Hello! This is my first ever book! I'm not an expert, and I don't aim to make something too grand. I'll try to update in my free time!
[Land's Elites Private School]
"Lisa," the teacher called out, scanning the classroom with a chart in hand to mark attendance. "Present," the student promptly responded. "Alex," the teacher continued, moving down the list. "Here," came the reply from another student.
"Mera," the teacher spoke, her gaze fixed on a girl who was absentmindedly toying with her somewhat messy plum hair, lost in the view outside the window. "Mera?" The teacher repeated, noticing the girl's distraction, yet receiving no response.
"Mera, silkwest!" the teacher finally ran out of patience, exasperated. "Ugh, what do you want?!" Mera snapped out, her response harsh, causing her teacher to flinch back in surprise.
"N-nothing! Just checking for-" she couldn't even finish her words, interrupted by Mera's vicious glare. "Well, maybe just write my name down on the damn chart if you can already see I'm here!" she retorted sharply.
The class fell into an uneasy silence as the teacher gulped nervously, adjusting her glasses before deciding to continue checking for attendance. "Aaron?" she called out, scanning the room for the student. "Aaron?"
One student raised their hand, catching the teacher's attention as he spoke up, "Aaron isn't here today either." The student glanced over at a pair of boys who were wrapped in bandages, one with a broken arm and the other with a broken leg.
Notably, Mera's glare intensified, directed like daggers at the two boys, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact as if their lives depended on it.
"I see.... then, let's start the listen for today."
Time passed seamlessly for Mera, her eyes either staring blankly or closed. Neither the teacher nor the students dared to call her out on her distant demeanor. In the meantime, Mera could only dwell on a single memory-a memory that included her and a boy of jet-black hair and amber eyes. The boy's face bore the marks of illness, exhausted and drained, yet a steadfast smile remained on his lips.
He offered her a wrapped gift, and her younger self hastily opened it. A mocking grin spread across her face as she dangled a necklace from the wrapping. She spoke harsh words, words that wounded the boy deeply. Her foolish actions haunted her, a painful reminder of her callousness.
"I'm an awful person," Mera whispered to herself.
Mera Silkwest, a genius from birth, they say. Her body not only endowed with superior strength but her feminine features surpassing most. From history to other subjects, Mera excelled in each and every one, skipping multiple grades and standing out as one of the two known students to achieve such a feat.
With her multitude of talents, Mera was a prodigy that left others in the dust. Yet, it was this very truth that led her to ruin one of her most precious relationships.
RING RING RING
The lunch bell chimed, signaling the start of the midday break. Mera remained indifferent to the flurry of students rushing downstairs to grab lunch from the cafeteria. Two girls settled down beside Mera, placing their lunch boxes on the desk.
"Oi! Serena! What's with all the shrimp?!" A girl with crimson eyes and black-dyed hair pointed at her friend's lunch. "Oh, mind your own business, Claris! You've got two entire burgers! Keep it up, and your thighs will be clapping with every step!" Serena retorted, her red wavy hair cascading around her.
"Both of you, quiet down," Mera interjected sharply, her glare silencing them instantly. "So, what did you get?" she demanded, her tone cutting through the chatter.
"U-uh, I asked my father to dig into the incident, and after some questioning, the girl was actually lying! Can you believe it?" Serena added a small hint of sarcasm into her voice, attempting to lighten the mood of her friend.
"Obviously! Why do you think that bitch, of all people, would accuse Aaron of harassment?!" She rubbed her head in frustration, "well? Is she dropping the charges?"
"Y-yeah! Papa wouldn't let someone like her slip by!" Serena reassured her friend, awkwardly nibbling on her food. "I also talked to the girls and made them spread the word that she had lied." Claris chimed in, "she'd probably be transferred to another highschool at this rate."
"Good." Mera gazed out the window, neglecting her own food with a grim expression.
"Mera..." Serena addressed her friend, "are you still upset about it?" Mera almost glared at her but contained herself, "how can I not, Serena? I did something awful... I kept on doing one thing after the other until I nearly broke him."
"And now I don't think he'll ever recover from his state, let alone let me be by his side."
"I don't know what to do. And I'm scared there's nothing I could."
Aaron appeared to have endured bullying, heartbreak, and profound emotional wounds. Mera had contributed to cause the entirety of one of those issues. Despite her efforts to make amends, Aaron seemed beyond consolation.
Speaking of which...
Sigh
Standing before the mirror, Aaron held a black tie and an amber one in each hand. "The black one looks too formal, I guess I'll go with the amber," he decided. Wrapping the tie around his neck, he neatly adjusted it to a flawless form. His fingers tousled his messy hair, he considered grooming it but worried it might give him a nerdy look rather than one suitable for the average teenager.
"That's another issue, but..." The main concern was the bags beneath his eyes, a clear sign of exhaustion. "No amount of sleep could fix this kind of tiredness, but these dark circles are a bit much."
The room mirrored the boy's current state, utter chaos. Food cans littered the floor, loose hair scattered around, dust clinging to every surface, and signs of neglect everywhere. The door was secured with a chain from the inside, and the window sealed shut.
"My body seems to be deteriorating," Aaron observed the changes in his form apathetically. Everything in the room, including his behavior, was proof of a lack of concern for his own well being.
With a nod to his reflection, Aaron turned around, grabbed his keys, unlocked the chain, and left the sorry excuse for an apartment. The sun greeted him for the first time in a while, causing him to walk with his eyes cast downward.
"God, it feels good to walk around unbothered." His gaze caught sight of a woman standing on top of the bridge rails, staring down at the water with her shoes set on the bridge. Curious, he approached the woman, who appeared to be crying.
Clearly, she was contemplating ending her own life.
"Or at least that's what I think it is."
"Hey!" His greeting startled the lady, nearly causing her to lose her balance. "Stay away!" she yelled at the boy, "I'm done with my life! Don't try to stop me!" Aaron observed calmly, his hands in his pockets, wearing an intrigued expression on his face.
"So, why exactly?" He questioned, prompting the woman to raise an eyebrow. "Why are you here? What makes you want to end it?" It was a stupid question, in Aaron's view. Any reason could lead someone to contemplate ending their life if it felt overwhelming enough.
"Why would you want to know? You can't help! You'll forget about me as soon as you leave!" The woman argued. "That's true," the boy replied promptly, causing the woman to recoil in confusion with a puzzled "Huh?"
"I don't really care about what led you to this point, and to be honest, nobody cares enough to listen to your worries. It'll always be a burden that no one would want to pick from you even for a little while," the boy smirked, briefly taking his gaze away from the woman, then looking back again.
"Th-then w-why are you here?! Don't make fun of me! I am too tired to keep on living!" The women retaliated, her grip on the rails loosened. "My boss have been overworking me for days to no end! I am in a severe doubt because of my stupid father, and I can't even go out with my friends because I need to take care of my sick sister!"
"And your solution is to run away by killing yourself?" The boy wore a mocking grin, "what would happened to your sister if you leave? Wouldn't she be just left to die? And I'm pretty sure your organs will be taken away to be sold as a way to compensate for the debt you mentioned."
"Truthfully, I resonate with you being unable to handle it," his gaze yet again, shifted behind the women, "people who say it's selfish to commit suicide are either using you, or relying on you. It's your life, you're the one who gets to spend it."
"But shouldn't you at least inform your sister that you'll be abandoning her?" The grin vanished, replaced by a cold and sharp glare directed at the woman, sending a chill down her spine.
"Shut up... shut up! You don't know me! You don't know what my life was all about! You don't-" Amidst her burst of tears, a girl in a high school uniform tackled her down to the safety of the bridge. The woman twisted and tried to break free before finally succumbing to tears in the comforting embrace of the girl.
"Took your time to get the signal," Aaron huffed. "Thanks for the distraction," the girl expressed her gratitude to the boy who seemed to snark at her thanks, "She's your problem now. Good luck." Aaron departed without looking back, evading the possibility of attracting a crowd.
The boy continued walking, his faint smile contrasting with his gloomy aura. "I'm not really sure why, but I had a random surge of energy when I woke up," he mused. Suddenly, he halted in his tracks. "Wait a minute."
"Could it be that I've subconsciously decided to end my own life at an uncertain point in the future? Is that why my body and mind suddenly feel liberated, allowing me to feel comfortable enough to go outside and be happy for one last time?"
"Yeah, that's probably it."
Normally, one would anticipate that this sense of freedom would eventually succumb to the overwhelming fear of death in the final moments. And that's absolutely correct. Aaron simply understood that this happiness wouldn't endure, and that he would retreat in fear at the end, which is why he chose to revel in the moment while he still could.
Staring into the sky, he loosened his tie, his finger tracing the scar across his neck. "My own instinct humbled me before, there's no point in letting it happen again."
At times like these, free from the burdensome weight of depression, the boy can think clearly. It makes him wonder, should he visit Mera? Considering her state of mind and her efforts to change, perhaps it would be kind to reestablish their friendship.
"Hmmm?"
Dead ahead, the sun vanished, leaving a space filled with intertwining black and red dusks. Aaron couldn't comprehend the state of the world before him as the sound of his own feet against the road disappeared entirely.
"What?!" He tried to mumble, but no sound escaped his throat.
A series of white gleaming arms emerged from the ground, seizing the boy by each limb and pulling him down into the earth.
<summoning successful>
<summon count: 234>