"Damnit, Oliver!" Robert shrieked telepathically in his sand form as they approached ground level. "Juniors - playing in the field!" They intended to settle there since it was almost dark, but they noticed a group of students tossing a ball around.
Oliver's mind raced. "How about the hostel?" He asked urgently.
"Bad idea," Robert responded, his 'eyes' scanning their surroundings. "Everyone's getting ready for prep; someone's bound to see us." He caught sight of the teachers lodge and he realized that it could be the only place they'd be able settle and return to their original forms without being seen.
"Oliver!" Robert yelled. "The teacher's lodge!"
"You're kidding, right?"
"It's better than floating around here in this form for so long that you begin to get that faint and woozy feeling." Robert spluttered, his 'mind voice' rising in pitch. "Go, now!"
The cluster of snowflakes and dust particles hurried towards the teacher's lodge. The building was large and stately, and it housed most of the teachers. It was separated from the school by a large brown gate.
They scanned the building, searching for an entry point. Perhaps, because it was nearly nighttime, all of the windows were closed, except for an inconspicuous one near the corner of the building.
"Oliver, that window over there," Robert suggested.
Oliver's "Alright" belied his hesitation.
The clouds of ice and sand particles slipped through the open window and into a dimly lit dark-blue painted bedroom, where they immediately changed back into their normal forms.
"The question now is how the hell do we get outta here?" Oliver said, his calm voice tinged with panic as he looked outside the window. The sun had already set, and the electric lights from the hostels shone brightly, lighting up its vicinity and revealing the students moving about. Suddenly, the sound of gentle footsteps from behind the door caught the boys' attention, and their hearts began to pound.
"What do we do?" Robert hissed, wide-eyed.
"You turn invisible," Oliver said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'll change into the wind and blow away. I'll find a place to change back, probably the bathroom. I'm sure you can work your way around this." He turned towards the window. "See you in a bit."
And with that, he transformed into a gust of wind and vanished.
As soon as he left, Robert felt a wave of frustration and tension wash over him. "Why don't you have a better elemental affinity like Wind?" He grumbled at Poison.
Oliver's ability to change into the wind meant that he could travel anywhere without being noticed. But it was a different case for Robert, as his sand form was conspicuous and posed a risk of detection. A curious student might see a patch of sand floating through the air and follow it, wondering where it was leading. Maybe it was taking them to a hidden treasure! But the more likely scenario was that he would be discovered.
"If you understood the true power of the Earth element, you wouldn't be so dismissive," Poison retorted, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You know that there's an entire planet out there named after it, right?"
"Who in their right mind would name a planet after an element?" Robert scoffed. "I can't imagine how idiotic the aliens who live there must be."
"Well, they're not very different from us - they speak similar languages, eat similar foods, play similar games, but they've only got one moon, it's so weird," Poison said, stifling a laugh.
"Poison, focus! I need a solution, not your made up stories!" Robert whispered with clenched teeth.
Poison chuckled. "I didn't make that up, kid. I've been there," he replied frankly. "But my point is that typically, self-healing is exclusive to Light wizards, and invisibility to Shadow wizards. However, my God-level Earth magic grants you these abilities... and many others, which an ordinary Earth wizard could only dream of. So, instead of criticizing something you don't understand, you should focus on how we're going to evade the teacher who lives here."
One word dominated Robert's thoughts as Poison fell silent. "Invisibility... Why didn't I think about that before we entered here," he lamented, lightly smacking his forehead.
"No need to beat yourself up," came Poison's reply, his tone filled with mock sympathy. "Oliver only remembered he could elemental morph into the wind after you two were already in."
"Who's in a better situation now?!" Robert snapped.
Poison's voice suddenly became urgent. "Cool it, she's about to enter!"
Robert's eyes widened. "She?"
The sound of footsteps grew louder. Robert immediately became invisible.
Heart pounding, Robert remained in his invisible state and moved to a corner of the room, beside the bed, where he thought the teacher who lived there was least likely to go. He stood as still as possible. Though he would remain invisible even if someone accidentally bumped into him, the physical contact would definitely betray his presence.
"Just avoid her, like you did with Mr. Bouse," Poison advised.
"Alright, but I need her to leave the room first, or she'll bump into me," Robert said, breathless. He tried his best to stand as still as possible.
He held his breath as the footsteps grew louder and louder and then...
Well, there was no then.
The door was swung open and to the suprise of both ancestor and posterity, Miss Greene walked into the room with a towel draped around her body, barely covering her chest and her beautiful legs. Her toned laps were fully exposed and the soft glow of the dim lights in the room accentuated her tender and alluring skin.
"What the HELL?!" Robert and Poison thought at the same time, but the next thing that happened almost shocked the wits out of them.
Miss Greene suddenly gazed with shock at the wall Robert was standing close to in his invisible state, her eyes lingering on him for a split second.
Robert felt his head spinning.
"Can she see me?" he thought, panic rising in his chest.
"I'm not so sure about that, unless she's a powerful Shadow wizard which I don't think she is," Poison replied, "Only Shadow wizards can see invisible things."
Robert noticed movement from the corner of his eyes and to his and Poison's relief, they realized that Miss Greene was actually looking at a gecko crawling on the wall beside them.
Miss Greene casually took off the towel and began drying her hair, making Robert to almost pass out. Robert's breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened in shock. The last thing he ever expected to happened was to see Miss Greene without any clothes on. It was an opportunity most of the boys in the school would give anything for. Her skin was smooth and glowing, not too light but not too dark either, and her curves were... well, Robert couldn't help but feel flustered. Not to mention she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, even when she was fully dressed.
As Robert's mind wandered, Miss Greene quietly went about her routine, drying her hair, dressing, and departing the room.
Robert stood transfixed, until Poison's voice broke into his thoughts.
"Robert!" He called out, snapping Robert out of his trance. "C'mon, kid, we've got to get going."
Robert blinked, regaining focus. "Oh, right."
Poison let out a soft chuckle. "You've really got a thing for that teacher, huh?" He asked, a note of pity in his voice. He knew that Robert's fantasies would never come to fruition.
"Who wouldn't? Didn't you see her?!" Robert gushed.
"Robert, we should go," Poison said, attempting to divert Robert's attention.
"Right, right," Robert said, collecting himself. Transforming into a cloud of fine sand, he floated toward the large, brown gate separating the teachers' lodge from the hostel. There, hidden from view, he changed back to his normal form.
The moment Robert left, Miss Greene's bedroom door creaked open, and she stepped inside with measured caution. Her eyes scanned the room carefully, digesting every detail. Satisfied, she settled onto the bed, wonder etched on her face. "Predictable," she said, her face relaxing into a warm smile. "He's possessed by an Ancestor soul - what else could I expect?" A low chuckle escaped her. "I don't mind feeding into his fantasies - but he's still so young." With a flick of her wrist, a duplicate of herself appeared and began tidying the room.
Robert burst into the boys' hostel, his mind ablaze with excitement, barely taking in the activities of the other students. His feet seemed to bounce with each step as he made a beeline for Oliver's bed, where Oliver was organizing the books he needed for prep.
"Oliver, you won't believe what I just saw!" he blurted out. Within seconds, he narrated his run-in with Miss Greene. But Oliver just looked at him without much interest, and replied, "Robert, just because we formed a temporary alliance today doesn't mean Xolomon would quit trying to get rid of you. For now, I'll keep asking him to give you a break. Don't get too comfortable though - you'd better watch your back."
"What? Is that all you have to say about my amazing experience?" Robert asked, more annoyed than shocked.
"Ladies have never been my affair." Oliver said dryly.
Robert snorted, "Fine," he said as he stood up to leave, "I'll see you around. I suggest you get yourself a girlfriend, might mellow you out a bit. But remember, safety first." With a wink and a playful jab, Robert walked off.
"Rascal!" Oliver murmured, shaking his head.
Robert collapsed onto his bed, releasing a deep sigh as the weight of the day's events threatened to overwhelm him. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, the memories replaying in rapid succession: the hospital showdown with Xolomon, the Plant wizard encounter, Manhawk's fire ball as well as his beasts, and the event at Miss Greene's apartment. But before he could fully process it all, his eyes landed on his gold wristwatch, gleaming on his reading table. Suddenly, time snapped back into focus. With only two minutes until prep, Robert's relaxation turned to urgency; he swiftly picked up his history textbook and scanned his reading table for relevant study materials. As he turned to leave the hostel, he nearly bumped into Dora, who was standing only a few inches away from him. They were so close, they almost kissed.
"Where have you been?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with concern. "I've been so worried about you!"
"I'm so sorry," Robert replied. "Mr. Bouse made me mow the lawn at the teacher's lodge." Of course, that was a lie. Poison had just made it up on the spot!
Dora's expression softened. "Oh," she said with realisation, her gaze dropping. "I'm so sorry, that was all my fault, I should've..."
Robert cut in. "It's okay, I'm alright," a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes, and his lips curled into a playful smile. "But if you want to make it up to me, a lap dance would suffice."
Dora's hand connected with his chest, a gentle tap. "You're such a jerk," she whispered, her voice laced with amusement.
Just then, the bell rang, echoing like church bells through the school.
"Time for me to leave," Dora said softly, her lips brushing against his cheek in a gentle kiss. "I love you," she added, before swiftly turning and dashing out of the dorm.
The hallways buzzed with activity as students made their way out of the hostel, heading to their classrooms for the evening prep while exchanging lively conversations and laughter.
With his history textbook in hand, Robert departed the hostel. As he walked across the school grounds, memories of his hospital return flooded back. He recalled the warmth of Dora's embrace, and Vanessa's discreet gesture – a silent invitation to join her for a study session during the evening prep.
"Study?" Poison guffawed sarcastically. "Yeah, right, that's all she's thinking about!"