Chapter Text
Capítulo con spoilers
-I told you it was natural, Betty!
-Then why did you say yesterday that it wasn't? -her friend snapped, visibly annoyed.
-Because you insisted on asking -the other girl replied, crossing her arms and avoiding eye contact-. I didn't think it mattered.
-That it didn't matter? -the first one repeated, incredulous. -I trusted you!
Her fingers closed around a strand of her own hair yanking it in frustration.
-If you had told the truth from the start I would have changed mine too!
-That's ridiculous, Glinda.
-It is NOT! -she said and that was that.
A little further away another group of students had gathered near the same hallway caught up in an argument even louder than the first, the noise so loud it started spreading through the corridors like a wave.
-I never said that, Ferb! -shoving his friend-
-What the hell is wrong with you, yes you did! -shoving back-
-It was a joke! -stepping aside-
-It didn't sound like one, you idiot!
And then another argument, and a few meters ahead, even more arguments and then another and another all down the hallway and before anybody noticed, voices and shouts began overlapping one another, forming an uneven current that swept through the corridor at an uncanny speed where doors flew closed, footsteps halted and expressions shifted from curious to uncomfortable in matter of seconds. To anyone paying close attention, it was clear this was not normal.
It was almost obvious these arguments hadn't come from nowhere because they were all connected, and while these students claimed to be friends with each other not one of them thought to notice the person walking calmly through the middle of it all.
A few students shifted out of the way as they sensed his presence just enough to avoid a collision without stopping to think about why they did it. Almost as if something inside them instinctively understood they shouldn't get in his way. That or the fact that they were far too busy arguing with their friends to wonder about it.
Shamil, the star ingredient of this particular disaster, walked with his hands in his pockets and his back straight as if none of what was happening around him concerned him in the least. As he walked beside them, he laughed internally while his face held a calm almost serene expression that clashed with everything else going on.
He strolled without a care, occasionally smiling or pausing to observe the chaos, he felt like a kid in a candy store, he even stopped close enough to a nearby group to eavesdrop.
-You said it yourself!
-I never said that!
-Yes you did!
-You're making things up!
The words kept breaking apart before they could finish forming themselves, twisting their real meaning at just the right moment to provoke something more. Shamil delightfully tilted his head slightly to catch the details of this new argument, only to let out a soft laugh at how easy these witches were to fool w hen it came to turning them against each other.
-How amusing... -he murmured to himself- If I had known that dumb spell would send us here from the start, I would be come earlier! Ha! it would have been so much easier to just manipulate these graceless witches without all the trouble. -he resumed walking-
He already knew exactly what he had done, with just one well-placed comment or one half-truth it was always enough to spark a fight in a crowd and it had always been enough.
A few meters away two students who had been walking together moments ago stopped dead in their tracks.
-Hey... you said stuff behind my back, didn't you?
-What? No.
-Yes you did.
-You're confused.
-I'm not confused.
Their expressions shifted instantly and the tension appeared just like that, and the cycle started all over again. Shamil didn't intervene, why would he?, it would take all the fun away!. His lips curved slightly as this little duo began their argument.
-Ah -a sigh that was more indignant than melancholic- what an absolute waste! How I wish my little minions were here to watch their master dismantle the misguided goodwill of every single one of these witches
Shamil raised his gaze slowly and the entire hallway had transformed, where there had once been casual conversations and hurried footsteps now there were only cutting tones and tense stares, words launched with more venom than necessary and students were accusing each other without even being sure why, whole groups argued over half-remembered rumors and even the ones who tried to stay out of it ended up caught in the current of misunderstandings spreading faster and faster through the hall.
And in the middle of it all Shamil smiled with the quiet satisfaction of an writer watching his play unfold exactly as he'd imagined.
-AH AH AHA AH AH AHA AH -who was he kidding trying to be subtle? this was more entertaining than anything else in the world-
As he kept walking he couldn't help but dive into the crowd of rattled students, disappearing among raised voices and emotions completely out of control. The chaos no longer needed his presence to keep spreading on its own.
All that remained was the echo of badly-chosen words bouncing off the walls warping with every repetition until they became something far bigger than what they had started as, isn't it funny?
Shamil walked calmly away from all those voices, some irritating, some very entertaining. Irritatingly entertaining voices, actually. But he actually had better things to do than laugh at some dumb witches.
Would he do it again?
Oh, absolutely, without a doubt
He let out a low sigh, one much closer to boredom than satisfaction, Because yeah sure, chaos could be entertaining, Yes. Very entertaining, even.
For a while.
After a certain point, though, everything starts to repeat itself, the same dumb accusations, the same tense gestures, the same clumsy emotions exploding over and over and over again.
And Shamil hated predictable things, quite a lot, actually. He craved. No. He needed something different.
That was when his steps came to a sudden halt.
A colorful poster had caught his attention.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze toward the large double doors it had been pinned to "Open Auditions... Blah blah blah... Seeking New Actors... Major School Production, a Romantic Story Between Two Fairies."
He read the words calmly and then grimaced.
-Ugh... -. His expression barely changed, Only a faint shadow of disbelief crossed his eyes before quickly being replaced by complete disinterest.
-...What a waste.
That was all he said.
And honestly? Yeah what a waste.
Out of every literary and theatrical genre they could have chosen, they picked romance.
Romance.
Of course they did.
Everything about it was, in his opinion, painfully predictable and unbearably boring.
So at first he was obviously going to ignore it, he really was.
Nothing about this deserved his attention, nothing about it justified wasting his precious time.
His hands slid into his pockets as he tilted his head slightly, studying the poster from another angle. Almost as if he were desperately searching for something, anything redeemable hidden somewhere inside that absurd description.
He found nothing. But he thought about it again, and just like that, that sharp smile returned to his face.
-Although... maybe somebody should teach them how it's actually done...
Shamil, almost beaming, turned on his heels and headed straight for the auditorium.
Now he was waiting.
Which to be honest, already felt like a personal insult.
The line crawled forward at a pace so slow it should probably have been classified as a crime, It was almost unnerving. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched students mumbling lines under their breath while others desperately reviewed wrinkled pages, a few even practiced facial expressions on their phone screens.
A tragic sight, really.
- Oh! Didn't I give you a script?.- Someone said approaching him.
-I don't need a script. I already know they'll pick me with or without one.- He practically growled at the suggestion, she really just had the audacity to offer a script to the best playwright in the universe
-You do sound very confident! but sadly it's mandatory that I give you the script for the role you're going to be interpreting at the auditions, sorry.- She handed it over. -You're number twenty. Good luck, buddy!- She smiled as she went over to the next person.
- Pfff, Pathetic.- He barely read the script. "'Hush now, keep your eyes closed'..."
-Blegh
The script was immediately discarded to the side. -Well... I did read it, HAHAHAHA
He laughed at the ridiculous phrasing of the script. -These witches truly have no idea how real literature and real acting look like!
______
Waiting.
He never waited, ever. To be honest patience had never been one of his virtues, and he certainly wasn't thrilled to spend his afternoon waiting for a lead role he already knew they'd give him. He had been standing there with his arms hanging loosely at his sides and his back slightly slouched, watching the previous performances with exactly the same level of interest someone might have while watching paint dry.
In other words? Absolute boredom.
From what he could gather, one student had performed a dramatic love confession, another recited a poem with the grace of a goose. A girl even cried on stage.
Somehow all of them received applause.
Shamil nearly laughed repeatedly at how bad the interpretations really were. What he had not expected, however, was discovering who was running the auditions for the play.
The two people recruiting students for the club were none other than those unfortunate discount-store versions of those disgusting soul jam thieves. Wonderful!.
The line moved again.
"Number fifteen!"
The voice echoed through the auditorium, pulling Shamil from his thoughts.
-WHAT?! They're still on fifteen?! -He immediately ran his hands over his face in absolute despair.
-I bet you couldn't do better than whoever comes after fifteen.- Someone behind him spoke
Shamil turned around to face them.- Well, well, well, and WHO do we have here?
-Carlos. And who are you?.- he said arms crossed.-I've never seen you around
-Are you slow or something? HA HA HA, but to answer your question~ I'm fully capable of doing this better than everyone here.-he waved his hands in dismissal -including those people calling themselves judges! -his hands settled on his hips.
Carlos raised an eyebrow -You seem like the kind who lies for attention, prove how capable you are and maybe I'll believe you then- He said as he stepped closer
-OOH PLEASE! Trust me! Your jaw will be on the floor~
Shamil patted his cheek. -So much so that swallowing your own defeat is going to be painful! - he laughed
-Ahg.- Carlos swatted Shamil's hand away from his face. -We'll see who really gets the last laugh.
Shamil simply smiled.
He slipped the small insignificant paper into the pocket of his hoodie and stood up with a calmness that contrasted rather dramatically with the nervous wrecks who had gone before him.
On the other side of the stage sat Vani and Lylia, carefully evaluating the performances. Even though some candidates were clearly better than others, deciding who could fit the role of the Fairy King the best was proving to be even more difficult than expected. The character was supposed to be calm, serene, kind and confident. Qualities that, admittedly, were becoming increasingly rare among the people auditioning.
-Alright, number fifteen, please come forward, we're listening, dear.- Lylia said from her seat beside Vani.
-Um... m-my name is Fr-Freya and I'm a first-year student.- She nervously crossed her fingers. -Today I'll be performing the role of the Fairy King. O-Okay... -She took a breath.-My Qu-Queen... I-I am c-capable of... e-eh...
A pause.
-Sorry. Let me start ag-gain!
-Don't worry.- Vani offered her an encouraging smile. -You can take all the time you need.
-Y-yes... M-My Queen, I.- She finally gathered all her courage in a final breath.
-I!
...
-OH!, BUT LOOK WHAT THE RIVER DRAGGED IN!
A voice suddenly erupted from the darkness, interrupting the pink-haired girl, and several heads turned to see.
When the figure finally stepped into the center of the stage, the lights followed and illuminated him completely, for a moment he simply stood there. Motionless, Just observing the entire auditorium.
Like a king inspecting his kingdom.
Or a playwright contemplating his audience if you may say.
-Step aside, rookie, and leave this to the professionals, would you?- He casually nudged Freya aside, and she stumbled slightly.
-B-But! I haven't fin-ished yet! I still have some—
Before she could continue, Shamil raised a finger to his lips.
-Shhhh, you're finished, aren't you?.-He gave her a dark look.-Go.
-I... y-yes, you're right... I'm done...
And she actually left, slowly, quietly. As if she'd just been fired from a job on her first day.
-Very good!- Shamil spun dramatically toward the judges. -Now then! Where were we?!
Seated behind the long evaluation table, the student council president held a pen between her fingers, ready to write down observations. Beside her, Vani offered an awkward smile.
Now, both Lylia and Vani knew that absolutely none of what had just happened was acceptable.
But on the other hand... Freya's time technically had run out.
And this student looked absurdly confident, so maybe he had something impressive prepared.
Or... maybe he was about to embarrass himself in front of the entire auditorium.
Either outcome sounded entertaining, at least according to Lylia.
-Name and year?- Vani asked politely.
-Shamil~.- He answered with a graceful bow. -First year.
Vani nodded and wrote it down.
-Did you bring a prepared scene? Or are you going to use the script provided by the club?
Shamil tilted his head slightly.
-MMMHG.-For a moment he looked as if he were genuinely considering the question.
-Yeeah...
He lied, the truth was that he had absolutely nothing prepared, but he didn't need preparation.
As Shamil knew very well, the finest performances were born from improvisation. And besides, reading that stupid script had practically almost melted every neuron in his brain, of course he wasn't going to follow the script.
He was going to improve it! By adding an entirely new character.
A small gesture of approval came from Lylia.
-Then you may begin whenever you're ready.- she said, not even looking up from her notes.
Shamil inclined his head, and then...
He did absolutely nothing.
One second passed.
Then two.
Five.
Ten.
The silence slowly began spreading across the room, at first, nobody reacted. Why would they?
But then the confused looks started appearing, a student coughed among the silence, someone shifted loudly in their seat, and somebody else let out a small nervous laugh.
Shamil remained perfectly still.
Completely still.
Which, naturally, only made things worse because people started exchanging uncertain glances.
Lylia raised an eyebrow.
Had he forgotten his lines? Was he nervous? No, that seemed unlikely.
Very unlikely.
This guy did not look nervous. If anything, he looked like he owned the entire stage, the auditorium, and possibly the building itself.
And yet...
A few seconds of silence were apparently all it took for everyone to start getting restless.
Finally, he smiled.
"Ah..."
The word slipped from his lips like a sigh and immediately, every eye in the room landed on him.
"My dear Virescent Daydream..."
One hand rested over his chest.
The other extended toward an empty space on the stage, as if somebody were really standing there.
The atmosphere shifted almost immediately, murmurs began spreading through the rows of students.
Shamil smiled at the empty space.
"Look at you..." He began walking slowly across the stage. "Always so bright, and always so sincere, what an admirable quality."
His smile widened.
"And what an insufferable one." A soft laugh escaped him, not a happy or mocking laugh.
A genuine laugh.
Which was somehow.. unsettling.
"Always seeing the world as it is..." He continued walking.
"...but never as it could be."
Then he stopped, his gaze remaining fixed on that invisible conversation partner.
So fixed, that in fact, that some audience members found themselves looking toward the same empty spot, as if there was really someone.
"Doesn't that strike you as tragic?" He lowered his voice into a murmur.
"A kingdom so vast...and people so small." His smile returned.
"Thousands of stories, thousands of desires, thousands of truths. And yet...
Everyone just remains obsessed with the lies."
An uncomfortable silence spread throughout the auditorium, and at this point Lylia had stopped writing, completely.
This was not in the script.
At first she had assumed he was playing the Queen, a strange interpretation of her, perhaps.
But that theory had died several minutes ago. This wasn't the Queen.
This wasn't the Fairy King.
This was an entirely new character.
Created on the spot.
This guy...Lylia had seen him before hanging around with the mysterious person she met in the hallways... And now here he was casually creating a new role in the middle of an audition.
Something about the performance left her with a strange feeling she couldn't quite explain.
Mostly because it didn't felt like acting.
Meanwhile, Vani listened attentively beside her.
"The truth." Shamil laughed softly. "What a boring thing... Don't you think?"
Another laugh.
"The truth has limits." He slowly lifted his gaze. "It may have edges...It may have an ending."
"But a lie..." His eyes shimmered beneath the stage lights.
"A lie can become anything."
His voice lowered, becoming more intimate.
"That's why you never understood my love for you."
And then his tone changed, the shift wasn't subtle. The easy, composed and tender voice became darker, sharper even, and a nearly invisible tension began wrapping itself around every word.
"You never understood my sacrifices for you."
For the first time since he had started, something resembling pain crossed his face, briefly. But everyone was able to see it, surprise engulfing then at how quickly the atmosphere had changed.
Then Shamil stopped speaking to the empty space, instead, he turned and looked directly at Vani.
"I tried to show you something beautiful." His smile faltered. "I always tried to give you a better world."
"A world where everyone could become whatever they wished. A world where reality didn't limit dreams!" His smile cracked slightly, almost disappearing in irritation.
"And even then... You simply...rejected it."
Vani's eyes widened as his attention centered only at him.
The silence became absolute. No chairs creaked, no pages rustled, and nobody moved.
The entire auditorium watched astonished.
-That lunatic...he actually pulled it off.
Carlos muttered from somewhere in the audience.
The people were almost mesmerized into a trance, nothing about this felt like a school play or an audition for one of the most important roles in the production. It felt like a conversation nobody was supposed to hear, no, even more than that.
It sounded like an open wound disguised as theater.
Shamil slowly lowered his head, then laughed again.
A soft and light laugh,dangerously light.
"But I suppose that's how tragedies work."
He looked back toward Virescent Daydream, that invisible being only he seemed capable of seeing.
"They always need a hero to ruin the show...and a villain to blame when the curtain falls, isn't that so?"
His smile returned, a beautiful bright smile.
"Tell me, Virescent..." He said almost whispering, but somehow still loud enough for everyone to hear.
"If you could go back...would you still refuse my offer?"
The room held its breath, the silence afterward was unbearable.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody moved.
The entire stage seemed frozen in place.
And just then, without warning, Shamil performed a graceful bow.
As if he had just finished performing the sweetest and most innocent romantic story ever written.
Which, for the record—
He HATED.
-Thank you folks! The greatest playwright of all time bids you farewell!!!!!!!~
The auditorium remained silent in disbelief.
Vani looked down at the evaluation sheet in front of him, because for the first time all day, he had absolutely no idea what to write.
Because you know, technically? It had been excellent... But the feeling it left behind- and the fact that Shamil had completely abandoned the script made it all sound suspiciously close to... a confession? A twisted, very honest confession.
For Shamil, as descended from the stage he couldn't help but wear a thoroughly satisfied smile, because he knew he had accomplished exactly what he came to accomplish.
Every single person in that room felt uncomfortable, genuinely uncomfortable.
And for someone like him, that was exactly what art was about.
____________
Hello my dear readers! Sorry for abandoning you for so long, but I'm about to graduate from university and that's why I've been very busy.I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments :D One more thing, here are some spoilers for future chapters
