Chapter 1. Episode 3. Dexter Quintin the Batres

"She just wants to be pampered. If I remember correctly, it was Rey's punishment for not doing what she wanted. Since he's my roommate, Jess said it was my responsibility to make up for it—not very reasonable, is it? Given the situation, I did what she wanted," Bryan stated. Yeah, but now she can't do that anymore—ordering people around as if the world revolves around her, I thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't know what I'd done until Rey told me this morning. I'm really sorry, Feliese. Let me make it up to you. Let's go to the movies," he said sincerely. Under normal circumstances, I would have let it go.

"Yes, of course. Don't worry about last night; it's been taken care of," I said without thinking.

"Huh? What did you say?" he asked, confused.

"What? Heehee ^_^! Nothing. Come on, let's go to our room; we'll be late," I said, pushing him toward our room.

The teacher was already there, seeming very strict; she reminded me of my late mother, the queen. While she lectured on a certain ancestral race, I was busy analyzing how I could conquer the world -_-! Just kidding. It was so boring it nearly killed me. The only good thing was that I already knew the topic. What could you expect from someone homeschooled? The normal curriculum of public and private schools versus what I'd learned—or should I say, been forced to learn—was far beyond theirs.

"Who can give me at least one ancestral race from the dark side? Anyone?" the teacher asked, but received only silence, like the silence of death.

"Sigantres and Ures Ures," I said, breaking the silence and causing everyone to turn towards me.

"What? Am I wrong?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"How did you know of their existence? Merely mentioning them is almost a curse," the teacher said, worry and confusion on her face.

"It's not, if you're protected by the divine ancestral chant. What? Am I wrong, ma'am? And why the hell did you ask in the first place?" I asked.

"Well, you're not wrong, but this isn't recorded by any account, from either the light or dark side. How did you know?" she asked.

"I'm not the only one who knows this stuff; you yourself know it, too, right? So maybe… just maybe… it came from the same resources?" I said, obviously not revealing my personal knowledge. Oh, Great Creator, I'm grateful there's no creature You made that can read minds, I thought, scanning my classmates' eyes. Or did You?

"Hey, Bry, who's that boy next to that nerd?" I whispered as the teacher continued her lecture.

"That's Dexter Quintin. Why? Are you interested in him?" Bryan asked. I didn't respond.

What makes a human "human"? Is it ethics? Norms? Anything that fits the standard of being "right"? I personally don't understand human nature, proving I'm not one of them—weak creatures, wicked, not powerful, yet capable of anything they desire. We, my brethren, are like humans aspire to be: some wicked, some kind, some uninvolved in disputes. The strong and smart govern us, perhaps the only similarity between what humans consider "monsters" and themselves.

"How's life been? How have you been? It's been a long time since we last saw each other," Bryan said, eating his burger. I couldn't respond, not because I didn't want to, but because of the scenery. Our ideal atmosphere, as monsters, would be pitch black at night, but no. The supposed darkness was beautiful, with sparkles twinkling everywhere. Such a beautiful town; only if we belonged here, though we deserve it.

"It's been fine. Do you remember my mother?" I asked, biting into my burger.

"Yeah, she seemed strict, if I remember correctly. She was pretty, too," he said. Yeah, what do you expect from her highness? I thought.

"What race are you from? Are you related to our clan?" I asked. We can't be together if we're related.

What am I thinking! This is stupid!

"From the southern races, the goblin side," he said.

"Where did you go after the mortals chased you out?" I asked. Good thing we're not related.

"We returned to our hometown. My mother was a mortal, so we didn't stay at my father's place. My father was the first prince; he didn't want his father's—the Goblin King's—responsibilities, so he stepped down from the throne. When we returned, the kingdom needed saving; the crowned king was dying, cursed by a Supreme Mangkukulam. My father became king and saved the kingdom; it's still flourishing," he said, seemingly summarizing his whole life. Hilarious.

"May I ask what you know about me?" I asked.

"You? Nothing, besides you being my best friend back then. I know nothing about you," Bryan said.

"Good. Let's go," I said, standing to leave. "I have things to do," I said, getting into the car.

"Fel, I know you're hiding your true identity. I respect that; I'll wait until you tell me. Now that we're together, I won't let you go again, and I want you to know I'll always be here for you," Bryan said after getting in. What's this? A love confession? I thought. I didn't know how to respond. Should I cry? Laugh? Anyway, it was good he was by my side.

It's Friday.

Most students returned to their hometowns; some preferred to stay and continue studying and practicing their powers and abilities.

"Hey, Dex," I called with a superficial smile, seeing him in the corridor. This Batres—so charming and handsome.

(Picture of Dexter and introduction, how he looks and his status)

Heh, I chuckled. Batres—creatures with mind-reading abilities. They've been almost wiped out in recent millennia; they're avoided because of their ability to read the minds of creatures more powerful than themselves. Who wants their secrets known? That's why they were purged; I think my ancestors were among those who nearly wiped them out.

"Hey…" he called back. "What can I help you… your highness?" he added almost inaudibly. I stopped abruptly, realizing what he'd said.

"Never call me that again, or you won't know how you die. Given your high intelligence, you'll still fail," I said charmingly. If only Bryan could see me now, he'd know what "charming" means.

"I… I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean that," he stammered, adjusting his glasses.

"I won't do it again," he said seriously. Better not, I thought.

"Okay! Then we're good," I said. He knows my identity… well, that's a given, for a creature made to pry open secrets. "So? Are you going home tonight?" I asked, resuming my unnatural naturalness.

"What do you want from me?" he asked seriously. He's direct, isn't he?

"I don't want you spewing secrets everywhere, to anyone or anything, unless you don't want your tongue or fingers," I said, laughing charmingly at the end, as if it were a funny conversation. I sensed he'd tensed up. "Oh! Relax, I was just kidding, alright!" I laughed again.

"I want to live as normally as possible; I don't want to be entangled in such issues," he said pleadingly. He knows what I'm capable of; he's scared.

"Swear an oath," I replied simply, as if stating I was hungry. Swearing an oath was as sacred as Heaven's Dao; you'd be struck by tenth-level lightning if you broke it.

"And how can I trust you won't pester me anymore?" he asked, afraid I'd go back on my word; our race wasn't known for trustworthiness. "Why hide your true identity? We're not in the mortal world anymore; they won't judge you, because everyone here is as disgusting as can be. Don't bother concealing who you are; you're wasting your precious self," he lamented, as if he'd already lost his life.

"That's exactly why," I said. "So? Are you taking the oath or not?" I said with slight seriousness. "Don't act as if you've lost your life; it's just an oath," I added.

"You don't know me," he said quietly, but I heard him clearly. What did he mean by that? "Okay, I'll do it." He closed his eyes, chanting as blue light surrounded him during the sacred ritual. "I, Dexter Quintin, solemnly swear an oath to the Heavens Dao. I'll never tell Miss Feliese's secret to anyone, anything, or anywhere. I, Dexter Quintin, will accept your punishment if I break my oath." As his chant ended, the blue light disappeared; he opened his innocent, captivating almond eyes. I couldn't look away.

"Fel!" someone called, and I turned. It was Bryan. When I looked back at Dexter, he was gone. Bryan's heartbeat was still racing when he reached me. "Where were you? I've been looking for you for two hours!" he said, worried. Why would he look for me for two hours? Such patience.

"I've been here only a couple of minutes; I was talking to Dexter," I said absentmindedly. Was this bad? Had I been enchanted or cursed? But I felt fine; nothing could affect me, internally or externally, even spiritually.

"I didn't see anyone. Are you sure it was Dex? Maybe it was a ghost," he said, looking around.

"Why were you looking for me?" I asked, shrugging off my thoughts.

"I'm going home; would you come?" he asked, uncertain.

"Sure," I said simply. "What's the transportation? Air? Land? Or water?" I asked curiously, remembering how he'd flown around with me as kids and walked kilometers as if teleporting, defying the laws of physics.

"Neither. We're teleporting—from my dorm room to my room in our castle," he said, leading me to his dorm. Female students weren't forbidden from entering the male dorms, and vice versa.

As he opened his bedroom door, he chanted; a bright light surrounded the frame. When he opened it and walked through, I followed. We were in a different room—enormous. It wasn't a room; it was a house. Bryan's room. Isn't it a waste of space, such a huge room for one person? But hey, those bookshelves are glamorous; one bookshelf holds a whole library. Yaycks! I felt dizzy just looking.

"Done admiring?" Bryan asked, smiling, leaning against a bookshelf as my eyes passed over him. My heart started acting up again. Ugh! I'm such a slut; first Dexter, then Bryan? What the heck is happening? Why do I find these people so handsome and captivating? "Heh," I sneered, trying to suppress my emotions.

"What are we going to do here?" I asked, avoiding his gaze.

"It's been too long since we last saw each other; isn't it time for us to reminisce?" he said seriously. Well, I find it cool.

"There's a spiritual stream up north; why don't we go there first? We'll bring food and drinks," he suggested, heading for the door.

"Ugh, well, okay. What's so good about the stream?" I asked, following him; I heard him call someone to prepare things.

"Well, it's called a spiritual stream for a reason."

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