Eternal Malediction (RE)

Graham removed his arm around Roy and rose to his feet slowly, brushing bits of food from his hands as the cabin noise gradually settled. Conversations dimmed, laughter softened, and a few boys nudged each other to quiet down. Roy watched him stand there all calm, composed, but carrying that same tiredness behind his eyes that gleamed a little when he talked to him.

Graham cleared his throat lightly and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention in the cabin. "Alright, everyone."

The cabin responded with a ripple of attention. Heads turned. Someone paused mid‑argument with a fork still in the air.

"We’re all going through a hard time," Graham said, voice steady. "Every single one of us. And none of us are meant to deal with it alone."

A few boys nodded. Others simply stared, waiting.

"We have to look out for each other," he continued. "Not just when things get bad, but especially when they get confusing."

A murmur of agreement moved through the room.

"And before anything else," Graham added, "I want everyone to thank Kim John."

Kim John, sitting near the back with a half-eaten sandwich, blinked in surprise.

"He’s the reason we have a working microwave and a music player," Graham said. "He’s been charging them for all of us."

The cabin erupted into clapping, hooting, and a few dramatic whistles. Kim John raised his hands awkwardly, half‑embarrassed, half‑proud that he was now a bio charger.

Graham lifted a hand to quiet them again. "And... please don’t mention the microwave to anyone outside this cabin, especially the girls." His tone sharpened just slightly. "If they find out we have one, they’ll take it and Kim John away."

The boys burst into laughter – loud, chaotic, and knowing. Someone shouted, "They’d take everything from us if they could!" Another yelled, "Hide the microwave under the bed!" The laughter rolled through the cabin like a wave.

Graham waited for it to settle, then continued. "Now," he said, "we all need to head to the women’s cabin. There’s a meeting about... everything. So, get yourselves ready."

A few groans sounded, but most of the boys stood up, stretching, grabbing jackets, and finishing food. Roy pushed himself off the wall, Kieran rising Tanaka as they finished their conversation, and slowly everyone left the cabin for the day.

The cabin door opened, letting in a rush of cool countryside air.

They stepped outside into the soft brightness of a late morning just beyond 1985 London. The countryside stretched around them with rolling fields washed in pale gold, hedgerows lining the dirt path, and distant farmhouses sitting quietly against the horizon. The air smelt faintly of grass and damp soil.

It wasn’t a long walk. A mile, maybe two. Just enough for the group to spread out naturally: some boys talking, some kicking stones along the path, others walking in silence with hands shoved into pockets.

Men really are similar to an extent.

Roy walked near the middle of the group. Kieran stayed beside him, close but quiet. Graham walked ahead, speaking occasionally with Tanaka, who listened with an usual calm expression.

Birds flickered through the trees, their chirping cutting through the soft wind. The sky hung low with thin clouds drifting lazily, casting slow-moving shadows across the fields.

The boys’ footsteps crunched against the dirt and gravel. Every now and then, someone joked loudly, and the sound carried across the open space before fading again.

Roy watched the scenery pass: the gentle slopes, the scattered wildflowers, and the distant hum of a main road far beyond the fields. It felt peaceful in a way he hadn’t expected. Not comforting, but grounding.

The women’s cabin came into view soon enough: a small wooden structure tucked near a cluster of trees, smoke drifting faintly from its chimney. A few girls stood outside, arms crossed, waiting.

As the boys approached, the atmosphere shifted now with anticipation, tension, and curiosity. A meeting about "everything," Graham had said.

Roy exhaled softly, eyes fixed on the cabin ahead.

Whatever happened next... it mattered.

They entered the cabin; they saw blankets neatly folded across chairs and empty food wrappers in bins. The faint smell of cheap coffee drifted through the woman’s wooden cabin since it was big enough to hold everyone in the group just for a discussion. Outside, the countryside remained quiet beneath pale morning light while a cold wind brushed softly against the windows.

Roy stepped into the cabin slightly later than most people. The moment he entered, several heads turned toward him instinctively.

Rin and Mella ran up to him as Kieran entered the cabin right behind him and they didn’t speak, they just stood next to them, with Rin standing next to Roy and Mella standing on Kieran’s shoes as he held her hands so that she doesn’t fall.

Victor gave him a small nod from near the table. Sophia did the same while sipping from a chipped mug. Even Marcus briefly glanced up from his seat before returning to whatever he was thinking about.

Then Ethan and Lily looked toward him too.

The couple had changed slightly since the Trial Chambers. Less relaxed and closer to each other, this pissed Roy off a little. Like surviving death together had quietly forced them into understanding how fragile people actually were.

Roy nodded back once before moving toward an empty space near the wall.

He then sees Tanaka standing next to his girl; Roy doesn’t remember her name. He sees that Tanaka is smiling standing next to her even though she doesn’t even acknowledge that he is there at all. What a fool he is.

Roy’s eyes then flick to Liam and Aster, who were sitting next to each other as they spoke, and then those two made eye contact with Roy. Liam nodded, and Aster made a slight wave while slightly glowing, and Roy waved back as well.

The room itself felt crowded again. Nearly everyone had gathered for the morning meeting.

Kaelen sat down by the table with Graham and Orion on each side of her. Graham sat with one leg crossed over the other.

The atmosphere settled once everyone arrived.

Then Graham announces. "Let’s begin this meeting."