The students looked at each other in confusion.

“Wait, who is that?”

“‘As always’? What does that even mean??”

Then, as one, all their eyes turned to the boy lying face down at the back of the room.

“Luther? Are you okay? Do you need to go see the nurse?” Bryce asked with concern.

Luther could no longer keep up the act. His head rose bit by bit, heavy with reluctance, and the whispers started spreading again. Seeing the boy’s face turning red inch by inch, Bryce paused for a moment, then teased:

“Well, well, looks like a Hollywood star has wandered into our classroom by mistake, am I right?”

The whole class burst out laughing. A few boys even whistled and called out in jest.

As if he had reached his limit, Luther snapped his fingers out of instinct. The pair of raven wings dissolved into countless feathers, which swirled together and transformed back into the cloak of ambiguity, draping over his body once again.

The moment that happened, it was as if everyone woke up from a dream, or rather, as if they had fallen back into a hazy trance. Confusion flashed across the young faces of the students and on Mr. Bryce’s face.

And just like that, everything returned to “normal.”

Luther let out a soft sigh of relief. A faint flush still lingered on his face, and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

To think that he hadn’t even flinched once during the entire process of the Moon Ascension last night, yet in just a few minutes just now, his expression looked like he had been through a brutal, exhausting battle.

Acher opened his beak wide and cackled:

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha! I’m going to die from laughing! Kid, you are without a doubt the shyest Ascended One I have ever met. I didn’t even get the chance to teach you how to activate the cloak of ambiguity again, and you already figured out how to use it on your own just so you could hide! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!”

“They stared. So strange.” Luther muttered.

So, this was what it felt like to be the center of attention.

“It’s fine. I just wanted you to experience what it’s like to take off that cloak,” Acher said.

His eyes turned distant as he added:

“To be honest, if you were to remove it and never put it back on again, things could become very complicated.”

“Huh?” Luther didn’t understand.

“Don’t ever underestimate the curiosity of mortals. Once they realize they have been ‘forced’ to forget about someone for years, they’ll be left in utter bewilderment and won’t rest until they know everything about you. You will no longer have a single peaceful day. They will follow you, question you, investigate you with ruthless persistence until they uncover your last secret.”

Luther shivered.

“And when they know who you truly are, they might end up respecting you, worshipping you, or … fearing you, even hating you. Because, after all, being different has always been one of the original sins,” Acher’s voice echoed. “Next, you can try pulling back the cloak bit by bit.”

Following his instructions, Luther began to remove each individual feather and merge them back into the pair of wings on his back.

As he worked, the cloak of ambiguity thinned and lightened, causing Luther’s presence to grow clearer and clearer.

When just about half the cloak remained, Acher spoke up again:

“Try interacting with the other kids now and see if that is enough.”

Luther raised his hand and waved it right in front of Sarah’s face. After a short pause, she looked up with a confused expression and asked:

“What are you doing?”

Then she lowered her head again and continued scribbling in her workbook.

“The intensity is still too strong. Pull back some more,” Acher directed.

Luther continued testing, removing bits from the cloak each time. At last, when only a thin layer of feathers remained draped across his shoulders, the effect reached its “right balance.”

This time, when Luther waved his hand in front of Sarah, the girl reacted in a much more normal way. She stood straight up from her seat and shouted out loud:

“Luther! What on earth are you doing? This is the fifth time already! I can’t stand it anymore!”

Her sharp voice drew the attention of the entire class toward the back row where they were seated. Quiet giggles and snickers rippled through the room.

“Luther, I don’t think that’s a smart way to get a girl’s attention,” Mr. Bryce said with a laugh. “Inviting her out for ice cream might be a better idea, just saying.”

“Sorry,” Luther muttered.

Sarah gave a loud “hmph” and turned her head away.

When Luther tried removing the cloak just a little more, he noticed the classmates around him beginning to steal glances his way from time to time. He then adjusted it back to the previous level.

This was enough.

“Excellent. With the intensity set like this, you can now live and interact like a normal person. On top of that, they won’t even realize that they were forced to forget about you. To them, it will feel as if you’ve always been here, just like any other child,” Acher commented.

His face showed no trace of emotion, yet the small wings behind him stirred with a near-hidden flutter. Acher let out a low chuckle.

It was plain to see that this boy was happy, even if he didn’t show it on his face.

“This cloak of yours is like a fragment of the power of concealment itself. It has the power to twist and distort the minds of all who come into contact with you. And I suspect that this is just one of its smaller abilities. Just being born with such a gift would be enough to make countless beings jealous of you. You truly are a child of destiny,” Acher said.

“Not a gift,” Luther replied, shaking his head.

Perhaps only he could understand how terrifying it felt to be forgotten by the entire world.

Acher reached over and tapped his head with his beak.

“Ouch!” Luther exclaimed. “Why you. Peck me?”

“It’s all in the past now. I promise that things will get better,” Acher said.

Luther:

“?”

Was he just trying to comfort me? What a strange and awkward way of doing it.

“However,” Acher continued. “Right now, you are still far too weak. Young divine beings who have yet to fully mature, like you, are the prey that countless predators seek. There will be those who want to eat your flesh, drink your blood, swallow your soul, and seize your destiny for themselves.”

His tone was dead serious. Luther nodded.

“At the moment, I am just a wrecked soul residing in a broken body, so I won’t be able to help much if a dangerous situation arises. That’s why it is best for you not to reveal your identity until you have fully grown into a cosmic being,” Acher warned.

“A what?” Luther asked.

“Cosmic being, it is simply another way of referring to a god. By the time you reach that level, you will be immortal. And at the seventh layer, there will be no one you have to fear,” Acher explained.

Luther understood little of what Acher was saying, yet he listened to every word with close attention.

Having someone to talk to, someone who cared about him, was already a blessing.

The following classes went on as usual. Now that his presence had become as ordinary as any other student’s, life in the classroom moved forward. He remained very quiet, and because of that, his classmates still did not pay much attention to him, just like before, except for small things, such as when Sarah forgot her pencil and turned to borrow one from him, or when Mr. Bryce called on him to solve a question. It was those tiny things that made Luther feel so happy.

After school ended, they rode the bus home, and when they got off, Luther caught another bus heading to a nearby Walmart.

“What are you going in here for?” Acher asked.

“To buy food. Vegetables, meat, eggs …” Luther replied.

“What is that thing over there?” Acher asked, pointing at a long blue package.

“Oreo. Cookies. Sweet.”

“Buy me a pack! And what about that red thing?”

“Ham.”

“Get me a slice of that too!”

The shopping basket grew fuller and fuller, and Luther’s expression became gloomier and gloomier.

“Luther, is that glass bottle over there wine? Grab one!”

“Can’t. Not old enough. Out of money. Going home now!” Luther said.

He rushed to the checkout counter and left as fast as his feet would carry him. After Walmart, they stopped by a Petco store.

“There are so many animals here. Is this place some kind of fresh meat market? Let’s buy that rabbit over there. It looks plump and healthy; roasted, I can guarantee it would taste delicious,” Acher said.

“Pets,” Luther answered.

“Oh, thinking of getting one?” Acher asked. “Don’t waste your time on something so pointless. To you, these mortal creatures live no longer than a passing breath, gone before you know it, and when they die, all that’s left is heartbreak.”

Luther walked to the section where bird cages were displayed. He pointed at a hot pink one and asked:

“This one good?”