And surely enough tomorrow did come.
Bright and early, before Victoria's alarm had the chance to wake me up, Levi meets me at the headquarters door for our mission.
"It's the big day. How are you feeling Ren?"
"Nervous. If your plan doesn't work we might not get another chance at this. But I'm hopeful," I almost forgot the meaning of hope, it's been so long. "Plus, I slept peacefully last night, so I'm as ready as I can be for this."
And then I remember something. Something integral to the plan Levi failed to mention to me, "Wait, how're we supposed to get there at six if Ghislain only gets here at eight? We won't have time to set up if we wait that long." The university is close, if we catch a bus now we still might-
And just as I started having doubts, Ghislain came from nowhere, waving and shouting his morning greetings.
"I asked him to come early just for today," Levi clarified. He's always on top of things. He's really thought all this through.
Ghislain unlocks the doors and one teleport later, we've arrived at the university. And to my surprise, Carly is here right on time. Part of me wondered if she'd show up at all.
"I told all my girlfriends where I'm at and your names so if I end missing, you're like, both going to jail for a long time." She greeted.
"We promise you'll be safe. We just need your help for a moment then you'll have everything that was stolen from you returned." I'm not sure if Levi can guarantee that, but if he's telling the truth, then Catherine is as good as mine!
"So, what's your master plan to get my things back?"
Levi gave every detail he had to us, my part to play along with Carly's. And his plan wasn't perfect, but it was enough. The perfect amount of enough to get her back to me.
And so, per Levi's plan, he and I waited.
We waited on top of two round cafeteria tables placed beside each side of the door, in the pitch-black University dining hall with every window covered by the blinds we'd lowered.
Part of me thinks that nothing will happen like the past three days. Carly will walk through that door whining about her things being stolen again and Catherine will be lost to us forever.
But then it came. Right when every other thieving spree had happened, the light from outside peaks through the opening door. Just as planned Carly pushes her way through the door right on schedule. Levi grabs Carly and struggles to help her up onto his table.
As she slowly and cautiously steps inside and releases the door handle, a pink streak of light appears behind her so quickly that if I blinked, I'd have missed it. The second the streak creeps through the door it jettisons itself past Carly and a loud crash echoes in the empty Cafeteria as the mystery intruder disappears into the darkness.
"Ren, now!" Levi yells as he scoops Carly up and places her on the table.
I reach behind me and flick the cafeteria lights, illuminating the room and revealing the source of the earlier crashing sound. A collection of tables and chairs we'd previously stacked toppled like a house of cards on the thief who's trapped underneath.
"We've got him!" Carly exclaimed.
But the truth is they aren't caught yet. I need to grab hold of this thief before they slip out of my grasp.
I skip from the table I was crouched on to the next, and then the next, avoiding the glossy floor we had spent an hour greasing with the kitchen's cooking oil. This line of tables we set up leading from the front door to the area we stacked the chairs and tables is perfect to keep me from slipping!
I have to say Levi, this couldn't have gone any better. The second the thief took Carly as bait and stepped foot inside; they'd slip on the grease and send themselves flying. You've made this all possible and I'll need to thank you. But only after I send this bastard straight to the Emergency Room!
The thief, clad in a pink sweat jacket and a pair of hot pink sneakers crawls their way out of the wreckage of desks and turns their face to us. Her face mask must've fallen off when she crashed, and a white girl with shiny brunette hair and brown eyes is our culprit. She shakes her head and rubs a knot on the side of it, flustered from the surprise we prepared for her.
"Ashlyn!? You're the bitch who's been stealing my money!?" Carly knows this person!? I guess it makes more sense she was targeted then.
"You're rich you can afford it."
"You two know each other?" Levi asks.
"She's been begging me for money as long as I've known her. And now she's gotten so desperate she needs to steal it!" Carly clarified.
"It's nothing personal. I just need money and I know you have it." She said as she slowly plants her feet and attempts to stand.
"Along with everyone else in your path." Levi points out.
"If they're already there it'd be dumb of me not to!" Her legs stabilize for a moment, only for her feet to slip on the oily ground causing her to bash her head on the ground.
Meanwhile, I leap off the final table ready to pin Ashlyn and retrieve what she stole. It's been five long days, but you're mine now!
I think I have her, I know I have her, but before I can wrap my arms around her, Ashlyn launches a kick that cracks me in my chin midair.
It feels like my jaw just got hit by a metal pipe! And the force of it is propelling me away from her. This wasn't part of the plan, but it doesn't matter. Because if she can't run on the greased floor, Levi will surely be able to…
"Interesting. The sneakers not only boost the user's running ability but all strength in their legs." He deduces as I was flying through the air.
"Levi! Quit studying and restrain her!" I shout before my back slams into a wall and I slide to the floor.
"Right. Ashlyn, you are under arrest for resistance of Curator procedure and assault on a government official. Please come peacefully." I hear him warn.
What are you doing?! We're way past peacefully, she just punted my jaw!
Ashlyn takes the warning as expected and instead of surrendering, slides towards the table I had just jumped at her from and climbs atop it. Now with a proper foothold, she put her shoes to use and hops across tables at rapid speeds in a break for the door.
I can't let her get away, not when she's this close! With that declaration in my mind, I take a nearby chair that had fallen from Ashlyn's earlier crash and in a last-ditch effort, launch it with all my might in her general direction.
The chair flies over her head completely missing my mark. But it hits square on the next table she intended to leap to, knocking it out of position and forcing Ashlyn to the ground again.
"Yes! I got her!"
But she doesn't stop even when grounded. Skipping across those tables has brought her only a small distance away from the door. So, using the supernatural leg strength she had cracked my face with earlier, she pushes herself along the floor, sliding to freedom.
I feverishly look around for anything I could use to stop her. Another chair to throw, a table to grab hold of, something. But nothing would be fast enough to stop her escape. So, I do the one thing left I could do, "Carly!" I yell, "The door! Block the exit!"
"Why me?!" she shouted.
"Does it look like Levi's going to stop her?!"
She looks to Levi who's patiently waiting, expecting Ashlyn to suddenly roll over like a dog and surrender. Realizing what I already had regarding Levi's helpfulness, she jumps to block the doorway.
But Ashlyn presses on, looking determined to push past Carly. She inches towards Carly and twirls her body along the slick floor so that her heels face Carly.
"Eeeekkk!!" Carly squeals and put her arms up to her face as Ashlyn readies to deliver another one of the shotgun blast kicks she had given me.
But as her leg retracts and the soles of the shoes shoot towards Carly like a spear, Levi steps in, leaping onto the ground and effortlessly catching her foot in his palm.
"Please Ashlyn. This is your last warning." Levi begs.
Ashlyn swiftly responds by arching her back and kicking her free leg on course for Levi's jaw. And it successfully connects! The same kick that sent me flying digs into his mouth! But Levi only falters for a second before he grabs Ashlyn's other leg and flings her like a ragdoll across the room.
She hits the ground with a vicious smack and lies motionless in greasy defeat. Finally, we did it. "Now let's grab her and get her to tell us…"
"It's not over," Levi says as Ashlyn rises like a zombie and effortlessly stands on what should be an untraversable surface. Blood drips from her nose, but that's the worst of her injuries. "We've been in here too long and the oil is drying up. That's why I didn't have any trouble standing when I caught her foot."
Levi's right. My feet hardly slide anymore, meaning Ashlyn's sneakers can be used to their fullest. We set all of this up too early and now the oil's barely working!
"Ren, how important is this wallet to you?"
"I'd give anything to get it back. I'd rather die than let her get out of here."
"Then I need you and Carly to take my phone, call the Phantom and get as far away from here as possible." A note of desperation sneaks into his tone as he tosses his smartphone to me. He unties the scarf he's kept wrapped around his arm, grabbing two silver rings that must have been sitting inside it.
Leaving right now? When we've gotten her so close! I can't do it, not when Catherine is counting on…
"Ren. I've got this." He gives his best attempt at an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. "We'll get her back."
His face isn't very reassuring, but he knows exactly what to say. He doesn't even know who Catherine is when he says 'her', but he's willing to stake his well-being on it just because she's important to me. His ideas and instructions are what trapped Ashlyn here, so I'll believe he can capture her.
I cross the Cafeteria floor over to Carly who heard Levi's plan and looks ecstatic to escape the fight. Ashlyn doesn't seem to agree with that plan however, flying towards us so fast I barely catch a blur.
Levi swings his arm to counter her advance, but he only swipes her afterimage as she easily ducks under his attempt at a punch. Ashlyn's foot cleaves through the air like an axe and digs into his side forcing out a grunt of pain, yet he valiantly grits his teeth and defends our escape.
Several flashier kicks make contact with Levi's head and body with several more retaliation attempts of his missing their mark. And that's the last thing I see before Carly and I find the morning sun outside.
Levi's groans of pain fill my ears as we sprint between students away from him. Every step makes the weight in my heart heavier and heavier knowing that I was abandoning not only Catherine but Levi as well. Until the weight becomes too much for me to bear, and I prompt Carly to stop a few steps away from the Cafeteria.
"This has to be a safe distance," I say as I crouch down from exhaustion and my aching jaw.
"Is your friend like, going to blow up a bomb?" Carly worries.
"He wouldn't do that. I wouldn't mind if he blew that thief up, but he wouldn't do it."
"And weren't you like, supposed to call someone for help?"
"You're right!" How does this rich valley girl have a better memory than me?
Levi must have unlocked his phone beforehand, so I rapidly click the contact labeled "The Phantom" on Levi's phone and receive an almost instantaneous answer.
"Levi my young protégé! What are you in need of!" The Phantom blares through the speaker.
Between taxed breaths I plead, "This is Ren, Levi told me to call you! We need your help!"
"Oh sounds like some high stakes! I'll drop everything and be there before you know it! Oh, and by any chance did Levi tell you to run as far away as possible?"
"Uh, yes."
"Great! Then if you keep running until I get there, you'll have nothing to worry about! Just don't stop for any reason! OK, see you in a bit! Buh-bye!" The phone line disconnects before I could ask what we were supposed to be running from and why, but knowing isn't going to change anything now.
"We messed up. We've got to keep running."
Suddenly, someone flies through one of the cafeteria's windows onto the street. Squinting my eyes, I can plainly see Ashlyn's bright pink body lifelessly collapsed on the floor. Not what I'd have expected out of the previously placid Levi, but I can't complain.
Passing students gather around Ashlyn curious about her condition, and turn their heads as another figure climbs their way through the freshly broken window. They wear the same clothes as Levi and share the same face, but his light orange hair is as blue as the ocean and the two rings he was holding earlier are wrapped around each of his ring fingers. The figure slowly meanders through the doorway, with each motion amping a queasiness in my stomach. Maybe it's just the hangover.
"Levi, we're like over here!" Carly called.
I can't disagree with Carly that the figure resembles Levi. Besides the hair, everything about him looks the same. But looking at him feels… weird. Like the world is, fluctuating and contorting around him as if reality is trying to run away from him. It looks too real to just be in my head. Is that Levi?
Whether it was or not didn't matter, because Carly's call reaches them, causing their head to turn towards us. And when it did, the daylight immediately fades from my eyes, and all surrounding students and buildings are swallowed by a complete black shroud. It feels like it was only them and I in an inescapable trap.
"Aeter!" The figure's voice startles the ground causing it to tremble in fear. "I've waited a millennium and a half for this moment! The moment when I, Astahe the Invincible, will smite you from this world once and for all!" The boisterous barbarity cast by the figure's words weren't the same as the stolid quietness Levi spoke with. But echoes of Levi's voice still project in his violent sound.
Levi's gone insane. More insane than he already was at least. Either that or Astahe really is some entirely different person, and the person we're looking at isn't Levi.