“Wake up ------ !” Arma felt a slash cut between his eyebrows as he continued to lie down on the soft cushiony bed, his eyelids glued together to prevent him from rising up. However, he could feel someone deliberately shaking him, restlessly disturbing him in slumber land. He just wanted to stay there while sprawled on the bed like a rag doll. It had been so long since he had ever slept in peace. He was not going to let some random stranger to shatter his rare occurring peaceful moments.

“Wakey wakey ------ !” A vein throbbed at his right temple while Arma groaned lightly, stirring himself and rolling to his right side. To his surprise, he found that the luxurious bed he was on shifted slightly and something cool melted at the surface of his cheeks which was definitely not his pillow. He realised then he didn’t even have his thick blanket wrapping over him. His surrounding was cold. Cold, like snow... It only struck him a short while later that he was not in his bed. He was somewhere else, far from his comfortable bed.

“------...” Arma eyelids flew open and he registered tiny snowflakes drizzling down and enveloping the whole floor. Even he, himself was coated with several sheets of snow. Bewildered and confused at how he got there, Arma instantly got up, briskly patting away the snow from his shirt, head, arms and jeans. While he did that, Arma noticed a slight movement right in front of him. Instinctively, he snapped his attention to the guy before him who was smiling underneath a yellow snow-coated hoodie.

“You woke up. That’s good. I don’t have much time so listen closely okay? ------?” Arma felt his eyes wide open and anger bustling through his bloodstream. His body grew cold and he was certain it was not because of the snow that still rained gently down on them. The guy of him had a mysterious air around him while he smiled evilly under the hood.

“You! How’d you know my real name?!” The guy simply shrugged his shoulders, as if that simple movement would answer his question which didn’t please the tall lad in the least. Arma took note of the guy who was shorter than him by a few inches; obviously since Arma was freakishly tall. This guy was at an average height, just around Zatch’s. The hoodie he wore was something short of eccentric. It was florescent yellow and had two floppy yellow ears which were black at the tips.  A face was printed on the hood to which Arma vaguely recognised as Pikachu. He wore worn out jeans and red converse that was caked with powdered snow.

“Seriously...what’s with that Pikachu Hoodie?”

“Like I said, I don’t have much time. The least I can tell you is that I am part of the core of the AI’s existence. Now to the important point” Before Arma could argue or interfere, the hooded guy waved his arms elegantly, summoning several screens around them which brighten up the dark. It was only then did Arma concentrated on his surroundings.

They were at a dark gloomy area with white sleets as its land. Several silver lines which seemingly represented threads were hung around randomly everywhere. It was laid in a way that it spiralled around the two of them, but not touching them. Arma was impressed that none of them seemed tangled. However, they were connected in an odd way.

“You, Arma... I shall call you with your game name since speaking your real name disturbs you. Anyway, Arma, you have the power to see the future calamities, do you not?” Arma gawked at the shorter guy in front of him whose face was hidden under that hood. The only thing he could see was his mischievous smirk. Trying his best to not wonder how he got into that strange place, Arma played along the shorter guy’s game. It was better than wasting time to focus on something like escaping. He might get the information he needed by talking to the eerie looking guy.

“Yes I can... so?”

“Ah but you are unwilling to manifest it within you, isn’t that right? You know Arma, if you accept your power, there would be so many bright things that would be at your doorstep. For instance, friends...” The yellow hooded guy gestured his arm to three to four screens to his right. It gradually flickered to life, showing pictures of people that Arma could only recognise as players who hold a grudge against him. Although, He did recognise three others in one screen to which Arma distinguished as Stabs, Phoenix and Zatch. Their images were captured with all of them being unaware of it since it looked natural.

“Respect, happiness, brighter days!” By then, the hooded guy was on the roll, flicking his hand at every blank screen he saw, persistent for each of them to represent things he had announced with passion. However, what he was saying were not comforting to the tall lad. Instead, he felt anger boiling up inside of him, hatred towards the hooded figure.

He didn’t know why but the stranger before him was unconsciously resulted an opposite effect at what he was doing. He was about to grab his fist full of the shorter guy’s shirt and make him see stars when the hooded guy interrupted his thoughts with something Arma did not saw it coming.

“Even...the girl you want” Three screens hovered above from behind, openly showing three natural pictures of a girl Arma knew too well. Who wouldn’t? The screen revealed that girl, with her chestnut hair that had a French braid plaited over her head. All three pictures had a kind and sincere smile that lit up the whole place they were at. By then, the tall lad’s anger dissipated, leaving only fear eating away his heart.

“Who...who are you? What do you know about me?” Arma demanded instantly, his face flushed from being so worked up. He needed answers right now. Things were just getting weirder and weirder by the minute. He wasn’t the type of person who can easily accustomed to odd phenomenon’s that came like running water like Zatch can. Even if he wasn’t Zatch, this was still beyond normal for any person to digest.

The hooded didn’t seem to hear him. Or, maybe he simply ignored him. Whatever the case was, the mysterious guy seemed to calm down from his excitement. He crossed his arm casually over his chest, seemingly boring his eyes onto Arma that was concealed in the shadows of his hood.

“However, if you keep holding yourself back, things may not be as bright as they should be. The future might as well be bleak before you know it.” Just then, one of the screen which had Titania’s radiant smile altered. In its place, the girl now had the wickedest smirk Arma saw in his life. Her eyes were narrowed to small slits, glinting maliciously at him. It never occurred to him that she could even have such a horrific personality. 

In the screen, Titania moved, one hand poised to attack. Arma noticed that she was holding a small knife. Before he could react, he flinched backwards as she slashed across the screen, causing it to blink back to black. Arma almost felt the slash of the cut go through him. The power of that cut was so amazing; it left him trying to will his heart to beat to its normal rhythm.

“If you are willing, to risk your life to break the future predictions...” The hooded guy continued, summoning another small screen right before Arma’s face. At first, Arma didn’t recognise who the person present in the screen was till he noticed the colour of that particular person’s hair. Ivory black...

“You can save someone from the darkness that swallows her...” The screen was zoomed into the girl’s face. Arma couldn’t believe his eyes. The girl in the picture was Zessica. He couldn’t distinguish her at first from the ivory black fringe of her hair concealing her vibrant emerald green eyes. There was something that was afoot with the picture too. Instead of the impassive expression she usually wore, in the screen, she was smiling. Actually smiling brightly at whatever that captured her image.

“But if you refuse....” The guy’s voice suddenly deepened, overflowing with power in them. A sudden headache settled in Arma. He winced greatly in pain, causing him to drop to one knee. Clutching his head at the pain that seemed to split his head open to two, Arma grunted loudly, clenching his teeth furiously together and shutting his eyes tightly. What was happening to him?

“You will eternally see the dark days ahead...” The headache suddenly died down out of the blue, causing him to crack open both eyes in shock and gasping for air. He straightened himself again; balancing with his two feet firmly rooted on the ground and absorbed the surroundings. He was in another place once more. Dark withering clouds were passing by over his head with rain droplets hammering on him. The scenary around him was dull grey and foggy. However, something made his nose to wrinkle in disgust. There was a stink in the air. Changing his attention to what lay before him, he almost gagged. Not from disgust, but from horror.

There were metal pillars scattered everywhere, bent in all sorts of areas. Under it, laid a small body which Arma instantly recognised as Zessica with the rain gently beating down on her. Her black hair was fanned all over the wet clay ground while her body was sprawled unnaturally. Her face was unusually pale, like a vampire’s. A dark pool of red was emerging under her body, dampening her fur trimmed parka. There was a wound visible on her forehead which was gushing out blood.

Arma stepped back unconsciously, trying his best to endure the horrifying sight. It couldn’t be real. It just can’t be. This was a dream. A very horrifying dream... He was in a nightmare. He shut his eyes tightly once more, tolerating another headache that followed. When he opened his eyelids again, he found the yellow hooded guy standing before him with an evil smirk.

“So...What path will you choose? ------?” Arma felt several vein throbbing in his forehead. He marched forward to the guy who didn’t even flinch back in fear. The tall lad grabbed the collar of his shirt, impressively lifting him off the ground and glared furiously at him.

“Who the heck are you? What do you want from me?!” Arma yelled. He didn’t know whether if it was the force of his voice or it was the light wind, something knocked the Pikachu hood from his face. As a result, the mysterious guy’s face was revealed, causing Arma to coil back in fear.

“Y-you...You are...”

“Time’s up. Wakey wakey, sleepyhead...”

***

Arma woke up with a jump, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. His heart was pumping furiously against his ribcage and he could hear it pulsing loudly in his ears. Most of the memories of his dream melted away, making it difficult for Arma to recall his nightmare. Placing his head on his damp palm, Arma closed his eyes, slowly trying to piece together his vivid dream. Unfortunately, soon, the image of Zessica sprawled under the metal pillars came rushing back.

With his heart in his mouth, Arma leapt from his bed, not in the least bit worried of his sleeping attire and burst out of his room. With trembling fingers, he dashed towards the closest bedroom and clutched the doorknob nervously with all fingers and thumbs. Arma then pushed the door open, surprising a sleepy girl who was going to open the door at the same time.

Zessica stepped back, her eyes slightly widened as she gaped at him. Arma stared at her for a minute while panting for air. He scanned her up and down, trying to find any sort of wounds that was inflicted on her. The only thing he saw was a tiny girl wearing his shirt that was ten times too big for her which reached her knees along with his trousers that almost slipped down to her ankles.

“Arma? What’s wrong?” Arma ignored her question and hastily cupped the girl’s face with both his hands, making her eyes widen more. With one hand, he briskly lifted her ivory fringe from her face, revealing her pale forehead. There were no injuries or any scars that represented her ‘death’ in his dream.

Once he was assured that his dream didn’t fabricate to reality, Arma let out a long sigh of relief. He gently let go of the girl who was still perplexed with the sudden panic stricken Arma that was standing before her just a while ago.

“Had a bad dream?” It was just a simple question but those few words struck him like an arrow. She had yet once again, read him like an open book. Was it that obvious? He should really start learning how to conceal his own emotions. Otherwise it would be ugly if someone else other than this short girl who can guess what he is thinking.

“Uh...sort of...”

“Hmm...Just so you know, I am alive. I don’t know what kind of dream you had but I can guess something happened to me, didn’t it?” Arma wanted to roll to one corner and die with glowing fireflies to accompany him. What exactly was the key to her great perceiving abilities? Why was she a professional at reading people’s expression?

“Okay...Just a dream...Got it...” Zessica nodded along with Arma who was slightly confused. A small sneeze followed which broke his chain of thoughts. Zessica sniffled lightly and Arma noticed that her eyes looked sore and there were dark circles under them as well. She herself looked like she didn’t have a peaceful sleep that night.

“Did you...also had a nightmare?” Arma asked curiously. Zessica took her time to debate on her answer. It took her at least a good minute for her to reply back.

“Sort of... Funny thing is, I don’t remember” Arma could only nod back, knowing the feeling all too well. It was one of those moments when he wants to recall something very important but no matter how much he tries, it never comes up till way later where he least expects it. For a moment, he wondered if the girl had the same dream as he did but immediately shrugged it off his mind. After all, having her dream about her death wasn’t a pleasant thought.

“Where are my clothes?” Zessica asked, stepping out as she gently passed by the tall lad. She had one hand clutching her trousers which threatened to fall. The V-cut collar of the shirt she was wearing slid over her right shoulder, revealing her pale shoulder blades.

“Clothes? Ah, that! Its right over here” Arma responded, pointing the blue laundry basket that was leaning on the wall at a side from the door.

Last night, Zessica had dived head first to murky water. By the time she reached his home, her clothes started reeking with a foul smell of trash that even she was uncomfortable and couldn’t tolerate it. He had lent her one of his old shirts and trousers for her to sleep for the night and dumped her clothes in the washing machine. By the time the stench was purged out of the fabric, ironed automatically which was one of the latest feature of the robot-made washing machine, Zessica had already gone to bed. Arma simply left the basket nearby the door so she would see it when she walks out first thing in the morning.

Zessica simply nodded as her way of saying ‘thank you’, picked the huge laundry basket with both hands and went back in the room. She slammed the door right before Arma and he heard the soft click of the door being locked. Only then did he glance down his own night attire. Once he did, he grew red from embarrassment.

He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and soot black boxers that had white hearts printed on them. He had no idea why and where he got the boxers from but all he knew now was that he would never wear them again. Growling at himself for his sheer idiocy of not checking to what he was wearing, he marched back to his room with his bare feet and slammed the door with more force than he intended. Though, it surprised him that the short girl didn’t take notice of his night clothes. Either that or she did notice but didn’t comment on it, which seemed so like her.

Once fully dressed with a bright red shirt, stone-washed jeans and red converse, he ran a worn out comb through his bed hair and groomed it neatly. However, he did wince slightly when some of the teeth of the come struck too sharply on his scalp. Stepping out of his room, he strolled down stairs with the thoughts of breakfast for two people in his mind. However, Zessica had more or less beaten him to it.

In the kitchen, she had grabbed two chairs from the dining room and brought it to the kitchen for she was now sitting on one. How she brought it, he had no idea and he wasn’t in the mood to ask her. There were already two bowls of ChocoStars Cereal prepared for both of them. She was quietly munching herself away with her back against him and her feet kicking over nothing but air. To Arma, he almost saw her as a twelve year old whenever her feet were well above the ground. He also saw something else that stood out like porcupine needles, her hair.

“Are you honestly going to school with that hairdo?” Arma asked bewilderedly as he walked towards the kitchen table. Zessica turned, uncovering more of her dishevelled ivory black hair. Arma froze on the spot and looked fixedly on her hair before bursting into fits of laughter. It looked even worse when he saw her in a closer angle. Zessica made a small expression of what looked like annoyance. Arma couldn’t tell since she hardly moved a muscle on her face.

“Well, it can’t be help since there aren’t any mirrors around here...” That statement alone halted his laughter to a shrieking stop. Arma felt dread bestow down on his chest and guilt bearing down his shoulders. He felt a bit impolite for mocking at her blowzy appearance. Sighing, her summoned his inventory and picked up a better maintained hairbrush which Phoenix gave him.

“What’s this?”Zessica asked curiously, taking another mouthful of chocolate flavoured stars. Arma simply loomed over her and gently rested the brush on her head. The short girl seemed to have guessed what he was planning as he felt her tensed up rapidly.

“Don’t move okay?” Arma added while tenderly brushed and smoothened her frizzled hair down. It didn’t take long; maybe at least a minute to make her looked groomed. Once he was done, he stepped back and scanned his work. The short girl gawked back inexpressively. Her ivory black hair still looked a bit dishevelled but it wasn’t as much ridiculous as it was earlier.

“You seem to know how to comb a girl’s hair...”Zessica noted, resuming her munch time with her breakfast. Arma merely shrugged as the hairbrush disappeared from his bare hands. He sat beside the girl and stirred the contents in his bowl mindlessly before gulping it down in his mouth.

“It’s nothing much. I used to comb Phoenix’s hair back in Earth. She...well...it’s a bit of a personal story of hers so I don’t feel I should be talking about it”

“Hmm...I’ve been meaning to ask. Why didn’t you- Atchoo!” Zessica sneezed loudly once more, almost flying back from her chair. The sneeze was so sudden, Arma almost chocked on his cereal. He quickly banged on his chest, forcing himself to swallow. Once he was assured he could breathe again, he snapped his neck towards the girl who was rubbing her nose lightly.

“Ah sorry, my bad. Anyway, what I was going to ask was, why didn’t you join Phoenix and Zatch? From what you told me last night, those two are your childhood friends, are they not?” Arma narrowed his eyes uncomfortably, awkwardly shrugging his shoulders as he did so.

“I wanted to...But...I felt like I was simply going to be on their way...You know...like be a burden to them. Of course I didn’t admit it. I was stupid and was claiming something about doing it for the sake of my independence or something.” Arma gulped another mouthful of chocolate flavoured stars.

“I see...” Those two words were the last thing that was passed between the two. Silence lingered in the air while they continued with their breakfast. If he hadn’t had a conversation with the short girl and went through so much crazy things with her in one day, he wouldn’t have minded the silence between them. However right then, Arma felt his heart hammering against his chest, beckoning him to say something to stir up another conversation to which he ignored openly.

After their breakfast and brushing their teeth, Zessica stood outside the door while Arma disappeared at the backyard. He then reappeared with an Earth-styled bicycle with a passenger seat in hand. He had lifted it easily above the ground and placed it on the left side of the road. In the world they lived in, there were unique bicycle that either teleport or even hover above ground but Arma preferred pedalling instead.

 “We’ll be riding to school” Zessica raised both eyebrows at what he made known clear while he placed both of their bags in the basket.

“Riding? As in, you ride the bike while I sit at the back?” Arma shook his head from side to side, as if saying ‘more or less’. He then grinned at her broadly which surprised himself more than it did to the girl. He had been smiling more and more by the second ever since Zessica had started talking to him like a normal individual.

“Yea...never got the chance to use it... It would be easier for you since you get tired wont it?”

“...I guess...Sorry...” Zessica had her head bowed again, staring at her now clean sneakers. Arma was at first taken aback when he saw her sneakers were caked with mud and grass blades when he was going to clean it as well. Just where had she been wandering around to get it in that condition?

“What for?”

“I seem to be some sort of burden to you...”Arma ogled at her for a while and then grinned brightly that reached to his eyes. He chuckled lightly while ruffling her groomed hair, causing her to look up at him.

“Don’t say that. I don’t mind. Come on, get on.” Zessica looked hesitant at first. With Arma sitting on the bicycle patiently she soon made up her mind and leisurely seated herself on the passenger seat with her right side facing Arma’s back, clutching it to prevent her falling in case there were bumps on the road. That’s when the tall lad felt something awkward with the whole situation. He could hardly sense her presence from behind! Before he could even start riding, he frequently looked back, making sure she was at the passenger seat.

“What’s wrong Arma? Am I sitting in the wrong way?” Zessica asked innocently to which Arma immediately shook his head. He immediately muttered ‘nothing’ to her and soon set off. The ride to school was a pleasant one. It had been a long time since he had felt the wind breezing through his face and hair and basking himself in the fake sun light. However, as he ascended up a hill, soon his pleasant journey turned dreadful.

Several students in Wind Crest School were gawking at him with their eyes filled with disgust. Some looked terrified and they scurried a good distance away from him. Arma sighed inwardly, knowing all too well that he was still ruled out as a monster. No matter how much kindness he had shown publicly, it won’t be enough to make them all see that he was just like everyone else, a human.

Nonetheless, he kept riding on with his head held high. He normally wouldn’t have done that for his future had always seemed pretty bleak from the start. However, the short girl behind him had changed all that. She had given him hope that someone else out there, would see what he truly was. He wanted to thank her but he didn’t know how.

That was until, he recalled the incredible bet he made with her, causing him to groan lightly. As much as he wanted to avoid talking to Titania, a bet was a bet and Zessica had won fair and square. The only problem was... where would the infamous idol be at school? He didn’t find an answer for he stopped abruptly at the school gate, almost passing it with him being occupied with his own thoughts.

“We are here...” Arma noted. As in reply, he felt a small thud rest on his back, somewhat tickling him. Arma almost howled in laughter but he couldn’t suppress a flinch. He eventually turned around and found Zessica being more pale than usual limply resting against his back. She was breathing through her mouth and it was severely laboured. Only then did Arm notice that her nose was red and seemed stuffy. She was also shivering uncontrollably.

“Zessi-

He couldn’t even finish saying her name when she suddenly leaned forward. Arma couldn’t react fast enough for he hadn’t posted his bike to a stabilising position yet. He watched in horror as Zessica was about to faint on the spot. Much to his relief, someone caught her before she could hug the floor. Arma looked up to find Stabs, his face flushed from haste which soon had a smile of satisfaction spreading over.

Arma instantly got off his bike and placed it quickly on one of the bike racks before rushing to Stabs again. He saw Phoenix and Zatch rushing after Stabs a long distance, far behind. Zessica lightly roused herself, gradually opening her eyes up to Stabs, staring at him with confusion. Stabs helped her stand straight with one arm around her to keep her balance.

“Zessica? Are you alright?” The short girl seemed dazed at first, narrowing her eyes at Arma’s question. She then placed a quivering hand on her forehead while answering back in a light headed tone.

“I don’t know... I think I caught a cold...” Arma felt his eyes widen in surprise. Even Stabs seemed shocked.

“Did you walk in the rain last night?” Stabs asked curiously to which Zessica shook her head.

“No...I think it’s because I fell from the bridge in Hallway of Horrors. I forgot I can easily catch a cold if I am drenched. I also felt a bit sluggish since morning” Arma suddenly recalled the two sneezes Zessica had. One when he stopped by at the room and the other at breakfast. Arma felt anger pulsing through his veins, bursting his blood vessels. How could he have missed those? There was also something else that nagged him.

“If you felt sluggish since morning why didn’t you say so? You should have stayed back at my place till you recovered!”

“What...did...you say?...” Arma turned to the owner of what seemed like a silently deadly voice. Phoenix was glaring at him with white fire blazing in her eyes. Her red hair was in flames and there was a ring of neon blue fire around her as well as engulfing her fists. Zatch was shaking violently at the school gate, trying his best not to laugh out loud of what Arma had brought himself to.

It took the tall lad a while to what he had just done. Phoenix was the type of girl who misunderstands easily, as in she doesn’t try to get the whole story but immediately jumps into conclusions with only part of a story. So when Arma had said ‘you should have stayed back at my place’ the tall lad knew he was in a tight spot.

“P-phoenix...its n-not what you think!” Arma cried out loudly, stuttering in fear at the charging up bull that was within Phoenix. He knew he had to act quickly or he would be waking up two year from then. Probably a year if he was lucky enough.

“Let me expla-

It was at that point, Arma saw the world in a different view. The school had become the sky with the students standing upside down and the sky had become the ground. Everything was upside down till it soon blended into black.

***

“Honestly Phoenix, how many times have I told you not to beat someone just because you heard something you didn’t like? I had always told you to listen to the whole thing before jumping into any conclusions!" The nurse of the school infirmary and a famous doctor in the one and only hospital in Wind Crest, Tear, lectured crossly. Phoenix had her head bowed low, regretting to what she had done just a few minutes ago.

“Ow!” Arma winced while the twenty seven years old nurse wrapped a clean bandaged over his burnt arm. Tear was a well respected nurse everywhere in Wind Crest. She had copper brown hair that was cropped into a pixie cut. Like any other doctors, she had one of those formal lab coats and a formal wear underneath. Right now, she was lightly furious at the fiery girl, tapping her black high heels impatiently to what Phoenix had to say.

“Arma...I am sorry...?” Phoenix hesitantly spoke to which Arma simply waved off good naturedly. He had dealt with her blows more than enough times to get angry at her. Though, he was still ticked off that she continued to beat him as if he was her personal punching bag. Sometimes he wished for peaceful days, like a truce between them. However, that day seemed very unlikely which resulted him to sigh hopelessly.

Tear immediately begin to smile. Once she was done with wrapping the bandages on both arms, she started working on his face. Arma winced slightly when she gently dabbed antiseptics and medicine on his burnt marks, bruises and cuts which Phoenix had artistically left with passion. Arma looked around, trying to focus anything else than the stinging pain. He caught Zatch who was at one corner of the room, staring out the window. Stabs was at another window, nearby a bed where the short girl lay, resting peacefully on the infirmary bed.

 “There, done” Tear declared, leaning back on her office chair with a genuine smile. Arma tested both his arms, lifting it up and down gently. He felt a bit sore in some areas but not so bad. However, he still felt groggy and sluggish in his own way.

“You know...I was really surprised when you brought Zessica along. Oh! That reminds me. I almost forgot. Her medicines!” Arma blinked in surprise as Tear abruptly got up and shuffled towards the bed in which Zessica was dozing off. She swiped the air with her index finger and a medicine inventory window popped out. The other four watch the nurse as she selected several medicines from about two hundred options and sent it over to the short sleeping girl. Tear let herself have a smile of contentment before turning her attention to Arma.

“Do you know Zessica?” Arma asked the question idiotically before biting his tongue. Of course she would! She was the school nurse! However, Tear didn’t seem to mind his question and simply nodded in reply.

“Yes I do know her. She is a frequent patient of mine. So frequent, sometimes I have to double check the infirmary or the hospital ward to check if she was there.” To that, Arma giving a knowing chuckle as Tear giggled politely. The other three simply gapped at them, not knowing the secret they nurse and the tall lad shared.

“Anyway, I think Arma should stay back for a while till the medicine effects kick in. I don’t want you to move around too much till I give an OK.”

“Yep!” Zatch spoke, popping the letter ‘P’. “I’ll request the teacher to give you the notes of the lessons you will miss. See you then my bastard of a friend”

Arma was about to pounce on his annoying childhood friend till he winced greatly at how a small movement shot thousand volts of pain through his body. Zatch took the chance to escape right after sticking his tongue mockingly at Arma. He was soon chased by Phoenix who was yelling at him about having some manners and Stabs who simply shook his head, going on about how much damage he would pay for the school next.

“Oh I almost forgot. Wow I been a bit forgetful these days. Arma, would you mind staying back to look after Zessica? I have an important meeting with the Head of the Hospital. I won’t be too long, twenty minutes at max.” Tear asked politely, already snatching her hand back from the desk and dumping several pieces of documents in. Arma knew that even if he had said no, she would have gone either way.

“Sure, okay. Fine by me”

“Oh thank you! I’ll be back soon!” Tear replied joyously, almost happy to go to the important meeting she had announced earlier. Arma watch as the nurse briefly applied some make-up without even using a mirror – to his relief- and scurried out.

Sighing to no one in particular, he seated himself next to Zessica’s bed and stared at her unconscious face since he had nothing else to do. He could still feel the pain stinging on his face but it was gradually easing away, showing signs that the ointments Tear had used on him were kicking to action.

The short girl was breathing through her mouth again, unable to breathe through her nose since it was blocked completely by her cold. For a moment, Arma listened to her breathe, it was like the sound of the sea gently crashing ashore to the beach sand and being pulled back again. All the same, it was a relaxing sound which momentarily whistled lightly. Absentmindedly, Arma found himself gently lifting the fringe of Zessica’s hair from her face, in an attempt to make her sleep better.

On the other hand, this action made a slash cut through between her eyebrows. Arma blinked curiously, lifting another fringe of her hair to which Zessica lightly smacked his hand away in her sleep with her right hand before making it limply fall over her chest. By then, Arma was shaking energetically; trying to hold back the laughter that erupted inside of him.

“Mhmm...” Arma heard the small girl groaned lightly in her sleep. Arma watch her shift her head sleepily to a side. Arma had his right hand gently touching a strand of her hair. From the way Zessica’s head moved, her cheek was then nested against the palm of his right hand, causing a huge blush creep to his face at what he had brought himself into.

Although, seeing her relaxed face against his warm hand, Arma could not help but compare her to a small kid. She really looked like one more than ever now. At first, he wanted to remove his hand from her left cheek. On the contrary, he thought better of it and let her rest there. He placed his free hand on his cheek and propped his elbow at the bed, watching her continue to sleep under his right hand.

Just then, the door of the infirmary opened. Arma didn’t retract his hand at that time as well, thinking it was Tear who had returned. However, it hadn’t been a minute since she had left. Had she forgot something and came rushing back?  He heard the distinctive footsteps coming closer towards him. Instinctively, he glanced back and almost chocked air.

It wasn’t Tear who had entered the room, it was Titania. There she stood, right behind him, glamorous as ever. She had the brightest smile Arma had ever seen in his life. However, he was more awestruck that the smile was towards him. It couldn’t be true, the tall lad even checked around the room to see if anyone else was there which unfortunately, there was not.

“I thought you would be here... Well I practically guessed since I saw you being beaten quite badly against that...fire wielder.”  Arma knew it was rude, but he could not help but stare at her. Was she really talking to him? Was the idol to which almost everyone bow down to as if worshipping her, was actually talking to him? He must still be in that weird dream.

Titania suddenly glanced at Zessica to which Arma felt his cheeks grew warmer by the second. He still had his hand acting as a pillow to Zessica’s left cheek. More than anything, he wanted to retract his hand but that would have looked a bit rough and disrespectful. Arma could only sit there with his heart in his mouth and ogling at the girl before him.

“Aww...that’s cute. Is she your sister?” Titania cooed lightly, eyeing the girl with those brilliant hazel brown eyes of hers. It took Arma a while to muster up the courage to reply back.

“S-Sister? No no...She is uh... a friend of mine...”

“I see. You two must be so close.” Arma couldn’t reply to that. He was at loss for words and still stunned to find Titania, the Titania, actually having a decent conversation with him.

“You must be wondering why I am here...”Titania started to which Arma could only mindlessly nod back in return. It was no use, his mind was completely wiped clean and blank. He didn’t know what was going on.

“Well...You see...You might not believe me but...I been meaning to ask you for a while...Will you be my partner?”

Birds were chirping at a distance after the idol stated the one and only question. Arma simply gawked at her, blinking at her question. It took him a whole good minute for him to even process what she had just uttered out. After he did, he repeated the question in his mind again, making sure he had not heard it wrong.

Once he was fully certain that Titania had just asked him to be her partner, Arma was once again at loss for words. It was yesterday that he had made the stupid bet with the tiny girl and made a fool of himself. It was just yesterday that she made him somehow in a way, promise that he would ask Titania to be his partner but here she was, the idol herself, asking him instead.

“Um...” Arma started, unable to understand why he was so hesitant. All he had to do was accept and the bet would be fulfilled. Isn’t this what he ever wanted in the first place?

Somewhere in his mind, he recalled asking Zatch and Phoenix why they made someone with a peculiar name as their team mate. They had given him an answer that he didn’t understood then. It was somewhat poetic, which could be the reason why he didn’t comprehend it well.

“Why?” Zatch asked, almost scoffing at him. Beside him, Phoenix rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She took the honour of answering the irritated Arma who was about to murder his childhood friend with his bare hands then.

“We don’t really know ourselves. It’s like ... he is the one...the one we’ve been looking for...the one we needed”

Back at the present, Arma now understood what Phoenix had meant by that and knew what he had to do next. Smiling at the sleeping girl, he turned to face Titania, who in return was smiling radiantly back at him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you too. Will you be my partner?”

***

Zessica woke up gradually, forcing her eyelids to unglue themselves. Her vision was blurry like there were very few pixels in a picture. Several dots were moving about here and there which made Zessica to blink back a few times before getting a clearer view. She was staring right at a white ceiling, however, why did it seem like it was raised higher than before in the infirmary?

“So...You woke up” Zessica turned to find Arma next to the bed, his eyes shadowed by his brunette hair. There was a tensed air surrounding him. From the way he looked and the way he was tapping his foot restlessly, Zessica knew he was more or less ticked off at her. The only thing was what had she done to tick him off now?

Having second glances around her surroundings, she realised she was not at the infirmary. She was back in the bedroom of Arma’s house again. How in the world had she got there? Had she slept through all the classes and had the tall lad transported her back to his house? That seemed likely, but why?

“Hey, Zessica...” Arma started in a deadly tone. Zessica turned her attention back to him, not in the least frightened by the bad vibes he was emitting towards her. This action had lead the tall lad exploded in a fit of anger.

“You! You didn’t tell me you were living inside the forest! By the time I found your house it was ransacked! How can you live in a place like that with wild animals lurking around huh?!” Zessica merely widened her emerald green eyes in surprise. He had went to her house? How did he get her address? Thinking about the second question, Zessica could only deduce that Tear had given it to him. Then again, why?

“I believe I did mention it yesterday. I live near in the forest that’s next to your house” This silenced Arma for a while. Soon, he scowled at himself loudly, groaning at the fact he had missed something so miniscule. He hadn’t paid much attention to what she had said yesterday. All the same, living in a forest in a shabby house? What was wrong with this girl?

“Did you say it was ransacked?” Zessica asked suddenly.

“Yea... It had been robbed. The only thing I could recover from your house was some sort of chest with a password...” Arma replied back, both his eyebrows rose questioningly at the girl. Zessica placed an elegant finger on her chin, thinking deeply before responding back. Though, what she said next bewildered him more.

“That’s the third time this month. Well, most of my important things are in that chest so it’s not much of a big deal”

“THIRD TIME? What the heck Zessica? You’ve been living in a dump that’s been continuously being robbed?”

“Pretty much, yes” Zessica answered impassively, almost as if she didn’t care if it was the hundredth time she had been robbed off her money. At that point, Arma gave up at tolerating the short girl openly. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled out a long sigh with his head in his hands. Zessica cocked her head to one side, observing him as she did so.

“So why did you bring me here and why’d you visit my house?” Arma sat upright suddenly, causing the girl to flinch back. Arma had one index finger pointed to the ceiling, as if expressing that he had an idea.

“Before I answer that, I asked Titania to be my partner...well at first she asked me to be hers and then I asked her to be mine...” Arma observed the girl’s reaction. Her eyes widened by a fraction in a second. It was just one second and she remained back to impassive again. Arma had to wonder whether he had imagined it or not.

“Well congratulations. Your wish came true” Zessica spoke in a not so convincing voice of elation. She never expressed herself emotionally anyway. Arma gulped nervously before explaining something else which Zessica, clearly had not see it coming.

“We are not partners though...” Arma trailed off awkwardly. Silence lingered between them while the girl gawked at him inexpressively. She didn’t as much give a hint of emotion to make him guess what she was thinking in that concealed mind of hers.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I asked her to be my partner...Then I apologised to her saying that I can’t be her partner because...I want to be yours...” Zessica stared at the blanket that was wrapped over her lower half, her hands clutching it tightly. She was still breathing through her mouth and she let a few light coughs escape from her however, the air around her changed.

“Why? Didn’t I tell you? It doesn’t have to be you. It can be someone else. Go back and apologies to her again and be her partner. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I know you told me it doesn’t have to be me. But, let me explain” This seemed to have caught her attention, but she made no attempt to prove it as she continued to look at her clenched hands on the white blanket.

“Go on...I am listening...” Zessica muttered lightly, beckoning him to continue. Arma took a deep breath and explained despite being a nervous wreck at that point. He knew that she was in a bad mood and girls with a bad mood had a tendency to have dangerous spots. If he wasn’t careful and stepped on one of them, who knows what this short girl is capable of doing to him?

“Titania is a beautiful and a nice person. Heck I bet anyone want to be her partner but, it’s simply wanting her to be my ally, not needing her. I need you instead. Even though it was only for a day, yesterday you helped me through and pass the game. Because of you, I even began to smile, something I thought I forgotten to do. So I don’t care if it doesn’t have to be me...It has to be you...I’ll try my best to be what you call ‘the light’...So what do you say?...” Arma asked eagerly, his heart beating in anticipation. Though, he was prepared for an on the spot rejection. Who knows what to expect from this unpredictable girl?

Zessica was once again, drowning deep into her thoughts. For a long while, she simply stayed there, not moving a muscle. Arma could hear the clock’s distinctive ticks and tocks, rotating ever so slowly around the clock. He almost jumped out of his skin when the girl sighed and tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling before glancing at Arma.

“Even if I say no, it’s not like you are going to give up that easily are you?” To that, Arma gave an impish grin, not at all denying that question. In all honesty, he might have tried to accomplish that. Shaking her head in disbelief, Zessica sighed again.

“Isis...Isis Black...Pleased to meet you” Arma blinked, trying to decipher what she had spoke just now. At first, he didn’t get what she had said just then. Once he did, his grey eyes widened in realisation. She had just revealed her real name. In the world of Blessed Combat, telling other players their real name was like signing a contract of trust between each other. In short, the girl had accepted to be his comrade.

“...Sawyer...Sawyer McGilvary” Arma raised a hand towards Zessica who shook it with her own, shaking it firmly. A window suddenly popped between them that made both of them to jump back in surprise. It was some sort of announcement.

Armageddon and Zessica as partners: Successful

“I still can’t believe you ruined your chance of being Titania’s partner” Zessica muttered right after the window disappeared to thin air. Arma simply shrugged awkwardly in response.

“Well, at least I fulfilled the bet didn’t I?”

Author's note: Well as ironic as it sounds, halfway through this chapter I caught a cold. It was like either Karma hit me on the face or Zessica is pissed off at me xD

I dedicate this to a very loyal reader of mine (Not that there are others too. Blame wattpad for not allowing me to dedicate more than one in a chapter. Blame me for not knowing how to dedicate more than one in a chapter) Once again I didn't recheck so please point out any mistakes you find in this chapter

Oh and dont forget to vote!