Magika - Chapter 23 (New)
Nino woke up with a terrible headache and he wondered what had caused it. Maybe because he played too much game.
He roused from his bed, going to the corner of his room to get a glass of water. As he drank the water, he looked around his room The room looked familiar but why did he has a feeling something was wrong?
"Oh, you finally wake up. Go and take a bath. We're going to the lake," said his best friend, Jun who had just finished his bath.
"The lake?" He asked Jun. Jun looked at him back in annoyance.
"Yes, the lake. We promised to practise for the first quest there. Aiba and Sho are waiting for us. You better be quick,"
Nino was still confused with what Jun said. He remembered about the quest but he had a feeling that they already completed the first quest. So, why were they preparing for it again? Did he dream about completing the first quest?
"Faster, Nino. We don't have much time," urged Jun with a glare. Nino immediately went to the bathroom to take his bath. He didn't want to make Jun angry with him. But, he couldn't help but feeling something was totally wrong with everything.
"Focus, Nino!" Sho scolded him for the umpteenth time. They had been practising for two hours but Nino couldn't even change his appearance and it made both Jun and Sho annoyed at him. He didn't know whether Aiba was annoyed at him because he kept smiling and encouraging him to do better.
"I'm sorry." He apologized to his friends.
"Are you okay? You don't look well," asked Jun with concern. Nino simply shrugged him, not wanting Jun to worried about him.
Nino tried to change his eyes colour again. But, each time he tried to do so, he will see a glimpse of a boy with chubby cheeks smiling at him. He couldn't see him properly but he had a feeling he knew the boy. But, who was he?
"Nino..." Once again, Sho called him. But, he didn't seem angry this time, only amused.
"It's wonderful! I know you can do it," this time, it was Jun who praised him while Aiba showed him a thumb up. He wondered what did he do. He hurried to the lake to see his reflection only to be surprised to see it.
He was staring at the face which he had seen when he tried to concentrate. The boy with the chubby cheeks was staring at him. He had made illusion to look like the boy.
"This person looks cute. I wonder if he exists. Where did you see him?" Asked Aiba. Nino turned to look at him. He wondered why he had a feeling that all of them should know the boy. But, why did Aiba ask him whether the boy really exist?
"Nino!"
He heard a voice calling him from his back when he went for lunch that day. He turned around only to be hugged by a girl. He was too surprised with the hug and that's why he didn't return the hug. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the way his friends smirked and then left him alone with the girl.
"How is your training?" The girl finally let him go and he had the chance to see who she was. It was Erika.
"It was good," answered Nino half-heartedly. Erika pouted with his response.
"Are you still angry with me because of yesterday? I'm sorry, okay! I don't want to be jealous but sometimes you are too close with Yuriko chan. I am your girlfriend. Of course I will be jealous to see you with another girl,"
Girlfriend? Erika is his girlfriend? He knew he has a lover but he was pretty sure it wasn't Erika.
"Nino, do you even listen to me?"
"Ah, sorry. I am tired. I will see you later," said Nino, leaving the pouting girl confused. He hurried to his friends, but not without noticing the other students were murmuring while looking at him. They must be talking about him but he didn't care.
"That was quick," remarked Aiba when he stood next to him to take the food. He shrugged him off, not knowing how to respond.
"You are still angry with Erika? I thought you guys reconciled yesterday," said Jun.
"I'm hungry," he gave them a short answer but they still looked at him weirdly.
"You can still go and eat with her. We're used to be left alone while you go and eat with her," suggested Sho. He gave him a weak smile and quickly took his food before followed Aiba to sit at a table.
"Ne," Nino started when all of his friends sat together. "Don't we have another member in our group?"
His friends responded to the question by giving him a weird look. He wondered if he had said something wrong. He looked around the dining hall. Most of the students were sitting in their group and there were five people in each group. But, how about his group? Why there were only four people in his group?
"Are you okay? You've been acting weird today," said Sho with concern.
"Yeah, you're even weirder than Aiba today," said Jun. Aiba hit his head, realizing that Jun was badmouthing him.
"We only have 4 members in our group, remember. We're a special group after all. A group made of the descendants of the founder," Aiba explained to him. He nodded his head but he didn't entirely believe in that. This felt wrong. He had the memory of this. Of preparing for the upcoming quest. Of being in a group of four with his friends. Of being Erika's boyfriend. Of his argument with Erika for being too close with Yuriko.
But... None of this felt real. It's like... He never experienced all these memories.
What's wrong with him, indeed? He thought to himself as he continued eating in silence.
Days passed by quickly. It had been three months since he woke up feeling weird with this world he was living in. He did his first quest with his group. It was perfect. Their group was the best group, proving that they were indeed worthy to be the descendants of the founders.
Everything was going smoothly. Too smooth for his own liking. Too smooth, making him felt restless with how perfect this world was. But, why was he the only one who noticed how unrealistic this world was despite how real it seemed to be?
Because of the weird feeling he had for this world, he kept isolating himself from the rest of his friends. He even broke up with Erika. He preferred to be alone than being with his friends, thinking of why he had another set of memories that felt more real to him.
He sat alone, staring at the lake. The lake was his favourite place in the school. This was the only place he would be left alone. Sometimes, his friends will drop by to see what he was doing. But, they stopped doing that after he gave them a cold shoulder whenever they visit.
If he could, he would stay in the lake all day. However, students were only allowed to be here until before dark. When it was almost dark, the bell will ring as an indicator for the students to get back to their dorm. He looked at the sky and then his watch. He would have about two hours left before going back to his room.
He wondered why he was uneasy with this place. All his life, he had been waiting for the day to study in this school. But, now that he was here, he found himself hating this place without knowing why. Even worse, he found himself hating that the teachers in the class kept criticizing The Stranger. Somehow, he had the feeling that the history he had known was different than the one he learn here. He had the feeling that The Stranger wasn't responsible for the war.
Feeling sleepy, he closed his eyes and let sleep claimed him. To be honest, he didn't want to got to sleep. He didn't want to dream of the same boy who had been haunting him in his dream. Who is he? He seems to be important, a missing aspect in his life, but why couldn't he recognize him?
"Nino!"
There he was. The soft voice that he knew belonged to the boy was calling him again. He ignored the voice, knowing it will disappear just like always.
"Nino,"
He sighed in annoyance. The voice was persistent this time. It kept calling his name, getting louder each time, even though he ignored it. He opened his eyes. There was no one around but the voice kept calling for him.
"Nino,"
The voice was softer this time. It was supposed to be creepy to hear someone calling him when he couldn't see anyone. But, he wasn't afraid. Instead, he stood up and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Ohchan?"
He was surprised to hear himself calling the name. For months, he had been trying to recognize the boy who was always in his dream but now, the name easily came out from his mouth. It was like he already knew the boy, he just forgot who he was.
"Yes," he could hear the same voice answering him. But, he still couldn't see the boy anywhere.
"Where are you? I cannot see you,"
"I'm here. She won't let me in,"
She? Nino wondered who he meant by that.
"Listen, Nino. This isn't real world. I'm in your mind right now. You fainted in the hall after she attacked but you don't want to wake up. I'm here to bring you back. But, I cannot fight her. Only you can fight her. This is your mind. You should not be fooled with her illusion,"
"What are you talking about? I don't understand. I don't see her anywhere. How could I fight her if I cannot see her?"
And, I don't even know who you meant, he thought to himself. He doubted himself. Should he trust the voice that he heard? What if the voice itself was only his imagination?
"Look carefully, Nino," said the voice again, almost pleaded to him. He sounded desperate and it was enough to make Nino trust him. He didn't know if he was stupid or whether he was going to regret this decision later, but, somewhere in his heart, he knew he was doing the right thing.
Look carefully. That's what the voice asked him to do. But, how should he do it? And then, another soft voice resounded in his head. It sounded like his own, asking him to close his eyes. He did as he was told, feeling more confident with himself. He focused, hoping to see the truth.
Open your eyes, the voice in his head asked once again. He opened his eyes only to be surprised with what he sees. Darkness. There was no lake, no school. Where was he?
Then, he remembered about Ohchan and slowly he looked for the said person. There he was, standing a bit far from him. He smiled at the boy, feeling love overflowing as he looked at the boy. He missed the boy, that was certain.
"Ohchan, I can see you," he told the boy and immediately ran towards him. However, before he could get to him, a streak of light heading towards Ohchan surprised him. He turned towards the source of the light and noticed he wasn't alone with the other boy.
An old woman was smiling wickedly at him. Her hands raised, ready to fire another spell towards Ohchan.
"No!!!" Nino shouted. "Don't do anything to him,"
A/N: As promised, another chapter for Magika. Hope it wasn't too confusing. As always, comments are appreciated and I hope you will enjoy this chapter. <3