Soulstone Academy

Chapter Sixteen: Lose

"Mabuti naman at hindi umaayon ang araw na maging masaya ka."

He chuckled. "Why are you so irritated today, Rave? May nangyari ba?"

May nangyari ba? Since I've entered this school, wala nang hindi nangyari. The presence of these soulbearers bothers me, just as much as I'm already frustrated at that attention-seeking shadow figure. Or the whispers of the darkness in our room whenever I try to take a rest. I hated how the moon I've always admired is causing me nightmares now.

Hindi pa nga ako nakaka-isang linggo, pinagti-tripan na ako ng eskwelahang ito.

Umirap ako. "Nangyari ka sa harap ko."

"You're hurting me real bad right now," he responded with a hand clutching his chest. "May ginawa ba akong masama sa'yo at naiinis ka sa'kin?"

Pinikit ko ang mata para kalmahin ang sarili. Naalala ko ang librong binabasa ko ngayon. Tsukishima was the first person to recommend it to me, and if he's an elite... Dapat alam niyang forbidden ang librong 'yon, 'di ba?

"What do you know about the book, The Souls Within Us? Alam mo bang pinagbabawal 'yon sa Hiraya?"

His smile froze. Iginala niya ang tingin sa paligid bago sumagot, "The Academy holds a lot of banned items and prohibited information. While the Academy circle may not allow it, proposing to have everything burned, Paham refused. Ayaw niyang pumanig ang Academy sa Gareth o Hiraya, so he accepts any students from both countries... and even from their allied lands."

"Paano kapag malaman ito ng Palasyo? O ng mga estudyanteng malapit sa Royal Family?"

"Raven, the sun is already here."

I frowned, hindi maintindihan ang ibig niyang sabihin. But I felt this burning presence behind me, so I guess he was talking about Helios.

Zara has returned and was continuing her instructions for the group activity. Turns out that we will have a short performance of magic in the coming Foundation Week. Para daw sa mga galing sa House of Blades, we just have to support our group members. It's up to us whether we want to use our soulstone or not, since there are Selected students who possess no magic.

I yawned, tapping on Helios' outstretched arm to play with the heat that appeared and vanished. He tried to sit away from me earlier. I pulled him to sit beside me, dragging his arm outwards. Pinaglaruan ko ang nakakatawang pagkawala at pagbalik ng init sa pagtapik sa kamay niya.

I received a few confused stares and an especially unimpressed look from Tsukishima. I didn't mind it one bit since I wasn't born to impress them naman.

"Gawin na lang kasi natin ang nirejected niyong idea ko last!" Eva exclaimed. "Let's go with the Animal Care Program!"

"Eva, we need to showcase our soulstones, not the talents of different animals. Isa pa, anong gagawin nina Fei at Helios sa mga manok mo, gagawing fried chicken?"

Kamiel Josiah, or Kam the brave soul, had to endure the birds that made his hair a nest for the next five minutes. The bestfriend, Solana, laughed at his misfortune.

"Bakit kaya hindi tayo magcheat ulit? Tingnan natin ano gagawin nila para mas makaplano ng mas bongga?" Fei suggested, glancing at Theus.

"So you're a bunch of cheater pala?" I whispered to Helios who was busy counting the grass.

He hummed, glancing at me. A small smile touched his lips. "They'll think of something nice after a while."

"Ano ba 'yang ginagawa mo? Ilang damo na ba ang tingin mong nandito sa field?"

"I'm not counting them. I'm..." he trailed off, lost in his thoughts. "I'm just thinking when it last rained."

Just like how the sun took most hours, leaving little time for the night, the rain has also sparingly visited the lands.