I was making breakfast for me and Higen, after the Carter incident I was reprimanded by Lulu and she explained to me what happened “that was the alluring darkness” she started “Divine word users are divided between sorcerers the new users, and melodists the advanced crowd, users train themselves for using their powers, since you merged with the staff of eon and gain the ability to use them you aren’t used to the grip the staff can hold” she pulled a book form a shelf and placed it on her desk in front of me, the book depicted a shadowy figure behind a person holding the staff, guiding his hand and unlashing power to kill someone, I was mortify by it “how do I stop the darkness?” “You need to master the staff and your emotions, for now, you are grounded and will have to help at the school’s library for one week, also.”

She placed a silver chalice in front of me, it had some kind of ichor inside it “What is that?” she pushed the chalice forward “Ashes of elder wood, this will bind your ability to use the staff for one week, please understand is not that I don’t trust you but rather I can’t let this slide” the taste was awful I felt like my throat was burning but I down the whole drink, so for the next few days I’m Ozwald Voloro normal guy, Higen tried to also blame himself but when Lulu asked me I put all the blame on me, he stopped me and did nothing wrong even if he thinks he did.

I was finishing breakfast, and I was singing a lullaby from this realm “The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you…” I turned the pancake I was making and put it on the plate I almost threw it against Higen when I noticed he was sitting down on the table, he had his phone in his hand and was looking at me “For a big guy, you are pretty sneaky Higen…” he put a huge grin on his face as I placed the pancakes in front of him “sorry I smelled the food you were making and then hear you singing it was captivating, do you sing a lot?” he asked me as he grabbed a bottle of syrup and butter.

“not really, but when Kelvin and Loran were younger I made their food and sang to keep them in check, I also thought that it could help when I get my powers back” his grin banished, he still felt guilty about the whole thing “hey come on big guy is only two more days and I get them back plus I did deserve it” he kept eating but I managed to look at his phone, he was on a popular music app our phones had installed, “what were you listening to Higen?” he got all excited again and showed me his one song playlist.

“Higen you know you can have like one thousand songs on this not just… marine illusion?” the picture of the song was a woman in a silver and blue sparkling dress, with a high torques ponytail “I know but this one really speaks to me a guy put it on the changing room a few days ago and I´ve been hook since then, listen, listen!” he pressed play on the screen and a horrible screeching sound came from the speakers it was horrible like someone was scratching a chalkboard with coal, but Higen seemed to like it.

I was so thankful when it ended but Higen looked at me with his big eyes waiting to hear what I thought “Well Higen that was…” awful? And ordeal? Barely singing? He had that hopeful expression on his face that I didn’t want to break “Great, no, amazing I want to hear it at all times” “Oh I can play it again and again if you want!” “I… a… look at the time we have to go, now!” I took my bag and a pancake to go and ran from the apartment.

I tried to escape that horrible song but it was everywhere, people blasted it on the streets, I could hear it coming from cars and the bus at campus was worst people had it on speakers and their phones, they were just standing mesmerized by the scratching sounds, maybe is a thing form this realm I didn’t understand, the sound was so overwhelming that it induced a head-splitting headache, I put my headphones on and played music I liked, but I bumped into a member of the football team.

“Oh, it’s just you pipsqueak, what are you listening to?” God damn it as it couldn’t get any worst I had to bump into Carter, I was intimidated by what I did but he looked weird he was smiling but not like his usual smirk it was calm and sincere “Carter are you okay?” I asked genuinely concerned for his wellbeing “Yeah oh right I have to apologize” “Excuse me, what?!?” I was stunned by the headache and also by his declaration “Yes, you heard me, ever since I heard marine illusion I realized I don’t have to act that way, I’m really sorry, if you want we can listen to it together some time it will change your life” he placed his hand on my shoulder as he walked off, I feel traumatized just yesterday he was been a jerk to a poor student and now he apologies  I need to get to the doctor´s office.

“Doctor Cambell! Are you here?” finally a place where that horrible song was not booming, he was taking inventory of his medical supplies, he looked at me and took his headphones off and my heart sank I could hear the song coming from them too! “Ozwald nice to see you how have you been with the binding and all, any allergies from the ashes?” he is never this energetic at seven thirty in the morning “I have a migraine can I have some medicine please?” “Sure, sure your test came back, and you don’t have any allergy to the formula” he placed a cardboard box on his desk and gave me a glass of water, my headache subsided, and I started to feel better, he went back to listening to the song as I was leaving.

All of this day was wrong, the majority of my classmates were zombified by that damn song, so much so that a few started to paint their faces with the logo of the album, I think everyone has losing it, me and Niko, were walking from school to my apartment, he made me company during the grounding, “I still don’t understand how you got grounded Ozie” he started to call me that when he got into more confidence “well to be fair fire alarms don’t look like that from where I came from is okay it ends in two days” people were still blasting the song sometimes but now it was less noticeable “hey have you heard that song everyone is blasting?” I asked him to see if he was also mesmerized by it.

“Marine illusion? Nah my abuela doesn’t like English music so it got banned from home plus I don’t understand the whole thing I mean is kinda catchy but sometimes it sounds like someone is skinning a cat” I grabbed his hand “Right! Right! I’m so glad that I found someone that heard the same thing, Higen played it in the morning and now I think everyone is playing it and it's driving me nuts” I was so relieved that someone else thought the same, I heard the sound of a heavy bag falling to the ground “so you don’t like it Ozwald…” Higen was walking behind us, he looked so hurt by my comment he made a mad dash toward the apartment, “ah geez I hurt his feeling, sorry Niko I have to go make sure he is okay”

Higen was very fast on his feet, I probably arrived at the apartment five minutes after him, he was holding a pillow on the sofa looking very disappointed “Hey there buddy… can we talk?” he shrugged but made space for me “Listen Higen yeah I don’t like the song but it was wrong of me to act as I did, but I won’t stop you from listening to it I’m sorry” he sighed “well I’m sorry too I know I can be pushy sometimes but I don’t know it just feels like it fills a void in my chest that’s why I wanted to show it to you so maybe it could help with your problems too” great now I feel really bad for not understanding the song “but… I think is fine if you don’t like it then you don’t like it… hey, I’m going out with some of the guys on the team, are we good?” I nodded “Yeah go have fun and don’t come back too late okay?” he didn’t answer he just left; I’ll make his favorite breakfast in the morning to apologize once more.