Asha was the only member of the cadre that didn't eat dinner that night.
In fact, she was the only student that didn't eat. Even Cress had come down from his belfry and sat with some of the students from Solariya.
Asha was patrolling the tables, giving out small punishments to misbehaving students. She winced as a joke someone told sent thirty people into laughter. She hated the noise.
"Come sit with us Asha!" Cress shouted, waving to her, drawing attention from everyone who could hear him.
Asha just shook her head, giving a fake apologetic smile before turning away. She avoided Blyke's side of the room altogether, not wanting him to see her and start asking questions. Questions that she did not want to answer. Questions with answers she would rather forget.
"Asha."
Asha walked up to the long teacher's table, bowing before the Headmaster. "You called me, Headmaster Randolph?"
He smiled. "Yes. I just wanted to thank you for this amazing dinner. Balancing it on top of your guarding and patrolling duties is amazing."
"Your Queen made all this food?" the Headmistress of Solariya asked.
"Indeed, Miss," Asha said. "But I was only doing what is expected of the hosting school. We must offer others our best hospitality."
"Such a humble student for being so powerful."
"You flatter me."
"Are you on patrol tonight?" Randolph asked.
Asha nodded. "As I am every night."
"Really?" a Headmaster asked.
"Yes. I am the Queen of Luminine. My job is to protect the students and staff. If that means I get a bit tired, then it's only me that's affected." Asha's ears picked up something from the forest in the back of the school. She bit her lip, trying to keep the urgency out of her voice as she said, "Please excuse me, Headmaster."
"Of course. Anyone who threatens Luminine, crush them under your heel," the Headmaster said, understanding.
Asha bowed once again and walked down the steps back to the lower area where the student's long tables were. Her muscles tensed.
"Asha?" Amelia asked, not far away, drawing the attention of those around her and the cadre, along with the people around them.
"Stay here," Asha snarled, the tile beneath her feet cracking under the pressure as she planted herself. Only a second. She was there, crouched and ready to spring before the tile beneath her feet shattered, spiderweb cracks branching over the other tiles, and the doors were flung open. Only a second, and then Asha was gone.
She was very fast. Most of that being because she was very, very used to running away from the monsters in the darkness…
~
"What just happened?" Amelia hissed.
"I don't know," replied Ethelyn. "Should we follow her...?"
"No. She told us to stay put," Daniel said, walking up to them. "In this damn hierarchy, her commands are practically the law. If we disobey her, she can and more than likely will punish us. But the edge she's balanced on now... I can't risk our safety."
"So you're saying we should just sit back while our school is being attacked?" Tim asked, striding up to stand in front of Daniel.
"Actually, we don't know if this is an attack or not," Rosaria corrected. "Knowing Asha, it could be literally anything from an attack to a bee to the apocalypse."
"But if it is an attack... will she really be okay by herself? She seemed to be in a hurry to take such drastic means of exiting," Amelia said, nodding to the cracked marble. "What do you think, Mr. Boyfriend?" she called to Blyke, still in his seat.
"Just let it be," Blyke said.
"Really? I thought you would be the first one to follow her," said Ethelyn.
"She'll be fine," Blyke snapped. "She's the Queen. If she got beat by whatever crap is out there, then she'd deserve it."
The cadre looked at Blyke, shocked. He'd never been this unconcerned when it came to Asha.
"Did something happen between you two?" Rosaria asked, voicing the question no one else had the guts to say.
They could see the vein bulging in his temple as he sent them all a glare Asha would be proud of. "Shut your faces before I shut them for you."
Amelia winced and turned back to her food. She noticed people were watching them and she smiled. "Everyone. go back to your food. I'm sure Asha was just acting cool or something. Even if something is happening out there, she's more than capable of protecting this whole school single-handedly." Amelia relaxed as the onlookers nodded their agreement.
"Headmaster, do you know what's going on?" Daniel asked, walking up to the High Table.
"A little more than you, but Asha was the one who heard them," Randolph said.
Amelia strained her ears to pick up their conversation.
"What do you mean heard them? The gates are almost two miles from the school!"
"That girl is really something else," said Randolph conversationally. "Sensing danger even before me, quite impressive."
"How are you so calm about this?" Daniel spit. He looked about ready to slap the Headmaster.
Amelia set her fork down. "I just hope whatever's happening is good. Keep these people safe, Asha."
~
He watched her run from the hall, so fast only a blur of black hair was visible. Something was definitely going down. He smiled.
Nobody noticed when he stood from his table and made his way around the edge of the room before slipping through the doors. So close...
"What do you think you're doing?"
He whirled around to see the black-haired man with gray-green eyes. "And who might you be?" he asked, voice warped under the deep hood of his cloak.
"None of your business. Where do you think you're going?" the man asked. "This is Luminine territory, guarded by Reapers as a favor to someone who's helped us before. Let me ask you once again. What do you think you're doing?"
He smiled. This man... was strong. This was going to be so much fun. "Let's go somewhere a little less noisy," he suggested. He grinned wider as the man agreed.
With no witnesses, tonight would be a moonless killing night!
~
Darkness ruled over the world, and where darkness ruled, monsters followed. Not just the kind that would tear you limb from limb and had fangs and claws and horns, but monsters that never showed up in the light. Monsters who come for the souls of the damned.
"You stand in our way yet again. Do you know what you are doing?" a sharp, British accent called.
Asha stood on Quetzalcoatl's back, his size growing until he was the length of a freight train, huge wings sending mini-tornadoes tearing over the school grounds. "I stand here because of a deal I made with one of your leaders. And I will keep these grounds sacred and pure, away from your touch. No students here will be taken before their times come." Asha faced the near wall of figures flying above her.
"You've gotten better. The barrier is keeping everyone under the rank of a Spirit Guardian out. It's impressive, for a mere imitation like yourself."
"Go polish your glasses or something if you're just going to talk all night. I have dinner to eat," said Asha.
"You realize that even you wouldn't be able to stand up against us at this point, right? Not only do we outnumber you thirty-to-one, but it seems like your resolve has weakened significantly."
Asha knelt on Quetzalcoatl's back and grasped one of his sleek scales. He let out a war cry as she ripped it free, but instead of a normal scale, there was a long blade-like thing that had been anchoring the scale. "Sorry, Quetzico," Asha said. She faced the people flying in the sky. "I will not move, and I will not let you get past me!"
"You alone won't be able to hold us back! Make sure to get every sinner!"
"Yes!"
Asha flung out her hands, a wave of sharp, cold wind tearing through the sky, blowing her attackers back. An explosion reached her ears from a few miles distance, and she glanced over her shoulder. It was only Quetzalcoatl's fast movement that kept a gold-tipped arrow from going through her collarbone.
Asha unfurled a pair of black wings from her back, launching into the air to meet the first figure wrapped in black. She swung the sharp scale like a sword, nearly cutting off the figure's head before it was blocked by a knife. Asha backstroked to dodge a strike before swinging once again.
"Get into that school no matter what you need to do!" the figure barked.
"Quetzico! Don't let them pass you!" ordered Asha. She swung her sword at the figure. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to get past me!"
"I don't need to. This much power... is more than enough to defeat you! Hellslaughter Domain, open!"
Asha choked as the wave of hate and fear and anger rushed over her and covered the skies. What... the hell was this?! She struggled to keep her wings working as the weight of the emotions pressing on her body tried to drive her down to the ground.
"Do you like my little treat for you? Of course, there's a way you could beat it... but will you take the risk?"
"I don't need it to beat you. I just need to... keep fighting!" Asha said. She let out a battle cry as she broke through the domain, shattering it. "Silvia has a much more impressive Green Silver Domain. It's much harder to break than the Hellslaughter Domain."
"Blue Silver Domain, Massacre Arena, Grimm Domain, open!"
Asha's wings folded with the weight of the three new field techniques, but she was surprised to see the other figures as well as the leader all fall with her. "Q-Quetzico!" Asha cried. She was caught by Quetzalcoatl, but the pressure was too great for her to even stand.
"This place is my territory. How dare you try to force entry," a voice boomed, the same crisp British accent making the words sharp.
"It's here! It's her!" the figures cried.
The sky lit up and the very earth shook as ten huge rings appeared in the sky, some different colors, all with a double-bladed scythe crest in the middle of them.
"It was a mistake for you to come here. Now... leave!"
Asha watched, transfixed, as swirling holes of darkness appeared beneath each of the figures. They sank through them, then they were gone. Asha stood as the domains shattered. "Much thanks to Mysterious Helper," she said, putting her fist to her palm. Asha could have handled them all herself, but any extra help meant less time spent out here, where she could basically feel the worry and anxiousness coming from the school building.
"I'm sure you could have won against them yourself."
Asha breathed out in relief as she felt the presence leave. She stroked Quetzico as he started the descent. "Thanks, Quetzico. I don't know what I'd do without you."
They landed, and Quetzalcoatl shrank back to a two-foot-long snake with wings. He curled around Asha's shoulders and started to doze with his face pressed to Asha's throat. She walked back into the school grounds, the Oblivinite particles charging her, then backing off as the badge on her chest shone lightly. She walked back into the school, walking back into the mess hall and jumping into the rafters, fast enough that nobody realized that she was back.
The next hour and a half, through four more courses of food and two courses of deserts, Asha sat along one of the rafter beams and monitored the meal. She'd send Quetzico to Ethelyn, which was a signal that she was out of danger and more than likely back.
The students watched Quetzico twirl through the air on swift wings, clapping for tricks and throwing pieces of cake and pie up to him.
Asha's eyes fastened on a student from Luminine sneaking one of the deserts out of the hall with him, probably to eat later that night. Asha stood and ran the length of the beam before jumping into open space. She executed a perfect high dive before straightening out so her feet slammed into the back of the student, knocking him over and sending the whole cake flying, only to be caught by Quetzico. "No food from the Great Hall is allowed in dormitories. This is your only warning. The next time there will be a punishment. Understood?"
"Yeth, Miths Ashtha!" mumbled the student, whose face was squashed against the floor tiles.
Asha stepped off the boy and took the cake from Quetzico.
"I'll take that," Cress said, sliding the cake from Asha's hand as he stretched out his wings. "That rule is for the cleanliness of the dorm rooms, right? I have another errand to run, and I'm sure it will end sooner if I have a bribe. Is that okay, Miss Queen?" he asked.
Asha just waved her hand disinterestedly. "Whatever. But if I see a crumb of cake in your room, I'll hit you for every molecule is in the crumb."
"Of course, Mademoiselle." Cress put a hand on her shoulder as he walked away, letting it drag down her arm before falling back to his side. "See you tomorrow, Asha."
Asha just walked straight ahead to the open window and unfurled those huge black wings. "Lights out is at midnight. If I hear any whispering, I will make sure you have a sleepless night." She flew out the window and to the gates, wrapping her legs around the top of the gate and hanging upside-down again. She didn't know why, but she liked watching the moon on her back.
~
"Asha?"
Asha pulled herself up and looked down at Blyke, those eyes glowing in a way that seemed as if they had absorbed some of the silvery light.
Blyke bit his lip and debated whether or not to keep talking or just walk away. After what had happened that afternoon, he was a bit hesitant that she would snap again.
"What is it?" she asked.
Blyke took a breath and said, "Do you sit out here every night?"
"Almost."
"Why?"
"I like the view."
Blyke clenched his fist behind his back. Were things between them really that bad? He still remembered her warning about delving deeper into her family history, and her reaction when she found him reading a book on the Phantomhives... but why wasn't her name on the tree? Her appearance was almost a perfect match to their other daughter's...
"Are you really a Phantomhive?" he asked before he could think the question through.
Asha looked down at him before smiling sadly. "Not anymore. I dare say my family doesn't want me."
"Why would that be?"
"Because I'm a threat, at least to their goals. So when I decided my safety was more important than money or a title, I left. I traveled a long time, met some very interesting people on my journeys, and somehow found my way here."
"Are you happy you're here?"
Asha hesitated. "Yes," she decided. "This place has been the home I've never had. You guys are the family I get to protect, instead of my family who wants to lock me away like a pretty songbird with no actual use."
Blyke jumped, landing beside Asha. "I can't imagine you dressing like a noblewoman and having peaceful negotiations," he said.
"If you're trying to pick a fight with me--"
"Because that's not you. You are the Queen of Luminine, the ruthless yet caring guardian of this school. You belong in a dirty and ripped school uniform fighting in tournaments just for the hell of it. That is the You I've come to know, and I wouldn't give or trade her away for anything," said Blyke, meeting those sapphire eyes. He smiled.
Under the moon, casting silvery beams over the empty, quiet grounds of the school, with no wind and no one else watching, Asha smiled, too.