We arrived at Jad's hideout. It was deep in the woods, right in front of a lake. I immediately noticed Micah as soon as we got there.
"Hi guys!" Harmony said cheerfully, catching their attention. Jad instantly walked over to Harmony and hugged her, while Micah ran to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back.
"That took you so long," Jad said.
"what do you expect your place is inside this deep woods out of nowhere" I sarcastically said.
"Stop it. We just got stuck in traffic, babe." Jad chuckled from what Harmony said, they were cheesy yeah, but I don't know anyone as healthy as their relationship.
.
"Anyway, about you, Mary—we've found something," he said as we entered his place. Different kinds of books and papers were scattered all over the floor.
"You call this a hideout—I call this a Junk" I said, it's my first time here in his place though, I'm not expecting it to be clean.
"Shut it Mary, if it's not because of your thing it wouldn't be this mess"
"Sorry" Micah shake her head on me as if she just give-up on my attitude.
"What did you learn, Jad?"
"Look at this," he said, showing me a part of a textbook. "We all know that magior existence started during Middle Ages. But, back in the Ancient Greece, magior without a ring was a thing. In fact, most people back then used magior with full hand—not limited. Not until Queen Emerald a once normal girl she was bullied for some reason after a time she comeback as a most powerful woman in town, she limits everyone's magior that what started the ring, Queen Emerald is the one making the ring for those she think worth it." He paused as he looked at Micah, who was pasting something on the wall.
We listened as Micah spoke.
"Queen Emerald. She was called the Miracle Baby. She was born without parents—created through magior. Her aging stopped at 35, and she lived with that same face and body for decades. She manipulated the people into making her Queen. She wanted their trust, so she developed the Core."
"What's the Core?"
"The Core is the reason she is powerful, theirs rumors that it wasn't hers originally so people tried to take it" Jad jumped in. "Magior from the Core had no limitation. That's when people started using enchantment words." He pasted another picture on the wall.
"Queen Emerald was killed by her own people because they didn't like the way she ruled. People united to take over the core but she protected it, when she killed people using the core, people accused her as 'witch'"
"She had the right to do that. I mean… isn't she is still the owner of it? Doesn't that make it hers?" I said, and when Micah paused, everyone looked at me strangely.
"Well, Mary," Jad said gently, "That's not how people see."
"Oh…" That made me realize I was wrong with my first judgment.
"Anyway, what happened to the Core? Did someone take over the kingdom after they killed their Queen?"
"Nice question." Micah took another picture and pasted it. "The Queen knew people were plotting against her, so she cast a protective spell. When the uprising happened, she was confident she wouldn't die. But when she realized the spell wasn't working, she said one final enchantment before dying. After she died, the Core disappeared into thin air. No one knows what happened to it. But after it vanished, people realized their magior will be gone so they uses the left magior from the core to make the ring and people who is born gifted will have the only right to used it."
"What was the enchantment?"
"That's what we're trying to find out," Jad said, "but unfortunately, we haven't found anything."
I nodded, looking at the wall and glancing at every note and picture taped there.
"But how did I manage to use it? I've never interacted with the Core—or even seen it."
"That's the thing. Are you sure, Mary? You haven't interacted with anything strange?"
"No, of course not. The only thing I remember from that night was Reina visiting me with food. As I was eating, I read some books my parents left behind. I even read some weird words in a geometry book. Then, out of nowhere, the wind became strong and heavy. When I stood up to close the window, I felt dizzy—and then everything went black. I remember it so clearly. Even the time: 7:45 p.m. After I lost consciousness, I woke up backstage."
They all fell silent. Then Micah spoke again.
"You said that's all you remember? You blacked out, then woke up backstage?"
"Yeah…? Why?"
"You messaged us. At 10 a.m., you sent us a message—and then, a little later, you unsent it."
"Oh! Now I remember. We were so busy looking for you back then because you weren't in your room, and the maids hadn't seen you leave. But when you sent that message, we felt a bit of relief. And then, we didn't see or hear from you again until the night of the show."
"I don't remember sending any message. In fact, I didn't even have my phone that night."
"Then who messaged us, if it wasn't you?"
We were all confused. And I—I was dumbfounded. The confusion I had earlier? It was now tripled. I felt like I was going to explode from all this. I was lost in thought when Harmony shouted that we should eat.
"Guys, stop. Let's eat first. They say your brain works better on a full stomach. Mary?"
I smiled at her. She had cooked lasagna—and among all of us, she cooked the best.
"This is amazing, love," Jad complimented her. I joined them at the table. Then the door opened, and all of us turned to look.
It was Reina.
"Hi! Am I late?"
"You always are," I said, and everyone chuckled.
"Sorry, I got busy. But I'm glad you're back, Mary." She hugged me, and I hugged her back.
"What do we have here?" she asked, walking over to the wall to look at the pictures.
"That's all connected to Mary. And since you're late, just read those textbooks so you can catch up," Jad said while continuing to eat. Reina rolled her eyes at him, and we all laughed.
Everything had become so tense and hectic. But at least I still had them—my friends. Surely, everything feels easier when I'm with them. I can't bear the thought of losing them.
But some thought is googling in my mind right now, the person who have my phone that day—the one who message my friends. I have a gouts that, that person is also the one responsible from my audition.