Chapter 7

The distant echoes of the school bell and morning announcements reached their ears. While stepping out of the house, the Watsons exchanged glances, knowing that reaching Stellaerio in another twenty seconds was simply impossible. 

Well, mortals definitely wouldn't make it on time.

But none of them were.

Two TinXi. One dragon. Good enough.

With a deep breath, they lifted their legs to a perfect ninety-degree angle and dashed forward. Their movements were swift, leaving behind only a blur as they sliced through the air.

The security guard had just given the rusty gate one last tug before he headed back to the guardhouse to enjoy his freshly brewed mocha latte. In fact, his hand was still on the lock when the Watsons leapt over the barrier, landing on the opposite ground.

A sudden gust of wind swept through, snatching the guard's black cap and revealing the messy strands atop his half-bald head. Shocked, he turned around to check the time, only to see the minute hand move to 7:30 a.m. a few seconds later.

They were right on time.

"Huh... That was very... very close." Kingsley rested his hand on his knee and wiped the sweat dangling down his chin with the other.

"Yes... We don't usually run this fast, not even when chasing those Mynheex." Lyn chuckled, walking ahead along the open walkway. 

Assembly was canceled. When they reached 5 Lilium, Miracle was taken aback for a moment upon seeing the seat beside hers empty.

'Rex absent?'

Was he angry at her for missing their meet-up last night?

An anonymous wave of guilt churned in her, thinking about all sorts of danger he might be exposed to.

Kingsley stepped forward and held the door open. He lowered his hazel-brown eyes to meet hers, wondering what was wrong. Rather than speaking it out, Miracle shook her head and faked a smile.

Just as Miracle was about to ask someone in the class about Rex, she heard steady, thudding steps approaching from not far away. She dropped her bag on the floor and rested her chin on her palm, pretending to focus in class like a student had to. 

Nancy entered, holding a stack of books with terms like chemical reactions and chemistry equations printed on the covers. Though she always tried to make the class interesting, it just didn't work out as she expected. Miracle never managed to listen to her lessons. Now, with this "Rex-thing" going on inside her mind, the more she couldn't concentrate.

'Rex, please be okay,' she prayed.

For two periods, Miracle stared at the board, at those symbols that certainly made no sense to her. It felt like an eternity. She was so lost in her thoughts that she could hardly keep up. The four beakers Nancy sketched with the chalk were nowhere to be found on the sheet she was looking at.

Upon realizing that, she stretched her neck in Jessamine's direction to catch a glimpse of the correct page number.

Jessamine noticed it and slid her book nearer to the edge.

'49. Got it.' Miracle flashed her an OK gesture. 

The same friend winked and arched her tattooed brow when she saw the empty spot beside her. ’Rex?' her gaze asked.

Miracle shrugged and looked away a little bit too fast. Not to offend anybody, but to avoid the uneasiness rising in her again.

Right after the second period ended, Miracle walked away. The class felt suffocated. She needed to breathe, and the rooftop was the only place in school where she could take a break from her life as a human. Obviously, she couldn't transform into a dragon. All she could do was lie on the ground and stare up above, into the world where she belonged.

Sometimes, this was more than enough.

"Maybe Rex happened not to be well today. It’ll be fine. Didn’t I just save a victim last night?” She consoled herself, stretching out her hand to stroke the wide sky.

Knobby clouds were scattered across, painting a distinct difference between the arctic blue and the pristine white. It was as beautiful as always.

While she was enjoying the view, something slipped out of her pocket—the half-Magnolia jade. Holding it up high, she watched the weight slide to the middle of the blue yarn, shimmering under the sun. Her lips quivered, parted, and shut. Before she could react, tears once again welled up in her eyes as the agonizing scene flashed across the back of her mind...

"Myn... Mynheex is evolving..." He coughed up blood. "H-Humans wouldn't believe us…" As he struggled to speak, his bloody hand slid down her trembling cheek weakly.

"Xiao Xun! No, you're gonna be okay... You're gonna be okay!" She caught his wrist and pressed onto his chest, trying hard to cover the disappearance of his pearl.

"You know I'm not... Xue’er."

"Xun, please…" she wept.

"I'm s-sorry..." His face grimaced in pain. "Sorry that I… I lost..."

"No, you didn't! Hang in there. I'll get Master to do something!" She stood to leave but Xun held her back.

"It's useless... My pearl is gone," he uttered. Horns were protruding from his forehead, melting away his remaining disguise. "Fallen angels took it away."

"I'll get it back for you." She grabbed his scaly palm and muffled against it, "I'm going to get it back for you. So, please… Don’t…”

He flashed a weak smile at her, and the next second, the hand in her grasp fell to the ground, marking the end of his thousand years of immortality.

"XUN! XUNN!"

She shook his lifeless body drenched in a pool of red, watching the human figure slowly dissolve into the blue dragon she cared about deeply. "XIAO XUN!! No... D-Don't go. I... I promise I'll get it back for you!"

She waited.

And waited.

But there weren't any responses.

Because there wasn't going to be any.

Her childhood friend was dead. 

"There she is!" A familiar voice pulled Miracle back to reality.

She blinked away her hints of tears. "What's the matter, Lyn?"

With her arms akimbo, Lyn grumbled, "You've just made Kingsley and I run around the whole school looking for you! What in the world are you doing here?"

"Exactly. We thought something bad had happened to you! You scared us, man!” her brother continued, panting.

"I..." Miracle wanted to say something, but Lyn cut her off.

"Whatever. Let's go! Class started already!"

'Already? Had it been that long?' she thought.

They fled down the stairs, their speed increasing with every step as they thought about the next lesson after chemistry on Wednesday.

History—taught by Maddie, the youngest yet most unamiable teacher.

"All right. So can anyone briefly tell me about the history of Syihuex Island?"

His voice escaped through the door the moment they reached their classroom.

Worried that their breaths might give away their tardiness, they held them in. Kingsley pushed open the back door as softly as he could, hoping for a chance to slip in unnoticed.

Unfortunately, the room was soon filled with a loud creak. Everyone turned around and saw the three of them.

So, yes. They got caught.

Red-handed.

Kingsley hissed, "Damn you, friction.”

Maddie glared at them with his pair of unfathomable eyes. "Miracle. Lyn. Kingsley. Out."

He increased his tone when they didn't move from where they were. "Well, if none of you are deaf, do it now."

There wasn’t an option. Helplessly, three of the Watsons exited the class. Kingsley complained about how stupid the door was and that someone should have taken the initiative to apply oil or grease to it. True enough, they could have easily succeeded if the door hadn't made any noise.

But on second thought, missing history class?

It was a reward.

Time slowly ticked away as they waited for the lesson to be over. A short nap would've been possible if Maddie's voice hadn't echoed out of the room.

Miracle peeked through the glass lite. 

Surprisingly, he wasn't teaching. He was telling stories.

Lyn and Kingsley leaned against the wall, not interested in what was going on in the class. However, Mr. History was talking about the very things Miracle had always wanted to know—myths. She moved her ear closer.

"Has anyone of you heard about Long Sheng Jie?”

"Long Sheng Jie? What's that?"

"Wait..." Jessamine said. "That sounds familiar. I think my mom used to tell me about it when I was a kid. If my memory serves me right, it's something about dragons.”

"True," Maddie continued. "Long Sheng Jie was said to be a whole new world where celestial dragons lived. During ancient times, dragons were well-respected and worshipped among the people. According to mythological experts, these dragons were once humans. They sacrificed their lives and freedoms to protect the weaker ones. For hundreds of generations, people practiced the culture of praying to dragons as their gods. But somehow everything fell apart, and eventually, humans stopped believing in them because they felt dragons and the remaining myths were lies trying to be the truth. This explains why in today's reality, the majority of humans hold onto the fact that dragons are just characters in stories. Moreover, there isn't any solid evidence proving the creatures' existence, unlike dinosaurs."

For once, everyone was fully awake during history class.

"You mean myths are real? But even the definition says it's a false belief idea." It was from Jordan, Jessamine's deskmate.

"But don't forget there's another definition that says myths are traditional folktales passed from generation to generation. Who are we to question their validity when these stories existed long before most of you..." Maddie cleared his throat. "I mean, before most of us were born?"

"Nobody in this generation prays to myths anymore, sir. This is such a joke. We barely pray to any gods or goddesses..."

Somebody asked another question, "If they were real, do they still exist then?"

Miracle heard the teacher chuckle. "Maybe?"

He was about to proceed with his story when a shrill cry suddenly pierced through and interrupted the lesson.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Miracle jerked her head away from the door, the color draining from her face in an instant. ’No… Not again.’

Before she could do anything, students from the remaining classes streamed out in a rush, their footsteps echoing against the walls. Some stumbled and fell, while others collided with one another in their haste. They looked terrified, as if they had a hunch about what had happened.

With fists clenched tightly, Miracle hurried after them without a moment's delay. Ragged breaths escaped through her lips as panic swept over her soul. Her heart pounded fiercely against her chest, veins pulsating in her arms. She could sense the beast within her yearning to break free.

No.

She dug her nails into her palms. She had to hold back.

Too many humans.

Under the bright sun, right in the middle of the assembly ground, Miracle hesitantly came to a stop. The place was crowded, overwhelmed with noises and cries of the intimidated students. When she saw the victim lying dead in the puddle of red, a sudden loss of hope and faith washed over her soul.

One of the female students exclaimed, “No… It’s happening again!”

"History is repeating. The rumor is real!"

"But now it’s in broad daylight..."

"I'm scared..."

"Please... I don't have time for this..."

"Don't hurt me. I'm only here for the grades. Nothing else!"

Lyn sucked in a deep breath and pushed her way through the crowd to get to Miracle at the front. As soon as she saw the familiarity in the victim's face, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Oh, God. Please, no…” Her voice was turning thick.

"Lyn? What's wrong?" Kingsley came up from behind.

She pointed to the heartless boy.

Kingsley leaned in for a closer look, and the next second, tears seeped in from the corners of his eyes. 

"P-Peter?"