Chapter 3

"Anyone wants to share their homework to the class?" Professor Koga, Dawn's history teacher, marched back and forth of the classroom's platform.

When no one raised a hand, he decided to just call someone out randomly.

"How about Ms. McMillan?" Koga said with a stern voice. "Mind sharing your homework?"

Zoey, Dawn's seatmate, let out a low growl before standing up. "Damn it." She silently cursed.

"History is written by victors." She said before sitting down.

"A splendid quote Ms. McMillan." Koga paused in the middle of the platform. "I'd say it's one of my favorite history quotes too."

"Simple, yet striking." He added. "Could you tell us why you've pick that quote?" He asked.

Zoey reluctantly stood up again. "Because it's my favorite, that's just it."

Koga smiled a little and ruffled his own dark spiky hair. "In such a tiny phrase, it captures a lot about what is history." Koga added. "Could someone explain how so?"

When no one again raised a hand, Koga decided to just explain it himself. He motioned Zoey to take her sit back. He cleared his throat.

"Simply, it means that whoever wins he gets to tell the story."

"What so special about being the one who gets to tell the story?" One student asked.

"Because by being the one who gets to do it, you can shape it any way you can. Twist it that much that whatever truth there is, it gets buried." Koga replied.

There was a moment of silence.

"Just joking." He chuckled. "Everyone wants to be a good storyteller, I think that's it."

"I think my favorite quote coincides with that one." One student said. "Until the lion learns how to write, the story will always glorify the hunter." She finished.

"That's a good one too." Koga said to her as she took her sit.

"These quotes, all speak truth about history." Koga said, pacing back and forth again. "About our history. And history in general."

"Devils.." Koga muttered. "For our history lesson this semester, we'd be talking about devils, their existence and everything written about them."

Dawn gulped silently. There was always something about the subject that seem to keep her on her toes, unsettling her without reason.

"Just because they are a thing of the past it doesn't mean that they should be forgotten. They threatened us with extinction, we won the war. We were lucky. And of course, we should do our best to never make it happen again." Koga explained. "Devils make an important lesson in our history, and thus, should be taken seriously."

Dawn watched Koga explain about devils from the corners of her eyes. She watched Zoey beside her, she always had that scornful look every history class. Dawn knew how much Zoey disliked history but it seemed to her that Zoey's dislike was much more than just towards the subject.

"Zoey.." Dawn whispered. "Pssstt.."

Zoey looked at her bestfriend, regaining composure. "Huh? Oh Dawn.. Somehing the matter?" She asked silently in her seat.

"You okay?" Dawn asked worriedly. "You don't seem okay.."

"Oh..yeah. I'm fine." She let out a meek laughter. "Man I really hate history.."

"That's okay." Dawn smiled. "It's almost time for lunch break anyway."

"So why did I gave you this homework?" Dawn looked back at their history teacher who was lecturing with withheld enthusiasm. He was lecturing in a calm and professional manner like always, but even so Dawn could get that enthusiasm from his calm and well-controlled teaching.

He knew Professor Koga Strike even before she started high school, he's a man around late thirties. He had spiky grey teal hair. He always had that sharp bird of prey like eyes that could see through everything. Dawn didn't know if it was because of his wisdom or something else.

And most of all, he's known as a man of passion and profession when it comes to devils. A prominent figure when it comes to the subject.

Dawn first saw him on the television five years ago as one of the very active member of an activist group that protested against the government holding classified information about devils. As a historian, he deeply believed that devils should not just be a rumor but to be taken as a subject in school, to be taught by the following generations.

Dawn was never fond of him until this semester when he became their history teacher. He was stern yet very informative when it comes to demonology. He seemed to know almost everything about devils.

"When you study history, it's important to have an open mind. Not everything is written in books." He continued. "The book said devils went extinct thirty years ago. But did they really went extinct? There are still so much mystery about these creatures. And that's why we are all here to study them together. And learn things not just about them, but also about the foundation of our history as a species."

Dawn suddenly recalled a memory back in the alley where she met Paul for the first time. She remembered his hungry red eyes looking at her. She shuddered in her seat.

"Devils..." She muttered. "Could Paul be..."

Her mental trance broke when the school bell rang. It was already lunch time.

"Hey Dawn, you okay?"

Her spiky redhead classmate came into vision from the parameters of her peripheral sight.

"You had that troubled look." Zoey added. "Is everything alright? Please don't tell me you got infected with my history-hate disease." She jested. "I never knew it was contagious I swear."

Dawn laughed. And for a split second she felt relieved.

Everyone in her class or school in general, viewed Dawn as the happy-go-lucky and too-cheerful-for-her-own-good individual. Ironically also, despite with that labeling, which by the way wasn't something she planned for herself, she only has one friend – Zoey McMillan.

She and Zoey started being friends during Dawn's senior year when Zoey transferred school. Zoey said that she originally came from an all girl's high school when she had to move to Hearthome earlier this year.

Koga had already left their classroom, without much stomach to eat for no reason. Dawn decided to just stay inside the classroom for a little while.

"So, you're gonna tell me or what?" Zoey asked.

Dawn didn't know what to do, whether to tell Zoey about Paul or not. She had the feeling that she needed to tell her, but at the same time she wanted to keep it a secret until she can confirm something.

Koga's voice echoed inside her thoughts.

The book said devils went extinct thirty years ago. But did they really went extinct?

"Do you still think devils exist?" Dawn asked.

Zoey started looking away, making Dawn curl her toes up in anxiety.

"Yes..." Zoey replied. "I think all history teachers are devils." She tried suppressing a laugh. "Also the principal, then my neighbor, and also maybe the bus conductor this morning was also a devil."

And Dawn just punched her shoulders for making up such a joke.

"I hate you.." Dawn pouted and sighed.

"Yeah I love you too.." Zoey smiled with her toothed grin. "Come let's have lunch, maaaan I'm so hungry."

Dawn stood up from her seat.

"And you gotta tell me about mister boyfriend!" Zoey looked at Dawn eagerly.

"What?! I don't have a boyfriend!" Dawn appalled as they went out of the doors of their classroom.

"You didn't even tell me his name. Am I even supposed to be your bestfriend? Well this sucks."

"Ugh jeez, knock it off. I don't have a boyfriend."

"Spill it or else I won't stop bothering you."

"Zoey please, not this again."

After a few minutes of walking towards the cafeteria, and debating on the existence of Dawn's supposed to be boyfriend, both teens quickly moved in to their usual spot inside.

Thinking about Kenny, Dawn wondered why he's been acting distant and strange the past few days after finding Paul.

...

Kenny woke up from his afternoon nap. He thought that nightmares would only occur during sleeps at night but he never knew those painful nightmares would also haunt him during the day. There seemed to be no escape.

Ever since that day he and Dawn met Paul, Kenny had restless nights of tormenting nightmares. In such a little time, Paul made him remember so much memories he never knew he had.

When he met Paul that night, Paul had that peculiar scent around him. The scent that buckled his knees and made his blood ran cold. A scent of death.

His scent made him remembered a past he didn't know. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Paul's scent was very familiar. Somehow, he had smelled it before at a point in his life lost in time.

The moon was at its peak, it was shining so bright. He was young, he was running at the top of his lungs trying to get away from something. There was a large fire that loomed over a clearing from where he came from. He didn't know where he came from or were he was running off to, all he felt was the need to get away.

He just ran and ran, crying as low lying branches scratched his skin. And the last thing he knew, he was already lying down on the forest floor on the outskirts of Twinleaf Town by morning.

He knew Paul had something to do about his lost memory, but he was scared. He didn't know why. What he do know is that Paul was not human, he was something else, something that shouldn't even exist.

He sat up from his bed. He cupped his face and groaned.

"What the hell is happening to me?" He asked himself. "I..I don't understand any of these visions.."

"What does all these mean..."

He shook his head and turned to his wall clock.

4:00PM

"Only thirty more minutes before Dawn's dismissal. I better get her from school." He stood up from his bed and grabbed a towel before heading to the bathroom.

"Whatever the hell he is, I better tell Dawn about the dangers of that Paul guy. We should stay away from him."

He sighed as he turned the knob of his bathroom door. As soon as he opened the door, a particular scenario played inside his head, more vivid and clarified from what he just dreamt.

...

"Kenny! Run! You're too slow! Keep on running! Don't turn back!"

Kenny panted and gasped for air, his pace getting slower and heavier.

"Keep, keep, on running.." Exhaustion was slowly consuming his seven year old body.

The girl ahead of Kenny stopped running and faced the direction where they just came from. He bumped into her.

"There they are! The kids are there, over the clearing! After them!"

He gripped on her shirt for balance. He was about to protest why she stopped running but he lacked air and his breaths came firsts before he could say any words.

She gripped the blue tear-shaped necklace hanging on her bare and fair neck. She shut her eyes closed before ripping it apart from her.

"Here, take this. Use it to survive in the human world." She took his hand and placed the cold metallic object in his palm. She embraced him one last time and whispered words before she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him hard to the direction where they were running to. Kenny tipped a few steps before regaining his balance. "RUN! NOW!" She screamed at him. "I'll hold them back."

"Huh..? B-but, yo-you, ho-how?" He stuttered, tears welling in his eyes. He couldn't believe that she was going to sacrifice herself for him.

"There they are! Get them! Don't let the kids escape!"

"NOW! KENNY! RUN GODDAMIT!"

Kenny bit his lips before running as fast as he could into the dense and thick forest ahead. He heard her cry before silence fell on the dead forest where he ran. But he didn't bother turning around, he just kept on running and running until his feet felt like a hot car engine. Each step killed him inside, but there was nothing he could do.

His foot caught a root and he stumbled hard. He wheezed in pain but continued running immediately. No amount of physical pain could cloud the pain he felt in his chest.

He ran as far as he could with both of his eyes closed, for his tears would just block his vision anyway.

The only thing that rang through his head were the last words she gave him.

"Live, for me, no matter what. And I'll see you again. Definitely."

...

He trembled at the memory he recalled. He was shaking so bad.

"H-how co-come..."He fell on the cold tiles of his bathroom. "How could... How could that be me..?" He trembled even more. He mustered all his strength and looked at himself in the mirror. And he felt relieved that his eyes were still the same auburn eyes, and not the same eyes he saw way back at the alley.

But even so, tears still welled up inside him quick. He felt a foreign pain in his chest. It consumed him like hell fire.

He held his blue pendant and broke down on the cold and moist tiles. He was hurting for no reason.

"What the hell. Just what in the hell is happening to me." He clamped his chest in attempt for it to stop hurting, but it didn't. His chest caved in so bad. He couldn't stop his tears from falling.

"Why...why? Where are all these visions coming from? Why do they hurt me so much? Who am I really?"

Chapter 3 End: Devils