Chapter 47

"N-Neige?" Vil said with a sniffle.

Neige let out a loud gasp when he reached us. "Vi, I've never seen you cry outside of an acting role before."

Vil wiped his eyes. "Well, you caught me at a bad time. Heh... I'm always second to you."

Neige frowned. "Maybe that's what the numbers said. But you guys gave an amazing performance that nobody else could have pulled off. Sure, I took first at the competition... But your group is number one in the hearts of everybody who voted for you."

Vil appeared stunned. "Neige..."

"So c'mon, Vi. Don't cry!"

"Heh. The Roi des Neiges is right," Rook said. "Your smile is far more becoming than your tears, Vil. Here. Take my handkerchief." He handed him the piece of cloth.

"...Thanks," Vil mumbled.

Neige turned to Rook. "Ah, you're the one who flagged me down before opening time. Your name is Rook, right?"

"Oui," said Rook. "My apologies for rushing you.

"You're 'R,' aren't you? The one who comes to every single one of my meet-and-greets and writes me letters?"

"WHAT?!" the rest of us shouted in complete shock.

"Meet-and-greets?!" Vil exclaimed.

"Letters?!" Epel cried.

"Ah...!" Rook said, eyes wide in surprise. "How did you know?"

Neige smiled. "There's only one fan of mine who writes letters addressing me as a fancy name like Roi des Neiges. It hit me when you called me that earlier. I knew R buys each of my photos at fan events and composes poems to share their impressions of each picture... But I certainly wasn't expecting R to be a man. I was so surprised!"

"What?" said Deuce. "Rook's a fan of Neige LeBlanche?!"

"Dude, if he's writing poems about every single photo the guy publishes, that's WAY down the hardcore fandom rabbit hole!" Ace said.

Jamil gasped. "Wait a minute. When you brought that heavy photo album with you to training camp..." His eyes went wide. "Was that entire album nothing but official photos of Neige LeBlanche?!"

"WHAAAT?!" we all shouted again.

"Wow!" Kalim said with his usual grin. "If you're that big of a fan, it must be nice getting to meet him up close! You should ask him for a handshake!"

"A-ah... I suppose..." Rook said a little awkwardly. Then he looked away.

"Rook's gone awfully quiet," Epel said softly. "What's the matter?"

"Heh. Feeling awkward, are we?" Vil teased. Rook simply sniffled in response, taking Vil by surprise. "H-he's quietly weeping..."

"Roi des Neiges..." Rook said quietly. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Rook Hunt... Member #0000002 of the Neige LeBlanche fan club, Eternal Snow!"

"You're in his FAN CLUB?!" Deuce exclaimed.

"And you've got a single-digit ID in it?!" Ace cried.

"Your work has shone a light upon my life and allowed me to live with hope in my heart," Rook said. "It is such an honor to speak with you face-to- face. Thank you so much for everything today."

"You carry yourself so differently here than when you come to my meet-and-greets," Neige said. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner. Thank you for always supporting me!"

"I shall write you another letter to encapsulate my thoughts about your performance today."

"Heh heh! When you do, make sure to sign it as Rook, not just your initial, okay?" Neige grinned at him.

"Neige LeBlanche..." Jamil murmured. "He handled that with grace. I'm starting to see why he's such a beloved figure. He's a leading global celebrity, but he still treats fans warmly and attentively. That's definitely a strength."

"So, do you believe his kindness is genuine now?" I asked.

Jamil looked at me with a soft smile. "Yes, I will admit you seem to be right this time."

"'This time?'" I shrugged and smiled back at him. "I'll take it."

"I dunno, part of me thinks Rook's just coming off way too strong as a fan..." Ace said.

Vil huffed. "What a cad. This is quite the last-minute betrayal, you know."

Rook sniffed. "Yes, I voted for Royal Sword Academy. But it had nothing to do with my fandom, truly! I was—"

"Please, Rook. I know you're not the type to act on personal bias. Don't insult my intelligence. But I've known you for two years, and I never had the slightest clue that you were a fan of Neige's. You really are a hard man to read. Now wipe those tears away. Here, have a handkerchief... Your own, actually."

"Merci, Roi du Poison..." Rook sniffled again.

"Heh heh! Glad to see you got your smile back, Vi!" Neige said. "Ooh, I know. Let's sing together! That should put even more of a smile on everyone's face!"

Vil appeared taken back. "What?"

"Come on, let's go!" Neige grabbed his arm and pulled him upstage.

"W-wait! Neige!" Even as Vil protested, the audience cheered. It seemed they loved this idea as well.

"Come on, Night Raven College boys! Let's sing!"

"Wh-wh... WHAAAAA?" the others cried.

"Here we go! Three, two, one!" Neige left them no choice but to sing along to his song. I had to admit, they were pretty good together. Grim and I clapped along with everyone else.

"Not bad," I said.

Neige waved at the audience. "Thank you, everybody! Your turn, Vi!"

"Heh. I'll see you all again!" Vil said.

"Aw, they're back to being friends again!" Kalim said. "Yay!"

"What a beautiful sight," Rook said, wiping a fake tear. "Beauté! Full marks!"

"Wow... I have to hand it to Vil," Epel said.

"He said he wanted to kick his rival right off the stage, but there he is, smiling and singing with him," Jamil said. "I guess that's what pros do."

I smirked. "Yeah, I don't think so."

Jamil gave me an odd look. "Huh?"

"AAAGH!" Vil said under his breath. "Again, someone knock me out this instant!"

I chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I knew it. I saw it on his face."

Jamil chuckled softly. "Perhaps you're not as naive as I thought."

I grinned at him. "You're only figuring that out now?" I noticed Kalim watching us. When our eyes locked, he gave me a wide smile and a thumbs up. I chuckled softly as I shook my head. Yes, this was a good development for me too.

There was not much left for us to do after that. Vil rounded us together for one finally speech. Then he said we were free to enjoy the festival for the rest of the day. Fortunately, he reminded everyone to have their belongings out of Ramshackle by the evening.

My mind was still on the day's earlier events. Somehow, I had survived another overblot experience. I could not help but wonder why this was happening. Even if it was just chance, why I did seem to have a connection to those like Vil after we saved him? And what did my dreams have to do with it? If I doubted my dreams were connected before, there was none of that now. Although they seemed to be telling the past, I also had the sense they were predicting the future.

I wanted to talk to someone about all of this to help me make sense of it. While Grim, Ace, and Deuce were great, I knew they would not provide the intellectual stimulation I needed. There was only one person I trusted who I knew could help. So, I gave Grim some money and told him to buy himself something to eat while I took care of something. I had just stepped out onto the street when I heard someone call my name.

I turned around to face the source. "Oh, hey, Jamil. Do you want something?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure. About what?"

Jamil hesitated, which was unusual for him. "It's about... Malleus... I still can't believe you're actually friends with him. Do you really need to befriend all of those most dangerous guys on campus?"

"Hey, to be fair, I had no idea who he was."

"But if it did, it would not have changed your actions." His expression was hard, and his eyes bore into mine.

I shrugged. "True." I looked at him carefully. Something was different about the way he was talking to me now. His face still looked harsh, but there was no judgment in his eyes. It was almost like he actually wanted to understand me. This was a positive development. "You know, I never once sought him out. He was always the one initiating conversations with me outside my dorm. He was always friendly with me, so I was the same in return. That's the proper protocol, isn't it?"

Jamil's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Yes, but you invited him to the SDC."

"I was repaying him for his kindness. Was that not reasonable?"

Jamil frowned. "I suppose your actions were understandable. I just do not understand how you did not sense anything... dangerous about him. It's like you feel no fear."

I laughed. "That's not true, Jamil. I can feel fear perfectly fine. And I can sense when someone is up to know good. I knew well enough to want to stay away from you, Azul, Leona, and Riddle during their issues." I paused as I considered his words. "I do think I know what you're talking about though. I see people as dangerous when they're an immediate or short term threat. Meaning, when they actually intend me or my loved ones harm."

Jamil nodded. "You don't feel fear for people in general."

I smiled. "Yeah, that's right. Hornton, Jade, and Floyd don't intend me any harm, so I'm not afraid of them. Most people are though, right? I suppose I'm missing the part that makes most people feel that type of fear."

"And you don't see how dangerous that could be? If you let your guide down and get close to them, you are more likely to get hurt if they decide they do wish you harm."

"I'm not too concerned about that. They're not monsters, Jamil. They're not any more willing to hurt people they care about than anyone else. Besides, I think my lack of fear makes me more likely to see people's true intention, whether they are good or bad. I figured you out pretty quickly, after all. Even Jade was impressed." I grinned a little. Jamil seemed to consider this and nodded for me to continue. "Fear blocks rational thought and intuition. I can predict people's intentions because I don't have it. I don't automatically assume their good either."

"You can see people as they truly are." Jamil gave me a small smile. "Perhaps that is your signature trait."

I brightened at this. That sounded a lot like praise! "Yeah, maybe so. It does seem to be a skill I'm getting better at. And, you know, you may be right that those guys are dangerous in general, so doesn't it make more sense for me to be their ally versus their enemy?"

Jamil gave me a full smile now, and I saw something that looked like admiration in his eyes. "It seems I have underestimated you."

"You certainly have!"

Jamil's smile faded. "I'm sorry, Ona, for the way I acted before. I should not have tried to get involved in your personal life. Will you forgive me?"

His apology surprised me. I could not remember him ever admitting he was wrong about something. I did not think he ever truly apologized to Kalim for that whole fiasco. He must really like me. I found myself pleased at the thought. "Well, that depends. Were you doing it because you wanted to control me or because you actually care about me?"

Jamil hesitated again. I already knew the truth, of course, but I wanted him to admit it. Finally, he relented. "I may care about you a bit." He looked away as soon as he said it.

I grinned. "I care about you too."

Jamil glanced at me with mild surprise. "Really?"

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we? And you're nice to have around. You're very reliable, level-headed, and the voice of reason in any situation."

"You think so?" Jamil smiled at me. "Thanks. You're nice to have around too."

I smiled back at him. "Good. And thank you for caring about me. I know, despite my best efforts, I err on the side of believing the best in people. That's why it's good to have friends who can see the negative side of people and situations. We can help balance each other others."

Jamil nodded. "So, will you listen to me the next time I warn you about someone? I'll listen to your side too. Just hear me out."

"Yeah, that's fair enough. Now that you understand where I'm coming from, I'll listen to you. I'll still make my own decision, and you'll have to respect that."

"Of course. I do not wish to control you."

I grinned. "Thanks. And you'll listen to me too when I tell you something good about something?"

Jamil sighed. "Fine." I grinned. Without thinking much about it, I moved forward and hugged him. I felt his surprise. "What is this for?" He hugged me back, and I heard the happiness in his voice.

"I like hugging my friends." I pulled back from him. "But if you don't want me to, I'll respect that."

Jamil shook his head. "No, it's fine." He smiled slightly.

"Good. So, maybe we can hang out sometime now that the SDC is over."

"If you really want to hang out with me, I won't object." He smiled at me once more before turning serious again. "I shouldn't keep you though. You have somewhere you be, right?"

"Yeah, I have to talk to Jade about something." I said the words before I even thought about. Surprisingly, Jamil appeared at ease with my statement.

"Very well. I'll see you later then."

I smiled. "Yeah, later." I left feeling a lot lighter than before. This was huge progress with him. Perhaps we could become real friends after all. And then maybe I could help Kalim improve his relationship with Jamil like I promised. At the moment, anything felt possible.

I walked around the festival in search of my target. Finally, I found Azul and Jade talking to each other on the side of the street. "Hey, guys!" I said with a smile as I approached.

"Hello, Ona," Jade said with a genuine smile. "How are you doing?"

"Hopefully not too upset about the SDC," Azul said.

It took me a moment to realize what he meant. "Oh, I'm fine," I said. "It happens. Can I talk to Jade privately?"

"About what?"

"I said 'privately' because it's private."

Azul's smile immediately fell, and Jade laughed. "That explains why Grim isn't with you."

"Yes." Yes, although, it was more for Jade's benefit than mine. I did not care if Grim was their to hear our discussion. I just thought Jade would be more open and honest with me if we were alone. I smiled at him. "Will you come with me? It's important."

Jade chuckled lightly. "How could I refuse a request like that, princess? Please excuse me, Azul."

Azul nodded. "Of course. I'll see you two later."

Jade and I fell in step together. We walked in comfortable silence through the festival. Finally, we found an area in the grass where no one else was gathered. We stopped and turned to face each other. "Now, what is this about?" Jade asked with a smile.

I take a moment to think about what I want to say first. There has to be a way to ease into it. I decided to start with the ending. "Guess what?" I said. "It turns out I'm friends with Malleus."

Jade's lips twitched with amusement. "Oh, is that so? How did that come about?"

"Well, he likes to walk alone at night around Ramshackle. Sometimes I run into him and talk to him. He seemed to enjoy the company. He gave me a holiday card, and I invited him to the SDC. That's how I found out who he was. He approached my SDC friends, and they told me the truth. He didn't tell me his name the entire time, so I had been calling him 'Hornton.'"

Jade burst out laughing. "'Hornton?' Really? And he didn't mind?"

I grinned. "Nope. And he said I can still call him that!"

Jade put a hand over his both as he bent over, still laughing. "That is great, Ona!"

I grinned at him. "Thanks. I knew you would have the best reaction."

Jade stood up straight, finally calming down. "What do you mean by that?"

"Everyone else panicked because of how important and 'dangerous' Malleus is. You understand I can handle myself."

Jade gave me a sly smile. "How do you know I'm simply unconcerned about your welfare?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, I know you care about me."

Jade smiled wider. "You are correct. So, what else did you want to talk about? Malleus is hardly someone you could not mention in front of Azul."

I paused. Now I had to get to the main part. "Well..." I thought of something else. "Jamil apologized to me. We're friends now."

Jade appeared surprised. "Really? How did that happen?"

"Somehow, he became interested in understanding my position." I considered it for a moment. "Maybe it's because I showed appreciation for him after he saved my life."

Jade's expression suddenly turned cold. "Ona... what do you mean Jamil saved your life?"

I froze as his intense gaze captured me. I felt a chill down my spine. "Well, uh, it's like this..." Finally, I explained the story of Vil's overbot, starting from the beginning and ending with Malleus' help. Jade's face remained hard and controlled the entire time. His eyes seemed to hold back anger. Finally, I finished with a weak smile. "And that's what happened."

"Why didn't you call me for help?" Jade said with an icy tone.

"W-We didn't need help." I bit my lip as I shifted uncomfortably under his harsh gaze.

"It happened to work out this time, but what if one thing had been different? You could have died, do you realize that?"

I felt surprised. Jade had a dark sense of humor, and this was the first time he had taken the subject of death so seriously. It was also rare to see true anger in his eyes. Then I realized what he hid behind it. Fear. He was afraid for me. Suddenly, I felt guilty. "I-I'm sorry, Jade. I didn't think to call you or anyone else for help. It just didn't cross my mind." My throat felt tight. I couldn't stand this. I ran to him and flung my arms around him. "I'm sorry."

Jade embraced me tightly. I could feel his emotions pouring through me from his hug. It was then I understood how deeply he cared about me. "It's alright," he said in a much softer tone. "Just... next time you're in trouble, call me, alright? And not just if you're in physical danger. If you ever need anything, no matter what the situation, you can come to me. I will always be there for you."

Tears filled my eyes as I was overwhelmed by emotions. "Thank you, Jade. I-I will." He continued to hold me as I slowly relaxed. My emotions settled, and I was left with a feeling of peace and safety. Everything was right. I finally let go and stepped back. I wiped my eyes and then smiled at Jade. "Thanks."

Jade gave me a gentle smile in return. "You are welcome. Now, I assume there is something you want to discuss about Vil's overblot?"

I nodded. "It happened again. Right after we defeated Vil, I touched him and... heard his thoughts."

Jade did not look surprised. "And he did not remember anything?"

"No. He did seem to remember some of what happened while in overblot form, unlike the others. If he doesn't know I even said anything to him while he was unconscious, is it really worth it?"

"I think so. Even if he doesn't remember your words consciously, they have affected him subconsciously. I assure you, your kindness is not wasted."

I smiled in relief. "Good. Thanks for reassuring me. I guess, maybe it doesn't matter what's going on as long as I'm helping people?"

Jade chuckled lightly. "Yes, that is a good way to look at it. I still have not heard of anything like this occurring, but I will let you know if I find out."

"Thanks." I paused. "There's... something else that's been going on in relation to all this."

Jade gave me an encouraging smile. "Go on."

"I've been having these... dreams. I think they're dreams. They start when I begin interacting with someone who ends up overblotting. They're realistic and play like a story over several nights up until someone overblots."

Jade appeared extremely interested. "And what are these dreams about?"

"Well... they're like characters in a story." I decide not to mention their resemblance to the Great Seven. Even someone as rational as Jade might let his bias towards them affect his judgment. And maybe Ace and Deuce were right. My mind might have conjured them up because I saw them every day. "The weird thing is, the stories eventually relate to whatever reason the overblotter had for losing control. It's like... they're warning me or... predicting the future."

Jade's eyebrows rose. "The future? I do not know of any magic that can predict the future."

"And I have no magic, remember? It must be something else going on."

Jade nodded. "You experienced these dreams with Vil too?"

"Yeah. Actually, I saw a vision of the most recent dream right before Vil freaked out. I think that means they are trying to warn me. It's odd, though. I had issues with all the others before they overblotted, but I was cool with Vil. He wasn't trying to enact some nefarious plot. He just... snapped..."

"It could not have come out of nowhere. That is not how blot works. You likely did not notice." Jade paused, appearing thoughtful. "Or perhaps you did. Maybe you picked up on the accumulation of blot and my subconscious tried to warn you with the dreams."

"I guess that makes sense." Something about it did not feel right, but I did not have a better explanation. "What should I do about it?"

Jade smiled at me. "Do not worry about it for now. If you have another dream, please tell me right away, and I will help you figure out what it means."

I beamed at him. "That sounds great. Thanks, Jade." It felt like a huge relief to have his support. I was not alone.

He chuckled. "Anything for you, princess. Do you have any other dreams you want to share? Have they revealed who your prince is?" He gave me a teasing smile, suddenly seeming playful.

I flushed when I remembered something. "Uh, actually, there is this tone dream I had a long time ago..."

Jade grinned widely. He looked surprised but pleased. "Do tell."

I hesitated. Did I want to tell him? I knew there was no way I could tell this dream to my other friends. This might be my only chance to gain some insight. "You have to promise you won't laugh at me."

"I promise. I would never laugh at you." Jade spoke with obviously fake sincerity.

Despite this, I decided to trust him. "You know how I was essentially kidnapped and brought to this school?"

"Yes..."

"Well, it wasn't entirely against my will."

Jade lifted his eyebrows. "Oh?"

I took a deep breath. "I had this dream. At least, I think it was a dream. It had to be. I also saw... the Dark Mirror. But I had never seen it before in my life. It was talking to me. And then a hand came out of the mirror."

"Just a hand?"

I nodded. "It makes sense now that I know mirrors are portals here. It was guy's hand, and he stood on the other side of the portal. The Mirror asked me to take his hand and accept my destiny. My mom had just been talking to me about true love, so I thought that might be what the Mirror meant."

"Did you take his hand?" Jade's tone was no longer playful. He listened to me intently with a serious expression.

"Yes... I don't know why, but I felt compelled to. He pulled me through the mirror and hugged me. I felt something I have never felt with someone before. Peace and excitement. I was content and thrilled. I tried to see his face, but then I woke up."I smiled wryly. I've had this crazy thought that, if I repeated that hand grab and hug with whoever it was at this school who pulled me through the mirror, I would recognize him by how I felt." I shook my head. "That's probably silly. You can't determine true love by that."

"I don't know. I've heard sillier stories of true love." His tone was light, but it did not seem like he was joking. Now that I thought about it, there were a lot of stories in this world I would consider fairy tails that they thought of us truth.

"Yeah, I could see that, actually."

Jade smirked. "So, why haven't you gone around asking everyone if the had the same dream as you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because I would sound ridiculous. And maybe the dream was completely one-sided. If he also had it, wouldn't he have approached me as well? He has to know it's me. I'm the only female here."

"Not necessarily. He may have believed it to be a normal dream and not connected it with you."

"I guess so..."

"But of course, you may be right that he didn't have or doesn't remember the dream. So, your plan to recreate the scene sounds like a wonderful idea." Jade gave me a cheeky grin.

I looked at him like he's crazy. "You know I wasn't serious about that, right? I can't go around asking every guy to pull me to his chest by his hand."

"You're absolutely right. Do you have a description of this guy."

I stared at him. I was fairly certain he was messing with me, so I decided to play along. "I only saw his hand, but I couldn't tell much. He had light skin. Like you."

Jade nodded. "That helps. How about height?"

I thought about it for a moment. I remembered being able to rest my head entirely on his chest. "He was at least a head taller than me."

Jade smiled slyly. "So, he's tall? That doesn't narrow it down much."

I huffed. "I am the average height for an adult female, thank you very much!"

Jade laughed. "Sure you are."

I shook my head. "Let's just say he's above 180 centimeters."

"Good to know. Thank you." He paused. "Which hand did he offer you?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "How does that help?"

"I want to know if he's right or left handed."

I thought back to the dream. "It was his left hand, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's left-handed."

"Oh? Doesn't it?" Jade moved closer to me with a mischievous smile. "If I were to off you my hand, I would do it like this." He held out his right hand to me. I stared at it, but he did not pull it back, as if he was expecting me to take it. He smiled wider. "Go on."

I carefully placed my right hand in Jade's. He immediately pulled me into his body and wrapped his arms around me. I was so startled that I could only hold onto him while my head rested against his chest. My heart beat wildly from the surprise. "Wh-What are you doing, Jade?!"

"Well, go on. Tell me how you feel."

"Huh?!"

"Do you think it is me?"

That was what he was getting at? "I - I don't know! I can't tell what I'm feeling, and you didn't use the correct hand." My heart beat erratically, and my breathing was shallow. He had me completely flustered, and he knew it.

"Oh, you're right. I thought to make it easier for you by proving he must be left-handed, but that was silly of me. Let's try this again with the correct hand!"

My eyes widened at the suggestion. He wanted to put me through more of this? "I hardly think that's necessary." There was no way I could be calm enough to really determine if it was him.

"Very well." Despite his words, he did not let me go even when someone approached us.

"There you are, guys," Floyd said happily. "What are you doing?"

"Ah, Floyd," said Jade, releasing me. "Perfect timing. Will you please hold out your hand for Ona and pull her into a hug."

Floyd appeared confused, but he smile. "Alright." He held out his left hand.

I froze. "Floyd..." I said. "Are you left-handed?"

"Yep!"

I looked from Floyd's oblivious face to Jade's knowing smirk. For some reason, I panicked. I couldn't do this. "I have to go, guys. Bye!" Then I ran out of there as fast as possible.

A/N: Speaking of Jade... I just bought a candle with the scent 'succulent jade.' It smells amazing. Now I want one of those plants.