The gates of Starlight Academy buzzed with the usual chaos,students rushing, shouting, laughing, clinging to last-minute assignments and steaming paper cups of maybe cheap coffee.
The six walked together, automatically falling into an effortless formation that drew eyes like magnets. Their presence elegant, controlled, unearthly,cut through the noise.
Girls whispered.
Boys stared.
Teachers glanced, unsure why these transfer students seemed… different.
Susana tossed her hair, smirking at every stare like she was some walking revelation.
Ethan kept his hands in his pockets, unbothered by the attention.
Caleb walked calmly, already flipping through his notebook of observations on mortals mentally.
Jason blinked sleepily at everyone, looking harmless and charming.
Logan held himself with the effortless authority of someone used to command.
Lora was a soft glow of serenity, coldly glaring at every student who greeted her.
But under all that composure was a human awareness of the darkness Leon had gone to face. A thread linking them to him, stretched thin across the distance.
---
Inside the Hallway
Their morning class was already crowded.
Tyler was there.
He waved when he saw them, bright grin, hair a little messy, backpack hanging sloppily on one shoulder. He had quickly become familiar with them in just a day, his bold friendliness bypassing every wall.
As the six approached, Tyler's smile slipped just a little.
"Where's Leon?"
"Huh? Shouldn't you greet us first before asking about him?" Jason asked now smiling brightly
"I know you are fine seeing you here but... where's Leon?"
There it was.
The question.
The six exchanged the smallest glance a silent agreement forming in the space between heartbeats.
Logan answered first, calm and smooth.
"He had something important to handle."
Tyler frowned. "Important like… family stuff? Or important like, 'he texted you guys and forgot to tell me'?"
Susana shrugged, leaning lazily against the lockers.
"Something came up last night. He'll be back."
"He's fine," Caleb added softly.
Tyler stared at him for a second, reading his expression with surprising clarity.
He nodded.
"Okay… as long as he's alright."
Ethan clapped Tyler's shoulder.
"He's more than alright. Hard to break that one."
Tyler laughed, still uncertain but willing to accept it.
"Good. We are almost late for classes "
Jason smiled sleepily.
"I hate morning classes "
"Hey!"
The mood softened.
The weight in the air eased.
But only slightly.
---
First Period . A Quiet Storm
The class dragged on with the teacher droning about ancient civilizations, ironically something the disciples had lived through. Ethan and Logan exchanged silent, unimpressed looks
Caleb tapped his pen rhythmically, eyes half on the board, half on the faint energy signature still lingering around the school.
Jason took notes but wrote mostly about human patterns:
Mortals express boredom by slumping. Mortals express confusion with aggressive chewing of pens. Mortals express interest by leaning forward…
Lora glanced outside the window every few minutes, sensing the distant pull of Leon's aura.
Susana nearly fell asleep twice.
Tyler, sitting in front of them, occasionally turned to whisper jokes,some good, some terrible but all enough to brighten the heaviness around them.
When the bell finally rang, it felt like liberation.
---
Break Time . Something Unsettling
They headed into the courtyard, where students scattered across benches and grassy patches.
Tyler followed them, still talking about the upcoming school festival the teacher just announced in the last class.
"There's food stalls, games, performances… you guys planning to join anything? Jason you look like the type to win the whole fashion show without trying."
Jason smirked.
"Obviously."
"And Susana, please join the music club performance. Their lead singer has been bragging all morning."
He groaned dramatically.
Susana laughed softly.
"I'll think about it."
Tyler pointed to Logan.
"You should be in the sports tournament. If Leon joins too—"
Logan raised a brow.
"You want us both to destroy mortals?"
Tyler blinked. "...Yeah?"
The group laughed.
But Ethan's smile faded first.
A ripple.
A pulse.
Faint, like a breath of shadow slipping through sunlight.
Logan felt it next. His eyes flicked toward the west side of the school.
Jason stopped mid-sentence.
Lora's fingers curled slightly.
Caleb straightened fully, completely at alert.
Tyler looked between them, confused.
"Uh… what's happening?"
"You guys are looking scary now" Alex muttered
Logan answered without taking his eyes off the west building.
"Stay close to us today."
Tyler frowned. "Why?"
Ethan voice was calm but firm.
"Just trust us."
Tyler and Alex swallowed but nodded.
The six turned, gazes locked on the far hallway where the energy had flickered for only an instant.
Something was here.
Something small.
Something testing them.
Or watching them.
The wind shifted across the courtyard, cold and unnatural gone as quickly as it came.
Caleb whispered,
"Leon felt something stronger. If this is the echo…"
Susana tensed.
"We might not be alone after all."
Lora smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Good. I was getting bored."
Logan stepped forward.
"Stay alert. Until Leon returns, we hold this ground here, we need more information from his side before things escalats here which I hope it doesn't"
The bell rang again, sharp, loud, cutting through the tension.
Tyler looked at them, now fully aware something wasn't simple about these new students.
And as they walked back into the building, the shadows in the hallway seemed just a little darker.
Just a little hungrier.
The school day had only begun.
And so had the danger.