sixties, with eyes that didn't blink nearly often enough and a long black coat that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. His posture was rigid, his hands folded behind his back.
"Welcome, students of Hex Academy." He bowed slightly, just enough to acknowledge them but not enough to show submission. "My name is Tian. I will be your guide within the estate."
Neila raised an eyebrow. [There's no mana emanating off his body. Usually a head butler would be a witch in case the head would need protection. Either that or he's hiding his mana output really well.]
Dominic stepped forward, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. "Who's the head of the family?"
The butler stood unfazed, with his hands behind his back. "I'm afraid that I am unable to tell you his identity. Even the master's children don't know what he looks like."
"Bullcrap."
"It is the master's preference."
Dominic clicked his tongue. "What kind of parent doesn't show up to meet the witches protecting his family?"
"Some who cares a lot about his identity," Edward said quietly from behind him. "He's someone who is catious or just paranoid."
"No shit duh. What is even the difference?"
"Caution is rational. Paranoia is..." Edward paused, his dark eyes scanning the cameras mounted at every corner. "Something else."
"And which do you think this is?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
Lucy walked in front of Dominic, tapping at his chest. "Our dad was the same. I really don't think you should judge."
"Yeah to you, dad was with me all the time, you know how much shit I went through because of him?"
"No. But he must have had his reasons. He probably wanted you to be better."
"Better my ass, you're trying to find a nonexistent speck of good inside of an evil person."
Tian's lips twitched, barely to the point no one noticed. "Please refrain from comparing the head of the Walker family, sir Johnathan Walker, with the Mirlos. The master has his own personal reasons to stay anonymous."
Dominic scratched the back of his head as he rested his other hand on his hip. "You really aren't going to budge, are you?"
"I am not at liberty to."
"At liberty." Dominic smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "That's a very diplomatic way of saying 'none of your business.'"
"I am glad you understand, sir."
"Ohhhhh, I totally understand perfectly. I just don't like it."
"The seven of you will be provided four rooms within the estate. Don't worry about the head of the family. Your main task right now will be to watch over the three heirs." The butler stepped aside, gesturing towards the interior as the massive doors started to creak open on their own, revealing a long, pure white hallway of pure marble and cold glass.
Security cameras stood at every single corner like eagles, watching their every move. "Your rooms are upstairs. You will meet the three heirs shortly."
Edward stared at the rapid red blinking of the cameras. "They're watching us."
Dominic walked straight up to him, hitting his stomach with his elbow. "Says the person who was saying that the head of this family was being too paranoid."
"It's not paranoia if they're actually watching."
"Fine. You're being observant. Aren't you happy?"
"No."
"Then what would make you happy?"
"Getting out of this place, really." Edward was quiet for a moment.
"Anyways, you're way too carefree," Edward added, his voice flat.
Dominic smiled, a look that looked cheerful but a look that led to the impression that he knew more than he should. "So? What if they're watching us? They can't do anything."
"Whoever it is behind those cameras. They can document our personalities, our abilities and our weaknesses and probably document us."
"And what weaknesses do you think they'll find?"
"That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
Edward turned to face him. "The point is that we don't know anything, whoever it is that is living here, they're an unknown variable, we're vulnerable right now."
"We're always vulnerable."
The interior of the estate was clean, golden and sterile but the shelves seemed unusually messy for a place with this many servants.
Hoshimi stared at the walls, chipping away at the paint with his fingernails, revealing a shiny layer of steel underneath. [What the hell are they hiding from? There's really no need to be this secure. They are just being overly paranoid at this point]
Neila clicked her tongue as she surveyed a particularly chaotic shelf. [These children are destroying any sense of aesthetic coherence. I really really can't stand this. Why aren't the servants doing anything about this?]
Kira walked behind Hoshimi, nudging at his back. "I've never been in a house this big." She looked around at the hallway. "Walking in here makes me feel like I'm invading into someplace that I'm not supposed to." Sweat rapidly poured down her cheek like a flood. "I'm feeling really really anxious, I c-can't stand it." She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, slightly tugging it. "I'm not being a loser, am I?"
[She really does talk a lot]
Hoshimi thought, but he kept the observation to himself. Instead, he smiled, a soft, practiced expression that didn't reach his eyes and patted her head. "You're not a loser. There's no need to listen to what other people say."
"That's easy for you to say. You don't seem to care what anyone thinks."
"I don't."
"How? How do you just... not care?"
"I guess, it must be trauma."
Kira smiled, a crooked one, like she was trying her best but not really succeeding. "I wish I could be like that. Just... not feel things so much."
"Feeling things isn't bad."
"It is when the things you feel are terrible all the time."
"Then you need different things to feel."
She smiled back, a crooked thing that was trying very hard to be genuine. He could feel her mana pulsing erratically, her soul shaking like a plucked string. One wrong move and she could kill everyone in the building.
"You will now meet the three heirs."
The group was led into a lounge, antique paintings covered the walls, their gilded frames clashing violently with the modern concrete aesthetic.
Three children stood inside.
The eldest child was a boy with black hair slicked back, amber eyes that moved dismissively across the group without pausing. He spun a kitchen knife between his fingers with practiced ease. His lips curled as he looked at them.
"Why did you even call these fucking witches? I can't even stand their scent."
He threw his knife straight towards Neila's face.
She caught it, right before it hit her face, the blade stuck within her fingers as blood trickled down her arm. Her eyes widened as her fingers clenched around the blade, dropping it to the floor as she took a step forward, clenching her bloodied fist.
Dominic stepped on her foot before she could move. Hard enough to anchor her, not hard enough to bruise. "Don't do anything rash," he whispered. "If you hit him, you're the one who attacked a client's son. That's how they'll spin it."
"Are you kidding me?" Neila stared straight into his eyes. "He just tried to kill me."
"I know."
"The mission is a joke."
"Failing it isn't an option."
Neila's jaw tightened. Her blue eyes blazed with barely contained fury. "Fine. But I'm not forgetting this."
"I wouldn't expect you to."
Neila's jaw was tight, her fingers still curled around the blade. But she didn't strike.
Hoshimi's eyes stared at the girl sitting to the left on the couch. She looked to be one year younger than him, one year before she was to get dragged into the exam herself.
She was 16. Long blonde hair curled up into a ponytail, green eyes that had no sign of any life.
The eyes are the window to the soul, mana is the essence of the soul. A witch that couldn't access any mana is one who cannot access their soul.
She had sun touched skin, her hair reached to her mid back. She stared down at the carpet, her hands had bruises yet her face remained pristine like a doll.
[I see what's happening here. I wonder why miss Reina wants me to be wary of her? She looks harmless, after all she looks like she has been abused all this time. But if she does reliate..] Hoshimi's eyes narrowed.
Neila wrapped her hand in a piece of paper, the first thing she could grab, and pressed it against the wound. [Look at that girl. She's not fighting back against them even though she's being ostracized. How pitiful.]
"Really?" The first son pointed his finger towards Neila. "Do you really think that a bunch of women can even protect me? I didn't think they brought a couple of maids along with the bodyguards too."
"Is that what you think?" Neila's voice was dangerously calm.
"It's what I know. Witches are tools. Female witches are defective tools."
The last child was young, around 14 years of age. He sat perfectly in a high backed leather chair, his hands folded neatly on his lap. His hair was shoulder length like that of a girl, hair as white as an angel matching his pale skin.
"Brother." The child spoke up. "Please try not to provoke our guests even if they may be witches. They're protecting us on their behalf."
"Shut the hell up, Elias. They're witches. Who cares what I do to them?" The eldest brother scoffed, dismissively waving his hand.
"I care," Elias said quietly. "And I suspect Father would care, if he were here."
"Father isn't here. Father is never here."
Elias's smile was angelic, untroubled. "We should be careful what we say in front of strangers. You never know who might be listening."
"Master Adrian, please refrain from insulting our guests. The children of two of the four great families are here," Tian spoke up.
The oldest son flinched slightly. "The great families." He looked at Neila, then at Dominic, his expression shifting. "Which ones?"
"The Shaws and the Walkers," Tian said.
"I see." Adrian's bravado had dimmed, though he tried to hide it. "Well. That changes things, doesn't it?"
"Does it?" Neila asked, her voice sweet. "I thought we were just defective tools to you."
"You are."
Kira slightly tugged at Hoshimi. "That girl," she whispered. "She has gone through years of abuse. I can tell just by the look on her face." She looked down at her feet. "I can't talk to her. I h-have problems with social interactions in general, I can't start conversations very well, but she looks hurt. Can you try to comfort her like how you did to me? It looks like she really needs it"
"Why me?"
"Because you're good at it. At talking to people. At making them feel..." She struggled for the word.
"I'm not good at that."
"You are."
[I was eventually planning on doing it anyway. She seems like the easiest person to take advantage of]
"Fine." He cracked his neck as he walked towards the girl, his calm eyes suddenly started to widen as a fake smile flashed across his face. "He—"
"The seven of you will be guided to your rooms. Follow me." Tian gestured the seven of them to leave the room.
The youngest child smiled, an unnatural expression on his face. "I hope you're comfortable."
Tian's voice echoed. "Quickly decide on who is going to sleep in the same room."
Lucy's reaction was immediate and absolute. She stared at Neila with undisguised hostility, her remaining hand clenched at her side. "There's no way in hell, so stop looking at me."
"I wasn't looking at you." Neila didn't even glance at her, her attention fixed on some point in the middle distance.
"You were thinking about it."
Neila's face didn't change, instead she looked away from her. "I never said I wanted to room with you. In fact, the feeling is entirely mutual."
"Good."
"Good."
"Come on, Neila." Dominic placed a hand on her shoulder, immediately sending a chill down her spine. "I'll sleep with Lucy. We share the same blood."
"Fine. Take her." Neila leaned against the wall, she looked away nonchalantly. "I guess I'll sleep with one of the girls."
"Which one?" Dominic asked.
"Does it matter?"
"I'm curious."
"The brunette, I'll sleep with her. She's the least likely to try to kill me in my sleep."
"That's your criteria? 'Least likely to murder me'?"
"It's served me well so far."
Kira held onto Hoshimi's arm tightly. "I'll sleep with him."
Her eyes widened, her gaze snapping to Hoshimi with an intensity that bordered on predatory. Something had shifted in her assessment. Something had changed.
[His mana isn't wavering because this is his first time. It's wavering because he's compressing his mana. His body's mana is already high. It's even higher than that? He could be the key to my mana deficiency. This might be my only chance.]
"Is there something on my face?" Hoshimi asked.
"No. Nothing." Neila recovered her composure, her expression smoothing back into its usual mask. "I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing important." She turned away. "Brunette. You're with me."
"I don't recall agreeing to that," Sarah said.
"I don't recall asking."