The sea was furious. Howling gales induced attacks of the waves, challenging the level of the land. Fallen leaves were strewn about at a hurried pace. Bins placed at each junction of the streets toppled over and scattered the trashes along the roads, further worsening the existing mess.
The choice Hayden and Miracle were about to make seemed to have angered nature.
When the twins saw a stranger at their doorstep, their expressions darkened, especially when they caught sight of the brutal condition of his chest. No explanation was needed. It was clear that the person had been attacked by Mynheex. What worried them was not the attack but the fact that he was still alive.
On top of that, bringing a mortal into their house wasn't a smart choice. True, their house was indeed a place to stay. But at the same time, it was a hideout for dragons to complete their missions in this world.
A place meant to be kept away from humans.
Standing with legs apart, Kingsley folded his arms across his chest. A bath towel drooped from his shoulders; he smelled fresh.
"Miracle, send him to the empty room upstairs," Hayden instructed.
Kingsley stepped forward to block. "Dad. We can't do this. It's disobeying the rules."
"Dad, we can't keep him here," Lyn stressed, adding seriousness to the problem her brother was stating.
"It's only until he regains consciousness."
"But dad!"
"I've made my point clear enough, Lyn." Hayden gave a slight push to Miracle. "Bring him to the room," he repeated, sending a glare only Kingsley could understand when he still refused to make way.
"Dad—"
Lyn stopped her brother from arguing any further. "Don't." Standing on tiptoe, she whispered in his ear, "Don't anger dad."
Walking past them, Miracle saw Kingsley's blue eyes flashing at his sister for a second. Sharp and rich, similar to Hayden's. His muscles tensed. Liquid of either sweat, water or a mixture of both was streaming down his face.
Kingsley was uneasy, and the insecurity in him spiked when he flicked a glance at the healing wound on the young man's chest. No mortal had ever survived a Mynheex attack. But there was this person, whose identity was unknown, barging into their safety zone right under his nose.
As soon as Miracle reached the top of the stairs, she heard Lyn saying: "Just bear with it for a few days."
The room was dark. Miracle groped around the wall next to the door, searching for the switch. Soon, an instant warmth of dim orange light flooded across the space. She twitched her face, freeing strands of her hair stuck underneath the boy's arm draped over her. She pulled him to the bed in the corner. Specks of dust arose from the mattress as she dropped him down, almost losing her own balance.
He was undeniably dirty—stained nails, clothes ripped off at the spots stitched multiple times, hands and legs covered in dirt, and hair disheveled in a way his parents wouldn't recognize. Watching his mess destroying the whiteness of the bedsheet, Miracle regretted that she didn't clean him up first.
"Where did he get all these mucks from?" she mumbled.
Sighing, she walked to the shared bathroom and took the cloth hung at the towel holder. Grabbing a plastic basin at the bottom corner of the sink, Miracle turned the tap in different directions, checking for the right temperature. As she looked at the mirror, the reflection of her mark reminded her of the neglected ache from earlier.
She ran her fingers across the bump. Redness was there.
"Breath of immortality," she uttered, staring deeper into her mirrored image. "Why are you so surprised, Miracle? A stain in the color, a drop in the lifespan. I know it well enough, don't I?"
And slowly, instead of herself, it was her Master surfacing, harking her back to the scene they had in Long Sheng Jie…
"The evils are evolving. They've eaten too many hearts and pearls that mortality breaths no longer hurt them, unlike us." Felynx slumped his shoulders, and Miracle saw fear in his amethyst eyes. "Those days, the only reason we could protect them without harming our divine breaths was that they worshipped us. But now…"
"They no longer believe in our existence."
Nodding, he cupped her face and traced the scales beneath the smoothness of her skin. "Our breath of immortality fades every time we use our powers in their world. It's because of this that the evils can easily track us down. But the worst is still when our identities are forced to be revealed because of mortals' suspicions."
"Why can't we tell the mortals the truth about everything?"
Felynx held her stare. "You must never, never do that, Xue Er. It has been a long while since the mortals last believed in us. Even if you exposed your identity, the current mortals wouldn't understand. They will only doubt. And their doubts kill…"
When the water overflowed and splashed onto her feet, Miracle snapped awake from her lost thoughts. She immediately shut off the tap. Supporting the basin with her waist, she tilted it at an angle and poured away the amount which was too much for a basic wipe.
The moment she stepped into the room, she heard the boy chattering his teeth. He was shivering. She moved her eyes to the casement behind the pale blue curtains. They weren't shut fully, and a weird sensation of chill was spreading across the room. Miracle quickly grabbed the thick cotton blanket and wrapped it around him, revealing nothing but his face.
"I hope you'll never remember what happened today, little one," she murmured, wetting his purplish lips with the cloth. "Let this be a nightmare for you. A nightmare I pray hard it'll never repeat."
Like a mom, she gently stretched out his limbs and began wiping for fear that she would hurt him if she was too rough. Her fingers flinched the second she brushed across his new skin. The white light was still in there, glowing under his skin as it repaired his broken ribcage and rejoined the networks of his blood circulation.
It was healing. His heartbeats were stabilized.
Miracle released a puff of relief.
But she cringed the moment she touched his soggy fringe. The odd, rotten stench was so strong that it intimidated her from getting any closer. She held her breath and rushed to the casement, poking out her head for a moment of freshness.
"You got this, Miracle," she muttered.
Only then did it occur to her that his hair probably wasn't the only source. Rather, the entire of him. His clothes looked like they hadn't been washed for years.
Too tired to carry on, she pulled out the stool and yawned, pillowing her head with her arm on the table. "I'll continue later..." Her eyelids drooped.
She was about to call it a night when something not-so-important-but-still-important flashed at the back of her mind.
The 7 o'clock meet-up with Rex!
As she jerked up, her seat tumbled over. One of its legs was stuck in the tangled carpet strings.
She stumbled, sending a quick glance outside the window. The strong glare of the moon accompanied by the dazzling stars dispelled her sudden agitation.
'He probably wouldn't be there anymore by now,' Miracle thought, and there went her efforts at staying awake.
***
Half-awakened by the morning rays shining through the only translucent curtains in the house, she frowned and scrabbled at the table for something she could use to block the light. Lingering of the unpleasant smell triggered the door to her consciousness. Approaching footsteps knocking against the floor outside doubled the reaction. Miracle twitched, hearing the annoyance disturbing her sleep.
"Miracle!"
She jolted to a loud thump from the next room. Staying still for a second, she darted her eyes around. They fell on the boy. She pursed her lips, recalling what had happened yesterday.
When the blurry scenes turned clear in her head, she immediately sped over to him. Colors were gradually returning to his face. But he looked so dead to the point Miracle wondered if he was even still alive.
Lyn continued calling: "MIRACLE! Fast! We're going to be late!"
She had yet to know the door she was knocking on was holding nobody in.
"Mira—" Screeches from her right stopped her from continuing her shout.
"Lyn, I got it."
"Miracle?" She pointed at the room. "You were in there the whole night?"
"I lost track of the time," she said simply, brushing past Lyn to get ready for school. "Wait for me downstairs. Will be done in five minutes."
Echoes of the school bell and the morning announcements drifted to their ears. The Watsons exchanged glances, knowing that reaching Stellaerio in another twenty seconds was impossible. Well, mortals definitely wouldn't make it on time. But none of them were. Two TinXi. One dragon. Good enough. Inhaling a deep breath and lifting their legs as high as ninety degrees, they dashed toward that direction. The security guard gave the rusty gate one last pull before heading back to the guardhouse to enjoy his freshly brewed mocha latte. His hand was still on the lock when the Watsons leaped over the barrier, landing on the opposite ground. The slack-jawed guard was slapped with a sudden gust of wind. It blew away his black cap, revealing the messy strands on his half-bald head. When he turned around to check the time, he saw the minute hand move to 7:30 AM only a few seconds later. They were right on time. "Huh... That was very... very close." Kingsley wiped the sweat dangling down
They killed him. They killed his buddy! Kingsley crouched by his bed, his fingers trembling as he slid open the wooden memory box he treasured. Looking at the photos, nostalgia streaked through him when he saw the particular piece. His stream leaked. It was the first surprise birthday party Peter held for him. The memory said it all—whipped cream smeared everywhere, chocolate cake smashed flat on the table, and Peter standing behind Kingsley, holding another lump of cream in his hand. Lyn was at the side, joining their friend for another cream attack on her brother. Everybody was happy. Nobody was leaving. "I'm sorry, Kingsley." Miracle broke the silence after staying in his room for fifteen minutes. He ignored her apology. "You know what he said here?" Running his fingers across the picture, he traced the features of his dead friend with deep affection. "He said 'Oh, come on, Kingsley! Birthday cakes are never meant to be eaten. They're meant to be ruined for greater happiness
Lifting his head, Hayden stared into the realm laid above the thick layers of grayish clouds. His sorrowful hazel-brown eyes poured out layers of bitterness nobody understood. 2019. It had been eighteen years ever since they parted ways. Back in Ring of Deity, he remembered how it ached his heart, watching his pal imploring Felynx to let him go... "I… I can't do this anymore, Felynx. I-I can't do this anymore..." Yisroel knelt and fixed his dejected gaze on the ground. Felynx's silk robe brushed past his trembling arm. "Get up, Yisroel," he commanded, turning away. "You know you can't escape from this. His Majesty wouldn't allow it." "O-One… one by one sent to me." He gulped the sour lump down his throat. "One by one vanished also because of me." There was a hint of despise in his voice as he glanced over at the iced cuboids hung deep in the wall. He hated himself for failing to bring them back alive. "Everybody wants a happy ending…" Felynx stared into the deserted fountain ou
"Gosh, Miracle! I really don't have an answer to that!" Lyn exclaimed, squeezing out too much anti-acne cream on her palm. "How can you not know? You've been here longer than I do!" Miracle shot up from the turquoise queen-sized bed and threw a pillow in her direction. "Being here early doesn't mean I know everything!" She twisted her body and dodged the hit. "It's clear that Mynheex has gotten so much stronger than before. We could hardly trace them out even if they were to disguise themselves among the humans," she said, tossing it back. "That's why I'm asking if they have any marks!" "Trust me." Lyn stomped toward Miracle and snatched her pillow. "We don't know any more than you do. This is the first time somebody actually asked me this question. We all know how dangerous it is to catch a glimpse at their marks even if they have one." When the room fell into silence, she continued, "Miracle, Mynheex ate too many humans. They conceal their breath of immortality so well that it's
That scream didn't sound friendly. Startled, Hayden cracked the glass he was holding. Tea mixed with blood coursed down his tensed arm. The twins frowned, watching the silver smoke around the ceiling tangling into a confused mass. When they rushed to the door, their jaws almost dropped to the floor upon seeing the unconscious Melvin. His arm was draped over Miracle's shoulder. "What happened?" Hayden asked, keeping his scratched palm behind his back. The wound was closing. What should she say? If she were to say the truth—that this human boy could see the barrier when he wasn't supposed to—he was surely getting chased out of the house. "Nothing serious. Just a mild heatstroke," she said simply. She didn't want to tell them what exactly happened yet, though it might be a mistake keeping them in the dark. Lyn raised a brow. "Mild? The scream—" "Now that we don't have to worry about the mortal overhearing us," Miracle cut in before she had a chance to further her doubts, "let's c
Cold sweat rolled down the bridge of her nose to her shivering chin and pattered to the fallen Magnolia. The drip was so clear in her ears that she could barely hear anything else. Melvin hit the bull's eye. Her heart was leaping into her throat. Hundreds of excuses ran through her mind. She needed something to cover up desperately. Anything at all. Miracle poked her nails into her palm to pull herself together. "W-What? Melvin, what are you talking about?" Her voice cracked as she stammered to finish her sentence. He remained quiet. His ebony eyes were darting around wildly. "Dragons in this generation? Melvin, are you serious?" she said, increasing his doubts about dragons' existence while taking a step closer to the door. Though she had always wanted mortals to acknowledge the presence of dragons, now was certainly not the time. Moreover, when their doubts were literally everywhere. Melvin outstretched his leg and flashed in front of her. He didn't sound convinced. "But
Standing in front of Stellaerio, Miracle stared at the peculiar building with complicated feelings. The stained white crescent hung on the main block resembled the loss of hope in starting afresh. Caws of crows flying past the swaying trees further gloomed the surroundings. Rather than a school, it looked more like a place of life and death. When Miracle reached the second-floor corridor, she headed to the punch card rack and heaved a sigh of relief. It was a Saturday, and Maddie was in the school. While she was still feeling good that her trip to Stellaerio on the weekend didn't go down the drain, a piece of paper flew in her direction and landed next to her feet. A shiver ran down her spine the moment she flipped it over. Her throat constricted, and a twinge of guilt gripped her heart as the words read aloud in her mind. It was the same announcement from that day. 'Xiao Xun, they were the ones you died protecting…' Right then, pictures of the deceased started to merge into
Whatever he said was too real to be claimed as a made-up story. "How did he know about the tragedy?" she murmured, stepping out of Stellaerio. Wandering along the streets, Miracle clipped the diamond pendant with her lips while immersing in her train of thought. Far ahead, the soothing color combination of the clouds brightened the rows of houses and shops. Lilac hue topped the orange, overtaking the rest. The evening had descended. Three black pigeons on the overhead cable flew across the sky upon seeing their flocks approaching. When a young man in a teal coat picked up his incoming call, he forgot that his office bag was unzipped. The documents kept inside were scattered everywhere on the road. They smashed toward the accelerating car that was trying to get past the yellow light. The man immediately surged forward to save his papers. The driver honked. 'Free me.' Miracle snapped back to reality, frowning. "Who is that?" A strong wave of mortality breath registered its presen