The quarterly exams passed well enough for the Pages, giving way to the one-week holidays before the second Page year begins.

Win felt a bit blue because he wasn't well-qualified for the flying lesson test and was asked not to attend it by the teacher. He was perfectly sure that if by the end of the second Page year he couldn't learn to fly, he's going to stay a Page for another two years more.

The morning after the last exam Win took his friends to meet Mill in the City to give him the detailed news of the duel with Hendry-which was now the talk-of-the-town. The Prince, however, had wrapped himself in one of the darkest and tattered cloaks for hiding his identity. They all dubbed themselves with pseudo-names, for safety and much to Win's insistence.

The Free Wing heard the exaggerated version of the fight from Joss and Carmel, disguised as Jo and Tim. Then they were taken upstairs in a private chamber by Mill where Win introduced his friends to him.

Time flew like a soft breeze and Bright's and Win's birthday came and went without any notice until Sir Tine one day gave a handmade table calendar to Win as a gift.

Midaster's date and time system were a bit odd. It has three seasons, he had heard this before, but the way that they call the Summer, the Herb harvesting season (consists of seven months), the Usico skin shedding season (consisting of two months), and the Freezing season (consisting of three months) is a bit odd.

Geographically speaking it is during the mid- Freezing season when the atmosphere is cooler enough, magical herbs are sown. The faster they are sown, the faster they get ready to harvest with the arrival of the warm Herb harvesting season. Food crops are sown and harvested throughout the year- so that never really made Numans get all panicky. Usico's shedding skin has its own season because the skin, just as Potsdam said, is the softest of all and remains in great demand throughout.

The calendar itself was beautiful and the teacher has himself added all the footnotes for Win to understand more about Midaster. Not only that, but also he has added Earth's months and days for Win to find some familiarity.

Win cried that day as the gift reminded him of the handmade calendar project he did back in primary school. He couldn't decide if it was a good thing that being in Midaster didn't make him miss his family back on the Earth much or not- either way, he could do nothing about it.

Bright, Joss, Carmel, Love, and Mill gave him a handmade Tossberry cake, a new dagger, few rare Tinkling flowers and a book on Wing care and a bottle of priced liquor (which he gave away to Bright asking him to use in the later meal), respectively. He got so emotional about the whole thing that soon he concluded he had found heaven on Midaster!

Princess Pam started her schooling as a Page on a warm morning of a freshly started Herb harvesting month. She soon started mingling more with Bright and his group than her group of friends. For anyone, it would easily seem like she was a second-year Page and not a fresher. Bright seemed to despise her so much and her excessive adoration on Win didn't help it either.

"She's just attracted to you because you are the Chosen One", Bright had scoffed one bright afternoon.

"But she isn't wrong", he had muttered, "I am the Chosen One?"

He soon had earned a smack on his head, "Remove that thought from your head, Raven-head!"

Every time Pam flirted with him, he had blushed. Was it bad that he had never been this friendly with a girl before? He couldn't understand if he was to be embarrassed or not, for sticking with his group of friends, which were all male until his University occurred. But it was sure the lack of communication skills with girls had him feeling like a sucky internet-connected computer.

Well, speaking about communicating with a girl, Love among them was a girl— but she was quite different. She was more like them- Bright and Joss and Carmel. Sometimes he had almost invited her to join him Bright, Joss, and Carmel to shower- Thank God he had stopped at the right time, or else he would have surely earned a stinging slap on his face.

"Why are you letting her flirt with you?" Bright grumbled one day.

"Tha-That's flirting?" Win had been shocked.

"Yes sir. That's flirting", Bright scoffed.

"I- uh... But I consider it as a friendly interaction?"

"Friendly interaction? You're no doubt enjoying that friendly interaction, aren't you?" Bright made a face.

"Why are you so angry, mate?" Joss tried to calm him down.

"I am not angry!" Bright had snapped before walking out of the class alone.

The Prince didn't stay angry for too long though. He joined them again and interacted with Win normally. Although they could sense the tiniest bit of visible tension between the two.

A few days ago____

Bright opened the door of his father's study and entered as quietly as possible.

"I am here, father", he said out loud, bowing a bit.

"Yes, Bright", The armchair in front of the fireplace turned revealing the Magnifer in ruby-red robes," come here."

Bright entered the room stiffly while wishing to run away as soon as he can. "You called for me?"

The room feels so distant every time they meet. For Bright, his father always seems so stranger, and the frequency of informality in their talks reduces every time they visit each other- the relationship between them is purely formal and his Father, the greatest Magnifer, makes it clear every time.

"I did", He sat down gesturing Bright to do the same. After they had seated, the door opened once again. Bright turned around to find Sir Tine, Sir Sarawat, Sir Fong, and few other officials.

Are they supposed to have a meeting here?

"I called a meeting today", the Magnifer stood up, "to discuss a matter of extreme urgency".

"Is it about North Aster Tower?" Frank, an official of revenue, asked.

"No", Magnifer grunted, "it has to do with the Preserver's prophecy".

Bright, who was busy looking at his shoes, finding the patterns oddly enticing, looked up. This was something important, he could feel it- his heart suddenly quivered.

"What about it?" He asked, without bowing his head down. His father had been playing with everyone's fates and lives like puppets, but he wouldn't let him do so for that boy. That boy was in enough danger.

"Calm down", Magnifer looked at him curiously as he ordered, "don't forget the etiquette of a Prince".

Bright gulped, as he looked away to the table and the glittering ball lying on it.

"So, Matilda came to me", Magnifer began again.

"Matilda from Malkin's family?" Honne asked, pinching his nose.

"Yes, she came to me telling me that", he looked around, "there's a fault in the prophecy analysis". He slowly broke the news. Several gasps flew in the air as Bright's heart thumped.

"What do you mean by the 'fault in prophecy analysis'?" Bright demanded.

Magnifer looked at him, perplexed at his son's sudden forwardness, though he was quite quicker to mask his emotions. " Your curiosity is surprising me, son".

Bright looked away, scoffing mentally, "Don't know about you, but what's surprising me is you still call me 'son' and not just 'Prince'".

"Bright-", the man began only to get broken in between.

"We are talking about something else, father", Bright reminded.

The king sighed, "Right. So, the fault is nothing but... 'the boy born when the three Northern Stars combines into one' is not only Win".

"What?" A common question was suspended in the air by the official followed by some incoherent replies and comments.

"You mean there's a second Chosen Preserver?" Bright enquired.

"Yes", Magnifer nodded, furrowing his eyebrows, "according to the report when the phenomenon happened two boys took birth— one is Win, no doubt, but... the second one's name is missing in our register".

"Missing in our register?" Tine stood up, "that's, by Universe's name, a lame excuse by the register keepers!"

"I am afraid, Tine, it's not that. I have been searching for it the whole time", he stroked his overgrown beard.

"If you may order us, I'll try searching for it, Your Majesty", Sarawat stood up, bowing.

"You may, Sarawat... But I don't think it'll be fruitful", the man replied, nodding.

"Then should I start from tomorrow?" He asked, hesitantly.

"You may", he gestured him to sit down.

"So, if there's a second Chosen Preserver, we should let Win know about that as soon as possible!" Bright jumped down the chair.

"Absolutely not", the man snapped, "this should be a secret until I say".

"What? How— why? You don't know how much of a relief this is going to bring to Win?"

"Bright enough!" The Magnifer scoffed.

"I think Bright is correct. We cannot hide it from him", Dean stood up. Few officials nodded their heads. "Win has right to know about it".

"Nobody said about hiding everything until the end, Dean", Magnifer reasoned out, "we'll hide it until it's time not to do so. Until Universe—".

"Stop bringing Universe into everything, Father!" Bright scoffed out, "As far as I have learned about Mother Universe she will never ask to be the reason of someone's... Pain".

"Win has to endure it until the end... Every Numan must tolerate the pain to fulfill its purpose!" Magnifer countered.

"But that doesn't mean giving someone pain in a golden platter without any reason to do so", Bright crossed.

"Bright! Mind your tone!" Magnifer threatened.

"Oh stop!" Bright rolled his eyes, even though his heart felt like piercing with indescribable pain, "I have seen someone screaming in their sleep and living a second life that is meant to be sacrificed for a group who was once nothing to him! You don't even know how immense pressure he's under!

Just because he's given a second 'life' which he might have to sacrifice to save a population of Numan or 'aliens', in human language, doesn't really mean he'll be given more unnecessary pain to endure!"

"His purpose is to sacrifice his life! It has been said by the Universe itself!" Magnifer's voice boomed in the, now silent, room.

Bright was badly shaken. His eyes brimmed up with tears. How can someone be so cruel?!

"I can't believe...", he muttered, "if a Magnifer is supposed so mean and remorseless and cruel, I DON'T WANT TO BE A MAGNIFER!"

"Says the one who doesn't even have a quality to be a Prince", Magnifer scoffed again, "Do you know why? You are too emotionally driven— if only you'd think logically, you might not be this dumb!"

"Sometimes we do need some emotionally driven decision and that's the reason why we are given a heart and not only a brain", Bright screamed.

"You and your reasoning skills are like Scarpe-dung", Magnifer looked away. "You're such a family disgrace, no wonder your mother left you", he spat, dismissing the officials and walking out of the room himself.

His tears fell one by one burning the skin underneath. Was it the tears of frustrations, tears of self–loathing, or tears of sadness? He couldn't put a finger on it. All he knows there was an overwhelming urge to cry his heart out.

He lost. Again.

Present time___

"Speak out", Joss said, lazily.

Bright sighed, "it must be a confidential topic, alright?" He sighed as Joss nodded with a smile.

He started from entering his father's study to the news which earned a gasp from Joss and then towards their fight.

"This is the first time you fought your father!" Joss was surprised.

"It is."

"And that also for our beloved Raven-head?" Joss chuckled a bit as Bright nodded silently.

"Why?" Joss asked.

"I don't know... You know Joss, ever since I saw Win, I saw myself in him— the small, innocent boy with heavy expectations to fulfill on his eyes. He was really vulnerable in numerous ways, just like I was when mother left me", Bright sighed feeling comfort speaking his thoughts out.

"That's why you spoke up for him?"

"I had to! That was injustice! You won't believe but I have heard Win scream at night in his dreams", Bright said, his eyes brimming with concern.

"How did you hear that? Page's Wing has soundproof rooms!" Joss asked curiously.

Bright turned crimson, "I used my Hearing Gift. I mean, I was thinking what kinds of noises can we hear at night one day and I heard some screams— when I followed it I found the source in his room."

"He is having nightmares then? But seems too cheerful every—"

"That's the thing, Joss! Either he's forgetting everything or he's pretending to be okay", Bright said.

"And that's pissing you off?"

"Exactly".

The prolonged silence fell between them. They watched the flying Ray fishes and swans in the dark sky.

"He wanted to ride those fishes", Bright said, smiling.

"We got to fulfill his wish then", Joss answered.

"Of course we got to!" He sits up straight.

"You sound so whipped", Joss laughed.

"Shut up", Bright nudged him with his elbow.

The glowing city seemed enticing every night from the Northern Tower. The visit to the City was one of his best memories. He's certain, Win loved it too. His expressions were too glowy when he looked at the stalls with awe— Win did look like an angel, no doubt.

"I don't know if you have discovered it or not", Joss began, "but I think you like Win".

As soon as the words got suspended in the air, Bright looked at Joss with his eyes widened like saucers, "What?!"

"What...are you going to deny it until the end?" Joss asked.

"That's anything but—" he stopped in between.

He saw Win's smile in his mind. A smile so fragile but pulchritudinous and enticing. Drawing him towards him. It kept pulling him, making him fall a thousand leagues under the deepest depths of the Universe— he cannot get up, the only way left is to reach him. He fell on him watching his gleaming smile which was enough to trap a trivial Gresping fly in his alluring trap— except he was much stronger than that fly, yet something in him makes him drawn towards him, makes him powerless. He was beautiful— far more beautiful than that word itself! His heart beats from the ground to the sky and make a round trip of the vast universe.

It was his first love.

"I love him", Bright confessed, blushing. He admitted more to himself than to Joss.
"But Joss, everyone I loved, left me. Will Win leave me too?"

_________

I am alive hahahaha
This one is my favorite chapter so far 😭 so many emotions in this one.

So, what's your favorite character trait of Bright? :D