Chapter 4: First Impressions and Rules
He could not sense her presence until she made that slopping sound. How long had this weirdo been beside him? How could she have evaded his heightened senses?
He spied sideways at the girl who was still sucking on her lollipop. She was slightly shorter than him, and her silver hair was slightly over her shoulders. But her eyes were more unnerving.
A disturbing blackness that was hollow, as if she was dead inside.
"Hey, who's that?" Rael's head stretched from his side. "You know her?"
He shook his head discreetly in response, then he walked further away a few feet from them. That girl was giving serious déjà vu vibes. But the decision he had made rashly had now earned him a spot before the punk who stared down at him.
She was so tall that the only thing he could see from here was her unusually huge chest, which was quite the most biggest and distracting...
"Oh, it's the cute little starer. You done looking?"
He felt a rough hand grab his head from above, forcing it down while a feminine face—given the piercings, he knew it was the owner of the pair of voluptuous bre—actually sleeveless top he was just staring at...
Damn. He got into bad books already.
"I can show you more, cutie. After all, timid and curious guys like you..." He felt some hot breath on his ear, an action that sent him all red. His heart was palpitating a bit outta normal. Calm down, fella.
"...are just my type."
Was this his moment? What did she mean by my type? Ideally, no female had ever approached him all his life. Cutie? What did she mean?
"Hey, get the fuck away from him!" A voice he guessed was Rael swung him out of his reverie. Without even needing to look, the next thing he felt was the pressure on his head dissipating. He looked up to see Rael engaging in a deadlock with this big-chested girl.
Come on, Rael. This is definitely one time you need not interrupt. Why da hell was the bastard following him around like some stalker?
"Ooh." The girl tilted her head with a smile on her face, then her eyes went dead serious. "You know, I don't exactly fancy short-tempered guys like you. So why don't you fuck off and die?"
Should he stop them? Surely he could just say she wasn't about to hurt him. Actually, quite the opposite. His face reddened. What da hell was wrong with him?
"Hey, freak, get out my way."
Ashnight felt a violent shove at his back. Enraged, he gazed to his side only to meet the death glare from Mr. White Hair's flaring eyes.
What is his deal? Sincerely, he understood that there was some sort of discrimination between them downsiders and the upworlders, but it was not this taking it too personal.
He crumpled his fist, but at the end, he sighed as he watched the silhouette of Moraine join the violent exchange between big-chested girl and Rael, who was definitely not set on letting go of big-chested girl's wrist.
"Hey, Rael, were you not fucking taught manners? You don't grab a woman that roughly." Moraine barked at Rael, who just sighed. The big-chested girl scanned the smiling Moraine dismissively.
"Oh, it's the albino."
Those words from her were like arrows to Moraine, who tried outwardly to maintain his cool. But Ashnight could see from his shaky stance, man was really touched.
Even Rael's mouth formed an "O" before shaking his head. His hands finally let go of the girl's wrist.
"I'm out." Rael parsed his lips at the petrified Moraine,then tapped him on the shoulder..
"Yo, Raine, are you that shameless? can't you see she don't give a damn about your artificial contacts, no, your artificial look in general. Back out, man."
"Hey, red-haired." Big-chested girl grabbed Rael's shoulder from behind with her brown eyes flaring violently. "You gonna apologize or what?"
Rael returned the same deathly stare.
"Huh, Don't push your luck punk ass."
Ashnight drifted his eyes to Mr. Saint, who was still motionless, but the weirdo was actually whispering something to his crucifix with his eyes closed. Was he a retard or was that a product of extreme loneliness?
Then he heard the heavy thud of something huge on the floor. It was Mr. Musclehead. He was now on the floor snoring, the virtual helm now away from his face, right in the hands of the Nephilim instructor.
Something cold pressed against him, interrupting his thoughts. He traced the feeling, only to see the feminine figure of the earlier silver-haired weirdo behind him. He held his yelp.
This weirdo, with a sinister smile that did not reach her lifeless eyes, retreated her lollipop from his face back to her mouth. But her hands dipped into her pocket, then brought another one from her tracksuit pocket.
He watched the entire scene that could have taken no less than a minute take more than five because of the sluggish movements of this girl's feeble palms.
The lollipop finally pointed at him. He raised one of his brows. Was she handing it over to him? He used his hands to gesture at himself.
Thankfully, back at the slums, he had learned a few sign languages. You know, due to the high violence rate, most citizens of the downside tend to lose their eardrums.
She nodded, then pushed it further at him. With those dead spooky eyes, she looked perfectly like a veiled assassin. Seeing she would not drop her hands till he accepted it...
He finally grabbed it swiftly, then dumped it inside his tracksuit pocket.
"Thanks..."
But the only response he got was the unblinking glare from this terrifying girl. With that same perfect smile plastered, Ashnight felt like he was in a nightmare.
"I... I said t... thanks." Somebody get me outta here, please. He had only come here for the meals, the sun, and for other undisclosed reasons, obviously secondary.
"Now, now, kids." Northman's voice bellowed. That single interruption was all it took for Ashnight to drift away from the silver-haired freak. He finally let out the breath he was holding.
"I get you guys are bonding... teenagely." He gestured at the fighting trio who halted abruptly, boring him through with stares.
"But I'll let you know I have five Holy Commandments. You break one, you die. But worry not. Fortunately enough, I can bring you back, though the memory of your death would be so painful and vivid that you wouldn't want to die again."
He added the last part, puffing smoke from his cigarette. His eyes were apathetic.
"Good. Now I have your attention."
Something in Ashnight told him that this mister was not bluffing. He gulped as he clutched the handle of his backpack. Then he heard that same eerie sloppy sound. Mechanically, he tilted his head to see the silver-haired weirdo beside him.
Now he far wished Rael was actually the one following him around.
He partitioned some more distance, but she still found her spot by his side. And after two more attempts, he gave up.
"Now, rule number one: No violence. As civilized ladies and gentlemen of the law, you shall act as the title you have been bestowed."
Northman watched the fighting trio part away further. The red-haired was the most farthest. He had a nice fancy sword. Northman smiled.
"Rule number two: Never should a man be found in the girl's dormitories. The only thing deserving of a pervert is death." Northman casually shrugged.
"Now that's bad." Ashnight heard Moraine's voice not too far beside him. He had a dejected look in his eyes, while Rael was right behind him, boring his crimson eyes at the clingy weirdo beside Ashnight.
"You pals now or what?"
Ashnight gave him a side glare that said everything, and Rael obviously understood, raised one of his brows.
"Love at first sight, huh?" Ashnight nearly facepalmed. He had been misread.
"Forget about it."
"And as a bonus to number two, there will be no use of hard drugs, illicit substances you kids might have in those baggage of yours. Pornos..."
"Come on, that's our own personal gig." Moraine sighed. Ashnight noticed he looked a bit exasperated.
Were pornos really that important to him?
" wanna die?" Northman gently exhaled his cigarette fumes.
Moraine gulped before shaking his head abruptly. "No, sir."
Northman slicked his hair back, then he sighed sadly. "That's bad. Thought I really had my first scapegoat. Guess it is gonna take a while."
Ashnight turned to Rael. "What are pornos?"
Rael pursed his lips together as if he was trying to keep himself from chuckling. "They are special artifacts of nature. Mature ones. You don't really wanna go deep about it."
"What if I want to?"
"It is better you don't. Believe me, it is gonna freak you out."
Seeing the dismissive tone of Rael, he did not poke further. Surely, perhaps this pornos stuff was a matter of high danger, and that he was not really a fan of.
"This day one of your 7-day training here, so I'm gonna spare you kids some rest. Tomorrow we begin the Maze Test. The day after that, you will get synched with the World Machine for a 3-day limit to awaken your Aspects."
Now Ashnight was a bit concerned for the sleeping musclehead. Was it really okay to be sleeping off this valuable info? Well, he could always ask later.
"Two days after that, you folks would be Enders ready for their trial in the Nullworld. Whether you live or die is no longer on me but on you. Any questions?"
Rael raised his hands. "Uhhm, sir... may I ask why you clearly have a cigarette on? It contrasts your rule earlier."
"You are a brave one I like that." Mr. Northman brought the cigarette to his eye level. "I am above the law, and second, I am teaching you a lesson. You see, a cigarette is made of paper, and yours truly, they are solid and compacted, but when burned, they become smoke."
Northman swirled the cigarette in the air, leaving white cloudy trails.
"Ever free to dance to the clouds, venture the world. In the same vein, you all are yet to be formless. You are limited by your liable forms. In this seven-day scope, I would be the fire of transformation. I would be what changes you kids into more fortified machines, limitless by any form."
Northman brought the cigarette back to his lips. "So be my guest. Any other questions?"
Next was Moraine, who asked with both hands in his suit pockets. "Yo Teach..The other three commandments... you aren't gonna talk about it?"
Ashnight watched the instructor narrow his blue eyes while he exhaled another foggy breath of smoke, yet his sadistic blue eyes gleamed through the fog.
"Figure it out yourselves."