The Last Dainv

The group walked through the westbound hallway. A single roomba with a silence sigil glowing on top patrolled the corridor. Gale wanted to poke it. He saw them on the internet before, but he never thought that a magical school would use these cute robot vacuums instead of using brooms enchanted with magic that swept the floors like a certain mouse cartoon.

A teacher walked toward them from the opposite direction. Older guy, maybe in his forties, can't really tell with these Aurians. He wore a gray suit, loose and unkempt, same with his black hair. An unlit cigarette dangled from his mouth.

Kyle and Clyde both nodded at him as they passed.

The teacher nodded back. "Kyle. Clyde. Don't make too much trouble."

"What trouble?" Kyle asked.

"There is none," Clyde said. "Definitely not."

The teacher's eyes lingered on them for a second before he continued walking down the hall. His footsteps faded as he turned a corner and disappeared into the courtyard.

"What was that about?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing," Kyle said.

"Don't worry about it," Clyde said.

"There's no trouble."

"None at all."

Rachel grumbled, her expression said she didn't believe those words at all.

Mimicking her expression, Gale furrowed his brows and grumbled in the same manner as her. The twins were definitely up to no good. Almost certainly definitely probably.

The group reached the end of the hallway, and a door stood in front of them. This one didn't look like the other expensive wooden doors that were scattered throughout the hallway.

No. This door was fully metal and looked like it belonged in a bank vault. Etchings and runes were written all over the door that pulsed with a slow etheric glow.

Kyle grabbed the handle and pulled. The door swung open with a heavy creak that vibrated through the floor.

Stepping through, Gale saw the inside of what they called a 'gym.' It wasn't like the gym he was expecting from the high school he attended. This gym was basically a coliseum, and they were standing at the edge of the massive open yard at the base of the wall.

Green grass stretched out in every direction making an oval shape. A giant weather sigil similar to the one in the courtyard hovered above the centre of the field.

The yard was surrounded by a mix of wooden and stone walls that rose up at least 20 metres. At the top of each wall, seats and benches were built into the structure. The viewing area stretched all the way around the oval coliseum.

Groups of students were scattered throughout the green grass. Some sparred as clashes of what sounded like fire, water, and metal could be heard from the right.

A few students lay down on the grass, eyes closed, probably taking a nap in the temperate climate of the yard. A couple of students even played soccer with a tennis ball by the walls far ahead.

Another group sat together near the entrance just to their left, all of them hunched over their phones and playing a phone game together. A girl suddenly smacked the grass beside her while yelling at the boy who was just laughing.

Kyle pointed toward the centre of the arena. "There."

A guy sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed, meditating. His dark brown hair was combed back but slightly messy. He wore a muscle shirt that showed off his toned arms and shoulders. His build was the kind of build that came from actual fighting, not just nonsensical lifting of iron.

Gale felt the ambient ether slowly pool around the guy's chest. This was probably what Lily talked about when she said that they needed to cultivate to reach higher stages, which meant this guy probably just came back from a rift run.

His signature was that of a late-Awakened, the same one that Enzo talked about. He must've been the one named Mikael.

The group started walking toward him. Tendrils spread out instinctively, feeding Gale whispers from the students around them.

Why do they want to talk to Mikael?

Red hair... isn't she an Ann? What's she doing here?

Path agents. This can't be good.

Look away from the twins or they'll blackmail you.

Look at that guy beside the Ann. His aura feels feral.

Mikael's gonna crush them if they start shit.

The whispers kept coming as they crossed the grass toward Mikael. Students who'd been sparring stopped to watch. The ones playing tennis soccer paused. Even the ones who'd been napping sat up to see what was happening.

Yet Mikael didn't even move. He just kept sitting there as if everything was under control, which made him seem stronger than he felt.

Kyle stopped about three metres away from him. Clyde stood beside his brother. Rachel took a position to Kyle's left.

Gale stayed slightly behind Rachel. Who knows if this guy suddenly jumps at him. He might get in trouble for beating him up. The answer was to just stand behind Rachel. She was the adult of the group. That's right.

The whispers around them grew louder.

They're really gonna interrupt his meditation?

That's suicide.

Mikael hates being interrupted.

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Oh shit. This is gonna be good.

Someone record this.

A few students opened up their phones. The ones that had been playing on their phones by the entrance had already begun recording.

Suddenly, Kyle kicked up dirt straight into Mikael's face.

Mikael's eyes snapped open, fist already moving forward, but it stopped just as he recognized Kyle's face. He lowered his hand and sat back down, brushing dirt off his cheek with the back of his hand.

"That's right, sit the fuck back down," Clyde said. "We're here to ask questions."

"Guess this is about Lucian."

"No shit," Kyle said, then stomped on the ground. "How did Lucian die?!"

Clyde's hand came up and smacked the back of Kyle's head. A couple of students flinched at the display. Even Mikael's body tensed as he heard the gunshot of a slap.

"When did you last see him?" Clyde asked.

"Friday afternoon. Around three o'clock."

"Friday at three and now it's Tuesday. Four whole days later and you're just sitting here meditating like nothing happened," Kyle scrunched up the grass under his boots.

"I didn't know anything happened to him. Lucian probably just went home for the weekend or something."

"I know bullshit when I hear one," Kyle said.

"Page 118 of Sterling's Student Handbook. No leaving the premises under any circumstance during the semester," Clyde said.

"Look, that's what he told me. You think I'm making shit up?" Mikael asked.

Kyle put a hand on Mikael's shoulder and squeezed hard, making him wince. "Did I say you're making shit up? And who're you to ask questions?"

"Don't make him mad, Mikael, or you'll go there. You know where," Clyde said.

"Ugh... fine. Saw him with the Night Patchers a week before he disappeared. You could try your luck with them," Mikael said.

Clyde nodded to Kyle then asked, "Did you try contacting him when he didn't show up Monday?"

"I sent him a message Saturday morning asking where he was."

"Did he answer?" Kyle's grip tightened more.

"No. Nothing back from him."

"Did you try again after that?" Clyde asked.

"Sunday evening. Still no response. But he did reply back on Monday morning. Just told me he's ok."

"Well, that answers the question that he's probably still alive somewhere. Unless you're lying to us and you're in on it. The making Lucian disappear act," Kyle said, standing up again.

"No! I'm not. I swear. He was a good member of the CAA. Followed all the rules and showed up on time and everything except after last Friday!" Mikael shouted.

Whispers grew amongst the watching crowd.

Mikael is actually afraid of the twins. Their legend continues.

Just give him a minute to prepare his ultimate. He's taken down a couple of attuned one on one before.

Idiot. The twins can take down Resonants.

What about that Attuned guy over there?

Probably.

Clyde crouched down so he was at eye level with Mikael. "How's Lucian been acting lately? Past couple weeks or so."

"He's been normal. I think. Apart from other things."

"What other things we talkin' 'bout here?" Kyle asked.

Mikael gulped, eyes darting around, looking at the other CAA members.

Clyde tilted his head slightly. "That's real interesting to hear you say that. You see, we heard some shit. Said Lucian's been training way harder than he normally does. Hitting way harder than necessary."

"People train hard here all the time. That's what the CAA does. We train to injure each other."

"They also said he sent someone to the infirmary couple of weeks ago," Kyle grinned.

Though Gale knew that was a lie. Enzo never said anything about that. Even Rachel's eyes furrowed at the remark.

"That was an accident. Lucian apologized to the guy right after it happened." Mikael paused. "He's been pushing himself harder in training lately."

"Why?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me why he was training harder."

"Did you ask him about it?" Clyde said.

"No," Mikael said abruptly.

Kyle pulled out his dagger from his belt and spun it. A couple of students who were originally napping closed their phones, stood up, and left the gym.

When Rachel was about to step up, Clyde put a finger to his mouth to tell her to back off. From what Gale knew about trouble, clearly this was the definition of trouble.

"What was Lucian planning to pick up off campus?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me."

"Guess," Clyde said from behind.

"I can't guess what I don't know."

"Was it something he could get on campus?" Kyle asked. "Or just something the NETS couldn't get him?"

"M-Maybe," Mikael said as he looked away.

"What kind of thing would the NETS not be able to get him?" Clyde pressed.

"I don't know."

"Classified info. Idiots protected by their politics," Kyle said.

Mikael's eyes looked straight into Kyle's and then to Clyde's.

Both twins grinned at the same time.

Kyle stood up and started walking back and forth in front of Mikael. "There's a girl. Ariana. What do you know about her?"

Mikael took a deep breath before saying, "Lucian talked about her sometimes."

"How often is sometimes?" Clyde asked from behind.

"Most days. Every day maybe."

"What did he say about her?" Kyle stopped walking.

"He talked about what she said in their classes together. What books she was reading. What projects she was working on for her ether studies."

"He liked her," Clyde said.

"Obviously."

"There's another guy. Zachary Argus. Started talking to Ariana a few weeks ago—"

Rachel suddenly stepped forward from beside Gale. "Did Lucian look heartbroken when you saw him? Maybe from seeing Zachary spending time with Ariana?"

Mikael looked up at her. His face flushed. Sweating more.

Literally.

Even Gale felt the heat come off of Rachel. The twins took a step back from her as well.

"I couldn't tell for sure. He kept his emotions controlled most of the time. But he was different when he talked about Ariana. Smiled more. Laughed at my jokes. Talked about her all the time," Mikael said.

Rachel knelt down on the grass to meet Mikael eye to eye with a face so serious that it made Gale also mimic it. "Who do you think Ariana actually likes? Lucian or Zachary?"

Mikael's expression closed off completely. "Hard to tell. From what I heard from the NETS, Ariana smiled and laughed more with Lucian. But they're also not entirely sure about what Zachary's planning."

Kyle and Clyde quickly glanced at each other.

"Then do you think Zachary just wants to hurt Lucian by doing this and that Ariana only has eyes for Lucian? Quick. TELL ME!" Rachel shouted, grasping him by the shoulders, making Mikael crawl back from her.

"Fire cheeks! We're not here to gossip!" Kyle said, pulling her off the poor guy.

"And this guy is about as useless as a musclehead," Clyde said.

"I'll tell you one thing though," Mikael said, rubbing his shoulders where he was gripped. "Ariana really likes to sing. He told me that she'd sing for him in karaoke when they get out during summer break."

Kyle, Clyde, and Rachel all looked at each other. Stepping away from Mikael, they seriously deliberated once more about how Lucian disappeared.

"Why are you so goddamn invested in this gossip?" Kyle asked.

"Why aren't you?! Don't you wanna know who Ariana likes more?!" Rachel asked.

"You tell us to stop watching movies, but here you are acting out your spicy books!" Clyde said.

"What of it?! Can't I at least have some fun in this?! It's just some Awakened kid missing. What matters is who won the love triangle!" Rachel whispered harshly.

"Earth to Rachel, his mommy's rich and that's a big fat payday you're losing us!" Kyle said.

"You were never invited. Only he was!" Clyde pointed at Gale.

All of them saw Gale already moving up on Mikael.

"Hey," Gale said in the lowest voice he could muster. "What's your favourite snack you usually buy from the NETS?"

"Vinegar chips and Coke Zero," Mikael answered after a second. "Everything else is wasted calories. Can't fuel your body with garbage if you're serious about combat."

What the hell? But having barely any calories meant that he'd have fewer chances of surviving out in the woods. Is this CAA just a fake fighting club? They need more calories. If he was in this school, he'd buy as many Twinkies as possible to stock up.

The rule of the jungle echoed in the dark hunter's mind, Twinkies never expire hence they're the perfect food to survive on.

"You an Attuned?"

Gale nodded. "Technically."

Kyle stepped in between them. "Hey! We're the ones asking questions here, capisce?!"

"Gale, you an Attuned?" Clyde asked.

Gale nodded again, now confused what the hell was happening.

Mikael stood up, eyes locked on Gale.

Taking that as a challenge, Gale puffed out his chest.

"Kyle. Clyde. I challenge this feral to a fight. If I lose, I'll tell you everything without holding back. If I win, I get him."

Rachel's cheeks flushed, "What do you mean you get him?! You can't take him!"

"I accept," Gale said. The challenge was on.