Remembering

~°°~

She heard the flames swallow up the wooden cabin. She had not run far, debating if she should scurry back and get Eris.

The Dome shifted and grunted, sending vibrations throughout the sleeping city and her body. Water jets sprouted out of the cemented roof, killing the roaring blaze. Lethe sighed in relief and stalked off. She tore a piece of her uniform and bandaged it around her foot. She was not in a position to save someone and she's running out of time. The invisibility potion would be gone soon. And she needed to go now.

"That nurse needs to be fired," she murmured. If only she had it recorded somehow so she could report it to the Head Professor.

Lethe Walth froze, eyes glued on the shadowed creature that blocked the way to the Second Sector. Four eyeballs, stitched together, blinked unsynchronized. Ropes of its withered skin and flesh hung the eyes up to the wall. The smell of decay and sulfur pricked on her nostrils. Demon. A demon had breached inside. The four eyes simultaneously stared at her. Their scleras dyed crimson. Her heart stopped.

They had seen her. They had seen despite the invisibility potion. The creature retracted its spewed out strands of rotten flesh, transforming it instead into eight, arching legs.

Running seemed to be a theme tonight. Muffled crackling followed but she didn't look back. Tiredness was forgotten, fear and adrenaline fueling her blood. She hid in a corner. She shut her eyes closed, her teeth clashing as her jaw set.

Looming shadow of the demon neared. It wasn't alone. There were many more. How. How? The Dome was unbreakable, unbreachable for many decades. Lethe evened her breaths—or atleast tried to—and felt a drop of sweat trickle down her skin. Never mind earlier. She needed to tell a Professor.

"So, they hid here?" A familiar voice. "Well done, you three." Ring-filled fingers caressed the four-eyed demons, nails bright pink and bitten to bits.

Her eyelids burned as her chest tightened, pressed smaller and smaller until it seemingly blotted out of existence. Lethe muffled her silent whimpers with her hand.

Professor Helica. Kind, motherly Professor Helica.The plump woman with a nice wrinkled smile and gray tinted hair. Here she stood with demons they were supposed to kill, and her back turned to the girl she was supposed to save. The warm silver eyes were no longer, this time they looked exactly like the nurse's, they were cold, with a red flicker on them, perhaps even deranged, deluded.

The Professors and the demons—they were in cahoots. Lethe would have laughed if fear didn't devour her whole. Then, what was this Dome actually for? What was this all for?

For a minute, all she heard was her own wreaked breaths, the cold wall and the scorching tears that had streamed down. Her shaky hands played with the melted chocolate from her pockets. The smell of cocoa and sugar calmed her and helped to even her dry breaths. Atleast, for a tad bit. Breath, breath, in and out. And so, for the minuscule of seconds, she concentrated on the small, sugary-sweet not on the apathetic voice and footsteps nor the coldness of the tiles, and certainly not on the silhouette of the Grim Reaper that reflected on the shadows of those who seek for her.

Lethe could still remember the time when Elder Kai had given the chocolate. He had never written a letter to them, in the end. Eat up, he said. Sugar isn't super bad to you. Don't listen to the anti-sugar propaganda.

The invisibility potion was gone. And she was alone like a caged rat about to be eaten. Red-rimmed eyes of brown stared upward, seeing a familiar floating clock above. She's on the Dining Hall, she realized. Lethe bit back a bitter chuckle at the ironic pun in this situation.

A demon had covered the only way out. There's no other escape route. She heard haughty footsteps against the tiles, taunting her. They were nearing her hiding spot.

Lethe stopped at the sudden feeling of deja vu as she stared at the melted chocolate on her hand.

There it was again, the compulsion to eat. Trembling, she opened up the package and shoved the oozing, murky sweet into her mouth.

The monster had crept in front of her, four eyes flickering over her. It's the end. Lethe closed her eyes.

Nothing happened. What?

The demon was gone, stalked away into another place. It hadn't seen her —she had turned invisible again. How? The chocolate? Confusion reeled in her mind, but questioning was later. She was given a chance. Lethe galloped off. Heck, the chocolate had even made her silent. It melted on her mouth, leaving something behind—something slick. It definitely wasn't supposed to be eaten. Plastic? Paper?

Exactly as she had reached her dorm, the effects were gone.

Lethe quickly looked at her roommate. Rycella was sleeping soundly. She heaved out a sigh and sat on her bed. She spat out the plastic in her mouth. There was a small note inside the package. After rubbing off the saliva with alcohol, she tore it open and squinted her eyes as she read the note:

Lethe,

Knowing how geeky you are with potions, you would love this. It could turn into any potion the user wants. Only for 30 seconds though so yeah...

There's something wrong with this place. Just stay safe, okay? Keep Eris out of trouble and keep Boreas from being too much of a goody shoe.

The coolest ever,

Kai

Just as she finished reading it, the note burned and disintegrated, leaving nothing but ashes.

Thoughts raced. Did he know? Where was Kai now? Was he okay? Lethe crumpled the ashes of the note as her hands curled into a fist. Pure determination steeled her heart. Tomorrow she'd tell Boreas and Eris. Then, they'd escape together before Eris would get taken away to the Stronghold and then save Elder Kai.

She ignored the small voice that asked how? It was the same voice that said what if he's dead? They'd find a way. They will.

~°°~

Morning came, and the Light Tower shone bright once again. Eris didn't show up for breakfast. Lethe stabbed her eggs on the sunny side with a fork, letting the yellow bleed and ignored Boreas' furtive glances on the side. Breakfast passed far too quickly, and the smell of eggs and fried rice was now replaced by blackboards, ink and notes. A normal day like every other day. Lethe knew better than to trust a broken facade.

Eris finally arrived, their eyes closed and was dragged by a chair. Eris had an Unstable Peculiar and not to mention—by the way they coughed blood in the bathroom—unbonded. Apparently, they had a Peculiar in where they would turn into any item they saw. Her feet tapped the floor as she waited for the clock above to ring and for the break to start.

Three, two—

The clock chimed.

Lethe stood up, dragging both Eris and Boreas to somewhere private. "Guys, I have something to tell you all."

"Right, okay. Can you not crush my wrist though?" Boreas winced, as he glared. "The heck, Lethe?"

The brunette let go of her friends' wrists, sheepishly. "Sorry."

"So what is it?" Eris beckoned, tilting their head like a puppy.

It was then, did Lethe realize, that she hadn't planned how to say all this. Okay, okay, let's just start with something small. Kai had probably given them chocolates too. His note implied he might know something and not to mention, those chocolates had Kai's potions. Perhaps, it'll help.

"So, uh, guys!" Lethe forced a smile. "Elder Kai gave you chocolates, right? Did you guys already ea—"

Boreas knitted his eyebrows together and said two words that brought shivers down her spine. "Who's Kai? And, oh my gods, you finally threw away that stupid necklace. It's health hazardous—"

Lethe's blood ran cold as if dosed in sleet. Seemingly, she was back to that restless night, staring down at that four-eyed monster. There's a lump in her throat and the vines had grown back, choking her once again. "What? Elder Kai Fharan, y'know," she waved her hands awkwardly. "Chocolate guy? Blonde? Elderstire?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about," Boreas deadpanned. Lethe staggered backwards as if he had slapped her, numb and frozen. No fucking way.

"Lethe, are you okay?" Eris surged forward, worry etched on their face.

"I—I'm gonna check something. I need to go," Lethe said, frantically as she walked away, feeling their confused stares at her back. Her feet dragged her to the Healing Lodge. But, the nurse was different and no longer that haggard, steely man with 'Korin' written on his tag but a woman with shining, arctic eyes underneath squared glasses named Rea Colleen.

But perhaps, they fired him. So, the brunette searched for the records yet, no one named Korin was written on endless pages.

Professor Helica, the Head Sector of the First Sector. She scampered to the First Sector, sweat dripping down and brown curls wild and frazzled. She looked for the office of the plump woman with silver eyes. A Professor named Eugene Noirin was there instead, looking confused. Lethe gripped the side of her head, catching up her breath. Her head pounded, stomach swirling as if she had drunk too much potion. She searched for the records once again. And yet, there was no sign—no sign that either Korin or Loren Helica existed in the first place.

As if yesterday was simply a fever dream. A sick, fucking dream.

~°°~

A girl dragged two bodies that carried writings on their cold skin.

Everything was going accordingly.

Oh mortals and their tomfoolery, I remembered the constellations singing as I wrote meticulously. They laughed, they watched as I told and moved that golden feather in my hand.

This was once, after all, their favorite story.

~°°~