Julie, with a bored expression, sat at a wooden desk, filling out paperwork and enduring a small history lesson about the so-called unseen world. The lesson seemed endless, cramming her brain with information.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapbMUiljQS
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnC5M9RlDGq
She despised being in school, remaining still, and enduring know-it-all teachers who tried to stuff her brain with facts she struggled to retain. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to remember everything. Julie hated that most of all—the inability to recall certain facts. She looked down at the wooden table, doubting this would ever change.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuLe0XfDZI
"Ms. May, I hope I'm not boring you," said her instructor, standing in front of her, no longer engrossed in the small book in his hands.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8kd1exRe4
"Um, sorry, Mr... Bramble?" She hoped she got his name right.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74hD6icGEY
Honestly, for the first time, Julie didn't want to be rude to this guy, apparently in charge of giving her a brief lesson on this new world she had entered. She found herself captivated by Mr. Bramble's appearance the first time she saw him. He was definitely a pretty boy, with flawless, sparkling skin, pink hair, and green eyes. Though she wasn't sure at first, now she was certain he had pointy ears, which fascinated her. She almost wanted to ask if he was an elf but stopped herself, unsure if it was rude.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPmzg7h9JH
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIa9xjgNaKQ
Mr. Bramble smiled and walked towards Julie, sitting down right next to her.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYB9y0niRA
"What's so funny?" Julie asked, curious about the small giggles Mr. Bramble was giving her.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0wtfw3YuD
"I'm sorry," he said, looking at her with his piercing green eyes. "I'm not an elf," Mr. Bramble said, his charming smile widening. "And even though it's not rude to ask, it's not all that polite either."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tGPklAlaB
"Um..." Julie said, her eyebrows raised as she looked at her teacher.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPocw8WODc6
Mr. Bramble's smile began to disappear. "I'm sorry, I've been told that reading people's minds can be rude."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ980woTcsjy
"You read my mind?" Julie asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡympQgrxClU
Mr. Bramble nodded with a smirk. "It's my gift," he said.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnprS9gMhfG
"That's amazing," Julie said, almost mystified.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHrVmybFf5
"Thank you," Mr. Bramble said, nodding. "I've had that gift ever since I was young." He looked away, his grip around his book tightening. "I am a Descenfael, after all."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSIFMCXipc
"I'm sorry, Descenfael?" Julie asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdYS0MuH2I
Mr. Bramble's expression turned slightly stern as he looked at Julie. "I was right," he said. "You didn't pay attention to the lesson."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCxGonepRt
"Um, sorry," Julie said with an awkward smile.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTcEXoBtE4
"In this world, there are the Halbenfael, also known as half-bloods, and then there are beings known as the Descenfael, the descendants of half-bloods," Mr. Bramble explained. "That's what I am."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMScb9rnpx
Julie slowly nodded, absorbing the knowledge she found interesting.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFl8uvEJ5R
"I come from a long line of Descenfael, going all the way back to my great-great-great-grandfather, whose father was a forest fairy," Mr. Bramble said, his eyes lowering as he thought deeply about his family history.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9pKW7a5cb
"My gifts are rare, which of course is unusual among most Descenfael who are born powerless," Mr. Bramble said with pride.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeypkPmRmaH
"So what about me?" Julie asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYTMcOYFP6
Mr. Bramble raised one eyebrow in confusion. "What about you?" he asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZe02fPoI25
"I was told that I was a half-blood, I guess what you call a Halbenfael," Julie said, trying her best to pronounce the word correctly. "So, um, where are my special powers?" she asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEAa1VeAwe
"Um..." Mr. Bramble said, putting his hand to his chin. "That may or may not be true," he said.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuB6Emi8qAs
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFl9qoeSpY
Julie's expression turned panicked. "What? But Tora said—"
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cXBap15vE
"Look, those kinds of mistakes are made a lot," Mr. Bramble said. "I mean, almost every few months, a VoinGarde wrongly claims that someone is a Halbenfael when they are not."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MYfNRkNQW
Julie remained silent for a moment, thinking about Mr. Bramble's words. "But the things that I see, have seen... Why am I even here if I'm not one of you?" she asked, feeling frustrated.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzKfuP7kFs
"Slow down," Mr. Bramble said, putting his hands up as if on the defense.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbsuDTthtr
"First of all, I said you may or may not be one; I didn't say that you weren't," Mr. Bramble clarified, putting his hands down and looking straight into Julie's eyes. "And second of all, the Luminal Accords are for anyone who can see or even sense the other world. As soon as you were gifted with the sight, you became eligible for its protection."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3bwlD5QI4
Julie wasn't sure why, but she was beginning to calm down.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpInI5vpxs
"So then, if you're not sure if I'm a Descenfael or even a Halbenfael, how do we find out?" she asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBSJeGmuXW
"Yeah, that's the tricky part," Mr. Bramble said. "The thing is, we don't actually have a surefire way of knowing that."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCA1HNkZH9H
"What?" Julie asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFfHSWxJSm
"The thing about the spirit world is that it's tricky, literally. It's filled with tricks," Mr. Bramble explained. "Everything in that world is meant to deceive you: making you walk down wrong paths that lead to cliffs, eat delicious-smelling fruit that turns you inside out, or drink crystal-clear waters that trap you in your own delusions forever."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfv5aqAEMbW
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r2bRxZ2VQ
"Okay, okay, I get it," Julie said.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KUsbp3iPI
"The point is, it's a tricky world; therefore, anything that comes from that world would also be tricky."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUV0MEj08Q
Mr. Bramble waited for a while. "Like fairy DNA," he said finally. "No scanner on earth, supernatural or otherwise, can detect it."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQI0Dk0aMX
"Why?" Julie asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6ezyUvqZe
"Because fairy DNA will always blend itself into looking like human DNA or half-blood DNA or even the DNA of a Descenfael," Mr. Bramble explained.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTmAmtbOhS
"You talk as if it's alive, fairy DNA," Julie said.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVY8oBNBW2
"Uh-huh," Mr. Bramble said, nodding. "It almost seems to act that way when we've tried to observe it. Either way, it's tricky to see."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXeGqPEdr0
"So then how will I find out what I am?" Julie asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7H59eCtv7
"Well, you could be many things. You could even be a regular human with blight," Mr. Bramble said, crossing his arms.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOxhy6iyvy
"Blight. I know that!" Julie said with excitement. "That's when a regular human gets a supernatural injury that leads to a spiritual infection, giving them the ability to see the supernatural world."
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrSySpsM2h
Mr. Bramble smiled. "Correct. I guess you were paying a little bit of attention. You could also be someone gifted with a supernaturally charged object, giving you the power to see the other world," he explained.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOB8gWSuJI5
"Yeah, no, I would probably know if I had something like that," Julie said.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtxpYtsOXu
"But there's only one way to know for sure," Mr. Bramble said, then stopped talking.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLGYx96RrC
"Well, don't stop on my account," Julie said, impatient to hear the answer.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRVcsqYVjC
"Your parent, your supernatural one, would have to reveal themselves to you, or you could—"
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoOatxGAUX
Mr. Bramble stopped talking as a loud alarm went off and the whole room began to flash red.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1EOXChyAI
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjL6cISPK1G
"What's happening?" Julie asked.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrKVTlbSTD
Mr. Bramble got up from his seat, his face filled with panic. "That's the level 3 emergency alarm."
***
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdFNDmdphl
Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
ns216.73.216.239da2
