"The purpose of this field trip is for learning, so don't forget to document every artifact you see in the Museum. At the very least, each group must record ten historical items."
Before entering the City Museum, Kieron repeated the instructions once more. It was the same routine task they were always required to complete — part of the reason this outing even existed: so they could understand the heritage left behind by those before them.
"This assignment will be done in groups. You may form groups of three," Kieron added, right until one of the girls raised her hand with unusual bravery.
"We can choose our own groups, right, Sir?"
For a moment, Kieron swept his gaze across the students of Class 2-C. "Does anyone object? Make sure no one is left without a group."
Silence.
The kind of silence that answered for everyone.
Kieron didn't waste any more time. "Very well. You may form your groups yourselves. Remember not to damage anything inside. Behave like educated students. Understood?"
A chorus of voices responded in unison.
Students began clustering together, forming groups with excited chatter before drifting into the Museum. Leci, meanwhile, stood quietly among the dispersing crowd. She had no intention of complaining, yet the reality was… she didn't have a group.
The Ancient Guardian Spell placed upon her was both a shield and an invisible boundary. To most people, she simply wasn't… interesting. And because of that, no one approached her.
Five minutes passed. Still nothing.
Leci exhaled softly and scanned her surroundings. A few students still lingered outside the entrance. When her tanzanite eyes caught sight of Xana, she felt a small push within herself.
Maybe… maybe she could ask her?
"Xan—"
"Xana! You've been waiting long?" A cheerful voice cut through her sentence.
One of the girls swooped in, looping her arm around Xana — the bespectacled girl who always seemed lost in her own world. The invitation was clear. Leci was simply… not included.
The girl only shook her head when Xana seemed unsure. Moments later, another student invited the pair inside with her group. As they passed Leci, the same girl who had stolen Xana away shot Leci a sharp, mocking look. The smile she wore twisted into something sly.
Of course Leci noticed. She always noticed. None of this was accidental.
From what Leci knew, Xana was also one of the outcasts in Class 2-C. Clever, yes. But far too determined to achieve high scores alone — something that unintentionally distanced her from others.
So why… why was she suddenly welcomed so easily today?
Being treated kindly — just like a model student. Of course Leci found it suspicious.
Realizing she had become the target of their bullying again, Leci could only let out a resigned breath. No wonder they insisted on forming groups themselves. They were jealous — jealous of the attention Leci had been getting from Kieron these days.
Girls like them… truly terrifying.
Another sigh escaped her lips. Just then, she felt a light tap on her shoulder.
When she turned, she found a baby-faced boy giving her a gentle smile. "Leciara," he greeted.
That was when Leci noticed Norris behind him. Both boys looked awkwardly hesitant as they approached.
"Jayden, what is it?" she asked flatly.
Jayden scratched the back of his head. "Have you… found a group yet?"
Oh, that's rare. Is this because of Norris again? Leci wondered silently before shaking her head.
"If you don't mind… would you like to be in a group with us?" Jayden offered, still wearing the friendly smile people never seemed to tire of.
Leci remembered him — one of the boys often chased by female classmates.
Before answering, she glanced at the remaining students outside the Museum. There were plenty of boys around, yet Jayden chose her. And he came with Norris. It was obvious: Norris must have nudged him into this.
"…Alright, I don't mind," Leci replied after some thought. This wasn't the time to care about people's opinions. This was schoolwork; she couldn't ignore it.
As the three of them stepped into the Museum, Leci suddenly felt heat crawl across her back. A sharp gaze — one that pierced like a needle.
She glanced sideways.
Kieron stood not far from the entrance, arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. But his eyes… were anything but friendly.
What's wrong with him? And why that expression? Does he have a problem with something? With me?
But Leci had no time to dwell on it. She focused on her task — what she was supposed to do.
For the next while, the trio wandered through the Museum. Leci took notes, Norris handled the video recordings, and Jayden gathered information. Sometimes he read the descriptions aloud; other times, he asked questions to the curator.
It almost felt normal.
Almost.
So far, their group task had gone smoothly. There wasn't a single obstacle — not until they climbed to the third floor. Up there, relics from ancient kingdoms filled the room like silent ghosts of forgotten ages.
"Your handwriting is really neat. Easy to read," Jayden murmured while sneaking a glance at Leci's notebook.
"Don't be fooled. Her handwriting may be neat, but her drawings are tragic," Norris countered, pointing his phone camera dangerously close to Leci's nose. He zoomed in — intentionally, mercilessly.
With an irritated sigh, Leci shoved Norris's head away. "Someone whose handwriting is worse than a kindergartener's should probably stay quiet," she shot back without mercy.
Norris clicked his tongue and paused his recording. With a mischievous smirk, he leaned closer to Jayden and whispered, "When she was six, she had to get her hair shaved off. Chewing gum everywhere."
Jayden burst into quiet laughter. Meanwhile, Leci — who overheard every word — clenched her fists. "Jayden, you should know… Norris still wet the bed in fourth grade."
"Hey! That's slander!" Norris barked. "My pants were soaked with mango juice! Not—"
Leci pretended not to hear him and added, "Who sleeps while drinking mango juice, anyway?"
To Jayden, it looked like the argument between the two siblings was seconds away from turning into a war. He hurriedly stepped between them. "Instead of fighting," he said gently, "why don't we continue exploring?"
Leci and Norris finally stopped — more because they were trying to maintain their image in front of Jayden than anything else. If they kept going, every embarrassing secret would spill out.
Jayden led the way this time, with Leci and Norris following behind. While Jayden examined an artifact, Norris elbowed Leci sharply.
"You should thank Jayden. If he didn't drag me into your group, you'd be done for," he said dramatically, even miming a slashing gesture across his throat.
Leci gave him a flat, unimpressed stare. She had assumed Norris was the one who persuaded Jayden to team up with her. But the truth was the exact opposite.
Huft… of course. As if this creature would ever take the initiative. I really am too naive, Leci thought bitterly. She quickened her pace, deliberately putting distance between herself and Norris.
Seeing Leci's fleeting expression of hurt, Norris finally realized he had said something wrong. "Did I… say something stupid?" he muttered. He hurried after her. "Hey, Leciara. I didn't mean it like that. You know that, right?"
But Leci ignored him, focusing instead on writing down Jayden's explanations. Norris fell silent and continued recording, stung by the cold shoulder.
Time passed quickly. Their task to document ten historical artifacts was soon completed. They reviewed their work, satisfied with the outcome — Jayden turned out to be far more reliable than Leci expected.
"I'll treat you to parfait later," Norris grumbled while tugging on Leci's blazer. "So stop ignoring me."
Leci smiled — slow, wide, and terrifying. "I'll be waiting for it, dear cousin."
A shiver ran down Norris's spine.S Leci was… unnervingly different.
The task complete, the three of them decided to head back downstairs. But when they began descending to the first floor, Leci froze. A black blur flashed past her — too quick, too silent.
She turned her head sharply.
Nothing. But she knew what she felt.
Something was there.
Sreeet…
The shadow flickered again — slipping through the statue of an ancient king as if the stone were made of fog. Driven by a mix of fear and instinct, Leci approached it. The statue looked perfectly ordinary…
Yet she felt it. A faint, malicious aura clinging to it like stale breath.
Just as she lifted her hand to write a cleansing spell, a force slammed into her, knocking her to the floor.
"Heheheh… pretty girl… heheheh…"
A bald, overweight ghost hovered above her. Its grotesque grin froze her blood. It stroked Leci's cheek with slow, revolting sensuality — and a wave of nausea twisted her stomach.
Her limbs weakened, her strength being drained away — as if the creature was sucking the spiritual power straight from her spirit. It wasn't even enough for her to activate the protection mode in The Ancient Guardian Spell.
"Norris!" She called for her cousin, but neither Norris nor Jayden was anywhere in sight.
The entire third floor was silent. Empty.
Damn it! Leci cursed in her mind. She tried to cast a spell — but the ghost puckered its lips and leaned toward her face.
Her thoughts went white. Blank.
And then—
Shwaaa...
A surge of wind swept through the room, heavy yet strangely familiar. Black wings — wide, fierce, undeniably powerful — unfurled between her and the ghost. In one silent heartbeat, the creature dissolved into ash.
Leci blinked.
And there he was.
Kieron.
Standing before her like a storm given shape. Breath steady. Aura trembling with something dark… yet unmistakably protective.
For a moment, the world seemed to pause. The relics, the cold stone floors, even the shadows — everything faded into stillness.
Only he remained.
And Leci felt something inside her — a faint, quiet pull, like the soft echo of a heartbeat that wasn't hers.
Something she wasn't sure she should feel. Something she definitely wasn't ready to understand.
But Kieron's eyes met hers — sharp, unreadable, and holding an emotion she couldn't name — and for the first time that afternoon, Leci forgot to breathe.