Aether rose and walked out of the library... passing Joel and repeating the loop—asking to keep the ominous book. And once again, Joel took the book and spoke the same words to Aether: that it was worthless, and he could keep it for free.
Aether smiled at Joel, a genuine smile of gratitude, before stepping out of the library and heading home. As soon as he entered his room, he glanced into the mirror... and was stunned by how handsome he saw himself. It was as if all that self-doubt had dissolved into thin air, leaving him with a clear, renewed vision of the world.
At dinner, he sat down, gazing at his family with a strange nostalgia—as though he hadn't seen them in years. His eyes met his sister Fiona's quietly before he broke into a bright, disarming smile. Caught off guard, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Later, he rose from the table and retreated to his room. Excited, he closed the door and bounced onto his bed, eagerly opening the book again. He read the same text: the prank from his classmate, the exam grade, the reactions—everything unfolded just as before.
When he reached the encrypted page, he decided to let it go for now—he still couldn't translate it. Yet, that night, he slept peacefully, despite all the strangeness he had encountered.
Waking the next morning, he rose from bed with a faint smile lingering on his face. At the mirror, he stared, fascinated by his own features. He got ready, then headed to school—where the first stage of changing the pace of events would begin.
He arrived early, settling swiftly into his seat before the usual buzz of students filled the room. This time, he had brought the book with him, intending to track events and compare them to what was written.
The students arrived, followed by the teachers. His gaze followed Emily as she entered with her signature prideful walk.
During the first class, Aether's usual nature was to remain silent and unengaged unless called upon to answer a question or chosen among the students.
But this time, the once-reclusive student rose and walked confidently between the desks. Calmly, he began explaining the mathematical equation on the board, delivering such an exceptional explanation that the teacher chose to sit among the students and observe the capabilities of this person.
As soon as he finished solving it, he glanced away from the board, looking toward the classroom, which had fallen silent from what they had just witnessed. In that moment, Jimmy started clapping, encouraging most of the class to applaud their classmate warmly.
Among the students, Aether looked at Emily, who noticed his gaze. She glanced aside arrogantly and refused to clap for him.
He smiled thoughtfully before returning to his seat, and the lesson resumed its normal pace.
Meanwhile, after the class ended, whispers about what he had done circulated among the students until 9:34 a.m., when Karen appeared out of nowhere and threw a plate of cream at Aether's face. With agility, he dodged the plate and looked at her as if she were a child. Strangely, the plate hit Emily, who was behind Aether.
At that moment, the class burst into laughter at what had happened—except Aether, who remained silent until then. He then stood up, took the plate from her face, and tried to wipe the cream off her cheeks.
Furious and in disbelief, she slapped his hand away from her face and yelled at him:
"I don't need your pity, you study-obsessed freak!!"
Yet Aether didn't utter a word... He simply smiled sadly and calmly, which only intensified her hatred for him.
She despised every detail about him—his life, his appearance, his way of thinking. Her disdain for him radiated intensely, especially that smile, which she had always described as the ugliest smile she had ever seen.
In the days that followed, Aether tried with all his might to build a bridge across the chasm between him and her.
Despite his intense efforts, most ended in failure, leaving even deeper scars on his already weary heart.
During one lecture, the teacher asked Aether to stand before the class and recite the speech written in the English textbook.
Aether took the book in his hand and stood up with visible exhaustion before beginning to read.
His voice was clear at first,
but the teacher gently interrupted him:
"I'm sorry, but... Mr. Aether, why are you crying?"
Aether stopped, wiped his cheek with his hand,
then looked at his palm, wet with tears.
The next moment, he ran back to his seat.
On the way, the English textbook slipped from his grasp,
landing right in Emily's hands.
He reached his desk, opened his bag with trembling hands,
and pulled out that cursed book, whispering in a muffled yet resolute voice:
"I will turn Nivar upside down."