The night fell gradually. The library stretched upwards like a grand circular colosseum; the stone walls were marked with various ruin patterns that seemed to shimmer as the shadows of the night touched it.
Inside were shelves that curved along the rounded wall, giving the library a labyrinthine feel, like a circular maze.
Grey, the illusionary swordsman, walked into the huge building filled with tables, decorated with an ornament of a dragon.
In the distance, he spotted a blond-haired beauty resting by the shelf, fully equipped with gear.
Seraphina glanced at Grey with arrogance. "So you're the punk that called me here." She spoke with her natural condescending tone, walking towards Grey.
"You never change...." Grey scoffed. "So you got the letter too, huh?"
This question made her stop in her tracks. "You got one too?" She raised a brow, a bit surprised.
"Yeah."
The huge doors creaked open, and two of the platinum students walked in.
Orion, a blue-haired cadet with a tall and well-built frame, and Keal, a short-haired girl who was small in stature.
Orion looked around, spotting Seraphina and Grey. "You got the letter too." Orion raised the piece of paper in his hands.
Grey was about to ask the same thing, but Orion spoke before he could.
"So, let me get this straight." A voice echoed, startling a few.
From the shadows of the great library, Valen erupted from the shadows, wielding his signature scythe.
"You guys all got this message from a guy you all couldn't sense, and out of curiosity... you show up." He grinned.
"He calls himself The Mystic Arts Major."
The group looked above to the source of the sound, and a guy wielding a sickle dropped down from one of the high shelves.
Blazing red eyes and messy black hair; his sickle pulsated with a faint red light.
"Darius, you came?... Let me guess; you couldn't sense him, could you?"
The temperature dropped by a few degrees as the door flew open, and two knights walked in.
Isolde, the frozen rose, pink-haired and vibrant pink-eyed girl, and Roland—a long-haired cadet with a built frame, towering over the group—with a snake wrapped around his neck.
"Oouuu... so the frozen rose and the beast slayer have joined the party? I'm excited already." Darius grinned.
"So you all got the same letter... huh." Roland sighed, strolling to one of the chairs and resting on it.
A normal knight would have fainted from the sheer aura emanating from these guys.
Arthur pushed the doors wide open with a loud thud; his long white hair drooped down his shoulders, making him look a little bit feminine, but his well-built frame contrasted this entirely.
He wore his normal robe, and his sword hung lazily by his side.
Strolling behind him was Lysander; the knight's hair was deep golden with dark eyes that seemed to pierce Arthur's back with burning intensity.
"You're always so loud." He declared, lazily picking his ear.
"You all were called by the same letter, right?"
The group just sighed at Arthur's words.
"The questions have already been asked... dimwit." Valen sat on the table, looking around.
"Now we're all gathered in one place; where's this Mystic Arts Major guy?"
_I'M RIGHT HERE_
Grey's eyes immediately narrowed.
In the middle of the large library colosseum, a figure sat on the edge of the table, leaning off with graceful movements.
The soulless figure stood at the center of the circular library; moonlight swept through the glass dome above them.
"Sit..." His voice was deep, calm, unshaken.
The group was stunned.
Arthur looked around. 'H-he was here all along?!'.
Valen looked with a bit of confusion. "That's not right... I would've sensed him."
The figure traced his hand around the table.
"What are you waiting for?"
The table was a long table, capable of sitting 11 people.
Seraphina cocked her head to the side. "What gives you the right to bark orders at us?" She scoffed, raising her chin.
Grey, on the other hand, just leaned back against the shelf.
"Not really a host, are you...?" He spoke, crossing his arms with a smirk.
"Keep in mind, this isn't an interrogation. It's a negotiation." The figure spoke.
Everything about this guy was ominous; no presence, no bloodlust—nothing.
It felt they were standing in the presence of a soulless vessel.
Its black sleek robe glistened under the moonlight.
"Tch... I don't take orders from some creep." Arthur glanced at Zach with squinted eyes, trying to figure him out.
"At least let's try to hear what he has to say." Keal chimed in.
"Hmm... scary voice; you really know how to kill the mood; I think I'll stand, thanks." Valen chuckled.
The masked figure looked around.
Darius walked forward with his sickle, staring down at the figure.
"Say what you want." Bloodlust oozed.
"Or I'll gut you where you stand." Darius's threat seemed to stir something as the aura in the room instantly rose by degrees.
Isolde crossed her hand indifferently. "If you try to command me again—you'll regret it." Seraphina was arrogant, but Isolde spoke with cold calculation; the ground beneath her feet froze as hostility grew.
Roland sighed, still on his own seat a few meters away. "You're not asking nicely..." He shook his head.
The masked figure watched their arrogance, and a smirk crept across Zach's lips in the mask.
'Fine then; I never intended to tame wild tigers with talk anyway.'
The masked figure tilted; no emotion on his face.
His words echoed like a decree.
"That was not a request."
The air thickened instantly; bloodlust, presence, it all flowed out at once, tingling the senses of everyone in the library.
"That's an order."
Darius jumped back with a grin.
"Ha ha, that's more like it; show us how crazy you can be."
Darius brandished his sickle as Valen, a few meters behind him, waved his massive scythe.
"Oh boy..." Keal pressed her lips together.
Zach stood upright, unsheathing his hook blades from inside his coat.
Seraphina gritted her teeth, unsheathing her blade.
"You... you dare—"
Roland, who was sitting most of the time, finally stood up, summoning a lizard the size of a horse.
"Listen, man... you can take down all of us in a fight." Grey tried to reason.
Zach raised the sword.
"Wouldn't have called you here if I'm not confident."
Arthur's grin widened. "You...", a mix of shock and trepidation washed over him.
The books in the library fell off from the sheer pressure being emitted from Zach.
Zach knew each of their fighting styles and abilities, while they knew nothing about his... he had the advantage.
Isolde faltered a bit. 'Something's wrong with this guy.' Who was he, where was he from?
"I think we should hear him out."
"Too late, Iso." Darius crouched into his lounging stance.
Zach sighed.
"I thought that girl would talk sense into you." He scoffed.
"But like an animal, you cling to primal instinct."
"What did you say!?" Seraphina's blade lit up red.
"Well... there goes our negotiation."
[Authors note; Thanks for your support if you're here please make yourself known, it motivates me to move further also if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask in the comments]