The distorting landscape surrounded him, shuffling and shifting as familiar and unfamiliar memories churned through.
Only by the sound of muffling did the boy in the midst of it all open his eyes.
It was exam day, as he fiddled with a pen in his hand, staring at the completed paper on his desk and the scratching of pencils in the hall.
Being the only one in the room done, he had the liberty to kick back and relax back in his chair.
Playing with his own, he smiled as he thought to himself how everything was all so easy, with anything he listened to being taken in and stored.
Theorems, equations, and even the subjective philosophical thoughts that would envelop him, flowing out naturally from his lips or hand.
As time flowed by, the boy's pen doodled in the extra space left behind on the paper. Where complex mathematical equations should have been, only the doodle of a stick figure was seen.
Scratching his pen silently with his eyes closed, he suddenly jolted as he reopened them, and found himself standing in front of a bulletin, looking at a posted piece of paper.
"..."
On it, the unidentifiable scribbles of names were listed one by one, from numbers 1 to 500.
Why was he looking here?
The boy questioned this to himself, scanning the list of unreadable letters, but he could distinctly tell it was a list of names.
Who are these people?
Feeling an eerie sensation take hold of him, he raised his head slowly, his eyes drifting towards the only legible word that he could read on the list, marked in the dead center of the list, number 250.
"...Xern?"
It felt like a splash of cold water as his surroundings grew dark quickly, as the boy stumbled back and hit the wall behind him.
All the excited chattering students ceased conversation when the noise of him slamming his back against the wall broke the discussion.
"....."
It was so quiet, that the boy could hear his pen fall from his pocket.
Clattering to the ground, the black and gold pen rolled on the dusty ground, and the boy's hands involuntarily began to reach towards his face.
"What am I...?"
He spoke in bewilderment, as his hands roughly clutched at his own face, scratching and almost gouging his own eyes as he panicked, trying to make sense of the strange situation.
Looking up through his fingers, the boy saw a giant eyeball staring straight at him.
"...!?"
As Viv flinched, it's veiny bloodshot color almost gazed at him with hatred, as the pupil began to shake with such passion as it looked as if it wanted to move forward and devour him in an instant.
"A-AHHHHHHHH...!"
He let out an ear splitting scream of terror, involuntarily making a bunch of crazed, animal-like sounds as he stared at the sudden horror in front of him.
At the same time, blood began to empty out from the eyeball, slowly seeping into the ground towards him, as the eyeball began to slowly approach.
Desperately clawing at the walls to get away, he coincidentally made eye contact with one of the students standing at the side.
{Geez, what is that weirdo doing?}
{Creating such a fuss over a grade.}
{This is what he gets for acting superior all the time.}
{Talk about ruining the mood.}
Horrified, the boy tried to point his trembling finger at the direction of the still present giant eyeball.
Do they not see it...?!
He inwardly screamed to himself, cold sweat running down his back as he tried to speak, but only choked sounds and coughs escaping.
You guys need to run now...! There's a...a...-!
"...."
The boy froze.
Feeling a chill behind him, he slowly turned back, slowly seeing a crowd of similar eyeballs staring at him.
They were bloodshot and round, almost popping out of the sockets of the previously normal students that were staring at him.
"A-Ah...."
He stuttered, his entire body shaking as he felt himself collapse to his knees, his hands shaking uncontrollably at the frightful sight.
One of the eyeballs popped out of their socket, rolling beside him, and making direct eye contact.
{What's the matter?}
Before Viv could even answer, the eye turned black in his instant, causing him to flinch and instinctively use his hand to push it away.
Paaa!
Instead, the crisp sound of a slap sounded, as Viv opened his unknowingly closed eyes and found himself in a normal corridor.
Around him, there was no giant eyeball or the floating pairs of bloodshot eyes looking at him anymore.
Instead, a group of students looked at him with shock and horror, and the boy's eyes drifted downward to see a girl clutching her cheek in pain, tears flowing out of her beautiful eyes as she looked at him with a hurt expression.
"I-I'm sorry..." She stuttered fearfully, cowering back behind another female friend who shielded her with concern.
Unlike before, now everyone except the girl he had just struck was faceless. The female friend's expression was unreadable as she pointed accusingly at the boy.
"What the hell was that for?!...Did you really just strike a girl after she asked if you were okay, you sicko!..."
"....." The boy stared silently at the almost entirely faceless crowd, before making a quick decision.
Without turning back, the boy got up and ran, down the corridors and down wherever he could go.
Whatever hallway had a turn he went, passing by various different rooms, some empty and some not.
Some people celebrated while other rooms showed solemn expressions, however all of them didn't bother to acknowledge the running boy going past.
That was until he ran into a room where a concert was going on.
♪ ♬ ♩
A calming symphony was heard the moment he accidentally stepped inside the doorframe, feeling like he had just stepped into another world.
It was like the moment his foot entered, he was hugged into a warm mattress, or a pile of freshly dried clothes, filled with a refreshing fragrance.
The room enveloped him as it began to wash away all feelings of fear, his nerves quickly returning to normal, and his heart rate decreasing.
As the boy took stunned deep breaths, he found himself at one of the elegant table's seats. It seemed the chair was for him, as a name tag sat on the table across from it.
Although the name tag was blank, the boy instinctively felt like this chair was prepared for him, so he sat down and looked towards the source of the music.
On the stage, a person played a piano behind a white curtain, with only their silhouette being seen as they meticulously played a song with precision and expression.
It was like their hands danced across the keys as musical notes turned from high to low in an instant, forming almost beautiful lines of melodies.
As the boy listened, he felt himself immersed in a dreamy spring like weather, his mind beginning to numb as he almost felt himself get pulled into a deep sleep.
That was until the music abruptly stopped, leaving him to abruptly open his eyes in confusion.
Looking to his left, a faceless man looked at him.
"It's your turn."
"...Yes."
For some reason, once again the boy felt his body speak and move without his commands as he slowly and unwillingly made his way toward the stage.
Spotlights zeroed in on his body, as he realized he was wearing a suit and dress shoes.
The crisp clacking of leather hitting wood as heard as the elegant venue's applause toward the previous musician faded as the boy went on stage.
In front of him on the dark stage, a piano stood, basked in the same spotlight that he was in.
What was different however was that the previous curtain that had covered the previous contestant was gone, and this time the audience could clearly see his identity.
There was a long silence as the boy felt himself step forward, and take a seat on the leather chair.
It creaked with an old air to it, as the wooden under let out a groan as the boy's weight sat on the piano bench.
His trembling hands were brought foreword onto the pristine white keys, and just as he was about to play...
Skrr...
The sound of a chair being pulled back interrupted him, and the boy turned to his right.
It was like a flurry of chairs being pulled out as each faceless member in the audience got up from their elegant chairs, and proceed toward the exit.
"Why...are they leaving?"
He choked out in bewilderment.
One of the audience members heard him, a woman dressed in a soft violet dress as she held a wine glass in her hand.
"This show is not reserved for us."
Before he could ask what she meant, the woman turned and left out the door.
The only people left in the venue were two faceless people, a man and a woman.
They looked strangely familiar but were too far away for the boy to discern their facial features.
Standing there, the couple stayed for another few seconds, before finally making their exit out the door.
Now the venue was completely empty, and even the stage lights began to fade, seeming as if even the stage crew had left the scene.
Sitting alone, the boy felt a strange feeling emerge in his heart.
It was a suffocating, painful sensation that clutched tightly onto the right side of his chest, making him take shaky sharp breaths as sweat began to drip from his face one again.
"A-Agh..."
Holding his heart, the boy gasped in pain as he collapsed onto the ground beside the piano, curling up into a fetal position as he lay on the cool wooden floor with his scorching hot body.
It felt as if the world was shaking around him, dizzying as something was threatening to pierce through his barriers around him and shatter his mind.
As if something that would destroy him would soon be revealed.
However, it seemed hope was not lost yet, as through his blurred vision, a man walked out from behind a curtain and made his way towards him.
"..."
Judging by the footsteps, it was the pianist from the last show, who also wore a similar suit as him, but was a refined young adult.
Towering over him, the boy tilted his head back exhaustedly, looking at the man whose face he couldn't see in the dark.
At that moment, the spotlights came back on, blinding him, and forcing him to let out a sharp hiss as he used his hands to cover his eyes.
"Who are you?"
The man spoke, his deep voice rattling the boy's bones to the core as the boy quickly gathered himself and looked up.
"Ah..."
A handsome, yet indescribably beautiful man stood before him, his eyes a calming, light ocean blue and his shoulder length hair a midnight black.
He had a straight nose, and slightly pink lips that complimented his sharp, yet comforting facial features.
What made his face stand out though were three moles on his face.
On each side under his right eye, while the other was the left side below his mouth, adding a sense of sensationalism to his cold gaze.
The boy looked at the man's features, and didn't respond as he gazed downward onto the golden nameplate that shone on the suit.
Carved in exquisite cursive letters, a name shone in the spotlight.
Asher Xern
...
Opening his eyes, Vivillian hazily blinked as the bright light made him flinch a little.
Taking in a deep breath of air, Viv felt his head hurt, as he tried to recall what he had been dreaming of so intently. Bringing a hand to his head, he let out a sigh.
Squelch.
"...?" Disturbed by a strange sound behind him, Viv turned his head.
Behind him, a toad sat blankly, with the half eaten body of a pink haired girl head first into its mouth.
"..."
——
A horrified shout spooked William as he rested his head against the window, startling him as he hit the back of his skull against the wood.
"H-Hm...? ...w-what's happening...?"
Holding back the urge to yawn, William rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he looked quite confused on where that mysterious scream had come from.
A few hours ago, he escaped from under Perukono's watchful eye, locking himself in an abandoned old study and reading, where he must have accidentally fallen asleep.
...I should probably go check out the source of that scream.
He thought to himself, quickly fixing his disheveled appearance before opening the old window with a rusty creak.
The cold before spring hair helped wake him up, as William couldn't help but shiver a little.
As the window opened fully, William stepped forward onto the ledge, and jumped.
Falling towards the ground at a rapid pace, William didn't seem to mind as just before he landed, a gust of wind enveloped his body, letting his shoes touch the ground without the slightest impact.
Though he mostly used his light magic for appearances, William studied other types of magic and was strangely proficient in most of them. Wind was a common element as well, using spell as simple as that was as easy as blinking for him.
Now that no one was around though, the Prince let loose, surrounding his body with a warm breeze as he soared slightly above the ground at a rapid speed.
Switching his private and public personas were so easy for him, that it was almost like an innate talent that allowed him to separate his outward emotions from his inner thoughts.
It was also this talent that allowed him to easily distinguish what other magic types he shouldn't use while in public. Using other types of magic as a Prince known for his light ability was also only a private thing he could do.
As composed as he was however, rounding the corner, William couldn't have expected the scene that lay before him.
"..."
"Fuck, let go damn it...!"
Vivillian let out a curse as he grabbed onto a lady's legs, trying to yank her out from the mouth of a giant toad.
The toad didn't budge in inch at the pulling of prey from within its mouth, and didn't even flinch when a resounding kick hit it squarely in the face.
Panting, Vivillian let out a few more curses as he desperately tried to extract Lizzy from the beast's mouth.
Before he could resort to trying anything else though, a presence flew past him and abruptly yanked Lizzy out of the mouth of the toad.
The moment she was released, William stuck out his leg and kicked the toad with such harshness it flew and skidded for a few meters, before sadly scurrying away.
"...Ah."
Stunned, Viv paused as he didn't expect to encounter the Crown Prince again after the contract. Seeing how blood didn't pour out of every pore in his body, William didn't mean to purposely come here and bother him.
"Are magic item development students usually this careless when handling these sort of dangerous situations...?"
William let out a sigh of relief as he saw that Lizzy was still breathing, just sleeping and covered in a strange mucus. "You were lucky that tamed beast was a healer toad, which uses its saliva to heal wounds. I also won't ask how in the world you managed to get stuck in this situation anyways..."
"Uh..."
Not hearing the last mutter from William's rebuke, Viv didn't know what to say as he just turned his gaze away from the slimy Lizzy and now soiled outfit of the Prince. "While trying to escape for shelter, I passed out from exhaustion and Lizzy ran out of mana trying to protect me."
"...Why would you be escaping for shelter?" Confused, a slight knight appeared in William's eyebrows.
"Well, Ms Emile said to after all, isn't that the best solution when magic beasts are rampant...?" Vivillian, now confused as well, answered back hesitantly. As he observed William, he also noticed a slight dent in William's hair, seeming to be bed head.
The William Slachal having bed head in public? Impossible....
Viv thought quickly, as the stumped William finally responded back.
"...Magic beasts are rampant?"
There was a silence as William's words sank in.
"...Your Highness, were you perhaps sleeping until just now?"
Viv asked suspiciously.
"Ahem, it could barely be considered sleeping, more like a nap..."
William responded back awkwardly, looking away as he used his coat to cover Lizzy's body.
Damn it, this bastard really was having his beauty rest while the whole school went into lockdown!
Concealing the thoughts in his mind, Viv let out a deep breath and briefly began to explain the situation that occurred around an hour ago.
"..and that's basically what happened." He concluded.
"I see..." The Prince nodded solemnly, taking a quick glance towards Viv before looking away. "And are you alright...?"
"...? Of course I am, Lizzy helped me after all."
"That's not..." William cut himself off. "Never mind, let's get going."
Nodding seriously as he gently picked up Lizzy, he spoke with a calm voice. "I'll place Lizzy in a nearby building, I'll entrust that you can go get some help for her while I go check out the situation."
"..I will."
As Viv nodded, he quickly trailed behind the already leaving William with a strange feeling.
Seeing this bastard actually be serious about something was off putting, but he'd rather deal with this straightforward, no nonsense persona rather than deal with his constant smile and engage in politics.
As William made a makeshift bed on a countertop with his and Viv's jackets. He turned to leave, his eyes emitting a brief glow as he briefly turned around.
"...Bye."
William said strangely, before quickly retreating into the distance to go and help out.
"...?"
The hell was he awkward about?
Just as Vivillian wondered what had caused the composed prince to act so strangely, he found himself face to face with his reflection from one of the glass cabinets.
Staring right at him, the puffy reddened eyes of a small brown haired child looked back at him, looking somewhat pitiful as if he had just been bullied.
"..What the hell....?"
A confused mutter escaped his mouth.
"When did my eyes become like this!?..."
"Ugh..."
At that moment, a groan escaped Lizzy's mouth as she tried to shift on the makeshift counter bed, which Viv hurriedly stopped.
"Just lay down, I'm getting a doctor." He said seriously, snapping back to business, as he turned his face away from the table to hide the strange expression on his face.
"You..." She muttered weakly, her throat hoarse as Lizzy spoke.
"Hm?" Viv turned back.
"Your name..."
"It's Vivillian." Confused at the sudden curiosity coming from Lizzy, Viv felt it was unexpected for her to care about these sort of things, coming from the short time he's seen her personality.
But as he thought about it briefly, he thought it was understandable. After all, he was her mutual benefactor, surely she felt some sort of indebtedness to him.
However, the next words completely shattered his expectations.
"...I'm gonna ******* haunt you if I die...and if I live, I'll ****** ** ****** as revenge for what happened today.." She spat out hatefully.
A murderous glare stabbed into Viv's back, cold sweat forming in an instant as a pair of crystalline eyes peered out from within a messy curtain of hair, a chilling death gaze surrounding him.
"..."
Silently opening the door, Vivillian closed it behind him as he went to fetch some help.