I was at my locker when I noticed someone standing beside me – Jentil.
She looked.. tense.
Her hazelnut eyes sparkling with something she dyingly wished to tell me.
We've never before had a conversation outside 'Hi' and 'Good morning', so whatever she had to say could be important.
"It's about Quintel." Jentil finally spoke when her eyes had done a thorough research twice and was sure no one stood within ear shot..
Suddenly, I felt a dark presence behind me and Jentil looked like she had just seen a ghost.
Her lips parted like she was about to say something but couldn't.
"Morning. Ladies!"
An instant surge of adrenaline burst through me.
I spun around and kicked him hard, pinning him down to the floor.
"Why, 'Good morning' Quin-tiel!"
My voice came out harsher than I expected like I was the real villain.
"You owe me a 'lot' of explanation for what you did back in Whisper-Realm."
He starred, then smiled like a petty thief with no escape.
Oh, How badly I wanted to poke at those insanely pretty eyes of his till they were smashed inside out.
"What? Osam?" Quintiel smirked, "You're not mincing words now? No pretentious thoughts like you don't understand anything."
What was he even saying?
But yes I'm not mincing any words.
Jentil, from her look and reactions, none of these was new to her. So our circle was definitely nothing unfamiliar.
Jentil shot me a warning look, but I didn't understand what she meant.
Instead, I threw my gaze at Quintiel.
"Don't change the topic now you two-faced maggot!"
I seethed, grabbing him by the collar.
"Give me quick answers. Now! Why did you frame me?!"
Quintiel scoffed.
He dispersed into thin air, reappearing at the top of my locker.
"I don't recall framing anyone.. For starters, you literally 'did' trespass the boundaries. All I did..."
He appeared behind me placing his hands on my shoulder.
".. was gather evidence."
I pulled a sumo stunt on him, but then again, he dispersed.
"Say, I just figured out something interesting, Osam." His voice echoed around the suddenly empty hallway.
"You're a lot more powerful than myself and every other being existing in our realms."
Then he cackled.
" But do you know what makes you weak?..."
For a moment, I paused. Maybe to listen to what he had to say, but some part of me was just desperately trying to pin down his location and punch him right in the face.
"There. You're finally paying attention."
Jentil looked tensed. The look of danger was written all over her face.
"But unfortunately, telling you anything would reduce my chances of achieving my goal
The downlights flickered.
"Don't you think it unfair.. a goddess of two powerful Realms against this poor Prince Quintiel?"
Now, he was making it sound like he was the real victim here.
How dramatic.
"You slippery serpent." I finally blurted. "Quit playing mouse and weasel out already."
Quintiel reappeared.
" What? "
***
"Nothing~" Cecee was mortified. She had seen Quintiel so many places before. At school, in the open, even public places. To think he was actually surreal.
Anyone in her shoes would've been knocked out of the last common sense they had.
But she shook her head instead.
Quell hovered around her.
"Aren't you... Surprised?" He gritted his teeth. "What you're not scared? Of me? Of--"
A roar of lightning surged through the room
"--Him??"
Cecee didn't flinch, instead, she stepped closer to Quell.
Locking eyes with him, she mouthed the words and barely above a whisper,
"Cuz you're not real."
Quell gasped at the audacious accusation.
She adjusted her glasses.
"Psychology is my major. So I can tell none of this truly exists. Your wings glitch with every flap,"
Her eyes scanned his figure, almost amused, "..eventually, you'll wither or die off if you stay here longer. You don't belong here demon bird guy."
Cecee crushed every last of Quell's self-esteem with what she'd just said.
Not even Quintiel had succeeded in making him look so small.
'Belittled and by a Mortal?!'
"Oh, don't be a sulk-head. Just go home already." Cecee passed by him with loads of books she had sorted out before. Luckily the ones Quintiel hadn't scattered around.
'I have to somehow finish this job before 7pm those two have given me more workload. What a mess!'
She dumped them on a cleaned up shelf.
Quell was levitating at a corner, sulking. He noticed a box that fell off from the same shelf. It scattered all over the place, dozens of Nirit's storybooks were inside it.
"But twinie looked for this everywhere.. hm.." he muttered to himself.
"..Should I tell him.. perhaps give him instead?.."
Cecee returned minutes later and picked up the box, she gathered all the storybooks and placed them on the upper shelf.
"About time." She huffed, nearly laughing hysterically for rounding up before the target time.
>Hallway<
Nirit's POV
The silence was so loud, it was deafening.
The idiot stood before me, calm as ever. Folded arms, withdrawn wings.
"Look, Osam. I have nothing against you." Quintiel started,
" But I won't hold back if you try to stop me~"
He dispersed into dust mid-sentence.
I let out a frustrated grunt.
What kind of monster.. did I create as a kid?! The thought alone led shudders down my spine.
I noticed Jentil was still standing beside me, she hadn't uttered a word since then.
But then, she turned to me with crossed arms, tilted head, avoiding eye contact.
"Quintiel's right you know. You should stay out of this." She tried to sidestep me but I stopped her.
"The hell's with you, girl? I'm the reason all these started to begin with. I'm TRYING to help h--"
Jentil yanked her hand off my grip, "You want help?" She suddenly lashed out on me,
" Well, here's the news you so wish to hear. Quintiel is not from Whisper-Realm. He's a two-bit Osam of LoudeRealm. Our god. Even his brother, the king seems to worship him."
She sighed,
" I don't know how he does it.. playing everyone around his fingers and now he's managed to turn the whole of LoudeRealm against Whisper-Realm."
Okay, that was... A lot.
I tried to reason with her, "But there has to be a way--"
"There. Is. No. Way. Osam Nirit!" Jentil blurted. She huffed and walked past me. As if reluctantly, she stopped.
"Go back to your Kingdom.. Have your Queen assemble her troops. War is coming."