CH #12 - Chalk

"Great... Now I've committed to pay a visit to a literature club...!" Ryan complained so that his whimpers were audible only to himself.

He didn't want to go. The thing the Savoia boy hated most was being forced to participate in any kind of social event. Unfortunately, the circumstances of the earlier promise put him at an irremediable point about what was said.

"Now I'll have to go and listen to people talking about books and poems, all while confirming an interest I don't have... And time will take so long to pass...!"

And, not ironically, one thing he loved to do whenever the chance arose was to complain about the state of affairs. Ryan wasn't the kind of person who always badmouthed everything, nor was he one who left his responsibilities behind, but the possibility of complaining was just another part of what it means to be "human".

"Not to mention the way things are."

That last part he let out in an even more inaudible tone, so as not to arouse suspicion. And even if someone might question it, he could always offer a general explanation concerning homework or so.

Anyway, it was time to go to class, slump in the chair and pretend that some part of what was being exposed by a monotone voice to be interesting. That routine was the peak end of mediocrity, but still far better than having to beat up someone who threatened to kill an entire classroom.

"On second thought, it's scary to see how calm people are after what I've done..."

Ryan couldn't help but think about how morbid the whole scenario was. People lived on, happy as they always were, even though those who were so important to them had been lost.

Under the consensus of Cast and Lira, it was decided that the entire school would be massively brainwashed once investigators left with the bodies. All students were forced to forget about the scene, as well as forget about their friends too.

Lira's strategic genius was what made it possible for something as impossible as that to be accomplished, as even with all his capabilities, Ryan's ability can't do much without bodily contact. What was thought by the Suzuki girl in a matter of a few minutes was nothing but surprising.

Lira combined their abilities, amplifying their area of effect. Unlike Ryan, whose power to erase memories works in person to person contact, Lira's power to manipulate feelings is much closer to a radio wave, able to affect anything within a certain radius of a few meters.

Using this concept, the girl served as the "modulator" for the boy's ability, allowing them together to spread a "kill code" that literally obliterated from everyone's minds any memories of those students, making as if they effectively never existed, since every and all piece of information regarding them was destroyed.

The brain would naturally create false memories to fill in the blanks, so doing more than that wasn't necessary.

That wasn't the best solution, but it was possible and viable at the time. The only minor problem it created was that many students developed mild psyche-related disorders, which soon passed within a day or two of exposure thanks to the brain filling the gaps by itself.

As the two would say, any plan would be perfect as long as it was functional in erasing the memories of the deaths and keeping the identity of ability users a secret.

Ryan didn't agree with that, though. He knew there had to be a better way to handle the situation, and even though he still couldn't name one, just felt like it didn't have to be that way.

Biting his bottom lip, he closed the locker door letting a mild bang spread, tucking the keys into his pocket after locking it. Another tiring day was about to begin, all common and ordinary as it always was, and with that-

"Ouch...!"

The impact with something moving to the left jarred his eyes, making them close. Fortunately, whoever collided with him wasn't heavy or came fast enough to make him fall, and the boy was able to keep the books together with use of both arms.

"I hope I haven't made some other jock drop their sandwich...! I'm anything but lucky with this 'bumping into people' thing!"

After mentally whining and reminiscing about past mishaps, the Savoia allowed himself to look forward as the young man opened his eyes, to notice something quite different from what happened last time.

"Ow... Ow... My head..."

He got into an internal panic... which was intensified the realization that everyone in the hallway had started to look at him...! He didn't even have time to break out in a cold sweat, however.

Better to fix the ugly situation he'd created as soon as possible. Quickly and a little shakily, he knelt down, reaching out an arm to help the fallen person.

"Ah… Uhm… I'm sorry for bumping into you…! I swear I didn't notice you approaching!" It was remarkable to see how much effort he put into hiding his shame about it all.

His hand was shaky, even with all the muscular effort that went into it, and on top of that, it didn't help that she took so long to respond. The seconds ticked by like hours with all that crowd watching.

But at last, the time had come and she took his hand, and when it did, Ryan felt saliva rush past his throat, almost in a sign of complete relief.

In a single strong movement, but at the same time filled with a unique gentleness proportionate to her form, the boy pulled that girl up.

"Once again, I'm sorry…I didn't see you. I'm sorry I ran into you. Did you get hurt somewhere?"

She didn't want to face him directly, which for a moment made him wonder if she certainly hated him, as no normal person would be happy to be knocked over by someone, even if accidentally.

Those few seconds of silence were more than enough for her appearance to be made very visible.

"Wow... She's really tall..." He thought, in a deliberate attempt to take his mind off its current focus.

She was a young girl of slender composition, coupled with remarkable height as the top of her head collided almost perfectly with his nose, that considering they were both standing. Her hair was brown and somewhat disorganized, with several strands spreading like wire to all sides, as it glowed under the light in a shade that was very subtly reminiscent of pink. Even though she avoided being stared at, her deep, piercing blue eyes were easily identifiable amidst the pale skin, all while being further emphasized by the faint dark circles that ran around the undersides of her eye sockets.

She radiated a unique impression, but at the same time one that was almost too forgettable – no one else at the school was that authentic, yet at the same time so ordinarily ignorable. Even for the author of these thoughts, describing was strange.

In hurried movements, she brushed some dust off of a red sweatshirt that was a little too big and left a lot of fabric left over. Her long fingers then ran to the slightly shabby black jeans whose dye was fading in places, looking in panic for something to clean off.

Her thin lips, reddened and a little dry then parted, letting out the first words. For some unconscious reason, Ryan could feel that her voice couldn't be any different from that, and that was even before hearing it.

"It is no problem." She spoke, showing an eloquent, deep, yet feminine tone. "It's not like I'm remarkable enough for your unconscious reflexes to bother with the task of evading me anyway."

"It was not your fault! I really should have paid more attention." He protested, even though he was remarkably astonished at how far she'd decided to go with that.

Hearing that answer aroused a feeling of pity he didn't want to feel. Even if trying to dismiss it, the urge to just lower his eyebrows at her and treat the girl like a kicked puppy nearly won.

"Almost", since the Savoia boy held back with all might so that she wouldn't think he felt sorry for her.

He lowered himself to a kneel for a moment, picking up a book she had dropped.

"Here. I think this is yours." He held the book out toward her. "And don't blame yourself for that. No one is ignorable enough not to deserve a detour. There are only people who are dumb enough not to look where they are going with due attention... Like me...!"

At that point in the conversation, Ryan could only hope that everything was going to work out, and that maybe she was kind enough to just ignore him from then on… It was either that or erase her memories of the event.

Using his master strategy – that of laughing at his own failure as a person and trying to get something good out of it – Ryan Savoia smiled at her, and proceeded to say the most clichéd thing his mind could come up with.

"Don't think that way of yourself. All people live for a reason, and each one for their own. Don't think it's okay for them to do this to you."

Still looking overwhelmed with embarrassment, she received her book from Ryan.

"Thank you. I'll... I'll think about it."

"So…" He arranged his own books properly. "I also promise to pay more attention. Have a nice day of classes!"

After that interaction, the boy marched at full speed towards the classroom, his head full of shameful thoughts.

"Oh my... Looks like I got those words out of a motivational speech script from some anime...! She must have thought that was so lame...!"

There was no way to enter the classroom without first thinking about how the day had started in one of the worst possible ways. The boy with the eyes glowing purple like amethyst gems pulled the door open quickly, albeit gently.

"Huh? Surprising to see they aren't here by now."

The first visual contact with the interior of the classroom resulted only in seeing the various groups of students spread out. Everyone was chatting quietly with their friends, which in a way was a good thing, as it indicated that this one promised to be as normal of a day as the others.

However, calling reality in its entirety "normal" would not describe well what was going on there. Two of the others were missing, these being exactly the ones he was most looking for.

Noticing their absences, Ryan promptly occupied his spot in the space, as there were only a few minutes before class began.

As would be common sense, he pulled the zippers on his backpack, pulling out a notebook from inside, and–

"Hey, dumbass!" Ryan felt something strike hard against the back of his skull. "Look back again."

The voice that called out to him was familiar, generating a search response that was almost entirely unconscious. Looking back as he tried to soothe the pain in the stricken area, Ryan confirmed his suspicions.

"You two were there the whole time, weren't you...?" He asked, clearly not impressed by Cast's tawdry pranks. "I should have guessed. The last thing that would be normal is just the two of you deciding it would be a good day to skip class."

"Yeah, that and you're an idiot." He replied, looking in a bad mood for teasing. "Serious matter. Urgent meeting."

Cast snapped his fingers once more, and though no change was noticed, Ryan knew he'd done something related to the use of illusions.

"I let everyone think the three of us are quiet and focused on some point in the room. They're not really seeing us, just noticing fakes. The point is we cannot generate suspicion."

The unearthly glow of the skill in use consumed Cast's eyes, making them burn with fervor the color of blood. That was the sign that the subject to be discussed was of far greater importance than any joke.

Getting a glimpse – no matter how brief – of a serious Cast was enough to assume that this was a matter of life and death. Ryan swallowed some of the residual saliva that had accumulated, gathering his focus to hear them.

"So what's the problem this time?"

***

"But if there are more envelopes like these, then lots of other people can get in contact with what's inside...!" Ryan leapt out of his chair, having discussed everything with the two of them, and aware of the full implications of the facts.

"Exactly. The point is that we don't know how many there are, nor how many people came into contact with the material inside them. We have no way of knowing how many new and dangerous skill users might emerge in the next days." Cast finished, completing his logic.

Ryan just stared at him for a few seconds, almost indignant with that answer, after all, Cast didn't take count of a crucial element and that went far beyond the simple fact of creating new skill users.

The Savoia tried to chew those thoughts as best he thought he could, but in the end, the tallest of the trio was unable to hold back what he needed to say.

"Cast... How can you not think of the people?" Ryan let those words slip through his teeth, barely audible. "People can die because of this...!"

The logic of those two managed to be bitterly cold in the conception of the dark-skinned boy, who, in turn, kept in his heart a more human point of view, which looked at people not just as potential risks.

Cast didn't ignore what was said – and deflecting an affront as if it were nothing is something he would never subject himself to doing. In a lightning-fast movement, the Cravache also rose, imposing himself in front of Ryan.

"At least I'm not the one to let my feelings get the better of me at crucial moments and pressure me to make desperate and poor decisions." He tried to rub salt in Ryan's wound. "If it hadn't been for a certain someone's refusal to cooperate, we might have gotten a smaller number of victims."

The atmosphere he gave off was thick and heavy, obscuring the lines of argument for Ryan, who didn't know how to respond to that fact.

Cast took note of the Savoia's silence, chuckling a little in derision.

"Letting your feelings guide your life when it comes to a decision to be made with your head is a mistake. I'm not saying we would have saved them all, but if we were all there, the losses would certainly be lessened."

Even with that being said, Ryan wasn't so sure about the proclamation. Keith Webb's real motives were not known and would never be now that he was dead. Maybe he would have decided to kill them all while Ryan wasted time looking for help?

That was the biggest dread that crossed the frizzy-haired boy's mind the second he realized what would happen if no immediate course of action was taken. Calling for help took time, and perhaps it could cost lives.

"You can try to justify what you did in any way you like, but that idea will never change in my book." He finished. "The only thing I expect from you is that you learn to be a little less emotional and reckless. That would do miracles for the three of us. Isn't that right, Lira?"

"Don't involve me in your superfluous little fights." She quickly responded, proceeding to finish the drawing she was making on the blackboard with a piece of chalk. "Knowing his course of thought and action does not interest me, as long as he have learned from the earlier incident, and that the decisions made from now on do not harm the group."

Ryan bit his bottom lip, accepting that it would be obvious that she would agree with Cast at that point. The boy let his nails dig into his palms, penetrating the flesh until he felt pain.

"You say you don't want to get involved and yet you end up agreeing with me...! Sometimes I just can't understand your lack of honesty, girl... You know, why not just say 'I agree with what Cast said' every now and then, instead of making all this massive turn and pretending not to follow my line?"

"Keep talking about it and you're going to lose a piece of your brain as soon as I get this through your nose." She continued drawing, clearly referring to the white chalk. "This conversation doesn't matter. The important thing is that something big is about to happen."

In a few gestures, the girl with the scary eyes and that glowed like cherry trees arranged the positioning of her red-framed glasses, analyzing with a stoic face the work of art that she had just finished.

"My line of thought is that this scattering of envelopes occurred under the command of some group or person of interest, which until then would have been the obvious idea to have."

It was a rose. Contrasting with the blackboard's immensely dark shade of green, the white lines formed petals, sepals, and all the other structures expected of an ordinary rose. Each part carried immense fidelity and certainty that each feature was placed in its correct place.

But while the artwork was flawless in its entirety, Ryan noticed a detail that struck him as special for some reason – that none of the parts of the flower were as detailed as the thorns that crowned the curves on its stem.

Even though until that moment the girl's thoughts hadn't been reduced to much more than the accessible common sense, only silence followed her speech. Neither of them would dare intervene in the sure-fire revelation to come, even if based on nothing but innate intuition.

"The fact is that this event we are about to go through will not come unaccompanied. Right now, by the second we're talking, they're certainly up to something bigger. I can state this categorically." Her voice devoid of emotion ran softly to both their ears. "After all, what would be the point of having such a big change in routine?"

And then, much to the two boys' surprise, Lira did something that seemed immensely uncharacteristic. Without even giving a single warning sign, she threw the chalk to the ground, crushing it into infinite pieces under the sole of her shoe.

With the huge echo and slight tremor making themselves present, she proceeded to explain.

"That's what's happening in the school right now. All this time we've been made to think that we're safe, and that everything around us is calm and okay. All this to step on us as I just now crushed that piece of chalk. The spread of envelopes was the chalk fall. In a short time, the crushing stomp comes, and it will be immediate and merciless."

It had been over two hours since they started discussing, and with the exception of that trio, the whole class had already left to break time. In the partially dark place, lit by the windows, a larger and more dreadful shadow slowly took shape.

"It could be in five minutes, or even a day or two for it to happen, but it will come and we must be prepared."

Lira removed her foot from that spot on the floor, causing the chalk dust to be sent a few inches in all directions. She knelt down, looking for something in amid what had been pulverized by the major force.

"A situation like this requires a well-constructed plan. Only then can we wait to overcome this situation successfully." She finished, extending her closed hand towards the two, who were just watching.

Lira's fingers gradually allowed a view of her palm, revealing that there lay a single intact piece of what had once been an entire stick of chalk.

"And so, we'll be like this piece of chalk – whole. Given that..."

The girl, in movements that portrayed her class, walked at quick steps until she reached the table used by the teachers. She rested both arms on the wood, throwing all body weight as well.

"Listen to the steps of the plan." She ordered. The decision in the Suzuki's eyes seemed to make them even sharper.

***

"Geez... Where is Emily?! She said she would come, but left us here alone... And on top of that, organizing this huge pile of books...!"

The girl in question – who though was so small in stature compared to the other two, spoke in such a lofty tone – pointed her hands visibly indignantly at the immense pile of books that lay just in front of the three.

"I'm sure she must have her reasons! It's not common for Emily to be late, and it never actually happened, so I think it must have been something really serious!" Said the second, a little louder than the first. She had the most vibrant manners and seemed to be the one responsible for making the atmosphere more pleasant.

Quickly, she picked up one of the books, placing it in its proper place—marked alphabetically and by size—on the second row of the massive bookcase of dark noble wood. The way she smiled and always performed every activity, even an especially boring one like that, with a full show of happiness was like watching the sun come up through a blustery winter afternoon.

"She's right... I don't think Emily would be late for any reason... I mean, she's a competent leader, not to forget she always cared a lot about the three of us as her best friends, and..." When she realized she'd said a little too much, the tallest and seemingly more mature of the trio withdrew into shyness. "I'm sorry... It seems... It seems like I've said too much again..."

Her gesture was quickly responded by the more energetic, who, smiling in admiration, let her know how incredible that statement had been.

"You spoke the whole truth now! Emily is a great leader, and is our friend, isn't she? So I say we'll see how she is when we're done here...! But since in moments like these it is the vice president who must decide, I think we must listen to her opinion above all."

She laughed a little at her own proclamation. The young girl knew that she would never have the courage to speak to her best friends with the demonstration of the image of a dictator – and she didn't even want to. She wasn't fit to be a leader of any kind, and even with the initial proposition of being the vice president, she decided to give up the position and hand it over to someone judged to be more competent.

"Yeah, I'll accept for now that you two are right…" The smallest of the trio once again expressed her sourest way of looking at life, folding her arms in some disgust. "…But you have to admit that all this work sucks! Everyone is eating, resting and fun while we're stuck here… We're the Literature Club, not a bunch of librarians...!"

She took a random book in both hands, eyeing its cover. A strange title with the image of a single large, piercing eye was what graced the cover colored in a shade of dark purple.

"I don't even know how to say the guy's name in this book, but in order of size, this thing should go at the top, and thus in places none of us could reach!" She complained vehemently. "I think it's horribly unfair that we're not getting paid for this, when we clearly should!"

The taller one seemed to regain her courage on impulse, and took the book from the smaller one, which generated an adverse reaction that was ignored.

"First of all, the three of us are the Literature Club, which means that in the document that regulates the members' tasks it is written that we have to take care and look after the space that is the school's library since we use it, and if you want to search, such rule is found in the point five of our club permit document, and that means that in specific cases, we can be tasked as temporary librarians, as the place is also ours. And secondly, the protagonist is called 'Markov', and we managed to put it in its place, just like this."

With ease, the tallest girl in the trio manages to fit the thick book into its predestined space, which was once a gap between two equally huge books.

"Can you see now? Don't start spewing thoughtless comments about our work here or the way things should and shouldn't be done before consulting sources for it." She finished, taking a deep breath, indicating a level of tiredness.

"Why, you...!" The smaller one, feeling clearly offended, threatened to hit her with a clenched fist.

"Whoa, whoa! No violence here!" ...But she was stopped by the second member, who stood in the way between them.

"But she was the one who started it all...! She's the one who yelled at me like she could do it!"

"But I can." The taller one asserted her speaking place. "As was said a few seconds ago, in moments when the president is absent, power passes to the vice president, which in this case is me. So, given all the conditions, if you still insist on continuing to whine about it like the little kid you are, you might as well leave the club for good. Nobody would miss an obnoxious brat."

What followed that intense monologue was nothing but pure silence... No one would imagine a girl like her being so assertive about anything at all, and even less almost bordering on expressed aggression!

She had gone too far, and even the most optimistic and conflict-avoidant one had seen it.

"Look at you… Already crying. You sure have a sharp tongue, but can't even stand a correction?"

"Uhm... I think this is going too far..."

"No, it is not. She needs to learn and stop behaving like an immature and irritable child. You can't go on crying about everything for the rest of your life."

Those comments left a deep imprint on the smallest of the trio. As much as she tried to grit teeth and cross arms, nothing seemed to stop the tears from coming.

That girl always found some way to antagonize her. Nothing she did was right, her poems always needed to improve, and her opinions were always debased and invalidated by the erudite and elaborate words that escaped those lips...

In a way, that moment served to confirm the suspicion that she liked the ego boost giving by neglecting and reducing her to an example that should not be followed.

It was like a relentless chase.

... ... ...

"You know what…?" The smaller girl picked up a book, hurling it hard against the taller one. "I don't even care anymore...! Take this crap and do it yourself!"

"Where are you going?! Wait...!" The second tried to call for her, but no answer car. "Really... Apologize to her properly when we come back, right…?."

The third proudly ignored it, returning to her diligent work of organizing the immense pile of books she could manage on her own. Now, she was the only one in that part of the library, considering the place was as big as the main reception hall.

That pride knew she could even be shy – but also that there were things that couldn't be ignored, one of them being 'order'. She wouldn't stop her thoughts from manifesting if it were for the greater good, even if her lips trembled or hands faltered.

It was like breaking free for an instant. The feeling of being in control was something amazing, especially liberating, and she rarely felt so good in other situations. It was as if the demon that held captive and kept her from expressing herself as an ordinary person was defeated, even if only for a while.

"Nonsense. Dealing with this type of person is nothing more than a big nonsense."

Book by book, she continued to organize diligently, putting each in its proper place.

"What a strange smell..."

... ... ...

"Hey, wait please…! Let's talk about it...!"

"There's nothing to talk about! Leave me alone!"

The two ran to a distinct and deeper point in the library, where no students existed. It wasn't as if being overheard mattered, but she wanted to be as far away from her tormentor as possible.

She ran until she reached a corner of the wall where there were empty bookshelves. Each of the colossal pieces of furniture was placed in parallel arrangement with the next, as in a game of dominoes.

Being small, she managed to fit into the space between two of them, preventing from being followed by the second.

"Please...! Get out of there and let's talk about it! I'm sure she didn't mean it like that...!"

"You always protect her…! You never take my side...!" She screamed in protest, tears streaming down the sides of her face. "If Emily were here, she would understand me...!"

The girl trying to help bit her lower lip. As a matter of fact, she knew saying that was being unfair, but decided not to get involved in the conflict, as someone had to pacify it. That turned out to be the wrong decision.

But even so, she couldn't just say that one of them was wrong, and so create even more discordance.

"Please… Please come out so we can talk, okay? I know… I know we can work it out!"

She was already beginning to doubt her own words. Even if she wanted to help, to favor one of them over the other would be like a betrayal.

"Just leave me alone...!"

The young woman dropped her eyes, shutting them in one firm movement. What else could she do? What to say? What words to use? How to relieve that pain?

She did not know. She didn't know how to do it without causing problems, without being a burden on any of the others. Nothing more than empty words of fake reassurance could be offered.

"If only Emily were here..."

Emily would know what to say, how to say it, and exactly how the words would escape her lips and what kind of message they would convey. She could even think of the immediate sense of peace that having the president here would make fall upon them all.

She blamed herself for not being competent, for not being ideal, for not being someone perfect like the one she admired.

"If only I weren't so useless..."

... ... ...

"...Get down...!"

... ... ...

The reaction time was almost insufficient, and even before her awareness could process the incoming words, the sudden change in temperature made the eyes bulge.

Using the strength of every muscle fiber, the smallest of the girls pushed her backward, coming out of her tight hiding place with a start.

The situation apparently couldn't afford to become any worse, but to think fate decided to surprise them by sending something like that?!

"Are you okay?! Talk to me!" She was helping her friend, patting her on the side of her face to keep consciousness.

The other slowly opened her eyes, taking in once more what was around.

"I..."

"Oh my... That's good... That's very good...!" The one who was in a better state almost cried when she saw that everything was in fact all right.

... Or that is to say, almost everything...

The immense temperature behind them only grew, threatening to set her entire back on fire. With diminished strength, she leapt, lifting her friend and helping her out of that scenario that seemed to have surfaced from the immense madness of a maniacal writer's mind.

"How... But how did it happen?!" She questioned herself, watching as that dancing, glowing structure grew before her eyes. "But what is this?!"

A blink of an eye, and all those bookshelves, full of the thickest books, were being consumed by huge pillars of flame that started from the bottom up, running viscerally to each piece of paper.

"How did all this fire appear here in such a short time?!"

Her knees threatened to give in, as did the hands that kept her friend supported and safe. The fear that surrounded it all seemed to have come straight from the last and deepest part of hell.

It was like an orange cauldron. Fire and flames that only grew denser as they fed on the rich flammable matter rose like walls in the midst of a sea of ​​chaos.

The real experience of what would be the peak of human suffering seemed to consolidate before them – explosions on all sides, unbearable heat, people screaming in panic, and all this added to the immense confusion that blocked all thoughts.

"This... This is..."

Without definition. Nothing she could think about could define the library's state.

... ... ...

"I think this part here has been finished... I hope this really works for something."

Upon hearing that voice, the two immediately hid behind one of the shelves.

"Perfect. I think that should be enough. The fire should be spreading all by itself now... I just hope no one finds out I did it."

"But what was that...?"

The shorter one covered her friend's mouth to prevent her from reacting to what they both saw. Any small scream would get that figure's attention, and that was what they wanted least.

"But how did he do that…? He created fire..."

Her head shook, pleading to fill her lungs with a slightly deeper and noisier breath – something she couldn't let happen.

"He created fire from his own arm...!"

She tried to hold back the panic, but in the end, none of it worked. Her legs wobbled too much, causing the small girl to destabilize. The fatal flaw in her plan caused the bookcase in which she was hiding to receive the full force of their fall, trembling, and finally falling.

Only the immense crash of the hard wood hitting the floor took up the space at that moment, creating a rush of wind that stimulated the flames and made them dance. Such was the prelude to their end.

"Huh?"

He turned back, revealing a face partially covered in flames, which though it emanated from the skin as if it were burning it, didn't seem to do any harm to his body.

His reaction was rather intense, taking a few steps back, looking surprised that he had been seen. His brown hair danced with the movement of the fire, and his eyes glowed, emitting a light that pulsated in a violent orange-red like those flames.

He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, but that reaction was ignored by both girls amidst their panic at having attracted the attention of something like that. They couldn't get up – their irresponsible legs seemed to have lost their whole life at that display.

He muttered something to himself, looking at the floor. After that, he raised his right arm, once again exhibiting that frightening phenomenon.

First, sparks similar to fireworks arose. Soon, these condensed, joining one another in fractions of a second, rising into real, violent flames, ready to burn flesh and bone.

That boy - no... That thing was heading towards them, and to take their lives. In that scenario, not even the reason for what was happening could be thought.

"Looks like you two saw too much…" He spoke, lifting the flames into the air in a flick of his arm.

The fire then shaped itself into an almost perfect sphere, the size of a soccer ball. That would be the end.

In hesitant resignation, the young woman with tears streaming closed both eyes tightly, turning her face down. She hugged her friend, holding her against the slender bosom. If it was going to happen anyway, at least she could pray for it to end quickly.

Both, in an almost solemn and ceremonial way, waited for the hammer of that random event to fall on their heads, and for whatever was happening to be over soon.

And then they saw the fire grow, coming closer and closer, with its light that blinded the eyes and ignited the flesh.