PROLOGUE

"Does anyone want to know about the Suffocation?"

A chorus of yes's echoed throughout the room, excitement evident in their voices.

"It began seventeen years ago, where a mysterious Pykrest girl stood at the area where Valnix University was founded. She had a sign saying 'Pykrests are human, treat us the same as Hacrene'." The teacher paused, then asked everyone, "Does everyone think we should be treated the same as Hacrene?"

Another chorus of yes's from the class.

"I want to have a Hacrene friend!"

"I want to go to a Hacrene restaurant because of the yummy food!"

"Alright, alright, settle down now." The teacher passively waves a hand, silencing the students.

"So the mystery girl continued to stand at that area with the sign, until other Pykrest joined her with their own signs," The teacher continues, "They grew in numbers until there were so many Pykrests with their own signs. They had started chanting what was on the sign of the mystery girl, she became their leader. These are called protests, much like the ones happening sometimes."

"My mom joined the protest last week! She had a large sign!"

"My sister did too!"

"So why was it called the Suffocation?" Someone asked. The class erupted in murmurs, having their own ideas as to why it was called so. A girl listened to their theories, but she itched to stand up and tell the class herself.

"Before I tell you, does anyone know why there's a difference between Hacrene and Pykrest?"

A chorus of no's echoed around the room, but a hand shot up, the student shouting, "I do! It's because of our eyes! Hacrene have white eyes, we have black eyes!"

"Yes, that's correct! Does anyone know why that is so?"

Another chorus of no's. The girl sighed as she leans over her table, tapping a tune against the wood as she listened to her teacher.

"It is because of the mysterious pandemic that affected your ancestors way back then 104 years ago,�� The teacher informed them, exaggerating her explanations with hand motions and movements. The girl let out another sigh, now laying her cheek on her palm. The teacher continued, "It only affected your ancestors, and it left their children, who are your ancestors also, with black eyes like these."

"Why?" One classmate asked.

"What's a pandemic?" Another asked.

"A pandemic is a disease that spread to many people, every state in Rapille had it," The teacher said, once again exaggerating her motions. The girl was frankly sick of it, but History class had always been her favourite subject so she merely sucked up her annoyance and tried to put up with it.

"What was it called?" She asked, raising a hand.

"It had no name because it was a sudden disease, it started with one line of your ancestors and ended with them, the only remnant of the disease is our black eyes." The teacher told them, nodding at the girl for asking a good question. The teacher continued, "This started the divide between humans, why there are Hacrenes and Pykrests."

"Is that why Hacrenes call us diseased?" Someone said, causing the room to suddenly become silent. The girl swallows harshly, goosebumps lining her skin. She hated silence.

"That is.." The teacher couldn't find the proper words to say. The bell rang, signalling that it's time for their break. The teacher dismissed herself, walking out of the classroom in a hurry. The class erupted into noise, causing the girl to release the breath she was holding.

She then realised she was now walking to the front of the room, knocking on the blackboard to catch everyone's attention. Everyone stared at her with curiosity in their eyes, wondering what she was up to.

"I know about the suffocation!" She proclaimed, placing her hands on the teacher's desk. She could see their curiosity growing, some of them asking question. She smiled, "Do you want me to tell you?"

Nearly everyone agreed, except for those who left the room to buy snacks for themselves. She didn't care if they wanted to leave, all she wanted was to make a name for herself. She took the chalk from the desk, drawing a figure on the board.

"The mystery girl? No one really knew her name." She told them, drawing a question mark right next to the figure. Facing her classmates, she then said, "But she started the protests. She stood up for Pykrest rights! She continued until the crowd became bigger and bigger. Soon Pykrests were making celebrations for Pykrest rights, but you know what?"

Multiple questions shot throughout the room after her pause, making her smile. Students from other classes have stood at the door of their classroom, listening to her "history class". There's still a quarter an hour left until the next class, she still has enough time.

"The king got mad!" She said, making her point as scary as it should sound. She drew another figure on the board, trying to make it as mad as her drawing skills can allow her. Facing her classmates again, she continues, "He said, release the soldiers! Capture those protestors!"

"My sister said that a soldier arrested someone at the protest last week!"

"Soldiers are scary!"

"They are really scary! They shot at the protestors and arrested them, so many people died." She told them, making exaggerated motions to prove her point. "Until the protests suddenly stopped. It was like it was all back to normal. Life was the same again, the soldiers arrived to the protest area only to find that it was empty."

"Why did it stop?"

"Nobody knows, but you could ask your parents if they went back then! Maybe they know, I don't." She told them, shrugging. Placeing her hands on the teacher's desk again, she continued, "But twelve years ago, the mystery girl was captured. And they had her hanged."

The weight of her voice had silenced the classroom, eliciting gasps from others who didn't expect that conclusion. She turned back to the board to draw a hanged figure, drawing it with x's for eyes. The girl frowned as she dropped the chalk, saying, "The king wanted her dead for starting the protests. No one knew how she was captured. She was just did."

"So why was it called the Suffocation?" Someone asked amidst of the silence, raising their hand.

She took her hands off the table, saying as she pointed to the hanged figure on the board, "Because she was hanged. The very first Pykrest to fight for her rights was suffocated to death by hanging on a rope, that's what they did to captured protestors."

The class was silent. She looked at the clock. Only a few minutes more until the bell rings.

"But you guys know what?" She had their attention again. She smiled. "I want to be like the mystery girl! I want to stand with a sign and fight for Pykrest rights too.. don't you?"

The class erupted in agreement, each one giving their own ideas to convince Hacrene to see them as equals. The girl smiled at her classmates, erasing her drawn figures on the board then dusting the chalk dust off her fingers.

As she went to sit back down on her chair, the bell rang.