Anna

Anna dropped to her knees. Her entire body was trembling from the unrelentless shivers shuddering through her veins. Spectral voices echoed in her head, bringing her to the edge of madness. She heaved—each dry, raspy gasp for air was met with needle-like pains jabbing into her lungs.

She unclenched her left hand, releasing the fragment of Azurite that used to dangle on the end of her necklace. Instantly, the shivers stopped. The pains lessened. The patches of blue tinting her fingertips began to dissipate. The symptoms of Overclock began to cede. She took a long, drawn-out breath, trying to quell her frazzled nerves and silence the incessant voices fighting for her sanity.

Once she had calmed from Overclock, she glanced down at the aftermath of the confrontation. The deceased body of Professor Callum laid pitifully amidst the ruins of the sacred grove.

Anna covered her mouth with her hands, fighting down the swelling nausea. She crouched down, weak with discomfort. Her stomach twisted in knots at the sickening realization.

I just killed an Academy professor.

Her mind blanked. If she was ever discovered—

The sound of crumbling stone jolted her out of her thoughts. She turned around. The burning temple had finally fell. The ancient structure collapsed inwards, burying the remnants of the mad laboratory under ashes and rubble. Anna looked away from the bright conflagrations. The rest of the sacred grove was also smeared in destruction. The battle between professor and Emil had torn apart the old foundations.

Emil was staring vacantly at the professor’s corpses. His hands clenched onto the bloody dagger. Without warning, the weapon dropped. Emil suddenly went limp.

“Whoa!” Anna gasped, barely managing to stop his fall. The boy was heavy. Before her weak legs would give in, she let him down gently on the stone floor.

Anna grimaced. Emil’s body was a mangled mess of burns, bruises, and nasty lacerations. His unconscious face was heart-wrenching to stare at. Concerned, she pressed her fingers against the side of his neck.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart raged with a steady cadence. No abnormalities.

Looks like he’ll live for now.

She let out a sigh of relief. Her heart throbbed with guilt. She was the one who dragged him into this mess. Was it worth it? She wanted to destroy the lab out of a sense of justice for Ellen, but the aftermath was another one of her friends nearly dying.

Seriously, what the hell am I doing?

This was hardly the first time her impulsiveness placed her and her companions into serious trouble. She winced—recounting the past incidents where her emotions got the best of her. This time, however, she couldn’t even fathom the consequences that awaited her.

An Academy professor and his assistants were dead.

A laboratory and experiment sanctioned by the Council of Mana were destroyed.

The facts settled in. Clarity struck her like frigid waters as she shuddered at the uncertainty of what’s to come. Her stomach churned with unease. This entire incident had blown up more than she had planned.

As long as we’re not caught. The only people that knew of our involvement are dead.

She bit on her nails, smirking nervously—suddenly conscious of how villainous her thoughts were. Her descent into a delinquent might have been more severe than she realized.

We need to get out of here.

Too much time had passed since the temple started burning. The possibility of the Sentinels arriving on the scene increased with every passing second.

“Sorry,” she whispered as she grabbed onto Emil’s ankles. Her own body was mauled by exhaustion. She felt bad, but she was going to have to drag Emil across the ground.

“Wait.”

“Ahhh!” Anna jumped, startled by his voice. “You were awake?!”

“I am now,” Emil muttered weakly. His voice sounded coarse.

“Can you move?” Anna asked, cringing. The question sounded incredibly stupid at the sight of Emil’s ravaged body. “We should get back into the woods at least before Sentinels arrive.”

“…Give me a second. In case it wasn’t clear, I kind of got fucked up back there by our dear departed professor,” Emil said dryly, before raising a question, “Why did you come back anyways? I thought I told you to run.”

Anna was about to explode until she noticed the wry grin plastered on Emil’s face. This guy is unbelievable. She resisted the urge to clobber him on the head.

“I believe the proper way to show gratitude is thank you Anna for saving my life!”

“Thank. You. Anna. For. Not. Listening.” Emil mumbled monotonously. Anna crouched down beside him and delivered a gentle flicker to his head. Emil let out a painful groan, exaggerated of course, while complaining about the amorality of striking an injured person. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Did you seriously think I was going to leave you behind?” she asked.

Emil fell quiet.

What an asshole.

She had been hiding beneath the shadows of the grove’s edge, watching nervously as the battle between Emil and Professor Callum unfolded, waiting for the symptoms of Overclock to fade enough for her to help. Her heart screamed several times, especially when she thought the professor had knocked him into submission. She didn’t know what she would have done if she had to witness his death right before her eyes.

“…You’re not a regular student, are you?” Anna asked. Despite the symptoms of Overclock, she didn’t believe her eyes had been deceived. “I saw you use two—”

“Stop,” Emil said. Goosebumps rushed down Anna’s skin, prickled by the sudden bloodlust. Despite Emil’s pathetic state, she somehow felt threatened by the single word. “You saw nothing. Do not speak of this again. Or else I’m going to do something I really don’t want to do.”

The implications of those words were haunting. Anna gulped.

“...Alright. Merchants can keep a secret.”

Silence lingered between the two. The remnants of the naphtha flames burned quietly in the background.

“Thank you,” Emil muttered to cut the tension. His eyes were staring at the night sky. He seemed oddly at ease, content to bask in the pale moonlight. “All you need to know is that I was devastated by Ellen’s death. I might have had a chance to save her. But I squandered it. So whatever guilt you’re feeling, just know that I chose to come with you.”

“…Who said I was feeling guilty?” Anna lied, frowning.

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I can’t get a read on him.

The more she interacted with him, the more enigmatic the boy seemed. He acted frivolous at the Academy, and yet during their investigations into Ellen, he was fiercely competent. She had so many questions spiraling in her head, but she promised to keep them unsaid.

“Oh,” Emil suddenly mumbled, “What do we do about classes tomorrow?”

Anna stared at him blankly. The ridiculous question caused her to burst into laughter.

“What do you mean?” she wiped the tears from her eyes, “Tomorrow’s the weekend.”

***

IVAR

The warm, astringent scent danced beneath his nostrils. The headmaster of Exalted Academy took a slow and steady whiff of the fragrance. The steaming moisture of the hot beverage lingered towards the ceiling. Tea. Boiled to perfection.

Satisfied with his work, Ivar leaned back into his chair. He was in his office within the Academy on a weekend evening. Despite being the headmaster of the most prestigious Academy in Ardair, his office was surprisingly modest. A single wooden desk lied in the center. A wooden chair, cushioned. A shelf—filled with books and documents that were neatly labeled and organized with symmetrical precision. A small plant in the corner of his office space, adding viridescence to the otherwise gloomy room. A single candle burned steadily, illuminating the humble abode against the solemn evening.

Ivar closed his eyes, indulging in the quiet silence. It was a rare moment of tranquility for the man who was at the center of Azure City. He let his mind wander. He was curious what sorts of dissonance would emerge. Like a spectator of his own subconscious, he observed, intrigued at the revelations that might surface when he loosened his control over his thoughts.

Thud, thud, thud.

Someone was at his door. Ivar winced at the sudden knocking as his attention was forcefully pried away from his inner mind.

“…Come in,” he said, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

The door creaked open. A tall, slender man walked in. Not a single sound emitted from his steps against the hard wooden floor. His face was somber and expressionless—somehow lacking a semblance of humanity.

“Master Ivar, I bring news,” the man said, taking a slow and measured bow. Ivar narrowed his eyes. The man’s name was Licht. He was one of the few assistants under his command that he trusted without fail.

“Speak,” Ivar commanded. His frown grew deeper as he folded his hands. Licht’s presence was never pleasant. His trusty assistant only appeared whenever there was trouble.

“Last night, the Sentinels found the burning ruins of an abandoned sacred grove in the Third Sector. There were casualties. Autopsies are in progress to confirm their identities,” Licht suddenly paused, “But it’s highly probable that one of the deceased is Callum.”

Callum died? Ivar straightened his back at the news. He opened his desk drawer and fetched one of the papers belonging to the late professor.

“On the creation of monsters through organic Azurite implantation” was imprinted on the front page. It was Callum’s research proposal.

“…I recalled he had issues keeping his specimens under control,” Ivar said, “Was his death an experimental accident?”

“No,” Licht declared, “If I may offer my humble opinion, I believe it was murder. His corpse had a long laceration across the throat caused by a dagger or short sword.”

“Any lingering traces of mana on his body?” Ivar asked, despite already knowing the answer.

“Aside from his own Azurite pendant, no,” Licht reported flatly, “The Sentinels only found him in the morning. Depending on the time of his death, any traces of mana used by an Exalted would have long dissipated.”

Ivar clicked his tongue. Callum was an average researcher, but a talented combatant. The fact that he was murdered spells trouble. Ivar could count on one hand the number of people in this Azure City that easily overwhelm Callum in single combat.

“Investigate the activities of the other research groups. I highly doubt it, but verify that his murder wasn’t caused by some fool trying to silence their competition. While you’re at it, change the Sentinel’s patrol to better monitor the Hidden Laboratories,” Ivar ordered. His teeth were clenched, chattering nosily as he spoke. “There’s a possibility that a rat might be scurrying around in the city.”

***

KLEINE

Somewhere in the vast Third Sector of Azure City.

What a nostalgic feeling.

Kleine thought as he scanned the vicinity. He was at the ruins of an abandoned mausoleum. In its heyday, it would have looked majestic and radiant—a marble construct situated in the midst of a small glade, beneath the opening of the canopy, illuminated by sun and moonlight. The former pristine marble structure was now blemished and grayed, desecrated by the passage of time. Branches and moss smeared its surface as nature began its reclamation of man’s constructions.

Kleine sat cross legged on the paved stone. Moonlight streaked in from the opening in the canopy. His long white hair glistened under the pale lunar rays. His blood-stained eyes gentle as he basked in the silence of the night. With his beautiful androgenous appearance, he possessed the semblance of an angelic being.

Footsteps echoed against the paved stone. Kleine raised his head slowly, unfazed by the sudden noise. It came from the direction of the mausoleum. Soon, the two figures emerged from its interior.

“Kleine, you’re here,” one of them said. It was a petite woman with fair and dark skin. A native Gharian, indigenous people of the desert Saar, located in the south of Ardair. Beside her was a tall man adorned in vivid chainmail. In his hands was a long and thin scabbard. His features were unmistakably Eastern. His hair was tied back in a short ponytail and his chin was decorated by a neatly-trimmed goatee.

“Karni. Nagi,” Kleine nodded at both of his companions, “Any updates?”

Karni closed her eyes. Kleine felt the slightest perturbation of mana radiate from her small body. In the distance, his ears picked up the faint scurrying of rats.

After a minute of silence, Karni’s eye re-opened.

“The Sentinels are moving. They seem to have adopted a new patrol pattern,” Karni said, facing Nagi, “Bring out the map.”

The Eastern swordsman obliged without question. He retrieved a parchment bound by rope from his satchel. His fingers, mangled with injuries and filled with calluses, slowly unwound the rope. Nagi kneeled down and then carefully spread the map along the paved stone.

It was a cruelly drawn map of Azure City. A large, detailed circle was placed in the center of the page, denoting the campus of Exalted Academy. A wider circle surrounding it signified the Second Sector, and it was dotted with arrays of buildings and districts. Finally, beyond that to the edges of the map was the vast, largely unoccupied Third Sector.

Karni pointed her fingers at six locations situated near the borders of the Second and Third Sectors.

“The Sentinels are congregating near these areas. Security in the Second Sector has laxed significantly as a result.”

Kleine raised an eye, “Those are near the Hidden Laboratories, are they not?”

Karni nodded.

How curious. A wry grin emerged on his face as he tried to deduce a reason for this sudden change.

“If I may ask,” Nagi suddenly spoke, “What are these Hidden Laboratories?”

Kleine smirked, “They’re a series of labs created by the Council of Mana to conduct research. The reason you haven’t heard of them is because they’re technically not suppose to exist,” Kleine said as he turned towards Nagi, “You’ve been to Azure City a couple of times now. Did it ever occur to you why the Third Sector even exists? Outside of the three major roads that lead to Nordica, Rosales, and Gharia, the rest of this region is just vast vegetation and ruins.”

Nagi nodded, “I did think it was strange.”

“The purpose of the Third Sector is to obfuscate the labs’ existence,” Kleine said with a knowing glance, “The natural follow-up question is, why? Why go through the trouble? What could they be possibly researching that demands this level of secrecy?”

Kleine rose up on his feet and began prancing around. His eyes were wide and crazed—gleaming with an excitement that bordered on madness. Nagi followed Kleine with his gaze, while Karni stifled a yawn, seemingly indifferent to these theatrics.

“Nagi, if you wanted to know more about mana and Gifts, what would you do?” Kleine asked.

“…I would ask other Exalted.”

“Right, a perfectly logical response. But if they also don’t know? What if none of their acquaintances also know? Perhaps, you could consult literature. The Academy has published and archived plenty of research on Gifts. But,” Kleine’s voice suddenly turned sinister, “What if there was no literature either?”

Nagi fell silent.

The smile on Kleine’s face twisted into a painful snarl, “You would have to find out yourself. By conducting experiments on the only creature in this world that could use Gifts. Humans.”

Nagi’s eyes shook at the revelation, “But t-that’s—”

“Revolting? Sickening? Disgusting? Yes. You’re absolutely right,” Kleine giggled, “And yet, there are people in this kingdom that bear the souls of monsters.” Kleine’s eyes suddenly grew distant. His voice became increasingly shrill. Madness dripped from every word, raising with each syllable like notes in a crescendo. “They won’t even bat an eye as they pry you apart. Piece by piece. Bit by bit—”

“Kleine,” Karni interjected. Kleine silenced, seemingly cut off from his trance.

“…Do you understand why now it’s called the Hidden Laboratory?”

Nagi could only nod as Kleine stared him down intensely. It was only after he looked away that Nagi could wipe the sweat cascading down his neck.

Kleine faced Karni, “Last time I remembered, there were seven labs in total. You only marked six.”

“I didn’t make a mistake, if that’s what you’re implying.”

Kleine stared at the map, eyeing the spot where the uncounted laboratory was supposed to be. Did one of them get decommissioned? His eyes flickered at another possibility. Or, was it perhaps destroyed? If it was the latter, then the movements of the Sentinels suddenly made sense. It aligns. That despicable man would do anything to protect his precious assets.

Kleine quickly explained his hypothesis.

“If you’re right, then this works to our benefit,” Karni said, “The Council of Mana have their attention drawn elsewhere. The Sentinel’s new patrol pattern is full of gaps and blind spots.”

Kleine smiled, “It’s perfect. The stars are aligning for our little intrusion.”