Soulstone Academy

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Salière

Just a short update. Btw, Raven is 18, not 19 huhu I'm sorry if there are any misunderstandings. Si Azriel 'yong 19 e. (ノへ￣、)

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"So..."

Huminto sa ere ang pagsubo sana ni Helios para hintayin ang sunod na sasabihin ko. We sat underneath the willow's shade, finishing all the foods that he brought. Nakakapagtaka nga at ang dami. The Awanggan staff must also favor him so much.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Slowly, he munched on the cake, deep in thought. "I wanted to show you the meadow."

"Why?"

"That's a good question." he shifted his gaze from me to the mountains in the distance. "I don't know why, but when I visited this place two days ago, I thought of you. I thought you might like this place."

I couldn't help my smirk. Mas lumapit ako sa kaniya para makita ng maayos ang namumula niyang leeg at tainga. It's too fun! His face remained impassive, golden eyes stubbornly staring elsewhere, but his sensitive areas were burning.

Gusto kong i-point out 'yon sa kaniya but I'm worried that it's going to be too much. Baka matakot pa ang tuta na 'to at tumakbo paalis sa demonyitang ako.

Still, I can't resist teasing him.

"You were thinking of me, huh? Was I so pretty that I got the golden boy's interest?"

Sumimangot siya at pasimpleng umusog palayo sa'kin. I snickered under my breath, behaving on my spot now. Every expression on his face is very entertaining. It defies every scary story that the students tell about him, the stoic and expressionless son of the president who possesses the strongest magic in Hiraya.

"I told you last time," hinarap niya ako. "Vous êtes comme une bouffée d'air frais."

Parang mas maikli naman diyan ang sinabi niya.

"At sinagot na rin kita noon na hindi ko nga naiintindihan 'yan." I was starting to get pissed.

"You are a breath of fresh air." he blurted out while staring into my eyes. "This academy, this country, it followed the same routine for years. It adhered to the same rules. It was always so consistent, so predictable, that when you stepped into the halls, nobody knew how to act."

Tahimik akong sumang-ayon. Even though I spent most of my days inside the house, I still had a brief knowledge about Hiraya. Alam ko kung gaano kastrikto ang pamamalakad nito.

"But you're not a written rule, Raia. You're the chaos that they can't subdue. When everyone's walking in a straight line, you prefer to run and challenge yourself. When everyone's following the same tune, you'll rather dance to your beat."

He leaned even closer making me recline, one hand planted on the grass to stop me from falling. I've seen him serious and cute, pissed and blushing, but the sincerity and awe in both his eyes and voice make my heart beat a little quicker. All of those things, all of my rebellious acts are normally yelled out, not spoken as if he was carrying out a confession.

"All my life, I am only expected to follow the rules and instructions. But seeing you break all their expectations, watching you fearlessly ignore their warnings, you are truly such a stunningly peculiar woman."

Ilang segundo ang lumipas na nagkatitigan lang kaming dalawa. I gulped, feeling my cheeks heat up as I struggled to find my response.

Ngunit ang tanging nasambit ko lang ay, "Oh. Talaga?"

It was too late to realize what I've just said! Umayos ng upo si Helios kaya nakahinga ako ng maluwag at narehistro sa hugis-bato kong utak ang sinagot. After all his monologue, did I really just say such a bland and boring reply?