Part 1
The sweat was beginning to dry on my skin as we walked side by side, sports bags over our shoulders, through the still warm afternoon streets. Naël had suggested we go for a quick bite to eat. I agreed without thinking too much. Maybe I needed to talk about it. Or maybe I knew he'd seen something.
We sat down on a small terrace, a kebab shop not far from the hall. Our sandwiches were still smoking, the smell of grilled meat barely masking our exhaustion.
Naël munched on his without a word, then glanced at me.
- I don't know what the hell you've been doing for the last two weeks, but you've really stepped up your game. Have you been working on the sly?
I didn't know how to explain. So I just said:
- I didn't do anything special... I was in hospital, bedridden.
He raised his eyebrows.
- Honestly, you've come a long way, man. You're more fluid than before. More... instinctive. But it's not just that.
He suddenly looked serious, put his elbows on the table, hands clasped under his chin, and stared at me.
- There was a moment during sparring... your look. It gave me the creeps.
I laughed, a little embarrassed. Then I said:
- Remember the crazy librarian?
We burst out laughing.
- Aah her! Why are you talking about her?
- Remember when she used to tell us stories about evil beings you should never approach?
- Serious. It traumatized many. Yuna didn't even dare set foot in the library after that.
- Yeah, she did. But imagine I ran into one. And he gave me powers.
Silence.
Then he laughed out loud.
- Wait, what? You really need to explain to me what they gave you at the hospital. It's the pills going to your head!
He laughed, but when he met my serious gaze, he stopped dead in his tracks.
- Wait... you're joking, right? Leo?
- Think about it. Do you really think that in two weeks, lying in bed, I can reach your level?
He leaned back in his chair, sighed and looked at me with an expression somewhere between doubt and distrust.
I held out my arm, pointing to the black bracelet.
- Try to take it off.
- Will you? Why should I?
- Just trying.
He pulled on it, forced a little... nothing. The bracelet stayed on.
- What the hell? Is it stuck or what?
I pulled it off with a simple gesture. Simple. As if nothing had happened. My hunch that he wouldn't make it turned out to be right.
- Huh? But how did you do it?
I looked him straight in the eye, then told him what I'd seen during the sparring. The shadow. The movements that preceded those of Naël. What I'd felt.
He shook his head, half amused, half worried.
- What the hell's the matter with you?
I smile.
- I need you to help me understand.
He grunted, took a sip of soda, then sighed.
- All right, then. All right. You see some kind of shadow, you've got a magic bracelet... What do you think all this is? A power? A hallucination? How many hours have you slept this week?
- I'm serious, Naël. Let me explain from the beginning.
I told him the whole story: my meeting with Onizuke, what he'd told me, how I'd tried to find clues about him... even the research in fantasy books.
He raised his eyebrows, not quite convinced.
- Dude... your research sucks. Fantasy books? Are you serious?
We both laughed.
Then he became a little more serious.
- I'm not superstitious, you know. I'm having trouble swallowing what you've just told me. But... you don't seem to be kidding. And I'm not lying to you, during the sparring... you had a look... You had a dark gleam in your eye, like it wasn't you anymore. That's why I backed off. I felt something... not right.
I listened in silence. Then he said:
- Tomorrow, come with me. We're going to see Yuna. You can explain everything to her. I can't guarantee she'll believe you, but if anyone can help you see things more clearly, it's her.
I smile.
- I agree. I'm glad.
Part 2
Yuna is a year older than us. She's entering her final year and already lives at the boarding school we've been going to since Year 10. She sometimes comes during the vacations, and this time she's back for the two months of summer. When she's here, she helps her parents with various chores and looks after her brothers and sisters. She has a big family that I knew by heart.
To describe her, it's simple: she's a girl who succeeds at everything she undertakes. She always knows how to get out of a problem, always finds the right solution. I remember when we used to hang out at her place all the time. Her mother used to call us The Infernal Trio. We spent our days inventing plans and missions. Once, for example, we decided to "defeat" the librarian. That was the day she told us about the beings we must never approach... including her, she said.
The next evening, we met at the entrance to the woods to go to our cabin. A nostalgic outing, in appearance.
I walked with Naël. Yuna was already there, her curly hair framing her almost chocolate-brown face, headphones in her ears. She spotted us and smiled. Naël approached, relaxed as ever.
- Hi Yuna, long time no see!
She removed an earphone.
- The Trio Infernal team is finally back together! How's it going?
- Yeah, just fine," replied Naël.
We walked back to the cabin, talking about everything and anything. Yuna was describing the city's boarding school to us: big, modern, full of activities and events. If you sign up, you can even join an extracurricular activity. She's on the student council of delegates. I'm not surprised. There's no Thai boxing club, but there's MMA. I'll probably join.
The shack had aged, but it was still standing.
- Everything's still in its place," says Yuna.
We settled down around the old round table. I took the initiative and spoke up.
- Something crazy has happened," I stammered.
- Did it? Did it? She said, intrigued.
Nael shrugged and nodded at me.
- He's the one with the weird story to tell.
She gave me a curious, slightly suspicious look.
So I told her. I told it again. The lightning, the awakening, the bracelet, Onizuke... I even took out the bracelet to show her. She didn't touch it. She just looked at it.
- Did you have any strange dreams? Any physical symptoms? Do you hear voices?" she asked, calmly.
Strangely, she didn't think I was crazy.
- No, nothing like that. I feel even better than before. It's just that I haven't mastered this thing, and it scares me a bit.
She squinted.
- Onizuki, is that the name he gave you? Have you seen him? Like, really seen it?
- When I regained consciousness, I was in a forest of immense trees. He had... my voice. My face. But strange eyes.
She nodded slowly, concentrating. Then she turned her eyes to Nael with a questioning expression. I lowered my head, almost ashamed. Naël replied with a simple nod of the shoulders.
Silence.
- I believe you," she said.
- Do you? Really?" exclaimed Naël, surprised, almost offended.
- I think he's right. How can you believe that so easily?
- Ah, so your story's not true? replied Yuna, mischievously.
- No, it isn't! It's just that... Even I found it hard to believe at first...
- I understand," she replied.
- Do you? What do you mean, you understand?
She raised her wrist. A bracelet identical to mine shone discreetly on it. I showed her mine to compare.
- I guess your element is Shadow. It's like being in a game, with these powers. I have the power of **recognition**. It's quite complex to explain...
- Are you part of this farce too?" said an angry Nael.
- I'm going to prove to you that what we say is true. Go behind that wall and strike a pose. Then come back and I'll tell you exactly what you've done.
We complied. She counted down, asked us to freeze for a few seconds, then we returned. Naël smiled confidently.
- So you, Léo, raised both arms. And you, Naël... Don't you think I noticed you changed your pose? First you imitated Léo, then you got into that hero pose: right fist to the sky, left hand on your hip, legs spread awkwardly.
Naël slumped back in his chair, looking shocked.
Yuna explained that within a five-meter radius, she could sense the presence of people in a whitish form. She can't distinguish faces, but walls don't block her vision. Basically, she always knows if someone is there, even behind her back. She calls her power *clairvoyance*.
Yuna has always been very clever. It doesn't surprise me that she's already mastered her power. Maybe she even conned Onizuke...
- So you know Onizuke too? I asked.
- He told me his name was *Onizuki*. Maybe I'm wrong. He appeared to me in a dream one night, while I was asleep on my desk.
- How long ago was that?" asked Naël.
- Three or four months ago.
- And when you came back here, you didn't tell us anything?
- Ahah... I hadn't thought about it. Besides, you had your training sessions, and you, Léo, were in hospital...
- You had a month!" said Naël.
Smiling, Yuna replied:
- Anyway, I can help you master your power. You'll see, it'll come naturally. I haven't had much time to exploit mine, with exams and all the student council stuff, but I know the basics.
I had so many questions to ask him... How had his exchange with Onizuke gone? Had he said anything else to her? What was the point of all this?
But for now, the most important thing was to master this power.
As for Nael, he still seemed lost. He seemed to believe in a huge joke.
- Tomorrow, come back at the same time," said Yuna.
- You'll have to skip training," I said with a smile.
- It's no big deal. The coach will scold us, but it'll be fun," replied Naël.
- All right, then. I'll see you tomorrow. In the meantime, let's have dinner at your place... just like old times.
Bonus - Character sheet: Naël
Full name: Naël Kersan
Age: 16
Date of birth: March 29, 2001
Status: Lycéen en première générale, spécialité Littéraire
Physical description :
Height : 1m80
Hair: Blond, cut short on the sides, often tousled
Eyes: Blue, with a piercing gaze
Personal life & ties:
Only son, he lives with his father, a former soldier, who introduced him to physical and mental discipline.
Has been practicing Thai boxing for 6 years, considered one of the club's most gifted students
Very close to Léo and Yuna, he sees them as a form of chosen family.