"Only I can say that!"

She shouted, her hands reaching for White and grabbing at him, but she caught nothing but air as White’s image dispersed.

A hand grabbed onto Nova’s wings and pulled her back, sending Morgaine flying backward as White held Nova against him.

"Let me go!"

"I will. I’m sorry, okay? Just calm down."

White said as she puffed.

"Okay, I’m calm."

He dropped her, only for the back of her heel to slam into his knees, sending him flat on the ground.

"You... you said..."

A kiss landed, and White’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.

But then—

...20 seconds.

...60 seconds.

TAP.

TAP.

White tapped out, but Nova was unrelenting, locking away his breath.

White managed to force a hand onto her shoulder, screaming,

"Help me, Morg—"

Only to be silenced once more.

Morgaine rolled her eyes at their antics before walking toward them and grabbing Nova’s wings.

The blue wings dodged her hold in return, slapping her hands away.

"Ow! Stop that!"

Morgaine shouted, taking a firmer grab at the wings and pulling Nova off White.

"You’re going to strangle him to death... with a kiss."

"Hmph! He deserves it."

Nova said as White withdrew her wings, making them disappear and freeing her from Morgaine’s grasp as she landed on her feet.

White finally managed to crawl back up, lips blood-red, breathing like he had just run a hundred miles.

"So whose idea was it for a scenery change?"

Morgaine asked, looking at the glowing purple river that stretched into the distance, her hands resting on the bridge wall.

The breeze was moderate, sending her hair whipping around.

This had been happening for a couple of days now.

The trio hanging out together to catch their breath from all the chaos of academy life.

They usually gathered at Morgaine’s spot, the green hill, but tonight had been different.

"White."

Morgaine responded, turning to look around.

"Didn’t know you had a thing for water..."

She mused.

She had never reached this place in the academy before, even though it was still within Newcomer territory.

"I do."

White whispered.

He indeed loved the water view. It calmed him a lot.

But... there was a deeper reason.

"Can you feel it, Morgaine..."

He suddenly called, and her pink eyes narrowed further at the water.

"Feel what?"

Morgaine asked.

"The flow of energy the water has. That weird glass path deep beneath it."

He said, and it made Morgaine’s suspicion turn into certainty.

She had indeed felt something strange about the flow of the water.

It moved like normal, but there was something unnatural about it.

Nova tried peering too, but apart from the river flowing, she saw nothing.

"I see it."

Morgaine said.

"Planning to check it out?"

"Check what out?"

Nova called, feeling both left out and confused.

"There’s like a glassy path beneath the water. It should lead somewhere, though I don’t know where."

"Wouldn’t it be fun if we all explored it... together?"

"Down for it."

Morgaine said, raising her hand at the side.

"But... what if wherever that leads is outside Newcomer territory?"

She asked as White paused before shrugging.

"Get our points deducted at minimum... or get locked up for three days at maximum."

He answered, but her eyebrows were still creased as she looked at the water.

"Come on, Nova. We’ll be fine."

He nudged, but her arms folded.

"I... I just don’t feel good about it."

"Don’t you trust me?"

White asked as she turned.

"What? Of course I do."

"Don’t corner her with that."

Morgaine said, having already taken off her uniform jacket, socks, and shoes, her legs splashing in the water.

She was still well covered.

"She’s the class representative, remember? It’d be bad for her reputation to break a rule like trespassing or getting punished by the Punishers..."

Morgaine recounted as White’s brows furrowed.

That did make sense.

Nova, unlike him or Morgaine, did have an image to uphold.

"Let’s just cancel it then..."

White said, waving it off, but then—

"No. I’ll go."

Nova suddenly called, and both White and Morgaine froze.

"For real?"

"For real?"

"Yes."

She said, turning to Morgaine.

"Though I’m not taking my uniform off. I can’t have someone see me like that..."

She said.

"Suit yourself."

Morgaine replied with an unbothered shrug.

White, on the other hand, took his coat off.

He didn’t want it getting wet, but left his uniform on.

He still had two spare sets in his wardrobe.

He stepped to the tip of the bridge, eyes locking onto the glass path beneath.

"Let’s dive in then..."

He said.

Nova grabbed his left hand, while Morgaine grabbed his right.

"Five..."

White began the countdown.

"Four..."

"Three..."

"One."

He said, jumping down and dragging both girls with him all of a sudden.

"Hey! That’s wrong!"

Splash!

The water exploded upward as the trio disappeared inside.

Unknown to them, just twenty seconds later—

A figure in white robes appeared at the edge of the bridge.

Her eyes scanned around, ensuring no one was nearby, and then she flashed away from the bridge, a quiet ripple surging across the water’s surface.

---

Just as White guessed, there was indeed glass in the water, and a path within that glass. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

With his massive wings, he was able to navigate downward easily and enter the space inside the glass with both Morgaine and Nova beside him.

The second he did—

BURST!

The water’s surface burst open as White’s head rose out of it.

"Huh?"

BURST!

BURST!

Two more splashes followed as Nova and Morgaine’s heads also popped out, eyes flashing with the same shock.

They were inside a pool.

And before them lay a garden.

A bizarre garden where everything existed in only two colors...

Blue and white.

"Air?"

"How is there air underwater?"

Morgaine asked as the trio crawled out of the pool.

White’s eyes narrowed as he looked around.

"A teleportation vortex..."

He mused beneath his breath.

There had been an almost invisible teleportation vortex in the space within the glass that had brought them here.

"It’s still there, so at least we have our path out."

He completed

"Now... where is this place?"

Morgaine asked, looking ahead.

"Hmm, It’s weirdly not..."