"It seems, I've got the wrong room."
Myrene stepped further outside of the room and shut the door.
"Eh!"
She heard a loud scream inside the house. "Hey! Where do you think you are going? This is your room! You're 100 right? They told me that I will have a new roommate today and she is even one of my siblings! Though we have different mothers we still have the same father. That makes us sisters to each other!"
*Clank!*
Myrene held the door firmer since 50 was trying to open it. 'They didn't mention that we will have roommates. And mine is a weird and talkative one. I don't like having a roommate who is like this. Why does she keep saying that we are siblings? But in the first place, there is no normal being here. She is the second one who is trying to cling to me as a sister. And much wilder than 81.'
"I will ask to change my room as soon as possible," Myrene said as she held the door firmer so that 50, who was still trying to pull it in the inside, would not be able to open it.
"Why? Please don't leave me here." 50 cried out loud. "Did I do something to you? Did I scare you? I even surprised you with those colorful papers. It is always effective in those novels when they surprise someone with those colorful papers. Though I tried to make it pop up as soon as you enter. However, it becomes a complete mess! But still..."
'Colorful papers? Pop up? Is she talking about banners and confetti? Then those papers messed on the ground.' Myrene wanted to hold her head. 'Why did she even bother to surprise me.'
"I see. 50 listen to me, I appreciate all of your efforts but you don't need to do those," Myrene said coldly. "You don't even know me and I don't know you. Even if we have the same half-blood running in our veins, we are still strangers to each other. And only met just now."
"But I just want to make a good impression first. And make you feel at home as your elder sister. I want to be close to you as your sister. Throughout my life, I've craved my sister's presence, and now that I have the opportunity to get in touch with one of my siblings. I would love for us to get to know each other."
'She is certainly suspicious. And I didn't see her among the students earlier. Then it means she is already a student here.' Myrene tightened her grip on the doorknob.
'I said before that I should not make trouble or more enemies here. But I don't need to make other superficial attachments. What if that happened again,'
Ares' death flashed to her mind.
{ "My emotions become your strength, Milady." His body slowly became ashes.
"Why? You could have easily avoided that dagger earlier?"
"Your tears is wasted for someone like me..."}
And once again, Myrene saw how blood started to cover her hands. She became extremely frightened and let go of the door.
{Do you wish to accept Ares' Soul Bind?
- Yes
- No}
Myrene dropped to the floor as she tried to shake the blood away from her hands. "Why? Why would it not go away?" She kept rubbing her hands.
"Your heart is really troubled by something."
Myrene felt someone embracing her. "Close your eyes and take deep breaths," the voice was worried yet gentle.
Myrene's body for some reason lessened. "That's right. Take a deep breath in and out. Whatever you are seeing, is just an illusion and not real."
Slowly, when Myrene blinked her eyes once again and came back to her senses, the blood was gone now.
"How are you feeling now?" Myrene raised her head and saw the same crimson eyes of 50 looking at her. For some reason, it held genuine worry for her. Though Myrene knew they were different, in this world, only two people showed her these kinds of gazes.
Her mom and her brother.
'I only have my brother now. I don't need anyone else now.' Myrene clenched her fist. "I'm alright now. Thank you," She said as she stood up immediately. 50 also stood up. And since they were standing close enough, Myrene realized that 50 was a head taller than her. Myrene slowly removed 50's hands that were still clutching hers.
"I know that it might take a while before I request a new room. So, I don't have any choice. For the time being, I will stay with you and I have only two requests, please avoid making a mess with the room and don't come close to me without my permission."
Myrene immediately set a distance from 50 and walked inside the room. "Help me clean this mess. No more drama and let's clean all of this."
"Aw, you call that a mess? It's my surprise to you after all."
"And it went downhill. It's just a mess now."
"Ah, you're right, hahaha! It seems I've got a strict little sister, this time." Fifty let out a chuckle.
'This time?' However, Myrene didn't voice her opinion and simply went inside. She started picking out the papers that were on the ground.
'I thought I could rest as soon as I got here. But to think that I still have to clean.'
However, Myrene's eyes suddenly blurred. And she felt her body getting heavier.
"You are still too careless little sister." She heard the voice of 50. "Solace has told all of you that you should not trust anyone that easily here right? And what did the headmistress mention during your entrance ceremony?"
"The second rule, obey the Seven Keys words."
Myrene dropped to her knees.
"That is your first task here, you should have kept the Key of Magic's words to heart."
"What did you do to me?" Myrene gritted her teeth.
"Sorry to say but you will now die." Fifty said, Myrene tried to stand up.
"After all, having more siblings like you will only cause me problems to move up to the House of Hearts. I don't need any hurdle on my shoulder that keeps me slow to rank up. I only need one rank up and I will gain the name of 49."
Myrene could feel that 50 would grab her, but she immediately bent over, and tackled 50 to the ground.
"So this is how you want this to play? I see. This is fun to play after all." Myrene locked 50 below her. From her storage ring, she brought out her arrow that she kept hidden from everyone in case her life would be in danger.
And leaned it closer to 50's neck.
"Don't think that because my magic is held, I will become powerless now? I will not die without a fight. No, I can't die yet. My power is not defined by magic, I have so much more than that."
Myrene's vision was getting blurred now. However, she held her arrow even firmer.
"Are you certain about that?" 50's voice resounded. It didn't hold many expressions this time compared to her cheery voice. "You were trembling a while ago? And let me guess the cause of that. It is someone you need to kill from your naming ceremony right?"
Myrene flinched as she stopped the unwanted memories flooding in her mind right now.
"Are you certain that you can kill me when you are already traumatized enough from the naming ceremony?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Myrene screamed as she held the arrow closer to 50's neck. She tightened her grip and kept a hold of herself from losing her consciousness. "You don't know anything so shut up or I'll really kill you!"
"Then kill me now that way you don't need to share your room with a suspicious individual."
However, she saw Myrene's face full of hesitation.
50 released a deep sigh. "You right now are not even worth resisting and fighting."
But Myrene couldn't hear anything anymore. Everything around her was already blurry and she couldn't even move her body naturally. "I apologize for startling you like this, 100. However, you should develop what you want to do in order to survive in this world."
Myrene didn't realize that the 50 she was locking down below her, turned into smoke. She felt a presence behind her, but it was already too late for her when she felt a sharp pain in her nape. Her consciousness immediately darkened out.
50 glanced down at the unconscious Myrene.
"What do you think of our new sibling?"
"What are you doing here? Did I allow you to enter my room?" 50's voice became cold. From the shadows, Solace appeared.
"Your words are as sharp as ice when it comes to me. Do you know how my heart is deeply wounded already?" Solace said as he put his hand on his chest acting as if he was indeed hurt. "All of my new siblings are so cold to me. I didn't even do anything to them," a sinister smile escaped his lips, "yet."
"They are just children, Solace," 50 said with a threatening voice. Then she carried Myrene inside another room where it was cleaner than the outside. Then she put Myrene down on the bed.
"And so as you, you are only turning ten this year, and just one more exam and you will be able to move to the House of Hearts. Isn't it that wonderful that you will meet your sister again after almost four years? You must be proud of yourself for achieving that."
"That and this, are different matters. As long as I am here, I will not let you touch them." 50 tucked the blanket into Myrene.
You are still as soft as ever. Or just a hypocrite?" Solace let out a small chuckle. "Nonetheless, it is still both amusing. In the end, you will not be able to do anything once the exam comes. You're much crueler than me, Fifty. And I know that you are already aware of it." Solace said and disappeared into the shadows.
'Tch. He always comes as he pleases.'
"There are the twins, if I remember correctly, they are 81 and 60. Then three more, 150, 97, 95, then my new roommate, 100." Fifty dropped on the floor and then leaned her head on the wall. She glanced at Myrene who was now unconscious and innocently sleeping peacefully. 'How defenseless just like everyone else. But it's a surprise how that arrow came out of nowhere.' A tired smile escaped her lips.
"It seems another batch has a lot of potential this year. But just one more year huh."
***
Blazing fires engulfed the whole village of Tranquil. And the young ogre watched with a horrified expression how his kin was eating and killing the humans he observed for almost a month now.
"No! Please stop!" He ran to one of the ogres to shield a human from being attacked.
"What are you doing?" The ogre growled. The young ogre flinched but never waver.
"Get away from my wife!"
However, the young ogre was surprised when a spear pierced through his stomach. He turned around to see an angry man at him.
"I will kill all of you! Monsters! You don't have a soul!" The man screamed with hysteric sounds in his voice. However, before he could even move another ogre appeared and hit him with a mace. The man was sent flying.
The young ogre, even more, horrified by these events, decided to run away. 'I'm just trying to protect humans. Why are humans angry with me? I'm here to save you, not to kill you.'
He ran and ran deep into the woods. And the slaughter of the village went on. "Why do they attack humans? Humans are not bad. They are friends."
The footsteps of the young ogre became heavier as blood dripped down his abdomen. He touched the spear and with one quick jolt, he removed it. He tore his clothes and used them to stop the bleeding.
"I just want to see them, the happy and energetic humans."
The young ogre dropped to his knees. His vision was also blurring. "Happy Humans."
***
Myrene slowly opened her eyes. She felt her cheeks wet for some reason. 'Another dream from Ares' life.'
"It looks like you must have a sad dream, 100."
Myrene immediately stood up when she heard that voice.
50 was looking at her with the same ear-to-ear smile when Myrene met her for the first time. She looked for any place to escape. But 50 was completely blocking the door.
"Hey easy, okay? Relax 100, if I wanted to do something to you. You will not be waking up anymore. It is just a simple sleeping powder that causes you to lose your consciousness earlier. However, I didn't expect that you would have more resistance. That's why things become more complicated than expected. And I keep my silence that you use a weapon outside the class." 50 shook her head.
"It is not even the first day, and yet you already break a lot of rules here."
Myrene glared at her.
"Ah, yes. It's my fault for scaring you like that. I apologized for the unexpected surprise. Did you enjoy it?" But instead of answering Myrene just look at her with sharp eyes. "Oh, I think you're not but anyway as compensation, let me be your tour guide here." 50 said. "You can prepare yourself first. I'm in the next room. And don't worry, I cleaned the whole place while you are asleep. I don't want to upset my little sister more after all I've done to her. I'll prepare our breakfast now." 50 said with a cheery tone in her voice.
Myrene still didn't let her guard down. She checked her body for any injuries or changes. But there was nothing at all. 'It seems she didn't put any strange things on my body. I can't understand her at all. Just what is running to her mind. I don't know anymore whether she is still acting or being genuine. But I would not fall for her schemes again. I need to be more cautious when it comes to that 50, she is no ordinary like others.'
She clenched her fist and decided to just stay in her room all day.
However, before she could even have a moment of peace. The door opened once again.
"Ah, I forgot to tell you something; I'm sure it's pretty obvious with my name," 50 remarked, smiling from ear to ear. "If you don't want to stay here for more than four years, you can simply take over my name." 50 then exited the room as quickly as she entered it.
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