Everyone was frozen in place. The buzzing sound of the AC, instrumental music, the faint sound of people chatting—vanished."I need to talk," Justin said without turning to Dim-Dim, flipping through the pages of his book."About what?" Dim-Dim asked. The silence around them felt suffocating, and he tapped his fingers on the bookshelf to break the quiet."Edel," Justin replied. "She's been telling everyone at school that there's some kind of vibe between you. But I gotta check with you directly. Are you two a thing?"Dim-Dim furrowed his brow. "Me and Edel? We are not dating, but we are good friends. What's with the interrogation? Unlike you, who enjoy hiding facts about your powers, I'm too busy working with the Venators."Okay, that was a harsh jab.Justin glared at him. "I can't let them know about my power, I ain't about to die over some stupidity" Justin said. "My life is too precious to be risked for people I don't even know.""Even people you don't know have something they want
The café was located near the Jersey Devil's hut; a mythical creature said to resemble a kangaroo with the head of a goat. Dim-Dim was actually quite curious about that mythical creature, but his curiosity was pushed aside when they arrived in front of 9 Prose-Musics café. The café was simple, resembling a wooden house. As they stepped inside, the AC immediately blasted their hair, accompanied by the scent of old books and coffee. They were greeted by a woman in a detective-like costume."Hi, may I know your names, and what caffeinated drinks you'd like to order?" she asked in an investigative manner. "And, not to be too familiar, I'm also curious about your reading preferences."Velicia laughed. Clearly enjoying the woman's game."I'll have a matcha latte," said Edel, smiling thinly. "I like comics about animals.""Just a cappuccino for me," said Justin. "Action comics about Venators."Dim-Dim ordered cola, Velicia ordered espresso with a preference for teen romance fiction, and Vali
"Hey, hey, hey, wake up!"Dim-Dim lazily rolled over in his bed, then slowly opened his eyes. Velicia smiled widely at him, her hair glowing in neon colors, and Dim-Dim chuckled."Move over," he said, laughing. Velicia got off her bed and enthusiastically fluffed her hair, which had stuck to her face.Dim-Dim got up and checked the wall clock. "It's still ten in the morning," he said. "I thought I could sleep until noon on weekends.""It's ten in the morning on November 4th!" Velicia exclaimed cheerfully. "Let's get ready for the party tonight and take some photos!" Then the girl changed her hair color to red.It was then that Dim-Dim realized Velicia was already wearing a red velvet dress. The large black necklace around her neck contrasted with her skin. "Wow, you really look like that Red Woman."Velicia nodded eagerly. "Now quickly turn into Ghost!""Okay," said Dim-Dim. "But not here, let's go to the yard," he said. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and got out of bed. He almost bu
Without hesitation, Dim-Dim ran into the school."Come on, quickly, from the sound of it, the monster seems to be in the auditorium!" Dim-Dim said to Velicia.Velicia quickly followed him. Her hair was glowing brightly, illuminating the school corridors as if it were daytime.Arriving at the auditorium, they saw it in ruins and chaos with some walls broken.The monster threw a table towards Velicia, and Dim-Dim immediately transformed into a grizzly bear and shielded Velicia.Then he turned around, trembling, and stared at the monster, which was slowly advancing towards them.Dim-Dim grabbed the teacher's desk next to him, intending to throw it, when Valir ran and stopped in front of him, with a machine gun in his hand. The boy's head was bleeding, but he didn't care and said to Dim-Dim and Velicia, "You two split up and confuse the monster! Then find Justin and Edel and get them out of here!""Don't be reckless, you're not a real Venator yet!" Velicia shouted in shock. But she and Di
They were taken to the drug laboratory in the hospital. While waiting for Prof. Clark prepared the medication, Dim-Dim, Damian, and Velicia looked around the room with curiosity.Like most laboratories, the room had drug storage cabinets covering almost the entire wall. In the middle of the room, there were rows of ceramic-layered tables with various tools and items on them. Doctors wandered around in white lab coats."Don't worry," Damian whispered to Dim-Dim and Velicia. "The professor is Clary's mother.""I already suspected that," Velicia whispered back, while Dim-Dim said, "Clary doesn't seem to like her mother. Clary once said that whenever she's around her mother, all the food tastes bland.""Some young adults aren't close to their parents," Damian said. "Maybe Prof. Clark isn't a good mother in Clary's eyes, but she's a scientist who's incredibly helpful in the world today. Maybe she's just too busy to spend quality time with Clary."Dim-Dim tried to understand Damian's perspe
"I'm sorry," Dim-Dim said. Damian was too fragile right now, and Dim-Dim was the cause. Dim-Dim stood up, then followed his only instinct, he ran away from the place.*****Dim transformed into a retriever and ran. He ran and ran. And when he arrived outside the hospital, he turned into an eagle and flew away, without looking back.Dim-Dim didn't want to meet anyone right now. Dim-Dim didn't want to meet Edel, Velicia, anyone—Suddenly, he saw a luxurious house on the outskirts of city, with a swimming pool behind the house, a pavilion, and two guesthouses, and floating down. Then he landed on the roof of the pavilion where he could see a brown-haired girl with bangs sitting hugging her knees at the edge of the pool. His sharp eagle eyes could see tears falling down her small-pored teenage skin."Amma!" a woman shouted, rushing out of the house through the door to the backyard. "Don't run away when your father is talking to you?"Amma didn't move.Her mother then pulled one of her arm
"My uncle?" Dim-Dim asked, confused."Yes, your uncle in London," the woman said. "He just found out—although a little bit late—that you and Damian are now orphans. He was very surprised when he watched the news about the security breach at the Safe City New Jersey laboratory and saw your face as one of the injured victims. And according to Karina Damisch's will, you should be taken care of by your uncle, Dim-Dim. Especially if you're still underage.""Almost orphans, you mean?" Damian protested. "We still have a father, remember?""Who has lost his sanity," the woman added cruelly."Please mind your words," Clarinassa said. "I don't want you to hurt Dim-Dim's feelings."But the woman ignored Clarinassa. "Here's the thing. Dim-Dim deserves a better life, that is more peaceful, safer. And you're lucky because your uncle is wealthy. He has a house in Safe City in London."Damian snorted. "We haven't even met him. How can I trust my brother to him?"Suddenly, Dim-Dim remembered the momen
The stars shone brightly as Dim-Dim and Velicia stepped out of the Venator apartment, each wrapped in thick coats. The moonlight made everything gleam silvery, and as they nibbled on Oreos they had snatched from the refrigerator on the ground floor—which seemed to belong to Oriyan—they strolled along the sidewalk at a leisurely pace. Along the roadside, the stripes glowed with bright blue lights in the darkness."Let's just do this like this," Velicia said, licking the Oreo cream. "You don't have to turn into a horse or anything. Unless we're going far.""Okay. But I'm curious about Venator Academy," Dim-Dim said. "Damian used to study there. And after seeing Valir yesterday, I'm curious about what the school is like."Velicia shrugged. "Our schools are adjacent. But to get into Venator Academy, you have to use their student card..." Suddenly, the girl fell silent and stared mischievously at Dim-Dim. "Hey, what if we borrow Valir's student card for a moment?"Dim-Dim looked hesitant.