Chapter 7: Finders Keepers

Chapter 7: Finders Keepers

DAYS passed by quickly after the library incident that Crostelia encountered. Up until now she still has no idea about what happened to her nor about the book that the librarian told her to keep. She didn’t want to but she still kept in the end although she was hesitating as the librarian wouldn’t let her to put it back on the bookshelf anymore where it only got covered with dust while guilt tripping her that once she put it back, the book will end up being unnoticed while gathering more dust. Because of being too kind, she brought it back home with her and put it in a cabinet inside her room.

During those remaining days, she used her time diligently in studying some magic spells that she could use one day. In those times too, she knew she was being followed by the twins and Liev. 

They were strong, yes. But the way they tried to tail her was just so poor that wherever they tried to hide, she could still see a part of them and knew immediately that it was them. Because of that, she tried to act womanizer and sophisticatedly to avoid them having anything to hold against her once they successfully fulfilled the purpose of their spying.

Right now, her second class in the afternoon just ended so she is in a hurry to fix her belongings while walking carelessly in the hallway so that she could immediately go in the cafeteria to get some snacks to eat when suddenly, the place just became so quiet as if sound’s existence in the world was a fantasy—she couldn’t just hear anything!

Afterwards, her visions quickly followed. She tried to move her hand mindlessly but anything that she would end up touching only felt like a sticky mucus that felt disgusting to her. Those minutes were enough to instill another layer of fear and anxiety inside Crostelia’s panicking heart that she didn’t know, she ended up dropping all her belongings on the ground in reality as her hands found their way to her head, harshly gripping her hair while pulling it hard unconsciously. The students passing by thought she was crazy and would just immediately avoid her so her action that resulted in hurting herself lasted for a few minutes as well.

Why is it so silent and dark? Just what is happening to me? Did my past life do many unforgivable wrongdoings that I keep on suffering so much?

Crostelia’s tears started running down her face after she asked herself questions that she doesn’t know when will be answered.

As her hands were around her head and her body was a little bit cowering without her knowledge, her hair became a mess like a nest of birds hanging on a tree as her face got covered by it. Because of that, no one noticed how the liquid that fell from her eyes suddenly turned black—same as what happened to the white part of her eyes, they turned pitch black. Soon after, her waterline got coated in black as every time a new batch of tears fell on her face, the liquid would gather first before falling. However, those black tears would just also turn back to normal whenever they reached the ground so no one of the passersby really got curious at the state of the weakest person in the school as they continued walking as if she was nonexistent.

"How was your sleep? Next time, I'll make sure to make it sweeter so that you'll never want to wake up anymore..." she heard a woman’s voice echoed in her mind with a message that sounded as if it was directed at her.

After hearing those words, although not confirmed whether that person was really saying those words to her, a large amount of fear crept into her heart once again. Who was that girl? Why did she want her to never wake up? Was she also the one who made the incident in the library last time? Why?! 

While Crostelia was busy asking herself frustratedly, she was oblivious of how the darkness that covered her eyes disappeared. She was busy with her seemingly never-ending questions and the pain her heart was minding that she didn’t immediately notice how she could hear and see again.

Her surroundings became black in a snap for a few minutes only but it felt like a century to her who just suddenly lost her hearing and visions without knowing the cause while having other things in mind that she didn’t immediately manage to differentiate the happenings in her life.

The maiden’s breathing turned heavier; the pain felt greater as she felt like her world came back to normal. She gasped for air and in relief upon realizing that her eyes could see the wonderful colors of life again. But then, that was immediately halted upon noticing how her hands are still tightly gripping her hair. After that, while having difficulty in breathing, she smiled before she felt her knees weaken as everything that happened suddenly flashed in her mind. She eventually lost her balance as she started trembling while almost twisting her body because of the sudden wave of an even greater pain in her heart that is sending her loud vibrations that is causing her ears to hear a deafening distorted, shrill sound.

While she was busy experiencing the tremendous pain, fear, anger, confusion together inside, darkness consumed her once again.

Liev, who was just following her, shrugged in confusion as he lost her sight. He thought as he went back to his classroom, maybe she got out of her room earlier than he expected. Little did he know, she was already being held by someone's shaking arms because of worry as she was being brought to the school clinic.

"OH MY! What happened to her?" the doctor in the clinic asked in shock upon seeing the young lady’s state. 

Right now, Crostelia is inside the clinic while she is unconscious and sleeping peacefully on one of the clinic’s beds.

On the right side of the bed standing were the doctor and the man who brought her there.

"I don't know. She collapsed after I saw her being in pain?" he said, confused about what really happened. 

He saw her. He saw her but it seemed like what he saw wasn't enough to exactly tell what was going on. She just started looking like she was in pain after a few people passed by her in the hallway. He tried to detect if a magic power was released but he sensed nothing and that made him completely clueless while feeling like an idiot.

The woman laughed in a sophisticated way before she kiddingly hit the right shoulder of the guy that helped Crostelia. However, the young man just rolled his eyes in annoyance while trying to hide his worry for the girl.

A few seconds more passed by before the doctor fell into silence. And then, her serious face followed that made the other person feel more worried about the condition of the girl.

Well, the doctor’s face looked like things are more fucked up than he thought they would. How many times has he seen her collapse, in so much pain or lose consciousness, anyway? There is a lot of time already and although he discovered how she usually collapses after using her magic before, that wouldn’t still explain why she collapses now and, in the library, when she didn’t even use a single drop of her power.

"Why? What happened to her?" the young man asked in a serious way. His worry was revealed in his doting pair of eyes that is focused on its job to stare at her.

"As a doctor, I can't didn't find anything. She looks completely fine and normal to me," the doctor seriously replied before shaking her head as if there is really nothing they could do.

"As a high-level enchanter, there’s something wrong with her heart," the doctor added that made the young man’s eyes widened in bewilderment.

"She's cursed but I know the way. Would you like to know?" 

She was cursed… Is that the reason why there were a lot of times that she always looked like she was bearing so much pain while her hands were placed on the area around her heart? Is that the reason why she always looked as if she was suffering greatly? 

Why didn’t he know about that? If he only knew then maybe he wouldn’t have watched silently ever since the first time she entered the school that became a hell for her but… Blaming himself right now is not the best thing to do. Right now, what he is supposed to be doing is to be thinking of a way to end it!

And then without wasting a second, he nodded with his eyes burning with determination to help.

INSIDE a room of an average looking house with bright interior because of the scattered windows, a person could be seen staring at the photographs that are pasted all over the walls of the room of a beautiful maiden with long and beautiful black hair. Photos of different sizes, angles and situations were all scattered in corners of that small room painted in black.

An amused smile appeared on the person’s lips as he took a photo from the wall, held it carefully with his hand before bringing it on his lips—kissing the small paper where the maiden could be seen smiling brightly as if it was an actual person.

Afterwards, the man walked towards his table where everything he needed was placed without letting go of the photo. Soon, his forehead creased upon seeing a new letter laying on the top of his belongings. Beside the new letter were the previous ones that he soon disregarded after reaching his goal—finding that person! Why would he still need to respond to the demanding letters of that woman when he already found his purpose? He only acted as if he sided with that woman but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t do whatever he wanted after.

The letters that kept on being sent to him only had one meaning—to update her and kill that person as that woman requested. But, why would he kill the person he was trying to find for so long? That girl is such a beauty. He couldn’t understand the reason why someone from a faraway kingdom would want to kill someone. That is why he got intrigued at first. Who knew he would discover a secret that mustn’t be known by a powerless hand?

Discovering the secret was nothing to him, really. Yes, that woman might have provided him with money and other magical items, and the person who first ordered him to find a girl was also a beauty but, who cares? What only made him more interested was simply just the face of the person he was finding.

He has been searching for that girl for a few years already with the help of that crazy woman and seeing her in person was enough for him to think that although she is useless at the other field, making her his wife would be a jackpot already.

Why would he surrender her after finding her first, knowing that a crazy woman would only kill the person he set his eyes on when he could just keep her to himself?