The Apprentice

the Warmth and the Cold

Through out the journey to the school, Fiel was mute out of pure awe and amazement. But he didn't sat still. The kid unfastened his seatbelt when they passed by a clear sapphire lake. His face was plastered to the window, eyes gleaming with pure fascination reflecting a clear image of the lake.

'Poor little thing' Siegfried thought as he watched Fiel scooting to the left seat. His attention was on a cluster of Sunflowers now, still and vibrant without doubts. His expression was priceless.             "So cute and innocent..." Siegfried murmured, fascinated by the child.

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"Ophel Town...Opal ..." Fiel was murmuring to himself and seems to be writing something in the thick viridian notebook. Siegfried stared at child in his 'writing trance'. There was an unnerving aura of determination around him despite the young,calm face scanning the written words. He suddenly snapped out of his dreamlike-trance. The notebook slammed shut. With a warm smile, Fiel pointed at the paper package,

"What's in there?" Fiel edged closer, "Can i see?" he asked, his voice warm and innocent.

"It's a gift for a friend. It's just  a deck of cards and nothing special." Siegfried attemped to make the package sound as boring as possible, to make sure the Fiel doesn't get curious. However, he just nodded and smiled with the notebook still closed shut. His curiosity on the book's content started to bubble up.

"Hey what's that you were writing just now?" Siegfried gazed at the notebook, "Can i see?" He inquired softly.

"No," The smiling face replied in a frigid and distant tone. "Fuck off."

 "What?!..." somehow the new unfamiliarity struck him as odd. A heavy silence followed and Siegfried had to awkwardly face the front. He glanced at Fiel through the backmirror, face smiling warmly yet eyes staring coldly. And noticed a skull tattoo at the left side of his face. 'That wasn't there before' Siegfried turned his head to the back seat and found the child asleep. From the corner of his eyes, Sigfried saw the tattoo-d face smiling in same seat in the backmirror. But when he focused his eyes on it, there was only the soundly sleeping Fiel.

"Don't mention it," Miss Maya's said sternly, her face serious like the Moai, "And don't disturb him. That's the Alchemist advice for this kind of situation."

Siegfried's interest was piqued by the mysterious situation. But an unpleasant strange feeling had also anchored itself to his heart...