In the meeting room where the lights were dim and the air was thick, sat the principal, looking at Edward with an unsatisfied face.
Edward stood beside Yohan; His face uncertain.
"Welcome Edward." Ainsworth clapped, "I was wondering when will our dear student present us with his performance."
These were the only four people in the room where the smell of agarwood lingered.
Edward took a breath and asked, "Is something the matter?"
Klein Ainsworth's eyes were hidden by his glasses that reflected the faintly teal colour present in the room.
Ainsworth leaned back and replied, "Oh yes. There was a Molth attack in the Girl's Dormantory. And─"
He took out a card from his pocket. The golden card reflected in his fingers with a dreamy haze.
"This was also discovered." Ainsworth finished and tossed the card towards Edward.
"Woah!" Edward suddenly spread his arms to catch it.
As Edward was about to catch it, Yohan catched it instead,
"Here Sir." Yohan handed that card to him.
Edward for a moment just stared at him with an emotional-less expression, Is he trying to mock my catching skills?
While Yohan appeared to be calm outside, inside his legs were shaking, I am sorry Sir, but you aren't very good at catching anything…
Yohan handed the card to Edward to inspect.
The golden borders on it shined, revealing the letter "P" that was in the middle.
"What does 'P' mean?" Edward looked up at Ainsworth.
"Sir, Look underneath it" Yohan pointed.
"Hm," Edward gave Yohan another awkward stare yet again,
Yohan smiled nervously, I probably shouldn't do it again. Sir Edward looks angry.
Edward then proceeded to take a look underneath the card,
"Panthom…" He looked up, "The thief tells the authorities before stealing?"
"This card was found near the West wing." Ainsworth said, tapping his fingers on the table near the candle lamp.
Edward then turned his gaze at a corner and whispered to himself, Is this Panthom the murderer!? But I haven't heard of any murder case related to him before. How strange...?
He looked at the principal and asked, "But what is it that will be worth stealing according to him?"
The room went silent, like someone died.
Edward got a chill down his spine.
The only sound he could hear was his own heart beat,
And then it hit him,
"Wait! You mean— " His eyes widened.
"Indeed," Ainsworth replied, cutting him out.
Edward took a breath, "This couldn't get any worse. How did this information leaked!?" He asked.
"There was also a Molth attack in the girl's dormitory." Ainworth added.
Edward and Yohan gave each other an awkward gaze.
"Make sure no harm gets to students or," He turned his face towards the principal whose hands are clasped together, fingers locked, giving a calm expression.
"Make sure that no further harm reaches them. Those faces are— " He smirked, "...Important."
"Ye— yes sir," Edward bowed.
"You may leave now, Edward." Principal added.
Creak!
And the door behind him opened.
He turned back and looked at Yohan,
"Let's go."
Yohan nodded.
And with that they both left the room.
Ainsworth looked at the principal and spoke, "How long are we going to play clueless? You knowverywell that this place is doomed."
Hearing that a smirk grew on the principal's face and the atmospherein the room got tense,
"Till the ghost reveals himself, we shall play along, and with that we shall give birth to our 'Masks of the Golden Gates.'"
Hearing this even Ainsworth's heart felt shaken.
"Haha. Hahahahahahhaahaha" and he laughed like a madman; Turning to look at the principal and replied with a broken voice,
"Then I know the perfect lambs!"
...
Outside Yohan and Edward walked.
Edward was holding the card tight in his hand.
"Was that a warning or a chance?" Yohan asked.
Edward tapped his finger on the card, slowly in a repeating rhythm,
"Let's find out," He raised the card to Yohan's face, "Time to use your ability."
"Oh! Now I get it." And His eyes lit up green,
Inspecting the card.
A green thread appeared that only he could see.
"That way!" He pointed forward.
"Then let's go!"
They both ran through the hall, following a clue that may lead them to the source of this.
"Wait, why is this going that way?" Edward spoke while running beside Yohan.
Their footsteps echoed in the dark hall. Grey fog rising from the sky.
"I have the same question sir!" Yohan replied.
The path led them to a 16 feet tall dark metallic gate on the 2nd floor of "Lord Council Domain" Building.
"Hm, so we have some clue here in the infirmary." Edward rubbed his thumb on his hand collar.
The door was closed with a chained lock having a strange talisman that glowed in a purple grey flame.
Edward stepped forward and clapped his hands.
"Baskalis of Uttar, Open your domain for where the dead rest and alive jest."
The flame on the talisman turned into the shape that resembled a face and with an utterly heavy voice spoke up,
"Well said, Welcome visitors of the dead!"
The floor started to shake, the talisman on the door faded by the flame and the door creaked open.
The room looked dark, darker than a night without the moon and the stars.
"Yohan." Edward sighed.
"Oh right, Sir." Yohan quickly tapped back between his head and his eyes again glowed green. He lifted his right hand and blew out a teal dust of magic.
The dust quickly spread inside the room onto all the walls.
The walls started to emit a teal greenish light mixed with something like a golden glow and illuminated the whole room.
The room held three cells in a triangular position, all separated by individual walls. It was more like the shape of a gravestone.
In the middle laid a single coffin, and a lamp stood beside with a candle inside it.
The dust Yohan blew in the room then started to glow golden on the floor, moving like a snake to the coffin in the middle.
"So it all leads back to it." Edward spoke, as he slowly proceeded to walk towards the doll-like wooden coffin.
"What is this place for sir?" Yohan asked.
"Hm, This is where we keep bodies that are under our supervision." He took a breath, tracing his hands over the dusty coffin. The smell of dust filled Yohan's nose and he coughed while walking forward.
Edward then added, "Miss Cora Harman's known family is all dead. Including her twin sister that passed away a year ago."
Creak!
As Edward opened the coffin revealing Cora's corpse widened his eyes.
"All dead? How?" Yohan asked softly, tapping the fingers of his right hand on his pants.
"Ha, how do I say it…? Perhaps, they were cursed by some unknown cruel being." He replied.
"Cursed by whom?" Yohan sighed.
A smirk grew on Edward's face, "You really wouldn't wanna know, Kid."
Yohan got a chill down his spine,
Though all that lies in the place is curiosity, Yohan did understand that sometimes he shouldn't knock on the door of the unknown.
"And perhaps, The dead person did know that she was going to die. The cradle leads to her doesn't it?"
Yohan inspected the corpse, It was cleaned up and her hand glowed, from his special vision he could tell that the card belonged to Cora before this.
He tapped back on his forehead and his vision grew back to normal and the green glow in his eyes faded.
"Yes, Sir. It is clear that she was the one who placed it there. And she is the one with that authority right? As incharge of the level 'Lamb' of the students?"
"You are right, Yohan. And she suddenly died out of nowhere. How strange." He put a finger on his chin.
"Could you use your Mask powers to gaze inside her head?" Edward asked with wide eyes.
Yohan paused, "Ah, I don't know— Do dead even have a mind?"
"We can never be sure unless we try," Edward replied with a cold voice.
"Ah, If you say so, sir."
Yohan reached for Cora's eyelids and opened them to reveal her aqua blue eyes. He put one hand on his head and other in Cora's and gazed straight in to her eyes.
A current of wind started to form around him, His eyes first green then light yellow and then as that turned into a shade of golden,
Strich!!!!!!
A sudden shock wave hit Yohan in the head,
"AAaaaaaaahhhhahhaah"
He screamed, holding his head like a manic and getting on his knees.
"What the hell!"
He throwed up on the marble floor.
He growled holding his stomach.
"I suppose that doesn't work. That means we have to take other measurements." Edward spoke— his voice still unbothered and cold.
"Ah, aha… What measurements sir!?" Yohan tried to speak, but he hardly could have spoken much at a time like this.
Edward's face remained calm but it had a dark presence hidden inside as he replied,
"We are going to ask the dead body itself."