Chapter 72 (Part 03)
Morning arrived quietly in Feilw Land.
Too quietly.
Sunlight filtered through thin curtains, cutting the room into pale geometric shapes. Dust drifted in the air, unmoving. The world felt… paused.
Ceya opened her eyes.
For a moment, she did not recognize the ceiling.
Then memory returned slowly, cautiously, like something afraid of being noticed.
KUA Girls' High School.
Transfer.
Rain.
The church.
Her fingers twitched.
A faint pressure rested at the back of her mind, like a hand that had never quite withdrawn.
She sat up.
Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Yet something was wrong.
She smiled.
The expression reached her lips
but not her eyes.
Breakfast Without Hunger
Downstairs, her mother placed breakfast on the table.
"Eat well," she said gently. "Your first weeks at a new school are always hard."
Ceya nodded.
"Yes, Mother."
Her voice was correct.
Her tone was correct.
The words were correct.
But she did not feel hunger.
She did not feel anxiety.
She felt… directive clarity.
Eat.
Smile.
Leave on time.
Her mother frowned briefly.
"You're very calm today."
Ceya paused.
A flicker of delay passed through her gaze less than a second.
"I slept well," she replied.
That satisfied her mother.
It should not have.
KUA Girls' High School
The gates of KUA Girls' High School stood tall, iron-black and polished, symbols of order and discipline. Girls in neat uniforms walked past her in groups, their laughter echoing naturally.
Ceya walked alone.
Eyes followed her.
Whispers trailed behind.
"That's her, right?"
"The transfer student?"
"I heard her family left their country suddenly."
"They say it was dangerous there."
Ceya heard every word.
They entered her ears.
They did not reach her heart.
Inside her mind, something observed calmly.
Social curiosity detected.
No response required.
In Classroom 2-B, she took her seat by the window.
The teacher introduced her again.
"This is Ceya. She transferred from another country. Be kind."
Several girls smiled politely.
One girl leaned forward.
"Hey, Ceya. You okay after yesterday's rain? You looked sick."
Ceya turned.
Smiled.
"I'm fine."
The girl blinked.
Something about the answer unsettled her.
The Absence of Reaction
Throughout the day, small things happened.
A book fell near her feet.
She picked it up immediately.
Someone bumped into her.
She apologized first.
Her responses were flawless.
Too flawless.
By lunchtime, the whispers had changed.
"She's… strange."
"She doesn't react."
"It's like she's acting."
Ceya sat alone, hands folded, eyes lowered.
Inside her chest
No loneliness.
No sadness.
Only a faint, distant echo.
Somewhere deep, something knocked.
Once.
Twice.
Ignored.
A God Watches Through Her Eyes
At exactly noon
The pressure in her mind tightened.
Her pupils dilated slightly.
The classroom blurred.
And Lisa observed.
Not physically.
Through perception.
Through borrowed sight.
The connection remains stable, the goddess concluded.
Emotional resistance is minimal.
Ceya's hand paused mid-motion.
For half a second, her reflection in the window looked… hollow.
Then the pressure released.
She blinked.
The world resumed.
She did not notice anything unusual.
Castrone The Wrong Dream
That night
Alok dreamed.
He stood in a place without ground or sky.
Chains of light stretched endlessly.
At the center
A girl knelt.
Her face was hidden.
But he knew.
"Ceya," he called.
She looked up.
Her eyes were empty.
A voice not hers answered.
Do not interfere.
Alok woke up sweating.
The pendant burned hot against his chest.
His punishment had not yet begun.
But something worse had already started.
The Smile That Breaks
The next morning, Ceya stood before the mirror again.
She practiced smiling.
Once.
Twice.
On the third attempt
Her hand trembled.
Her reflection blinked out of sync.
For a split second
Her eyes filled with terror.
A voice screamed inside.
HELP ME.
Then
Silence.
The smile returned.
Perfect.
Controlled.
Incorrect.