Dontai rubbed his face, trying to shake off the drowsiness. “Why am I so tired?” he grumbled, giving himself a sharp slap on the cheek in an attempt to wake up. Mel blinked groggily, the weight of fatigue pressing down on him as well. Something felt off, but neither could put their finger on it.
“Jasper, Kai, and I will handle the front,” Draven announced, his tone sharp. “That bastard took all three of us down. His fighting style was fast—too fast—and flashy.”
Aegis leaned back with an easy grin. “Guess that leaves us with the back,” he declared confidently.
Draven’s expression hardened. “If he shows up again, don’t waste time—go straight for the knockout!” He turned on his heel, signaling the group to disperse.
Later, Mel and Dontai stood by the dimly lit entrance to the west wing. The hallway stretched out before them, quiet and foreboding.
“Wanna play word chain?” Mel asked, breaking the silence.
“Don’t talk to me,” Dontai replied flatly, arms crossed.
“Dog,” Mel said anyway, undeterred.
Dontai rolled his eyes. “Fine. Bone.”
“Meteor,” Mel shot back.
“Shower,” Dontai countered.
Mel smirked, folding his arms. “That’s it? I expected more from the great wizard’s son.”
Dontai glared at him. “You’re a wizard’s son too, genius.”
“Why do you hate him so much?” Mel yawned, barely keeping his eyes open.
Dontai scratched his arm, a subtle display of his discomfort. His voice was low and groggy. “He made us leave our continent… dragged us here for some reason.”
Mel nodded sluggishly, his head drooping slightly. “House,” he said, his tone carrying a tinge of sadness.
Dontai sighed, leaning against the wall. “Payment,” he replied, his voice just as weary.
Mel’s eyelids drooped as he struggled to think of another word. “Tax…” he muttered.
“Refund,” Dontai mumbled back, barely above a whisper, his head lolling slightly to the side.
“Debt…” Mel’s voice trailed off, his chin resting against his chest.
Dontai paused for a moment, blinking slowly. “Collection,” he managed, though his words were slurred from exhaustion.
Mel chuckled softly, though it was more of a tired exhale. “Fine… repossession…”
But Dontai didn’t respond. Instead, a faint snore escaped his lips as his head slumped forward, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Mel tried to keep going, but his head grew heavier, and soon his body slid down the wall. His last thought was something about how “foreclosure” would’ve been a great follow-up. Moments later, both boys were fast asleep, their quiet snores echoing faintly in the empty west wing.
Meanwhile, Benjamin entered the library, his footsteps echoing in the silent space. He heard faint rummaging coming from one of the aisles. With a grin, he crept closer and shined a flashlight in the direction of the noise. “What are you doing?” he asked, trying to sound intimidating.
But to his surprise, Aegis let out a high-pitched shriek, spinning around just in time to flick his wand. In an instant, a stack of books flew open and the pages morphed into a hand that swatted Benjamin across the cheek.
“Ow!” Benjamin rubbed his sore face, eyes wide in disbelief. “You—what the hell?” he stammered, still recovering from the unexpected slap.
Aegis staggered back, clutching his chest in mock distress. “You scared me!” he exclaimed, his hand over his heart. “I thought the intruder was here! But no, it’s just you.”
Benjamin, unfazed, began to search through the rows of books. Meanwhile, Aegis, holding his flashlight, scanned the room. “I checked the west wing,” he muttered. “The boys were out cold. Might just send them home after this.”
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the room as a bookshelf toppled over, sending a cascade of books clattering to the floor. Aegis jumped, the flashlight shaking in his hand.
Both men turned toward the sound, eyes narrowing as a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness. But this one was different—smaller, far more agile than the one they had encountered the other night.
Aegis quickly raised his wand, attempting to conjure a spell. But before he could utter the words, a second figure appeared behind him with lightning speed. The figure grabbed him, spun him around in a blur of motion, and held him tight. Aegis struggled to regain control, but the figure’s grip was unyielding, faster than anything he had encountered.
Benjamin’s eyes widened, his muscles tensing as he braced for what was coming next. Without hesitation, he lunged forward to pry the figure off of Aegis, but the smaller figure reacted in a flash. With a swift and graceful aikido move, the figure tossed Benjamin through the air.
In mid-flight, Benjamin spun, instinctively planting his feet against the wall. With a snarl, his vampire fangs flashed in the dim light as he let out a guttural roar. His body was tense, ready for anything.
But just as quickly as the figures had appeared, they were gone. The air around him was silent, the only sound was the soft rustle of fallen books. Benjamin scanned the room, his senses alert, but the figures had vanished without a trace. A chill ran down his spine, the weight of the encounter settling over him.
The next morning, a cold splash of water jolted Mel and Dontai awake. “What the—?!” Mel shouted, rubbing his eyes groggily before yawning. As his vision cleared, he glanced around at the school’s interior and gasped. “It’s worse!” he exclaimed, staring at the chaos around them.
Dontai, still shaking off sleep, noticed Aegis and Benjamin nearby, their clothes caked in dust and grime. He frowned, deliberately avoiding his father’s gaze. “What the hell happened to you two?” he asked, his tone laced with suspicion.
Aegis threw his hands up in frustration. “There were two of them! One small, one tall!” he snapped, his voice sharp with irritation. “Why’d you two think it was a good idea to fall asleep?!”
“I swear, I don’t know what happened,” Mel said, taking another sip of his drink and wincing as if it were strong alcohol. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog in his mind.
Stolen story; please report.
Dontai grabbed the cup out of his hand. “Let me get some more of that—it’s good,” he muttered before tilting the cup and water falling the drink into his mouth like a pro.
Draven stormed over, his eyes blazing with frustration. Without a word, he extended one of his wings and sliced through a locker with a sharp metallic sound. “Damn it! They got us!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the corridor.
Jasper approached, shaking his head in irritation. “How’d they even get in?” he said, his tone exasperated. “Even if Melanthius and Dontai were asleep, the left wing has no exits or entrances. So, they had to come from somewhere else. I feel like the answer’s right under our noses.”
Mel, standing under Jasper’s towering frame, glanced up at him. He paused, then spoke up. “I think we should cancel classes for now and focus on guarding the school. Maybe organize a stakeout or something. Let the black cards take shifts.” Mel shrugged, casually sipping the last of the juice as if it were a grand plan.
The following day, after Headmaster Draven made the decision to cancel classes, the school remained untouched. Yet, the questions surrounding the intruders lingered, unanswered and unsettling.
Mel sat in Anita’s room at her house, which was conveniently located in Solstice City. His arms were crossed, his expression a mix of frustration and thoughtfulness. “The intruder got away from Benjamin and Aegis last night,” he said, breaking the silence. “Every time I try to stay alert, I keep falling asleep. It’s weird—my body gets this sudden spike of energy, and then it just crashes. Probably just a sugar rush turning into a sugar crash.”
Mel leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes as Anita watched him closely. Her expression was pensive, her thoughts clouded by the recent mystery.
“I think I should come with you tomorrow,” she offered, breaking the silence.
Mel nodded, though his tone was weary. “Just to keep me awake. I don’t even want Elowen coming. If those intruders are strong enough to take down Draven, what chance do any of us have?” He absently twirled the frost necklace Amara had given him, its icy shimmer catching the dim light.
Anita’s gaze lingered on the necklace for a moment before she discreetly tapped her black card, pulling up her messaging interface. Her fingers moved swiftly across the screen as she texted Mark: You might have to hurry up. There’s an intruder sneaking into the school, and Melanthius might get hurt. How fast can you get here? She hit send and sighed, glancing back at Mel, who was lost in thought.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the vast ocean, Mark stood at the bow of a massive ship, the salty wind whipping through his graying hair. The leader of the Blades gang and an old ally of Merlin Shadowbane, Mark had once controlled both the Blades and Blunts gangs. That was before something fractured their unity, splitting the two factions apart.
Behind him, members of the gang were busy sharpening their blade skills, maintaining the ship, or simply relaxing. Mark’s futuristic phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out, squinting at the holographic message from Anita.
“How do you…” he muttered, fumbling with the device as if it were a puzzle from another era. Frustrated, he gave up and handed it to his son, Logan, who approached with a knowing smirk.
Logan skimmed the message quickly. “Anita says we need to hurry. Merlin’s son is in trouble—there’s some intruder at the school, and she’s worried Melanthius might get hurt. How fast can we get there? You said it’d take two months because you wanted to make sure the Blades were in top shape.”
Mark rubbed his chin, his brows knitting together in frustration. “Why would she do this?! She knows how indecisive I am!” he growled, striding purposefully to the crow’s nest. He climbed it with surprising agility and called out to the neighboring ship.
“Honey!” Mark bellowed, his voice carrying over the waves.
On the other ship, equally formidable and bustling with activity, Yasmine stood at the helm. Mark’s wife and the leader of the Blunts gang, she had once ruled alongside him before the split. Her hair whipped around her face as she cupped her hands to her mouth. “What do you want, Mark?!” she yelled back, exasperated.
“How long do you think it’ll take to get ready to meet the young master?!” he shouted, gripping the mast for support.
Yasmine glanced over her crew, who were sparring with their blunt weapons. She calculated quickly and yelled back, “Probably a month!”
Mark waved his hand dismissively. “Make it a week?!”
Yasmine groaned audibly, throwing her head back in irritation. “Fine! Sure! Whatever!” she shouted before muttering under her breath, “I swear, if this is another one of his overblown emergencies…”
Lucy stood before a sparring dummy, her eyes burning with frustration. “Why do we have to meet this kid? I’m not ready to fall in line and take orders like some soldier,” she muttered, pulling her leg back. With a powerful kick, she shattered the wooden dummy into splinters.
Yasmine, watching from nearby, growled and cracked her knuckles in irritation. “What did I tell you about breaking my dummies?!”
Lucy bowed her head slightly, though her voice carried a sharp edge. “I’m sorry. I was just… agitated.”
Yasmine’s expression softened instantly, and she pulled her daughter into a warm, crushing hug. “Such a good daughter!” she cooed, rubbing Lucy’s head affectionately.
Lucy stood stiffly, her arms pinned at her sides. “Release me,” she muttered flatly.
Yasmine chuckled and let her go, stepping back. “I need to know if our faction is strong enough to meet the young master. Do you think you and your brother might want to… test him out?” she said, a sly smile spreading across her face.
Lucy’s eyes gleamed at the suggestion. Without hesitation, she dashed to the edge of the ship and dove gracefully into the water. She disappeared beneath the surface, swimming with incredible speed, her strokes efficient and precise. She didn’t surface once.
“I guess that’s a yes,” Yasmine said with a shrug, turning toward the neighboring ship. She raised her hand and signaled to Logan, who was leaning lazily against the railing.
Logan groaned, clearly less enthused about the idea. “Really?” he muttered under his breath before trudging over to the side. He climbed into a small rowboat, his every movement sluggish. With a resigned sigh, he began rowing toward Yasmine’s ship, his strokes slow and deliberate.
“Any day now, Logan!” Yasmine called out, hands on her hips.
Logan rolled his eyes, grumbling, “This ‘young master’ better be worth all this effort…”
Back in Auroria, Mel swayed slightly, his eyelids drooping as he stood on his hoverboard. Elowen lunged at him with her wooden sword, not noticing his dazed state. Instinctively, Mel blocked her strike, his own wooden sword snapping up in perfect defense.
“I’m awake!” he shouted, jolting upright and slapping his own cheek.
Elowen raised an eyebrow, lowering her sword. “What’s going on with you?”
Mel rubbed his face, trying to shake off the fatigue. “I don’t know. Ever since that kid gave me that drink, I’ve been feeling exhausted.”
“You shouldn’t drink anything else, alright?” Elowen said firmly, stepping closer. She tilted his chin up, forcing him to meet her gaze.
“You’re right,” Mel admitted with a sigh. “I gave the rest of it to Dontai anyway. But I’m still so tired.” He leaned against her shoulder, his weight making her hoverboard wobble.
Elowen stepped off her hoverboard with a sigh. “Alright, no more hovering. Let’s get you back. I’ll walk you to the school and then head to my dorm.”
Mel nodded, stepping off his hoverboard as well. They walked side by side toward the school, Elowen stretching her arms as the cool evening air settled around them.
Meanwhile, out at sea, Lucy and Logan sat in the small boat, the silence between them punctuated by the gentle splashing of water. The siblings couldn’t have been more different: Lucy exuded a quiet, brooding intensity, like a black cat waiting to pounce, while Logan radiated an easygoing energy, much like a golden retriever.
“How do you think Melanthius will be?” Logan asked, dipping an oar lazily into the water.
Lucy trailed her fingers along the surface, watching the ripples spread. “Strong. Strong as hell,” she replied bluntly, her voice steady.
Logan nodded thoughtfully. “I thought the same. Do you think we’ll always be stuck in this gang nonsense? It all started with Merlin, and now… we don’t even live in the same house anymore. Mom and Dad act like they’re fine being ‘separately together,’ but we both know they can’t stand it.”
Lucy shrugged, her tone indifferent but her words sharp. “Don’t waste time on thoughts like that. They say Merlin ruled with an iron fist even before he became an overlord. If his son is anything like him and tries to control us, we’ll leave. I don’t care if it’s just the two of us. You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
Logan chuckled at her sudden seriousness. “Of course,” he said, holding out his hand.
Lucy’s lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smirk as she clasped his hand, but instead of a handshake, she shifted into a thumb war. Their playful battle broke the tension, the sound of their laughter mingling with the rhythm of the waves.