Chapter 8

After winning the game, Ethan became quite popular at school. Every student recognized him as the champion who ended Stephan's reign.

Girls offered to sit with him at the cafeteria, boys greeted him with a friendly "what up bro" whenever he walked by, and he even received invitations to secret night dorm parties.

However, he didn't really enjoy these things. Andrew, on the other hand, loved attending the secret night parties. He was always the one coercing Ethan into going with him.

One day, Ethan was in their room, studying from the fairy book when a white envelope swooped in from under the door. Surprised, he rushed to the door, but there was no one there. He opened the letter and discovered that he had been invited to a party.

The invitation specified that the password to enter was to go to dorm number 143 and chant (Ostende viam) at the door.

Andrew came out from the shower "what do you have there"Andrew asked

Ethan immediately hid the envelope behind his back " No no nothing" he Stammer

Andrew slowly walked towards him and locked his eyes at Ethan as he stares directly into Ethan's eyes he then snap the envelope from behind Ethan and read what's written in it aloud "OMG this is going to be the best party everrrrrrr we must go" Andrew said with a big smile on is face"

Ethan sighed "No am not I need to study"

Andrew groan "Why do you always do this man, if you are invited to a party it means you must go and plus you are probably the guest of honor there"

Reluctantly, Ethan agreed to go, mainly to please Andrew. They found the designated dorm and say the chant.

As they opened the door, they were transported to a party that resembled a lavish mansion's decorative night club.

The size of the party left them speechless, and students were drinking and laughing all around.

As Ethan arrived, everyone welcomed him and showered him with attention. Andrew blended in with the rest of the students, while Ethan sat alone on the stairs, observing everyone having the time of their lives.

A girl approached him and offered him a drink, curious why the newest champion of the Century Academy was sitting alone.

Ethan smiled and replied, "Well, sometimes everyone just needs some time alone."

The girl insisted he join her for a dance, and although hesitant, Ethan agreed.

They started dancing, and just as suddenly, time halted. There was no movement, and everything was frozen. It turned out a student named Alex had an extraordinary power to control time he has a clock tattoo they can rotate to whenever in time he likes to go. He walked freely, eating cherries from the table and taking a cup from someone's hands.

He sat down and unfroze time, and everything resumed as normal. The person who had been holding the cup looked around with bewilderment, realizing the cup had vanished from their hands.

They spotted Alex sitting on a chair and approached him, demanding an explanation for his presence.

The conversation escalated into an argument and eventually turned into a fight. With no other choice, the party had to be abruptly ended.

As everyone exited, they were met with Mr. Hangrave,

Mr. Hangrave was known for his strict demeanor and no-nonsense approach to discipline. So when he found out that some of the students had sneaked out to a secret party, he was furious.

"This behavior is unacceptable!" he roared, his face turning red with anger. "As a punishment, you will clean the entire school environment for a whole week!" The students, though disapproving of the harsh consequence, knew they had little choice but to comply.

They grumbled among themselves, feeling the weight of their mistake. Ethan was particularly upset, feeling that Andrew had forced him to go to the party against his will. "You know I hate breaking the rules," Ethan accused, his voice betraying his anger as they returned to their room. "This is all your fault, Andrew!"

Andrew, feeling the heat of Ethan's blame, retaliated. "Don't put this on me, Ethan! You're just as responsible as I am. We both made a mistake, so stop acting like it's all my doing!"

Their argument grew more intense as the night drew on, their anger fueling their words. Eventually, exhausted from the verbal clash, both friends went to bed, still simmering with anger and resentment.

As the sun rose the next morning, the students embarked on their punishment, gathering their cleaning supplies and heading out to restore the cleanliness of their school. Ethan silently resolved to focus on his task and leave the place as soon as possible.

As Ethan diligently scraped gum off the bench, his mind wandered towards the events of the previous night. Just as he was lost in thought,

Sofia, walked by, unable to contain her mischievous grin. "So, Ethan, how was the party last night?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with playful curiosity.

Ethan's lips curled into a half-smile as he returned her gaze. "It was lit... until it wasn't," he replied, a tinge of regret evident in his voice.

Sofia chuckled, understanding the complexities of their situation. "Well, I hope you can find some enjoyment in cleaning up," she teased, before continuing her walk down the corridor. "If you're done, meet me at the cafeteria later." With a nod and a knowing smile, Ethan signaled his agreement.

He watched Sofia disappear around the corner before resuming his task, his determination renewed. Ethan walked past Andrew, choosing not to address him just yet.

Ethan went up to his room, feeling exhausted after spending the entire day cleaning up the school

As he entered his room, he smiled, undress, preparing take a shower and then meet Sofia at the cafeteria. Ethan stepped into the bathroom and let the warm water wash away the fatigue from his body., as he was showering he heard a strange sound coming from within the room. It was a faint noise, as if something had been dropped.

Ethan was momentarily confused but quickly attributed it to his Andrew. He assumed that Andrew must have returned while he was in the bathroom and dropped something by accident.

As Ethan finished his shower and wrapped a towel around himself, coming out of the shower, he noticed something odd.

His bed sheets were strangely twisted and placed in the wrong direction. Although he had left them neatly arranged, he dismissed it as Andrew's doing. Brushing off the peculiar occurrence,

Ethan quickly changed into fresh clothes and hurried to the cafeteria, where Sofia was already waiting for him, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Hey there, Mr. Cleaning Man," teased Sofia, a playful glint in her eyes. Ethan rolled his eyes, knowing she was referring to his punishment earlier in the day.

However, he couldn't help but smile at her mischievous banter. The conversation flowed easily between them as they enjoyed their coffees. Suddenly, Andrew walked in, catching Sofia's attention. She arched an eyebrow and inquired, "What's going on between you and your roommate? I noticed you guys seem a bit distant."

"We had a little argument about last night," Ethan replied, not eager to delve into the details. "Things escalated, and it turned into a fight. I really don't want to talk about it."

Sofia sighed, looking concerned. "Well, you two better work it out. You both seem so lonely without each other, especially him," she said, pointing at Andrew as he left the cafeteria.

Ethan glanced back and saw Andrew walking up the dorm stairs . It was at that moment that he realized something was amiss. Without wasting any time, Ethan abruptly stood up and said, "Hey, I need to go check something in my room." Sofia, sensing the urgency in his voice, grabbed her bag and hastily followed him. "Wait up!" she called out.

Ethan walked in and asked Andrew, "Have you entered before?" Andrew looked surprised as he shook his head no. Sophia walked in on the scene and saw Ethan with a worried face. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

Ethan explained, "When I was having my bath earlier, I heard someone enter my room. When I came out, my bed was disorganized. My first thought was that it was Andrew, maybe he was looking for something. But now Andrew said he is just coming in, so that means someone was here before."

Sofia asked him if anything was missing. He said no but then stopped and looked so centered as he realized that he left the magical book that Sophia gave him on the bed before, but now it was gone. He suddenly searched under the bed to check if it was there, but it was nowhere to be found.

Sofia started panicking, telling Ethan, "I told you to be very careful with it! The book is not something you just put on the bed!"

Andrew, was filled with a mix of worry " Then, Sofia remembered that she saw Alex walking suspiciously earlier from the boys' dormitory.