Chapter 2 : Strange Encounter

"Meow~!"

"...?"

I stared blankly at the cat in front of me, unsure of what to make of the situation. 

One moment, the space in front of me was empty. The next, a four-legged creature had appeared as if conjured from thin air. Normally, I'd find this situation hard to believe. However, considering all the recent events that have happened, this was on the milder side. 

"It's nice to finally meet you!" it said cheerfully—wagging its tail in a playful manner. 

"Are you my... AETHERIS...?" I questioned, slowly inching towards it with curiosity and caution. 

The cat aggressively shook its head up and down before breaking into a smile.

"That's correct!" it said, "And you can address me however you like!"

"..."

Silence.

I took a moment to consider what to say next. I could either: give the cat a suitable name, or ask for the context for my current situation. Unfortunately, I let curiosity take over and chose the third option.

"Anything?" I asked.

The cat nodded, still smiling patiently.

"Can I address you as "Supreme Overlord Galaxy Annihilator Meowington the Third, Destroyer of Worlds and Occasional Nap Enthusiast?" I inquired with a smirk, barely suppressing a giggle.

The cat's smile immediately disappeared and its bottom jaw dropped dramatically as its eyes widened with disbelief. 

"Uhm...I suppose if that's what you want...yes..?" the cat replied, holding back tears—was it sadness or embarrassment? I couldn't tell.

I forced out a few coughs to compose myself before uttering any more childish remarks. 

"Never mind, I think that name's a bit long," I reassured, shaking my head, "How about Nora?"

The cat's eyes lit up and a wide smile gradually formed on their face. 

"I love it!" squealed Nora as she pounced around the room clumsily before landing gently on top of my shoulders.

"I forgot to ask, but what's your name?" Nora asked.

"Elysia, just call me Elysia," I replied politely while smiling, "So-"

"Yes, this is the past," Nora replied instantly, "and yes, you have awakened your powers." 

"How did you know-"

"Both AETHERIS and Aeons are connected through the mind, you see!" explained Nora, "So neither have to say anything aloud just to get a message across."

"Minds...."

Before I could press any further, a stampede could be heard coming from the hallway. 

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Before I knew it, the view through the windows was blocked by a crowd of students—all with eager faces. 

"?"

"???"

"What's going on?" I whispered to myself, confused. 

I waited until the crowd died down a bit before stepping closer to the door and exiting the room. Immediately, I saw a huge clump of students in the hallway, all gawking and gossiping in front of a room. 

I pushed my way through the crowd with much effort while Nora easily warped through the bodies of each student. What I saw made me doubt everything. Was my memory playing tricks on me?

In front of me were two students: one I recognised, and the other I didn't. The boy on the left had dark brown hair, deep green eyes with a hint of blue and skin as smooth as glass. Seeing those eyes again reminded me of a lake—surrounded with trees and adorned with flowers. His face gave off a soft glow, sweet and innocent. The one on the right however...it was almost as if there was a mirror in front of them—an inverted reflection of the other.

He had black, messy hair, long enough to reach his neck, but not enough to be put up. Looking into his eyes was almost the equivalent of staring into a black hole—cold, consuming and endless. Something about him unsettled me, not just the way he carried himself, but the sheer weight of his presence. It was like standing too close to the edge of a deep, dark lake, knowing that if I fell in, I might never reach the surface again. He wasn't just angry. No, there was something deeper behind that glare, something fractured. Dangerous.

At this point, you might be wondering what the fuss was all about. I mean, what was so interesting about these two boys in the first place, right? Well, perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they were at each other's neck.

Yep, that's right. They were in a fight. The most surprising part for me was that the brown-haired one was my class representative. Not only was he popular, but he also wasn't the type of person to be found in a fight. The fact that I could see him in front of me in a defensive stance was already taking a toll on my perception of the past. 

"Don't try to act innocent!" said the black-haired boy, his face full of fury as he violently threw the chair beside him. Everyone flinched at the loud sound of its metal frame clanging on the floor—the reverberations ringing painfully in our ears. 

He balled his hands into a tight knot and lunged toward the class representative. 

However, before I could do anything, I was startled by the moaning of a very impatient cat.

"Elysiaah...I'm bored!!" complained Nora as she began drooping lazily on my shoulder. 

I was about to ask her to be quiet until the black-haired boy suddenly tripped over what seemed like nothing. FACE FIRST.

Everyone was stunned—including me. Did he just... trip over thin air? That didn't seem right. My gaze flickered to Nora, but she was still lounging lazily on my shoulder, blinking innocently. No way. Was that just bad luck, or…?

Even the representative who was about to get hit was shocked. However, being the nice, forgiving man that he was, he extended a hand towards the other- who was now trying to get up to his knees. 

"As expected of the class rep! Always thinking of others," praised one of the students in the crowd. 

Hearing this clearly agitated the black-haired boy as he cruelly smacked the hand aside, turning his head during the process—unable to look him in the eyes.

He eventually pushed himself back onto his feet and headed towards the now very clogged exit. 

Shove after shove, he forced his way through the crowd. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, his eyes briefly met mine...

Wait... no. Now that I think about it, his gaze wasn't on me at all. It barely lingered before shifting away, but in that brief moment, he had looked at Nora. My AETHERIS. And there was something there—recognition. It wasn't shock or surprise, just a fleeting acknowledgment, like seeing something familiar where it shouldn't be. Then, just as quickly, he looked away, as if it had never happened. But I saw it. And I couldn't ignore it.

I didn't want to believe it… 

There was no way he was an Aeon too!