In recent days, Satin had suspected that Cain had been hiding something, but he couldn’t confront him about it, since his remark of Cain resembling a kitten must’ve been quite offensive, because Cain would scowl every time their eyes met.
‘Caracal really suits him better.’
Satin dismissed the idle thought, whether Cain resembles a cat, a caracal or even a lynx was not the issue at hand.
‘Just what is he hiding?’
Satin has reasons for his suspicions. Can had been going to bed very late at night. To be more precise, Cain did not sleep even when he went to bed. It wasn’t because he couldn’t fall asleep, since he would rub his eyes in drowsiness but remain awake.
‘What is he waiting for?’
As a result, Satin couldn’t sleep either, keeping an eye on Cain’s movement and falling asleep late, feeling extremely tired. It was unfair to be exhausted and have no gains.
But tonight, for some reason, Cain fell asleep first.
‘Oh, he’s asleep?’
It was too dark to see Cain’s face clearly, but the steady sound of his breathing gave it away.
Before living with his sister, OO lived with his father. He had been caught pretending to sleep to avoid his father several times. And ever since then, he had perfected the art of appearing genuinely asleep. And Cain is definitely asleep now. What he had been waiting for was unclear, but there were no unusual sounds from outside yet.
Just as Satin was about to close his eyes and sleep, he heard a creak. The sound of a door opening.
‘The room across?’
He remembered hearing the sound a few times before. Of the six bedrooms in his hallway, two had notably noisy doors. One was the room in front and the other was the room right next to the stairs, likely due to stiff hinges.
If it were the room next to the stairs, the sound wouldn’t have reached here. Satin guessed the sound came from the room across. Satin cautiously approached his door. Maybe what Cain had been waiting for was happening right now.
‘It won't hurt to know first.’
The hinges on his door were well-oiled, so it didn’t make any nois when opened. Satin peeked through the crack of the door.
‘Who is it?’
A child holding a lamp was walking ahead. The flickering light made it hard to identify who it was. Since it was one of the children from the room across, it could either be Tim or Robin.
Satin carefully stepped out of the room. Although his night vision isn’t the best, he was accustomed to moving in the dark without bumping into things. He quietly followed the child.
The child didn’t head for any of the friends’ rooms or go down the stairs but walked straight ahead.
‘That’s the teacher’s lab.’
Just as the children’s rooms were all on this side of the hallway, the teacher’s lab, office and bedroom were all on the other side. Just what could this child be doing in the teacher’s area at this late hour?
The child stopped in front of the lab door. As he turned towards the door, Satin recognized him.
‘It’s Tim.’
Satin recalled when he first met Tim. Tim came looking for the teacher out of curiosity, but it later became apparent that Tim wasn’t a very studious child. He preferred playing outside with the other children.
Could there have been another motive for Tim’s visit since he didn't like studying? It wasn’t entirely far-fetched, considering how some kids in middle school would frequently visit the teachers’ office just to see their favorite teacher.
‘The reason may be different though.’
Young children often seek to monopolize the affection of nearby adults. OO was like that too when he was young. Such children would comply with even absurd instructions. Perhaps that’s why Tim was secretly visiting the teacher.
Tim knocked very gently, and the door soon opened.
“You’re here.”
There was no question of why he had come. It seemed they had already arranged to meet at this hour. The teacher let Tim inside and closed the door.
‘What are they doing?’
Satin hesitated for a moment. Should he return to bed, or should he wait until Tim comes out? Would Tim tell him what happened if he asked the next morning? Probably not. If they had arranged to ,eet at this hour, it was most likely to keep it secret from the other children.
Curiosity took the better of Satin. Satin clicked his tongue softly and moved closer to the door where Tim had gone in. He pressed his ear against it. He could hear murmuring but couldn’t make out the other words. He managed to catch a few phrases.
‘They seem to be talking about magic.’
Something about magic, magical power and Satin…
‘Did they just mention my name?’
He pressed his ear harder, but it didn’t make the words any clearer. Just a few days ago, Cain had overheard Satin’s conversation with Rogers from inside the library. Why was this room so much more sound-proofed?
‘Maybe because they usually discuss things that shouldn’t be overheard?’ Satin chuckled quietly. It seemed like a reasonable guess, especially since he is currently eavesdropping right now.
It wasn’t long before the talking stopped, and light seeped out through the cracks around the door. It was a very strange light. It illuminated nothing around it, glowing only by itself.
‘...Magical power.’
He may not know what kind, but he knows they are using magic inside. Satin remembered the flame magic the teacher had shown him as a demonstration. That light was very faint, but this one was much stronger, enough to fill the enclosed space and seep out.
Just what kind of magic are they using?
Satin stepped back from the light. In his haste, he retreated further into the hallway. Which was a mistake, there was no place to hide if the teacher came out.
‘Is it safe to touch the magic? Would they notice if I just walked through it?’
While Satin was panicking, the light continued to seep out, making the time feel ominously long.
“Damn it!” It was a small but clear shout. It was the teacher’s voice. Satin flinched and pressed himself against the wall. Gradually, the magical light faded, and then the door burst open, it all happened so quickly that there was no time to hide.
‘What the…’
At first Satin thought the teacher was carrying a large sack. But on closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t a sack but a person. Tim, who had walked in on his own two legs, was no unconscious, slumped over the teacher’s shoulder.
Seems like there is no magic that could enhance one’s strength as the teacher struggled to carry Tim and headed towards the stairs. Fortunately, the teacher didn’t look in Satin’s direction.
‘That was lucky.’
Earlier, Satin was thinking it was unlucky that he did not choose to hide on the other side, but now it felt like a stroke of luck. If he had chosen the other side, he would;ve been discovered immediately.
The teacher, seemingly in a hurry, didn’t look back and quickly descended the stairs. Satin followed suit, while keeping a distance. The teacher headed to the west hallway on the first floor, where the classrooms, hygiene facilities and basement were located.
‘Going to the basement, huh?’
It seemed unlikely the teacher would take an unconscious child to a classroom at this hour. As expected, the teacher hurried down the hallway and entered the basement stairs. There was only one entrance to the basement, so Satin couldn’t follow further.
Satin hid in the bathroom, waiting for the teacher’s return. The bathroom door was always open when not in use due to the humidity.
How long had he been waiting, hidden behind the door, out of sight from the hallway? Satin heard quiet footsteps. Someone’s silhouette quickly passed by the bathroom entrance. Satin peeked out quickly,
‘...Where’s Tim?’
He only caught a glimpse, but it was clear that the teacher’s no longer carrying anything on his shoulder. The teacher swiftly moved down the hallway and disappeared.
Satin hesitated for a moment before leaving the bathroom. Instead of heading in the direction of where the teacher had disappeared, he moved towards the basement.
‘Is he locked up?’
The children used to say Satin had been locked in the penance room because he had done something wrong. If that were the case, what could Time have done wrong? And why had he been unconscious?
‘I guess I’ll find out if I ask Tim.’
As descended into the basement, Satin caught a scent. It wasn’t the familiar musty smell of a basement, but amore acrid smell.
‘It smells like something’s burning…’
There were small windows in the penance rooms, but they didn’t provide much ventilation.
Frowning, Satin continued downwards. He reached the bottom of the stairs and carefully felt along the wall, trying to guess where Tim might be. There were three penance rooms, all in the same direction. He went for the first door, “Tim?”
There was no response. The room was small enough that a quick feel around confirmed it was empty. Satin moved to the second room. It was also empty Finally, he opened the door to the last room Satin had been confined in previously but it smelled different this time.
‘Did they do something in here…?’
He pushed through the smoke, feeling his way around. He called out for Tim again, but there was no answer.
‘What’s this?’
Satin felt along the walls once more. Just then, the moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting a faint light through the small window. Still, the room was empty.
‘What’s going on?’
He was sure he saw the teacher carrying Tim down, but now there was no sign of anyone.
Satin’s gaze fell inadvertently, and he noticed something on the floor. It was a dark stain, almost overlooked, like a smudge of charcoal.
‘Has this always been here?’
Satin knelt and felt around the stain with his hands. His fingers brushed against an unnatural indentation. It felt like a handle.
‘A basement within a basement?’
Credits:
TL: Sajin
TL comments:
TL: I THOUGHT TIM GOT BURNED I GOT SCARED
