𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐒 [𝐓.𝐊]

Chapter 45

Animarum

Souls

Inside the Arcade Room, below the student rooms, mere moments after Leo and Finn had tried to apologize to Emily, a deadly quiet took place but for the sounds coming from the three-wide televisions at the other end of the room. Every student there was looking at it, unmoving, silent, and watchful.

Emily was still holding Garrett's wrist as she stood a step behind him, and Leo and Finn were still in front of them, both with their heads turned to see what was going on. Their previous argument had been halted the moment they heard an almighty booming sound coming from the news channel, and they've been frozen ever since.

Until Garrett saw something on the video that startled him. However, he wasn't the only one who noticed. Leo and Finn saw that tattoo as well, flashing for a millisecond before the raised fist had been pulled down again and the tattoo on that forearm was hidden.

It looked a lot like the ones Garrett had on both of his forearms. A lot like them.

Leo turned his head towards him and looked at him with sharp, skeptical eyes. The burning accusation startled Garrett once more and he took a step away from him, accidentally stepping on Emily whom he had forgotten he had been protecting when he saw her trying to get away from these two guys. But now, he was the one who needed to get away from this claustrophobic place.

As gently as he could, he took Emily's hand from his wrist and softly put it down. He gave her an apologetic stare and a tiny squeeze on her fingers before letting go. With one final glance at the two males, he found them frowning at him. The big one was ready for a fight. The blond one was ready for a quick escape. And a look back down told him that Emily was begging him to stay. But he couldn't. The sight of that tattoo worried him, so he walked off and out of the Arcade room.

However, as he left, he permeated his aura so he could read the room for a second and feel if anybody else had noticed that tattoo. But in that second, before walking out for good, he noticed the energy in the room had changed drastically from what it usually was.

Mixed feelings were common in these types of worrying situations but what was not common was that silent little word floating in the air.

"...Finally..."

The majority of the students there carried that little word in their energy. It was a silent little sound, it tried to hide away and all of their auras were impermeable so none touched each other even when they were close enough to touch physically. So no one knew they could be feeling the same way, they just stood there, feeling alone with their mixed feelings. Not all of them carried that word with relief, some carried it with exasperation, perhaps because they were glad the tension was finally over even if it meant civil war. And others were only angry.

But, thankfully, no one else had noticed what Leo had.

Something made him stop then, with his hand on the door. This was the first time he permeated his aura since he arrived at Evathe and so this was the first time he noticed the warm feeling flowing back to him. Slowly, he turned. Unnoticed by everyone else, he stared at the little specs of golden light emanating from several students, including Finn.

He had seen that energy before. He had it himself.

Old souls.

Maybe their souls met The Rose in their past lives and this reminded them of him. Or of the two of them.