The young man's clothes were drenched in sweat, while his chest rose at a frantic pace.
So all of this really was just a dream
The bus driver, who had noticed his condition, hurried to question him about it. He had witnessed his struggles in his sleep but had decided not to wake him, as he did not know how that could affect him.
"Is everything okay back there?"
"Yes... well, I think so," he replied, confused, running his hands over his body to make sure his fight had not left any trace on him.
That wasn't the case. A long scar stretched from his forearm to his ring finger, another scar, less visible, lay in his palm. With these clues, he already had an idea where the next one would be. Shauwn quickly removed his hoodie and lifted his t-shirt, under the astonished eyes of the driver.
A large scar in the shape of an X was located where his heart should be. The contour of the scar was defined by a black mark and other symbols that were incomprehensible to him. He bore the wounds left respectively by the dancer, the assassin, and the executioner.
He suddenly rose from his seat, trying to understand what was happening to him. Suddenly, a giant unidentified being passed swiftly by the bus, causing it to swerve slightly off the road. Shauwn hadn't realized it, but it was already daytime. The passage of the creature had almost unsettled him.
"What was that?!"
Surprised, the driver answered as if it were perfectly natural:
"Surely a griffon or a harpy, kids these days," he said, as a nostalgic tone took hold of his voice.
"Huh?!"
"Oh, I forgot to mention it. Welcome to Mystic Isle!! We are currently in the university city of Arcanum," the man added, pointing to the bus window.
The university city of Arcanum was a town dedicated solely to non-human beings. Shauwn had deduced this when he saw a group of humanoid individuals flying through the air like birds, with the help of wings.
His surprise could not surpass the awe he felt. Arcanum truly was a beautiful city, unlike Silver Creek. Of course, everything here was modernized, from the infrastructure to the small café he spotted through the bus.
It was a mix of technology and a touch of mystical decor. The technology was quite advanced, but it was not displayed outwardly, rather hidden discreetly within the city. There were several facilities: a large shopping center, restaurants, and he could even see an amusement park in the distance.
Without realizing it, he smiled. This city had everything to offer for him to live out his youth. However, it was the population that was the most impressive. Wolf maids, a slime waving at him, tails, wings, ears, and even half-octopus men. The fact that he could accept this reality without flinching, yet still shocked by what he saw, troubled him. But the feeling did not last long, as if erased, leaving only contemplation. As though he had been prepared to see what he was seeing.
However, he still felt the same uneasiness—this time not the kind he sometimes managed to forget, but one that was persistent and cunning. Along with that sensation, Shauwn began to have hallucinations in the form of flashes, showing bloody scenes. Sometimes he was slaughtering one of the wolf women he had seen earlier, sometimes he was mutilating the slime's viscous body with impaled iron bars, or he was lying in a pool of blood, holding the still-beating heart of one of the winged creatures, now lying dead with its chest ripped open.
His heart was burning, and he didn't know why. The spark mentioned earlier by Lily had already grown. Now it was a flame burning, impatient to escape its cage and spread throughout his body.
His heart could no longer hold it back—he had to let the flame burst and spread. Shauwn staggered, clutching his chest through his t-shirt. His vision blurred, he struggled to remain standing, desperately trying to reach the poles. The scars left by his opponents stretched across his body, tearing his skin and merging with the one left by the executioner, which lay exactly over his heart.
When the marks carved by it began to glow red, Shauwn's heart gave way and the flame exploded. The bus driver, who had observed his suffering, stopped the bus and was about to help him when he was thrown forward by an unknown force. The shockwave spread across all of Mystic Isle, while the consciousness of the one who had unknowingly caused it faded away.
---
In one of the university apartments of Mystic Isle, a young girl sat performing an art as ancient as it was imaginary. Around her, several small lights floated in the air, some linked together, sometimes by straight lines, sometimes by threads of light of various shapes.
"Six more connections and I'll finally be able to master the combination."
Eyes closed, she imagined in her mind the proper and efficient links needed to form a complex geometric figure, in order to achieve the optimal result and cast her spell. She was practicing magic.
Little by little, she was building the bridges until a foreign energy interfered with her practice, breaking each connection one by one before instantly evaporating all the lights.
She had felt it—it was a force from far away, unknown to her. A wave spreading from the other side of Mystic Isle. She did not pay much attention to it, instead wallowing in the failure of her attempt.
Soon, tears streamed from her eyes.
"Whyyyyyy??? At this rate, sniff, I'll never make ittttt, waaaaahhh..."
The young girl collapsed, crying into her bed under the flickering candles of her room.
---
Next to that apartment, a young woman in light clothing, seated on her balcony, was enjoying the morning with her heart-shaped sunglasses.
Her skin was pale yet alive, her white hair with blue tips tied into two loops allowed her to lie comfortably on her chair.
"Who would've thought I'd one day enjoy the sunlight... I should have convinced Shyla to come," she thought inwardly, the images of what she might have done to her sending a shiver through her.
Just as she decided to close her eyes, a strange premonition passed through her—a wave of energy swept over her. At first, she hadn't paid attention. However, inside her, she felt something. No pain, just her blood... boiling for some reason.
"Maybe I overestimated the effects of this sun."
---
In the male dormitory, there was a young man busy playing on his handheld console while his roommate was getting ready to go out.
"Hey Ryan, you're sure you don't want to come with us? You should get out a little, you know?"
Ryan was rather reclusive, someone who really didn't like going out. He was often compared to a geek, and his large glasses reinforced the label.
"I've got to finish with this boss, maybe next time!!" the young man said, focused on his console screen.
"See you later then."
He didn't bother replying to his roommate, too absorbed in his game. At that moment, the wave of energy that was shaking all of Mystic Isle reached him. The special bracelet he wore on his wrist vibrated violently, his claws lengthened, piercing the console's screen, his finger sinking into the direction pad.
His pastime shattered in two in his hands like a bar of chocolate. Yet he hadn't used any force. He wasn't even supposed to be able to use any—so why had his hands transformed on their own? A second later, he returned to normal.
"I guess I'll have to ask the director to strengthen the talisman."