"Could you wait here for a sec? I'm going to go get changed," Serena said, her voice calm but carrying that familiar edge of authority that made it hard to argue. She started to head toward the girls' bathroom, her hand brushing against the handle.
I reacted without thinking. My hand shot out, grabbing hers.
"Change into what?? What's going on???" I blurted out, panic threading through my words.
Serena sighed, the kind of sigh that carried both exasperation and patience all at once. "The alarm that rang earlier… it wasn't just a regular alarm. It's an evacuation alarm. It tells everyone around us to evacuate immediately so that Geist can do their work."
My heart skipped a beat. Geist? Work? The implications hit me like a punch in the chest. She wasn't just going somewhere to change—she was going into danger, while I had no idea how to stop it.
"I'm going inside now. You better not peek, you pervy deviant!!" she snapped, yanking her hand free and disappearing behind the bathroom door.
I slumped against the wall, letting the weight of worry settle over me. Seconds dragged on, stretching into minutes.
When she finally reemerged, my breath caught. Serena was clad in sleek black armor, her movements precise and almost predatory. In her hands rested a fox-shaped mask, and the way it shimmered in the dim light made her look untouchable—otherworldly.
For a fleeting, guilty moment, a strange thought crossed my mind: maybe… she's my so-called "wife."
I hated the thought. Marriage was a foreign, uncomfortable idea. But there was one thing I could never deny—the girl standing before me was breathtaking.
"You stay here for now. I'll come back after it's all over," Serena instructed, lifting the mask to her face. In an instant, her brown hair transformed into a golden blonde, catching the light with almost supernatural radiance. Without waiting for a response, she dashed toward the chaos caused by the earlier explosion.
Even though we had only just met, a protective urge swelled inside me—an unfamiliar but undeniable concern for the girl who had become my most precious treasure.
I shook my head. It isn't love… it can't be… this doesn't make any sense.
But reason quickly gave way to action. I bolted after her, ignoring her orders, only to realize the mistake the moment I tried to catch up. She was too fast—vanishing before I could close the distance.
I paused, indecision gnawing at me. Should I search for her, risking my life? Or return to the spot she had told me to stay at? I was frozen in thought when something violent shattered the silence.
A figure crashed into the cafeteria's glass pane in front of me.
Instinct drove me behind a nearby table. My heart pounded as I tried to assess the scene. A strange purple creature stood there, bleeding green ichor, a few tentacles severed but flailing wildly. Its victim—a man in a black suit—was slumped and motionless, shards of glass embedded in his knees.
Panic surged. I had no idea what to do. One wrong move could cost a life.
Then my gaze landed on a sword, similar to Serena's but longer. Without thinking, I grabbed it, feeling its weight anchor me, and stepped out of my hiding place.
"Let him go!!!" I yelled, my voice cracking as I thrust the blade toward the creature.
It turned, and in a fraction of a second, tentacles whipped out, slamming me against the wall. Pain lanced through my body as it advanced, mouth opening, saliva dripping like a grotesque waterfall.
"You filthy Geist… why'd you always ruin our lives?" it snarled, blood and saliva flowing from its mouth.
"Y-Y-Y-You can talk?!" I stammered, shock making my voice tremble.
The creature paused, startled, and then spoke again, tightening its grip. "What is this??!! A mere human… able to understand us poltergeist?"
My sword slipped from my hands as its mouth stretched wider, teeth glinting ominously. I braced for death—but then the air split with a sharp clang.
A dagger had pierced its face.
Serena. Masked and furious, she stood there like a storm made flesh. Even with the mask, I could feel the intensity of her anger radiating at me.
The creature began to wither into dust. "Don't bother. That's only a clone," Serena proclaimed, voice sharp but steady.
Voices echoed from the hallway, and she grabbed my hand, pulling me along as we fled the cafeteria. Heart pounding, I tried to keep up, my mind a whirlwind of fear, relief, and awe.
We returned to the bathroom, and this time she didn't waste a second scolding me while changing. Her geist uniform went into her bag, and she fixed me with a cold, piercing glare.
"Why didn't you listen to me? Was it really that hard to follow one simple instruction?" Her pouting lips barely masked her frustration.
"Do you have any idea how mad Mom and Dad are going to be when they find out my "husband" almost got eaten by an poltergeist?!" She added, voice sharp enough to make me wince.
"I'm sorry, Serena… I just got worried…" I muttered, head hanging.
Her expression softened slightly, curiosity replacing anger. "Worried…? Why were you worried??"
"I… I don't really know. It's the first time I've been in a situation like this… Even though we can't stand each other, of course I'd get worried when you rushed off like that alone," I admitted.
She was speechless as she hid her face behind her hands. For a brief moment, she was just a girl—vulnerable, human, beautiful. She grabbed my hand and dragged me outside.
We headed home, school waiting for us the next day. The train was delayed, leaving us arriving at exactly seven in the evening.
As we opened the door, our exhaustion turned to shock. Serena's parents, Aunt Melda, and Uncle Alumna were there. They looked… displeased.
"I see the two troublemakers are back," Alumna teased, but his tone was serious.
Serena forced a smile. "Mother, Father, Uncle Alumna… it's a pleasant evening seeing—"
"The jig is up," Reige's voice cut through, sharp and commanding. "We know what happened at the mall."
Serena stammered, weaving a story about going to get my uniform, but Reige was relentless. Reports of a female geist with golden hair and a fox-shaped mask fighting poltergeist were undeniable. Sweat beaded on Serena's forehead as she lied through her teeth.
Alumna's gaze turned to me. "So, Yuma, where were you during the attack?"
Serena stomped on my foot to reinforce her story, and I just nodded along. Erika, ever observant, noted missing laundry—Serena's geist uniform. Alumna stood nearby, a silent threat of oversight.
"Last chance to backdown you two" Erika warned. "Otherwise there would be punishment for the liars" she added.
"I'm telling you the truth Mom" Selena replied with a smile on her face. Mrs. Erika then smirked and looked at her husband. "Reige, honey show our troublemaking daughter what you recieved from the reporters" We both looked at Serena's dad, smiling as he opened a brief cast, holding a familiar weapon.
A dagger. Reige held it aloft. "Found at the scene of the incident. Care to explain?" Serena's face shattered. Realizing she can't escape this one. They caught us... trapped, ambush and no where to run.
Serena screamed as Erika pinched her cheeks mercilessly. "Momm!!! It hurts!!!"
The scolding lasted half an hour. Every word, every glare, etched guilt and fear into both our hearts.
Finally, Reige spoke. "Serena… we want you to live a normal life, away from being a geist."
Serena rolled her eyes, frustration boiling over. "If you wanted me to live normally, you didn't have to pre-marry me!"
"Serena… we want you to live a normal life. Away from being a Geist."
Serena's eyes snapped to him, blazing with frustration, anger, and disbelief. Her hands trembled slightly as she jabbed a finger at me.
"If you wanted me to live normally," she spat, voice shaking, "you didn't have to pre-marry me!"
The room froze. Erika's lips parted, uncertain, while Reige's shoulders slumped with a weary sigh.
"This discussion again…" he murmured, glancing at his wife for support. "Serena, sweetie… we're just worried…"
"Worried?" Her voice cracked, and a single tear slid down her cheek. "If you two really cared about me, you wouldn't have gotten me married to him!" She jabbed a finger toward me, trembling with rage. "You forced this… forced me to marry Yuma… just so I couldn't do what I've always wanted!"
Silence fell. I could only watch, my chest tightening at the helplessness radiating from her. Serena's small body shook—not just with anger, but with grief, frustration, and the weight of every stolen choice.
"You two know how much I've wanted to become a Geist… like my sisters!" she yelled, voice cracking. "A Geist like you, Dad… Why can't you just support me?"
She tried to hold back her tears, but they came anyway, streaking down her cheeks. My throat tightened at the sight.
"I know I'm not the nicest to Yuma…" Her voice lowered, quivering, fragile. "A part of me… hates him. Hates that he's my… my 'husband' that you forced on me… just so I could do what I've always dreamed—to become a Geist!"
"Sweetie…" Erika reached out, her voice gentle but firm. "Please understand… your father and I just want you to be safe…"
"Safe from what?!" Serena yelled, tears spilling freely now. "Safe from what, if you're taking everything I've ever wanted from me?!"
The room thickened with tension, every second stretched painfully. Even I, Yuma, felt my chest tighten, my heart thudding. I had been dragged into this, yet watching her cry… I felt as powerless as she did.
Reige inhaled slowly, his eyes darkening with something heavier than anger—fear, guilt, and love all intertwined. His hands trembled slightly as he lowered himself onto one knee, placing himself at eye level with Serena.
"Serena… listen to me," he said, voice breaking in a way I had never heard before. "I know this seems cruel. I know it feels like I'm trying to cage you… but the world you're about to step into—it's not kind. It's… merciless."
He paused, swallowing hard, his gaze burning with a father's desperation. "You want to become a Geist… I know how much it means to you. But being a Geist isn't a game. You'll face monsters you can't even imagine… rogue poltergeists that can kill without hesitation. And if you face them alone…"
He looked at me briefly, then back at Serena, his eyes glistening with restrained emotion. "Yuma isn't just some boy I picked for you. He is the son of Recode Alpha. One day, he will be strong enough to fight beside you. To protect you when the shadows try to consume you."
His voice wavered, thick with emotion. "I am not forcing you into a marriage for my own pleasure. I am forcing you into survival… into the future you've dreamed of. Do you think, as a father… I want to see my daughter in a coffin one day? Do you think I could bear it?"
Serena's lips trembled. Her tears fell faster now, hot and furious, as though her heart itself were being torn apart. She shook her head, shaking off his words like they were blows.
"You don't understand!" she shouted. "I can protect myself! I don't need… I don't need him! Why can't you just… just let me become a Geist? Why do you have to chain me with marriage?!"
Reige rose slowly, his hands trembling but his voice steady, carrying both authority and the weight of his guilt. "Because, Serena… if I let you go alone, I can't guarantee you'll survive long enough to even dream. I can't watch you throw yourself into a fight you're not ready for, not when I know the danger that waits."
His eyes softened for a brief moment, a flicker of vulnerability piercing the tension. "I… I've made mistakes, I've forced decisions upon you… but everything I've done, every choice… has been to keep you alive. To give you the chance to walk into that dream safely."
Serena's shoulders shook violently, her body small but trembling with rage, grief, and fear. I could feel the sharp sting of helplessness in my own chest.
"Safe from what?" she whispered now, almost to herself, trembling. "I just… I just want to be free. To be who I am…"
Reige knelt again, voice low, trembling, yet full of determination: "Safe from the monsters outside, from the world that won't forgive mistakes. Safe from a death that would leave me hollow. This… this marriage, Yuma by your side… is the only way I can promise that. No lies. No games. I can't protect you alone."
He exhaled sharply, closing his eyes for a moment as if the weight of the entire Yuuki legacy rested on his shoulders. "I know it seems cruel, Serena. But it's not about taking your dreams… it's about giving you a chance to survive them. That's why you're engaged to him."
The room went silent, every heartbeat amplified. Serena's tears fell freely now, as her chest heaved, as if fighting against the truth and the inevitability of it all.
I reached for her hand, gently, trying to offer comfort where her father's love was too heavy to show softly.
Reige's voice softened, almost breaking: "I'm sorry… for everything, Serena. But I cannot… I cannot let the future I've dreamed of for you die before you even reach it."
Reige's eyes softened, glimmering with unspoken pain. "Because, Serena… I cannot guarantee you'll survive if you walk that path alone. You are my daughter. And I… I love you too much to let anything happen to you. This engagement… it's not a cage. It's a lifeline."
He exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. "I know it seems cruel. But I cannot—will not—risk losing you. Not now. Not ever."
The room was silent, heavy with emotion. Serena's chest heaved, sobs wracking her small frame. I reached for her hand, wanting to offer comfort, but even I felt powerless against the depth of her father's love and fear.
Then Alumna spoke, calm and measured, cutting through the tension.
"Reige," he said, eyes steady, "I understand your concern. Your love for Serena is clear. But forcing this marriage may also be a burden too heavy for her."
Reige blinked, his voice tight. "What do you mean?"
Alumna's gaze shifted to Serena, softening. "Serena must have the right to choose her own path. If she does not wish to marry Yuma, you should respect her choice."
Serena's eyes widened, her grip on my hand tightening. "You… you mean… me and Yuma don't need to get married?"