You are currently viewing (First Draft) + (Lost Chapter) Alicia Chapter 1 : Prologue

“Why are my hands getting warmer?”

Alicia Bell wonders as she stares at her two hands.

Though the young girl about 160 cm tall with a long, red hair with beautiful blue eyes those not just have her hands getting warmer since last week, her entire body is getting hotter by the day. She was not having a fever despite that, and she even lowered her air conditioner’s settings at a far lower temperature than usual.

But there is no time to wonder she thought as she got up, picking up her blanket that has been tossed to the floor and put it back to her bed neatly and went downstairs wearing a uniform comprising of a white shirt with a red blazer over it and a red skirt that is below her knees, a uniform of her school.

“Good morning, Alicia.”

“Good morning, mother.”

She replied to her mother as she sits down at the dining table eating breakfast prepared by her maid.

Her family is considered to be very wealthy as her father, Ronald Bell, owns a company called of ‘Bell Conglomerate’, the largest company of the country and has multiple branches all over the world. He even run a school, Bell Academy which Alicia is studying at. He is currently on a business trip and was to return tomorrow.

While sipping tea.

“Mother, I’m going to visit the cemetery so I’m going to be late home.”

“Ah yes, today is his grandmother’s death anniversary correct?”

“Yes, quite so…”

The ‘his’ her mother specified was Alicia’s childhood friend Owen Ruze. He is the same age as Alicia, 16, his mother died giving birth to him and his father was a close friend to Alicia’s father, so they also got close naturally. Mysteriously, Owen’s father suddenly went missing when he was ten, and since then he was taken care by his grandmother but passed away a years later. Alicia’s father now funds for his tuition fee though Owen insists on staying in his apartment rather in the mansion.

They talk for a while until Alicia finished her breakfast.

“Well, I’ll be going now mother.”

“Ah, before that, are you feeling okay?”

“I think I am.”

When Alicia noticed that her body was piling up heat, her mother brought her to the doctor to diagnose her but the doctor didn’t find any of the sort, her body temperature seems fine. So the doctor quickly dismissed it but Alicia’s mother can’t stop worrying about it as if she knows something.

The maids bow down to Alicia as she steps into her family’s car which was a black limo and an old driver drives her off to school.

As the limo went by the gate, two ominous figure lurking in front of the gate gazed upon it. Nobody notice them.

The car stops in front gate of the school and as Alicia steps out she is greeted by a boy 10 centimeters shorter than her with spiky white hair, white eyes and wearing the same type of uniform Alicia is wearing except he was not wearing a blazer and wearing a light blue trouser.

Bell Academy was a school that enforce the dress code of a uniform. It was to prevent any rift between students due to what they are wearing should this practice not applied. However, because schools in the town generally don’t practice that the school was lenient on the rule. For one, you can choose from 8 different colors: blue, light blue, red, light green, yellow, brown, black and white. There are 3 more colors but those are absurd for some reason like a half white half green, half black half red, half green half light brown. There was no normal green color. You can mix and match between those colors. Blazers are optional to wear and female students have the option to wear trousers instead. Expensive accessories and the kind are not allowed since if its gone or stolen, it could cause problems. There are no crest on the uniform or anything. You can even wear it to the mall.

The small boy gave his greeting.

“Yo! Alicia.”

“Good morning, Owen. what brings you here in front of the gate.”

“Eh, don’t mind that.”

Owen brushes her question aside as he accompanies Alicia to class.

“Its not like you to wait for me in front of the gate.”

“I said, don’t mind that!”

As he dodges her question the second time, Alicia wonders as to what happened to her friend. As far as she can remember, Owen usually don’t pay this much attention to her until last week, the same day her body feels strange. He usually waits in class and even then he says nothing to Alicia when she steps into class.

It wasn’t because he was giving her the cold shoulders though. It was due to the depression of losing one’s family. Alicia understood this and have been at his side long enough to understand him. His current behaviour made it unusual to her.

“Well anyway, I’ll visit the cemetery with you, you don’t mind right?”

“No, but you don’t have to do that, really.”

After his grandmother died, he was all alone and aside from Alicia, he doesn’t have any friends as for some reason, he gives off some kind of cold murderous aura that his classmates avoid him.

He once gets picked upon for his skinny build by other boys but the main reason would be because they are jealous of Owen being close to Alicia.

Alicia of course did not let this be. She stood up for him, telling the bullies off. Even threatening them that when they picked on Owen again, they will forever get her hatred.

To those who had admirations for her, it is no good to receive the ire from the person they harbor feelings towards. So all they could do is glaring at them in envy. It is evident that right now as they walked, jealous stares are targeted towards them. Owen specifically.

“Welp, I guess see you after school?”

“We are in the same class Owen”.


DING DONG DING DONG

As the school bell tolled, Alicia walks out to the gate with her family’s car waiting for her. She steps in and as the door closes she said to the driver.

“To the ceme- huh? who are y- mufuuuu!”

It all happened fast as a figure leaps from behind the seats and covers her mouth with a piece of cloth of some sort, presumably soak with chloroform while she question the man on the driver’s seat who isn’t her . She struggled for a bit but fell unconscious soon after.

“Got her.”

“Good, let’s go!”

The car drove off leaving Owen who was just at the gate.

Isn’t that limo going the wrong way?

As Owen thought while he watches the limo drive away.


Azhure: This is the second revision.

“Why are my hands getting warmer?”

Alicia Bell wondered as she stared at her two hands.

Though the young woman about 160 cm tall with long, red hair with beautiful blue eyes those not just have her hands getting warmer since last week, her entire body is getting hotter by the day. She was not having a fever despite that, and she even lowered her air conditioner’s settings at a far lower temperature than usual.

But there is no time to wonder she thought as she got up, picking up her blanket that has been tossed to the floor and put it back to her bed neatly and went downstairs wearing a uniform comprising of a white shirt with a red blazer over it and a red skirt that is below her knees, a uniform of her school.

“Good morning, Alicia,” a woman with long blond hair greeted her.

“Good morning, mother,” she greeted back

She replied to her mother as she sits down at the dining table eating breakfast prepared by her maid.

Her family was considered to be very wealthy as her father, Ronald Bell, owned a company called ‘Bell Conglomerate’, the largest company of the country and has multiple branches all over the world. He even runs a school, Bell Academy which Alicia studies at. He was currently on a business trip and will return tomorrow.

While sipping tea.

“Mother, I am going to visit the cemetery so I am going to be late home.”

“Ah yes, today is his grandmother’s death anniversary correct?”

“Yes, quite so…”

The ‘his’ her mother specified was Alicia’s childhood friend Owen Ruze. He is the same age as Alicia, 16, his mother died giving birth to him and his father was a close friend to Alicia’s father, so they also got close naturally. Mysteriously, Owen’s father suddenly went missing when he was ten, and since then he was taken care of by his grandmother but passed away a year later. Alicia’s father now funds for his tuition fee though Owen insists on staying in his apartment rather in the mansion.

They talk for a while until Alicia finished her breakfast.

“Well, I will be going now, mother.”

“Ah, before that, are you feeling okay?”

“I think I am.”

When Alicia noticed that her body was increasing in temperature, her mother brought her to the doctor to diagnose her but the doctor didn’t find any of the sorts, her body temperature seems fine. So the doctor quickly dismissed it but Alicia’s mother can’t stop worrying about it as if she knows something.

The maids bow down to Alicia as she steps into her family’s car which was a black limo and an old driver drives her off to school.

As the limo went by the gate, two ominous figures lurking in front of the gate gazed upon it. Nobody notices them.

The car stopped in the front gate of the school and as Alicia stepped out she is greeted by a boy 10 centimeters shorter than her with spiky white hair, light blue eyes and wearing the same type of uniform Alicia is wearing except he was not wearing a blazer and wearing a light blue trouser.

Bell Academy was a school that enforces the dress code of a uniform. It was to prevent any rift between students due to what they are wearing should this practice not applied. However, because schools in the town generally don’t practice that the school was lenient on the rule. For one, you can choose from 8 different colors: blue, light blue, red, light green, yellow, brown, black and white. There are 3 more colors but those are absurd for some reason like a half white half green, half black half red, half green half brown. There was no normal green color. You can mix and match those colors. Blazers are optional to wear and female students have the option to wear trousers instead. Expensive accessories and the kind are not allowed since if it’s gone or stolen, it could cause problems. There is no crest on the uniform or anything. You can even wear them to the mall.

The small boy gave his greeting.

“Yo! Alicia.”

“Good morning, Owen.” Alica replied, “what brings you here in front of the gate.”

“Eh, don’t mind that.”

Owen brushes her question aside as he accompanies Alicia to class.

“It is not like you to wait for me in front of the gate,” she continued.

“I said, don’t mind that!”

As he dodged her question the second time, Alicia wonders as to what happened to her friend. As far as she can remember, Owen usually doesn’t pay this much attention to her until last week, the same day her body feels strange. He usually waits in class and even then he says nothing to Alicia when she steps into class.

It wasn’t because he was giving her the cold shoulders though. It was due to the depression of losing one’s family. Alicia understood this and have been at his side long enough to understand him. His current behavior made it unusual for her.

“Well anyway, I will visit the cemetery with you, you do not mind right?”

“No, but you don’t have to do that.”

After his grandmother died, he was all alone and aside from Alicia, he doesn’t have any friends as for some reason, he gives off some kind of cold murderous aura that his classmates avoid him.

He once get picked upon for his skinny build by other boys but the main reason would be because they are jealous of Owen being close to Alicia.

Alicia, of course, did not let this be. She stood up for him, telling the bullies off. Even threatening them that when they picked on Owen again, they will forever get her hatred.

To those who admired her, it is no good to receive the ire from the person they harbor feelings towards. So all they could do is glaring at them in envy. It is evident that right now as they walked, jealous stares are targeted towards them. Owen specifically.

“Welp, I guess see you after school?”

“We are in the same class Owen.”


DING DONG DING DONG

As the school bell tolled, Alicia walks out to the gate with her family’s car waiting for her. She steps in and as the door closes she said to the driver.

“To the ceme- huh? who are y-!” she was interrupted as some figure covered her mouth with a piece of cloth of some sort. She struggled for a bit but fell unconscious soon after.

“Got her.” The figure said.

“Good,” the other figure in the driver’s seat said, “let’s go!”

The car drove off leaving Owen who was just at the gate.


“What do you mean we can’t reach his phone?” the figure complained.

“It kept reply that same ‘this call is not available, please leave a message’ crap.” The other figure replied.

“Then why don’t send an email or something?”

“There’s no wi-fi here.”

Alicia hears this when she came to. Her body was bound to a pillar in some sort of an abandoned apartment. Her mouth is also covered with a piece of cloth. The first thing she saw was two men, one skinny holding a smartphone and one big and tall by three-fold compared to the skinny man yelling at the small man. Both were bald and ugly.

“Then we’ll just have to send a letter to his mansion,” the skinny man said. “Get my laptop!”

The big man pulls out a laptop from a backpack beside the skinny man and puts it in front of him. The small man opens it and starts to write.

“Alright, let’s see here. We got yer daughter and if you want her back, then you have to give us a ransom of uhh… one million! done!”

The skinny man then pulls out his smartphone and glance at his hostage. Alicia presses her back against the pillar.

“Oh hey, the Lil’ miss is awake,” the skinny man said.” Don’t be scared little girl, we just need a picture and just print out the letter and done! we ain’t gonna hurt you.”

As the man crept closer to her the door suddenly open.

“Away! ugly!”

A boy with white hair shouted, surprising the two kidnappers to a daze and places a dropkick on the skinny man’s ugly face. He was knocked to the wall unconscious.

Owen?

“Who are you?!” the big man then shouted in surprise. “How did you get in here?”

“I followed the limo hijacked,” Owen explained. “Also, the driver wriggled out of the alley tied up as I was following you. You guys are not good at this.”

“Well whoever you are, you’re going to die!”

Look out!

Alicia tries to yell as the big man thrust his arm to Owen’s face Alicia but Owen skillfully ducked under his arms and then jabs his stomach followed by a punch to his already ugly nose.

“Ooof!”

The big man staggers as he comes back for another punch but again, Owen ducks under him and delivers consecutive jabs without stopping. The big man could not stop the oncoming attack.

SLASH

“Gah!” Owen groaned.

..!

A knife came flying at him. Owen tries to dodge it but it grazed his left shoulder. The knife came from the skinny man that somehow regains consciousness rather quickly.

Distracted by the knife, the big man seizes this opportunity and pins Owen down to the ground facedown.

“You gave us a beating, brat!” the skinny man deliriously said. “You’re gonna die slowly!”

The small man then proceeds to stab Owen’s back repeatedly.

STAB

“Gah!”

No! Stop this!

But it is useless.

As Alicia watches her only friend being killed, she remembers.

STAB

The little boy who lost his parents at a young age.

STAB

A mother lost for bringing him to the world.

STAB

A father lost to the unknown.

STAB

Finally, a grandmother lost to the nature of time.

STAB

There, he is all alone.

STAB

Regressing into coldness.

STAB

But not completely, for he has a friend.

STAB

The girl who was with him since the beginning.

STAB

Always shielding him from harm.

STAB

Even if it means her solitude.

STAB

Now she is in trouble and now it is his turn to protect her.

STAB

And this is what happens.

Alicia struggles to free herself from her bondage but to no avail. All she could do is watch her friend trying to save her being killed. Hearing his groan at every stab, she has never felt so powerless.

DO NOT DESPAIR…

Huh?

HE CAN STILL BE SAVED…

Who’s there?

In the darkness surrounding her vision, a peculiar voice reaches out to her. She tried to open her eyes but somehow, she feels that she shouldn’t. Her hands don’t feel like it is being tied weirdly enough.

LOOK UP…

She lifts her head and what she saw in her closed eyes is a single flame and inside is a figure but it was too blurry as the flame was glowing too great.

BUT I MUST ASK YOU. DO YOU WISH TO SAVE YOUR FRIEND?

Y-yes…

THEN WOULD YOU ACCEPT MY CURSED FLAME?

‘Cursed’. What the flame said concerns her but without hesitation she said.

Yes, I will take it.

WELL THEN, NOW REACH OUT AND TAKE MY ETERNAL FLAME!

She lifts her right hand unconsciously and grabs the flame in all her might.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” she screamed.

Just as the skinny man was about to deliver another knife onto the defenseless boy, Alicia suddenly stood up and lets out a yell. Her bondage was broken or more accurately, burned. Her hands are engulfed in flames but she doesn’t feel a burn nor does she care.

“Whoa, what the-”

Before the skinny man could finish his sentence Alicia dashes to him and grabs his arms holding the knife and his ugly face with her burning hands. His arm and face are being charred.

“Agh. aaaaaaagh!” the small man screamed.

Surprised, the big man holding Owen down lets go of him and backs away.

“Agh! Let go you brat!”

“Aah!”

The skinny man grabs her back and tosses her. She hits her back against the wall.

Oh no. I can’t pass out now.

Her vision began to blurry.

“My face! My beautiful face!” the skinny man yelled in pain. His face was burned away though he said his ugly face was ‘beautiful’ ironically. “You’ll pay for this! I’ll kill you!”

“Thanks, Alicia,” Owen thanked her. “Now it’s my turn to save you.”

Then Alicia’s consciousness finally fell. The last thing she hears is the skinny man screaming. Darkness envelopes around her.

WELL DONE.


“Alicia! Alicia!”

“Unh..”

“Oi! Wake up”

“Ah!”

Alicia was surprised as Owen sways her shoulders back and forth. But what is more surprising is what she saw behind him.

She saw the two kidnappers seemingly unconscious while standing. How they do that was simple: they were seemingly covered in ice from the bottom to their neck.

“W-what happened? What did you-”

“They just pass out.”

“Wha- you did- wait, more importantly, are you okay? You should get to the hospital.”

“I’m fine. Look.” He showed his backfilled with stab wounds but blood wasn’t seeping out of it because all the holes are covered in ice, stopping blood loss.

“Besides, that knife was too small to hit my organs, I can get this healed too.”

She was going to say something about that until she noticed her hands

“Whoa- ah!”

Her hands are on fire. She was just about to panic, but she was more interested as to why her hands don’t feel hot.

“Why are my hands are-”

“Its uh… let’s just say its magic. Though it should turn off when you got knocked out. I wonder why?”

“M-magic?”

“Well I can’t explain it here and I need to bring you since you got ‘that'”

“Bring me to where?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there. Trust me, please.”

Alicia is filled with confusion and doubt but since it’s her friend, it should be fine she thinks.

“O-okay. I will trust you.”

“Good. But first, can you turn your fire off? Try closing your hands”

“Like this?”

The fire in her hands immediately extinguishes without any trace. Her hands show no sign of burn.

Then the door suddenly open and multiple men dressed in uniform came in. They are securing the two frozen men though they don’t seem to be surprised by it which surprises Alicia instead by how calm they are.

“Huh? The police? what are they doing here?”

“I called them here after I froze those idiots. You got kidnapped after all.”

Then a man with a black mustache and short hair wearing uniform different than the officers enters.

“Yo! Chief, I gotta bring her so take care of those idiots.”

“Oh my! I just came here and you’re already leaving?” the officer complained.

“Hey! I got stabbed thirteen times. I ain’t got time for this.”

“Thirteen times!?” the officer shouted in surprise. “Are you sure you’re alive?”

While the two men were having a casual talk, Alicia intrudes on the conversation.

“Wait? Chief? As in Chief Oswald?”

“Yes, it is I, Chief Oswald of the police.” He greeted the red-hair girl. “It is nice to meet you, Ms. Bell.”

“You’re acquainted with him, Owen?” she asked Owen.

“Yeah,” Owen replied, “pretty much.”

While being astonished by the fact Owen has a connection with Oswald the chief of the police department of the town, Owen grabs her hands.

“We’re going, later.”

“Ah,” Oswald stopped him, “please melt the ice before you go.”

Owen snaps his finger and then, the ice encasing the two poor fellows shatters like dust without harming them. “Thank you!” the police chief thanked.

“Alicia please stand close to me.”

“Huh? Okay.”

Owen then reaches his left hand to his left temple and puts two fingers behind his ear.

“What are you doing?”

PIING

“Wha..!”

A circle of light blue light envelopes the two of them and another thicker light is overlapping the circle slowly. She jumped for a bit but Owen calms her down. From all the things she expects, she didn’t think about this.

“Leaving already?” Oswald asked.

“Yeah,” Owen said. “Later.”

As the thicker light overlaps completely over the thinner light Alicia’s vision blur and her body is being lifted. Before everything around her disappears Owen whispered.

“Welcome to the Otherworldly Court.”


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