Aether stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the Principal, who stared back at him blankly before speaking. “I just returned from the Aurora Empire, and now this… Mind telling me what exactly you’re doing to my professors, Aether?” Her tone was indifferent and furious.
Aether’s eyes, cold as ice, locked onto hers, causing the Principal to wonder what had sparked his fury. Without shifting his gaze, he pointed a finger toward Alaric and said, “Ask him. He’s the one who started all of this—”
“How dare you pin this on me, you bastard?!” Alaric erupted, his voice rising in outrage. “You’re the one who instigated everything in the first place!” His furious glare swept over the other professors, seeking validation. One of them nodded in agreement, adding, “Yes, Principal. He attacked the Vice Principal first”
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“See that? I had no choice but to defend myself!” Alaric added, a sly grin curling his lips as though he’d just scored a victory. His confidence was almost palpable, as if the situation was firmly under his control.
The Principal’s expression darkened, her sharp gaze shifting back to Aether. “Explain yourself. What is the meaning of this, Aether?”
Alaric’s frown deepened, disbelief evident on his face. “Why are you questioning him? Do you not believe us—me”” His voice faltered slightly, tinged with frustration. “You should be reprimanding him instead of talking to him!”
Ignoring Alaric completely, the Principal softened her tone just a fraction, though her authority remained, “At the very least, Aether, I have the right to know what’s going on. Don’t you agree?”
Alaric’s face twisted into a scowl as he interjected again. “What are you even talking abou—”
“He brought Aqualina here yesterday,” Aether interrupted firmly, “And today, I came to visit her… on the Empress’s orders, only to find that she’s nowhere to be found in the Academy.”
The Principal arched an eyebrow, her expression shifting from stern to contemplative. “Hmm… So you attacked him because of this? Aether, that’s not acceptable behavior. You need to control your temper, just as you used to.” She let out a soft sigh before turning her gaze toward Alaric. “And you—care to explain why you brought her back? Wasn’t she on vacation?”
Alaric appeared momentarily taken aback, “But… You were the one who ordered me to bring her back!”
“Huh?” The Principal blinked in surprise, “What are you talking about? I’ve only just returned to the Academy after speaking with the Archpriestess. When exactly did I give you such an order?”
Now it was Alaric’s turn to look genuinely confused. “B-But I saw you! You specifically told me yesterday to bring her back. I followed your exact instructions!”
The Principal’s brows furrowed as she scanned the faces of the other professors. “Did any of you see me yesterday?” she asked. They all shook their heads, denying her presence until now.
Alaric interjected hastily, “You told me you were leaving soon, so I didn’t needed to inform anyone else.”
The Principal’s lips pressed into a thin line as the pieces began to fall into place. Her tone turned grave. “It seems someone has infiltrated the Academy,” she muttered under her breath… The corridor fell silent for a moment before gasps rippled through the gathered professors.
“But it was you!” Alaric exclaimed, his voice tinged with desperation, “I swear it was you, Principal!”
The Principal raised a hand, silencing the murmurs of alarm among the professors, “Take care the students,” she instructed them firmly. The professors moved to disperse the frightened onlookers, while the Principal turned and strode toward her office.
Aether and Alaric quickly followed her.
“Why would she call Aqualina back? On what grounds?” the Principal demanded, her voice sharp as she addressed Alaric without slowing her stride… she knew Alaric was not idiot to just follow her/ or whoever looked like her orders.
Alaric cleared his throat nervously. “Well, after I submitted the written test results, where Aqualina left her paper completely blank… you—” He stopped mid-sentence when the Principal shot him a piercing glare. Correcting himself, he continued, “That person, whoever they were, instructed me to call her back and have her retake the exam.”
“And that’s it? That’s all you know?”
“Yes, that’s everything…” Alaric replied, his voice barely above a whisper, a worried expression clouding his face.
Meanwhile, Aether was attempting to connect with Aqualina and Celestia, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sense their presence.
‘Where are they?’ he wondered, his mind racing. The uncertainty gnawed at him. He considered reaching out to Jack, but without fully understanding the situation, he hesitated. His log hadn’t flagged any imminent danger, nor had it indicated that Aqualina needed saving…. Even Nyx, tied to the Void Empire and a perfect target for Jack, but there was no mission about her.
So the suitation was making things unclear for him…
The Principal pushed open the door to her office… The moment she entered, her nose twitched, her expression darkening immediately as only one word escped from her mouth,
“Succubus!”
Both Aether and Alaric raised their eyebrows in surprise… Neither of them had sensed anything unusual in the air, nor did they detect the faintest trace of a different scent.
“Y-You mean…” Alaric’s words trailed off, his voice faltering as if pieces of a complex puzzle were finally snapping into place.
“A succubus infiltrated the Academy,” the Principal said, her voice calm yet brimming with restrained anger. “Not only that, but it managed to trick you, Alaric, by masking itself as me. This means one of two things—either the succubus is powerful enough to deceive someone of your caliber…” She paused, her sharp gaze boring into him.
“Or?” Alaric frowned slightly, his unease growing.
Before she could respond, Aether, having got the information, decided he couldn’t waste another moment.
He turned to leave when the Principal muttered, “I know where she is.”
Aether halted abruptly and spun around. “Where?”
The Principal let out a heavy sigh, pressing her fingers to her temple as if staving off a headache. “That fucking bitch…”
Aether’s brows knitted in frustration. “What is it? Just tell me already,” he urged.
The Principal’s eyes flicked to Aether, her expression deadly serious. “First, you need to apologize to Alaric.”
Aether’s lips twitched, his displeasure evident as he glanced at Alaric, who, to his annoyance, was grinning smugly. “Tsk… I’m sorry,” Aether muttered begrudgingly.
Though it wasn’t quite the apology the Principal had hoped for, she decided to let it slide. “Anyway, first things fir—”
“Wait, wait! That’s it?” Alaric interjected, his voice incredulous. “You’re just going to let him off after he attacked me?!”
The Principal ignored him entirely, walking out of the office… Aether smirked, throwing a glance at Alaric, whose face contorted in irritation as he followed behind.
Aether lingered for a moment, scanning the office room one last time before stepping out, “Do– Principal,” he called out, “Where is Princess Aqualina? I need to find her before the Empress comes looking for my head.”
The Principal didn’t respond immediately, her expression unreadable as she continued walking, seemingly lost in thought. Finally, she began issuing instructions to the other professors, telling them to guard the Academy at most tight security and even check professors before letting anyone inside and then,
“Where are we going, Principal?” Aether asked, his voice tinged with impatience.
The Principal stopped and turned to him,
“Steady your heart, Aether….. In situations like this, you need to remain composed. The more you let fear and urgency consume you, the heavier the pressure becomes and…. the more mistakes you’ll make…. like what you did to Alaric” Her gaze flicked pointedly to Alaric.
To be honest Aether tried desperately to calm himself from the very beginning, but ever since he had heard the Prophetess’s words and, his heart refused to settle.
‘T-This is why everyone says knowing the future is more dangerous than being ignorant of it,’ Aether thought, a tired expression on his face.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t calm his heart.
The sharp edge of uncertainty gnawed at him—this situation was different from the one where he faced his own death.
Now, he knew he had to make a choice he didn’t know and he could lose everything… The Prophetess’s words kept replaying in his mind, pulling his thoughts in every direction, his focus slipping further away.
“Hold my hand,” the Principal ordered…. Aether hesitated for only a moment before grasping her hand, she then glancing over at Alaric.
“We’re going to the Umbrionis Void Empire,”
Alaric’s face turned pale as the blood drained from it. “We? You mean I…”
“Yes, you’re coming with us,” the Principal said with a smirk, “Since you were the one who created mess, it’s only fair you help clean it up.”
Alaric bit his lip, reluctant but unable to refuse still he tried to warn her, “Teleporting directly into the Void Empire will cause serious problem to everyone. You do realize that, don’t you?”
The Principal chuckled, her tone filled with amusement. “If that fucking Mary can do it, then so can I.”
In an instant, the trio vanished, reappearing moments later in…
The Umbrionis Void Empire…
“Cough, cough!” Aether doubled over, blood dripping from his lips as he struggled to stand. The Principal quickly erected a barrier around him, her expression one of concern and focus. “It’ll take time for your body to acclimate to the heavy concentration of dark elements here. Avoid using Arcane energy until then,” she warned.
Aether nodded, wiping the blood from his mouth as he looked down. They were hovering high in the sky, overlooking a landscape that seemed like a desolate wasteland.
Everything below was shrouded in darkness… ash swirling ominously in the air like a black and white Pictures!
“What in the…” he whispered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Before he could process the sight fully, they vanished again, this time reappearing inside a vast, dark chamber.
“Hmm… We have uninvited guest?”
The seductive tone of the voice echoed through the room, sending a shiver down Aether’s spine as his eyes landed on a blurry figure seated on a throne made of bloodied bones and skeletal remains.
The figure’s outline was blurred… Aurelia’s Mother… Bloody Mary!
The Principal smirked, her tone dripping with disdain, “Hello, bitch.”
“Haha…” The figure’s laughter was low and menacing, the room trembling with its power, “Such insolence… barging into my Empire like this. Do you even comprehend where you are, Isadora?”
“Hehe…” The Principal just grinned.