Chapter 24: Cracks in the Foundation
"Things have been bad these past few days," I muttered to myself.
My breath lingered in the night air, thick with tension and regret. My voice echoed in my ears like a broken mantra. My sister is missing. Crysta. My little sister. Gone without a trace.
And now… Kain… murdered.
I didn't even know how to process it. It felt like the entire world was pulling apart at the seams and I was just standing there—right in the middle—watching everything collapse. My mind was swimming in a whirlpool of unanswered questions and suffocating silence. Every step I took echoed in my ears louder than the last. My legs carried me through the back alleys of Astra Academy, the moon barely casting light through the thick mist that shrouded the path.
I wasn't even thinking straight. I should've flown with my wind powers. But no—I needed to walk. I needed to feel the ground beneath me, to connect to something real, something that wouldn't disappear like everyone else.
Then I heard it.
"Yuno!"
A sharp voice cut through the silence, panting heavily, desperate. I turned around instinctively, my hand half-raised, ready to summon my wind blade.
It was Riku Solheim.
She was out of breath, panic painted all over her pale face. Her normally neat hair clung to her forehead, soaked in sweat. Her violet eyes trembled.
"Are you alright?" I asked, stepping forward.
Her answer wasn't what I expected.
"Mr. Yuno… Eren Vael and Kate… they're fighting. It's bad. Most of the school grounds are nearly destroyed!"
My heart skipped a beat. "What?! That's impossible. Eren and Kate? They're like brother and sister!"
"I know!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "I don't understand it either! But no teacher has interfered—they're all in some meeting with Mr. Liorion and the Magic Leader, Mr. Jason."
She looked me straight in the eye.
"That makes you the acting leader of the Holy Ones right now."
I clenched my fists so hard I could feel my nails digging into my skin.
Another problem? Now?
Five unresolved cases were already burning holes through my mind like wildfire—Crysta's kidnapping, the Holy Stone theft, Kain's mysterious death, the appearance of corrupted familiars near the Arcane Gate, and the sudden disappearance of Professor Varnel. I hadn't slept in three days. And now this?
I gave Riku a firm nod.
"Go ahead. I'll be right behind you."
She vanished into the fog, her footsteps quick and urgent. I remained there… for just a moment. I couldn't move. I just stood there, alone, engulfed by the weight of everything on my shoulders. The world had become too heavy, and I wasn't sure if I was strong enough to carry it.
That's when the magical communication ring on my wrist pulsed.
I tapped it open. The hologram formed—flickering, blue.
It was a message… from my father, Sylestra.
"My son… have you heard from your sister after her kidnap? Things here at home are getting difficult. Your mother hasn't slept a single night. She cries every day. The house feels empty. We're… we're afraid."
"I've started to suspect the spies from the Silver Kingdom might be behind her abduction. I trust the Mighty Force are still searching… but my son, do not waste any time. Please, find her. We cannot lose her too."
His voice cracked with fear. A kind of fear I had never heard from the great Lord Sylestra.
That message crushed me even more.
I felt like I was suffocating in the middle of open air.
Crysta…
I had almost forgotten—Silver Kingdom spies were rumored to be hiding among us, within Astra Academy's very walls. And I had neglected the new student files. Among them… there could be culprits.
But not now.
First… I had to settle this madness between Eren and Kate.
I dashed off.
As I arrived at the heart of the chaos, the scene was catastrophic.
The holy garden was ripped apart—trees scorched, tiles shattered, the air humming with residual magic. Students fled in all directions, and at the center of it all stood Kate.
She wasn't herself.
Eyes blood red. Katana in hand. Hair wild. Her uniform torn and stained. Her entire aura… darkened.
Five Holy Ones were struggling to contain her, but none could even get close.
I turned to Isadora, my second-in-command.
"What the hell happened?"
He explained, face grim. "She received a letter… from Kain. Before he died. It said Eren was the one behind his murder… and that his last wish was for Kate to avenge him."
"What?" I blinked. "That doesn't make sense. Kain and Eren were close. Kain wouldn't write that."
"That's what I told her," Isadora replied. "But she believes it."
"Who gave her the letter?"
"Lucia."
That name sent a chill down my spine.
Lucia was standing at the far edge of the battlefield, arms folded, a crooked smile on his face. Ever since he became a Holy One, he always struck me as… wrong. Too calm. Too cold. Too calculating. He was the type of guy who'd smile while watching a building burn.
But I didn't have time to accuse him—not yet.
I stepped forward, summoning my Wind Sword, the air howling around me.
"KATE!" I roared. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! This is treason!"
She turned to me. Her eyes—bloodshot, filled with tears and rage.
"Let me avenge him," she cried. "It was his last wish! I know who killed him!"
"Who?" I asked quietly.
Her blade pointed directly at Eren.
"HIM!"
Eren stepped forward, his tone desperate. "She's out of her mind! I didn't kill Kain! Someone's messing with her head—she's not herself!"
But I could tell… this wasn't mind control. No trace of it. Her mana flow was normal. This was grief. Real, raw, agonizing grief that had twisted into vengeance.
I tried to reason—but it was too late.
"STEP ASIDE, YUNO!" she screamed, dashing toward me.
She swung her twin blades with a scream of pain and fury. I raised my hand—Wind Barrier! The impact sent her flying backward, bouncing against the barrier like a ragdoll.
"NOW!" I shouted to the others.
In seconds, the battlefield changed.
From the sky, Selene Noir descended like a shadowy angel, her white hair flowing as gravity magic surged. She snapped her fingers.
BOOM.
A surge of pressure forced Kate to the ground. She screamed, unable to move.
Isadora stepped in, placing two fingers on Kate's temple.
Pulse of Slumber.
Her body fell limp. Unconscious.
But just as the tension faded… a new threat arrived.
An army.
The soldiers of the kingdom.
Marching under the banner of law.
At their front—Gaius, assistant to the Magic King.
He surveyed the wreckage. His face was stoic, expression unreadable.
Then he looked at us—the Holy Ones.
"I'm… disappointed."
His voice was calm, but heavy.
"The academy entrusted you—all of you—with its protection. And what do I find? Infighting. A girl gone rogue. Property destroyed. And Kain… dead. Instead of honoring his memory, you wage war against each other."
He gestured, and his men picked up Kate's unconscious body.
"She will be tried under kingdom law."
"Wait," I said, stepping forward. "Does the school principal know about this? This is school jurisdiction. You can't just take a student."
"I already informed them," he said smoothly. "And received full permission."
With that… they were gone.
The silence that followed was unbearable. The other Holy Ones began murmuring, some cursing under their breath.
I tried to calm them, to give them hope… but then I saw her.
In the crowd.
Amaria.
One of the prefects.
Walking away slowly.
With a smile.
And on her uniform—the silver crest of the Silver Kingdom.
She disappeared into the mist.
And I… stood there.
Speechless.
She was one of them.
A spy.
Inside our school.
Inside our ranks.
I stood frozen, speechless.