Painkillers

Painkillers 

I walked through the hallway quickly. I already late for my first class. Every step that I took echoed throughout the golden hallway. Of course it was gold, I was in Woollim Academy. The richest school on earth. The one and only one place where mages all around the world being trained before we can become agents. The only job that mages can use their magic in normal world because our involvement were kept as secret.  

"Sorry I'm late." I said as I entered my class. 

"It's okay, AE007. As long as you won't do it again."  

"I won't." I replied before I went to my seat. 

I heard people began whispering to each other. I knew why. It because of my code number. We don't use our real name here. No age, no parents name, no history, nothing at all. It was to keep our secret save as mages, also as agents. Trainers usually will use nicknames; lizard, zipper or anything funny and shameful to call us. But none of the trainers ever gave me a nickname, every one of them remembered my code. 

Faggot. 

Unfortunately, that was my new nickname I got among the trainees. Bullies were highly constricted in here. Those who got caught doing it got expelled from this academy. So the bullies adapt to the laws. They no longer touch their victims. Instead of wounds on your body, they wounded your heart by their words. 

I got goosebumps all over me. I could felt someone was boring a hole on my back. I did not need to looked back to know who was it. From the stare alone, I could justify who it belonged to. But I didn't care anymore. I couldn't. I already used to it. Most of them just thought that I was born just to be hated. 

"AE007, I expect to see you in my office before lunch. Okay, class dismissed." Just before the trainer ended our class, he announced. 

I just knew that I had passed the only two hours of my happiest moment that day. The murmurs from class can be heard again. They started using their dirty mind to imagine what I would done in the trainer's office –the thing that I surely never done. I quickly shoved my belongings into my bag and exited that  hall. Or I would said hell. 

When I entered the avenue for my next class, most of my classmates stared at me as I walked passed them. I could clearly saw the guys back there smirking. The girls were more mature and kind so most of them ignored me. Yes, at time like this, ignorance was the best I reaction could wish from them.  

"Tiny! Have a plan this lunch? Wanna hang out?" A voice asked and I felt a hand  on my right shoulder. 

Yes, Tiny. Nickname that I created for myself. It remained me how tiny I actually am every time I heard that. And of course he did not know that. He still thought that I took that name from DotA. He massage lightly my shoulder as he saw I did not respond to his question. Lowly, he asked in hushed tone that I was okay or not. 

His concerned filled eyes looking at me got me out of breath. At times, I found myself lose in the dark orbs of his. His gentle touch that still on my shoulder, the bright smile he always give me, the way he treated me, everything about him made me forgot that he just can never be mine. Right on cue, the seat beside him been occupied by a girl. 

His girlfriend. Yes, I forgot again. He was as straight as light traveled. He was the definition of straight line! 

"Nuh, I'm okay. And I can't hang out with you. I'm needed in my trainer's office before lunch." I said and that gain a snarl from his girlfriend. 

"Yeah, I bet you'll have another type of food for lunch today." She said and I saw her boyfriend's confused face. 

I looked passed him again to see her and I thought I saw she mouthed "cocksucker" at me. And I doubt I saw wrong. I clenched my fist to hold back my anger. He was still oblivious with what happened between us. Then I felt someone bored hole on my back again. She rolled her eyes when she looked passed my shoulder. And as her boyfriend did the same, his shoulder suddenly flopped down. 

I turned, and I saw him. He was the carnation of devil for guys like me. While his very existence attracted me like a magnet, his ice cold heart pushed me miles away from him. He approached the other two who were sitting beside me. He was their friend, along with me before. But now it was only the three of them. I no longer can be in the picture. 

"Lily, let's go." He demanded as he walked away. 

"Yup, right away. Tictac you too." She said before she followed him to the back. 

I sat there unmoved. It happened so many time before. I did not mind it anymore. He was not like Tictac. He, as cold as his nickname, Snow, just hate me after what happened last year. Not like everyone, he hate me more than I can even imagine. He hate me to the extent where he could not even be angry with me anymore. Just empty, plain feeling for me. Spending time to be angry at me just wasting his time and energy. I wanted to say that he ignored me but that also did not sound right, because for him I'm no longer existed.  

How can you ignore something that did not exist at the first place? 

And so, as everyone gone for lunch, I walked to where the instructors' offices were. I knocked on the door with name plate No.1 and entered it after I heard No.1 called. As No.1 saw me, he asked me to sit in front of him before he told why he wanted to see me. It was because the highest mark he gave me for the last test. He used to give me high mark too for my last year test but nobody argue about it. 

But since the rumors about me being his favorite student spread, that made the higher ups came to check on him. To determine whether I deserved that mark or not. So after he explained more about this guy who will testing me again, he took me to the empty room where only a table and two chair available. I saw a man sat behind the table, he was big –like a bear in tuxedo.  

No.1 asked me to sit in front of that bear and leave us there for my test to begin. That bear start asking me theories of magic, the steps to do one –which I found really stupid because seriously, that was the easiest part of magic. And he asked how I finished my mission on the test one. Then how I survived in test two –since test two was all about surviving. I answered everything smoothly and that made the bear smiled at me. 

"I guess there's no doubt that you're really smart. And your auras tell me enough how big your magic circuit is. I must say I'm impressed to see you're as good as I heard." He said and that made me furrowed my brows.  

He ended testing me and talked with No.1 for a while before he disappeared, and of course after he winked at me. I then asked No.1 about what he said to me just now and he just shrugged. As he walked me back to his office, he asked me to go lunch with him. And  of course I agreed since the bill was on him. We walked to the café together and as he opened the door, he waited for me to enter first. He followed me in while he accidently rested his hand on my waist. 

I swear I could sensed everyone in the café already set their eyes on us while their mouth busy whispered some insult for me. Even No.1 was much older than me, I had to admit that he still a sexy and macho in his own way that made the rumor about him and me being together spread. And the fact that he was still single –due to his work that kept him busy and so secretive limited his love life, add some point to rumored us. 

"So, are you ready for test two? You would surprise me again with some ancient spells?" He said as soon as we seated after we finished ordered our meals. 

"No I'm not prepared. I just going to use my hiding skills." I answered, uncomfortable by his beaming smile. 

"Yeah, it's test two. The game of survival. I forgot that. Since two years ago when you first time used that spell, I keep looking forward for your test one to see you performed again." He said while his hand came resting on my right hand on the table. 

"I take that you don't want to see the result for my test this time." I said and gulped hardly as he pressed my hand before he spoke. 

"No. I just love to see how you fooled the others more. How you casted the spell in open but they were just too low to realize what you're doing. You're clearly in different level from them to still finished your secret mission without being caught. I should gave you full mark." He said and chuckled like he actually telling a joke –or he really was. 

"Plus, you're going to be evaluated by new trainers. So sad I can't joined the evaluation." He added as his thump caressed the back of my hand. 

Weird, I thought I saw sadness in his eyes. He was not joking when he said that, did he? I did not know him well to be really understand him, so I just ate my food in silence as he also did not seems to be in mood to talk anymore. We just let the murmurs around us filled the air instead of using our own voices.  

~~~~~ 

"Hey, Bond. How long you gonna read that book?" A voice disturbed my study so I closed the spelling book and turned to the source of the voice. 

"What's it?" I asked in annoyance. 

"You need to help me this time, James Bond." He said as he approached my study desk. 

Yeah, he was my roommate. The only guy who would called me James Bond for my code number. He showed me his phone and slumped on the chair next to me. I read the message he shown and devilish smirk formed on my lips. It was his message with his boyfriend who currently sulking with him because the other forgot his birthday. 

"Just tell him to postpone the party since test just around the corner." I said and he frowned at me.  

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Tiny. You're … Shit!" He cussed when suddenly his boyfriend called in the middle of his talk. 

He hurriedly answered and ran away from me. He threw his body on his bed while talking on the phone. I smiled looking at his priceless reaction, when the other asked why he did not call and apologized. They seems like a happy couple to me. Like they no longer in puppy love zone, instead they were like true love. Like they already found another piece of them.  

In between their lovey-dovey argument, I thought I heard they talked about the test. Something different about this test but I chose to ignore it and continued my study. I studied the hiding spells and other protection spells. I read almost everything that I found might be useful for me later on. When I finished studied, my roommate already slept.  

When I woke up that next morning, he was too happy because  his boyfriend already forgave him. Made me forgot to ask him about the what change on this test. It kept going like that so I kept forgetting to ask until it was the time for the test. I was in the examination hall when I was informed that the test will be different from our past test's syllabus and rules. We were going to do the test in team. There were marks for teamwork too!  

The team was not decided by us or the trainers, it was by fate. Those who were in the same realm as me considered as my team. We need to help each other and the lesser the student survived in my team, the lesser the mark I will get. There were 14 gate of different realm. Students need to choose their own gate and as for me, I chose the realm of darkness. That realm, my valuable reader, was my real world.  

I stood there alone, nobody other than me ever wanted to go inside that realm. I was excited at first that I did not having any team, so my teamwork mark will be full. but as time passed, I felt bitter. Students did not like me so they avoid that realm, I kept thinking that. So I self-hypnotized myself, thinking that realm actually responsible for all that. Students afraid of that realm instead of avoiding me. 

A siren sound echoed within the hall, followed by another one. I looked up and saw the red light on the light realm and water realm. It meant that gates was closing, the realms were already full. Soon, more gates were closing. it ended up with only four more gate exclude mine that were still available. I saw the last students who were unlucky, left in the middle of the hall, looking back and forth from one gate to another.  

It were Snow, Lily and Tictac. 

Lily and Tictac did not choose their gate by passed their turn to wait for Snow. Snow was complicated case. His code start with Z. I saw them walked towards me. There were also two other persons I did not know walked towards me. They probably the remaining students that have no other choice then to take my realm.  

"Go away, Tiny. I don't want to be in the same team as you." Snow said harshly as he stood in front of the gate. 

His words sting more painful than a frostbite did. I had been studying about this dark realm for years. I passed two years straight of these test by choosing this realm. And here, he wanted to chase me away and make me lose the chance of passing this test? No way! 

"Listen, dickhead. He was here first. Isn't it just right if you're the one who walked away from here if you don't want to be in his team?" A male spoke for me. 

I looked at him, it was the remaining student that chose this realm with my ex friends. He came together with a male who was hiding behind him. Then, I saw Snow annoyed expression.  

"I can't. Look at the others realm, only one person left for each gates. I'll lose my two supporters then." Snow explained. 

I understood what Snow tried to say. This realm was the only place where he can be in the same team with Lily and Tictac. They had their own formation after all. It would not be a problem for me to change realm since I was alone all the time. So I did what I thought was the best, I walked away. 

"Wait, Tiny. You need to stay." Unexpectedly, Tictac stopped me by held my wrist tightly. 

"What's wrong with you?" Snow asked angrily. 

"If we want to pass this test, we'll be needing him. He chose this realm for two continues year already. C'mon, Snow. Don't be over dramatic now, can't you?"  

"Fuck you, Tictac. Now you choose him over me? Fine! If that is your answer, go to hell with him. Let's go, Lily." Snow said before he stepped away but he stopped when he realized the Lily was not following him. 

But then he just walked away toward the sky realm, did not care if Lily did not join him. It was Tictac that he really wanted. They were too closed together, like brothers. I could clearly saw a hint of frustration inside Tictac's eyes due to Snow's harsh word towards him. And I was the one who responsible for their argument.  

"Dickhead." The male who defended me earlier said. 

That make Tictac stared at him. Yup, Tictas was angry as he heard someone bad talked about Snow. And I felt bad. We stood for about ten minutes more before a siren sounded, Snow already entered the sky realm. Then, the last siren heard, indicated that all the remaining gates will be closed and the test will soon began.  

Magic circles formed under each of us, blinding me with its white light. And then everything around us disappeared. We then were greeted by the dark cloudless sky and the dirty asphalt pathway. Yes, we were there, the realm of darkness. We were in the middle of an abandoned City. Place where the undead roamed.  

I looked around in alert. We still have time to hide, the creatures of the darkness realm still did not make their move yet. I called for my team to quickly hide behind those dirty building. We need tO keep moving, staying at one place was a big mistake candidates always done. The dark creatures will eventually found them.  

Passed the old buildings, we creeped on our way out from that place. We already split into two sub team, with Lily and Tictac on the other side. I was with both new males. As we were moving, eerie sound of heavy footsteps heard, revibrated throughout the bricks of those empty buildings. The thick air around us suffocated our lungs and I stopped walking. 

I swear I heard a horse neighed and its four horseshoes created an eerie sound when it walked. Fuck! It was that thing, the knight of death. I looked at where Tictac was. I afraid he did not realized what we were facing. He was at the opposite of my line, between the buildings on the other side of the road. God! I need to tell him before... 

And then it happened, that knight stopped walking.  

"Fuck!" I cussed in silence as I stopped too. 

I raised my hand high at the other two behind me to made them stopped and put my index finger in front of my lips. As the knight held his head that was on his hold high, his eyes darted around, searching for some movement. It been two minutes where I felt like two hours that knight had stopped to see around before he continued his walk. 

I sighed out my relief and began to walk again. It look like Tictac or Lily had figured it out, since no one got caught yet. That headless knight who held his head under his arm, was the thing that failed most of the students last year. Because those who did not know how it catches his prey were going to be caught by him. 

The other two behind me also did not know a thing about that knight. I knew it because they hesitated to walk when I started to walk earlier. They wanted to wait until that knight was away before they moved their muscles. So, I told them that knight not going to catch us because it only catches those who moved when he stopped. Mean that, we need to stop when he stopped and moved when he moved. 

We were probably miles away from that knight when we found a car. I checked its condition and found that it still can work well. So, I asked the other two to take a ride. The sound of its engine alert Lily and Tictac so they joined us as well. We drove away from that abandoned city though the road that then surround with thick forest. 

"Well, I'm glad I'm with one of school nerds. I'm Degu by the way." The man who stood for me against Snow before, introduce himself at me. 

"I'm Tiny. And they're Tictac and his girlfriend, Lily."  

"Nice to meet you. I'm Light. I'm a healer." The male that was silence all the time finally used his sweet voice. 

"Light? I don't think you belong here." I tried to joke around. 

Light was as beautiful as his nickname. He has dark hair and iris like Degu but is skin was slightly whiter than the other and it looked smooth like a silk, gave me the urge to lick it as I kept staring him. Degu was a bit tan and he has the asian look same as Light. They laughed at my joke and I saw Lily rolled her eyes through the rearview mirror.  

"My girlfriend and I are healers too. And Tiny is an attacker." 

"Oh! Great, I'm an attacker too." Degu said. 

 We were in the middle of knowing each other when suddenly a loud howl heard. It was really loud that we thought we could gone deaf hearing that. Everyone covered their ears with their palms while I only can raised my shoulder and frown since I was driving.  

"What the hell is that?" Lily asked when the howl stopped. 

I peeked through the side rear mirror, there was nothing behind us. I could only saw pitch black road we had passed by and the weird looking trees. I did not remember any howling monster in this realm before. Could it be that the trainers added more? Well, the syllabus can change. I glance at my watch, it only been 40 minutes we were here. We still need to survive for another two hours and 20 minutes more. 

I pressed on the gas pedal harder, increasing the speed as I felt uneasiness surround me. I peeked again at the side rear mirror and this time I saw it. It was an animal, no, a monster with fur as black as midnight sky. It was chasing us with high speed. That thing was huge, it probably 7 feet high. And as it got closer, we got a better sight of it. 

"Hell dog!" Five of us shouted when we saw that creature. 

With three head, its other physical just as same as a dog. The middle head has a pair of flaming crimson eyes, burning us inside out. The left head has creepy green eyes, brought the chills to our bones while the right head has a pair of glowing blue eyes. The saliva was drooling down from its mouth as their tongue were stuck out.  

"Faster, Tiny." Light urged me to drive faster than I already done. 

"Fuck! I can't. We'll crash if I go faster than this." I said but that only make them panic. 

That thing was still chasing after us, since we were its only target here. The distance between us and Cerberus was getting closer. Degu beside me was getting crazy so he tried to take control over the steering wheel when he found out that I cannot drive faster than that. I tried to blocked him because he was distracting me from the road but he did not give up. 

"Stop it, Degu. We don't have time to fight with each other." Lily shouted as she kept on looking between us and the dog. 

"I'm. Trying. To. Help." Degu said word by word through his clenched teeth as he kept distracting me. 

"You're not!" I yelled as I pushed his hands away from the steering.  

Somehow, I pushed too hard as he was still holding the steering, make the car turned to the right immediately. I stepped away from the gas pedal and break quickly. We stopped right in front of the Cerberus and they shouted when saw Cerberus tried to stomp on us. As Cerberus raised its front legs, I stepped on the gas hardly and drove into the forest.  

We escaped our neck threatening moment just in time. They were still shouting as I drove. The trees' branches make the windshield cracked and broke away the side mirrors. Our car broke down when I cannot avoid a tree and ended up smashed with it. My head hit the windshield upon the impact and I saw stars. 

Light hit the back of Degu's seat while Lily hit the back of my seat. Degu and Tictac were the unluckiest among us because they flew to the front side of the car through the windshield. A growl from a distant make me force my eyes open. With throbbing head, I exited the car. I heard Lily's cries and Light gasped but I cannot focus on them. My eyes were glued on the two unconscious male on the  hood. 

Lily walked passed me and went to get Tictac. I watched as I stood there. They took Degu and Tictac down from the hood and lie them down on the ground. Lily knelt beside Tictac and Light knelt beside Degu. They closed their eyes and silently chants the healing spells. The wounds on Degu and Tictac glowed and slowly, bit by bit of the wounds were healed. 

But that only the on the outside. The inner injuries were not healed yet. Lily used her next skill to heal him. She opened her magic circle under them and the white light it emitted being absorbed by Tictac. His head, shoulders and his back glowed. Slowly, Tictac Opened his eyes. She deactivated her magic as soon as he touched her cheek. 

Degu also was healed by Light but his injuries was a bit severe than Tictac's was so he still unable to stand on his own. Light help him up and put his arm on Light's nape. They wanted to run deeper into the forest but then they stopped when they realized I did not followed them. 

"Hurry up, Tiny. That dog is coming." Tictac called out for me. 

I quickly regained myself at that call. I ran to them and took Degu's arm above my nape and put my hand on his back to help him walked.  

"I'm sorry." I whispered at Degu and he just smiled. 

"You better be." Suddenly Lily said to me. 

I just lose my word heard that. Lily was not as aggressive like this before. She was mirroring Snow's attitude towards me. Maybe, after a year being so closed with Snow make his ice frost her heart too and make her words just as cold as his. But I did not mind it anymore. They can hate me as much as they wanted and I just did not care. 

"I... I can't run anymore, guys." A bit panting, Degu spoke. 

Tictac and Lily seems hesitant to answered him. Cerberus was still chasing us by the sound of the tree fell down miles behind us. So, having a rest was not really suitable right now. But I could saw how much Degu had suffered from his pain. I looked around us and then I saw, not far away from where we stood there was a cave. I suggested for us to stay there for a while for Degu's sake but Lily insisted on kept walking.  

"We don't have time to rest. That dog still chasing us!" She said in panic. 

"I know but look at him, he can't do this any longer. He need to rest. Can't you see it, he is in pain." I said, this time it was my turn to stand on Degu's side. 

"Yeah! Who's fault is it? If you know how to drive properly, he won't be in pain like this." She firing at me. 

"Stop it, Lil. It already happened. So just forget it and think about what we should do now." Tictac said to her, to all of us there. 

"You do it again, Tictac. Just now you chose him over Snow. And now you want to leave me? For him?" Lily now took this argument as personal. 

"Did you forget what he had done? To Snow? To us?" She asked when she saw Tictac still hesitated. 

"That has nothing to do with this. You don't need to mention the past here." I said and she stared at me, deadly. 

"Oh, you just don't want your new friends to know how bad you actually are, aren't you? Well, Light and Degu. For your information, Tiny backstabbed us during our final, last year with the help of our trainers. He give his body to them to get them help him failed us. He is a man-whore and a traitor!" 

I hate her. God! I hate her when she started saying about that. She done it on purpose. She just wanted to make everyone hate me just like she and Snow did. She wanted me to just ended up at asylum, being crazy after had to live alone for the rest of my life here. She then walked away while dragging Tictac with her. I turned Degu and Light also turned automatically, to walked towards the cave.   

She was being bithcy and all as we argued so we ended up split into two subgroups again. Light, Degu and I rested on the cave as the other two continued their walk. Light  began his healing session again and I activated my magic. I casted the spell of protection on Light and Degu before casted the cloaking spell. That will hide them from being discovered by dark creatures for a while. 

"She and that dickhead sure hate you a lot, huh?" Degu asked me before I could even sat next to him. 

"Yeah, you could say it like that." I said, my voice was shaking but I held back my tears. 

There was no use of crying over all this.  I already accepted the truth that no matter where I went, people will knew sooner or later about that. She had such a big mouth. Big enough to tell the whole academy about me. I looked at my side, to where Light was. He avoided my gaze when he saw I was looking at him. Yeah, great. Light probably hated me.  

We then sat there in silence. None of us wanted or knew what to talk anymore. After Degu was fully recover, where he can stood on his own, we began to walk. We followed the path where we really thought was the way the other two took. But as we were walking, we then found the corpse of our crashed car. Then it mean that we actually turning back to where we entered the forest. 

"Well, here we're again. So, how about we leave this forest? That dog must be wandering in the forest. I doubt it'll turn back." Degu said, suggested us to abandon the other two. 

"As you wish." I said happily. 

Degu just smiled and shook his head when he saw my reaction. He then put his hand on my shoulder as he walked beside me. We walked to exited the forest without turning back anymore. Even though I felt heavy to leave Tictac, somehow my anger toward Lily got the best of me. I was going to leave my humanity on line as I was leaving my friend with Cerberus –it not like they were dying for real anyway, but I stopped. 

In the dead silence of the dark realm, there was rustling sound heard from afar. It came from that thick forest. The sounds of barking from a dog and trees fell to the ground filled the air. Then, a loud and clear sound of Lily's scream reached our eardrums. And I just forgot how much I hate her or how much she hate me. Only one thing occupied my mind; it was my teamwork mark. 

Painkiller  

Part 1 

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