"I think it's time to spill, Mihel."
And once again all the attention was brought to Mihel's Destiny situation. Mihel maintained a calm face as everyone except Riche turned to face him with expectant faces.
'I understand that they think I don't trust them…but the reason is more that I'm afraid to disappoint them…' Mihel thought as he shook his head.
"That crazy Decurion was just rambling. My Destiny is in fact very boring and mediocre-"
"Then why can you not tell us what it is. Why hide it for so long? None of us had a problem revealing ours! Why do you act so special?" Midia protested, with a surprising anger. 'He is a prodigy student already. Why does he need to pretend to seem even better…I don't understand…'
Mihel shook his head lightly. 'If I don't end this now, it could lead to tensions between us in the future…should I lie?...but eventually they would find out the truth…Ugh! Curse this world.'
Out loud though, he spoke decided. "Fine. I'll tell you…" He paused taking a deep breathe. He noticed the others were intently staring at him. Even Riche was looking with eyes wide, surprised at the fact that he was going to reveal his Destiny. "I have a Swordsman Destiny…"
The other's shoulders dropped almost instantly. Mihel could guess what they were thinking. 'Oh…that's it?'
"Yes…that's all…I wanted to keep it hidden so that your expectations of me wouldn't be lowered…If I offended you by that…I'm sorry." Mihel concluded silently. He looked at the ground for a moment, not able to bring himself up to see the others faces.
And suddenly he felt a hug. It was Midia. He stood like that for a few seconds, being embraced tightly by the girl.
"Gods…Mihel…I never woulda thought you were carrying so much weight inside…we could never judge you like that…Your Destiny doesn't define you. Your care and actions towards others are what everyone sees."
Mihel stood still, shaking with his eyes wide open.
"Thanks…" he muttered and walked forward quietly. They let him keep his distance. Even Riche didn't try talking to him and let him walk in his thoughts till their lodgings.
'Ha…they believed the façade. How sweet of Midia though…she said it so emotionally I almost felt guilty…Haha I even saw Riche smirking. He'll definitely tease me once we're alone.' Mihel mused as he hid his joy inside. The joy of being able to fool everyone and get them off his back.
His mood dampened suddenly as the main problem struck him. What would he do in case of a situation where his "Destiny" ability were actually needed. 'No point in worrying about it now.' And with that he let go of it and decided to cheer up for the remaining time of the day.
In their rooms they collectively decided that Riche should go and buy food from Granny Mui's. He was also specifically warned by Vinelyn to not cause any trouble while he was there. The room was silent while they waited. Mihel was simply tampering with the door look, trying to find a way to crack it open from the outside. Midia was reading a book about the different types of terrains while Vinelyn was reading a religious book. Halise was practicing her aim by throwing a knife, trying to hit the centre of a wooden board.
It was at the moment Riche returned with the food, Mihel finally managed to open the lock. He ran up to Riche with excitement and held up the lock, like a child showing his parents a drawing he made.
"Riche. I did it. I'm pretty sure I understand this mechanism to open any similar locks." He said brightly.
"Only that by the time its open we will already be caught." Vinelyn teased from the side.
"Hello? I'll obviously improve over time and then I'll show you how we could enter any room in the world." Mihel retorted as Riche smiled and handed paper bags to everyone.
Inside was steaming fried rice with meatballs. Everyone ate the delicious food and sat on the floor rubbing their stomachs. Life was content.
"After all the food I wanna feel fresh. Wanna climb the roof again?" Midia suggested as she put away her bag.
"Not all of us can safely get on to the roof…so I don't know." Halise said, winking at Midia who flushed a dark red.
"Come on! I'm not as strong and flexible like all of you. I'm a simple scholar…" Midia said before bursting into laughter.
She suddenly became quiet with a serious face. "We have a test tomorrow about deserts…Aren't you gonna prepare for it? Who knows what punishment Percius will give us."
The others waved it aside.
"It can't be that bad. I don't think its important enough to study for anyway." Riche said, getting up to wash himself before bed.
Midia still wasn't convinced. "Well, I'm gonna study for a while to be safe. I'm kinda terrified of that man."
Vinelyn chuckled, "He's just a bit mental in the head. He teaches well though. He won't do anything, don't worry."
And with that the group decided to finish the day. The girls went back into their room and the boys turned off the lights to go to bed.
Mihel was uncomfortable for a some time, while laying down. He was anxious whether the dream girl would appear again tonight. Some part of him wanted to talk to the girl more, try to understand her as she clearly was someone unique and possibly powerful. The other part wanted a good night's sleep.
He slowly dozed into deep sleep, hoping that he wouldn't be disturbed this night.
***
His hopes were shattered as he found himself awake in his room. He stayed there waiting to see if he would hear the strange voice again but it didn't happen. He got out of the cot and slowly walked out of the lodging. He stood on the road, again trying to listen for some voice or unusual signs. He found none.
The streets were silent and excluded of any life. Mihel couldn't still conclude whether he was in an ordinary dream or if the girl had brought him. Suddenly he noticed many rats scuttling on the cobbled street. They rushed past him, brushing close to his legs. The number of rats kept increasing until the entire street was filled with them.
Mihel started to panic as he lifted his feet from the ground with great difficulty. He trudged his way onto a ledge but the flood of rats kept going higher. And higher.
Mihel was starting to get overwhelmed. The sounds of the rat's squeaking reached his ears. They were slowly piling up around him. They filled his vision, they covered him from all sides. He felt as if he was drowning in water. He tried to claw his way above the flood of rats but they engulfed him with no mercy.
He couldn't make a sound, he couldn't move his arms. The hair on the tiny bodies of the animals prickled against his skin, it bristled against his face, poked him in the eyes.
With a sudden disgust he felt rats forcing open his mouth and entering it. He gagged as he tried to spit out the rat, but it only went deeper and deeper still.
***
Mihel jumped up with a start. He was sweating heavily. His body felt warm and uncomfortable as if he was standing next to a giant oven. His throat and skin still had that itchy feel of the rat's touch. His breathing was hurried and sharp, which he tried to slow down and calm himself.
He turned to find Riche staring at him weirdly.
"Are you alright?"