The final bell had barely finished ringing when the hallway exploded with noise. Wings rustled in the air, books slammed shut, and laughter echoed off the walls. Valkyrie slipped into the tide of students with Soda, Jasmine, and Rain at her side, their voices were bubbling with excitement.
It had been few hours since the temple revealed her identity— 'The angel of light'. A revelation that turned her into both mystery and headline. Every glance she caught whispered the same thing through every hook and cranny of the school.
Soda, of course, treated it like it was the most exciting thing in the world. "Val, please, I'm begging you. Do the thing again."
Valkyrie groaned softly. "Urgh, you've been saying that since class hours Soda."
"Because class hours wasn't enough!" Soda insisted, hopping into step backwards so she could face Valkyrie. Her braids bounced as she threw her arms wide. "C'mon, you've got the coolest powers in the building now, and we're supposed to just walk around like normal people? No. Absolutely not. Show me the sparkle show again."
Jasmine chuckled, her silver-and-purple outfit shimmering faintly under the light. "She has a point. It wouldn't hurt to practice control. Besides, think of it as entertainment during this dreadfully dull walk."
Rain, who walked quietly on the other side, nodded gently. "I… I wouldn't mind seeing it too."
Valkyrie sighed, half-exasperated but secretly pleased that they all wanted to see her powers. "Alright. But just this once."
Immediately, Soda squealed. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Valkyrie's hallway concert!"
Several students turned their heads at Soda's loud announcement. Valkyrie blushed crimson, shooting her a glare. "Why do you have to say everything so loudly?"
"Because," Soda said proudly, "volume is confidence."
Ignoring her, Valkyrie stopped in the center of the corridor. She inhaled, closed her eyes, and let instinct guide her. She reached with her thoughts— no, with her light toward the ceiling's crystal lamps.
A heartbeat later, the lights went out.
Gasps echoed through the hallway as the corridor fell into darkness. Someone yelped, another tripped over a tail.
Then— one by one, the lamps flickered back to life. Not in dull white, but in dazzling waves of color. Ruby, sapphire, emerald, gold— shades shifted fluidly across the ceiling like northern lights trapped indoors. The floor reflected a rainbow sheen, and the students walking beneath it glowed in hues that made them look like living paintings.
The crowd murmured, some stunned, others enchanted.
Soda squealed so loudly she startled a devil carrying books, who promptly dropped them all. "Do you SEE this? She's turning the hallway into a rave!"
Jasmine tilted her head thoughtfully. "It's not just lights. She's bending the spectrum itself. This isn't a trick, it's… it's artistry."
Rain's lips parted, her voice was soft with awe. "Beautiful..."
Valkyrie opened her eyes, startled at the way the entire hall had transformed under her control. She laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to make it… that big."
"Damn Val, that's not big," Soda corrected, spinning under the rainbow lights. "It's legendary."
They laughed together, their voices carrying down the glowing hallway. For the first time since the temple, Valkyrie felt the tension in her chest ease. Maybe this place wasn't going to be so hard after all.
All of a sudden a weird clicking started from afar.
It was sharp, and commanding. Their deliberate heels were striking against the marble floor. The sound that made students scatter instinctively toward the sides of the corridor.
Stephanie. And her crew of cause.
She came into view like a storm— tall, graceful, her black hair gleaming like obsidian. Her dark wings, sleek and flawless, arched just enough to assert dominance. A trail of devils followed behind, smirking and whispering as though the hallway belonged to them.
Stephanie stopped only a few feet away, her eyes flicking to the rainbow-lit ceiling, then narrowing on Valkyrie.
"Well," she drawled, her voice smooth as venom. "If it isn't our academy's newest darling. Turning corridors into carnivals. How very… inspiring."
Her cronies laughed on cue. One elbowed the other, muttering, "Maybe next she'll juggle for us." they all laughed again together as though it was a chorus.
Soda crossed her arms together, with a 'Here we go again' kind of look on her face, she was unfazed and looked ready to kick some ass "Better than juggling insults and bad eyeliner like you guys."
The devil who'd joked about juggling sputtered. "Hey—!"
Stephanie raised a hand, silencing her. She stepped closer, her gaze was sliding past Soda and Jasmine until it landed on Rain.
"And what do we have here?" Stephanie smirked. "Little Rain. The puddle angel. Tell me— do you even belong here? Or are you just going to leak tears whenever someone looks at you too hard?"
Rain shrank back, her shoulders began curling inward.
"HEY!" Jasmine snapped, stepping between them. "Leave her alone you freak"
Soda added, "Yeah. Seriously. At least come up with an insult that isn't about weather, drama queen."
A ripple of laughter spread through the watching students. Stephanie's eyes darkened. "Freak? Drama queen? Oh- You think you're funny?"
"Not as funny as your brother's haircut," Soda shot back.
Even Valkyrie had to cough into her hand to hide a laugh.
Stephanie's lips curled in a snarl. "You'll regret this, all of you."
That was when Valkyrie finally spoke. Her voice was calm, but it cut through the noise. "If you've got a problem with her, then you've got a problem with us."
The hallway seemed like it stilled.
Stephanie blinked once, caught off guard. Then she leaned in, smiling like a wolf. "You think you can play leader already, light-girl? Careful. Spotlights burn out fast."
Valkyrie didn't flinch. "Hmmm, you know, maybe you might be right..." she paused then fired back with a more fierce look on her face "...But not today."
The tension was thick enough to choke on. Then, just as it seemed ready to snap, Soda leaned toward Jasmine and whispered (loud enough for everyone to hear)
"Did she seriously call Rain a puddle? Like— what happens if she sneezes, does she flood the bathroom?"
Jasmine elbowed her. "Not the time."
But it was too late— the hallway cracked with laughter, students were covering their mouths. Even some devils couldn't hold back snickers. Stephanie's face went red.
"This isn't over," she spat, before storming off with her entourage, her heels clacking furiously.
The second she disappeared around the corner, the hallway let out a collective breath.
Rain lowered her head, ashamed. "I… I couldn't do anything. I froze. Again."
Valkyrie touched her shoulder gently. "It's okay Rain, you don't need to fight like her. You just need to be yourself."
But Jasmine's voice carried more weight, calm yet fierce. She faced Rain directly. "Rain, listen to me. You're the angel of water. Silence doesn't mean weakness— it's power. A flood doesn't shout. It just comes. And when it does, nothing can stop it."
Rain blinked, stunned by her conviction. "But… they're too much for me."
Jasmine smiled faintly. "That's why you've got us."
Soda nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Team Rainbow— no, wait, that sounds weird —Team Sparkle? No, that sounds worse, okay, we'll work on the name, but you get the point."
Valkyrie laughed so hard as the lights above them began to dim gently back into white. "Whatever the name, we've got each other."
"Wait," Jasmine said suddenly, her tone was thoughtful. "Don't you think… we should have a name? Something just for us?"
Soda blinked at her. "Like a nickname?"
"No," Jasmine smirked, folding her arms. "Like em... a title. A group name. We're already acting like a team, so why not make it official?"
Valkyrie tilted her head, amused. "Okay then, Miss Creativity. What do you have in mind?"
"Hold on," Jasmine raised a finger. "We'll all try. One by one."
They huddled together, forming a small circle in the empty corridor. Soda was first, practically bouncing. "Hmm… what about The Angelic Four?"
Jasmine rolled her eyes playfully. "Cute, but sounds like a children's choir." Rain shrugged softly, her voice was quiet but steady. "Guardians of Light?"
"Better," Jasmine admitted, "but too obvious. Remember we have guardians right? Like the guard crew, sky and his friends?"
Valkyrie tapped her chin, pretending to think deeply. "Wait, Sky's a guardian?"
"Yeah, you don't know?" Jasmine asked.
"No I don't" Valkyrie replied. "You would have known if only you allowed him introduce himself properly val" Soda fired back
"Urgh..., But he has angel wings. How is that even possible?"
"His father is a guardian— and his mother an angel" jasmine replied.
"Oh— is that even a thing?" Valkyrie asked.
"Yeah they're both light, the book permits it.... So apparently sky is the leader of the guards" Soda said tapping the back of her hair.
"Okay that's really impressive,..." Valkyrie paused for a second then continued. "...what about...Hallway Color-Changers?"
Soda laughed so hard she nearly dropped her books. "Val, no one will ever take us seriously!"
Their laughter rang out, but Jasmine's mind was still turning. She glanced at each of them, her eyes gleaming as though a spark had finally caught flame.
"What about…" she paused, letting the suspense build, "Demon Slayers?"
The word seemed to hang in the air, heavy and powerful. Even Rain looked up with wide eyes, a rare smile forming on her lips.
Soda clapped her hands together. "Oh my gosh, yes! That's strong, and bold!"
Valkyrie felt her chest tighten in the best way, the name resonating with something deep inside her. "Demon Slayers… I like it."
The four of them exchanged looks, then nodded together in perfect agreement. In that moment, no law, no division between angels and devils, no bully like Stephanie could overshadow their bond.
They stepped closer and embraced, arms looping tightly around shoulders, laughter softening into something almost sacred.
As they held onto each other, the torches in the hallway flickered low, and the light around them dimmed, fading slowly— like the world itself was recognizing the birth of something greater than friendship. Even rain who rarely smiles felt like she finally found her own people with mutual understanding.
And just like that. The Demon Slayers had been born.