"Alright then, we'll discuss it tomorrow at Celis's house."
Returning home from school, Shintia sat on the sofa in the living room—bored by the eerie quiet, yet still anxious with thoughts of Celis.
"First he leaves me, then he makes me miserable all over again. Sigh... What am I supposed to do? The meeting is tomorrow. I have to figure out what we're going to discuss."
Shintia racked her brain to come up with the best decision. Torn and emotionally unstable, she began talking to herself without realizing it.
"Just let it go? No way. How can I stay in his house and just ignore the owner? Go after him? Chase what, exactly? There are no solid clues about where he went."
She only had two choices, and she carefully weighed the risks of each.
"Let him be or chase after him? If I go after him, what about school? I can't just drop out. But it just doesn't feel right living in someone else's house like this. I have to be self-aware."
Shintia smiled faintly, painfully aware that she was just a freeloader with no clear past, left with no choice but to accept her current reality.
Having no family or true friends deeply wounded her, she realized just how crucial a parent's role was for a child.
"Parents?"
Shintia hurried into Celis's room. Looking around, her eyes landed on framed photos hanging on the wall. They showed him in his elementary and middle school uniforms, posing formally and staring straight ahead with an irritating expression.
Her lingering sadness faded at the thought of parents, replaced by a sudden urge to peek into Celis's past.
"I wonder what Celis was like back then."
She touched his elementary school photo and closed her eyes. It felt like plummeting down a mysterious, dark tunnel before suddenly bursting into a pleasant, bright light.
As the light dimmed, the true reality of Celis's past unfolded before her.
In scattered memories from an indeterminate grade, Celis was constantly yelled at and scolded at home by his father, Deru Von D'e, a man driven by rigid principles. He wanted his son to experience the same hardships and teachings of the previous generation, forcing Celis to understand his own suffering.
The visions showed that no matter what Celis did—whether it was a trivial mistake, a minor slip-up, or a major issue—he was invariably and harshly berated by Deru. It might have seemed trivial and lacked physical abuse, but mentally, it left Celis depressed. Every harsh shout chipped away at his spirit.
In stark contrast to his father, Celis's mother inflicted physical pain, striking him hard with a wooden stick. From his torso down to his legs, leaving his body bruised and swollen from the beatings.
During those times, Celis felt like a complete failure, his mental state utterly shattered.
The visions shifted to his classroom and the schoolyard. It was revealed that Celis used to constantly get into fights with his cousin, Aji Kaden. No matter the issue, they always ended up brawling. It could be over something trivial—taking offense, accidentally bumping into each other, fighting over toys or a ball, or losing at video games, marbles, or wayang cards.
They always fought over the smallest things, yet the outcome was always the same, Celis lost, regardless of whether he or Kaden had started it. And yet, Celis was genuinely happy in those small memories, because Kaden was the only true friend he ever had.
Suddenly, the memories shifted again, revealing a new layer of Celis's suffering.
This memory seemed to take place around the fifth or sixth grade. Unlike before, Celis had become the butt of his classmates' jokes. His severely skinny frame made him an easy target, and even the upperclassmen joined in on the mockery.
Upperclassmen would use Celis as a human punching bag, striking him in the stomach and constantly targeting his shoulders.
During soccer matches, those same seniors played aggressively against him, intentionally kicking the ball at him as hard as they could. They would forcefully shove him while he was dribbling.
Eventually, Celis retaliated. Feeling justified, he began playing just as dirty as they did.
After the game, one of the upperclassmen approached Celis and put him in a sudden chokehold from behind.
"What was that rough play about, huh?!!"
He released the chokehold and shoved Celis to the ground. The upperclassman began beating him, but Celis remained completely silent, simply enduring the pain.
When he finally stopped, another upperclassman warned the bully.
"You better watch out around Maghrib. He's going home to train just to beat you up."
The bully's face instantly paled with panic.
While walking home with the upperclassman who had warned the bully, the senior asked Celis.
"Why didn't you fight back?"
"It's nothing."
Just as the senior had predicted, Celis went straight to his room to do push-ups. Later, around Maghrib, they all gathered again.
Celis walked over casually, intending to sit and wait. The upperclassman who had beaten him earlier suddenly rushed over and grabbed his hand.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it. It was just a joke, okay?"
Filled with disappointment, Celis simply replied.
"Yeah, yeah."
The memory shifted once more. It was late afternoon, right in the middle of a bustling crowd. A much larger boy had snuck up and pulled Celis's pants down.
The boy burst into laughter, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
Overwhelmed by humiliation, a deep sense of vengeance took root in Celis for being degraded in front of a crowd.
That night, after they finished hanging out, Celis and another friend were leaving a house. Out on the field, Celis spotted the boy who had pantsed him earlier.
Celis handed his phone to his friend. The friend asked.
"Where are you going?"
"Just watch."
Fueled by sheer fury, Celis sprinted across the field. He lunged and delivered a devastating punch right to the boy's head.
Long story short, the aftermath left both of Celis's hands burning and swollen. The boy, on the other hand, had tears welling in his eyes as he scrambled away, leaving Celis behind.
Shintia gasped, pulling her hand away from the graduation photo frame. She was panting heavily, cold sweat drenching her face.
Because her ability allowed her to peer into a person's past through their photograph, she experienced every single emotion and pain they had felt.
Shintia was left utterly speechless.
A notification chimed on her phone. Pulling it from her pocket, she saw a message from Dea. She frowned in confusion, Dea was messaging her again.
"Dea?"
She opened the text.
"Shintia, could you fill in for me at Drama practice later? I still need to accompany Suo at the hospital."
Shintia typed a quick reply.
"Sure, I'll cover for you."
A moment later, Dea replied.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
Shintia locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. Her emotions were in turmoil, leaving her feeling completely overwhelmed.
"What am I supposed to do now?!"
She was torn between making amends with Dea or going out to search for Celis.
The next day, the recess bell rang. Shintia walked over to Hella.
"Hella, we have to cancel tonight. I need to attend Drama practice to cover for Dea."
"Can't we just do it tomorrow?"
"The practices are every day, the schedule is super tight. Right after school, I'm heading straight to the theater room and staying until night."
"Can't we meet up after you get back?"
Shintia was starting to get annoyed by Hella's persistence.
"I need to rest!!!"
"So, tomorrow then?"
"Tomorrow is the exact same thing! I can't!!!"
"Wow, look at the superstar! Acting all busy!"
Shintia punched Hella square in the face, sending her flying across the room and smashing through the classroom wall, reducing it to rubble.
"Whatever, just whatever."
Hella casually stood up from the debris, completely unfazed by the impact.
"Feisty."
Shintia walked down the hallway toward the drama practice room. Opening the door, she stepped into an enclosed, air-conditioned space that felt refreshingly cool. The floors were polished to a shine, and the walls were painted a dark, brownish-black.
The studio was well-equipped, featuring adjoining costume and prop rooms to support the scale of their theatrical productions. There were about seven people already gathered inside.
Shintia walked in and approached a girl with long hair and striking light-blue eyes—a unique trait gained from receiving ice powers from Calumny.
"Kasih."
Her name was Kasih Frederica, the head of the drama club, the scriptwriter, and the director. She was a 2nd-year Swordmaster student, in the same class as Celis. Kasih looked surprised to see her.
"Shintia? What are you doing here?"
"I'm filling in for Dea. She won't be able to make it for the next few days because she's taking care of Suo."
"I see. You can handle it, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Everyone! Line up!"
Following Kasih's orders, they quickly lined up into a neat formation, three across and two rows deep.
"Even though some of you already know each other, let's do a quick round of introductions! Let's start from the front right."
Shintia happened to be standing in that exact spot.
"I'm Shintia Furudo, a 2nd-year Wizard. I'm covering for Dea."
"Next!"
"I'm Risky Costa. You all probably know me already, but I'm a 3rd-year Wizard."
He was one of the strongest students in Blue High School. Handsome and impeccably neat, his hair was styled with a sharp side part.
"Next!"
"I'm Yani Meliani, a 1st-year Wizard."
"I'm Zhou Fan, a 3rd-year Wizard."
He was another one of Blue High School's top-tier students. His cold, mysterious aura gave him an air of elegance, and his messy hair somehow perfectly suited his look.
"Merlard Nardo, 2nd-year Swordmaster."
"Windara Nugraha, 2nd-year Swordmaster."
There were six cast members in total.
Shintia was shocked to hear two of those names. She thought to herself.
"Zhou Fan? Risky Costa? Them?! The absolute top-tiers of this school?!"
Kasih began assigning the roles.
"Six people, huh... In that case, Shintia, can you take the lead role?"
"Sure."
"Alright then, I'll assign the rest of the roles. Zhou Fan, you'll play the King, the main character's father. Risky, you'll be the Prince—"
Risky nodded.
"Don't worry, you can always count on me. Isn't that right, Shintia?"
Risky flirted with her, trying to use his charm and striking looks to win her over. Shintia looked at him with sheer disgust.
"—Yani will be the Lady-in-waiting, the princess's personal maid. Merlard will be the palace guard, and Windara will be our narrator."
No one protested their assigned roles. With that settled, Kasih felt relieved she didn't have to deal with any unnecessary drama.
"Great. All that's left is the actual acting practice. Come back here tonight."
With that, they dispersed. The first recess had technically ended, but they were given extra time to rest since the meeting had eaten into their break.
Shintia sat alone in the cafeteria. Watching a stray cat nap nearby, her thoughts drifted back to Celis. Using her magic, she decided to conjure a cat of her own.
A pitch-black cat with glowing green eyes materialized at her feet. The cat strutted casually and leaped onto the table. Shintia gently stroked its fur.
"Try to track down Celis for me. Can you do that?"
The cat nodded, dispersing into a cloud of black particles before vanishing without a trace.
Just then, Risky appeared, walking straight toward her.
"How are you doing, my princess?"
Shintia completely ignored him; she had always been completely indifferent to his antics. Undeterred, Risky pulled up a chair and sat directly across from her, continuing to flirt.
"Why so cold to me? You've gotta admit, I'm pretty handsome."
Shintia took a sip of her drink, not even sparing him a glance.
"Hey, answer me. Furudo Shintia, The Witch of Miracles."
Shintia was incredibly annoyed, completely repulsed by his presence.
"What do you want?"
"What? Why are you always ignoring me?"
"And?"
"You should consider yourself lucky that I chose you to be my girlfriend. So—"
Shintia spat her drink right into Risky's face.
"Like I care?!"
She stood up and stormed off, leaving Risky behind.
Humiliated and outraged by Shintia's treatment, Risky seethed. His heart pounded in his chest as hot, vengeful anger boiled within him.
"Just you wait, Shintia."