Chapter 2
Thor couldn’t shake the unease that had haunted him since the day before. There was something deeply wrong about what he had witnessed, even if he’d only caught fragments of it. En Dwi’s seemingly kind smile hid something Thor couldn’t quite name, but it made his skin crawl.
Throughout the day, Loki behaved as though nothing was out of the ordinary. His indifferent attitude and sarcastic remarks only fueled Thor’s suspicions. How could he act so normal when it was clear something strange was happening during those "detentions"?
“What do you even do in there, Loki?” Thor asked at last, trying to sound casual as they walked toward the cafeteria.
Loki didn’t even pause. “Why do you care so much, Thor? Don’t you have better things to do?”
Thor frowned but didn’t push. He knew he wouldn’t get anything by confronting Loki head-on, so he decided to wait.
The opportunity came at lunchtime, when two students sitting near his table started whispering.
“He calls him in every day,” one of them said.
“Yeah, but not just anyone,” the other replied. “Only the ones he picks. And it’s always the same. They come back… different.”
Thor pretended not to listen, leaning subtly in their direction.
“My cousin said she saw one of them leave once. He looked pale, like he’d seen a ghost.”
“And what did he do?”
“The usual. Pretended like nothing happened.”
Thor set his tray aside, unable to ignore what he was hearing. He turned toward them, his expression dark.
“Who are you talking about?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.
The two students exchanged nervous glances. “No one. Just gossip,” one of them said quickly.
“What kind of gossip?” Thor pressed.
The other boy swallowed hard before answering. “Just that… En Dwi has his favorites, you know? And those detentions aren’t as… normal as they seem.”
Thor clenched his jaw, the weight of their words settling heavily in his chest. What did that mean, exactly? What were they implying?
That afternoon, Thor returned to the door of classroom 203. This time, he arrived before Loki and hid in a dark corner of the hallway. If he wanted to learn more, he’d need to be patient.
When Loki arrived, Thor watched him enter with the same indifferent expression as always. Shortly after, En Dwi’s voice filled the classroom, though the tone was lower than the last time. Thor could barely distinguish the words, but every fragment he managed to catch was enough to fuel his worst fears.
“Today will be different,” En Dwi said in his soft, controlled tone. “I want you to feel comfortable, Loki. This is a safe space.”
Loki laughed, but the sound was hollow. “Sure. As safe as always, right?”
A brief silence followed, interrupted by a noise Thor couldn’t identify. Something dragging. Maybe a chair, or perhaps something else.
“That’s it, relax,” En Dwi continued, his voice dropping even further. “I don’t want you to feel forced, but you know how this works.”
Thor felt a knot in his stomach. The coldness in Loki’s tone when he responded made him clench his fists.
“Of course. It’s your game, isn’t it?”
“Always so dramatic,” En Dwi said, and Thor could almost picture the smile on his face. “But you know you enjoy it. Even if you won’t admit it.”
Thor couldn’t listen any longer. He stepped away from the door, his heart pounding in his chest, his mind filled with images he didn’t want to imagine.
Thor remained motionless, his back against the cold hallway wall. He had waited weeks for this moment, watching, listening, collecting fragments of rumors that had led him to suspect his brother’s detentions. Loki, as always, had answered his questions with sarcasm, mockery, and evasions. But something didn’t add up.
Loki wasn’t the type to need constant supervision, and even if he were, there was no justification for the Grandmaster—a man known more for his extravagance than his dedication—keeping him back day after day.
From his position, Thor could hear snippets of the conversation inside the mixed arts classroom. En Dwi’s voice was soft, almost melodic, but there was something in his tone that made Thor clench his fists.
“Loki, dear,” En Dwi began, dragging the words with a familiarity that churned Thor’s stomach. “You’re particularly charming today. Have you noticed how the afternoon light enhances your features?”
“What do you want, En Dwi?” Loki retorted, his tone sharp but lacking the strength to sound defiant.
“Oh, always so brusque,” En Dwi replied with a low laugh. “Why don’t you relax a little? It’s just you and me here, far from the prying eyes of others. You can be yourself with me. You know that, don’t you?”
Thor knew the path to the mixed arts classroom, but he had never felt such revulsion walking it. This time, it wasn’t because of the lingering smells of oil paints or wet plaster. It was because of his purpose for being there, because of what he suspected was happening inside.
He stopped in front of the slightly ajar door and held his breath. From inside, the Grandmaster’s voice resonated with its characteristic tone: saccharine, almost musical, but laden with something else Thor couldn’t quite identify.
“Ah, Loki, you again,” En Dwi said with a smile Thor could almost hear. “This is starting to feel like a habit. Although, if I’m honest, I don’t mind at all.”
Thor peeked cautiously, his posture rigid as he tried not to be discovered. From his position, he could see Loki sitting at one of the tables, slightly leaning forward, as if trying to maintain some distance, though without much success. En Dwi, for his part, sat beside him, far too close, with a hand casually resting on the back of Loki’s chair, his finger occasionally brushing the edge of Loki’s shoulder.
“And what am I supposed to do? Refuse your kind invitations?” Loki replied, his tone neutral but with a spark of sarcasm that didn’t go unnoticed.
“Oh, don’t play the martyr,” En Dwi said, tilting his head. “You know you enjoy these... chats as much as I do. After all, who else do I dedicate so much time to?”
Thor felt his heart race. That familiarity, that physical proximity between them, was more than he had anticipated. En Dwi wasn’t behaving like a teacher with a problematic student; his body language spoke of someone who knew he held power and had no qualms about using it.
“Perhaps you could spend time with someone else,” Loki suggested, his eyes fixed on some distant point. “I’m sure you’d find someone just as ‘fascinating’ as me.”
“Loki, Loki...” En Dwi leaned closer, one hand slowly sliding across the table until it brushed against the boy’s wrist. “Don’t be modest. You know there’s no one like you.”
Thor felt a chill run down his spine. The Grandmaster’s words were filled with an insidious sweetness, as if wrapping a threat in a coating of honey.
“That’s... encouraging,” Loki responded with a tense smile, though he didn’t pull his hand away when En Dwi’s fingers traced a slow, deliberate path along his skin.
Thor clenched his fists, his knuckles white from the tension. How could Loki endure this? Why didn’t he say anything? But then he remembered: this wasn’t the first time. Loki had been in these “detentions” almost daily for weeks. And though he always managed to avoid giving details, Thor was starting to understand why.
En Dwi leaned back in his chair, watching Loki with a gaze that seemed to pierce him. “Do you know what I like about you?” he asked in a voice that sounded more like a whisper. “Your... willingness. Despite everything, you always come back.”
Thor felt a knot in his stomach. It was as if those words carried a weight only Loki and En Dwi fully understood. From his spot, he could see En Dwi’s hand slide from the table to rest on Loki’s thigh—a gesture so casual it was disturbing. Loki didn’t move, though his jaw tightened for a moment before relaxing again.
Thor took a step back, his mind in chaos. The implications were clear, but he had no evidence—only the certainty that something terribly wrong was happening. He wanted to burst into the classroom, drag Loki out of there, and confront the Grandmaster once and for all, but he knew he couldn’t do that yet. He needed more.
With his teeth clenched, he turned and walked down the hallway. En Dwi’s words echoed in his mind: “You always come back.”