Chapter 10

"There she is!" A familiar voice pulled Miracle back to reality.

She blinked away the hints of tears. "What's the matter, Lyn?"

With her arms akimbo, Lyn grumbled, "You've just made Kingsley and I run around the whole school looking for you! What are you doing here?"

"Exactly. We thought something bad had happened to you! You scared us, man!" her brother continued, panting.

"I..." Miracle wanted to say something, but Lyn cut her off.

"Whatever. Let's go! Class started already!"

'Already? Had it been that long?' she thought.

They fled down the stairs, their speed picking up with every step as they remembered the next lesson after Chemistry on Wednesday—History, taught by Maddie, the youngest yet most unamiable teacher.

"All right. So can anyone briefly tell me about the history of Syihuex Island?" His voice carried through the door just as they reached the classroom.

Kingsley nudged the back door open, trying to be as stealthy as possible, hoping for a chance to slip in unnoticed.

However, a loud creak pierced through the silence soon after. Heads turned, and all eyes fell on the three of them.

So, yes. They got caught.

Red-handed.

Kingsley hissed, "Damn you, friction."

Maddie glared at them with his pair of unfathomable eyes. "Miracle. Lyn. Kingsley. Out." His tone rose with impatience as they remained rooted in place. "If none of you are deaf, then move—now."

They had no choice but to comply. The three Watsons shuffled out of the classroom, with Kingsley muttering indignantly about the door, calling it ridiculous and clearly in desperate need of oil or grease. "If it hadn't creaked like a haunted house," he said, "we might have actually made it in."

But on second thought, missing history class? 

It was a reward.

Time dragged on as they waited for the lesson to finish. A short nap would have been possible, but Maddie's voice kept ringing out from inside the classroom.

Miracle peeked through the glass lite. 

Surprisingly, he wasn't teaching. He was telling stories.

Lyn and Kingsley leaned against the wall, not interested in what was going on in the class. However, Mr. History was talking about the very things Miracle had always wanted to know—myths. She moved her ear closer.

"Have any of you heard about Long Sheng Jie?" 

"Long Sheng Jie? What's that?" someone asked.

"Wait..." Jessamine said. "That sounds familiar. I think my mom used to tell me about it when I was a kid. If my memory serves me right, it's something about dragons."

"True," Maddie continued. "Long Sheng Jie was said to be a whole new world where celestial dragons lived. During ancient times, dragons were well-respected and worshipped among the people. According to mythological experts, these dragons were once humans who sacrificed their lives and freedoms to protect the weaker ones. For hundreds of generations, people practiced the culture of praying to dragons as their gods. But somehow, everything fell apart, and eventually, humans stopped believing in them because they felt that dragons and the remaining myths were lies trying to pass as truth. This explains why, in today's reality, the majority of humans hold on to the belief that dragons are just characters in stories. Moreover, there isn't any solid evidence proving the creatures' existence, unlike dinosaurs."

For once, everyone was fully awake during history class.

"You mean myths are real? But even the definition says it's a false belief." It was from Jordan, Jessamine's deskmate.

"But don't forget there's another definition that states myths are traditional folktales passed down from generation to generation. Who are we to question their validity when these stories existed long before most of you..." Maddie cleared his throat. "I mean, before most of us were born?"

"Nobody in this generation prays to myths anymore, sir. This is such a joke. We barely pray to any gods or goddesses..."

Somebody asked another question, "If they were real, do they still exist then?"

Miracle heard the teacher chuckle. "Maybe?"

He was about to proceed with the story when a shrill cry suddenly sliced through the air and interrupted the lesson.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Miracle jerked her head away from the door, her face draining of color. 'Not again... Not another one.' 

Before she could do anything, students from the remaining classes streamed out in a rush, their footsteps echoing against the walls. Some stumbled and fell, while others collided with one another in their haste. They looked terrified, as if they had a hunch about what had happened.

With fists clenched tightly, Miracle hurried after them without a moment's delay. Ragged breaths escaped through her lips as panic swept over her soul. Her heart pounded fiercely against her chest, veins pulsating in her arms. She could sense the beast within her fighting to break free.

No.

She dug her nails into her palms. She needed to hold back.

Too many humans.

Under the bright sun, Miracle came to an uncertain stop in the center of the assembly ground. The place was crowded, overwhelmed with noises and cries of the intimidated students. When she saw the victim lying dead in the puddle of red, a sudden loss of hope and faith crashed hard into her.

One of the female students exclaimed, "No... It's happening again!"

"History is repeating. The rumor is real!"

"But now it's in broad daylight..."

"I'm scared..."

"Please... I don't have time for this..."

"Don't hurt me. I'm only here for the grades. Nothing else!"

Lyn took a deep breath and pushed her way through the crowd to reach Miracle at the front. As soon as she saw who was lying on the ground, her face went pale. Her knees gave way as she sank to the ground.

"No..." Her voice broke. "Oh god..."

"Lyn? What's wrong?" Kingsley asked, joining them from the back.

With a trembling finger, she pointed to the victim.

Kingsley leaned in, and the next second, his expression crumpled, tears welling in his eyes. "P-Peter?"