Pristine Academy: Singularity's Manifestation

Beautiful yet Destructive

Patricia drops to her knees, looking at the horror of what she did. In front of her was her father that is pierced with the same sharp diamonds that pinned Erin down before. Now, her father is her victim.

The sound of her scream called out a certain old lady upstairs. “Patricia, what happened here?” A familiar voice that soothed Patricia said with great concern. The old lady hurriedly went downstairs and approached the two on the floor.

“Sihsih, I hurt my father!” Patricia screams as the old lady tries to calm her down. Patricia was bursting into tears as she holds onto her father, “I didn’t mean for this to happen, I didn’t mean to!” She mumbles between her cries.

The old lady runs to the stairs, “Nickolo! Chiro!” She called her assistants, “Wilbert is injured!” The two men runs downstairs and saw the situation that they were in. They immediately carried Wilbert in their hands. They immediately ran outside and rushes him to the hospital. The lady beside Patricia pulls her up gently, helping her to stand up. She embraces her with one hand and the other helping her to be held up. They followed the three to the hospital.

A doctor approached the family, and Patricia bolted up in her chair. “How’s my father, doctor?” Her voice was quivering, she was hoping for a piece of good news. “Is this the immediate family of Wilbert Prudent?” “Yes, I am Mrs. Klizzette Johnstone, his mother-in-law. Beside me is his daughter.” The doctor lets out a long sigh, “His vitals are better, to say the least. He has lost too much blood that we doubt that he will wake up any sooner. His surgery was prickly because of the nature of the shards that stabbed his body. Some of his organs were gravely injured. He might need more rest than usual.”

“But he’s okay, right?” The doctor was hesitant to speak, “Okay is not the right word. However, I assure you he will be better soon. We will keep a close eye on him since his situation right now is sensitive. A blood transplant is necessary and a few more surgeries if there’s a need for it. The shards of glass—I can’t even call it glass.” He huffs, “The gist of it is that we have never encountered this before. They were fragile in the surgery that I am quite unsure if we got all of those weird shards.”

The doctor sets aside the clipboard on his back, “May I ask, what happened to him? What are those crystal-looking things—“ Klizette cuts him, “About the necessary procedures, I supposed we need to get testing. Time is essential.” Her grandmother looks at the doctor. As he lays his eyes on her, his confused demeanor changes. “Your blood type test is already scheduled. Everything written in here is everything you need to know and do to aid Mr. Wilbert.” He hands some papers holding the results and observations and some necessary and recommended procedures.

“We will be on it, doc.” The doctor nods and leaves them be. The two of the men that were with them left as well to get the things they need during their stay in the hospital. Klizzette looks at her granddaughter, “I think you have a lot of things to say to me, my dear.”

Patricia was speechless for a moment before bursting into tears once more. “I can’t… I can’t explain it, sihsih.” Klizzette puts her hand on her back, “Come on, say it to me.” Patricia looks at her with her tired and wasted eyes, “Would you believe me when I say that I didn’t do all of this?” She looks at her right hand, “This hand, this hand did it all.”

Klizzette smiles at her innocence, “What has happened first? What did that hand do?” Patricia sighs, “It’s not what you think sihsih… I didn’t use this hand nor the hand didn’t touch anything.” “Then why are you blaming the hand?”

Patricia looks at her, “Tell me, sihsih. I am cursed, right? This is all a curse on me.” Her grandmother pats her back, “Calm down first, Patricia. I still need to know what happened. Can you please tell me?” The young lady nods and gathers all of her strength to tell the tale.

“It started on the beach, these weird diamond-looking things just appeared out of nowhere. Erin discovered about my hand, and she started hurting me just to make me show my hand. I… I was so overwhelmed at that time. I didn’t know that I injured her as well with those diamond things. Then it happened with my father as well. What is this, sihsih? Do you know anything about this? Please, tell me. I am confused, and I am tired to be one.”

Klizzette sighs, “You wouldn’t be reacting this bad if your father just let me explain to you before.” Patricia looks at her grandmother, full of confusion on her face. “What do you mean, sihsih? Are my friends true about me being some sort of monster?” She groans, “I really feel like I’m a dream.”

“My dearie, don’t say that.” Klizzette gives her granddaughter a warm smile. “You are not a monster, if anything, you’re something much more beautiful.” She gently grabs her right hand and rubs the back of it, revealing the crystal hand she has. “I understand why are you overreacting like this. We’ve withheld important information about your identity.”

Patricia was utterly speechless, she doesn’t know how to react to this. She knows that they are hiding something from her, but she doesn’t expect it to sound so big. “You seem so overwhelmed, my dear. Do you want to rest your mind first before I tell you everything?” She sighs, “I think I could use some explanation.”

Klizzette looks at her father on the hospital bed, “I think it’s better to talk about it with your father.” “No,” Patricia blurted, “I need it right now. I can’t handle it anymore. I’m so confused, sihsih. I need enlightenment. At least, I have an explanation for why I’m almost killing people even if I don’t want to. Especially my dad, even though he has been antagonizing my decisions all my life, I will never do that to him. But I just did, I almost killed my father, sihsih!”

Klizzette sighs, “You’re an elemental, Patricia, or as we call it in Thereal, a Mentiel.” “Thereal? Mentiel? What is all of that gibberish?” Her grandmother puts her hands down, squeezing them a bit to calm her down. “A Mentiel is someone who has the gift of the elements, and you are one because I am one and your mother herself is.” She raises her hand a bit, opening her palm. A rock materializes atop her palm, floating above it.

Patricia watches in awe as it magically appears on her grandmother’s palm. Something about it soothes her. “You have the blessing of the crystals, giving you the power to control them at your will. That’s what you are, not a monster.”

“Why are yours beautiful? Mine is destructive and murderous.” Klizzette gives her a faint smile and holds her shoulder. “Yours is beautiful as well, it’s very similar to your mother. It’s just you have experienced uncontrolled outbursts of magic.” She sighs, “There’s more to why we got here early. It’s a lot to explain, especially for someone naive about the world like you. But in the short term, something has happened in the inner world that made the traveling agency of our world suspend every journey. I was going to suspend ours, but I remembered you.” She sighs, “And I was right. We didn’t arrive early enough for me to restrict you a little more.”

“If I haven’t got into this situation, you will not say anything to me, sihsih?” Patricia sounds so betrayed. Klizzette sighs, “My dear, I have been trying to, but I respect your father’s decision. Besides, I understand why he doesn’t want you to know anything about this. I also thought to myself that it will be useless to say it to you if your father will not allow me to even bring you on a vacation in Thereal. The identity of your magic will be safe until… what just happened recently.”

Patricia lets out an angry puff but softens up, “I understand, sihsih, but I think I deserve to know at least why I’m like this.” She looks at her hand, “Is that the reason why my hand is like this also?” “It’s a long story as well, my dear, but I’m just going to say that it’s partially the reason why you have a crystal hand. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Half of my body is crystal as well, your mother’s left leg is made of crystal as well.”

“It sounds like it runs in your blood.” Klizzette chuckles, “You got it right.” Patricia looks around, overwhelmed with the explanation she received. She tears up a bit, “Do I need to be in this situation for me to know all of this?”

“Unfortunately and with honesty to you my dear, yes, I’m afraid that it needed for this situation for me to say this to all of you. These things we can do right now cannot be done before. After what has recently happened, believe me when I say that you’re not possibly the only one who has suffered from this.” Patricia looks at her, “But still, why does my father not want for me to know this? It doesn’t sound bad at all, it’s just silly magic—well, not silly—it’s dangerous magic if I’m unaware, and I am.”

“I’m sorry, my dear. I’m really sorry, I hope you forgive sihsih. Sihsih’s wrong and sihsih ask forgiveness to her dear suih.” Patricia sniffs, “I forgive you, sihsih. I’m not mad, just a bit upset. I think I would have handled this better if I know who I really am.” Klizzette makes her lean on her, “There, there, my child…”

Patricia went into a lot of sleepless nights and isolation. The news of her hand spread a little bit but was miraculously dissipated days later. She doesn’t care how it happened, the only thing she wants is to care for her reputation one last time. She also doesn’t want a lot of people to catch wind about her weird, crystal hands, a secret she’s been hiding since her birth.

“Patricia?” A knock was heard on her door. “Come in,” she briefly says as she looks at her grandmother entering her room. “We need to talk about something.” Patricia nods and pats the side of the bed beside her. “What is it, sihsih?”

“I pity you for locking yourself in a room, my dear. It’s not very you. You’re my cheery granddaughter that makes a lot of friends. I am sure you are getting lonely here.” Patricia sighs, “It’s fine. If it makes me safe and everybody safe, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Besides, I have no face to show to my friends after that incident.”

“That’s another reason for the offer I will give to you. I figured out that starting over again to your social life will far off better than excruciatingly isolating yourself.” Patricia looks at her, “What do you mean, sihsih?”

“We’ll be living in Thereal now. There, you will have a new life, discovering the other half of yourself. You will meet people that will accept whatever you are hiding. Besides, with the things happening right now between the two worlds, I think you will be safer there. I don’t want you to cause any magical outbursts in public. One is enough.”

“We’re going to leave father here?” Klizzette smiles, “He’ll stay here, don’t worry, I will take care of him.” Patricia was confused, “If you’re here, who will be with me in Thereal?” Her grandmother chuckles, “You’re an independent young lady now. Besides, you’re not staying in my home. You’ll be attending Pristine Academy.”