425 Suspect [1]
Haven medical facility. "How is he doing?" Atlas, the Chief Guard captain, the Doctor, and several other Professors gathered together outside of the medical ward where Julien was being treated. "His conditions are stable. It shouldn't take too long for him to regain consciousness."
"That's good."
One of the Professors sighed in relief upon hearing the Doctor's evaluation. He was a relatively short professor with balding hair and thick brows. He immediately turned his attention towards the Chief Guard Captain. "What happened? How could something like this be under your watch?" "I'd like to know that too."
The Chief Guard Captain replied, his tone extremely serious.
"It's strange. It's as if we've hit a blind spot."
The Chief Guard Captain started to explain, "The entire fight lasted probably no longer than half a minute, and by the time the stationed guards arrived, it was already over. But that's what I find strange. Given their abilities they should've been able to arrive at the place within several seconds. Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that nobody was able to pick up on the mana traces that were released." "...Are you suggesting that they were in cahoots with the assailant?" The Professor asked with doubt in his tone. There were many things that he didn't understand. What was the aim of ambushing Julien? How could it be possible to have the guards in cahoots with the assailant? Just how powerful would they need to be to pull this off?
"It could also be possible that the assailant used some sort of device to hide his mana traces for long enough to delay the guard's reactions." Atlas spoke softly as he reclined in one of the metal chairs, leaning back comfortably with his eyes half-closed.
The fact that it got delayed was good in her eyes. Well, to some extent. "Even so, it's not like it's canceled. We'll still have to attend it soon enough." "....Yeah." Kiera clicked her tongue while mumbling, 'Fucking annoying bullshit.'
Lifting her head to gaze at the sky, she casually flicked the licorice stick aside. Aoife frowned but decided to ignore it. While it was littering, it was also just a stick. Plus... She could already imagine what would happen if she started to nag at her. And so, Aoife decided to remain quiet. She wasn't in the mood to fight with Kiera. At least, not now.
Perhaps later.
These thoughts ran down her mind until her eyes caught sight of a faint lock of hair peeking from one of the trees in the distance. "Um?" Aoife's brows furrowed tightly. Again? 'No, the hair color is different. The hair looked red.' Red...? Aoife looked to her right where Kiera was. She half-expected her to notice something, but she just seemed lost in her own world. When Aoife turned to look at the tree once more, the lock of hair was gone. Aoife stood quietly for a brief moment before walking ahead. 'Surely, I'm not seeing things right?' ".....!" Aoife's head flicked to the left. That was when she felt a presence and she immediately dashed in that direction. "Uh?" Her abrupt actions caught Kiera's attention as she looked surprised. "What is this bi—" Swoosh! But before Kiera could finish her words, Aoife jumped into one of the bushes and shouted. "Got you!" She pulled out a bunch of sticks and leaves. "....." "....." A strange silence followed suit shortly after that. Turning her head, Aoife saw Kiera look at her with widened eyes. Her expression seemed to say, 'Has this bitch totally lost it?' Aoife tried her best to ignore Kiera's expression and shifted her attention back to the sticks and bushes in her hand. 'I could've sworn I had caught something.' It... just disappeared before she could fully grasp it. But what could it be? Aoife brows tightened considerably. She had been feeling a presence ever since the dorm rooms before. And yet, whenever she tried to investigate, she would find nothing. Just what sort of—
"Eh?" A certain high-pitched voice snapped and caught Aoife's attention. Lifting her head, Aoife noticed a figure appearing in the distance. Her purple locks danced under the faint breeze that lingered in the air and her expression appeared troubled as she reached out from behind one of the trees. Before Aoife could comprehend the reason behind Evelyn's troubled expression, her mouth fell when she saw Evelyn pull out her hand from behind the tree, holding onto a small hand.
Soon, a small head peeked out from behind the tree, revealing a young girl with soft red hair, wide watery eyes, and chubby, rosy cheeks.
'A kid...?' The sight left Aoife stumped. How could a kid appear in the Academy, of all places? Aoife couldn't understand what was happening at all. To add insult to injury, a sudden hot, searing pain flared up in her right arm. When she glanced down, her heart skipped a beat.
"This...!" A faint glow manifested from within her skin. In there, she could see her bone. It glowed a faint red hue. Aoife's mouth opened and closed several times as she struggled to process the sight before her. She knew exactly what it was, but that very fact that she knew made her mind grow blank. "H-how?" Aoife's lips trembled as she took a step back. Staring at her hand, and then the little girl in the distance with whom she suddenly felt a connection, Aoife's chest shook. Taking a step back, she pressed her hand against her arm. It felt hot, and information flowed into her mind. 'T-this... It really is a bone. But when...? When did I receive the bone?' ...And who exactly was the kid in front of her?