The former Chieftain should've been the so called Chief Tide. During that time during his years of service, he struggled to create great positive changes into the fairy society and even broke the norms of faes by openly socializing and flirting with the individuals of the other races shamelessly. When her grandparents forcefully paired him up with another water fairy, he later bore Aunt Ripple but struggled to catch the favor of the to-be queen, her mother. In fact, many still believes he was trying to pull her mother down with him as he later fell from power and only relented to give his position to his only child out of unwillingness. She had heard that her aunt's succession was rather bumpy, but it's actually very impressive as she quickly settled so much of the corruption and problems in the village shortly after her ascension to the first female Chieftain in the village's history. However, she never quite understood much about her father aside that he was someone who wanted to make waves into the social and political affairs and norms of fairy history as according to his own name's meaning.
"Perhaps, the princess was not aware, but the social problems and corruptions in the village have long existed even prior to my father taking up position during his era." Aunt Ripple explained seemingly having noticed Lotus in deep thoughts.
"But, what could the former Chieftain have to be associated with those in the mines?" Lotus looked to her in bewilderment.
"That is unclear." Aunt Ripple frowned, "Although alive, the man himself has become unresponsive after being defeated by the king and queen together. Defeated from what though, I was never able to find out."
"My parents were also confused what his goals were." Uncle Fern shook his head, "He rarely ever left behind tracks for anyone to follow."
"Not entirely." Aunt Ripple shook her head, "I remember from a very young age that there were times when he left for long periods of time and returned smelling like the mines as a child."
"And, my parents have heard witnesses having seen him trespass through our former borders and enter the mines." Uncle Fern nodded, "That's how we knew that the fairies in the mines have had contact with him in the past."
"Do you think that he may have taken part in the construction of the living districts for the fairies in the mines?" Lotus blurted aloud.
"That's impossible!" Aunt Ripple scowled angrily, "That man has never been the social one before and he certainly was never the affectionate man before."
"All right. Let's calm down now." Uncle Fern said soothingly trying to calm the tense atmosphere.
"Then, how about this? I will be returning to school in the next day, but I suspect that I may be back in the next few days. Knowing my teachers, he would not want even one student to miss out on training. Therefore, there is a high chance that he would try to gather the other half of the students with us and return. I'm on one of the clubs that he very likely has in mind, so I will return. When that happens, I will go into the mines with the children and seek out the barrier. Doing this will also keep the children out of danger as well. But, I really need the Chieftains to help protect the other students performing other tasks. Can I ask of the chieftains to do this on my behalf?"
"I understand!"
The two responded in unison as she said this. However, in her mind, she has already made up her mind.
"You can just leave this to me and Chieftain Ripple. For now, you should get some rest." Uncle Fern responded.
"Do not worry of the intruders tonight." Aunt Ripple covered her eyes softly with her cool hands, "Just... sleep."
As she said this, Lotus could already feel her body relaxing into a strange yet nostalgic sense of calm that she has not experienced in so long prior to arriving to the mines her second time. Just what are they doing?
.....
Outside of the worn down and dilapidated small cottage which Lotus and the group had entered during their first visit, Ruggie crossed the old bridge over the stream followed by many others as they arrived before the building and pushed open the doors much to his surprise, "The lights aren't on. Hey, Coach Vargas? Huh. The door's unlocked. He's as careless as Leona."
Not only was the door unlocked but the interior was barely cleaned up aside from the sleeping area and a corner next to the cottage.
"Maybe he stepped out and forgot to lock up." Epel suggested hesitantly.
"I highly doubt that." Jamil frowned as he entered the place.
"Why?" Epel looked to him in confusion.
"Take a look inside."
"What in the world...?!" Epel cried out in disbelief as soon as he entered the place.
To his surprise, although the area was clear of dust and bugs, the place was littered with papers and in great disarray with the lamp having knocked to the floor and put out carelessly as thought it had been knocked over. The thermos he brought with him was also left hazardously near the lamp! Jack scowled in alarm like a canine with his fur puffed out intimidatingly, "His stuff's strewn all over the place, and that lamp and cup have been knocked to the floor. It's almost like..."
"Like someone ransacked the joint." Floyd finished with a look of surprise.
"But who?!" Jack pointed out in bewilderment.
After all, this was Vargas they were talking about. The one capable of making them do stuff for their grades and his goals of buffing everyone according to his own vision. Not only was the guy "persuasive" but he was powerful. Very powerful, even if they did not like that he was so powerful. For someone to have taken him away definitely can't be anything good.
"Beats me." Ruggie shrugged exasperately, "Floyd's right, though. Somebody definitely messed this place up."
"Hey! What about Grim and Yuu?" Epel pointed out hurriedly in a panic, "Isn't their tent right next door?"
"Something could've happened to them too!" Jack jumped to his feet and rushed outside the door, "Let's move!"
"Grim?! Yuu?!" Epel cried out for them as soon as he saw their tents a little away from the cottage.
"Epel! Thank god!" Yuu rushed out from the darkness of the forest with Grim following close behind him.
"Epel, is that you?!" Grim cried back in tears and leapt into Epel's arms, "I... I... I thought we were goners! MRAAAH! What took you guys so long?!"
"Ahaha!" Floyd laughed aloud, "Sealie's got tears and snot all over his face!"
"Well, at least neither of you appear to be injured." Jack sighed in relief.
"We can say the same for you too." Yuu nodded, "How is everyone else back at the camp site? Lotus and the others?"
"Everyone still doesn't know what happened and I remember hearing someone say that Lotus had gone to bed apparently." Jack responded.
"The way Grim's acting, I'm guessing whatever went down was no joke." Ruggie frowned with a serious look across his face.
"Could you tell us what happened?" Epel looked to them expectantly.
"Me an' Yuu were just hangin' out in our tent when Vargas started shoutin' all of a sudden.
He was all like, "Ahhh! Stop! Someone, help!" So we peeked out all quiet-like and saw a huge dark shadow leapin' from the cottage!" Grim responded hurriedly and scowled struggling to wipe the tears and snot away.
"A dark shadow? Oh man, what was it?!" Floyd scowled in annoyance.
"Sorry, no idea." Yuu shook his head, "It all happened too fast."
"Guess I'll have to find out for myself then!" Floyd huffed in disdain.
"I'm glad you're both okay." Epel sighed in relief.
"But what should we do? Now Coach Vargas is missing." Jack pointed out with a frown.
"I think we'd better talk with the rest of the campers." Jamil suggested, "That shadow could come back. It's dangerous to linger here any longer."
"Good call." Ruggie nodded, "There's more light at camp, not to mention more people. Let's slip through the woods and head back."
With that said, the group returned to the campsite and quickly relayed the situation to the campers as a tense atmosphere quickly fell upon them around the campfires, "...So that's what's going on so far."
"Four people have gone missing, including Coach Vargas?" Sebek shook his head in disbelief, "How could this happen? And right under our noses."
"But, Ruggie..." One of the spell drive members cried out in horror, "What could possibly overpower Leona and Coach Vargas?!"
"Well, uh..." Ruggie hesitated.
Hearing the hesitation in his voice brought more worries and fear as a member of the basketball club called out with eyes of fear and horror, "And what's happened to Ace?"
"And Deuce!" A member of the track club cried out, "Did it take him too?!"
"ARRRGH! Everybody just shut up and calm down for a sec!" Ruggie shouted in frustration as he gave one last ditch effort to reel everyone back together much to his dismay.
"But...what's going to happen to us? Is it even safe for us to be here right now?" Someone from Lotus's group responded nervously.
"Maybe we should just leave. Put as much distance between us and that thing..." Another from Riddle's group that morning responded.
"That is clearly our WORST option. It's dark out, so our vision is limited." Sebek clarified to them with a stern look across his face, "We wouldn't be able to tell where the dark shadow is lurking. Basic deductive reasoning should've told you that."