"Do as he says, boy. You don't want him to run out of patience. Trust me," said Aleister.
"Before I arrived at the school, I met a stranger."
Ferdinand leaned forward, placed his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands.
"He told me he was from a faraway land and had come here to work."
"Alright! Anything else?"
"Today, while I was studying in Professor Aleister's class," Arthur looked at Aleister, before returning to Ferdinand. "I saw a person in a yellow cloak on top of a clock tower."
"He tells the truth, headmaster, I saw him, too," said Aleister.
"Do you know who he is? Can you give me his details?"
"I can't, sir, he's too far away and I have no idea who he is."
"Never mind. Something more?"
"I, uh, I saw a white creature outside my bedroom before I went to school."
"Creature?"
"It isn't human, nor an animal. Its body was covered in white fur, glowing like a lightbulb, and had the shape and size of a little boy. It was dressed in a blue field outfit and had a blue triangle crystal embedded in its chest."
"A blue triangular crystal in the chest. Interesting!" Ferdinand wrote the information on the paper. "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's all, sir."
Ferdinand stopped writing and glared at Arthur from the corner of his eye.
"Are you sure? I have a feeling that there's something you haven't told me yet."
"I told you everything, headmaster."
"Do you know what I hate more than a naughty kid?" Ferdinand put down his pen and stretched his face to Arthur.
Arthur slowly shook his head.
"A liar. And do you know what I did to a kid who lied to me?"
Arthur shook his head again.
"I gave them the punishment they deserved. Now, I'll ask you one more time. Do you have anything else to tell me?"
Arthur swallowed down his fear. "This morning, after I woke up, I found a glowing flower on my bed."
"The glowing flower. Show it to me." Ferdinand extended his hand to Arthur.
"I, uh, I left it at home, sir."
Ferdinand's face told Arthur that he didn't believe him.
"I give you one last chance, Arthur."
"I'm sorry. It's in here, sir."
Arthur opened his backpack and handed Ferdinand the flower.
Arthur examined the flower. "So, it's true."
"Is there anything wrong, sir?"
"No, nothing is wrong, son. Here, your flower," Ferdinand returned the flower.
Arthur took the flower and put it back in his bag.
"Now, let's get back to the stranger you met. Can you tell me more about him? What's his name? What's he like?"
"He told me his name is Lux. He's a nice and friendly man. He works as a bodyguard and came to this city to protect someone."
"So, he's a foreigner?"
"Yes."
"Did he invite you to do or join anything?"
"No, he only asked me common questions."
"Did he have something strange on him? Something suspicious?"
"Hmm... I don't think he is. He looks so smart, like a leader or a CEO."
"I see." Ferdinand thought for a while, before saying, "Arthur, I forbid you from associating with this man."
"What?! Why?!"
"Strangers are dangerous. You'll never know what their true intentions are until it's too late."
"But not all strangers are bad people; some of them just want help or want to make a friend."
"I understand you, Arthur. But don't you think it's peculiar? Of all people, why did he choose to talk to you? Why didn't he ask for help or make friends with someone more mature than you?"
"I... I don't know. Maybe he was too scared to talk with others?"
"A bodyguard who is scared to talk with people? I don't think so. Believe me, Arthur, this man wants something from you, and if you continue to be involved with him, he'll get what he wants, and you, Arthur, will regret your decision for the rest of your life."
"But he doesn't want anything from me."
"Are you sure about that? Are you certain that the face you looked at wasn't just a mask?"
"I, uh, I,"
Ferdinand smiled. "As everyone says, Arthur, safety first."
"He's new to the city. I'm sure he just wants to make a new friend."
"He's a stranger from another place, Arthur. No one here knows about him. No one can claim whether he's a good man or not. Did he tell you where he came from?"
"He… didn't."
"See! He was hiding something. Ordinary people don't need to hide where they came from, am I right?"
"You forbid me from talking to him. But honestly, I don't think I will find him again. He doesn't give me his contact."
"Who knows? You and he met each other once; why wouldn't there be a second time?"
"You know what? I think you're overthinking. Maybe he's just an ordinary man."
"As I said, Arthur, safety first."
"We don't know if he's really a good guy or a bad guy. If he's a good guy, then congratulations, you just made a new friend. But if he's a bad guy, then your life is going to be ruined."
Arthur looked down at the table, imagining what Lux could be.
"Listen to me, Arthur. Don't let his friendly face and cheerful manner fool you. Behind that face and beneath those words, there might be something horrible hiding. Everyone has a motive behind their actions. Trust me, son. If you believe in my words, your life will be safe and sound, smooth and full of happiness. But if you don't, it will be filled with hardship, sorrow, and agony. Remember that well."
"Okay, sir. I'll not get involved with him again," said Arthur unwillingly.
"Good boy." Teddy smiled. "And if I find out that you associate with him again, even just talking, I'll expel you from this school."
"What?! That's crazy!"
"Prohibiting a good student from being involved with an untrustworthy stranger is not crazy, Arthur.
"Don't you think it's too much!"
"I did this for your own safety, son. You'll thank me later when you can understand my gratitude. I believe not talking to a stranger wouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"
"Right, sir." Arthur looked down at the table.
"If you find this man again, avoid him at all costs, understand?"
Arthur nodded without looking at Ferdinand.
Ferdinand frowned and slammed the table with both of his hands, before standing up and stretching his face to Arthur.
"Do you understand, Arthur Wanderer?!" Ferdinand yelled at Arthur's face, giving him a dead stare.
"I… I understand! if I find him, I'll avoid him at all costs!" trilled Arthur, retreating back to the backrest.
Ferdinand glared into Arthur's soul for a moment, before smiling. "Good! I'm glad we understand each other." Ferdinand returned to the window with a glass of wine. "Tell me, what will you get if you disobey me?"
"I'll be expelled from the school."
"Don't forget that. That's all for now. You can leave." Ferdinand looked out the window.
Arthur got up and walked to the door.
"Wait!" shouted Ferdinand.
Arthur stopped and turned back to Ferdinand.
"I believe I didn't hear any thank you from you," said Ferdinand.
"Thank you, Principal Ferdinand, for your advice. I'll take it to heart and do everything as you said," said Arthur with a grumpy face.
"That's my student." Ferdinand smiled, before frowning and said, "Now, get out."
Arthur walked toward the door. "Have a nice day, headmaster."
"See you soon, Mr. Wanderer." Ferdinand wheeled back to the window.
Arthur tramped to the door, before halting at Aleister and said, "Goodbye, Professor."
"See you soon, Arthur."
Arthur continued to the door. But at the moment he was about to touch the knob, the door opened, and a familiar voice came into the room.
"I've exterminated those filthy rats as you instructed, sir," said Mortis, walking into the room.
"Good work, Mortis. I'm pleased that you don't disappoint me."
"I'll never disappoint you, because I never fail. It's my job anyway."
"I hope your words are true, Mortis."
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Mortis looked at Arthur.
"Good afternoon, Mortis," said Arthur.
"Good evening, Arthur."
"You two know each other?" asked Ferdinand.
"Yes, we do. We just met this morning," answered Mortis.
"It seems you're more friendly than I thought, Mr. Wanderer," said Ferdinand.
"What're you doing here, son?" asked Mortis.
"He came here to get instruction from me," replied Ferdinand, and Arthur scowled.
"I see." said Mortis, before turning back to Arthur. "Trust me, boy. Whatever he says, believe in him. Do as he said, and your life will be safe and sound, and smooth as silk. But if you don't, you'll understand what hell on earth means soon."
"Okay..." said Arthur with a bit of fear.
"Wait! Did I interrupt you?!"
"Oh, no, sir. We've finished. I'm going to leave."
"Alright. See you soon, Arthur."
"Have a nice afternoon, Mortis."
Arthur touched the knob, but before he opened the door, Ferdinand yelled, "One last thing, Arthur!"
Arthur looked at Ferdinand.
"Whatever you're doing, do it to the fullest. Life is short. Enjoy every aspect of your life, before it comes to an end." Ferdinand stared at Arthur from the corner of his eye.
While Arthur was surprised by Ferdinand's words, he noticed that everyone was staring at him, and it sent a chill down his spine. He swallowed fear down his throat and said, "Thanks for the lesson, sir. I'll remember it well."
"Good. Enjoy your lunch."
Arthur quickly got out of the room.
"What scary people," said Arthur, leaning against the door.
Arthur returned to the cafeteria. While he was walking in an empty corridor, he heard the squawk of a small animal. He cast his eyes around, searching for the source, before he found a rat eating something by the window. Arthur narrowed his eyes and stretched his face to the rat. The appearance of the rat was the same as the dead rat Mortis showed to Arthur, not just similar but the same. While Arthur was staring at the rat in confusion, the rat stopped eating, slowly turned to Arthur, and stared at him. The more he stared at it, the more he believed that it was the same rat Mortis showed him. But that would be impossible because that rat was dead. Maybe it was just a twin of that dead rat, or maybe that rat just passed out. Arthur didn't want to find out, so he stopped paying attention to the rat and continued his journey to the cafeteria. After Arthur left the rat alone, the rat's eyes glowed green for a split second.
Meanwhile, in the principal's office, the girl who was playing chess slammed the black queen on the board, checkmating the white king, and said, "He won't do what you said, father."
"We'll see about that," said Ferdinand.
"You said as if you don't know what's going to happen," said the pale boy, snapping closed the book.
"I want to see it with my own eyes," said Ferdinand.
"May I ask you a question, sir?" said Aleister.
"You have five seconds."
"Are you sure you'll spend your time playing around like this?"
"Are you questioning me?!" Ferdinand gave Aleister a side-eye.
"My apologies, Master. It'll never happen again," said Aleister softly in fear, lowering his head.
"Good. The less you ask me a question, the longer you'll live."
"If you want to play, then we will play with you, sir," said Mortis.
"Do you know what I hate more than a nag? A flatterer." Ferdinand glared at Mortis.
"I'm not flattering, my lord. I just said it from my heart."
"You'd better tell the truth, or else I will show you what it's like to cease to exist."
"You have my word." Mortis courtly bowed.
"What do you want us to do next?" asked the girl.
"Keep an eye on him. Make sure he won't walk on the path of the fools," replied Ferdinand.
"You know he'll take that path," said the pale man.
"Who knows? Maybe I can change his heart. But if he still insists on walking the path of agony, at least we've tried to save him." Ferdinand looked down at Arthur, who was crossing the field to go to the cafeteria, and creepily grinned. "I can't wait to know how sweet your scream and wail will be, Arthur Wanderer."
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