The smoke had finally cleared, leaving behind nothing but ruins — charred concrete, shattered walls, and the metallic scent of blood lingering in the air.
Araki stood amidst the wreckage, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the two black-clad figures had shattered like glass and vanished.
— "Great... the school's probably going to suspend me again."
He sighed, scratching his head, his tone bored — as if chaos had long become routine.
Turning on his heel, Araki began walking in the direction Drake and Bruno had fled.
Meanwhile...
The two students — Willin's friends — were still sprinting through the devastated alleyway, lungs burning, feet pounding against the cracked pavement.
-"Hey, Bruno! They're gone already! Why the hell are we still running?!"
Drake shouted between gasps, his voice echoing off the broken walls.
-"Because that big guy back there feels even more dangerous than those two freaks in black!"
Bruno gritted his teeth, scanning the street ahead. "First, we need to regroup with Willin's team — then we'll figure it out."
They barely had time to catch their breath when a calm voice spoke up behind them:
-"Oh... you two must be Willin's friends. Holland's little brother, right?"
Both of them froze mid-step.
From within the thinning smoke, Araki emerged — hands in his pockets, wearing a faint, almost amused smile.
— "Wha—?!"
Drake yelped, stumbling into Bruno. The two tumbled awkwardly across the ground before scrambling back up, wide-eyed and tense.
- "How the hell did you catch up to us?! And why do you know Willin?!"
Drake raised his shield instinctively, his tone halfway between panic and disbelief.
Araki simply shrugged, looking utterly unfazed.
- "No need to get defensive. I'm... well, let's just say I'm a friend of Willin's older brother."
That stopped them cold.
Bruno exchanged a look with Drake, eyes narrowing in suspicion — but slowly, cautiously, they lowered their guard.
- "If you really know Willin," Bruno said carefully, "then tell us — where are his team and Miliana right now?"
- "Miliana?"
Araki's brow furrowed. His tone was genuinely puzzled. "Who's that?"
Silence.
Drake and Bruno both froze in place, sweat beading on their foreheads.
- "Don't tell me... you haven't met them yet?"
"Wait... what's going on here—"
They turned to each other, an uneasy dread creeping up their spines.
— "Hey Willin, wake up you sleepyhead!!"
A voice shouted, full of irritation.
Willin stirred slightly, his eyes half-open and hazy… but before he could figure out what was happening—
BAM!
Drake leapt down from above, slamming straight onto him!
-"DRAKE!!! STOP—!!"
Before Willin could finish, he was already pinned flat beneath Drake's weight.
- "Finally awake, huh? While we were out there running for our lives, you're just lying here taking a nap? Must be nice!"
Bruno barked, giving Willin's leg a light kick, half-angry, half-teasing.
Willin winced, clutching his stomach.
- "Ow! How was I supposed to know where you guys were? And why are you even here now?"
A deep, familiar voice answered from behind:
- "Because your big bro brought them here."
Willin turned—Araki stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, his face calm and unreadable.
-"Your body just went through Gil pressure from someone way stronger than you. If you don't rest properly, your nerves will start going haywire."
His sharp eyes swept over Willin, as if analyzing every wound.
Willin blinked, processing for a moment—then suddenly shot up.
- "Wait, hold on! If you're here… then that Crook guy—is he dead?!"
Araki scratched his head, looking a bit awkward.
-"Yeah, he's dead. But saying I killed him isn't exactly right. I didn't even touch the guy."
Silence filled the room for a few seconds…
Then, in perfect unison—
- "Did Miliana make it to you?!" — Willin.
-"Was Miliana safe with you?!" — Bruno and Drake.
Araki froze, one eyebrow raised.
-"Huh…?"
The air turned heavy.
Three pairs of eyes exchanged looks — confusion, worry, and a flicker of fear.
Another voice cut through the tension.
- "They probably took Miliana."
Everyone turned — Holland stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, his expression grim.
-"Maybe they're planning to use her as a hostage. Who knows what those bastards are plotting."
Behind him, Eobard walked in, stretching and yawning, though his tone carried a strange seriousness.
-"We've already told the other students. Tomorrow, we'll clean up the battlefield. Better that than being forced to dig coal for two weeks."
Bruno let out a dry laugh — but no one else joined in. The mood remained heavy.
Willin's gaze drifted toward the window, where the morning sun painted the Gustavo sky in crimson hues.
A faint, uneasy feeling crept into his chest — as if the real battle… was only just beginning.
— "Huh… where… am I…?"
A weak, trembling voice echoed through the dimly lit room.
Miliana slowly opened her eyes, her head spinning, vision blurred.
As she tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness washed over her — her body felt heavy, drained.
She glanced around — the walls were cold, damp stone.
The only light came from a small, barred door at the far end of the room.
A cell.
She was being held captive.
Miliana gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand, her steps unsteady as she approached the door. Through the narrow crack, she could see a bright chamber beyond, the light almost blinding compared to her dark prison.
She reached out her hand — frost flickered at her fingertips, but then fizzled out immediately.
Her freezing ability… wasn't working.
- "It's useless, little mage~"
That voice — smooth and mocking — came from the hallway.
Miliana's breath caught.
She recognized it instantly — the assassin who had ambushed her.
-"Where am I?! What do you want from us?!"
Miliana shouted, her voice echoing off the stone walls.
The woman chuckled, sauntering closer, her heels clicking against the floor.
- "Shh, quiet, sweetheart. I really like girls who struggle — they're the cutest."
She reached out, trailing a finger under Miliana's chin.
Miliana jerked back, smacking her hand away.
- "What the hell are you talking about?! I asked why I'm here — what do you want from me?!"
The assassin's expression darkened, her eyes narrowing.
-"Tch… maybe I should punish naughty little girls like you."
Her tone turned sharp, dangerous.
Miliana swallowed hard — but she didn't back down.
Then, a deep voice boomed from the far end of the corridor:
- "Do you really want to touch the Emperor's sacrifice, woman? Are you so eager to die?"
A tall man in a black robe stepped from the shadows, his presence heavy and commanding.
The assassin sneered, cracking her neck.
- "Tch. And if you die here, who's gonna report to His Majesty, huh?"
She took a threatening step toward him.
-"That's enough, you two."
Another robed figure appeared between them, his tone unusually lighthearted.
-"You shouldn't be fighting each other. Not here."
Miliana's eyes darted between the three of them — confusion and fear mixing in her chest.
- "Wait a second! What did you mean— I'm the Emperor's sacrifice?! Who is this 'Emperor'?!"
She demanded, voice trembling.
The three turned toward her.
A brief silence fell.
Then, the tall man finally spoke.
- "The Emperor… is His Majesty Grakk."
The assassin let out a mocking laugh, wagging a finger.
-"Careful, big guy. Speaking His name three times in your lifetime is already more than you deserve."
Miliana froze.
"Grakk…?"
The name alone sent a shiver down her spine — though she didn't yet know why.
— "You should feel lucky to be chosen by Lord Grakk, little girl."
The towering man spoke, his voice deep and cold as forged steel.
Miliana shivered, sweat trickling down her temple as her heartbeat quickened.
Lucky? She couldn't understand what he meant.
Why would anyone feel lucky... to die for someone they had never even met?
- "Oh~ if you want,"
the sweet, teasing female voice purred,
"I could spend one last night with you before you die. How does that sound, sweetheart?"
The assassin girl licked her lips, a wicked grin curling under the dim light — her eyes glimmering with hunger as they devoured Miliana's every move.
A chill ran down Miliana's spine, forcing her to take an instinctive step back.
- "She's cute."
Another voice emerged — deeper, softer, yet strangely unsettling.
Miliana whipped around — the third hooded man was suddenly right in front of her, barely an arm's length away.
She hadn't heard a single footstep.
He had appeared as if by instant teleportation.
- "W–What?! Since when—?!"
Miliana stumbled backward, nearly falling.
Instantly, the assassin girl shot a deadly glare toward the newcomer, her voice sharp as a blade:
-"Hey!!! Touch my little darling and I'll cut you into a hundred pieces, got it?"
The man merely shrugged, his tone calm, unbothered:
- "Relax. I don't plan on hurting her."
Then he turned his eyes to Miliana, voice steady yet curious:
- "What's your name?"
Miliana trembled slightly, but managed to speak through her fear:
-"M–Miliana…"
A brief silence filled the corridor before he chuckled softly:
-"A fitting name… for someone like you."
With that, he turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.
The large man frowned, calling after him:
- "You're just gonna ask her name and leave?"
The third man grinned playfully, replying over his shoulder:
-"My job was to learn her name — not interrogate her."
And with that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving behind an eerie stillness — a chill that seemed to whisper of something far greater yet to come.
Miliana stood frozen, her breath trembling.
Every word, every look from these strangers… carried the weight of a plan far darker than she could imagine.
— "How's the mission…?"
The voice came from a man with piercing violet eyes, faint yet commanding, as he looked down from above.
Below him knelt the archer — the one who had chased after Willin.
— "T-the mission failed, sir… They had reinforcements, and Crook… Crook is dead,"
the archer stammered, his voice trembling with fear.
— "Then why… are you standing before me now?"
The violet-eyed man's tone dropped colder, sharper.
The archer's whole body shook. He immediately bowed lower, forehead almost touching the floor.
— "P-please forgive me, my lord! I swear… I won't let him escape next time! I swear! Please don't kill me!!"
A brief, heavy silence.
Then came the calm, almost gentle order:
— "…Raise your head."
The archer exhaled shakily, a flicker of hope in his eyes as he slowly obeyed.
— "Kill him."
BOOM!
His head exploded in an instant — blood splattering across the marble floor.
The lifeless body fell forward with a dull thud, crimson spreading beneath it.
From the shadows, the black-cloaked man from earlier entered the chamber.
— "I've completed the task you gave me, my lord. I now know her name."
The violet-eyed man nodded, voice low and smooth:
— "Excellent… You are the one I trust most, Shark."
Shark bowed slightly.
— "Thank you, my lord."
A gust of wind blew through the chamber, brushing past his collar and revealing his silver hair and bright ocean-blue eyes.
The small earring dangling from his ear shimmered faintly in the pale light.