After another hour of posting on social media, Tokino smiled with satisfaction. Everyone in the hallway saw her happier than usual.

Even her mother, Aimi, stood in confusion. Suddenly, she saw students around her spreading news at blinding speeds. “Holy shit, bruh. These bitches are evil.”, “Oh, gurl… I can’t believe I said mean things to their friend.”, “I know, right? She may have fucked the top student, but I just wanna hug her now.” In less than fifteen hours, everyone knew about the scandals of the two girls.

Tokino woke up with a smile the next day. Once again, her mother found it odd. She looked like a kid who won every trophy in P.E. class. She hummed on the table while waiting for breakfast.

Aimi served their meal and cleared her throat. “Are you alright, honey? You’re looking swell today. Did you get perfect grades lately? You haven’t achieved such a thing during my class.”

“It’s nothing, Mama,” she smiled again. “I’m feeling great today, that’s all. School life is better than I thought. But if you want details, I helped a kid with crotches on some stairs.” She cocked her head.

Her heart bounced. “Oh, honey… You remind me so much of my last angel. Even when he lost to an insufferable lad, he kept fighting.”

She giggled. “Glad to hear that, Mama.” She finished breakfast. “I’m going early today! Time to make a new friend.” She waved at her and closed the door.

Aimi waved back. Yet, something felt wrong within. She remained skeptical but did not think the worst. “What are you up to, honey?” She cleaned the dishes and looked over a window. “Whatever it is, don’t let it break my heart….”

She expected the posts she made anonymously to be the main talk. Instead, next to no one mentioned it. She told them about the scandals yesterday, and they all shrugged. “Oh, yeah. I remember,” one said. “It was fucked up what they did, no doubt. But we don’t wanna talk about the depressing shit after the fact. The principal encouraged us not to.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? What happened to the three girls?” As she asked, a student shoved her from behind. Her face exuded tragedy like no other, and everyone looked away.

A student scratched the back of his head. “Damn… Talk about awkward timing.” He turned to Tokino. “She wouldn’t speak to the teachers. Not even her mom could reach her.”

Her heart raised a little, and she sweated bullets. Anxiety filled her more as she walked out of the hallway. She followed the distraught girl. However, she heard weeping in the principal’s office. She used her foresight and only saw more tragedy. Tears welled up.

Inside the office, the man offered a tissue box. “I have no words for comfort, ma’am. I can’t even fathom a quarter of your pain.”

She sniffled and dried her eyes. “Thanks… You don’t have to.” She continued sobbing. “It’s my little girl who feels it the most now. She mutually cut ties with her childhood friends. But the police found one of them dead in the bathtub.” She bawled, and the principal pulled out another box.

Tokino covered her mouth and held back tears with all her might. She flash-stepped out of the hallway and looked everywhere for the girl. Eventually, she saw her by the tree outside the grounds.

The girl looked at her phone for hours, skimming through photos. The waterworks had no end. Tokino walked downhill and held her shoulder. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I know we never talked, but we can do it now.” She sat beside her and smiled.

She dried her eyes with her palm. “Sorry… I think it’s better if you leave me alone. It’s not like I didn’t hate them for what they did to me.”

“What about your other friend? Is she gone, too?”

She shook her head. “I saw a lot throwing trash at her head. Her mom told me they’ll move out to Pantaiyanilam.” She showed Tokino her phone. “This is the last post she shared with me. It’s what I’m mainly crying about.”

She saw a photo of her friend with a heart sign on her chest. It had a five-hundred-long apology tagged. The last part read:

I love you always and forever, bestie. Please don’t say it back. I don’t deserve any, but I can’t wait for your graduation!

Tears welled up again on Tokino. She moved closer. “B-But I don’t understand. You hated what they did and agreed together to end your friendship. What about your man? Did you break up?”

She smiled and looked over the sunset. “You’re mostly right. I even punched them when I found out. But we hugged each other in the end. As for Charmant, we broke up before anyone knew of our love. I told him to stay away from me.

“I protected his reputation no matter what. His dad already chose him to be Novus’ archmage after graduation. I heard he found another love, so best wishes.

She sighed. “Tell me, Tokino… Do I have a right to cry? I always imagined you went through far worse than me. Perhaps I can never feel what you felt.”

Tokino paused for a moment and gathered her thoughts. She never told her mother about the nightmares ever since she escaped Airi’s grasp. Every night, her hand felt as if holding her kitchen knife.

She held her shoulder again. “It’s never my business to meddle with others’ sorrows. Cry if you must, but why do you still love them? I would’ve cut ties and distanced myself instantly.”

She sniffled. “I’m not so sure. All I know—is that it still hurts. My heart could shatter on the spot. That’s how fragile it is right now.” She turned to her and smiled. “Tell me again, Tokino… How hurt were you during your darkest hour?”

She paused again, and tears welled up. She smiled back and hugged her with her eyes closed. “The fire in my heart consumed me and never left. Nowadays, I feel Hell could drag me down at any moment.” The two hugged each other for a minute.

As dusk went by, they waved at each other from afar. In the distance, Aimi observed her throughout the day.

Tokino’s chauffeur waited outside the university for three hours. He killed time by playing Royal Flush Mania on his phone. He ranked #2—bested by a younger man who played aggressively.

Back home, she greeted her mother with the happiest tone possible. Unexpectedly, the air flowed cold inside the house. Aimi quickly cooked dinner and set the table louder than usual. Her eyes squinted as if she had looked at a criminal.

She sweated a little, and her heart raised. Yet, she shrugged it off and sat at the table. Tonight’s food was more borscht and gravlax. Fifteen minutes in, Aimi said no word. Tokino broke the silence with a smile and clap. “I did it, Mama! I have a new friend like I told you before. We planned on having ice cream at the mall this weekend, so can I—”

“You’re grounded,” she looked down at her meal. “No phone. No going out. Be grateful it’s only for two days. Don’t make me extend it to a month.”

Tokino sat in surprise by her sharp tone. She asked about the punishment with stuttered words. In her mind, she felt like a court had found her guilty. Aimi got off the table and showed her phone to her. It did not take long to realize that her daughter’s burner account had similar prose during essays.

She pointed at her. “Listen, young lady… I’m not mad at you. Not even close.” She clutched her chest. “I am hurt, however. And you should be ashamed. I raised you to be a strong woman, not a sleazy one. If you think you brought justice to the table, all you did was open up wounds that’ll never heal.

“A mother ran in front of my driver. She begged the police to shoot her.” She pointed again. “I’m not saying you have a complex. But how do you see yourself!? Be honest, young lady.” She crossed her arms, and her eyes narrowed.

Tokino did not wish her anger to fester that evening. Unfortunately, she almost reached the breaking point and viewed her mother differently. She banged the table and stood up. “How do I see myself? Why not talk about what I did! I told everyone the truth. They exploited their friend’s kindness so she won’t leave them for her man!

“Everyone would’ve shamed her until she tied up a noose at home. And then her friends would follow the same path. You think that’s better!” She pointed back.

“Don’t make up fantasies, Tokino!” she yelled louder than her. “Others are not like you, and they never will be. The bottom line is that two wrongs don’t make a right, and you can’t just assume—”

“You can!!” Her eyes narrowed further, and she banged the table again. “Who’s to say it won’t happen? And if it does, what would you do? Show up at their funerals and say a long-winded speech—” Before she knew it, her mother disappeared. She flash-stepped before her and prepared a slap on the face.

Caught off guard, Tokino closed her eyes and shielded herself. However, she felt no sting. It had been so long since she knew such a thing. A shockwave reverberated in the room as Aimi stopped her hand. Her eyes glared with a few tears. “I don’t believe this. You managed to hurt me even more. You’re not my little angel right now.” She stood straight.

“I hate you….”

Her heart raised the fastest that night. She sweated bullets and walked closer. “Mama… I’m sorry—”

“I hate you!!” She pointed at the stairs. “Go to your room!”

The waterworks began within Tokino as she sprinted to the second floor. Aimi coughed excessively and went for the sink. She washed away the blood and took her pills quickly.

She banged the door behind her; she had never felt this enraged for a long time. Her soul denied it, but her mind pictured her mother as her old one. She unbuckled her belt and threw her sheathed rapier over a window.

She clawed at her bedsheets until they tore off the cotton beneath. Heavily breathing, her anger quickly became sorrow. She could never hate her back and sobbed on her pillow. “Papa… I do deserve to be in Hell….”

Tokino showed no smile that morning, and neither did her mother. The latter gave back the rapier she threw outside after breakfast. They never bothered to wave back.

As the day went on, her concept of bullying became clouded. During recess, she found no jocks giving nerds swirlies in the bathroom. Instead, a group of male students pestered another one. They insisted on taking a syringe filled with orange liquid.

“It’ll give you an innate ability, man. Like me. Didn’t you ever want that?” He gave it to him.

At first, he was reluctant—afraid even. They pestered him again, so he quickly lifted his sleeve.

Tokino’s eyes lit up. She drew her rapier and flash-stepped to take the syringe off his hand. “This is the Icarus Folly. A virus that cooks you alive.” She threw it on the ground and turned to the others. “You make me sick to the very core.” She pointed her sword.

The leader stepped in. “Hahahahaha! Well, that’s perfect! I got a score to settle with you. I trained a lot with my Hermes Heartbeat for this moment.” He turned his head around. “None of you weak fucks interfere! She’s mine.”

She sighed with her eyes closed. “Perhaps it’s mutual, then. I’m pissed off, too. Maybe even more.”

He snickered. “Hahahahahaha! Bitch, do I give a shit?” He walked closer. “Mutual, you say? Like how your mom’s mutual with her one-way ticket to Heaven?”

She lowered her sword, and her eyes squinted. “What are you talking about?”

He chuckled. “Oh, no… You never heard about the tumors. Why else was Mrs. Shinsei a nurse? She vowed to cure everyone! My heart goes out to her three remaining years.”

He let out a booming cackle. Unfortunately, this triggered the juvenile bear within Tokino. She flash-stepped in front of him. Before he could use his innate ability, she pinned him down.

“Don’t just stand there! Help me!” he exclaimed to his friends. They sweated bullets and ran away in fear. The leader became frustrated and struggled but to no avail; Tokino pushed her arm on his chest harder. At that point, he could not breathe properly. “What the fuck! This bitch’s magic is too great!”

Her eyes glared like a killer ready to torture her victim. She picked up the syringe from the ground.

His eyes widened. “No, no!” he pleaded. “I’m sorry! I’m so—” Tokino closed his mouth with her other hand and injected the Icarus Folly into his neck. He screamed in muffled terror. Orange vein-like growths covered his body, and he spasmed over the intense pain.

Two minutes in, he gained second-degree burns. Tokino turned his back around and readied her rapier to his spine. However, she heard a familiar voice.

“Enough, Tokino! Drop your sword!!” Aimi ran toward her.

In shock, she did as told. Faculty members pushed her away from the scene for the student’s aid. The nurses confirmed that there was still time for a cure. The teacher from before went out in a fury over Tokino. She shielded herself on the ground.

“I can’t believe this. I should’ve had you expelled instead of pardoning your ass.” He turned to the principal. “What are you waiting for, Pierre? Issue it!”

Before he could say a word, Aimi stepped in. “Leave my angel alone. Do you think she’d do this for no reason? Last year, a boy injured three people because they flushed down his pet Kelpy spadefish—his grandmother’s last gift.”

Unfortunately, her words fell on deaf ears. The principal had no choice but to suspend Tokino for three weeks. “However,” he observed the syringe. “the victim won’t be let off scot-free. Juvenile detention awaits him.”

She thanked him with all her heart. She even shook both of his hands. Turning around, she saw Tokino backing away. Her tearful face showed extreme regret. She stopped her from running and restrained her from behind.

Deeply ashamed, she could not even look at her mother. Tears flowed out like a waterfall.

Back home, Aimi and Tokino sat face to face. “I’m not mad at you,” said the former. “You must know that, honey.”

“No…” she shook her head. “…you should be. I’m a monster. Please don’t deny this, Mama. I know it in my heart. I’m not turning your love away. But don’t turn a blind eye, either.” She sulked. “You have every right to hate me… Just like last night….”

She sighed. “If that’s your problem, then it’s simple. I don’t doubt your words. You can be a monster, but the same goes for me. We’re not evil creatures, honey. We never were.”

Her eyes frowned. “Please… Please don’t be like this!”

“Honey, listen to me.”

“No!! I don’t want any of this. I don’t deserve this! I—” For the first time in ages, she felt a sting on her cheek.

Aimi kissed it, and she hugged her tightly. “You’ve never known what that felt like, am I wrong? For a long time, you never felt pain. But I’m still not mad. When I hurt you, it’s because I worry for you. Look at me….” She raised her head high. “I won’t die in three years. They told me I had fifteen more to live. So I at least get to see the most beautiful angel in my life growing up strong.

“Remember what I told you…? I hated you last night, yes. But that only meant I’d love you the next day.” She let go and smiled faintly. “Believe me, Tokino. When I show my love, you’ll cherish it. Forever till the end—as you said.”

Tokino gazed upon her serene look for a moment. The more she did, her tears rolled faster. She hugged her back and sobbed. “Stop lying! You know that’s not true. You’re the most beautiful angel ever! You’re the only one in this ugly world! Mama!” She bawled at her for three minutes.

Aimi rubbed her back. In bed, Tokino requested her to sing a lullaby.

On graduation day, Tokino scored the highest in her university. She saw her mother in the crowd waving at her with a smile.

They appointed her to be an imperial mage in Novus. Back home, a wheelchair-bound Aimi helped with the luggage. The chauffeur skipped stones outside.

Aimi kissed her cheek and stroked her hair. “Don’t view this as a goodbye, honey. You can visit anytime you want. For now, the world awaits you.”

“I know… I know,” Tokino nodded. “I’ll miss you a lot, though, Mama.” She closed the door.

Her mother waved. However, she jogged her memory. She got off her chair and walked outside with a limp. “Wait, honey! Don’t forget.”

Tokino gasped with widened eyes. She ran to her aid but saw her spreading her arms.

“I love you… a billion times. Is it okay to say that from now on?” She smiled intently.

Tokino dropped her luggage. She ran back to her mother for one last hug before the trip. The bawling lasted for five minutes.

Aimi waved with tears as the car flew to the sky.

Several hours later, Novusian mages accompanied Tokino to their designated estate. It was also the tallest skyscraper in the city. In the throne room, neither the king nor the archmage was present. Tokino and the mages noticed a tall man sitting casually.

“What are you doing!? So much disrespect, dude…” one exclaimed.

The man grinned. “Hahahahahahaha! I told ya dat ain’t fuckin’ nice, bruh.” He got off the throne and noticed Tokino. “Meh…” he shrugged. “I’d smash ya, but your tits n’ ass ain’t my type.”

She stood in utter disgust. Her mind and soul felt as if a villain had greeted her.

As this story went on, fate actually blessed the lavender child that day.