The morning dew drew cold gazes from the neighbouring birds that perched upon the old Tembusu tree.
Drip, drop.
Hazel closed her eyes, sitting on the bench in the school yard. The watchful eye gazed upon her, secretly afar. Not a sound was made, all that Hazel could hear was the chilling hums of nature.
The chirps muffled the menacing sensation that was placed onto Hazel as the target lingered upon her body.
"Hazel," Jun whispered, stroking her hair.
Hazel tilted her head back, grinning. "Hmmm?"
"What are we going to do now?"
"Live our lives as normal…"
"You're graduating really soon…Yet you haven't decided on anything…"
"Please," Hazel scoffed. "You're one to say. I learnt a lot after our fight with that bitch Paige that passion can be blinding,"
"She's an exception!" Jun replied.
Hazel rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Can you stay away today? I need to study for the test."
Jun sighed, nodding to her request and hiding away back in her body.
"Good, stay in there," Hazel muttered, opening her phone. As she walked towards the Art Block, Hazel noticed a student waiting for her, at the building's door.
"You're Hazel Hoon, right?" the boy asked.
"Yes, who are you?"
"Yeah, uh, I'm really sorry about your loss and recent incidents, you just seem really quiet and sad and I was wondering if you were okay," the boy smiled awkwardly.
Hazel gave him a blank gaze, then chuckled. "I'm alright,"
"We're in the same design class so if you need help, you can tell me. My name is Liam by the way." Liam replied.
Hazel kept her smile as Liam held the door, going into class with a strange sensation. Jun stood quiet within Hazel's heart, his spirit residing peacefully, attempting to not disturb Hazel's academic progress.
Hazel didn't remember Liam being in her class but at first sight, Liam spoke words to her. Something only Jun had done before to her someone else did. She didn't question Liam's history or how he got there, she was intrigued by his identity.
His blueberry eyes spoke of gallantry, his chestnut hair radiated charm. There was nothing to not like about Liam, his handsome physique said it all. Not only was it his outer shell, his mannerisms were well-spoken as well, his actions all taken with logic and thought. Just like the new kid Hazel believed he was, he did everything flawlessly and beautifully, every aspect aligning in her vision.
"Hazel," the teacher snapped. "Are you with us?"
"Oh!" Hazel jolted back into reality, her senses settling. "I'm sorry, may I use the bathroom?"
The teacher sighed, and let Hazel wander down the empty hallway. She glared at the notice board, hanging on the gloomy wall.
Promotional posters for clubs were pinned against the monotone abomination, the words "Theatre Club" jumped out of the flyer.
"You don't know who's under the mask!" was the quote in serif letters beneath the name, decorated with opera masks. Then, footsteps grew louder.
"Hazel?" her teacher asked.
"Y..Yes Mr Lee?" Hazel stuttered, surprised he had came out.
"I know it has been hard for you lately, but I think what you have been doing, isolating yourself isn't the right move," Mr Lee explained. Hazel was confused on why Mr Lee was mentioning this, especially at this time. She had friends apart from Jun who were there for her. "Perhaps you could socialise with Liam, the new boy. I'm sure he's kind, and I find him as a quite charming young man,"
"Why are you telling me this?" said Hazel with a disgusted expression.
"I feel like you…uh…just need some help," Mr Lee expressed. As Hazel walked back to the classroom, she witnessed Mr Lee's movements feel robotic in a way, as if something was controlling him. Hazel threw it off as a figment of her imagination, thinking little of these things.
Hazel knew deep inside that she had to talk with Liam. There was just an uneasy gap between the two.
After class, Liam surprisingly approached Hazel again, and Hazel was again, slightly embarrassed. She grinned awkwardly as she listened to Liam talk.
"Can you show me around the school?" He asked politely. Of course, Hazel agreed without giving it too much thought, thinking any time would be better than no time around others. She had found being next to people made her feel more comfortable as there were actually people who were willing to help her, though she wasn't the one actively pursuing it.
"So this is what this school is like?" Liam asked as he chewed on the mundane cafeteria lunch.
"Yeah, this is the average high school experience in Singapore," Hazel replied, lost in his sight.
"You seem like a cool guy tho," Hazel added sheepishly.
"You too, I really like your personality!" Liam replied, laughing a bit. Hazel blushed cherry red, trying to cover her embarrassment. Hazel sighed deeply, regaining her composure.
After a few more classes, the school day neared the end. As Hazel passed the notice board again, he saw Liam staring at one of the posters.
"What are you looking at?" Hazel asked curiously.
"I'm thinking of joining the theatre club," Liam explained. "I quite enjoy acting actually, I took lessons when I was young,"
"That sounds nice," Hazel replied, smiling. "Say, see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, you too!" Liam replied as Hazel walked off. Hazel held her head high as she passed the Tembusu tree near the gate.
The following days after Hazel's initial greeting with Liam surprisingly went well, with the two spending more time in art class collaborating and communicating. The two developed a close friendship quickly, and Hazel didn't know what to say about it.
Deep inside and back home, Jun had raised warnings to Hazel about Liam being suspicious, but Hazel didn't care too much. Hazel believed that Jun was just jealous how she had made a new male friend that quickly.
"So do you have any hobbies?" Hazel asked during lunch on a regular school day.
"I've been into tattoos and stuff lately," Liam replied, grinning ear to ear. "I've taught myself how to do tattoo art with a permanent marker at the moment,"
"Really?" Hazel laughed, curious about his technique. "Say, you do one for me?"
She twirled her hair as she smiled back at Liam. Liam smirked. "Yeah, follow me after school,"
After school, Hazel followed Liam home to see what his art skills were all about.
"Hey uh, just saying, I'm not the best, I can only do this flower if that's alright," said Liam awkwardly.
"That's alright," Hazel replied. In reality, Liam had no idea what he was doing. All he wanted to do was to place his 'mark' on Hazel. It was the start of something more sinister, but it was the only way forward.
After half an hour of elegant line work, Liam had completed his artwork on Hazel's right shoulder.
"Wow! That looks beautiful! I love it!" Hazel exclaimed as she glanced in the mirror. The rose had elegant curves and the use of various width markers gave it depth, making it feel like a real tattoo.
The following days felt warm and soft with Hazel tracing the petals of her tattoo during class. She'd catch herself staring at the intricate linework on her arm every so often, hiding it away from her parents. It felt like something significant, as if an angel had blessed her. She didn't dare wash it off, it felt like something precious, something valuable that she would cherish.
Hazel didn't think much of the tattoo at first, but it became evident that it was truly unique as she began to feel a warming sensation throbbing inside her body with the tattoo being the source. The rose tattoo felt alive, with its thorns pointing outwards violently as if it was from a gothic rock band.
"I'm not buying it," Jun said quietly.
"Shut up! You know nothing…it feels special…" Hazel frowned as she curled up in bed. Jun's hands wrapped gently around Hazel, comforting her.
"It feels…suspicious," Jun claimed, now moving his hands down against her hips. Hazel smiled, nudging Jun against his side. She felt the fingers caress her curves.
Days passed, and Liam only grew closer to Hazel, Jun now barely able to spend time with Hazel. It seemed as if Hazel spent most of her time talking and sharing memories with Liam. Part of Jun was happy to see her move out of her comfort zone and gain the ability to move on, but there was a hollow hole left in Jun that made him question if Hazel was doing the right thing. He felt such an evil sensation only growing closer to Hazel, but couldn't pick out what it exactly was.
It was one quiet afternoon after school when Hazel had finally had some free time away from Liam. She wanted to check in on Jun for not talking with him for a while.
Even late at night when Jun could be with her, he chose not to. Jun believed letting the relationship play out would be the best chain of events to see where everything was truly going.
He did secretly come out sometimes at midnight, unable to resist the urge to hold Hazel tightly afraid of any danger that would abruptly attack her. There was something sinister lurking beyond the surface.
Hazel had wandered to the school roof, an area that not many students knew how to get to. It was already 5pm and most students were gone, but Hazel had stayed to enjoy the sunset, hoping to get some time with Jun.
Suddenly, the door clicked. The entrance rattled for ages while Hazel tried to piece together who it was. Normally, all students would've gone home by now, but the only person Hazel could think of to come here was Liam, even though she had told him explicitly to let her be alone for the afternoon for once.
"Jun…" Hazel whispered. No reply. Where had he gone? "Jun?"
"Who's Jun?" Liam asked rudely.
"Oh um…" Hazel stuttered.
"Actually, I don't need to know. I already know. It's your boyfriend, isn't it?" Liam snickered. His voice grew dark, his pace quickened. "Too bad you couldn't see through my guise,"
"What?" Hazel panicked. Liam's body began to float and Hazel's heart sank into the abyssal void Jun had drowned in, unable to move. She was paralyzed in fear.
Liam's face ripped into a lustrous and petite young girl, her hair flowing like the river caressed in crimson stripes. Her beauty slashed the exterior masculine body, revealing her ultimate form.
"You've caused enough trouble in our universe…I can feel it tearing! For the Lord of Wisdom, Lucina rises!" Lucina yelled. Hazel tried to scramble, but the tattoo she had gotten jolted her body back.
"I can't move!" Hazel squealed, squirming with all her might. Her body felt like it was controlled like a puppet, a force tugging her legs backward. "I'm being controlled!"
"Shut up! Stay still!" Lucina ordered, forcing Hazel to slap herself on the face. Hazel gazed at the tattoo again, only to realise it wasn't a tattoo. It was a mark, a symbol of control. She was the puppet.
"What are you going to do with me?" Hazel begged, her eyes tearing.
"I want to hear your shrill voice, piercing that of the silence!" Lucina laughed. "I want to hear that squeal, that scream, that moan of terror!"
"Mmph!" Hazel grunted.
"You are breaking the Jespan's dream apart…If you live, the universe collapses…Your ghost of a boyfriend has caused this cosmic disparity!"
Hazel's hands gripped onto her own soft neck, her fingers pressing hard on her smooth skin. She whimpered weakly as she struggled.
"Ugh," Hazel choked, her vision getting thinner. Lucina pushed Hazel against the wall, feeling her pulsing heartbeat. Hazel felt her body skip a beat, sinking into something warm. Lucina grinned.
Lucina thrusted her fist towards Hazel, but to her surprise Hazel counterattacked by attempting to throw a kick. Lucina dodged easily, pushing Hazel back down again.
"P…Please…S…Stop…" Hazel gurgled. White foam frothed from her mouth, now on the brink of death.
---
Meanwhile the battle was raging outside, the tattoo's marks had infested the interior of Hazel's soul, plaguing every last patch with the poisonous thorns.
Jun wandered carefully, attempting to pluck away the sharp, veiny roots the rose had implanted in her body. His pale hands brushed the rigid green stems, trying to move among the thick labyrinth.
These roots had been growing ever since the mark had been implanted on Hazel, and Jun struggled to come out. The physical mark had left a permanent scar both physically and mentally.
They wouldn't budge, especially to those ghostly hands Jun had. He couldn't interact or do anything to save Hazel. But he believed. As Hazel struggled, the roots crawled further back, slowly retracting as life faded out of her body.
---
"Goodbye. It was fun while it lasted," Lucina scoffed, smiling as she turned her back on Hazel's dead body. It had flopped to the ground like an askew statue. Her body reeked a faint glow, frozen, but still somehow alive. Lucina ignored it, believing she was already dead. The mark faded away and Jun was free again.
"Hazel…This is my remaining power! Let your body be my host for one last dance!" Jun erupted, his voice reaching Lucina. Hazel's eyes began glowing a shimmering golden yellow, her body floating in the hair as if she was being crucified.
"More ghostly magic?" Lucina spat, twitching at the sight of her power carrying on even after her death. "How will I remove you now?"
Lucina concentrated a dense ball of energy, flinging it towards Hazel. It hit her chest hard, leaving another mark. The flower's roots rushed into her body.
Suddenly, Hazel's body streaked forward, plunging directly towards Lucina like a bullet. Lucina's expression widened at the speed at which Hazel's body flew over, knocking her hard into the building's wall.
"Ugh," Lucina grumbled, crawling out under the crumbled debris of the wall. Hazel's body rose through the mess and was covered in blood, but still looked menacingly stronger than before. Lucina gasped in shock for the first time in many centuries.
Jun, now in somewhat control of Hazel's body again lunged towards Lucina, aiming to wound her severely. Hazel's fist was concentrated with energy, love pulsing every beat.
"Wha-at? No-o-o! This can't be!" Lucina squelched. Blood spattered forward, her logic muddled. Jun had torn a deep, hollow hole in Lucina's body, rendering her almost dead immediately. She attempted to control Hazel's body again, but it was no use.
"I know your weakness. You can only control living organisms with that mark of yours…Sucks to say I can possess anything since I'm a ghost manifested from love!" Jun snickered.
Jun's fist tore out of Lucina's wound, completely free of her control.
Lucina motioned for aid, unable to regain full control of Hazel's body. It was in possession of love itself, it was in possession of Jun. "As her life fades away, I will join her. That is what love is…"
The faded white silhouette of Jun masked the geometric shapes that blurred Lucina's vision, seeing her last moments as a Jespan Lord. How could she, of all, be defeated by mere humans?
Lucina wept as a hollow, donut wound ate her body. She bled out slowly, laying hopeless on the roof. The clouds fluffed up as she gazed up, only to see formations of those she battled.
A pool of venom green blood was splattered against the concrete floor, emitting a foul stench that dissipated in the air. Lucina tried to crawl with her last breath, hoping her allies would assist her.
Hazel's body toppled over, landing beside Lucina. There was silence for a moment before the breathless sound of sprinting was heard coming from the stairs.
For Hazel and Jun, all they could see was their love. Bound by something extraordinary named the power of love burned Lucina's preliminary notion of wisdom and knowledge, savouring her death for the shimmering sunset.
"I can't die like this…" Lucina gasped.
"Die like what?" a voice emerged, tired and huffing. The black vests adorned with magenta streaks of the officials of the International Supernatural Intelligence Division appeared, with the notorious face of their leader leaning down towards her.
"Sucks to be a Jespan Lord, heh?" Elias chuckled, floating down.
"You…you! It can't be!" Lucina gasped. Over the following days, Lucina died with her body being cremated, attempting to restore some cosmic balance. The ISID had presumed this technique would greatly help, patching any cosmic disparities that may have laid around.
Lucina's body drifted away along with the breeze, the ash scattering among the ground like autumn leaves. There was flow back into the world, but Elias knew that this was the beginning of something far more dangerous.
The Jespan Lords had begun their pursuit. He didn't know much, but all Elias could think of then was about Hazel. She had sacrificed her life to take down one of the most powerful supernatural beings alive.