Chapter 3. We Meet Again.

  A couple of days have passed since the meeting between Kael and Katrine and their father's, Kael slept for a total of nearly two days after taking two doses of calming medication in turn for him having two panic attacks. Today was the day of the showcase of recently discovered "The Dual Cursed Swords of Darkness" that were found in depths of one of many ancient mag-tech depths, Kael whilst still having the repercussions of the calming medication thought to himself that he just couldn't skip today, it was out of the question for him. Today was another day of his ordinary life, nothing changed from within his morning routine. When he finally left the house he saw a strange sight, his best friends Adam and Yuuto were right outside his house along with Kael's most disliked person so far, Artyom. They were chatting lightheartedly about normal everyday topics and the showcase that their school will have today, when all three of them saw Kael they waved their hands to him, he was genuinely surprised and somewhat happy that his best friend's, along with Artyom, stepped out their way to go to his house and greet him early in the morning. When he walked up to them he was trying his best to remain "ordinary" even though the feelings and thoughts inside him said otherwise, to be happy, but he didn't want to ruin his facade. When he finally approached them he greeted them.

  -"Hey there Yuuto, Adam... And you, Artyom... What are you doing here? My house isn't on the way to school is it? Why did you step out of your way to come here and greet me so early in the morning?"

  His friends along with Artyom hearing his question started chuckling amongst themselves, they knew something that Kael didn't, but decided to not say it straight up to him yet as they didn't know how he'd react to the information they had, the first one to speak up was Adam.

  -"We heard the news that something happened and you weren't in the best condition, so we decided to check up on you, since you're so fixated about Mag-Tech... We also met Artyom on the way and we decided to ask him if he wanted to come, and he agreed."

  Kael, hearing his friend's explanation nodded his head understandingly, he thought that Artyom walking with him to school might crumble Kael's current way of being and open him up more to people, which was his ultimate goal with Kael. After a couple minutes of light chatting the four of them decided to go to school, the Eden Academy. It wasn't a long walk from Kael's house, around half a kilometer... When they walked, Artyom decided to constantly strike up a chat with Kael much to his annoyance with him. The way to school was otherwise quite peaceful and uneventful, perfect for Kael as it was normal for a normal person. But as they approached the school entrance something strange happened, Kael had chills run down his spine and his nerves were screaming to "run", he didn't know why, he didn't know how. He felt like something was right there and then wanted to murder him with savage brutality, when he looked onto his friends and Artyom he saw that they had similar expressions on their faces… But not Artyom, he seemed strangely calm… This time was different in opposition to the time he heard that female voice, now everyone felt something was wrong. Kael taking a deep breath, with a shaking and evidently scared voice turned to the rest.

  "-You all... You feel it too...? Like... Something wanted to murder you too...? Fuck... I-I don't know what's happening... I'm literally shaking haha..."

  His nervous laughter spoke volumes on what he was feeling, his friends and Artyom upon hearing Kael took a while to process what he said. Seconds passed that felt like eternity, even though Adam and Artyom were probably the strongest and most brave of the group, couldn't stop this feeling of the immediate danger and murderous intent. The seconds stretched even further, even though the four boys tried their best to remain their facade, they couldn't.

  First one to snap was Yuuto who suddenly dropped onto his knees breathing deeply, he felt like his heart was about to fall out his chest and his morning meal would come out the way it came in. Kael seeing his friends condition quickly rushed towards him picking him up and supporting him with his own arm seeing this Adam acted as well supporting Yuuto from other side with his own arm while signalling to Artyom with a head nod that the should get out of here, Artyom getting the sign immediately started to walk away quickly while Adam and Kael supporting Yuuto followed after him. Once they walked a couple hundred of meters away from school they all sat down on the ground hyperventilating and shedding cold sweat down their bodies. It was something out of the ordinary, Kael thought it maybe had something to do with the "The Dual Cursed Swords of Darkness" being presented at the school, after all they were ancient and weren't fully understood or studied. All of the boys thought the same, it maybe, no, it definitely had something to do with those swords. The first one to speak up was Artyom, still hyperventilating he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

  -"What in the bloody hell was that? Fucking hell, I swear on my family, I felt something cold wrap around my shoulder as if to… Scare me off.. It didn’t seem to do that to you all though… But I’m not sure when it comes to Yuuto in that case… AND FOR SOME FUCKING REASON IT DIDN’T AFFECT ANYONE ELSE!?"

  What he said was true, other students passing by didn't have such a strong reaction, it was obvious they felt something that made them feel uneasy, but not to such an extent. Yuuto who was the first one to snap started to finally calm down, he suddenly started chuckling to himself, after all, a couple of days ago he landed a date with the school's "princess", Yuki Amagawa, so her not seeing him in such condition made him breathe with relief. Kael and Adam understood immediately starting to chuckle as well, this moment helped them ease the atmosphere. Artyom not understanding at first what the others were chuckling about finally caught on, he heard from the gossip that a shy guy from Kael's guy landed a date with the school princess. So he started to chuckle as well. As the four boys were calming down they each understood each other without words, they needed to go back to that school, they needed to break through the feeling that was there.

  Yuuto and Adam got up first while Kael remained seated, and suddenly he saw a hand. It was Artyom holding out his hand to him offering him help with getting up, he wanted to get up on his own at first, but suddenly he heard the female voice again. But this time, there were no chills or sweating like the previous time and the voice had the same tone and sweetness to it as before...

  -'Accept kid...'

  Hearing that Kael finally snapped, gritting his teeth, he accepted Artyom's help with getting up, seeing that Artyom smiled at Kael. Yuuto and Adam, who were slightly away, looked at each other and nodded approvingly, knowing that Kael was finally breaking his "ordinary" facade and accepting people from outside. When Kael finally got up, he along with his friends and Artyom started going back to school ready to face the potential feeling again. After a while they were in front of the entrance again, the first one to take a step was Kael, when he got closer... He felt nothing, nothing was happening, the previously felt murderous intent along with other stuff was gone, nothing, he felt nothing from what he previously felt. Seeing this Artyom, Adam and Yuuto took a step as well, and they too felt nothing this time. A small victory you could say, a small meaningless victory in the grand scheme of things. But for these four boys it was something major, something that was thought to be impossible moments ago. The boys started laughing, they were genuinely happy that this time nothing happened. The passersby and other students looked at them like a bunch of lunatics, but for the boy's, it was a major thing.

  After a while they made their way to the auditorium where the "The Dual Cursed Swords of Darkness" were presented for the students to see and examine closely behind a glass cabinet. When they arrived at their destination there were already lots of students, teachers and facility staff as well looking at the swords. In Kael's mind they were a magnificent pair of probably pitch black swords with small accents that would refine the "The Dual Cursed Swords of Darkness" name they had. After shoving through crowds of people he finally saw the swords... They were nothing like he imagined, they instead were rusty, chipped and badly damaged. One of the swords was even snapped in half, but the pitch black colour along with strangely crimson red accents was still distinguishable through the bad state the swords were in. It was a small let down for Kael who expected something different entirely, he wanted to scream, curse, even throw a tantrum. But he remained calm trying to keep his "ordinary" facade intact even though the emotions on the inside were on fire from the sudden let down the boy had. "That's all?" Kael thought to himself seeing the state of the swords they were in, he could see that the other people around showed a similar sense of being annoyed, the hype up for the swords was massive and it even made it onto the local television and radio, the gossip also spread like wild fire... But this? This was extremely disappointing in opposition to the hype that was built up around the swords. Soon after his friends along with Artyom caught up. They were hyped as well, but upon seeing the swords the same feeling of being let down and disappointment washed over them. The first one to speak about his disappointment was Adam, his voice didn't even hide a tinge of disappointment.

  -"That's... That's all...? Is this it? THAT WHAT WAS ALL THIS HYPE ABOUT!? TWO PIECES OF SCRAP METAL COVERED IN RUST, THIS ONE IS EVEN SNAPPED IN HALF AND THEY'RE DAMAGED ALL AROUND THE PLACE!"

  His outburst caught the attention of some people around but they felt like relating to him since he was speaking his honest mind. Kael, seeing his friend's outburst, grabbed his shoulder and shook his head, reminding his friend to calm down. Adam seeing his friend's action took a deep calming breath and apologised for his outburst, although justified it still was a bit too much in Kael's opinion. They stood there in slightly awkward silence with people staring at them since Adam's outburst caught everyone's attention. But then suddenly Yuuto said something extraordinary, strange and even somewhat foolish.

  -"Don't you all feel like these swords are fucking alive in one way or another? I mean look at them and tell me they're not fucking... 'Alive' in some cursed, dumb fucking way... Or rather something alive inside them..."

  Everyone sensed that he tried to cover up his nervousness with his laughter, trying to brush it off what he seemingly saw. Adam, Kael and Artyom looked at Yuuto, then the swords, they knew that this probably must have been the most normal event since what they experienced minutes ago with the dreadful feeling of sudden murderous intent and extreme feeling of unease when they first arrived at the school entrance. After a while Artyom spoke up.

  -"Uhhh Yuuto it can still have a lingering effect if you know what... I mean, that there before was probably the strangest thing I've ever felt... Well besides when I was alone with Kael a few days ago, he told me about some female 'voice' he heard."

  Upon hearing this he quickly turned to look at Artyom with disdain in his eye, signaling him he should keep such information to himself as it was very fragile information and could potentially lead Kael to step out of his "ordinary" life which he didn't want to do. Artyom, seeing Kael staring at him, got the sign immediately and cleared his throat, knowing that pushing this topic further would strain the relationship he was trying to build with Kael. After a while of awkward silence Kael spoke up.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  -"Okay guys, and you Artyom... How about we go back home and pick up something on the way to eat? I mean this whole presentation that was hyped up so much and ended up being so shitty, that it's the only thing I can think of right now, what do you say?"

  The way he emphasized "Artyom" with clear venom in his voice made Artyom startle a bit, Adam and Yuuto not thinking too much about it quickly agreed to Kael's proposal. After all that was the only thing left for today besides like nobody would bat an eye that 4 students would decide to skip school on the "special" day that was the pitiful and disappointing showcase of "The Dual Cursed Swords of Darkness". Most of the students at Eden Academy thought the same thing and didn't think twice before quickly heading home or to do some after school activities with their friends due to the poor showcase that was extremely hyped up by everyone, especially the media and the principal himself. After the boys left the auditorium they quickly headed to the school gates, they were already discussing where to eat, Italian food, Japanese restaurant nearby or the freshly opened Shawarma place a couple streets down. Their conversation was suddenly cut short as when they turned the corner at the school gate, what they saw there was a girl, she was similar in age to them. She wore a different uniform from their own uniform. It didn't take the guy too long to figure out she was from a different school waiting for someone here, probably a relative or a partner who attended the Eden Academy. But Kael immediately recognised the girl, while the guys were slightly frozen in their movements he approached the girl confidently, when he finally was mere meters away from her, he said to her.

  -"What are you doing here Morge? Don't you have a school at this time hm? Won't your dad get angry when you skip your school just like that to go to a different school, just to stare at the entrance?"

  Hearing Kael's voice the girl, Katrine Morge, turned her head to him, suddenly the situation from a couple of days ago flashed before her eyes, that fateful day when she potentially saved Kael's life and got genuine words of gratitude from him. Also the day when her internal feelings towards Kael started conflicting. Artyom, Adam and Yuuto seeing how Kael spoke to her so casually fired up some theories in them. Was it his friend? Girlfriend? Partner? Relative?

  The way he spoke to her and knew her name seemed strange to them, they suddenly started chuckling between each other, already brewing up theories of who the unknown girl Katrine was to Kael. Both Kael and Katrine, seeing how the guy's acted, shot them and a warning looks clearly letting them know that they two tolerated each other at best. Seeing their disapproving and warning looks, Artyom, Adam and Yuuto quickly shut up knowing that getting on Kael's bad side was nothing they wanted to do, and not knowing how Katrine was, the first impression could be very important towards her. After an awkward silence and continuous warning looks from both Kael and Katrine at the boys, Katrine finally spoke up.

  -"I see you're doing quite well Riggs, I never expected you to be up and functioning so quickly, especially after having two panic attacks and taking two huge doses of calming medication in such short amount of time, my dad told me he heard from your father you were nearly knocked out for two day's, is that right?"

  Hearing this Kael froze up slightly. Why did she suddenly start caring so much? Up until that incident she was quite vulgar towards him and didn't care about him at all, oftentimes wishing him bad things. But now? It was different which made Kael feel uneasy, Artyom, Adam and Yuuto sensing that this wasn't the time and place where they should be, quickly fled the scene while hurriedly saying their good-byes to Kael and newly met Katrine. After the guys left, Kael took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had to respond somehow to her, he knew he should because he was still extremely grateful towards her for potentially saving his life a couple of days ago. After a while of silence from Kael, he finally responded.

  -"Yes I'm quite well as you can see Katrine, although I can still feel some lingering effects overall I'll be fine. And besides I should thank you once again for potentially saving my life back there, if you didn't react so quickly who knew how it could end for me."

  He spoke with his heart. He expected some snarky remarks from Katrine or at least a rude comment, but what he had seen was completely different. Katrine was... Blushing slightly? He couldn't believe his own two eyes, she was blushing? After he said something to her? Kael was stunned, he didn't know what to say or what to do, one side was telling him to continue the conversation and change the topic, and the other was telling him to flee to avoid potentially awkward conversation and topics. He decided to stay and wait for Katrine to calm down so she could say what she was doing here. After a while Katrine took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

  -"Ekhm, as you may know. My dad has contacts pretty much everywhere, especially in those tied to the Mag-Tech and he wanted to show you something, but not today or right now. In about a week when he'll know the ground is clear. Would that suit you?"

  Kael, hearing this nodded his head approvingly. What this time Mark wanted to show him? Something related to mag-tech? Waiting a week for clear ground? Just what in the world his uncle had found? For now that wasn't much to his concern as he had to wait a week anyways, after that he said his good-byes to Katrine and started heading home, his mind swirling with thoughts about the thing his uncle wanted to show him. What could it be? Was it dangerous? Why wait for the clear ground? It was all the thoughts he had at the moment. He needed to know, he must know what was so important... But then suddenly another image flashed in his mind, it was of Katrine blushing moments ago, why did she have such a reaction? Why? WHY!?

  He couldn't understand it, he just couldn't grasp the fact that she blushed at him. He thought maybe it was a cheap trick for him to lower his guard and for her to gain an opportunity to stab a needle where it hurt the most, that's what it probably was. It couldn't be anything else, he knew her a bit too well to fall for such a punic trick in his eyes. But little did Kael know, fate had much more grand things planned for him. But for now that was none of his concerns, he wanted to return home and rest after the disappointing showcase of "The Dual Cursed Swords of Darkness". He was so hyped, but the letdown he experienced along with his friends and Artyom was so tiring he just needed to lay down and rethink if it was worth it even coming there to see those swords. As he was coming home with his mind filled with such thoughts. When he finally came in he saw his father's shoes were missing which meant he was still at work, which was slightly unusual since by now he should be back. He didn't bother dwelling on it too much, he took off his shoes, came to his room, threw his backpack on the ground, changed into some more comfortable and casual clothes and laid down in bed.

  He waited for his father to come back to make dinner since he didn't have necessarily the best culinary skills himself, as he thought about the dinner his mind filled with memories of the past when he tried to cook with his dad, how he burnt the pasta for the first time, how he thinned out the sauce too much making it watery. But suddenly something else flashed in his mind. An image of a woman and a young girl, it was his late mother and sister that passed away in an unknown accident. He tried to think about something else, but the image just couldn't go away no matter how much he tried, suddenly he heard that voice again, that same female voice that tormented him previously and gave him seemingly advice... But this time, it was different, it was... Chuckling? Laughing even, which unnerved Kael.

  -'Heheheheheheheh... How does it feel, little Heir? Hurts doesn't it? Stings even... Hurts in a place where it shouldn't hurt, so close to your heart yet not quite there...'

  It frustrated Kael, whoever or whatever that woman was, she was mocking him and his dead family. He wished that she was more than just a voice in his head, more than just a torment that came and went every time. He wished that she'd pay for this mockery. Realising that he was alone, as his father hadn't come back from work yet, he could somewhat converse with the voice, even if it was possible. He wanted to be normal, but this voice was clearly preventing him from being so, so he wanted to know what that voice was. As the female voice was still chuckling Kael finally asked.

  -"Who the fuck even are you... What in the fuck are you rather... And am I the only one who can hear you? Aghhhhh... Can't YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR A SINGLE DAY!?"

  The last words had such venom in them that a normal person would flinch from such an outburst. Even those who were having frequent outbursts wouldn't be able to gather such venom in their voice. Kael was somewhat happy that no one was around as they'd thought he was delusional, crazy and mentally challenged. Which would ruin his facade he desperately clung onto. The voice seemingly hearing and understanding his outburst went suddenly quiet, but Kael felt whatever the voice was, was still there. He knew it was there, he just knew from his intuition that the voice didn't go away like previously. After a longer silence the female voice finally spoke up.

  -'Ehhhh fine fine, I'll answer your questions... You'll find out who or what I am someday soon. Yes you're the only one who can hear me, for now. And you'll eventually see who I am to mock you and your dead family hehehe.'

  The light and teasing tone of the voice angered Kael even more, if he could he'd spring out of his bed to strangle to death whatever the voice was. But he couldn't, fortunately or unfortunately to either the voice or Kael. Kael processing the voices words thought to himself, "the fuck does she mean someday soon?". It was unnerving Kael, he felt like his ordinary life was in danger, he wanted to cling onto it, onto the normality he built brick by brick. He just couldn't accept the fact it'll all be shattered maybe tomorrow, maybe in two days, or hell maybe even in years. He didn't want it to shatter, the reality he built for himself was hanging by a hair thread. He just didn't want to accept it, his ordinary and normal life was going to shatter whether he liked it or not... Suddenly he felt tears streaming out his eyes, at first he didn't understand why. But then it hit him, he was crying because everything he built was going to crumble like a sand tower in matter of maybe even days, years he spent building his image was going to shatter. The voice seemingly seeing the boy's struggle said to him in once again mocking and teasing tone.

  -'Poor little child... You miss your mommy don't you? And your little sister aye? Awwwww that's so cute... Too bad they're rolling in their graves seeing whatever the fuck you became so far... Pathetic.'

  After this Kael screamed, his voice full of agony and sadness, everything he knew and wanted in life was going to be taken away from him whether he liked it or not. When Kael tried to retaliate he heard the door to the house opening, his dad was back home. Along with that the voice seemingly disappeared leaving Kael in a state full of rage, he promised himself, whoever or whatever the voice was...

  Was going to pay for mocking him and ruining his ordinary life, he needed to make sure that whatever it was, it was going to pay for what it has done to him. But for now Kael had to calm down, he quickly wiped his tears and blew his nose to look as if nothing had happened. He also preemptively took the calming medication he used to inject himself with whenever he had a panic attack, he knew it was a bad idea, that it's going to make him sleep in a matter of hours or even render him bed ridden for a day or two. But he didn't care, he didn't want his father to see the state he was in, he didn't want to ruin his father's day by his own struggles. He knew that his dad already had enough on his shoulders, and his dismay would only add unnecessary weight to them. He quickly took deep breaths to calm down as he felt the medication starting to work on his body, his heart slowed down, his breathing stabilised, he stopped shaking and tears stopped flowing out his eyes. He was safe, he saved himself and his father from the unnecessary burden he had... At least for now.

  Suddenly the door to Kael's room flung open and there was his father, he was breathing deeply. Before Kael could tell something his father rushed to him and hugged him in a warm embrace scratching his back and saying that everything will be alright... He must have heard the scream that Kael made moments ago from outside, and rushed inside thinking his son got another panic attack. After a couple of minutes in the warm embrace of his father Kael finally spoke up.

  -"Dad... You... You don't have to... I'll... I'll be fine, you can let go of me now... It was nothing I promised..."

  His father hearing this tightened his embrace and after a while he let go of Kael, nodding his head... His eyes were also full of tears and fear, he was scared that his son suffered another panic attack which could lead to severe repercussions if Kael didn't take his calming medication injection in time. After Xavier wiped his tears, and took a couple of calming breaths he said to Kael.

  -"If you say so kiddo... Remember, I'll always be there for you if you need to do or say anything... I'm your father and you're my son, we're each other's only people... So please remember I'll always be there for you..."

  With those words he quietly slipped out of Kael's room going to make dinner, he still was slightly scared on the inside about what may have happened to Kael. But he trusted his son's word to its core, he knew that if Kael said or stated something, he meant it with all his heart. So he had no reason to doubt Kael's words, he knew his son would be fine, and that is everything that mattered to him. Him as his father, will always stand by his side no matter what. After around half an hour Kael emerged from his room the warm home dinner his father prepared, it was his favourite dish.

  Grilled chicken breasts with spicy cream sauce and rice, it was the same dish Kael remembered his own late mother made whenever Kael was feeling down as a kid... But that was years ago, today he couldn't dwell on the past, on the pain, on the suffering he endured. For now, he wanted to enjoy this warm dinner with his father, his only family he had left. As Kael took the first bite of the food, tears streamed down his cheeks... It was the same... The same as his mother did... He couldn't stop himself from crying. When he looked at his dad, he had the same reaction, the nostalgia and pain this dish brought was bittersweet to them.

  Kael started eating the dish so fast he didn't care that he burnt his tongue and insides of his mouth, he didn't care that it hurt, he only cared about the taste and memories he had with this seemingly normal and ordinary dish that anyone could make at home, for him. This dish was one of the things he loved with all his heart, not for the taste, not for the simplicity, but the pure fact it had so many memories and vital moments to him. After finishing eating Kael got up from his seat and rushed towards his father, hugging him tightly and crying into his shirt. He was no longer Kael Riggs, the ordinary 16 year old who tried to keep up his facade, for now? He was just a lost and lonely child seeking comfort from his father over a simple dish that meant nothing to many people. But for him? It meant the world…