Summer has come and gone, and with september comes the beginning of a new semester.
Nothing of particular note happened during the summer, and my first day back at school begins quite typically as well.
Fight the desire to stay in and cuddle my plushies, get out of bed, brush teeth, breakfast, etc.
Mom wishes me luck and I make my way down to school.
On the way, Eve talks to me about what she's been up to. Student council doesn't have much to do during break, but her club was still active.
"So, your archery club participates in the Town tournament, right?"
"Indeed. The athletic clubs here don't have the same notoriety as West, but our team is poised to be a strong contender. I placed second in the regionals, you know."
"Oh, congratulations! Good luck at the national."
"Thanks"
"You know, I feel like I should join a club too. I'm not sure though, I'm not very athletic and I don't know if any of the culture clubs are really my thing."
"Well, even if you're unsure, it never hurts to try something new. Just pick something that looks interesting, worst case scenario you can always quit."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll check out my options after class today."
~~~
Arriving in the classroom, I'm slightly early. Mr. Faust stands behind his desk, remaining vigilant of the time as he waits for the remainder of the students to enter. Most of the class is present, but there's a couple of vacant seats.
After a minute or two has passed, we're joined by some familiar faces. Familiar in the sense that I'm aware of their existence, not that I really know them.
The mundanity of the day is however interrupted when I notice a new student.
Time stops. The air seems to grow thicker.
He too, is someone I've seen before, but only once, and in a most unusual context.
Him. It's him, that's who it is. The boy I saw the night after school on *that* day.
He wears a gentle expression as he makes his way to his desk.
Some whisperings can be heard amongst the other students. It's not every day you see someone with red eyes. His other features lend themselves too to his striking aesthetic. Smooth, pale skin, and sharp, well-combed black hair. His sheer presence, or aura if you will, is so strong it would be easy to think of him as large and imposing, despite his actually short stature and skinny build.
Class begins, and the students return to their original silence.
Mr. Faust starts off with basic greetings and a quick rundown of the schedule for the next few weeks. Though, as I expected, the next thing on the agenda was an announcement.
"With that out of the way, I'd like everyone to meet our new transfer student! Come on up and introduce yourself to the class, Mr. Graves."
Carrying himself with a dignified demeanor and a suave look on his face, the enigmatic student comes up in front of the chalkboard and faces the class.
"Greetings, everyone. I hope you've had a nice day so far. To put it simply, I am a divine messenger summoned to this plane to enlighten the people. You may refer to me as Seth."
He smiles deeply, revealing a glimpse at his unusually sharp teeth, after which he takes a bow, then returns to his desk.
Whispers again erupt in the classroom, joined by some faint chuckling this time. A few people leer at him.
To regain the focus of the class, Mr. Faust makes an exaggerated cough and says "Ahem." while leaning forward on the desk.
The period then continues as usual. Orientation day is never anything much to write home about. For the most part, even attending is just a formality. Nice to hear a rundown of the schedule, announcements, class rules, etc. but most of that information is on the school website anyway.
As the period ends, I move on to the cafeteria. I'd love to talk to Evie at a time like this. She can be quite wise, and is obviously more up to date on the goings-on of the school than I am, so it'd be nice to hear what she has to say about that strange boy. Unfortunately, it seems like she's nowhere to be found.
That in itself isn't anything unusual. She's a busy person. I don't always know what she's up to, but she does have her reasons to skip a class or lunch on some days.
At least I still have mom's lunch to enjoy.
I find a small table with only one chair, located next to a window, and quietly eat my lunch.
I think to myself, this is the kind of spot where a cool loner manga character would sit. That makes me a smile a bit, as dumb as it is.
Or, perhaps eating lunch somewhere like the roof or an old supply room would be more the cool loner style.
Would I, though? Well, not today at least.
I finish my lunch, and continue on with my school day.
The remainder of my classes are again quite ordinary.
~~~
Nothing really bad has happened today, but I can't help but feel sort of melancholy.
Walking quietly down the halls, I notice one of the lockers has been vandalized. Crude text written in permanent marker reads, "Loser messiah".
I feel like I can guess who that belongs to. Regardless, I don't give it much thought.
A corkboard near the stairs of the second floor has a printout on it listing various clubs along with info on how to sign up.
Going through the clubs, I see mostly the same ones as ever. Athletic clubs, literature, music, chess, and so on. What grabs my attention, however, is a small section on the bottom that names a couple of new clubs.
"Sacred Research Club"? What in the name of the founder is this supposed to be?
I didn't necessarily have the intention of joining, but whatever this was, there was no way I was gonna let it remain a mystery.
As I walked down to where to the location of the clubroom, a childish part of my mind felt a sense of adventure. Between this and the appearance of Seth Graves, nothing this strange and unique had ever happened in my life before.
Speaking of which, as I entered the clubroom, there he was. Sitting at the end of the room, right across from me, artistically posed on top of a desk. His gaze stared distantly out of the window behind him. He seemed to be lost in thought, staring into the void moreso than anything in our material landscape.
Maintaining his calm demeanor, Seth sensed the opening of the door and slowly turned his head. Grinning, he stated, "Ah, Miss Cloverfelt. I've been waiting for you."
"Welcome to the Sacred Research Club! Interested in a membership, dear girl?"
Normally I'm not that confrontational. I tend to avoid conflict where possible. However, I'm now face to face with the most enigmatic person I've ever encountered. A person who's either extremely talented at misdirection or possesses some kind of supernatural power. So it would appear.
"Well, putting the club aside for a moment, I have some questions for you."
"You were watching me, weren't you? That night at the end of the last semester, when I was walking home from school."
"Ah, perceptive, aren't we? Well, I won't beat around the bush. I have been observing you. Not just on that day, but for quite some time. Yes, even throughout the summer, I've made sure to check in on you."
As if that event wasn't creepy enough on its own, hearing that was enough to make my skin crawl.
Before I'm able to ask another question, he follows up on his previous statement.
"Not that I wish to frighten you, it's strictly business after all." He sits upright and tightens his bowtie.
That just adds even more questions...
When you try to analyze this situation, the most burning question is obviously "why? to what end?". Though, the next thing I ask is something that's perhaps even harder to explain.
"In any case, what was with the teleporting? Or the super-speed? Or.. invisibility? Whatever it was, how did you do it? Disappearing like that?"
"Hmmm, well, I suppose it's only natural to be curious about such a thing, however, my dear Lilith, I'm afraid that's a trade secret." His hand covers his mouth as he lets out a chuckle. "Indeed, my employer would not be pleased were I to share such details with an uninitiated individual."
As confusing as that answer is, I decide to not to probe into what he means by trade secret, who his employer is, or what he means by uninitiated. The fact is, I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere, but that's all the more reason to pop the most important question of all.
"Okay, let's just get into the part that matters. Why are you doing this? What is your job? Why am I important? How do you even know who I am when we've never talked until just now?"
"Now, now, there's no need to jump into all this so hastily. All will be explained if you merely give me the opportunity to lay out the ever-important mission of the Sacred Research Club."
"Well, in that case, let's say I'm thinking of joining. What do you do here?"
His eyes light up and he changes to a standing position as I ask the very question he invited.
"Ah, I'm glad you asked. Anyway, as you know, aura is the life-giving substance every resident relies on. Every moment of every day, it flows into our lungs and courses through our veins, supplying our essential acids.
As the so-called central pillar of life itself, it has also become the basis for our spirituality. Every sunday we attend the Aurian Church service, thanking the supposed Lord of the Aura for his miracle that allowed mankind to continue on."
"Of course, such is simply our way of life. It would seem blasphemous to question it. However, that's where my work--and this club--come into play. By my faith, there is more to the soul than aura."
"We all know the four elements, each equally important to our continued existence. So it would seem. But man has forgotten the 'hidden' fifth element, Deus."
"A fifth element?" I uttered in disbelief.
"Yes, the fifth element, even more significant to life as we know it than the four that precede it. A force that influences all the natural processes on this planet, all the stars in the sky, all the ways we feel and communicate. Indeed, that is Deus."
"But what exactly is Deus? It is our link to the divine. Our connection not just to the Lord of Aura, but to the One True God, its angels, demons, and everything inbetween. Not to mention the spiritual power that even a mere human can generate with enough discipline. Through this intangible element, all is possible. Even miracles greater than aura." Seth smiles widely and closes his eyes, content with his own monologue.
Needless to say, this was shocking to hear. As he and anyone else should already be aware, whatever work he's carrying out makes him a Class Alpha heretic. The existence and proliferation of aura is the penultimate miracle, according to scripture.
But I'm in too deep now. I want to understand this system of belief. And more importantly, I want to know what Seth's endgame is. If he's on a mission, then what is it supposed to achieve?
Taking a deep breath, I look down nervously at my hands and feet. "Alright, you have my interest. How do I sign up?"
He lets out a hearty, sort of high-pitched chuckle from behind his sharp teeth while grinning once again. "All we need is your signature." He pulls a contract out of some unknown pocket and hands me a pen along with it. It is rather lengthy and appears to be in the form of old parchment paper.
I skim through the contract. Most of it appears to be standard school policy and related affairs. If I were the protagonist of some kinda novel or manga, the cliche would be for me to ignore the fine print, but I do decide to look closely just in case.
"As a member, you must agree wholeheartedly to take full responsibility for your actions." The hell is that supposed to mean? Well, it didn't seem too concerning to me. I'm an independent person, I already take responsibility.
I sign my name neatly on the dotted line. In a booming voice that seems to come from all directions, I hear "Welcome to the society, Lilith Cloverfelt!" Seth lets go of the contract and it burns away in an instant, leaving behind no ashes.
next chapter (coming soon!)