Akagi looked into a fat book in his hands. It had a black cover over it and it was written in Russian, with few torn up pages and pictures of certain ancient rituals. He had stayed up that night to read it but it didn't seem to finish.

"I've met a cursed one."
"Oh God. Poor thing. It didn't hurt you?"
"He hasn't. But I can't guarantee about the future so I need you to do me a favour."
"Speak it."
"Could you give me a book on exorcism? I might need it in the future. Also, call for an exorcist with a hidden identity. Make sure no one knows about him."

"Akagi dear, this doesn't feel right. You don't have to deal with a cursed one. Let only the exorcists handle it."
"They can't."
"Why?"
"The cursed one—He's one of the twelve."
"Oh my God..."

"Exactly."
"What will you do now?"
"Isn't that obvious? We're gonna exorcise him. Let me know as soon as the exorcist reaches Moscow."

It was morning already. Akagi was done reading about half of the book but so far it had nothing about a cursed star—That too, an elite like Lict. Akagi stretched his arms as he got up and decided to take a bath. He had to be somewhere that day and he believed in punctuality. He walked out of the bathroom after a quick shower, dried his hair with a blow dryer and dressed up. He took out his blue contact lenses and pressed them on his cornea. Then, he walked down to the dining hall to have his breakfast. Melissa was drinking some tea when she glanced at him.

"Are you going outside?" She asked.
"Yes," Akagi sat on the chair and picked up a bowl of salad.
"Are you wearing lenses?" Lict looked at his eyes.
"I'm pretty conscious of all the attention my eyes seek so I try to keep them as normal as possible when I'm out in public."

"Where are you going, Lord Akagi?" Vierne asked.
"A talk show."
"You like talk shows?"
"My manager likes them. She literally started crying on the phone and somehow I ended up saying yes to her."

Akagi got into his car and left for the studio he was invited to.
"We thank you so much, sir, for taking some time off of your busy schedule" The director was an old and fat man. He shook hands with Akagi.

"Not that I have a choice" Akagi mumbled.
"What?"
"Where do I have to sit?"
"Yes, please follow me, sir."

The director took Akagi to the waiting room and asked him to wait there while the staff made some arrangements.

'Can I sleep here?' He thought. He saw some magazines on the table and began reading the magazine and as he yawned. The lunar eclipse was due in two months from then—That was an astronomical magazine. Suddenly, the door opened and few girls came in shrieking like he was inside the ward of a mental health clinic. For a moment, even Akagi got up to check if there had been an earthquake or a cockroach. But as they gathered around him, he realised what was going on. So, he took the magazine and sat back on the sofa while reading them, as if nothing ever disturbed him.

"Akagi Scheczalier, you're my favourite author! Can I please have an autograph?"
"It's hard to believe you read." Akagi looked at her.
"You're so cute from up close!" He blushed.
"Akagi!" Few more women ran inside the room.

"Could you please keep it down? I haven't had a decent sleep—"
"Wow, even his accent is so hot!"
"Excuse me, I'm being victimised."

Akagi said and the security barged inside. After that, the girls were scolded for secretly getting inside the backstage. Finally, Akagi met yet another man who was blonde and fair, perhaps Finnish and taller than Akagi. As soon as he saw Akagi, he came to him and bowed,

"Zdravstvuyte! (Tn// Hello) My name is Ignat Halzxiof,"

"Zdravstvuyte." Akagi bowed.

"I'm a huge fan of you, sir. I personally requested the director to let me host this show!"

"That's nice I guess?"
"Are you happy to be here, sir?"
"Not really because I wanted to sleep but I couldn't because I was forced to be here. Like—I shouldn't be here right now—I'm made to be here. So..." Akagi shook his head.

Ignat was left speechless.

"Ignat, we're starting now." The director announced and they both got on the stage. As Akagi appeared on the stage, everyone shouted. The studio was filled with screams and cheers.
"Did I always have so many fans?" Akagi whispered.
"Everyone loves your books," Ignat replied.
"Oh? How the times have changed." Ignat fixed his mic and looked at the audience,

"Alright everyone, our special guest today is one of the best selling and most popular writers of our times—Twenty-one year old, Mr Akagi Scheczalier!"

"Hey." Akagi waved a bit and both of them sat on a sofa as the crowd behind went wild.
"Which reminds me, Mr Akagi, I've heard you're still going to college?" Ignat asked.
"Yes, I'm attending college online and writing books side by side."
"You must be pretty popular."
"No, most people don't know me by my face."

"Well, after today they will."
'Oh, demigod. I regret coming here already.'

"What inspires you to write?"
"Money, fame—All the good stuff."
"That's pretty honest."
"Yeah. Tell me about you—What inspired you to become a... interviewer?"

Everyone laughed while Ignat coughed, "Let's talk about me some other day."
Akagi smirked and nodded. They both stared at each other for a while.
"Did you ever think you'd be so big by following your passion?"
"Nope. See, novel-writing was never my passion—I did it because I guess it's better than drugs?"

Everyone laughed.

"And I, as a teenager, was curious. And a curious teenager is a dangerous asset."
"So, what kind of person were you as a teenager? Apart from curious,"
"Dead inside, trying to figure out what depression is so that I seemed more natural as an actor, clumsy, a weeaboo—Basically I did everything except my homework and women."

"I thought you didn't do drugs?"
"Bold of you to assume."
Ignat coughed "So, I guess you didn't want to become a writer?"
"It just happened."

"So, what did you want to become. Maybe you can do that now alongside writing?"
"I wanted to become a mafia boss."
"What—Why?!"
"I've always wanted to turn around in a big chair and say "I've been expecting you"

"That is cool, so did you have any crush?"
"I—" Akagi did a double-take and the audience laughed,
"Are you dating someone now?"
"My work."

"Makes sense. So, what do you think about the statement that the school dress code is dumb?"
"Who the hell said that?"
"Many girls say that. They even say that in school uniform, they can't show their shoulders."
"What guy is gonna look at a girl and be like "Dang! That's a fine shoulder"

The entire studio burst into laughter including the director, the cameramen, the backstage crew and Ignat.

"Okay so, what are your views on girls going to the bathroom together?"
"I'm open-minded. I also feel that—Even men should go to the bathroom together. Who knows when you might get kidnapped by a troll?"
"Have you met someone very evil whom you can't forget?"
"Yes, I have."

"Who?"
"Waiters! When I go to a restaurant and the waiter says "Would you like a table?" I'm like "No, I came to the restaurant to eat on the ground, a carpet for five, please? And then, when you're done eating, they can see that your plate is empty but they still ask—"Are you done, sir?" Like Nah, imma eat the plate too."

Ignat burst into laughter along with the audience, "Relatable. Were you a good student or bad or average?"
"At first, I was a really good student, I don't know what happened but after two days, I was done with school life."
"What are your views about school friends?"
"They're assholes, every one of them. I still haven't received the €10 I had to lend someone."
"You remember that?!"

"Yes. I also remember how they hated every celebrity I loved. They used to say "Why do love that celeb so much, they're never gonna love you back." So, I just told them "Why do you breathe when you know you're gonna die anyway?"

"Ooh, that was savage. Which, according to you, is the most awkward moment of your life?"
"It just happened a while back. And it's happening."
"...Not that!"
Akagi laughed, "Well, when you're at a friends house and their parents start screaming at them and you're just like... Oh well, that's a nice wall."

"Why are you so relatable?"
"Damn, there goes my originality."
Ignat laughed.

"Could you tell us one of your favourite lines from any of your books?"
"Hmm, it's from a girl in chains. It goes like—See how beautifully God has added one more day to your life. Not necessarily because you need it but because someone else might need you."
"Some message you want to give to your readers?"
Akagi got up and looked at the audience, "You have to learn to tame your monsters before they tame you and make you one of them. Pain doesn't have to make you cruel or weak—It can make you kinder and wiser. It all depends on what you're made of because the same boiling water that softens a potato hardens an egg."

Everyone was quiet. Akagi looked around, "Oh! Sorry, I just flowed in emotions."

Everyone clapped. Vierne, Melissa and Lict were watching the show on Akagi's laptop. Lict looked at Vierne—She was smiling. He didn't seem happy to see it, 'I really don't like his aura.'

-To be continued

Akagi Scheczalier 
Dear Ms Lady Demigod