Will You Accept?

Hubert laid on his bed, the crickets' chirps sounded, and the gawking of birds was heard on the sacred night from the nearby forest. His eyes wide open, staring at the empty ceiling as he thought of the afternoon before, the sunlight, the warmth, the softness, and the tenderness of her grip.

Now, he found himself once again alone, bothered by the sounds of nightly beings, as he closed his eyes. He forced his eyelids closed and closed his eyes with his forearm, attempting to fall asleep.

Yet, he failed as soon as he tried.

The turbulence, the uncertainty in his heart had piled up, battling against Ivanna's embracing warmth. A beacon of hope that contrasted with the hopelessness that surrounded him.

"What can I do…?" he asked himself, his tone disoriented, confused even.

Then he looked across his bed. To someone who had always helped him in his time of hardness and struggle.

"Ron…" he called, his voice almost a whisper.

Though the response he got was of the soft snoring that occasionally replaced the eerie quietness of the bedroom.

"Ha," he said, his voice, a mix of a groan, sigh, and chuckle. The last time he had spoken with Ron was days ago, before his awakening. Now the two barely exchanged glances at each other.

His eyes wide open, his stare was blank, as he wondered of another of his friend, Dareon. Dareon wasn't much different from Ron, once the two were a pair, a figure of friendliness and a place where Hubert could lean on.

Now, Dareon was nowhere to be found.

"I guess, this is the end, huh?" he questioned, he felt the road ahead of him blocked and clogged.

"Hubert…" a shaky voice came, carried by the night wind that leaked through the cracks of the window.

"Who?" Hubert sat up, surprised by the voice.

"Hubert…" the voice reached him once again.

The voice felt strange, a voice he never heard before. But at the same time, the familiarity of the voice struck him and his heart ached. He felt angry.

"Reveal yourself!" Hubert said, now a little louder than before.

Ron was asleep in his deep slumber.

"Hubert…" the voice sounded for the third time. Only then he realized the similarity with the voice that rang in his memory.

The voice was the same, of the same tone and notes.

"Yo-you!" Hubert called, his tone agitated. Then his eyes peered into the crack in the window, and the wind that seemed to be entering the room from there caught his attention.

Hubert stood up from his bed and ran toward the window, his hands moving so quickly that he opened it in a swift and forceful manner. Upon that, a gust of wind came from the outside, blowing into him and bringing dust into him.

He covered his eyes with his hands, and as the harsh breeze continued, he peered to the outside world, where he searched for the voice. There, he saw a silhouette, moving under the trees that hid the silhouette from the sun.

Without a speck of hesitation, under the relentless barrage of air, he jumped out of his window. His footing was stable as a loud thud accompanied his landing.

Then the silhouette moved further into the tree lines.

"Wa-wait!" Hubert called, his legs muscles pumped like a spring as he sprung forward. He began his chase toward the silhouette.

The air was cold, the moonlight indifferent, the trees lifeless ,and the ground of which he ran was kicked up. He chased the silhouette deep into the forest of the academy.

At first, the treelines were thin and filled with shrubs and bushes, berries and fruits littered the ground and animals sounded voices of life. As Hubert dove deeper, the treeline thickened and the ground was barely walkable.

The forest was grimfully filled with trees, devoid of any living beings. Not even a single fruit made its way to the ground and the voices of life had disappeared.

"Ha!" Hubert pushed through, his large stature forcefully fitting himself through the clamping treelines. There, he arrived.

The place was a round clearing, surrounded by trees, and in the middle of it was a towering rock that stood like a pillar. The moonlight, strangely enough, was so bright that Hubert couldn't see the silhouette.

The silhouette that sat atop the rock, robed.

"Hubert, impressive," the silhouette said, praisingly.

Though harsh, the voice was feminine.

"Ha… Ha… Ha…" Hubert gasped for air, his hands on his knee, as he supported himself from falling to the ground. His eyes stared, as sharp as a dagger, toward the silhouette.

"Take your time, Hubert. The night is still long," the silhouette mentioned, her legs seemingly swinging playfully.

"Who…?" Hubert asked, his tone a mix of anger and curiosity.

"Wow, I can't believe you don't remember me from our previous encounter… Perhaps, did your mind got erased?" the silhouette asked.

Hubert stared at her, now standing upright. His face explained confusion, his brows frowned, though it curved inward.

"Ah, it's true then," the silhouette said, realizing upon seeing Hubert's reaction. Then she leaned forward, her thin arm supporting her face.

"Answer me!" Hubert shouted, his voice echoing through the quietness.

"I don't want to!" the silhouette replied playfully, slightly mocking.

"Besides… I'm sure you'll remember something, right about… now," 

"URGH!" Hubert groaned, shrieking even. His teeth clenched as he dropped to his knees, his hands moving to close his ears, like before.

The pain had returned, and it worsened. The ringing turned to as if a high-pitched and high-frequency orchestra of instruments were playing devilish symphonies right in his ears, echoing against his ear canals.

His head, felt, as if a time bomb, waiting and wanting to combust into a million unrecognizable pieces.

His vision got blurry, yet he tried looking toward the silhouette.

"Ar-are you… the source of thi-this?" Hubert asked.

"Nope," the silhouette responded, though her voice barely reached Hubert.

His vision became more blurry, until eventually, he couldn't comprehend anything in front of him. 

Then, his vision changed to that of his memory.

The ground was hard, the place enclosed, and the moonlight came from the window, almost competing with the chandelier that was restrained by chains on the ceiling.

The place was familiar, he knew of it. He was sure as he swiveled his head around.

"The headmaster's office," Hubert mentioned, the pain in his head slowly dissipating, then it was gone for good.

Clap clap clap

"Finally!" the headmaster applauded. Her claps, low pitched, resonating in the air.

"He-headmaster? Tianna?" Hubert called in midst of his confusion, his eyes widening as he looked up, the figure still blanketed by darkness.

"That's right!" Tianna answered gleefully.

"Tch! Why have you called me here? Are you here to fulfill your promise last time?" Hubert asked, his fist clenched as his tone turned that from confusion into one that was filled with anger.

"Hmm, that I won't do, yet…" Tianna said, her finger now as if placed on her chin.

"Then, what is it you want?! Are you intending to just mock me because of my failure, or are you here to tell me I'm expelled from this place?" Hubert asked, his plight visible, his eyes watery.

"No, of course not! I came here to do the opposite, actually, Hubert. Now, relax yourself, will you?" Tianna said, her voice suggestive.

"I won't, unless you tell me of your goals calling me here," Hubert defiantly said.

"Alright alright…" Tianna replied, her tone as if purposefully losing to a younger sibling.

"Well, I will start with an apology for my previous actions. Because now, I have realized that you, Hubert, yes, you, are more precious than anyone in this place. I have investigated your life here, pardon me, but I must say that it's such a pity, someone as talented as you is badly discriminated against, not just by the students, but even by the learning halls," Tianna mentioned.

Hubert clenched his fist, his eyes portraying anger, slightly straining red.

"Calm down. I'm not here to mock you of your misery. Instead, I'm here to be a place that you could lean on, someone you could trust with even your life. Imagine that for a moment. You know, Hubert, I have the power and strength, intelligence and knowledge, all is within my grasp in this place," Tianna continued explaining.

"Get straight to the point, Tianna!" Hubert said, his tone rude.

"Oh wow… I didn't expect such rudeness! Well, now I kind of know the reason why, so I won't judge. Instead, Hubert, I ask of you the same thing, in politeness and with a good will," Tianna stopped her words.

Hubert thirst for the answer unquenched.

"What? Stop speaking in a convoluted way, Goddess damn it!" Hubert cursed.

"I ask of you to be my student. I will use all my resources and I will protect you from all the cruelties of this place. So that one day, just one day, you might find yourself more trusting of me," Tianna continued.

"Wh-what?" Hubert's eyes widened as he too was reminded of the words in his memory.

A lot was at stake here.

"Yes, will you accept?" Tianna asked anticipatingly.