The fiery-haired boy awoke in his dorm room, his eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light filtering through the heavy curtains. He found himself lying in bed, tangled in the sheets, feeling utterly drained and exhausted. Every muscle in his body protested as he attempted to sit up, aching from the previous night's events.
His fiery red hair was tousled, and his usually vibrant eyes held a dull exhaustion. Despite the evident weariness, a flicker of anger burned within those eyes. He clenched his fists, remembering how the boy from yesterday, who he later discovered was named Silas, had cunningly taken his precious shard, the key to whatever mysterious quest or purpose the boy held.
The boy wanted to unleash his frustration, confront Silas, and demand the return of what was rightfully his. However, the physical toll of the previous night's escapade weighed heavily on him. Instead, he found himself glaring at the room's disheveled state, a silent testament to the chaos they had caused.
The morning light cast a gloomy atmosphere in the room, and as the fiery-haired boy struggled to muster the energy to rise, the anger smoldered beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to ignite once more.
"Silas, you loathsome little-"
"CALIX! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO YESTERDAY?! WHY ARE THE POOLATI KIDS AND HIS FRIENDS ALL BEAT UP!" A voice boomed from down the hall, and like straight out of a horror movie, his door creaked open and an eerie red eye peaked through.
In the open doorway stood a figure draped in authority. Her striking, fiery eyes, each aglow with a distinct shade of red, commanded attention. The warmth of the room spotlighted her cascading curls of brown hair, a delightful contrast against her lightly tanned skin. She possessed an aura that whispered of strength and an unyielding resolve, a silent force that made the room quietly respect her presence.
Her eyes held a fiery intensity, the red glow lending an almost magical quality to her stern gaze. The curls of her hair framed her features, giving her an air of approachable authority. The soft olive undertones of her skin hinted at her heritage, a subtle marker of an origin rooted in rich cultures and stories untold.
The dorm mom carried herself with graceful yet unwavering confidence, a silhouette of power and care folded into one. Her appearance didn't just speak of a person, but of an unspoken story, an untold journey etched into the curves of her presence. Her features, her expression, her whole demeanor indicated a multitude of experiences and a depth of character that had shaped her into the firm yet caring figure standing in the doorway.
Although… that caring side wasn't very apparent at this moment in time.
The door flew open, and the stern figure of the dorm mom filled the doorway. Her eyes, both glowing an ominous red bore into Calix with a mix of concern and frustration. The room seemed to tense up in her presence.
"Calix, you better not go back to sleep!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the hallway. The sternness of her tone suggested that she wasn't in the mood for any excuses.
Calix, still groggy from his slumber, blinked a few times before focusing on the imposing figure in front of him. The dorm mom's silhouette framed the doorway like an avenging force, demanding answers. The dim light accentuated the severity etched across her face.
"I'll ask you one more goddamn time… Why are the Poolati kids and their friends all beaten up?" she pressed, crossing her arms.
Calix, caught off guard, stammered, "I... I don't know. I was just... I was just out last night. It wasn't even really my fault, it was Silas. Silas was with me."
The dorm mom's stern expression deepened. "Silas? Who in the hell is that?"
"W-What? Silas, y'know… orange hair, fair skin, salmon eyes…"
"Ah, that new kid. I was supposed to meet with him last night to explain the rules, but he wasn't even in his room… So, he's already stirring up trouble, huh?"
"Y-Yeah, he was the one who dragged me into that shit…"
"That's not what the other kids said," The woman gnashed her teeth, emitting a nauseating sound that was practically torture for the young child to witness. "Tell me the truth."
"You believe those fuckers over me!?"
"And what if I do?! They confessed their wrongdoings of playing a little prank on you and you decided to beat them up! ALL OF THEM! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CHILDREN I JUST SENT TO THE INFIRMARY!?"
Calix scoffed before immediately retaliating. "They don't understand the weight of what they stole! And now it's gone because that Silas asshole stabbed me in the back! If anything I was the victim the entire time! I didn't even get what I wanted!"
"You know what… fine. Fine," The dorm mom swiftly left the room, slamming the door behind her before Calix mocked her in a series of quiet taunts from behind that closed door.
"Dammit… DAMMIT!"
…
Calix dashed to class, racing against time after waking up late. As he approached the classroom door, his eyes locked onto a mysterious figure nearby—dark-haired, dark-eyed. A shiver ran down his spine as a foreboding feeling enveloped him.
Caught between curiosity and unease, Calix hesitated at the threshold, unsure whether to proceed. His heart raced, unsure of the strange connection with this enigmatic individual.
The sense of dread deepened as he recognized the man's piercing gaze, a dreadful familiarity gnawing at him. Overwhelmed by this inexplicable feeling, Calix stood frozen at the entrance, hesitant to confront the source of his disquiet. Calix grappled with this unsettling sensation, the impulse to confront the stranger wrestling with his apprehension.
His morning's pace had shifted to a standstill as an uncanny intuition enveloped him. Unsure of how to proceed, Calix hesitated, caught in a web of foreboding emotion.