Chapter Text
Blue skies hung overhead, the weather not so fine. A group of certain students, 15 of them to be exact, had gathered on a bridge that connects one hallway to another. Underneath the bridge is a cafeteria crowded by students dining inside. A bent mango tree growing outside the cafeteria serves as the bridge's extra roof and a replacement to the damaged one. Since the tree grows just above the bridge, many students try to do stunts and dares to see who could pick the most fruits in a creative yet daring way, causing a number of injuries and problems for the teachers.
On the right side of the bridge, the view held the school's beautiful garden with a brief view of the city and one of the school's buildings on the far left corner. On the left side of the bridge, an astonishing sight of an abandoned building which is now covered with greenery and is now home to migratory birds during the cold season and stray animals who found the place to be comfortable and habitable could be seen. One would think of it as a paradise described in some fairy tales. A painting pulled out into reality.
The students' laughter filled the quiet surroundings as they chatted over their lunch which was mostly comprised of homemade cooking made by their mothers or yayas. But one particular student was silent as her mind filled with thoughts about the latest incidents surrounding this campus. Thoughts about the eerie rumors on how this school and the incidents are connected to a "Mystical Portal" that randomly sends its victims to another world, dimension, or time even.
"Hey, have you heard?"
Her voice sliced through the laughter and chatter among them. Her fellow students fell into silence as they wondered what had gotten into their normally bubbly and naïve friend for her to look so serious and worried. "About what?" A short male student questioned her.
"You know, the rumors surrounding this school?" She elaborated.
Worried frowns turned to her. "Yeah, but that's just it. They're just rumors." The tallest of the students justified.
"Then how could you explain the disappearance of a group of first-year students?" The one who started the conversation demanded sternly.
"Maybe they just ran away?" One of the students tried to guess. Highlight the word TRIED.
The girl shook her head. "No, if they just simply ran away the authorities would have found them; they have their phones and therefore could be tracked down but no, they just simply disappeared without a trace and you know what? The witnesses said that they last saw those students hanging around the quadrangle 4 hours before they disappeared. Doesn't it disturb you?" She pressed.
"Well yeah, it disturbs the hell out of everyone that many, even colleagues and professors, stop coming to school nowadays because of the fear they might go missing or worse be killed by unknown men in this school." One of the students frowned. "That doesn't mean it's already connected to those baseless rumors. There is no evidence if it exists or not so we really can't say for sure."
The female opened her mouth to spit out a witty retort when the school bell rang to signal the end of lunch and the start of another period. "Whelp! Time's up!" One of the students chirped as they packed up their lunch and stood up. They then proceeded to clean their surroundings of any leftovers lest they want to be scolded by passing security guards and teachers. Which none of them wanted. So instead of throwing the food away in the trash bin, they threw the scraps onto the left side of the bridge to feed the hungry animals.
They left the area before it would be crowded by students returning to their respective classrooms. As they left the area, a mysterious gust of wind blew past them. None of them had felt it except for one. The short female suddenly turned around to look for the source but there was none and for some reason she heard something else in that wind. A voice. And it said her name like she was being called.
She took a few steps back to the area when a male voice called out to her. "Hey! Get inside before the teacher scolds us for being late again!"
"I-I'm coming!" She cried, startled, not expecting her foster brother to call out to her. She turned around once more to see if it was just a hallucination. There was nothing. But deep inside of her mind, something—or someone—tells her that there is more.
'What was that just about?'
Those were her last thoughts as she entered the room and began her classes.
From somewhere far away, in another world, an eerily silent dungeon with a mouth of eternal darkness existed. One could hear a low growl followed by the sudden glow of two orbs.
"At last . . . In just a moment of pilgrimage . . . A summoner . . . shall thy free me from these binds . . . and I . . . the mighty dragon of all . . . shall ruin hath fury."