Julie, with a bored expression, sat at a wooden desk, filling out paperwork and enduring a small history lesson about the so-called unseen world. The lesson seemed endless, cramming her brain with information.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0P5Y5W0ff
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawTRonmznC
She despised being in school, remaining still, and enduring know-it-all teachers who tried to stuff her brain with facts she struggled to retain. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to remember everything. Julie hated that most of all—the inability to recall certain facts. She looked down at the wooden table, doubting this would ever change.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16V5NtERZn
"Ms. May, I hope I'm not boring you," said her instructor, standing in front of her, no longer engrossed in the small book in his hands.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GkwE9OeI2
"Um, sorry, Mr... Bramble?" She hoped she got his name right.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyijvIxHAT
Honestly, for the first time, Julie didn't want to be rude to this guy, apparently in charge of giving her a brief lesson on this new world she had entered. She found herself captivated by Mr. Bramble's appearance the first time she saw him. He was definitely a pretty boy, with flawless, sparkling skin, pink hair, and green eyes. Though she wasn't sure at first, now she was certain he had pointy ears, which fascinated her. She almost wanted to ask if he was an elf but stopped herself, unsure if it was rude.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8O9eivbbGa
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCapuc1Roo
Mr. Bramble smiled and walked towards Julie, sitting down right next to her.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wx66Cwwss
"What's so funny?" Julie asked, curious about the small giggles Mr. Bramble was giving her.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqCPfOl6Oj
"I'm sorry," he said, looking at her with his piercing green eyes. "I'm not an elf," Mr. Bramble said, his charming smile widening. "And even though it's not rude to ask, it's not all that polite either."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgMk5F91FU
"Um..." Julie said, her eyebrows raised as she looked at her teacher.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzp6lrSmPQg
Mr. Bramble's smile began to disappear. "I'm sorry, I've been told that reading people's minds can be rude."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYn5wh6mRi
"You read my mind?" Julie asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTqtdEI9Yb
Mr. Bramble nodded with a smirk. "It's my gift," he said.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfI7rnIzoy
"That's amazing," Julie said, almost mystified.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WPl6dhPAE
"Thank you," Mr. Bramble said, nodding. "I've had that gift ever since I was young." He looked away, his grip around his book tightening. "I am a Descenfael, after all."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAmYeZamSV
"I'm sorry, Descenfael?" Julie asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMmmxqnigk
Mr. Bramble's expression turned slightly stern as he looked at Julie. "I was right," he said. "You didn't pay attention to the lesson."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGVWRTj1Py
"Um, sorry," Julie said with an awkward smile.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyl85LlmeT
"In this world, there are the Halbenfael, also known as half-bloods, and then there are beings known as the Descenfael, the descendants of half-bloods," Mr. Bramble explained. "That's what I am."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgmCJzENU1
Julie slowly nodded, absorbing the knowledge she found interesting.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EyRT3xP6s
"I come from a long line of Descenfael, going all the way back to my great-great-great-grandfather, whose father was a forest fairy," Mr. Bramble said, his eyes lowering as he thought deeply about his family history.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSPylRUrZz
"My gifts are rare, which of course is unusual among most Descenfael who are born powerless," Mr. Bramble said with pride.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WAc1z8Mh4
"So what about me?" Julie asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwennONVlK
Mr. Bramble raised one eyebrow in confusion. "What about you?" he asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJr0d2FCyu4
"I was told that I was a half-blood, I guess what you call a Halbenfael," Julie said, trying her best to pronounce the word correctly. "So, um, where are my special powers?" she asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEYlTCGBrf
"Um..." Mr. Bramble said, putting his hand to his chin. "That may or may not be true," he said.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaSb79ZnMX
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpYmpclCp4
Julie's expression turned panicked. "What? But Tora said—"
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWZrqrJ3df
"Look, those kinds of mistakes are made a lot," Mr. Bramble said. "I mean, almost every few months, a VoinGarde wrongly claims that someone is a Halbenfael when they are not."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLbB8JWjWD
Julie remained silent for a moment, thinking about Mr. Bramble's words. "But the things that I see, have seen... Why am I even here if I'm not one of you?" she asked, feeling frustrated.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzTADPp5nF
"Slow down," Mr. Bramble said, putting his hands up as if on the defense.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPtJdMbWCp
"First of all, I said you may or may not be one; I didn't say that you weren't," Mr. Bramble clarified, putting his hands down and looking straight into Julie's eyes. "And second of all, the Luminal Accords are for anyone who can see or even sense the other world. As soon as you were gifted with the sight, you became eligible for its protection."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIFPaUw3QE
Julie wasn't sure why, but she was beginning to calm down.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlJDDRuQEo
"So then, if you're not sure if I'm a Descenfael or even a Halbenfael, how do we find out?" she asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw6xeNeiWW
"Yeah, that's the tricky part," Mr. Bramble said. "The thing is, we don't actually have a surefire way of knowing that."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUszcTa8NO
"What?" Julie asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMcjq0N5Ky
"The thing about the spirit world is that it's tricky, literally. It's filled with tricks," Mr. Bramble explained. "Everything in that world is meant to deceive you: making you walk down wrong paths that lead to cliffs, eat delicious-smelling fruit that turns you inside out, or drink crystal-clear waters that trap you in your own delusions forever."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zrttv5TVH
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJXYKKYAA1
"Okay, okay, I get it," Julie said.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNcpk3z8g5
"The point is, it's a tricky world; therefore, anything that comes from that world would also be tricky."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNtnOSN1CF
Mr. Bramble waited for a while. "Like fairy DNA," he said finally. "No scanner on earth, supernatural or otherwise, can detect it."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiWKvRciwf
"Why?" Julie asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1lPpJ6x9i
"Because fairy DNA will always blend itself into looking like human DNA or half-blood DNA or even the DNA of a Descenfael," Mr. Bramble explained.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqL06YWa6oz
"You talk as if it's alive, fairy DNA," Julie said.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLDPkI2daG
"Uh-huh," Mr. Bramble said, nodding. "It almost seems to act that way when we've tried to observe it. Either way, it's tricky to see."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcpkthJPfx
"So then how will I find out what I am?" Julie asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMv3DPs6dqN
"Well, you could be many things. You could even be a regular human with blight," Mr. Bramble said, crossing his arms.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY42LBZpI88
"Blight. I know that!" Julie said with excitement. "That's when a regular human gets a supernatural injury that leads to a spiritual infection, giving them the ability to see the supernatural world."
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOxgEApsfN
Mr. Bramble smiled. "Correct. I guess you were paying a little bit of attention. You could also be someone gifted with a supernaturally charged object, giving you the power to see the other world," he explained.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyx296aEsU
"Yeah, no, I would probably know if I had something like that," Julie said.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqn3DfgmEh
"But there's only one way to know for sure," Mr. Bramble said, then stopped talking.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEabbOy8iKo
"Well, don't stop on my account," Julie said, impatient to hear the answer.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi31XAWH7a
"Your parent, your supernatural one, would have to reveal themselves to you, or you could—"
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCa0WKULTGy
Mr. Bramble stopped talking as a loud alarm went off and the whole room began to flash red.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1yu0gDWJk
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpORCoYIc2L
"What's happening?" Julie asked.
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7TNpZKboY
Mr. Bramble got up from his seat, his face filled with panic. "That's the level 3 emergency alarm."
***
301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3HgU4LRQO
Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
ns216.73.216.75da2
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.