Theodore appeared in front of the mirror in memory of his new tragedy. He is always eager to use new things to wake up faster than usual. In fact, he had already experienced himself in front of the mirror for about an hour. Theodore occasionally twisted his body while enjoying his new uniform. His uniform now made him look more like a reborn Prince. Theo refreshed the family from his room to find Jared's room. Theo entered the door with enthusiasm. Soon, the door opened, showing Jared inside. Only Jared's head was visible in front of the open door."Wow, you..." Jared died and fled Theodore's tragedy. "Come in."After Theodore entered, Jared immediately closed the door. Theo was a little surprised."Your uniform smells so good, buddy," Jared praised, but his face looked gloomy."You, too," Theodore replied, staring intently at Jared. "Blue suits you.""If you want to make me feel good, I will. But it would be better if I was ranked like you.""You're still searching because of yesterd
Professor James unbuttoned the top two buttons of the shirt. “Let me show you.” He then pulled the pigeon out of the cage, covered with black cloth. The Dove flaps its wings when the light shines on it. The pigeon looked panicked, perhaps stressed because it was locked in the dark. Professor James then began to look at the pigeon until the pigeon slowly acted calmer than before. And the poor pigeon really stopped like a mannequin. Professor James opened the cage and pulled the pigeon out like a toy. The pigeon froze like a lifeless object even as Prof James placed it on a table without brackets.“I ordered this dove to be silent like a statue,” said The Professor. “He obeyed my orders as he should have. Just like Theodore did yesterday. Which one of you can make it move again?”Professor James looked at the students one by one. Waiting for one of them to raise his hand to answer, but nothing at all.“Theodore, can you try one more time?”Theodore swallowed hard before moving forward.
“Is that true? Can you explain?”Theodore sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk. “I don’t think you need to know.”“Why? You’re no fun, man!”“Look...” Theodore shifted his body to Jared. “Have the professors ever talked about the outside world before?” Then Jared shook his head. “Didn’t they do it for a reason?”“They’re just unpleasant.” Jared folded his arms in front of his chest.“Well, I’ll tell you a little.”This story began three thousand years ago. When the world is going well when, in fact, it is the beginning of the end. Major disasters that come without prior warning. One of the giant meteorites shot to Earth and exploded until it split into several small meteor pieces. The meteor pieces were not enough to scorch the Earth, but the energy from the meteor had turned some people into different creatures. A monster–“Wait! I’ve heard that part.” Jared interrupts.“Do you want me to continue or not?”“All right... Please continue.”The Meteor energy that radiated has t
“Lift up your left wing,” Theodore commanded, and at once, the Little Owl lifted up its left wing.“Man! That’s so cool! How did you do that?” Jared shouted in amazement.“You just have to talk heart to heart.” Theodore put the owl on Jared’s Palm. “Show him your gentle side, and he will do as you wish.”“But from what I read in the book, we have to–” Jared dwelt, thinking aloud. “Maybe I should try it.”“The right decision, Jared. You can do it!”Theodore gave Jared room to concentrate. The blonde took a few deep breaths, reassuring himself. Then in the same soft voice as Theodore before, Jared spoke.“Look at me, little owl.”The owl practically turned to Jared with his eyes wide open. Inversely proportional to what previously happened. The owl seemed to understand Jared’s words because he really didn’t let go of his gaze. Jared again took a deep breath before beginning to manipulate the Little Owl. Jared ordered the owl to flap its wings, but it did not fly, and the bird did. Jared
The hallway is in the dimness of the light. Now, all the students were in their respective rooms; therefore, most rooms became quieter and darker than usual. Theodore felt like he was in another world. He turned to his right and looked at Jared’s room to the right of his room. This time, he didn’t want to involve Jared in his problems. Crossing the aisle during curfew is off-limits, and that could put both of them under penalty. If anyone should receive punishment, it would only be him. Theo went down the long hallway. He crossed room by room. Theo was surprised to find several Middle guards patrolling from room to room. They brought flashlights to highlight each side of the building. Theo immediately hid in the first place he saw. He kept hiding until the guard moved away, but it wasn’t just one guard. There were still more guards Theo had to get past. If he can’t, then he will be caught. The choice is in his hands now. He would either continue or turn around and stay in his room.Ho
Things have changed since the great cataclysm three thousand years ago that destroyed almost all humans on Earth. Food and water are drastically reduced to support the destruction of humans. People are forced back to ancient times when they had to hunt to survive. Having limited animals and land to survive on makes survival much more challenging than they think. Imagine being at the peak of knowledge, where technology developed rapidly until humans became the most intelligent creatures in that century. Then, they were forced to become ancient humans because all technology was destroyed. They call it the century of destruction. The religious call it the era of penance. Whatever they call it, it’s the end of the world. People began to force the government to improve things with protests in different corners of the city. There were so many coup acts. There have been so many protests of dissatisfaction about how the government works. Because of the enormous pressure from the public, the g
All humans are the same. They don’t want to be guilty and instead push others to be guilty. That’s human nature. No one wants to be blamed. In this case, they put Theodore at fault for the change in the academy system. It was further aggravated thanks to Theodore being the Chosen One. Theodore’s eye color differs from the other Odd Eye Circles in it. The students started whispering to each other. They looked at Theodore with a cynical look. Their attitude is the opposite of what they did in the first meeting. They are no different from the bullies who tortured Theodore in the last orphanage.“Attention everyone!” Madam Liz took her place in front of the room with the microphone turned on. “The announcement of the punishment will be carried out. Hope you guys don’t talk to each other.”Suddenly, the room became quiet.Madam Liz continued her speech. “The ranking system in our Academy also applies to the distribution of punishments. As long as we know the A Rank is occupied by Theodore,
“You have every right to be upset, Eric.”“How can you stay healthy after serving that sentence?” asks Eric between meals. “Is it because of your eyes? You have different eyes.”“I don’t know.”“Or because you’ve lived in the outside world?”“You can think of it that way. You’re pretty chatty for someone I just met.”“You are quite quiet, Theodore. I’ve seen you talk to Jared a lot.” Eric was talking very loudly.“Well, that’s because he was the first to befriend me.”“Now you have another friend,” said Eric. “If you don’t mind being friends with someone of rank F.”“Absolutely not.”Eric smiled broadly. His yellow eyes make him look like a cat. It was funny if Theodore needed to know Eric’s current position. The boy had just finished his sentence, and his body was not in good condition. Eric closed his mouth several times while chewing with a shrivelled expression. It looks like the boy is having digestive problems."You don’t have to eat all that,” said Theodore, who saw Eric carryi
Sepanjang jalan hanya diisi oleh keheningan. Juga langkah kaki mereka yang berjalan berurutan. Dua orang – lelaki dan wanita – berpakaian lebih kompleks dari yang lain memimpin, diikuti oleh tentara Germany yang menyasar, dan terakhir para tentara lainnya.Dua Germany masih tak habis pikir dengan ketenangan di tempat ini. Jauh dari kebisingan, jauh dari kerusuhan, jauh dari kata ‘Perang’. Pikiran mereka bertanya-tanya, bagaimana bisa ada tempat damai seperti ini di tengah-tengah peperangan? Mereka terhanyut dalam keasyikan batin sampai lupa untuk mengenalkan diri pada orang-orang baru ini.“Eum... Namaku Ronald, Nona?” Ronald menjadi yang pertama mengenalkan diri. Dia mengelap tangannya sendiri sebelum mengulurkannya ke arah wanita berkarisma di depannya.Si wanita menoleh, menatap uluran tangan, lalu tersenyum. “Fan, dan kau tak perlu memanggilku Nona.”“Ah... yah, Fan.” Ronald mengulangi nama itu untuk mengusir kecanggungan.“Kalau kau bermaksud mendekatinya, kau salah orang Bung! D
Terputusnya panggilan video membuat Kevin yang semula memasang tampang ceria kembali menjadi datar. Pandangannya menatap nanar ke ponsel yang telah menghitam sebelum beralih ke arah jendela. Menatap pemandangan dari luar, cukup banyak orang-orang berlalu lalang. Kebanyakan berpakaian seperti dirinya sedangkan yang lain berjas putih dan rapi. Lumayan membosankan tinggal disini, walaupun belum sampai seminggu. Rasanya Kevin ingin cepat-cepat keluar dari Rumah sakit sialan ini.Tempat yang katanya mampu membuatnya sembuh lebih cepat nyatanya hanya penjara yang mengekangnya hingga tak bisa bergerak leluasa. Di tambah dengan tangan kanan yang masih sangat sakit untuk di gerakan. Bagaimanapun juga dia tak bisa memaafkan pelaku di balik kejadian ini. Siapa lagi kalau bukan Tiara. Gadis itu sangat mencurigakan. Dan, sialnya mampu berpura-pura seolah tak terjadi apapun di depan Nia."Padahal mereka terlihat dekat," gumam Kevin. Banyak hal tak terduga yang tak bisa dia cari jawabannya. Tiara ta
Di salah satu hari menjelang musim dingin tiba, Desa Kanomiyama mendapatkan kunjungan dari Oda Toshihiro bersama dengan seorang koki Kastil bernama Hirokawa Fuji. Kedatangan mereka tak lain untuk membantu para masyarakat ditengah kesibukan mempersiapkan persediaan musim dingin. Karena siapapun di desa itu tahu jika musim dingin akan menjadi mimpi buruk karena mereka akan kesulitan berburu dan mengumpulkan kayu bakar. Terutama karena di tahun 1586, hutan menjadi tempat berbahaya yang dapat merenggut nyawa."Baiklah semuanya, hari ini kita akan mempraktikan cara memasak bebek yakitori dan manjuu babi hutan, cara ini sangat mudah dan kalian bisa memasaknya lain waktu."Fuji, sang koki istana mengangkat pisau daging lalu menghantamkannya ke arah bebek yang telah dibersihkan. Seluruh penduduk mengangguk-anggukan kepala mereka setiap kali mendengar penjelasan dari Fuji. Entah memang paham atau hanya mengikuti saja.Sebagai seorang koki kastil, keahlian Fuji tak diragukan lagi. Dalam waktu y
TAK! TAK! TAK!Ujung tajam pisau bergerak dengan cepat, memotong kentang di atas talenan kayu, membentuknya menjadi kecil memanjang. Suasana di dalam dapur terasa pekat akan keheningan. Tampak seorang gadis muda sedang menyibukkan diri dengan membuat hidangan lezat lainnya.“Apa semua sudah aman terkendali, Orion?” tanya seorang pria paruh baya dengan kumis putih di wajahnya. Dia adalah Butler yang bertugas mengawasi pekerjaan para Maid lain. Termasuk pada gadis yang tengah memotong-motong kentang tersebut.Orion – Maid muda – menatap tanpa ekspresi tertentu. “Makan siang akan siap sebentar lagi, Tuan Steve.”“Bagus lah kalau begitu.” Steve – si Butler – tersenyum. “Apakah ada yang perlu kau butuh kan lagi?”“Tidak ada, semua sudah aman terkendali.”“Tuan Arthur tak suka –”“Daun bawang, bukan?” Orion memotong ucapan Steve sebelum pria itu menyelesaikannya. “Dan tak ada daun bawang pada sebuah Poutine.”Steve membuka mulutnya, hendak menyangkal sebelum akhirnya dia menyadari satu hal.
“Dan.....?” desak Isafuyu.“Dan... tekun dalam berlatih.”“Dan....?”Nira mengernyitkan alis. Isafuyu terus meminta penjelasan meskipun dia telah menjawab seperti apa yang dia pikirkan. Tetapi, Nira tetap melakukan apa yang diminta Isafuyu meski dalam keadaan bingung.“Dan... pintar?”“Ah, ayolah! Apa kamu tak bisa berbicara dengan jujur?!”“Sssttt!!”Dan Isafuyu langsung mendapat hardikkan dari penjaga perpustakaan yang berada tak jauh dari mereka. Tak hanya itu saja, seluruh pasang mata pengunjung perpustakaan serentak menatap tajam ke arah mereka.“Jangan berisik Issa.” Nira mengingatkan.“Ugh...” Isafuyu menggigit bibirnya. “Kalau begitu, lebih baik kita pindah tempat saja!”Sebelum Nira melayangkan protes, Isafuyu sudah lebih dulu menarik tangannya, keluar dari perpustakaan. Wilayah sekolah masih tampak ramai oleh murid-murid yang sedang menghabiskan waktu istirahat dengan makan atau pun sekedar mengobrol. Tak banyak tempat yang masih sepi, sehingga Isafuyu memutar otaknya lebih
Seorang gadis berambut Electric blue tengah berjalan menuju sebuah bangunan megah di ujung jalan. Hari masih terlalu pagi – matahari bahkan belum cukup menapaki kaki langit – sehingga hanya terlihat rinai kekuningan bercampur biru. Udara dingin berembus meniup helaian rambut Electric blue, membuatnya sedikit berantakan sehingga gadis itu harus beberapa kali merapikannya. Waktu telah berjalan sekitar seminggu sejak pertama kali dirinya menjejakkan kaki ke sekolah ini.“Pagi Nira-san!” sapa seorang pria berambut panjang menepuk pundaknya.Nira Naeve – si gadis berambut Electric blue – berjingkat karena terkejut. Dia langsung menundukkan wajahnya begitu mendapati siapa gerangan yang memanggilnya tadi.“Pagi Izayoi-san.”“Kamu berangkat sangat pagi yah, benar-benar anak yang rajin!”“Ti... tidak serajin itu kok.”Nira merapikan rambut panjangnya yang menjuntai, tetapi lumayan susah karena dia terus menerus menunduk sehingga helaian rambutnya kembali jatuh.“Eh, sebentar.”Nira membeku saa
“Hey, it’s okay..” Unsuur berusaha menenangkan pembangun. Sekalipun perasaan getir menggaung dalam hatinya. Respon pembangun menjelaskan bahwa dia telah melupakan segala hal yang terjadi semalam setelah muntah. Begitu juga dengan ciuman singkat mereka.‘Memang apa yang aku harapkan? Dia hanya mabuk bukannya menanggapi dengan serius.’“Unsuur.”“Yeah...”Pembangun menunduk. Meski begitu, Unsuur dapat menemukan semburat rona yang menjalar dari wajah hingga telinga pembangun. Dia tengah bersemu. Tetapi keheningan ini membuat Unsuur merasa gelisah. Kalau-kalau pembangun malah mengingat hal yang tak mengenakan. Seperti...“Semalam, entah kenapa aku merasakan sesuatu yang lembut menempel di bibirku.”BADUM!“Kau yakin?”Pembangun mengedikkan bahu. “Entahlah... tak begitu yakin.”“Jika merasa tak enak, lebih baik lupakan saja.”“Tapi –”“Makanlah bubur itu, setelah itu akan ku antar kau pulang.”Dan Unsuur keluar dari kamar, meninggalkan pembangun di dalam kamarnya.‘Semestaku terhisap luban
Pembangun menggeleng, hidungnya menggesek tengkuk Unsuur, membuat Unsuur merinding seketika. “Rasanya sangat bosan menari tanpamu.”“Lalu, kau mau bagaimana?”Pembangun terkekeh kecil. “Menarilah bersamaku~”“Tapi aku tak pandai menari.”Pembangun melepaskan pelukannya, menjadikan Unsuur menoleh ke belakang untuk meringankan rasa penasarannya. Kini pembangun berwajah masam, kecewa atas sikap Unsuur yang menolak ajakannya. Tetapi alih-alih merasa ketakutan, Unsuur justru mengulum senyum. ‘Dia sangat menggemaskan~’ Unsuur membatin.“Ayo lah... biarkan aku mengajarimu caranya menari~”“Tapi –”Sebelum Unsuur menolak, pembangun sudah menarik tangannya. Dan Unsuur hanya bisa pasrah ketika dibawa ke tengah-tengah lantai dansa. Pandangannya terfokus ke arah tautan tangan mereka. Jari-jemari lembut pembangun menggenggam tangannya. Melihat itu membuat Unsuur menjadi lumayan tenang. Mungkinkah ini kekuatan cinta?“Ikuti saja musiknya.”Unsuur menelengkan kepala ke musik berasal. Kini lagu berte
Matahari berkilau terang sekali menggantung di langit. Musim panas tak main-main kali ini. Membangkitkan jiwa-jiwa penuh semangat yang tak berhenti untuk bergerak maju. Berbanding terbalik dengan seseorang yang duduk termenung di bawah pohon.“Hari ini tampak cerah bukan?” katanya dengan pandangan kosong. “Benar-benar cerah, tapi kenapa aku merasa kosong di sini. Seperti bukan diriku yang biasa. Aku merasa terlupakan sesaat. Seperti roda yang tiba-tiba berhenti, begitu juga dengan waktu yang berhenti berputar. Padahal Sandrok sedang aman tapi...”“Apa kau baik-baik saja, unsuur?”Yup, laki-laki itu adalah Unsuur. Sang kapten civil corp yang tak pernah sekalipun melupakan kewajibannya untuk membawa kedamaian di Sandrok. Kota kecil dengan penduduk yang saling mengenal satu sama lain.“Aku baik-baik saja, hanya saja...” Unsuur mengambil batu yang ada di dekatnya. “Aku merasa batu ini lebih berguna daripada keberadaanku.”“Jangan konyol!”Unsuur meringis. “Maaf, tak akan ku ulangi lagi.”