You Look Better When You Smile
1665 Words
--Rozenflame Academy, Dark Abyss, 1437 hours--
I had enough trouble for one day, that’s what I thought. If the door in front of me doesn’t have a knob… then there’s only one way left for me to get out.
And that is…
[Clockwork Phase One – Time Stop!]
Everything around me gradually slows and finally comes to a complete halt. The fire on the torch pauses its blaze, making it look like a frozen flame. I put the torch back on the wall’s torch emplacement. Now, for the door…
“If there’s no knob to turn then I’ll just force my way through. With a lethal blow of my foot!
“HUMP!” *DURRK *DURK *BRAK *GUBRAK
…
“YEOOOUCH!”
Fridges, this door is harder than I thought! W-Well, it might be a bad idea to hit it… it’s not just the door’s color that changed. It also changed its material from plain old wood to perfect pure ruby!
“Owowowow… my foot hurts… uuggh… blasting the door with four kicks won’t do any good… even when the world’s time has stopped…”
Ahhh… I guess I can’t do anything to it… fine.
[Clockwork – Continue!]
The entirety of my surroundings returned to normal pace. The fire on the torch returned its blazing motion once again.
The lethal force I gave to the door finally takes effect. Four blows were heard in the same time, but the sound does not reflect the sound of a wooden material, it’s the sound of a crystal being hit.
“Aaaaand… yup, no effect. The door’s officially changed form. Hmph!” I pouted in disappointment.
…
*crreaaaaakk…
“Eh?” I noticed the door’s suddenly opening.
“Oi, did the previous hit made it open? Then my attempt was not in vain?! YAAAY! Finally, freedom!” I shouted happily, I nearly launched a euphoric motion, but I held myself back momentarily.
Without any further ado, I slide myself through the small crevice and greeted the world behind the ruby door.
“Huh?” when I went through the small opening on the door, the first person I met was the petite girl that slammed this door shut. The happiness that soared in my face made me forget that she was the one who’s responsible for locking me up in that strange room.
“Why, hello there, little girl! I’ve returned!” I smiled happily towards her. The girl still refuses to look into me, though. Let alone looking at me, she still closed her eyes and looked away every time I wanted to see her face. My, what a shy girl she is.
“Y-You…” she said softly.
Eh? Why is she trembling? Did I do something wrong?
“H-How did you… survive…?” she asked softly. She slowly turns her face to me, but she covers it with her right hand.
“Eh? Survive? What do you mean?” I asked frankly.
“Erm… uh…”
Out of nowhere, the tall woman emerged from the room behind the silver-haired girl.
“Nirva.” Mrs. Arc called gently.
“Yes, madame?” the petite girl flinched at her superior. It appears her appearance was quite a surprise to both me and the girl.
“I’ll deal with this personally, you can step aside.”
“Understood, madame.”
The girl steps away, allowing Mrs. Arc to approach me.
“Eva… Chronodia… correct?” she asked gently.
The way she asked me is rather gloomy, to be honest. Gulp, I’d better use a set of good-manner replies to her words. Not with her creepy smile flying around like that!
“Yes, Mrs. Arc.” I replied politely.
I sensed some strange unhappiness so I leered at the silver-haired girl. She looked away in an instant, but I can see her pouting to me for a second there. What’s wrong with her?
“Look at me, Eva. Don’t look into elsewhere when you’re talking to somebody.” Mrs. Arc scolded.
“Yes! I’m so sorry!” I quickly apologized and focused back to her.
“My, you’re no different than your father… sigh…” she said calmly.
“Ehehehe…” I chuckled in awkwardness.
Mrs. Arc walks swiftly into the ruby door. She rubs her fingers on it and looked at it intensely. “So this is your result, huh?”
“Huh? What result?” I asked in confusion.
“Have you not realized it?”
“I’m sorry…?”
“This room is known to be the first test for every apprentice in this academy.” She stated boldly.
“Eh? Are you serious? That… dark room of no edges was the FIRST TEST?!” I nearly shouted.
“Hm-hm.” She nodded. “The result of the test depends on how this door reacts to your magical energy. Usually newcomers would cause the door to change color only. The darker the color, the greater the magical affinity, there are some of my apprentices that could change the form of the door, though…” she looked at the petite girl.
“And that person was Nirva. She has an enormous magic within her, but somehow she was unable to channel them properly…”
“But you,” she glanced back at me in an instance. She still retains her creepy smile.
“Hmph… forget it. Anyways… I allow thee to enter my academy. Welcome to the fold, Eva Chronodia.” She walked away and disappeared into the dimmed darkness of this building.
Mrs. Arc suddenly re-emerged, “Oh, I nearly forgotten… Nirva, this time, accompany her properly.” And she whooshes away.
That’s… one of the most anti-climactic welcome I ever heard. She just left me directly after welcoming me?
“M-Miss Eva…” the girl called me softly. “Yes?” I replied kindly.
“I… I just wanted to tell…”
“That your magic affinity… is way higher than… me…” she said softly while maintaining looking down into the floor.
“Ahahaha… that’s not possible, I can’t be that great, you know? Ahaha…”
“…” she stared coldly. “I am not praising you… I… I’m just stating the truth!” she said, “the Dark Abyss shall not lie,” she added. “Your magic… is greater than I am!”
“But… that doesn’t mean…” she scrunches her eyebrows, “…you can call Madame by her first name…!”
“Eh?” I got confused.
Shortly, I realized why she was a bit of unhappy towards me. It was because I called Mrs. Arc by her first name, ‘Arc’.
“Aaaah… so you’re frowning because of me calling her Mrs. Arc, hm?”
“Yes.” She looked sideways.
“My, what a cute girl you are… tee-hee,”
“I’m serious! It’s not fair for a stranger to be able to call her first name while most of us call her by her last name!”
“Ahahahahah… okay, okay, I get it. I won’t call her that again. I’ll join you guys by calling her Mrs. Rozenflame, that what you want?”
“Ma-dame!” she pouted while looking away from me.
“Okay, deal! I’ll call her Madame Rozenflame.” I stated boldly and smilingly.
She turned her sights slowly into me; I can see a small sight of her silver eyebrows despite her closed eyes.
“P…promise…?” she asked cutely. Even her being an extremely polite girl, she still had her soft cute side of her age. Without any further ado, I showed a bigger smile and ducked to her height.
“Promise.” I smiled and offered a pinky promise.
“Eh…?” she seemed confused at what I’m doing.
“This here is a pinky promise. It is a promise that must be fulfilled at all times!” I explained kindly.
Her face shifted into amazement. She still refuses to look at me, though… “O-Oh… okay, then…” she reached out my pinky finger with hers. And a promise was made. But it’s kinda awkward for her not to face me. I mean, if you look at her, she’s covering her face with her other hand.
“Can you look at me, please?” I asked.
“No.” she shakes her head.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll be scared of me…”
Huh… what am I supposed to be scared of this little girl? She’s pretty cute, I give that.
“There’s nothing scary from you, in fact, you’re so cute!” I conveyed kindly.
“Truly?” she asked softly, “you’ll not get scared by my face…?”
I don’t understand why she stated such words…
“Hm. I won’t.” I nodded.
“Promise?” she asked again. This time, she offers her pinky finger first. She’s serious about this.
“I promise, I won’t be scared of you.” I accepted her promise.
“W-Well… then…” she shyly allows her face to be seen and she turned into facing me.
…
My…
…how…
……cute her face is.
I was captivated by her. She can trust me and showed her face to me. In addition to that, she slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes are shaded in emerald-ish color. I can see a shape of flower-like emitting in her pupils.
“…hm.” I smiled to her. “Isn’t this better? You look prettier when you open your eyes. Plus, doesn’t it felt better when you’re facing to the person you’re talking to?”
“…but you also looked away when talking to Madame Rozenflame!” she pouted.
“Eh? T-That’s a different story! Yeah! It’s not like that!” I tried to assure her. Way to go, little one! You made me eat my own words!
“…pff. I’m so sorry. We’re no different after all…” her stiff expression suddenly cracks into a smile.
“I agree… it feels comfortable when I face you while talking.” She conveyed softly with a smile.
“Nirva… is your name, right?” I asked kindly.
“Hm.” She nodded with a brighter smile shining in her face.
“Nirva… you look better when you smile.”
…
“Ahh… How long has it been since I opened my eyes and look into someone…? Miss Eva… you’re also beautiful.” A slight of tear drops from her eyes. She sounded so glad.
“Ahahah… thank you, eh? Then, how do you suppose to look at people?”
“I know by sensing their presence… everyone has a different and unique aura.” She stated softly.
“I… I see.”
Whew… she can sense people’s presence? That’s a cool ability, but looking back to what happened back at my dad’s manor… dad stated that I should’ve been able to sense and see Sir Champs’ magecraft, whereas I didn’t. Maybe all magicians had that ability?
“Oh, yeah… I also wondered… Mrs—I mean Madame Rozenflame said that you also changed the surface of this magical door like I did, was that true?
“Hm.” She nodded gently.
“But in that time, I turned the door into a white ice… so it’s not that great…” she shyly stated.
“While you…”
“…” she paused for a moment. I remained where I am to listen what she will say.
…
“…the color and the shape of a Red Ruby… is the highest and rarest possible result in magical affinity index…”
“W-What…?!”
“…not only that… no one has ever been to that result in this academy. You’re the first one to reach it, Miss Eva!”
“…eh?”
Hold up! That’s… CRAZY!
- Writer
