Chapter twenty nine: new year's eve
"Hmmm…"
With his elbow on the surface, Caelum sat at the long bronze table, his chin resting against his hand. His eyes were focused on the quill lying in front of him.
"I can't point it out at all…" His brows were lightly furrowed.
There was a confused look on his face as he slowly reached for the quill. His fingers wrapped around it, and he brought it closer to his face.
"All I can feel is a link," he mumbled, narrowing his eyes to examine it. "That too... barely noticeable."
He turned it over, inspecting it like he hadn't held it a so many times before, The confusion was not going away from his face.
'I've been using this for so long... but why now? Why only after this breakthrough?'
Everything had been normal until, his willpower surged like a dam breaking, then out of nowhere, he broke through his willpower cealing. And right after that, there was a strange sensation of a thread connecting him and the quill.
'But the thing that's bothering me the most is… why does my mental strength, my willpower—have such a direct effect on this quill?'
He stared at the quill for a longer time, then let out a heavy breath through his nose.
"Haaaaa…" Caelum got up from his seat, gripping the quill loosely in his hand as he stood.
"I guess there's more to this quill than meets the eye." His words were matter-of-fact, the quill was something he could never understood, no matter how much he used it.
But, he was too tired to deal with new questions for the time being.
He turned his head slightly, glancing toward the corner where the glass tubes stood. The test tubes on the metal table beside them were that caelum created through the quill.
All of it were set up for the day that had spiraled in a completely different direction, due to the sudden breakthrough.
Then his eyes moved to the open notebook on the desk. Diagrams, Lines connecting plants to insects, insects to predators. The groundwork of Dharti's ecosystem. All of it was already planned to be implemented and tested.
"After all…" Caelum stretched his arms upward, spine popping faintly. "If im not wrong, today is the last day of the year."
Without wasting another thought, he willed himself out of the white room, and then out of the painting space altogether.
----
Withing a few seconds, Caelum's body began reforming in the real world. It was almost instant.
"Ugh! Why is it so bright?" he winced, squinting his eyes hard as sunlight poured into the room and caught him off guard.
He rubbed his eyes slowly, and after blinking a few times, he glanced at the window near his desk.
'The rain's over, huh?'
The sky outside was blue and clear, with the sun high enough to tell him it was already late afternoon.
When he went into the painting world, it had been pouring heavily outside—It was heavy enough to make one stay buried under a blanket all day.
His gaze landed on the desk and he casually tossed the quill onto it before turning to leave the room.
"I didn't even bathe before heading in there..." he muttered, stretching his arms lazily. "Since I've got a lot of time now... might as well."
He grabbed a towel from his closet, and reached for the door, but just as he was about to step out of his room, he stopped mid-step.
His brows twitched slightly. 'I can still sense the quill, even from this far away.'
His head turned to glance over his shoulder. The quill looked like a artistic Beauty, laying silently on the desk, but the feeling of a thread like link connecting him and the quill didn't vanish.
He didn't linger any longer, gave it one last glance and walked out of the room.
---
Caelum tossed his clothes into the washing machine with a precise aim, then headed straight for the bath. The warm water rained down on him from the shower, and he took his time standing there, the heat melted his thoughts and his mind was eased.
About fifteen minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open.
Steam drifted out in a lazy trail as Caelum stepped back into the hallway, a white towel was wrapped around his waist, drops of water still rolled down from his hair.
"Hah~ warm water really is the better choice," he mumbled, rubbing a hand through his damp hair. "For bathing and for drinks, both."
After stepping out of the bathroom, Caelum headed back into his room. A few water droplets still clunged faintly to his skin, as he grabbed a plain white t-shirt from the shelf and tugged it on.
Just as he bent down to pick up a simple black pair of pants.
Ting tong.
"Hm?" He paused and looked at the wall clock. "At this time?"
Ting tong, ting tong.
The doorbell rang again, this time twice in one go. He grumbled, sliding one leg into the pants and hopping slightly as he pulled the other side up.
"I'm coming! Wait!" he called out, quickly walking down the hallway toward the front door. But just as he reached for the handle, he stopped.
'I have a bad feeling about this.'Something about it—he couldn't explain why, but his instincts suddenly flared up.
Still, he twisted the knob in a go.
Kachack. The soft click of the lock releasing echoed in the quiet apartment.
As the door creaked open, the sight on the other side made his shoulders visibly stiffen.
There, standing like a misplaced figure from another scene, was a girl. She ws Overly plump, with neatly tied black hair, faint green streaks catching the light. Her posture was calm and polite.
But what caught Caelum's eye more than her expression was her attire.
She wore a traditional saree. It wasn't a overly-decorated attire, but a soft and beautiful drape—something only seen on the most elegant Bengali or Assamese women in States of India. The fabric fluttered lightly in the breeze, giving her a charming beauty.
His reaction was instant.
"You—!" Caelum almost jumped and, without thinking, half-slammed the door shut again.
Only to stop halfway by the girl's greetings.
"Hello, Mister Caelum," she said, bowing gently, her hands folded with smooth ease.
Her voice was soft, and charming, it was too composed to be fake.
'Iris.' caelum shouted her name in his mind.
It was the same girl who had once come to his door months ago, to collect money for some neighborhood kid's treatment. He hadn't thought about her at all since then, and he certainly did not expect to see her standing here again.
Caelum's fingers grabbed on the edge of the door, as he greeted her back.
"Hello, Miss Iris," he said, schooling his tone, pushing down the strong urge to send her away immediately.
His eyes narrowed a little.
'Why is she here? And dressed like that?'
Iris smiled up at him, speaking in her same energetic tone, and this time, there was a trace of happiness mixed in it.
"Mister Caelum," she took a deep breath, "As you know, today is the 31st. So to celebrate the last day of the year with everyone, I'm here on behalf of our society to invite all the residents in this area, to today's 'New Year Welcome Celebration event'."
She didn't even stop to breathe, and fired all the words out in one breath at Caelum.
Caelum stared at her serious face, actively avoiding her plump features.
'New Year Welcome Celebration? What a fancy-ass name.'
Still, he managed to keep his voice civil as he replied, "Will it be at night? If yes, then I might not—"
Before he could finish, Iris cut him off with a voice louder than before.
"Everyone in the area's coming! And it's totally free!" She even leaned forward a little, as if that word—free—was a golden bait.
Caelum kept his expression unchanged, 'Tch. You think I'm some bum who jumps at the word free?' holding in his voice, he didn't say it out.
Instead, he gave a tired sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. When should I come?"
Iris perked up instantly, like she has achieved her goal.
"Oh! The function starts around 8 p.m., but you can come even now if you want to help with the preparations…" She trailed off at the last part, clearly not expecting him to take the offer.
"Fine," Caelum said out flatly, already turning his back against her. "Give me a minute."
"Ah—? Oh! Alright!" iris said, visibly surprised.
Caelum didn't invite her in. He had no intention of letting a girl that young into his apartment. Instead, he motioned for her to wait by the door, then made his way back down the hallway to his bedroom.
'Everyone in the area, huh? Well… since I've got nothing better to do today… might as well go.'
He entered his bedroom, pulled the closet open, and grabbed a clean white shirt and a slightly expensive-looking jacket. As he reached for a pair of black pants, he muttered to himself.
"…Also, the fact that I feel awfully energetic today," He paused, then looked at the wall in thought.
"Probably because of that willpower breakthrough."
----
Caelum slid on a clean white shirt, its fabric was light and crisp against his skin. He rolled his shoulders as he buttoned it up, then reached for the jacket he'd made with the quill some time ago—a sharp, dark piece with a soft inner lining and subtle cuts that made it both stylish and comfortable.
"These are perfect," he said under his breath as he felt them fit flawlessly.
He gave a half-smirk.
"Well, of course they are flawless. Anything created through the quill ends up a little too perfect."
The outfit was modeled after something he had once seen in a fashion magazine—it had smart layering, clean lines and neutral tones. He remembered sketching it carefully, down to the stitching, before pulling it into existence with the quill.
After adjusting his collar, he walked to the desk and picked up the quill.
"Who knows when I'll need you," he said, giving it a small look before slipping it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
After grabbing his keys, he headed out for the front door.
Just a few feet away, he noticed Iris still standing just outside waiting, her slim back was facing him.
She was gazing quietly toward the street, like she had gotten lost in some thought. The late afternoon sun outlined her figure in soft gold.
"Sorry for the wait," Caelum said in a unexpectedly polite and gentlemanly tone.
Iris turned at his voice, her face brightening up quickly, "Oh, it's alright."
Her eyes flicked over his appearance, scanning him quickly with a unconscious glance. "You look quite handsome, Mister Caelum."
"Ah, thank you." Caelum was caught off guard by how easily the compliment left her mouth. Then she stepped aside politely, giving him room to finish locking up the front door.
After the soft click of the lock, he asked, slipping the keys into his pocket, "So where's this event being held?"
"At the park," Iris said as she began walking. "Since it's big and open, it was perfect for the decorations and everything else."
Caelum followed a step behind her, thinking intently, 'I should probably try to make the conversation a bit longer.'
"I'm guessing by your tone, most of the preparation is already done?" he asked.
"Mostly, yeah. Just a few small things left, that's why...Your help is appreciated," she added without looking at him.
Caelum nodded slightly. "It's nothing."
But in his head, his thoughts were less gracious. 'Appreciated, huh? I'm not exactly volunteering out of the kindness of my heart. I just don't have anything better to do today.'
Still, he walked with her, with hands in his jacket pockets. His eyes looking at the quiet street ahead, It had been a while since he had left the apartment with no particular plan. Even a longer while since he had agreed to do something just because someone asked.
Caelum didn't realize it himself, but he was already changing slowly. He was subconsciously stepping out of that quiet, walled-in version of himself bit by bit.
Even though it was not consciously happening—but it was happening nevertheless.
As they walked down the street together, a calm silence filled the streets, it wasn't awkward. Their shadows stretched out beside them, becoming long and lean in the soft golden glow of the dying sun.
And as time went by in the outside world, major changes were already occuring inside dharti, due to the difference in time flow it was already going through major changes.