Chapter 8: The Message
The third and final part of the examination ended rather plainly. Cecil defeated the werebear, and it was revealed that the creature was actually one of the professors. Unsurprisingly, Cecil placed first on the practical, followed by Marianne, who came in second. Rosa had done relatively well, ending up in fifteenth place, while Cleo was dead last.
In the end, only twenty people were chosen. Based on each student's ranking, they were sorted into either the beginner, intermediate, or advanced class. Each class had seven students, with the exception of the advanced class, which had six. Most people were satisfied with their rankings, though some were disappointed that they did not make it into the final twenty students.
Once the others left, the headmaster called all the remaining students to the great hall. He welcomed them to the academy, went over a few fundamental rules, and then all the students were sent on their way.
Suddenly, as everyone was walking out of the great hall, a translucent, floating screen appeared out of nowhere in front of Cleo. There was a message written on it.
The only way to escape is to die.
The message was signed by Mirabelle Florin.
Cecil was walking out of the great hall, when he realized that all the other students had suddenly stopped moving, as if seeing something that he could not see. Their eyes moved over thin air, as if reading a note. A note that was clearly not there. He was about to observe more carefully, when all the students began moving again.
"Hey," Theo said, sneaking up on Cecil, making him jump.
"Oh, hey."
"Come on, lets go back to the dorms."
With that, Theo and Cecil left the great hall, along with everyone else. And Cecil still had no idea what was written in the message, nor did he realize that there was a message at all.
***
It was raining. The academy had given all the students the weekend off in order for them to prepare themselves for the beginning of the school year. But it was just Cleo's luck that on the one day she was free, it was raining.
Cleo opened the sliding door of her bedroom, stepping out onto the balcony. The rain was falling, hard. The droplets splattered against Cleo's body, drenching her. She glanced down at the ground below her. A simple two stories down. She jumped.
As Cleo fell, the rain caught her, following the flow of her magic, placing her softly and gently onto the ground, completely unscathed. She walked down the path, her hair, body, and dress completely soaked in the downpour. She passed by a small, man-made river, guarded by a black, iron railing. She leaned on the railing, looking out over the water that had only been a light trickle yesterday, but was now fast, churning rapids.
Cleo wanted to go home. She did not care about watching her favorite characters get together and live out the happy life she wanted for them. She just wanted to go back to her own life, with her friends, school, and even her bullies. She wanted to see Ari again, the only person who could ever reach her heart. Cleo wondered what was going on back on earth. What happened to her after she was hit by the truck? Did she die, or did she go into a coma? If only there was a way for someone to tell her what happened. If only there was a way to communicate between worlds.
And then the rain was gone. But it was still there. The raindrops pouring out from the sky, and yet, none of them landed on Cleo. She looked up. A black umbrella was hovering over her. Turning around, Cleo met Cecil's eyes.
"What are you doing out here in the rain?" he asked her, draping his coat over her wet shoulders. "You could get sick."
"I...forgot my umbrella."
Cecil narrowed his eyes at Cleo's lame excuse. He looked at her. He was about to reprimand her, but his eyes shifted down her neck. And Cecil flushed bright red.
"J-just go inside and d-dry off."
Cecil handed Cleo the umbrella, and she obediently went back into the dorm hall.
When Cleo turned back around, she saw Cecil leaning over the railing, face in his hands. And then the door closed, and he was gone.
***
Cecil wiped his face with his hands.
"Stop it, Cecil. This isn't how you normally act."
But a little voice in his head refused to obey. You like her, it said, You're not allowed to do that. You think she's pretty, but Rosa is so much prettier. You are only allowed to like Rosa. Cleo is nothing, but Rosa is your everything. Cleo isn't even supposed to exist-
"Stop it!" Cecil shouted, his voice echoing into the distance.
The voice stopped. But it would not stop forever.
...
No, not when there are stories to be made.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AthensAwaitsMe
AthensAwaitsMe I'm a big webtoon fan (you can find me on webtoon under the same username), so this end part was inspired by one of the many webtoons I am currently reading.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone