"Gah!" Jamil's eyes snapped open with a crazed glint in his eyes as he looked up in shock.
His gasp remained without any response as he slowly rose out of bed and looked around his room with a look of deep confusion. This is... his room...
He saw that nothing was amiss and noticed that the alarm clock he had set up had yet to wake him as he woke up early once again, but, this time, much earlier than his usual schedule. He looked around once more to see that everything was in place and that dawn had yet to break. Looking back at his hands again, he saw that everything was clear and muttered in deep breaths, "...It was just a dream... But it felt so real..."
He shook his head as he pondered if it was all just a very real dream of his, but why would they call him as their sister? And that girl was smiling so dazzling, yet her eyes bore a vague sense of familiarity to him. Who was she? Who was A-Li?
...
In the deep abyss, he had lost himself in frustration and anger. He had always had to follow his family's role as servants of Kalim's family and never once was allowed to display his talents. His enrollment into the school was something of a surprise as he never thought that he would actually be rid of him. However, things took a turn for the worse when Kalim re-entered by taking the back door into the school. Once again, he was unable to express his unwillingness to this because they were in different positions meaning he can never show himself to be better than Kalim. Rather it was in a game or in life. As that was the case, he didn't want it. Why is it a problem for him to be number one? Can't he be number one?!
"Hm... So? What do you hope to achieve by being number one?"
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open seeing an unfamiliar face before his. He jolted up and looked around only to find himself before the pitch-black darkness that surrounded them. Before him stood a woman in strange foreign clothing made from such delicate-looking silk and detailed embroideries depicting vibrant crimson colors and unfamiliar designs. The woman's hair barely had much details done upon it as it was simply partly pulled back into a small bun with gold hair pins. However, what surprised him the most was the hair that shone like flames, unlike that of Ortho's blue flame hair. Yet, his attention soon shifted to the pair of mysterious purple eyes. Under this gaze, he was nervous as if this girl was actually looking right through him!
He nearly crumbled under the pressure when this girl spoke up casually, "You're standing there with your mouth opened. Are you actually a fish spirit disguised as human? You still haven't answered my question yet."
Hearing this, he quickly clamped his mouth shut and was slightly embarrassed to be caught in such a manner as he quickly tried to correct himself. "This... What do you mean, what do I hope to achieve by being number one?"
"You want to be number one, but what is the benefit of being number one to you?" This girl spoke up in confusion, "What do you want from being number one? Status? Power? Money? Fame?"
"Is it wrong to want to be number one just because I want to be number one?" He looked to her rather annoyed seeing that his true thoughts have been found out.
"That's it?" The girl looked to him in confusion, "You want to be number one, just because you want to be number one?"
"What?" Jamil scowled, "Is that so wrong? Or are you also going to tell me that I should let others become number one because this is how it's supposed to be."
"Huh. Who knew that I'd be seeing an idiot inspiring to be number one."
"What?!" His eyes widen in shock when he heard her words, "What rights do you have to insult me?!"
"You say you want to be number one and that you want it just because you wish for it." The girl huffed in disappointment and much calmer than the latter, "Well, you're not one for sympathetic words or let harsh words hurt you, so I won't hold back either. So, I'll say this as it is without any superfluous meaning. I've never seen a loser as disappointing as you."
"What?" He looked to her in confusion rather than anger. What did she mean that he was a loser?
"I'm just saying as it is, but it seems that you still don't understand..." The girl said bluntly, "This is the first time I've seen someone as foolish as you. Wanting to be first but chooses to bite a rock rather than the fruit. Thinking that he would regain the teeth that he uses to eat, but actually lost everything and his ability to eat to live. Someone like that will always become a loser in life and everything in it."
Jamil, piecing her words together but also upset that she was looking down on him, frowned as he decided not to think about this meaning anymore and sneered, "You said that you would put it bluntly, but how is this blunt at all?"
"Then, it's due to your lack of knowledge that you don't even understand human words. As a I thought, human literature is really an annoyance. You can only blame yourselves for not being able to say what is needed to be said but dance around amongst the flowers." The girl sighed in disappointment, "What a disappointment and here I thought that you were interesting with your abilities. Just why is it that the dorm leader of Octavinelle finds any interest in you?"
"Hah? Why are you talking about that guy all of a sudden?" Jamil said with a frown, "That guy is always in the way. Even during the summer study sessions, he and the supervisor tries so hard to interfere with my plans... My plans!"
Suddenly, his eyes widen in horror as he recalled what had happened and looked around in confusion. He should've been in the halls of the dorm, but where is this place?!
"Wait." He paused in the middle of his panic and calmly recollected himself, "I was in the halls and Kalim and those annoyance had caught me revealing my plot to Azul... Everyone watched on the magicam and found me out. So, I should be fighting against them. Why am I here, then?"
"Why do you think you're here?" The girl asked him with a sneer across her face, "I didn't think it would take you so long to realize that there was something wrong in this place. As expected of a loser."
"Shut up!" He snapped at her before he recalled something and gasped in horror, "No, wait... It can't be... I-!"
"Overblotted?" The girl sighed in dismay and responded, "Finally, you remember what happened. But, did it really have to take you this long to remember?"
"Damn it! Can you just shut up?!" Jamil shouted at her in a panic, "Tell me where am I?!"
He tried to grab her as the sound of the bells rung in the air, but she easily lept back followed by another sound of the ringing of bells and let him fall flat onto what looks to be wet ink. The girl smirked and responded, "Can you not tell?"
"Ink?" He looked upon his hands and saw the dark ink stain his hands.
He was certain that she could be caught, yet there was a heavy pressure on him that he had not noticed before causing him to fall face flat onto the ink followed by the ringing of the bell tied to his hair. He tried to piece together everything that had happened and the dark magic he had accumulated before he passed out. Finally, he made a hypothesis, "Is this... my soul?"
"As I thought, I don't even need to explain it to you." The girl smirked having heard this.
"Why am I...?" He looked to her in confusion, "Explain- ugh!"
He tried to get up, but the heavyweight ended up pushing him onto his knees! Just what was this?! It was now heavier than before! What in the world is happening to him?! Is he... dying?
"As if!" The girl scowled in reluctance, "If you perish, that guy would also become just as miserable... It's unfortunate, but I am forced to let you live, even after you had done all that to them..."
With a sigh of disappointment, she reached out and touched the guy on his head. The moment the girl touched his head, he suddenly felt much lighter and could stand again! Just what in the world is going on and who was this person. He looked at her with great suspicion as he asked her cautiously, "Who are you?"
"Me?" The girl said feigning innocence, "I'm just a little fairy, you see."
"Cut the act." Jamil huffed in disdain, "Who are you?"
"Oh?" The girl smirked and said, "But, it's true. I have the blood of fairies running through my veins. I normally would've just let you be, but it can't be helped since the guy you disliked so much is now fighting to help awaken you into the realm of consciousness."
"Kalim is?" Jamil looked to her in surprise, "Why would he-..."