Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 105

Chapter 105

The Next Day...

Miexha's collapse ended everything.

The field trip was called off before it officially ended.

Announcements echoed across Silvery Park, cutting through the usual excitement. What was supposed to be laughter and memories turned into hurried packing, quiet sobs, and unanswered questions.

Students were sent home early. Some cried because it ended too soon.

Others— Because of what they had witnessed.

At the pier, the air felt heavier than the sea breeze.

Zatariel stood near the boarding line, unmoving.

"I'm not leaving," he said, his voice low but firm.

No one answered him.

Asha stood beside him, arms crossed tightly, her eyes still red.

"I'm staying," she snapped. "I can't leave Jayson here alone. I'm not going anywhere."

But they didn't get a choice.

Sphere stepped forward without a word.

Asha barely had time to react before she was lifted and effortlessly carried toward the ship despite her protests.

"Put me down! You Psycho! I said I'm not leaving—!"

Her voice cracked, turning into something desperate.

Zatariel moved next.

"No—wait—please," he said, stepping forward.

Then, He dropped to his knees. Right there on the wooden pier.

"Dad... please," his voice broke, raw and stripped of pride. "Just let me stay. Just until she wakes up—I won't get in the way, I just—"

Zaren Wov didn't even hesitate.

"Stand up."

Two simple, cold, and final words.

Zatariel didn't move.

So Zaren reached down— And pulled him up himself.

"Enough of this."

Zatariel's hands clenched, but he didn't fight.

Because he already knew— There was no winning against that voice.

Not far from them, three girls sat apart from the others.

The ones who had pushed Miexha into the reefs.

They looked... wrong. Pale and shaking.

Their eyes were hollow, like something inside them had been left behind underwater.

Their hair had been unevenly hacked off—jagged, uneven strands falling over their faces.

Asha's doing.

But whatever she did— It wasn't what broke them.

They whispered to each other in fragments, voices trembling.

"...blue... blood..."

"...it cracked... like glass..."

"...she wasn't—she wasn't human—"

The Janitor tried to calm them, kneeling nearby.

"You're in shock," they said gently. "Just breathe, alright? You're safe now."

But the girls only shook their heads.

Because whatever they saw— It hadn't felt safe.

Not even close.