“She will be fine, right?” Aether’s voice trembled with concern as he watched Helena meticulously tending to Delphine’s wound.
[+4000 AP]
Delphine, sensing his worry, offered a small smile, trying to soothe him. “I will be fine, Aether,” she reassured, her voice gentle despite the pain.
But Aether, still agitated, replied sharply, “I-I didn’t ask you, I asked her!” His eyes bore into Helena, desperate for her confirmation.
Helena sighed softly, “I know, Aether. She will be fine. Her hand will regrow once I use healing magic,” she explained, her tone calm but edged with a hint of annoyance?
Aether exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing a little, but his mind raced. The fact that something managed to harm Delphine so severely gnawed at him, hinting at dangers far greater than he had anticipated.
‘What should I do? If I focus on the current situation, I might not be able to seduce Helena… which certainly is not a good idea,’ Aether thought, his gaze fixed on Delphine’s torn hand.
The conflicting emotions swirled within him….
Delphine noticed his intense gaze and felt her cheeks warm, ‘He really was worried about me,’ she thought, her heart fluttering slightly.
[+5000 AP]
Meanwhile, Helena’s brow furrowed as she continued to treat Delphine’s wound, a small pout forming on her lips.
She couldn’t quite place why Aether’s concern for Delphine bothered her so much, but it did.
She felt a twinge of…. jealousy, though she tried to push it aside.
With a small pout, she continued to treat Delphine’s wound.
“Ouch!” Delphine winced as Helena applied pressure, the sting of the treatment catching her off guard.
Helena’s pout deepened, ‘Why is he more concerned about her than me?’ she wondered, though she kept her thoughts to herself as she focused on her work.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium, Lia hesitantly approached the massive mechanical spider, its gleaming metal body bound tightly with rope. “This is that thing? I-Is it still alive?” she asked, her fingers brushing against its cold, shiny abdomen… which suddenly twitched.
“HIKK!!” Lia jerked back.
“Yes, We couldn’t kill it….. unfortunately” Alaric confirmed, his voice flat.
Kai, still rattled by the sight of the creature, shouted, “Why did you bring that thing here then? What if it broke the ropes?”
Alaric started to explain, “Well, to be honest, we thought of destroying it after holding it, but—”
Before he could finish, Aqualina interjected, “Those technologies… they might be useful for the Academy…. or any wars, isn’t that right, Vice-Principal?” Her words hung in the air, laden with the unspoken possibilities of what the spider could offer.
The students turned to Alaric, their expressions a mix of shock and curiosity. Alaric simply nodded, “I will personally take care of it and believe me, killing it only loses the technology we could never hope for…”
The realization settled over them like a shroud… Alaric wasn’t denying it.
Even Aqualina found herself tempted, the thought of such powerful machinery being within their grasp was hard to resist.
A useful war material….
Alaric, sensing the unease growing among the students, cleared his throat and shifted the focus back to Selene’s group, “You guys didn’t find anything?”
Selene’s group shook their heads, their faces grim. They had searched everywhere, but the only thing they encountered were the monstrous human heads.
Alaric’s gaze then fell on Kenley, who, despite her condition, grinned defiantly. “She might have the answer… I will investigate her,” Alaric declared, his tone brooking no argument.
Kenley’s grin widened, her eyes glinting with a mix of madness and…. something deep!
Delphine, newly treated and feeling steadier, stepped forward, “I will help you, Vice-Principal,” she offered, her voice strong despite her injuries.
But Alaric shook his head. “You need to rest,” he said firmly, leaving no room for debate.
Aether, seeing an opportunity, spoke up. “I will then…” He needed to be involved, to understand the intricacies of what was unfolding so he could plan his next moves.
But Alaric’s eyes flicked to him, a subtle warning in his gaze. It was clear he didn’t want anyone else witnessing what he intended to do with Kenley…. especially not Aether.
Aether’s intuition gnawed as he muttered, “Something is wrong.” as he watched Alaric taking Kenley separately to the locker room.
“Kennedy”
Aether’s head snapped toward her.
“What do you mean?” Delphine’s question.
Aqualina’s gaze grew distant, her mind piecing together a puzzle she wished didn’t exist. “This all started after Kennedy’s death, and with his niece entangled in this mess… don’t you see? It might be all connected, like threads in a web, leading back to him.”
Delphine’s brow furrowed, scepticism etched into her features. “But Kennedy’s dead,” she stated.
Aqualina’s eyes flickered with a grim realization as she glanced at her group before saying, “I suppose I haven’t told you the most important detail.”
“Hmm?” Aether and the others leaned in, sensing the weight of what she was about to reveal.
Aqualina took a deep breath before continuing, “When we killed that monster… it wasn’t just any creature.
It was one of the girls connected to Kenley.”
Aether’s frown deepened, “Huh?”
The memory flashed vividly in Aqualina’s mind—how they fought fiercely, believing they were battling a monstrous being. But as they dealt the final blow, they heard a horrifying, garbled voice that sent chills down their spines.
“P-Please.. krrrKirrllll mmeee!! Grrrrrrrr!!!!”
The image of the half-iron, half-human figure falling apart before their eyes, revealing the distorted face of a girl, haunted Aqualina and her group.
Delphine’s face turned ghostly pale as the realization hit her.
“Someone related to Kennedy might be behind this,” Aqualina stated with a sombre expression.
“Who could it be?” Selene asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Anyone,” Aqualina shrugged, though the gravity of her words was clear. “His relatives, subordinates, loyal followers… even his victims.”
Delphine’s heart skipped a beat, her mind racing. She glanced at Aether, her thoughts tangled.
Aether also frowned as he thought, ‘Victims? Could… Kyra be behind this, using Kennedy’s technology to enact some kind of twisted revenge? Or…’ his mind whirling with possibilities.
His eyes then drifted towards the map, noticing that the Principal’s house was situated under the dome circle that Selene’s group had gone before….. But, the Principal’s house was far from the centre point, which would typically be necessary to create a perfect circled dome.
He bit his lip, his instincts screaming that something didn’t add up. ‘It’s not possible… but what if…’ He glanced at Victor.
Without warning, Victor declared, “I need to check something.”
“Huh?” The group frowned, puzzled by his sudden urgency, but before they could question him further, Victor grabbed Aether, and the two of them sped off.
“Where is he going?” Helena asked, her face clouded with worry.
Delphine rubbed her temples, anxiety gnawing at her, ‘If she was the one who caused all this… sigh.’ She wasn’t particularly close to Kyra, but she knew her to be a kind and hardworking girl. The idea of Kyra being involved in such a horrific scheme was almost too much to bear.
Kai had a blank expression as he thought, ‘My slave is being used by many people except me….’ his lips twitched, next time he would use Aether as he saw fit!
Meanwhile,
As they sprinted through the chaotic landscape, Aether suddenly skidded to a halt, his eyes widening in alarm….
He saw nothing!
“Where are the dead bodies?” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. The blood that had stained the ground, the bodies that had littered the area…. they were all gone. Not a trace remained.
His heart pounded in his chest. ‘This isn’t right…’ he thought, ordering Victor to search for any clues.
Aether’s heart pounded as he sprinted toward the Principal’s house, his thoughts racing with worry and…. It wasn’t the danger surrounding them or the lives at stake that fueled his urgency…. it was the thought of Snowflake!!
Yes, Before the date, he left Snowflake with Kyra as he wanted to have sweet times with his Delphine.
Who knew it would backfire on him!!
“Fuck!” he yelled, skidding to a halt as the house came into view.
The entire building was enveloped in a mass of small spiders, their tiny legs scuttling across the surface like a living carpet. It was a sight that made his stomach churn, the once familiar structure now twisted into something out of a nightmare.
His eyes narrowed as he noticed the spiders weren’t just crawling over the house; they were clinging to a barrier that surrounded it. Aether let out a small sigh of relief, realizing the barrier was still holding…. the barrier created by Principal!
But the moment of respite was fleeting…
Sssshhhh
A chilling mechanical echoed through the air, followed by the sound of countless tiny legs moving in unison. The spiders had sensed him. Their bodies twitched, and within seconds, they launched themselves toward him.
“Fuck!”