Miss Greene and Robert sat in silence as the bus made its way back to Solar Springs High School. She watched him carefully, her eyes betraying her curiosity. She couldn't take the suspense any longer. She was dying to know what was going on with him, how he had suddenly transformed into a hulking sand creature and what the ice monster wanted with him. The silence between them stretched on for a seemingly interminable five minutes, each passing second only adding to the air of awkwardness and discomfort, she finally broke the quiet with a tentative, yet determined, voice.
"Robert, what the hell is going on?" she whispered, her brow furrowed with concern and curiosity.
"I'll tell you," Robert replied quickly, as if waiting to answer. "Umm, Poison, can you come out," he looked down at his chest.
Poison's voice grumbled in his mind. "You're sure about this, kid?"
"Come on," Robert thought back, "It'll be fine."
After a few seconds, he felt a strangely familiar sensation and a brown, spectral figure emerged from his chest and turned to face him. It looked like a grotesque old man.
After Robert nodded, Poison turned to face Miss Greene.
"Hello, ma'am," Poison began with a calm voice, "I go by the name, Poison. I'm with your student for some very personal reasons that I can't disclose. All you need to know is that I am a soul - not your average soul though, and I merged with this student of yours because he's my descendant. I've given him powers to utilize Earth magic and I assure you that he's using it for good. We're on a secret mission, and I promise that it won't affect anyone, on the contrary, the fate of the entire world depends on it. I hope you do not reveal to anyone what you witnessed today." Poison spoke with the authority of a stern professor.
Robert could barely believe his ears. Since when had Poison ever sounded so serious? Maybe this exposure thing was a bigger deal than he'd realized.
Miss Greene glanced at Robert, her expression one of complete shock.
"I understand," she said finally.
Without another word, Poison vanished back into Robert's chest.
Miss Greene glanced at the bus driver and heaved a relived sigh. He was wearing a head phone and listening to music. Evidently, he had not noticed Poison. Also, he had not followed them into the hospital, so the secret was still safe.
"Has it always been like this?" She asked, looking into Robert's eyes.
"Not until recently."
In his living room, Mr. Williams paced back and forth, his mind a maelstrom of thoughts, confusion and frustration, his gaze flicking to the television every few steps.
"How could Robert have survived that? Are Ancestor souls that powerful? X-rays are said to be one of the most destructive banes of wizards, capable of wrecking havoc on magic waves and causing them to spiral into chaos. Yet, that kid emerged from a direct blast unscathed!" He pondered, clutching the parchment in his hand. "And where did the Ice ancestor soul even come from!"
Mr. Williams turned his attention to the news, hoping to find out more about what had happened. A reporter's voice filled the room.
"Breaking news, there has been a major incident at Heiss City General Hospital in Axille," the reporter began, her voice urgent and serious. "The hospital staff have reported seeing monsters - one covered in ice, the other in sand. We were unable to get any footage from the security cameras, but we did find a cellphone video from a patient that shows an ice monster in the air, before it's struck by a metallic dagger made of earth. We've also been given this dagger, which was found on the hospital lawn." The reporter held up the rock dagger for the camera. "Now, we're headed to Solar Springs High School - the school that the patient who's ward the incident took place attends. We'll be speaking to the principal and any witnesses to find out more about this mysterious event. This incident certainly raised a lot of questions. What is behind the surge in the sightings of bizarre and anomalous creatures? Is there a correlation between the establishment of the vigilante force - rumored to be Magic enforcers - and these occurrences? Does this suggest the government is engaging in clandestine activities beyond public scrutiny? The mayor's stance on the hospital-attacking monsters remains unclear. Where did they originate, and what drove them?"
"Ignorant fools!" Mr. Williams switched off the television and hurled the remote at the floor, letting out a stream of curses as he did. "That was the most perfect plan, and Doctor Wales couldn't even execute it properly! Even Solomon couldn't beat Gabor. But how could that be? What's Solomon doing here?"
Mr. Williams began to pace around the room, his mind whirling with speculations.
He snapped his fingers abruptly. "The Soul scepter - that's his target!" he exclaimed, "Yes, that explains it. But who is his chosen descendant? If they're not at this school, how did he know Robert would be at that hospital? Could it be Jackson? No, I used the soul vortex on him and he didn't react. But what about that weird kid, Oliver? He's definitely a bit strange."
A sudden realization struck him, "Damn!" He exclaimed, "the parchment warned that these Ancestor souls do not take lightly to exposure. Greene would probably be dead by now - she had witnessed Robert transform and the Earth Ancestor soul may have killed her. Doctor Wales has probably compromised my involvement to the Ancestor soul... He must be on his way here to finish me off... Oh, what do I do?"
He heard the screech of a tyre and rushed to look out the window and saw the school bus driving into the school. To his surprise and disbelief, Miss Greene stepped out of the bus and helped Robert out.
"She wasn't killed!" He exclaimed, his face flooding with relief. "Nothing to worry about then."
With a heavy sigh, he sank into his couch's comforting depths, surrendering to fatigue. Recognizing his helplessness against Poison, he opted for a brief respite, letting sleep claim him instead of fruitless anxiety.
"Thanks again, teacher," said Robert, squinting his eyes against the afternoon sun. He felt a profound sense of relief that the entire hospital and X-ray ordeal had finally come to an end. "I'll be heading to the hostel now." For the first time since he was taken to the hospital, he saw Miss Greene's face without anxiety and worry clouding his mind and couldn't help but admire this teacher of his. "Is she even supposed to be a teacher? I mean, look at her! She's more beautiful than any model I've seen on television." His thoughts raced. This was one of the rare instances he had the chance to see her up close and truly appreciate her beauty. "Just a kiss, just one kiss," His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp rebuke from Poison. "Kid, what's gotten into you?!"
"Alright, I'll speak with the principal," Miss Greene replied, turning to leave. However, she hesitated, her gaze returning to Robert with an emphatic expression. "You okay?" She asked with a tone filled with concern. After an assuring nod from Robert, she turned and continued towards the teachers' lodge. But as Robert watched her walk away, his thoughts began to wander.
"Look at those butt..."
"Robert!" Poison interrupted before he could finish uttering his words, "Just so you know, Miss Greene would never look at you the same way if she knew what you were thinking," his voice was full of conviction. "So it's best to keep your thoughts to yourself."
Robert ignored him and headed back to the hostel. When he entered the building, he noticed the dining hall was full of students eating lunch, but the dormitory was empty.
Realising just how weary he really was, Robert walked to his bed and sat on it, exhaling heavily. He glanced at Oliver's bed, but he was not there. But then, a cold breeze that could make a fire demon shiver blew across the room, and Oliver materialized right in front of him.
Robert immediately rose from his bed and reached out his hand, beaming with pride. "That was one hell of a fight!" he said, an ecstatic grin spread across his face.
But Oliver just stared at him with a stony expression, his face as blank as a mask. He made no move to shake Robert's hand. Instead, he pulled off his shirt, revealing a gruesome wound on his side that was clearly the result of a stab - Poison's rock spear.
"You did this," he said accusingly, his eyes boring into Robert's.
"Hey, Oliver, it wasn't my fault," Robert replied, trying to keep his tone calm and reasonable. "The fight was fair and square." He folded his hands, while preparing a rock dagger incase Oliver made a move.
Oliver's eyes narrowed, and his voice was like ice. "Two days to heal this wound. Unfortunately, I can't heal instantly unlike you. Don't you for a second think you can just walk away, like nothing happened." A menacing look crossed his face. "Cus I'll make you pay, Robert, one way or another." He then pointed at the wound, causing it to freeze.
Robert stared at him blankly.
"You must be super lucky to have survived that x-ray scan. No magic energy-bearing entity could have walked away from such a fate unscathed. But, no matter, I have something I need to ask you," Oliver continued, rubbing his wrist. He flashed a smile that made Robert uneasy. "I know we're not on the best of terms, but I've managed to convince Solomon to forget about hurting you for the time being. Honestly, I'm sick of it. Let's go out and get some food. We can use our abilities to sneak out, and probably steal a little something to eat. What do you say?"
Robert's heart sank. Oliver was clearly up to something, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
"I can read Solomon's mind, Robert. He's got no ulterior motives. And I agree with the kid, we missed lunch and I'm starving. Just a bit of food would do, and we'll only take a little from any shop. Nothing to be missed, just a small amount," Poison said, sounding like he needed food. Why not take the opportunity to bury the hatchet with Solomon?
"Alright, just a little petty theft, no hurting people, deal?" Robert said, extending his hand again.
"Deal," Oliver shook his hands. "When do we leave?"
"During siesta."
The afternoon sun shone brightly as the students filed back from lunch, their voices ringing out in boisterous conversations. Robert lay on his bed, waiting for the hostel to get quiet and the other students to fall asleep so he could sneak out unnoticed with Oliver. Amidst the bustling activity, Robert mentally reached out to Poison.
"So, if this Ancestor seal thing is real, why aren't you pushing me find it?" he thought. "It kinda validates my doubts, don't you think?"
"Kid, the Ancestor seal isn't something you casually search for..."
Two figures suddenly entered his corner. He sat up immediately.
"Robert! I thought I'd never see you again!" Dora exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. Robert returned the embrace, but noticed that Vanessa was standing nearby, her expression unreadable.
He smiled at her and gave her a handshake, a gesture that was lost on the other students, who were still chatting amongst themselves. Some of them were asleep, while others engaged in more intimate activities.
"You'll always see me, Dora. Always." Robert assured gently. She wiped her tears away and looked at him, her eyes filled with relief.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yes, really," he said, his voice firm and reassuring.
Just then, Zarie's voice rang out from his bed, which was close to a window. "Hey guys, Mr. Bouse is on his way here!"
It all happened within three seconds.
The hostel went completely silent. Even the fake snores of the other students fell away. Robert looked around for Vanessa, but she was nowhere to be seen. Only he and Dora stood, surrounded by occupied beds.
"What do I do?" Dora whispered, her voice shaking with fear. "If Mr. Bouse catches me awake, he'll make me work in the dining hall all weekend!"
"Don't worry," Robert whispered back. "Just lie down on my bed and pretend to sleep."
"But where are you going to stay?" Dora asked, her eyes wide with worry.
"Just lay down," Robert said in a low voice, gesturing towards his bed.
Oliver sat up in his bed, a knowing smirk on his face. He knew that Poison's powers would help Robert avoid Mr. Bouse without any trouble. Having powers gives one an advantage over everyone, he could tell that Robert was going to evade the teacher effortlessly.
Dora was flabbergasted as she watched him leave the hostel. Was Robert crazy? That's Mr Bouse; the harshest teacher in the entire school. What was he even thinking?