Sin adjusts the tie on his school uniform while looking at the door to Jian's room. Just as he had asked him the day before, Yosin has told Jian's group of friends to meet him inside for the meeting.

Just a few minutes earlier, he saw the last of Jian's friends walk into the dormitory and probably over into Jian's room. After seeing that, Sin finished the his soda he was drinking, threw it away into a nearby trash can and began making his way to Jian's room.

He now stands in front of Jian's doorway, making his final adjustments to his uniform and thinking over his thoughts on the matter. After clearing his throat, he knocks on Jian's door two times. He waits a second before hearing Jian's voice say “Come in.”

Sin opens the door and sees everyone staring back at him. Jian and Carie are both sitting on separate beds to Sin's right, with Lera and Boz sitting on the same bed to his left. Given that today is a weekend, they are all in casual wear.

Boz wraps his arm around Lera in an almost defensive reaction to seeing a member of the student council in the room. Carie had told him earlier in the month that Sin was probably going to do a background search into the group, and since Boz knew about Lera's father's involvement with the country's organized crime syndicate, he has grown a little wary of losing her.

Sin catches Boz's defensive posture, looks towards him and says “Don't worry Boz, I won't be doing anything to Lera or you. She has already been through enough. You two are allowed to do as you wish.”

Knowing that Sin isn't here to do any harm to him or Lera, Boz drops his defensive posture, but leaves his arm wrapped around Lera's back.

After hearing that Sin isn't here for Lera or himself, Boz is now more content. Carie looks towards Sin with a stern face and says “If you did not come here for Lera or Boz, then why did you gather all of us here for this little meeting?”

“I gathered you all here to tell you that I was wrong. That and I need to figure out whether or not you have any connections with the group of people going around and killing the Eldritch Rune cultists....” Sin announces.

“Well, it's all well and good that you admit that you were wrong, but what were you wrong about?” Jian says, crossing his arms.

“I was wrong about thinking that all of you did something wrong. From what I've gathered, Jian is being hunted by the cultists because he got away from one of them before they died. Now they have a bounty out on your head and they've probably been hunting you ever since. I want to help you. I understand that the campus security probably won't be enough to stem the cultists if they come out in full force. So please, tell me everything that you know so that I can give you better protection.” Sin states.

The room becomes silent for three minutes as Jian and his friends give each other worried looks. In the end, Boz speaks up “If you really want to help us, but you need more information first, then you have to tell us what you know so that we can fill in the blanks. To be clear, none of us trust you yet, you're going to have to earn that.”

“Alright then. If that's what you wish...” Sin says, clearing his throat again. “All I really know is that the Eldritch Rune Cult is after Jian and that somebody is killing them off. I also have reason to believe that the people that are killing off the cultists are protecting Jian for reasons unknown. There are also reports of one of the people fighting the cultists is using magic of some sorts. Other than that, I barely know anything further.”

“Damn, you really don't know much, do you?” Jian says from the other side of the room. “Alright, we'll fill you in on what we know.”

“First off, we don't call them the Eldritch Rune Cult, we call them the Sigil heads.” Jian says while pointing to his forehead. “All Sigil heads are being mind-controlled by someone within the city. When someone is being controlled, a rune appears on their forehead out of the base of their skull. The person who is controlling them can see through their eyes, and so can the other Sigil heads, which is why they are still coming after me and go after anyone they couldn't kill previously.”

“We know the people that are killing the Sigil heads, but they haven't given us the name of their organization just yet. They are a group of four people. Their leader is a boy named Raphael Danteo. There are three other members in the squad, which are: June Twara, their sniper and scythe master, Miyra Sinnt, their heavy support, and Quib Triha, their sharpshooter and archer. We don't know anything about them, just that they're attempting to help us by taking out Sigil Heads before they get to me.”

“Once I learned that I was being hunted, me and my friends have vowed to find out who is behind this and stop them, since the alternative is out of the question. From what we have gathered so far, the person behind the mind control is a person who either works at Unimori or goes to school here. Now that that has all been explained, I would like to ask you if you would still like to help us?”

“Hmm,” Sin says, trying to take everything in. “so, you're telling me that they aren't cultists, but people being mind controlled...? But on the note of these individuals that are helping you, have they given you any reason for why they are protecting you? Or why they are killing the cultists instead of interfering with the mind control?”

Carie speaks up this time. They have told us that this is our journey to take, not theirs. As for why they are killing them instead of stopping the mind control, they have already told us of the fact that this is incredibly encrypted mind control technology, and that the damage caused to the person's mind is almost completely erased after a few days of mind control. In all reality, they also would cause incredible destruction to the city before this all ended, so this group that is killing them would be stopping more senseless murder by the time this is over. As they say, killing them would save more lives then letting them live.”

Sin sighs to himself after hearing Carie's explanation. “Alright, I guess what you are all saying does have some basis of truth to it, so I'll agree with it. From what you are telling me, this mind control must be going around the city, taking people at will. What's to say that one of you might be targeted with the mind control?”

“Raphael thought ahead.” Lera says. “Apparently he has some sort of magic that can stop you from being possessed. He told us that the mind control that is being used on the Sigil heads is similar to something he has seen before and is combating, so he simply used some kind of purification magic on each of us, and he says that will stop us from being mind controlled. He only told us this a week ago when we brought it up with him, so we don't completely trust him on it.”

Sin thinks for a second. He knows that this group is in direct contact with the military force trying to stop the Sigil heads, and they also seem to know more than the police do....

Then a sudden realization hits Sin. Maybe they can't go to the police because they can't stop the Sigil heads, maybe this is something that only they can do.... Sin then speaks up. “Alright, I'm going to help all of you. You also said that the person behind the Sigil heads might be going to or working at this school, so I should be able to help you find them. Now, which one of you is the leader here?”

“That would be me.” Jian says, raising his hand in the air. “Since I'm the one they are coming after, everyone basically chose me as the leader of the group.”

“Alright then, Orien, what do you think I can do for you that could help you out in your fight?” Sin says, crossing his arms.

“Well, first off, it would really help if all of the males in my team slept in the same dorm room. That would help keep us organized and would be extra security through the night. I already know that Raphael's group is keeping a watch on us, since their main goal here is to stop any of us from dying, but this would be more reassuring.” Jian says, hoping Sin has the authority to do something like that.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Alright. It would be no issue at all getting you all switched to the same room. Would you like me to move into your room as well? I'm a capable fighter even without a weapon, so I would be good for security.”

“Yeah, that would work.” Jian says, happy to hear the good news. “Second, how about weapons? Nothing extremely dangerous, though. Something like a wooden bonki for Boz would work, and maybe some other things that would be good for self-defense?”

“Um, let me think about that....” Sin says, resting his back against the shut door of the dorm room as he ponders to himself over how he would get weapons into the school. After about fifteen minutes of thinking over his plan, he finally shoots up his gaze. “Alright, I might be able to do that, but as long as you promise to keep them in the room at all times and only use them in self-defense.”

“We'll use one of the members of Raphael's squad to infiltrate the school perimeter after dark, they will bring a BB gun, a pistol to be exact, a wooden bonki, and a pair of brass knuckles. They will leave them in a carrying bag outside of the school's male dormitory at o' seven hundred hours where Boz will gather the weapons after they are placed. Your friends are in a military group, so they should be able to pass by undetected. Boz will be waiting by the front door for a signal by Raphael's squad mate when they arrive. When he hears the knock, he'll give them a few moments to leave and then he will go outside and obtain the weapons. He is to immediately gather up the armaments and bring them to me, Jian and Boz's room. We will leave our weapons underneath of our beds at all times. The most important thing about this, however, is that the person who does room sweeps is my assistant Yosin, so as long as I keep him informed, we should be in the clear. The only thing I worry about is the girls. How will we keep them safe...?”

“Well...” Carie says, reaching into her purse. She slightly pulls out a small, gold inlaid snub nose revolver, unloaded, of course, to the point that the hilt is only visible. “you don't need to worry about me.... Besides, the Sigil heads are not coming after me or Lera, they are coming after Jian. I do appreciate your concern for me and Lera, Sin, but we are perfectly safe from the Sigil heads unless a Sigil head comes after us outside of their attacks on Jian.”

“That's good to hear. Honestly, I want to keep all of you safe and stop the Sigil heads, that's the reason I want to be part of your group. I may be putting myself in danger because of this, but I know that it's the right thing to do! Being a member of the student council is about more than managing student affairs and clubs, it's about doing everything in your power to keep the school's students safe from harm!” Sin says, a fire beginning to rise in his eyes at the end of his statement.

“The sooner we stop the man behind this, the better! From this point forward, please point out anybody who acts suspiciously. They may be the one behind this or someone becoming a Sigil head! Other than that, we'll give you more details once we start to trust you more.” Jian says.

Satisfied with the investigation team's answers, Sin says “Good, pleasure to be aboard.” before making a motion with his hand towards Carie for her to get up. “Now Carie, can you please come to my room, I need to talk to you in private.”

Giving Sin the benefit of the doubt, but having an idea of what Sin wants to talk about, Carie let's out an 'eh' grunt before getting up and following Sin through the room's doorway and back to Sin's dorm room.

“Alright, Sin, what do you want?” Carie says, crossing her arms and standing at the far end of Sin's room.

“Listen, Carie, I'm sorry for last year. You're right, I was being self-righteous and you had all the right to break up with me. All I want to do is tell you that I've changed, I'm not asking you to get back together with me, at least not yet. Throughout the last month I have given your situation some extreme thought and I realize that everything isn't about me anymore. I'll show you over the course of this investigation that I have changed, just be open-minded and I hope that you will see that difference.”

“I don't believe you, but prove that you really care for others and I will show you that respect. I have seen you in the past, and I will only trust that you have changed when I see it with my own two eyes.” Carie states with a fire growing inside of her.

“Carie, I know that I didn't do much for you the last time we were together, but I will do more for you next time. Before I met you, I had never been in a serious relationship before, or any relationship at all. I was still new to the scene, but I have given it more thought and I now realize what I was doing. I will treat you better, much better, than before.” Sin says, hoping that he might break through Carie's barriers.

“Sin, I don't know.... You treated me so badly before... I don't-” Carie's words are cut off when she looks towards her left hand. It is covered in a non-burning flame. “Wha-!” suddenly, the flames travel to her other hand, and then up her arms. She lifts off of the ground and begins hovering in the air, her entire body now covered in flames. She is terrified out of her mind, screaming in confusion.

“Oh my God, Carie!” Sin says before lunging at Carie. He grabs her around her chest and is able to use his weight to pull her to the ground.

By the time he has pulled her to the ground, the rest of the group has entered the room and are stunned to see Carie and Sin on the ground, covered in flames. “Oh my God...! Quick, smother the flames!” Jian screams out. Everyone grabs blankets and sheets and immediately throws them over top of the two.

A few seconds pass with the group staring in disbelief. Eventually, Sin's body lifts up from underneath of the cloth. He looks down at Carie for a few seconds and then looks over at Jian and his friends. “I don't know what the hell just happened! She... suddenly got enveloped in flames and started levitating off of the ground!”

“Hold on!” Boz says, giving Sin a light push to the side. “Let me take a look at her...!” Sin gets out of Boz's way before he then examines Carie's body.

She is unconscious. The flames that had enveloped her did no harm to her body, and her clothes aren't singed or burnt. She is breathing heavily, and her body is heating up.

“Should we bring her to the hospital?” Jian suggests.

“No, I think that all she has right now is a fever. The hospital would only be able to contain her fever, which we could easily do by ourselves....” Sin says after checking Carie's forehead. His mind is swirling with ideas on how they may be able to take care of Carie. Suddenly, he has an idea. “Jian, did your military friends give you any form of communication that you can use to contact them?”

“No need for that,” says a voice from the doorway. Everyone turns around to see June and Quib, both with their hoods down, at the doorway, with June speaking to them directly. “we'll get her to a safe place to recover, just hand her over and she'll be fine.”

“Wait, how did you even know what just happened? Were you standing there the entire time?” Sin says, not completely sure about how Raphael's group knew this beforehand.

“We all had our suspicions, but now it has become pretty obvious. Judging from her state right now and by how deeply she's breathing, I'd say that she is going to be back on her feet in a couple of days.” June says, turning her gaze back over to Sin. “Sin, I'm going to need you to pull some strings to get her a few days off. We'll bring her back to our base, and once she has recovered, we'll return her to the dormitories.”

Sin looks at Carie's unconscious body, then over at June and Quib, back at Carie, then over to June and Quib again. “Alright, I'll give you my trust this time, but make sure that she comes back in a better state than she is right now!” Sin goes on one knee, picks up Carie and then walks over to June and Quib. “I swear, if you hurt her, I will hunt you down, and that is a promise! Now, take her before I change my mind....”

June smiles at him with her eye's shut. For some reason, now that he is looking more closely at her face, Sin feels a little better about handing Carie over to Raphael's military unit. He hands Carie's body into June's extended arms and June says “Thanks Kasigara. I promise, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to Carie's well-being. We take care of our own, and as far as me and Raph are concerned, you are all part of our group when it comes to taking care of you. Have a nice day everyone!” June turns from the doorway and exits the room with Quib following right behind her.

“...Does anyone of you have any idea what the hell just happened to her!?” Sin says once June and Quib have left.

“Beats the living hell out of me, man.” Boz says while looking outside of the room and seeing June and Quib going down the stairs. “All I saw was the both of you on fire and burning on the ground, but you both look like you're completely fine?”

“Wait, I just had an idea...” Jian says, calling the room's attention back to him. “We already know that Raphael can use magic, given we've seen him using it, so what's not to say that Carie doesn't have some kind of latent magical abilities that she doesn't know about?”

“How in the hell are we supposed to know that's what just happened to her?” Sin says, his feelings for Carie starting to come to the surface.

Jian looks downward and sighs. He then looks back up and says “I have no idea, but as far as I know, Raphael's team is on our side, so I'm putting my trust in them to bring Carie back to good health. For now, we should all split up. Boz, Lera, you two go do what you want. Me and Sin will wander around town for a bit. I need to get better acquainted with our new ally. Everyone, dismissed!”

After Jian has finished his statement, Lera and Boz give him a nod and a grunt of acknowledgment before exiting out of the room. As they go, Jian and Sin leave right behind them..