Priyet's Hidden Stories

Chapter 1: Will I Be Like That One Day? (No.01)

Every student in school is
looking at the girl with wavy
hair. She stands tall and bold
on the podium as she receives
a commemorative gold watch from
a professor.

She is my best friend.

"You used the knowledge and
power you gained from your
lessons to save the townsfolk
from monsters. Everyone here is
proud of your bravery."

She stands at the center of the
world as the students give her
a generous round of applause.
She shines under the auditorium
spotlight. She is breathtaking.

...And she feels so distant.

When the teacher dismisses us,
students crowd around her and
sing her praises, but I can't
bring myself to approach her.
After all, I'm a klutz.
I'm stupid. I'm gloomy.

I'm not the person for her
at all.

Dark feelings slowly consume
me, and the next thing I know,
I'm dashing out of the academy.
With nothing better to do,
I wander about the courtyard.
It's not much of a courtyard—
more like a forest with
overgrown trees everywhere—
but the crisp air helps me
feel a little bit better.
Sometimes all I want is to be
in empty places like this.

"Hmm?"

I suddenly spot a building I
don't recognize beyond the
trees: a shabby stone hut.
It's too large to be a
toolshed, but just big enough
for someone to live inside.
And since the door sits ajar,
I decide to peek inside.
It's dark and cool, with a
faintly weird smell. I need to
go farther in to get a better
look, so I step forward and...

"My my!" says a voice as
candlelight blooms in the
dark. "It's not every day a
student from the academy
finds their way in here."

"Eeep!" is my clever reply.
The speaker is an old man in
a chair sitting next to a table
with a small candle on it.
He looks at me and lowers his
eyes in a somber fashion.

"Welcome to the house of the
dead, dear girl. Welcome to
the morgue."

"The...morgue?"

"Indeed. This is the resting
place of all former students
who die in battle and have no
one to claim their remains."

As he says this, my eyes
adjust to the light enough
for me to realize the room is
filled with rack after rack
of bodies. There are so many,
and some are horribly mangled.
To think they all used to go
to this school...

"Poor things. There's no one
left to mourn them."

I'm terrified, but my feet
are rooted to the spot. I know
many students at the school
are estranged from their
families—including me and my
two best friends—and I never
once considered that after I
finally leave the school, we
would simply end up right
back here in death.

As I roll this thought over in
my mind, a loud thud rings out
from beyond the candlelight's
reach. I squeal again as I see
a number of former students'
corpses emerge from the dark.
Their lifeless bodies stagger
and groan as they march slowly
toward us.

"Ah, but this is no good,"
says the old man. "Run,
little one! Run now!"

I do just that, burst out of
the morgue and into the
safety of the trees. I hear
corpses groaning behind me,
and the sound terrifies me.

And yet...

It almost sounds like weeping.

Chapter 2: Trusting My Power (No.02)

Even after I returned to my
room, I couldn't shake the
image of the corpses I saw in
the morgue. I tried to understand
what had happened, and how
it was possible for them to be
moving. And then, a thought
sprang into my mind:

Black magick.

Black magick is a set of
forbidden spells used by only
a small number of mages.
And while the price for their
failure is great, they can
accomplish things regular
spells cannot. When we learned
of black magick in our History
of Magick class, our professor
told us of a spell that
enslaved deceased people to
the will of the user, then went
on to claim some opposing
nations take great joy in
wielding such horrid spells.

The look on my best friend's
face when she heard that was
one of utter disgust. She
shook with anger as tears
spilled from her face, then
balled her fists and swore to
never engage in so foul an
undertaking.

Her tears were beautiful, and
the sentiment perfectly her;
she never could ignore those
who suffered from injustice.
If she had found the morgue
instead of me, she wouldn't
have run away and left them
to their fate. Instead, she
would have used her amazing
spells to undo the black
magick and permit the poor
dead to have their rest.

If only I could be like her...

I remember how brightly she
shone under the auditorium
spotlight. She was so far
above me, even the thought
of reaching her was laughable.
But if I could save the poor
corpses in the morgue? If I
could help people in need?
Well, maybe I could be one
step closer to her.

It was an idea powerful
enough to inspire even a
coward like me.

The next day, I went in search
of my other best friend.
Though I hated to admit it,
I couldn't take on the corpses
in the morgue alone. I needed
his help for my plan to work.

Thankfully, he was easy to find;
his spiky hair made him stand
out almost as much as his
talent. Upon tracking him down,
I walked up and said,
"You're good at dispelling
magick, right?"

"Better than any other student
in this dang school, that's for
sure!" he said with a wry smile
and a charming air.

"Can you dispel black magick?"

"Never tried, but I know the
theory behind it.
Why do you ask?"

"I need to dispel some, but I
don't think I can do it alone,
so I was wondering if you—"

"Don't need to ask me twice!"
he cried with delight.

After class, we went to the
morgue. It lurked quietly in
its corner, just like the day
before—and as we stood
before it, the same familiar
fear came creeping over me.

The inside retained its
distinctive smell, and was
dark as a black cat at
midnight. As we stepped across
the threshold, we immediately
heard a series of groans—
and when I raised my staff to
light the room, we saw the
dead were already shambling
toward us. But my best friend
wasn't worried; he immediately
began to ready his anti-magick
spell, humming quietly.

I knew such things took time
to prepare, so I worked to
draw the corpses away by
setting off little fireworks
at their feet. It was a pretty
pathetic display of magick,
and nearly useless in a fight.
But if I lost heart now,
I'd never be able to consider
myself equal to my best friend
in the entire world, which is
what gave me the courage to
keep going.

Suddenly, a corpse lunged at
me, sending me toppling to
the ground. I couldn't bear
the thought of what was about
to happen, so I shut my eyes
and covered my head with my
arms. But then...

"Here we go!"

My friend lifted his staff in
the air, where it began to
emit a brilliant golden glow.
The spell quickly manifested
around the corpses in an
intricate circle, and as it
grew brighter, he recited the
final words of the spell.

"Okay. We're good now."

The light faded. The corpses
were now motionless in the
darkness of the morgue. Their
faces looked to be resting
peacefully, as opposed to the
enslavement that had plagued
them not moments before, but
perhaps I just imagined that.

"Our magick has finally
given them true rest."

The next thing I knew, my
companion was standing beside
me. For some reason, it made
me think of my other best
friend. Together, we prayed
from the bottom of our hearts
that our senior mages could
finally rest in peace.

Chapter 3: The Unthinkable (No.03)

Noticing the light from the
dispelling incantation, the
guard approached the morgue.

"I just can't believe it,"
he muttered. "Two students
undoing that dark magick?"

After the shock of seeing
corpses lying still as they
were meant to finally faded,
he praised us for being brave,
kind students.

My plan had gone so well that
I felt like I was in a dream,
and my best friend and I
remained in high spirits as we
walked back to the dorms.
The old guard's words made me
forget that I was usually weak and
timid. Instead, for a moment,
I felt like I was someone
special. And I thought that
maybe—just maybe—I'd grown
one step closer to her.

I wanted to tell her what
happened today. Would she
compliment me like the old
guard did? I could feel my
heart race as I pictured that
happening, but my reverie was
interrupted by my best friend.

"I don't feel like going home
yet," he said as he pointed to
the tallest building on campus.
"Wanna go up the bell tower?"

"Sure," I replied. We'd gone
up there many times when we
were younger, and I knew the
views to be quite beautiful.
High as I was on the thrill of
victory, the idea of being
above the entire world was
something I was eager to
experience again.

We reached the top of the
tower, which contained a bell
that was enchanted to ring at
certain times throughout the
day. From there, we could see
the forest that surrounded
both our academy and the
neighboring city of mages.

"It's such a lovely view,"
I said. I'd been scared of the
height when I first came up
here, but it didn't bother me
anymore. I felt like I was
stronger in that regard, which
only added to the joy that I
currently felt.

"Hey, listen," said my friend
as he sat beside me and stared
out blankly into the distance.
"I'm really glad your plan
worked. I was a little nervous
about it, but we made a pretty
great team in the end."

"I couldn't have dispelled
that black magick on my own,"
I replied. "Thank you."

He shook his head. "That's not
what I mean. I think you're
incredible for wanting to do
it in the first place."

"What?"

"Those dead students were
being forced to move, and you
wanted to save them. It was
so...kind, and I think that's
a great quality to for a
person to have."

I recalled how angry our other
friend was at the prospect of
black magick, even going so
far as to shed tears over it.
But now it felt like I and the
boy beside me had grown even
closer, which caused me to
blush in delight.

"We really are amazing
together, huh?" he continued.
"I mean, we were friends right
out of the gate, and now we've
been together all this time.
I don't think I've ever
stopped thinking about you."

My two best friends were so
talented. So capable. They
were always the ones helping
me. Luck had brought me into
their orbit, but I never felt
like I belonged there. And
hearing him speak to me now,
I almost couldn't believe I
deserved it.

"I think it's destiny that we
met," whispered my friend.
He was always so relaxed,
so calm, but now he seemed
nervous. "Um, do you think so?
It can't be coincidence, and
so I want us to be together
for as long as we can."

I'd only ever wanted the three
of us to be together forever,
and his words strengthened
that resolve in me. "Yes!"
I cried. "Yes, I want that!"

His eyes snapped up to mine
as a brilliant smile bloomed
across his face. "That makes
me happy—it makes me so,
so happy."

I meant to return his smile,
but before I could, his face
was approaching mine, and I
felt a tepid warmth pressing
lightly against my lips.

Chapter 4: Not Supposed to Happen (No.04)

It was a morning like any
other. I stepped into the
classroom, rubbing my sleep-
deprived eyes, and sat down
next to my best friend.

"Morning!" she said. "I didn't
see you at dinner last night.
You okay?"

I nodded, which seemed to sate
her curiosity. A moment later,
a new, chipper voice rang out.

"Morning, you two! You study
for your magick history test?"

It was our other friend.
The boy.

"Obviously," she replied.
"My review was perfect."

"Oh ho! Sounds like it's on."

"Give it up, champ. There's
no way you're beating me."

Their back and forth was as
flawless as always, and I was
much too slow to keep up.
It was odd how things seemed
so normal.

"Oh, yeah. We should check out
the new general store once
class is done today."

He suggested this as if the
idea had just come to him,
but my other friend shook
her head.

"Sorry, I've got something to
do. But you two go on ahead."

My chest clenched when she
said that. Oh no. As I
floundered for something to
say, she spoke up again.

"I'm obviously going to ask
for a souvenir, though."

I accepted this with a
swallow and a nod, not
wanting to upset her.

The new general store was so
full of things that I almost
didn't know what to get. And
though I felt uncomfortable
walking next to him, I still
had fun picking out something
for our other friend. But as
we walked home, he said
something that made me
freeze in my tracks:

"I was glad she didn't come
with us today."

"Why?" I whispered.

"Because we could be alone.
You feel the same, right?"

"I, um..."

I knew what I was going to say
next would wound him, but I
absolutely had to clear up
this misunderstanding before
it went any further.

"I'm sorry. I can't be with
you. There has to be someone
out there who's a better match
than for you than me."

My friend was silent. When I
finally summoned the courage
to look at him, I saw him
smiling faintly—which was not
at all what I was expecting.

"You really should be more
confident, you know?"

What is he saying?
I don't understand.

"You're the perfect partner
for me."

What!?

"Still, it's cute when you
worry like that," He chuckled
at this, then opened his eyes
wide. "Oh, hey! I have a
present for you."

He reached out and placed a
flower-shaped pin in my hair.
I flinched in surprise and
jerked back, but he leaned
forward and whispered into
my ear.

"What? You thought I was
going to kiss you?"

"I..."

"We'll save that for some
other time."

His eyes belonged to a
stranger. His gaze felt sticky
as it moved up and down and
across my body, and it took
everything I had not to vomit
on the spot. It reminded me
how no matter how many times
I'd rinsed out my mouth
recently, I still couldn't
scrub the feeling from my lips.

"No..."

His whisper played in my ears
over and over and over and—

"No! I hate this! I HATE it!"

Every place he touched me was
covered in filth. Every glance
caused my hair to stand on end.

"I'm gross! I'm dirty!
I'm disgusting! I hate it,
I hate it, I hate it,
I'm going to be sick!"

I took a pair of scissors and
jammed them into my bed over
and over. By the end of it,
my room was a disaster and my
throat raw from screaming,
but I still felt no better.

"Why...?"

If things went bad between the
two of us, what would happen
to me and her? Oh, but I
knew. She'd take his side—
of course she would. And then
we wouldn't be friends anymore.

"I don't want this..."

I was a fool to think I'd
gotten closer to her after
releasing the corpses in the
morgue from their curse.
I'd been happy in that moment,
but it now felt so very, very,
very long ago.

I grabbed the flower pin and
threw it against the wall as
hard as I could. When I
pictured how things would go
in the days to come, I began
to sob as an ocean of tears
raged down my cheeks.

Chapter 5: What Hides in the Folds (No.05)

Do you know the tale of the horribly ugly monster that lives
in the deep, dark wood⁠? The one that killed a hundred mages?

What sort of terrible form does it take, you ask?
Well⁠, they say it covers its entire body with cloth—
and that no one has ever seen its face!

...Goodness, it looks like me? Like Mama? Oh, you!
This white sheet is fashionable, I'll have you know.

But no matter how you try to hide your own inner ugliness
from others, you'll never be able to hide it from yourself.
And if you never face that part of you, you'll never find
salvation or an escape from it.

I wonder if the poor dear will ever realize that...

Chapter 6: The Mirror Spirit’s Incantation (No.06)

This could turn YOU into a
witch too! Give the incantation
a spin and summon the spirit!

1. When the moon is full,
open the window and fill your
chosen room with fresh air.

2. Cleanse yourself thoroughly
in the bath and wear your
favorite clothes.

3. Once you are prepared in
body and mind, lay a clean
handkerchief on the floor and
set a polished mirror atop it.

4. Stare intently at your face
in the mirror.

5. Solemnly repeat this
incantation: Popolo Karosteral.
Popolo Karosteral. I bid my
true friend to show themselves.

6. At that moment, the image
in the mirror will take on
the form of the spirit.

7. The spirit will be a good
friend and always protect you!

Stop immediately if you begin
to feel sick. If the spirit
doesn't appear right away,
keep at it. Be patient!

Chapter 7: The Children's Rumor (No.07)

"Yo, listen to this! I saw the
weirdest thing yesterday—
a big monster in a white sheet!
It was walking around outside
all night!"

"No way! Prove it"

"I swear it's true! It was
dragging around this big sack
and rubbing its eyes. I think
maybe it was crying?"

"Actually, my mom once told me
about a monster that brings
disaster and another monster
that brings happiness. Both of
them wear white sheets, but
the one that brings disaster
is supposed to have the
ugliest face in the world."

"Huh. I wonder which one I
saw yesterday? Maybe I'll
catch it next time and see!
Ha ha ha!"

Chapter 8: Matchmaking in the Library (No.08)

The voice was too loud for the
library, and it annoyed me.

"Hey! Have you heard the
library rumor!?"

"Which one? There are
over twenty or something."

"Nuh-uh! There are over
a hundred!"

They giggled as they talked,
which was even more annoying
than the volume. I furrowed my
brow lightly as it continued.

"The one I'm talking about is
the good luck for pledges!"

"Never heard of that one."

"Yeah, so you carve your name
and the partner you want on
the edge of the bookshelf at
the very back of the library.
One of the older students did
it, and they next day she made
a pledge with the person she
always wanted!"

The shelf at the very back of
the library? Which one do they
mean? And if I etched my name
and her name on its face,
could we really...?

Even after the noisy girls
left, I had a hard time
concentrating on my books.

Chapter 9: What Lives in the Ruin (No.09)

I went a little deeper into the woods than I usually do for
our herb-gathering assignments, and now I've lost my way.
As if I needed this today—especially with so many other
students having gone missing lately.

As I wander, I come across what looks like a ruin. It's a
dreamy and beautiful place, and my unease quickly melts
into joy as I step inside.

Suddenly, I'm overwhelmed by the stench of rotting flesh
and an absurdly large swarm of insects. Among the chaos,
I see the scattered bodies of students who wear the same
uniform as me.

Shocked, I leap backward and collide with a large mirror.
The enormous shadow within lets fly a fearsome howl as
it brings its fist down upon me. For some reason,
it strikes me as being so very sad...

Chapter 10: The Tavern's Love Coach (No.10)

I SEE PEOPLE EMERGING FROM THE SHOP
AND HIDE IN THE SHADOWS.

"Y'all know how to get a woman to like ya?"

"Hoo-eee! I know you know, 'cause yer wife was the
prettiest thing on two legs back when we was young!"

"Haw haw! Sure was! She wouldn't even look at us back then,
so what in the hell did you do?"

THEIR WORDS ARE INARTICULATE.
THEY CACKLE LIKE ANIMALS.
BUT MY ANTICIPATION REMAINS SKY HIGH.

"There's a flower that glows red, one what only blooms on
the night of a new moon. Pluck it, put it in some alcohol,
and give it to the girl ya like. Then, once she's drunk
and yer pretendin' to look after her, ■■■■ and ■■■■■■
■■■ over her ■■■■■. Hell, last time I did this, the girl
ended up wantin' ME!"

"That's right awful! God, but yer just terrible!"

THOUGH THE CONVERSATION WAS DIFFICULT
TO LISTEN TO, I KNEW THEY WERE SPEAKING
ABOUT MAGICAL PHARMACOLOGY.

ONCE I SEE THEY'RE GONE,
I QUIETLY POKE MY HEAD OUT.

IF I USE THAT TECHNIQUE ON HER,
MAYBE SHE WILL FINALLY PURSUE ME.

AND ONLY ME.

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