The Peculiar One: Chapter I

When Reighll Logene heard the bell, she immediately stood up, making everyone in the classroom, including the teacher, look at her. “What is it, Reighll?” The teacher said. “The bell,” Reighll said, blankly. “We’re still not done. Now, sit down.” The teacher said with a voice full of authority. “We are, Ma’am. The bell rang, that means we are done. That’s what the Magisters always reminds us every start of school days, am I right?” Reighll walked out slowly. “How dare you? I am the teacher of this class, I will be the one to say if my class is done or not!” And the teacher lost it. “Ma’am,” Reighll stopped walking, she moved her head to the side, “What’s the topic again? Ah, right. About controlling the element of fire. Ma’am, do you think I can use that knowledge?” She clenched her fist, and her face darkened, “I’m level zero, the only level zero. There was actually no level zero around, right? Just until I showed up. Ma’am, I am different from all of you, you should know that by now. If the discussion is about combat training, I’d probably listen very closely, but since it’s about magic, something I know I will never be able to use, I’ll just go. I can’t waste my time here.” And she walked off. But before leaving the classroom, she saw how the teacher’s face shown how pissed she was, and how her teacher gritted her teeth, also clenching her fist. The sight made Reighll smirk.

Reighll decided to go straight home at Maren’s house. Well, as if there was somewhere in this world she wanted to go to. She rolled her eyes. She’ll just get herself hurt. The people of Hgerisa never liked her. But she was used to this already. While walking to Maren’s house, she was avoided by every person she passed by. She only shrugged it off.

When she entered the house, she was surprised to see the five sitting on the couch. They looked at her. “Reighll! Here, try some of these. I cooked it!” Maren said when she saw her. Reighll looked at the food Maren was talking about. It looked like the pasta with some vegetables. Reighll sighed and nodded. While she was walking closer to them, Maren put some of the pasta-like food on a plate and gave her. “Thank you,” She said and ate it. “How was it, Reighll?” Streizer asked. “It’s delicious. Way to go, Maren.” Reighll said and placed the plate on the table, then patted Maren’s head. “Really?” Streizer and Maren said. “Hey, Reighll, I helped her cook that!” Streizer said with pride. “Ahh, really? Reighll looked at him. Streizer nodded in response, smiling. Reighll nodded, “Good for you then. It’s good.” Fheliq patted Streizer’s head, “You want this, don’t you?” The others laughed. “Well, it’s unfair! Why did Maren get a pat while I don’t?” Streizer pouted his lips. “It’s obvious, Streizer. It’s because the cuts of the vegetables are too big. It should be just like this,” Reighll cut a vegetable for an example and showed Streizer, “That’s the only thing you did, am I right? It doesn’t even have anything to do with the taste. If it did, your cut has just probably made it worse. So, if I’m gonna compliment someone about the taste of the food, it should be the one who really cooked it. The one who mixed the ingredients with the exact amount of each of it.” Reighll explained.

“How did you know this, Reighll?” Maren smiled. Reighll didn’t answer. Even she didn’t know how. It’s just that something suddenly popped inside her head. Something like the procedure instruction for the food. “And how did you know that it’s the only thing Streizer did?” Rerelia asked. “I… don’t. I was just actually teasing him. But I guess it was the truth,” Reighll lied. The truth was… she also didn’t know. An image just suddenly popped on her mind, she just imagined what she thought would have happened if Streizer helped.. An image of Streizer cutting the ingredients, and Maren mixing the ingredients. Streizer can't exactly cook, after all.

“Anyway, I’ll just head to my room.” Reighll said and left to go to her room. When she was inside her room, she locked the door. She placed her bag on her bed and stripped her clothes off. She took a bath. When she was done, she decided to check her notes. Her notes about combat fighting. In this world, she was weak. Being powerless is being weak. That was why she was training for combat fighting. She didn’t even try to learn magic. She knew she wouldn’t learn to use it. After all, she was not from this world. She was different from the people surrounding her. The room was big so she can go all out for her training. She spent the remaining hours of the day training inside her room. And when night came, she took a shower and changed to her pajamas before going down to the living room. The five was still there. She stared at Maren and Dryne, and smiled a little. Those two were the only ones that can make her smile ever since her life changed. Just staring at the lovebirds. The two weren’t together, Maren had told her that already, but she knew that Dryne loved Maren. While Maren… it also looked like she felt the same way for Dryne.

Streizer turned to her direction and her little smile faded away. Streizer grinned, “Oh, she’s right there already!” He told the others. The others looked at her and smiled at her. She didn’t return it though. She didn’t know, but she can’t bring herself to smile. And when she did, it will automatically fade away when someone looked at her. It was just like her smile didn’t want to be seen.

She walked to them “Good evening. I’ll be on the kitchen. I’ll cook us dinner,” She said and immediately walked to the dinner. Streizer followed her, “What are you doing here?” Asked Reighll. “I want to help you cook our dinner,” Streizer grinned. The boy liked her, she was aware of that. But she didn’t like him. He was too clingy, too loud, too full of pride, and clumsy for her liking. He’s helpful and kind though. But Reighll still didn’t like him. At least, that way. “Okay then.” Reighll nodded and they cooked dinner.

When they finished, they brought the food in the dining room, and found out that Dryne and Maren already readied the table. Reighll and Streizer put the plates where the dish and the rice were on the table. And they ate. The four left after dining because it was too dark already.

“Reighll,” Maren called her. “What is it?” Reighll said. Maren looked down, “I’m sorry,” She said. Reighll tilted her head in confusion. “What are you sorry for?” Reighll asked. “I’m sorry that I brought you here. I… I can see that you aren’t happy here. For the whole three years you’re here, I have never seen you smile even once. I’m sorry. You couldn’t even make friends here because they are all avoiding you. Because you are different. While in your world… I bet you’re happy there, always smiling. Loved by all.” Maren said, making Reighll sigh. Reighll stepped closer to Maren and hugged her, shocking Maren.

“You know what, Maren? I’m happy and thankful that you brought me here.” Reighll smiled. “You never saw me smile, because I never showed you.” Reighll closed her eyes. “I’m not loved there. The people of that place hates me. I couldn’t make friends here because, like you said, I’m different. I’m just an ordinary human. At least, ordinary for the people of the place I came from. But I care less, Maren. I have you. You always say that you’re my friend, aren’t you?” The whole time Reighll was in this world, this was the first time the two of them talked about this. It had been three years since the four took her here. “I took you away from your home,” Maren shook her head. “Maren… no. You actually brought me home. I may not really belong here, but I feel like I’m home here.” Reighll said. “Maren, promise me you’ll never apologize about bringing me here. Not again.”

“I… I promise.”

†

Reighll watched her classmates train inside the training room. It was an elemental training. This was the hardest of all. Learning to manipulate the basic elements. The fire, water, air, and earth. This was the first lesson. They were still being taught about how to manipulate it. All of them in this class still couldn’t produce an element by their own. They were still training to learn to manipulate it. Reighll’s friends had told her about these already. First, they were going to teach them to manipulate the elements, then how to produce an element by their own magic, then controlling their self-produced element, and lastly, reforming the element. Sections forty-six to fifty were taught these for the first quarter. And Reighll… well she didn’t even had magic inside her.

“Reighll,” Her teacher called her. She looked at the teacher, “Yes?” She said. “Why aren’t you training?” The teacher said. “Level zero, remember?” Reighll tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes, but failed. “That’s because you are not trying!” The teacher glared at her. She pointed at the training ground, “Do it! If you do, you’ll have even an E. Choose, you’ll have E or F? Try!”

Reighll sighed and walked to the training ground. Her classmates looked at her. This was the first time they saw her going to the training ground. The teacher followed her. The teacher produced a fire and placed it on the holder. The holder, as it was named, held elements. Such thing was only used by section forty-six and the sections bellow it.

In the end, of course, she failed. At least she had an E, that’s what she kept on trying to tell herself inside her mind.

Her day was done. Every fourth and fifth day of the week, the classes of the sections below forty-six ends at 17:00. And because she had a bad score, she was the last student recorded, and the last student of the last section, to go home. Anyway, she was used to this already. While walking through the hallways, she noticed that there were only a few students left. Alone, in one long hallway, she just stared at the paper she was holding. “E, huh? The first time,” She clicked her tongue,

But in the middle of the long hallway, she felt a presence so she stopped. She decided to ignore it and just to continue walking. After all, this presence was going to disappear soon. No one wanted to be alone with her in a long time.

But then, she suddenly passed out.

†

Reighll awoke, and a face of a demon welcomed her. She almost jumped, if it weren’t for the rope tied around her. Her brows shot up, a magic nullifier rope. Who was this demon that captured her? Didn’t it know about her being a level zero girl? Reighll glared at the demon.

“Finally awake, I see…” Reighll recognized the voice. It was the same as her teacher’s! Even though it was echoed by a very deep and creepy voice, she knew. This demon was her teacher. The looks of the demon told Reighll what kind of demon she was. An elemental demon. That explained how it was not very recognizable as a demon. It was a teacher for elements after all. The skin of the demon was very pale, and the eye was blue ringed with red. It can only use a sub-element, ice. This teacher had been Reighll’s teacher for three years already. So that was why she was never good at using basic elements. And her answers if someone asked her about a question about basic elements, she was wrong sometimes. She was a sub-elemental demon. That one statement explained it all. But… just earlier, this demon used fire magic. How?

“Evaron Missec… you’re not a human, after all,” Reighll chuckled. “Me? Of course, I’m not, Reighll Vervendilla. But Evaron Missec is. Oh, sorry, I was supposed to say was.” The demon laughed. Reighll’s eyes widened in realization. Evaron Missec was a teacher in this school. And this demon… it took over her body. It used the body of Evaron Missec as a container of its damned soul. But wait… Demons weren’t supposed to have souls!

“How,” asked Reighll, “did you steal her body?” The demon smirked darkly, showing its sharp fangs. “It was simple. I killed her.” It said. Reighll shook her head, “I know more than you think! A soul can’t kill a living human! And demons don't have souls in the first place!” She exclaimed. “That’s right… It’s because I killed her first before destroying my body. I let my Demonic Crystal grow inside her body, making it mine. ” The demon held Reighll’s cheek. “But why… why would you get rid of your body if you don’t want to die?”

The demon shook its head, “Enough questions from you, little girl. It’s my turn now,” It eyed Reighll and a chill ran down her spine.

The demon held her chin and stared straightly in her eyes, causing the hair all over her body stand, “Why do you always want to fail?” Reighll was taken aback of the demon’s question. She suddenly felt infuriated with the demon's accusation, “Want? You think I want that? No! If I can, I want to never fail!” Reighll said. “But what can I do? The place where I can feel home is not really my home. I can’t use magic, because I am not from this world. I’m different.” Reighll held back herself from shedding a tear.

She never showed her fragile self to anyone. And planned to have it that way even to anything, especially to a demon.

The demon wiped her tears. “I can feel your sorrow. Don't you dare cry in front of me!” It glared.

Reighll managed to break the rope around her without her knowing how. But she was thankful it did. The rope fell off, and before the demon noticed it, Reighll already drew a punch on its face, "And I don't plan to!" Her hand hurt, but at least it caused the demon to take a few step back. Reighll immediately stood up and landed a kick right on the demon’s leg causing it to fall on its knees. Reighll attempted to punch it again, but it stopped her hand. The demon squeezed it tightly, making Reighll scream in pain. She could feel her bones almost breaking. Using the other arm, she found her little knife stuck on her uniform on her back. Thank God, it didn’t fell off. She used it to stab the demon’s hand. The demon released a screeching sound, and Reighll closed her eyes while covering her ears. She was pushed back because of the demon’s swinging of its arm.

The door broke open and five figures stood right on it. Reighll secretly smiled before closing her eyes.

†

Maren was getting more worried each passing second. It was 18:00 already! Reighll’s class was supposed to be done by now! Reighll never walked around Hgerisa. The door opened. Maren’s smile appeared, but as quick as it did, instantly disappeared. It was not Reighll!

“Hello! Maren?” It was Streizer. “Oh! Reighll’s in her room?” He asked. Maren looked stared at him, her eyes full of worry. “Streizer… Reighll… She’s still not home.” She said. “Streizer, I can’t help but worry.” She looked down on her hands.

“What?!” Streizer instantly panicked. “Where on Eirxia is she?” He said. He clenched his fist. “Maren, I’ll head to their school building!” He said. “I’m going, too!’ Maren said and Streizer nodded.

“Who’s going where?” Dryne’s voice appeared, and at the same time, Fheliq and Rerelia appeared right in front of the door. Behind them was Dryne. “We’ll look for Reighll.” Streizer said. “What do you mean?” Rerelia said. “She’s still not home, Rel.” Maren said with a hint of worry in her voice. “I’ll teleport to their school building!” Streizer said with finality.

“Stupid brother,” Rerelia muttered. “If you’re going to look for her, don’t teleport!” She rolled her eyes. “We’ll run. We can look around while running. At speed.” She said. And that was what they did. They didn’t see her, though. They reached the school building for the sections below the forty-sixth section.

“Is Reighll Logene Vervendilla still inside?” Rerelia asked the guard of the building. She said the whole name. She knew the guard already knew who she was talking about. Reighll was a known girl in the whole kingdom of Hgerisa, after all. Well, who wouldn’t remember a peculiar person? “We never saw her walk out of the building’s door yet, Lady Samvielor.” The guard said, respectfully. The Samvielor family is one of the high-ranked family in the whole kingdom. They were pretty famous and respected. Streizer clenched his fist. Why would she stay in the building? A teacher or professor asking for a student’s help was nearly impossible here. Reighll had no reason to stay late in this building. She wouldn’t stay here for long! Streizer was sure she wasn’t even going to take a step inside this building if it weren’t for her classes!

Streizer immediately ran inside and the others followed him. They eyed every inch of the building. But they couldn’t find Reighll.

“She’s not… here?” Fheliq said.

“No,” said Dryne. Everyone looked at him. Streizers’s eyes widened when he realized what Dryne meant. He didn’t let him speak more and ran with a flashing speed to the building’s underground room. The others had kept up with him. Before reaching the door, they heard a screech coming from inside. Streizer didn’t wait any longer and kicked the door open.

They saw Reighll inside with an elemental demon. The demon had something stuck on its hand and Rerelia realized it was a small knife. Reighll tried to fight. Stupid girl. Did the weakling really think she can live after fighting a demon?

Streizer, using speed, ran to Reighll. He carried her to the outside of the room, “Fhel,” He called and Fheliq knew what he meant. Fheliq ran to them and Streizer ran back inside.

The demon flew back as Streizer punched it on its stomach. “You’ll pay for hurting Reighll, demon!” He muttered.

The demon laughed, “Hurt? Did I? Really? Fools! You’re all fools! You don’t even know who that girl truly is!” It yelled.

“I care less of what or who she really is! I love her, and that’s all I know!”

Everyone was shocked because of what they heard. They thought that all this time, he was not serious about Reighll. They didn’t thought of him loving someone like Reighll. Well, of course, the girl was lovable, but romantically? They had never thought that Streizer would love someone like Reighll, romantically.

“Oh. Don’t you want to know what that girl is? In case you’re curious, you can ask me.”

“I’m not. And if I ever am, I’d choose to ask Reighll than some unreliable demon.” Maren said. “Unreliable, huh. Yes, I am an unreliable creature. But do you think I’ll lie to you about who that girl is?” The demon said and eyed the back of the four where Reighll and Fhel were.

“It’s not impossible,” Rerelia tilted her head.

“Oh, yes, but I won’t.”

Dryne clicked his tongue, “I have no time for this. Let’s finish this right away. I wanna rest for the Gods’ sake.”

He swung his hand and the demon tumbled to the direction his hand swung to. Lightning sparked in Streizer’s hands as he ran to the demon and punched it straight on its face. The demon, once again, flew. It stood, but at the same time, received a very painful kick from the same man. Streizer pointed his hand to the demon and from his hand, a lightning came. The demon screamed in pain. The sound that was supposed to hurt everyone’s ears didn’t came as Streizer controlled the soundwaves of the demon’s scream. He added water around the demon, and everyone could see that the demon felt more pain because of it.

“That,” Streizer slowly walked to the demon, “is for what you did to Reighll.” The water and lightning both disappeared. Using the power to summon things, Streizer summoned a sword and sliced the demon’s head off.

Everyone was surprised of what they saw. They weren’t used to seeing Streizer like that. Even his twin, Rerelia, couldn’t believe of what she saw. Her twin had always been that joker and cheerful guy, full of patience, careless, but at the same time, kind. He had never killed anything. He had killed demons, but those were only illusions in the training room. He was too kind to do so.

But now, Streizer killed someone… without any hint of hesitation written on his actions. The demon disappeared into black ashes.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Streizer, the kinf Streizer wasn't supposed to kill anyone, anything. The effects Reighll had to Streizer was worse, more frightening than they could have ever thought.

“Streizer!” Dryne, Maren, and his twin called his name. He turned faced them. “You’re so wrong to do that. Oh, Gods! We were only supposed to show it to the Magisters. You weren’t supposed to kill it.” Maren said. “You’re too good it pisses me off,” Streizer pouted his lips. “That demon hurt the most precious girl for me. I can’t stand to see it live.” He rubbed his nape and smiled, “I’m sorry. I lost my control the moment I saw Reighll lying on the floor unconscious.” He walked pass them and went to Reighll. He carried her and teleported away.

†

Reighll woke up in a very familiar room. She was in her room now. She recalled what happened to her. She only felt the fear right now. What does that demon want with her? It couldn’t be food because according to what she remembered when she read book about the demons, elemental demons weren’t carnivorous demons. The sub-elemental demons, of course, belonged to that kind. The demon’s question popped inside her mind.

“Why do you always want to fail?” It had asked her. What she told the demon, it was true. She never really wanted to fail. She failed her classes here, not because she wanted, but because that’s her limit. That was all she could do, and she knew that. “That’s because you’re not trying!” Another accusation from the demon just earlier this day. Could the demon be right? It’s just all because she never even tried? Earlier, she didn’t really tried. She just pretended that she was trying so she could at least get a score higher than F, even if it’s just an E.

“Do it! If you do, you’ll have even an E. Choose, you’ll have E or F? Try!”

Why did it sounded like the demon badly wanted to see her try? All the people around her didn’t know that she wasn’t from this world, so the demon might also not, right? And it just got really curious about how strong or weak Reighll’s magic was, when the truth was… she didn’t have magic inside her. But she got this feeling that the demon knew something she didn’t. What was it?

Reighll’s head was throbbing because of the questions flooding in her mind. She really had to stop thinking about it all. She decided to go out of her room and she did, only to find the lights closed. She sighed and opened the switch. The lights were used with magic and can be opened by just a command of a magic user, but since she couldn’t use magic, Maren decided to put a switch right on the wall beside Reighll’s door outside her room. Reighll walked down and figured that it was already night time. She never got the chance to look at her window back in her room, after all.

She went to the kitchen and got herself a cold water to drink. She felt someone behind her so she turned around after putting the glass down on the table. She was surprised to see Dryne. She thought it was Maren. Her forehead creased, “You’re still here?” She said. Dryne’s cold stare bore into her, “What do you think?” She fought the urge to roll her eyes. This man had always been like this to her, and she didn’t know why. She didn’t know who to prefer with her. An annoying, loud, cheerful, kind, and clumsy guy like Streizer or an annoying, quiet, moody, and kind, but at the same time rude guy like Dryne. Reighll shook the thought away from her mind. Why was she thinking about that? She didn’t know herself.

“Damn,” she murmured to herself, using her former language, “this man really pisses the hell out of me.”

Dryne’s brows rose, “What?” Reighll showed a sweet but sarcastic smile, “Nothing. I just said you’re so handsome that I’m worrying about you being still up at this time. You might have bags under your eyes, and get ugly.” She said, using the Eirxia’s language again.

“Do you honestly think I’d believe you?”

The sarcastic smile of Reighll didn’t disappear, “I don’t know, really. Well, that’s your choice.” She then cleared her throat, “If you’ll excuse me, but I’ll be going back to my room.”

Reighll left and Dryne didn’t said anything.

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