As they walked to Academy , Takahishi couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach. He kept glancing at Niski, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Niski, were you really going to kill Crinix that day, when you fought with him? ." he asked, his voice low and cautious.
Niski's smile was unsettling, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Yeah," he replied, his voice dripping with nonchalance.
Takahishi's eyes widened in shock, his feet faltering as he stopped walking. "Huh? You really were, but why?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Niski's grin grew wider, his eyebrows narrowing as he whispered, "Well, killing people is fun."
Takahishi's skin crawled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. "Wh-what's so fun about killing people?" he stammered, his eyes fixed on Niski's unsettling smile.
Niski's chuckle was low and menacing, his eyes glinting with a sinister light. "The screams," he whispered, his voice sending shivers down Takahishi's spine.
Takahishi's eyes darted to Crinix, who was watching the exchange with a neutral expression. "Huh, what the heck? Crinix, I don't trust this guy," Takahishi snarled, his voice laced with unease.
Niski's laughter was unsettling, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm just messing with you, relax. You guys are now my buddies, so I won't kill you," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
As they approached the school building, Takahishi's unease grew. He couldn't shake off the feeling that Niski was hiding something, that his smile was just a facade for something darker.
As they entered the classroom, Shizuki's voice rang out, "You boys are late, go quickly sit down so that we can begin our lesson."
The three of them made their way to the back row, Niski's presence seeming to fill the space around them. Takahishi's eyes darted to Crinix, who was watching him with a reassuring expression.
As Shizuki began to explain the day's lesson, Takahishi's attention was drawn to the box on the table. "Today we are going to be doing a practical, and I hope all of you are ready," Shizuki said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
As she opened the box, a collective gasp filled the room. Inside, a collection of lamps t. "Today, all of you are going to perform an incantation, this will teach you to release your soul energy " Shizuki explained, her hands moving with a practiced ease.
Shizuki's eyes sparkled with excitement as she placed her lamp on the desk. "The incantation I'm going to teach you is simple. You see those lamps in front of you? You're going to light them up."
The students exchanged skeptical glances, their faces scrunched up in confusion. "Huh? How are we supposed to light them up? You don't have matches," one of the students asked, his eyes narrowing at the lamp.
Shizuki chuckled, a low, throaty sound. "Well, you won't need a matchstick to light this lamp. All you need are the right words. Now, watch closely as I perform this incantation."
She placed her hand on the lamp, her fingers splayed across its surface. Her eyes closed, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Light in the darkness, shine before me."
The air in the room seemed to vibrate with anticipation, the students holding their collective breath. Suddenly, a gust of wind stirred through the room, rustling the papers on the desks. The lamp on Shizuki's desk flickered to life, a warm, orange glow emanating from within.
The students gasped in unison, their eyes fixed on the lamp in wonder. Shizuki's eyes snapped open, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. "Now that you've seen me perform this incantation, it's your turn to light your lamps."
She paused, her eyes scanning the room. "Listen carefully to the incantation words, because I'm not going to repeat them."
The students leaned forward, their eyes fixed intently on Shizuki. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her eyes narrowing as she muttered the incantation once more.
The students began to recite the words, their voices barely above a whisper. Some of them managed to coax a dim light from their lamps, while others struggled to produce even a flicker.
Takahishi watched his classmates with a mixture of fascination and frustration. He turned to Crinix, who was sitting beside him, his eyes fixed on the lamp in front of him.
"Hey Crinix, are you going to try it or what?" Takahishi asked, his voice low and encouraging.
Crinix turned to him, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Well, I guess I should try it."
Niski, who was sitting on the other side of Takahishi, let out a whoop of excitement. "Hey, check it out, guys! I did it!"
Takahishi and Crinix turned to him, their eyes widening in surprise. Niski's lamp was glowing brightly, the light casting eerie shadows on his face.
Takahishi's eyes narrowed, a spark of competitiveness igniting within him. "Wow, that's cool. How did you do that?"
Niski grinned, his eyes glinting with amusement. "It's easy. Why don't you guys give it a try?"
Crinix took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the lamp in front of him. "Light in the darkness, shine before me," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
The lamp on his desk flickered to life, the light growing brighter and brighter until it was like a small sun. But then, in an instant, the lamp exploded, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.
The students gasped in shock, their eyes fixed on the wreckage of Crinix's lamp. Shizuki shook her head, a disappointed expression on her face.
"You focused too much power on the lamp, which caused it to explode," she explained, her voice firm but gentle. "Take note that if you use too much of your soul energy, the lamp will explode, and if you have little soul energy, the lamp will never light."
The students nodded, their faces somber. Takahishi turned to Crinix, his eyes wide with concern. "Man, you scared the hell out of me!"
Niski chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Yo, why don't you give it a try too, Takahishi?"
Takahishi's eyes narrowed, a spark of determination igniting within him. He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the lamp in front of him.
Takahishi took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the lamp in front of him. "Well, here goes nothing," he murmured, his voice laced with a hint of skepticism.
He closed his eyes, his face scrunched up in concentration. "Light in the darkness, shine before me," he muttered, his voice rising and falling in a dramatic cadence.
As he opened his eyes, a look of expectation crossed his face. The lamp in front of him flickered to life, a dim light slowly growing in intensity. Takahishi's face lit up with a triumphant grin, but his excitement was short-lived.
The light began to grow brighter, illuminating Takahishi's face with an eerie glow. Suddenly, the lamp started to emit a strange, pulsating light, like a disco ball spinning out of control. Takahishi's eyes widened in surprise, his face frozen in a comical expression.
The light grew brighter and brighter, until it was like a small sun exploding on the desk. The students around him shielded their eyes, wincing at the intense light.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the light flickered out, plunging the room into darkness. Takahishi's face fell, his grin replaced by a look of disappointment.
"Huh, what just happened?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion.
Niski turned to him, a look of disappointment etched on his face. "You have no talent at all," he said, shaking his head.
Takahishi's face fell, but he quickly rebounded. "At least I tried," he said, his voice laced with defiance.
Niski snorted, his eyes rolling heavenward. "Take a look around, you guys are the only ones who couldn't light your lamps," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Takahishi's eyes scanned the room, his face falling as he realized that Niski was right. Everyone else had managed to light their lamps, except for him and Crinix.
Shizuki's voice cut through the silence, her eyes scanning the room with a warm smile. "To those of you who managed to light your lamps, I am proud of you. And to those of you who tried, I say keep on trying."
She gathered her books and headed for the door, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'm afraid this is where our lesson for today ends. I was going to show you all another incantation, but I doubt that some of you will be able to perform it. So for now, go get some rest."
The room erupted into a flurry of activity as the students began to pack up their things. Niski stood up, his eyes glinting with amusement as he turned to Crinix and Takahishi.
"See ya tomorrow, guys. I'm heading off now," he said, waving his hand in a casual goodbye.
Crinix waved back, his eyes fixed on Niski's retreating back. Takahishi just rolled his eyes, his face still flushed with embarrassment.
As they filed out of the classroom, Takahishi turned to Crinix and grinned. "Well, that was a disaster."
Crinix chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Yeah, but at least you tried."
Takahishi's grin faltered, his face falling into a comical expression. "Yeah, and I almost blinded everyone in the process."
With that Crinix and Takahishi rose up and left the classroom.