"I did it!"
"Finally!"
"It's finally over, I did it."
A spark glowed down every children's palm. Their eyes were reflecting brightly in different colors, Zen was grasping at a yellow light on his palm, Kaian with purple, Phoenia with blue, and the others had common colors to each other. The light that was reflecting through the halls visibly made the ocean of sweat visible making the light wood darken, the cold air brought the sweat reeking throughout, as well as their joyous smiles that had formed after the tension. I can feel all of it.
"Oh?" I looked at the teacher who just got back, he looked at the children with interest, as I did. "They are catching up to you." He was teasing me. From the way the teacher is speaking with his eyes closed and his grin, it is as easy to say that he's not underestimating me.
"It's a lot better," I replied with a smile.
"You're not feeling down?" His eyebrow was lifted, curiously asking my answer.
"Not at all? It's good if everyone can protect themselves." The moment I replied, his lifted brows put themselves back down and the teacher slowly leaned his head to the hall's wooden pillar.
"Then, that's good. Befitting of a leader."
"So you were testing me?" I grinned a bit, showing pride after my answer. He looked away from me and looked at the children once again.
"Is it beautiful?" Out of nowhere, he asked a question while looking at the children who had their palms glowing with a ball of aether. The children who were looking at him transitioned their eyes to their palms.
The hall was silenced like an angel had stooped down the grounds and revealed its presence. Slowly, the children who had their mouths shut muttered some words softly.
"It is…" Kaian uttered while smiling. The others had the same expression as hers.
Aether is a beauty and a beast, it can be as exquisite as a rose yet as horrific as a beast. Whilst their aether glowed in colors, mine glowed like a void, sucking light, not letting it escape.
"Then, let's proceed to the next one." The children dropped their jaws in shock.
"What a schadenfreude!" The children cried in reply. They closed their palms and hastily ran to the teacher trying to grab his clothes and beat him up. However, the teacher ran as fast as he could. I looked at them chasing the teacher, and seeing their little feet, I laughed.
"That's unfair." A girl chuckled behind me.
I didn't need to look at her, judging from her tone, I know it was Ei. We have been friends for a long time, it would be insulting to not know her.
"Right." I chuckled in reply. "They would take a day to catch up with those little steps."
"Oh right, Exi. I happened to release Mageia a bit earlier."
"Eh?" I looked at her in shock. "You're fast!" I continued.
"You're faster." She replied.
"What is your Mageia? Is it water, fire, earth, air, or what?" I curiously asked her. She looked at me with a hint of disappointment, like she was hesitating to say what her Mageia was.
"It's none of those."
That's weird. "None?"
"Yes." She replied to my question.
"Can you show it to me?" My face was concerned but my heart was throbbing fast in curiosity.
"Sure… but be careful, okay?"
"Okay!" I did not hesitate to answer her cautious advice. Curiosity lingered throughout my whole face as I wait for her to do it.
"Then, I'll do it now." She did not look at me as she uttered these words, but rather looked outside the hall. She looked at me back with eagerness and suddenly, she raised her hand.
I was about to go to her when suddenly, she seemed distant. I paused for a second and realized I was outside the hall.
"Ugh…" Ei touched her head while groaning. I quickly ran to her and helped her stand still.
"Are you okay?" I halted the time to ask about what she had done and aided her a bit, holding her back to support her body from falling. Her lips were pale. Before I was about to call the teacher,
"Don't make him worry again. I am okay." She smiled at me, her legs were back, but still, it was quivering.
"What okay? Look at yourself and say that." I shouted at her in worry. But still, she was smiling like she was proud to get in this condition.
"I'm really okay, you worrywart." She insisted. "It's just the side effect of my Mageia."
"Don't use it then. You're making me worry." The worry in my heart still hasn't worn down. But as I look at her seriously, the glee buried in her mouth hasn't worn down too, and so, I gave up.
"Fine. Hmph." I quickly drew the topic to her Mageia which she had just shown. My face lit up with passion as I looked at her. "Your Mageia is so cool!" My enthusiastic side had revealed itself.
"I thought it was pretty weak compared to yours." Her head tilted downwards trying to hide her embarrassed face. "An ability to move objects is not that much, I think it's pretty weak. Ahaha."
"No? Isn't it cool to not need to transport objects using a hand or walk on foot?" Her eyes widened for a bit. "It looks like you have realized the light in your ability," I say while chortling. She looked at me and laughed too.
"You're right, I didn't focus on that." Her wide smile expressed her thanks. "Thank you, Exi." She grabbed my hand joyfully and ran.
"Let's join them, Exi."
"Let's go." My lips softly formed a curve in reply.
We caught up with the children and teacher who were running wildly in the night barefoot. A cold breeze stroke everyone's hair, and the joy in their faces unfolded. The empty and silent island was filled with their laughter.
"Exi, come here, help us chase teacher!" The children grabbed me, forcing me to play tag with them. I looked at the teacher and smiled widely, I joined their game of tag.
"Unfair!" The teacher shouted while looking at us. We laughed back at him.
Minutes later, we were all down on the ground, lying down while stargazing, catching our breaths.
"This is a great day, huff, huff," Says the teacher while catching his breath.
"You are all beasts for learning aether in pressure." He laughed maniacally.
"I didn't expect my joke to be taken too seriously." He kept going.
"It was a joke?!" The bitter face and frustration mixed up in the children's faces as if they have been betrayed. They all stood up and approached the teacher and jumped on him together.
"Ah, ah, stop! Stop!" The teacher defended himself from the punches and pinches of the children. Seconds later, the teacher's body was covered with red patches.
"I shouldn't teach you guys Mageia. Really."
"No! No! No! Teach us!" The children protested. I couldn't help but just laugh at them and the teacher. He looks really tired while the children still looked really energetic despite running wildly earlier.
The teacher just looked at them exhaustedly. He looked at me without saying a word, he just had his usual expression when he needs help straying the children off. I closed my eyes while smiling.
"The teacher is tired, look at his poor body getting crushed by you guys," I said. "The teacher still has something to give to you guys right? Don't you want him to give his present to you?" I continued while persuading the children to get off him.
As soon as I said these words, they left by his side and looked at me prettily like they were to ask something.
"Do you want to say something?" I asked them.
"W-what's the present?" They looked at me again with a cute faces, trying to get me to say what the present is. I took a glance at the teacher's face and realized he was too tired to give it today.
"Let's eat dinner and sleep first, the teacher will give it tomorrow." It was such a down to break their expectations with such cute faces expecting their presents to be given at the end of their hard work.
Rather than feeling sad, they all jumped in excitement and ran to the cabin doors.
"Teacher, let's go." Ei and I invited the teacher.
"Help me stand up," I laughed at him.
"Are you too old to get your bones broken?"
"You kid!" His veins popped up on his head.
"I'm joking." I stretched my hand grabbing one of his hands.
"We should head inside now." He shook off the dirt that attached to his clothes as soon as he stood up.
The night passed and we found ourselves breathing the air of another day.
The children, Ei, the teacher, and I, gathered in the hall in the morning.