Rose sipped her coffee, while Felix looked out the window, gently dropping a tea bag in an empty cup.
He wasn't talking much like he did before. He was tired. All he did was try to understand and find something new about her, which he did. She loved art. It was simple, and he still didn't know much about her, but every small detail mattered.
Felix noticed knights, in a group of four to five, talking to a vendor. And he had been noticing many of them around the town, during their walk. They questioned the locals, while some hung around the alleys, searching.
"There are a lot of them today."
Rose said, looking out of the window. She too had noticed it but didn't want to say it to ruin the mood.
"Yeah."
Felix replied. There would be a few knights guarding the main gates and city walls. However, it was the first time he had seen them this active and on their toes.
Felix figured it had to be something serious—likely a murder—for so many knights to be stationed in the city. A crime of that magnitude in Neon was no small matter. With the academy located here, any involvement of a student, especially one tied to a noble family, would create a storm. The news would spread quickly, and the fallout could be disastrous.
Both of them finished their drink and decided to leave. Before they walked out, Rose tied her hair into a bun and then wrapped a scarf around her face. The stares were annoying.
"Do you have anything else you want to do?"
He asked, cause never in a million years would he figure it out just by looking at her.
Rose shook her head. She had some work to do, and she never skipped her training.
As they walked to the station, Rose listened to the whispers of the townsfolk.
"Last night.....merchant.....Soaring Coin…..killed"
Rose could piece out information even though she was about fifty metres away from them.
"Looks like one of the merchants of Soaring Coin was killed. The merchant must be a high-ranking one." Rose whispered to Felix.
Felix nodded. He hadn't heard anything or had the eagerness to pay attention to them.
"The assassin must be reckless."
Killing inside Neon wasn't the best of moves.
"Or the merchant had something so important they were ready to take the risks."
Rose added.
Felix didn't say anything further, because it wasn't his problem. He prayed for the man's soul but he just couldn't be asked to care about it.
The two sat on a bench and waited for the tram to arrive. Rose glanced to her right. Felix looked drowsy. His head bobbed, trying his best not to sleep.
Cute
She thought and immediately pinched herself. She had to stop herself from thinking that way. She had realised her feelings for him. She had no idea how it happened. It bloomed out of nowhere but they were there.
However, love wasn't something she had time for. Other things waited, much more important, than dates, cuddles and other things that lovers do. Maybe if she was a normal girl, she could afford to do so, but responsibilities waited. And she couldn't slow down. One mistake and everything would slip from her hands.
The tram arrived and both went on it. Rose sat first and Felix sat right next to her Their shoulders touched, and Rose felt heat on her cheeks. They had gone red. It was childish that such a thing made her blush at the same time, she didn't want to move.
She turned to Felix if he had any sort of reaction, but he had dozed off. It hadn't been more than ten seconds since he sat down.
She chuckled seeing how his head rattled by the window. She reached so, she could put his head somewhere comfortable. Her hands stopped midway. Her emotions were getting the best of her and actions tied with feelings never worked out well for her.
She turned away and never looked once at him, through their travel.
*******
"Argh….I must have twisted it."
Felix said as he massaged the side of his neck. He had no memory after he sat on the tram.
Haa…..How could I fall asleep at such moments?
Rose had to wake him up, and after that, in a drowsy state, he came back.
It seemed like his whole effort to be close to Rose was ruined because she didn't speak a word. As he was about to take a bath, someone knocked.
He opened the door and it was the usual face, Lim, except he was sweating a lot.
"You ran all the way here to do the dishes"
Felix asked.
Lim didn't answer. He walked in, drank water and sat on the sofa.
"I was looking for you throughout the whole day. Where in the hell did you vanish?"
"I was out...….with Rose."
Felix replied.
Lim nodded. He kept replaying what Felix just said in his head.
Lim nodded, replaying Felix's words in his mind. Felix appeared relaxed, so Lim didn't question him further. It was the best approach for now. Even with his knowledge as the author, there was nothing he could do to fix Rose's heart. Letting Felix handle it was probably for the best.
"So why were you looking for me?"
Felix asked
"The book gave me a hint."
Lim replied. After lunch was over, Lim headed back to his dorm. And there he found the pages of the book turned with a faint gold light shining from it.
"What does it say?"
Felix asked.
"Find the killer before it's too late."
Lim said. He watched Felix think about the riddle and sigh. Just when he had thought that he couldn't be asked to deal with it, everything seemed to crash down his way.
"A merchant of the Soaring Coin-"
"I've heard about it."
Felix interjected.
"First, we need information on the merchant."
He looked at Lim because he had no source of information on this matter. The so-called florist he had hired was busy with other work.
"I can get them tomorrow."
Lim said. Felix didn't ask how because Lim sounded confident. From the inner pocket of his jacket, Lim took out rolled piles of papers.
"Make sure no one sees them."
Felix took it. He turned the page read the first few paragraphs and understood what it was.
"Is it okay for me to know this?"
Felix asked.
"You have to."
Lim was firm with his decision.
"With everything going on, it is best, if you know how it will affect the story. Everything is a mess, but at one point it will connect and we don't know when. After all, the world influences the story, not the other way around."
Lim needed Felix to act as his "second-brain". Now that he knew the future, he could see things in a different perspective than Lim, and prepare beforehand before stuff happened.
However, Felix looked worried. Knowledge always wasn't a gift. It was a curse, especially when it was about the future. The choice between stopping the inevitable or letting it happen wasn't always an easy one.
"Don't worry. I only wrote the story for the first arc, until your promise with The Book ends."
Lim assured Felix, who had his eyes glued to the papers.
******
The club selection program was over and a hectic week for the student council had ended. Lim for the past few days, often saw the Stars in his class tired and sleep-deprived, except Rose and Felix.
How does his body even function?
Lim wondered. Felix had his fair share of the club duties. He also had to do his school work and in secret fight a Morrowraith. And he never looked miserable.
Today was the club orientation and Lim was heading to his club room. He managed to get into the esteemed " Rune Wielders Club".
The club's main purpose was to decipher Runes, a forgotten language of ancient magic and use whatever has been translated to make them stronger.
Everyone in the academy wanted to be part of the club. The sole purpose of joining the club was to grow stronger. However, the seats in the club were so limited that only fifteen students from the first year could join.
Runes, though powerful, were hard to understand. Not everyone was capable or meant to learn them, so the club advisors selected a few who showed potential, passion and ethics to learn them.
However, Lim had other reasons. He joined the club to keep an eye on the nine stars that would join the club. According to the story, it was supposed to be ten, but now the tenth Star was different.
Lim was sure that the club would take him in. As the author, he had his ways and knowledge. But the problem was if he was to join, there would be more eyes on him. He wanted to be in the shadows, but many major events happened in the club. Felix wouldn't be able to get into the club or have any interest in it, so he had to do it.
Lim walked inside the room. It looked more like a library, because of the bookshelves cramped in the room. Nobody was in yet, so Lim took the seat in the furthest corner.
There were around fifty chairs, which included the first years and their seniors. Slowly the room was getting filled.
Only ten seats were left to be filled. Nina, the "supposed-to-be" tenth Star entered the room. She stared at the people judging her. She smirked at them and took her seat.
The last ones entering the room were the Stars of the first years, with Rose leading them. The first years were exciting but the seniors were worried. They had their egos. With a year or two of knowledge and training, they were stronger than the new students. But not these nine. Messing with them wasn't anyone's business. And the 11th Rank Nina could have been a Star if not for the numerous talents in the student council.
Lim noticed Tyson, the ninth star, looking at him. He gently nodded at Lim and took his seat. Everyone knew Tyson was away, because of a "family business" he had to attend, which took a month to finish. Nobody raised a question about it and the ones who knew the true reason for his absence kept quiet.
The classroom was filled and no one spoke a word. Only the noise of Nina yawning echoed around the room.
Tak Tak
The room was so silent, that everyone could hear the footsteps of the club advisor walking to the room. As soon as he stepped in, the student stood up and greeted me,
"Good afternoon, Professor Jade."
Jade walked to the podium. Nobody sat down and admired her ethereal beauty. She wore a black shirt and black pants, with a leather jacket on top. Her purple eyes glinted under the overhead lamps, holding every gaze as if commanding silence without a word.
"Sit down."
She said, She scanned the room, and noticed Lim, hiding his face behind a book. She grinned and the seniors got goosebumps. Her grin was never a good sign and whoever it was directed to wasn't going to have an easy time.