Gathered at a round long table was 16 individuals, many of whom wore sour expressions on their faces.
[Damn it!]
The fist of a small, bald man with a long beard and blue suit slammed into the table as he cursed.
[Who was it this time?]
The one to pose the question was a woman in a purple cloak and short, brown hair.
[Garrick Samuels.]
A tall man with short hair, glasses, and a silver suit responded to the woman's inquiry while pulling up a holographic display of the student's portrait.
[With his disappearance 3 days ago, that makes 10 students this month!]
The man that pointed this out was a middle aged, average sized man with three scars on his left cheek that ran from the bottom of his eye to his chin.
[Eileen Von Burgundy, Alan Del Rey, Ashton Gray, Sigmund Von Everett, Orchid Kelly Mcknight, Kim Il Shin, Haruka Hoshino, Elliot Sparkvalley, Kotori Scarlet Sakurai, and now Garrick Samuels. Each one of these students are well known and popular. They stood at the top of their classes and performed excellently no matter what was asked of them.]
As he was listing them, the tall man with glasses in the silver suit pulled up photos of each student on the holographic display.
[You're indifferent tone is getting on my nerves Cain. It's as if you don't care for these disappearances at all!]
A woman with short, red hair seemed rather annoyed by the listing of the missing students. Hearing the rage in her voice, the man in the silver suit named Cain responded in a calm tone...
[I assure you Sasha, I am just as concerned as the rest of you. There is no need to raise your voice.]
[What did you say?! It's not you're sister who went missing!]
[Ohoho, settle down. I'm sure that wasn't his intention.]
The one trying to calm down the fuming woman was an old man in a teal, long sleeve silk robe, a long beard, and a gold hair ornament in his white hair.
[I'll rip that beard of yours off your face you old man!]
Growing more irritated, a bulky man in sunglasses, a tank top, and a blue cape shouted..
[Enough with your squabbling!]
[Squabbling? This isn't a trivial matter!]
Startled, the bulky man paused before responding in a softer tone.
[Yes Sasha we know you're worried, but that doesn't mean we can lose our heads and tear each other apart.]
A slender woman with green hair, knee high boots, and a purple suit paired with a white skirt was the one to respond next. Sitting next to her, a young man with spiky black hair inquired...
[So what do we do now? Anyone have any ideas?]
A man in a golden suit of armour responded..
[How about we set a trap?]
Sasha was the one to retort.
[And how would we go about that? The only thing we know is that each one of these students were standing at the top.]
[No, if it's just that I think I can make some arrangements.]
A curious Cain asked for clarification at the statement.
[Lionel? What do you mean?]
[Some rather promising individuals were just accepted into the academy. If we keep tabs on them we might be able to find a link.]
An objection from a somewhat flustered tone was raised.
[That's a terrible idea! We can't be endangering even more promising youths.]
[Does anyone else have a better idea?]
Silence filled the room for a while as everyone just stared at each other in frustration. The silence was finally broken by a hand in white gloves being raised.
[If I may..]
[Gordon?]
[What if we gather those with promise and keep them under watch in a single location?]
A stern owl with a scowl on its face looked straight into Gordon's eyes.
[Denied.]
The argument and debate between this council of 16 individuals on the situation continued on late into the day and eventually night.
**********
It was a lovely morning at Prism Academy. It has been a week since classes had started.
[Hey Kaito! Morning! Did you do the homework?]
Qianlong was happily greeting Kaito just as usual. However, like every day since they first started, Qianlong kept sneaking glances at Eliza while he was interacting with others.
[You could talk to her you know.]
[I'm trying man. I really am. She just won't give me the time of day.]
[Of course she won't. She's one of the best in the grade in terms of academics, has good looks, and excels at several sports. Not to mention she pretty much comes from royalty.]
The one to shut down Qianlong was a short boy wearing glasses. His hair was also neat and kept short. His distinctive feature was the small scar on the right side of his face, just above his eye. The boy was someone who had come from England. At first he was picked on in class but with Qianlong sticking his nose into everyone's business, he became fast friends with both Kaito and him. Kaito greeted him warmly.
[Morning Claus.]
Claus Orlando Park. While he was raised in England for a majority of his life, he was born in and spent his formative years in Korea.
[Morning Kaito. I assume you heard about it as well by now.]
[Yeah, everyone knows now. Rumours have spread all over the school.]
Right before Kaito could respond, an eager voice cut into the conversation.
[Right? Students going missing at Prism Academy. Spooky isn't it? OOOOO]
The girl that responded was messing up the tidy hair that Claus was proud of.
[Knock it off Selene.]
Selene Blossom Hexeli. She hailed from the Northern Kingdom of Laquel, a country on one of the continents that came to Earth during the Amalgamation. It was country that was famous for all sorts of recreations and trades related to water as it was a nation surrounded by oceans. Her family line has served as royalty in the country for thousands of years in its history. Like the rest of her family line, her hair was sky blue and paired with green eyes that seemed to reflect the depths of the oceans. The girl seemed fond of playing pranks and was rather friendly with everyone. Her hair was straight and reached down her back. She was voted one of the most beautiful female freshmen on campus, and due to how easy it was to get along with her, she had become popular and gained several fan clubs within her first week on campus. She wore her blazer like a cape and kept the top buttons of her dress shirt unbuttoned, revealing the pendant that hung around her neck with a serpent like design. When asked about it, she had stated it was a symbol of not only her family but her nation, as well as something bigger.
Qianlong looked at Selene with hopeful eyes.
[Hey Selene, maybe you can get her to open up? You're both pretty much royalty after all.]
[Nope, that's not how this works. If she doesn't want to talk to you she doesn't want to talk to you.]
Kaito gave Qianlong a pat on the back.
[Now now there are plenty of fish in the sea.]
[And I'll get them all!!]
Hearing Qianlong's enthusiastic cry, the three just looked at him and let out a sigh. A short while later, their teacher Gordon Snufalufagus walked in.
[Good morning students. I am sure you have all heard the rumours by now. Rest assured they are nothing but speculations. There is no evidence to support any reason to show any concern. Even if there was, the staff at the academy would be doing their utmost to ensure the safety and well being of all the students here at Prism Academy. Now then, let us begin class right away. The topic for today is the connection between music and magic as proposed in the thesis written by Wallace F. Hathaway and how it has impacted our understanding and development in various fields over the past 190 years.]
[Will this be on the test?]
[Of course. For any of you that do not understand the material, you may ask questions at the end. Now turn to page 480 of your textbooks.]
****
After classes ended for the day, Kaito, Qianlong, Claus, and Selene met up at a cafe that had been popular among the student body.
Selene took a big slurp of her bubble tea.
[Surely none of you believe that there's nothing wrong right? Students are definitely going missing. The school is just trying to cover it up.]
Claus rubbed his chin.
[Certainly. It seems rather suspicious that 10 of the top students at the academy would somehow disappear without an explanation within the span of a month.]
Qianlong responded in a joking tone.
[Maybe they joined a cult or something eh?]
Claus continued.
[Doubtful. Something like that is very unlikely to be the case. From what I've gathered, each one of the students that went missing differ greatly in interests and skills. The only thing they really have in common is being some of the top students at the academy, nothing else.]
Selene laughed.
[Maybe we should be careful at night. What if someone is kidnapping them and we're next? I'm getting chills hahah.]
Claus responded in a matter of fact tone.
[Selene this is no laughing matter. We should be careful. Perhaps a buddy system would be good. I believe this is a good idea to propose to protect ourselves.]
Selene laughed so hard that her voice stopped coming out while she was grasping her stomach and tears started to form.
[Claus what are we? 5? Do you want me to hold your hand while you go to the bathroom at night too?]
Qianlong and Kaito were trying to cover up their laughter at Selene's remark.
[Maybe she can also be there to tuck you in and read you a bed time story.]
Qianlong struggled to say that as he was laughing too hard.
[Okay okay I think we made fun of Claus enough for one day.]
Kaito let out a light hearted chuckle while trying to calm down the laughter from Selene and Qianlong.
[It's not actually a bad idea, but Selene would be alone. After all she's the only girl in our group and the female dorms aren't that close to the male one. We're not in the recruitment dorm anymore after all since we became official students and got assigned our classes.]
[Then why don't you be a gentleman and walk me home Kaito? You seem really worried about little ol' me after all.]
[I can do it if he won't!]
Claus let out a sigh.
[Qianlong you'd do anything for any girl wouldn't you? Doesn't matter who they are. You skirt chaser.]
Kaito laughed.
[He hasn't succeeded once though.]
[Ouch Kaito not you too. I thought we were friends.]
[So Kaito are you going to walk her home? It's getting late and it is probably a good idea not to be alone at night. Me and Qianlong can head back first.]
Qianlong then made a reasonable remark, pointing out a flaw in the proposal Claus made.
[If we leave him to walk her home, Kaito will be all alone on the way back.]
[I'll be fine. Don't worry.]
Selene looked at Kaito with a mischievous grin on her face.
[Oh you're really going to do it? My knight in shining armour.]
She clasped her hands together and acted as if she was a princess being rescued at the end of a play for children. Kaito smiled at her as if it couldn't be helped. He was really happy about having his group of friends.
[Selene. Well I guess I should drop her off then. Honestly it's like taking care of a puppy.]
[Hey I heard that! Not that I would mind being a puppy. It would mean you guys would have to spoil me more.]
[There's no way that's happening. Dealing with you now is already more than enough.]
Selene looked at Kaito with fake tears in her eyes and pointed at Claus while complaining to Kaito.
[That's so mean! Kaito! Claus is being mean to me. Comfort me!]
She then began hugging Kaito in a tight embrace and rubbing her head against his chest. Seeing this, Qianlong jokingly smiled and teased Kaito.
[Hey Kaito! Not fair! You should be sharing the good stuff with your brother.]
Selene stuck her tongue out at Qianlong.
[Bleh. I already have my prince in Kaito and I'm not letting go of him. He's all I need.]
She began squeezing him harder.
[Um Selene...it's going to be hard to walk like this...also...I can't breathe.]
Selene let go of Kaito.
[Oh whoops. My bad Kaito. You okay?]
[Yeah it's fine. You're just kind of strong.]
[She's a gorilla. You don't have to sugar coat it Kaito.]
Selene puffed up her cheeks.
[Shut up Claus.]
[Okay, I guess I'll be walking her home and coming back later. See you guys at our dorm room later.]
Selene jumped onto Kaito's back and pointed straight towards the female dorms.
[Okay sally forth my steed!]
[Hey Selene, can't you walk by yourself? You don't need me to carry you.]
[What's wrong? Can't carry a tiny, delicate girl like me?]
[Of course not. How could I possibly carry you..]
[Are you calling me fat?]
[Uh...no...]
[Then onwards my trusty steed!]
Kaito gave up and indulged Selene.
[Guess I'll catch up with you guys later.]
Kaito split up with Qianlong and Claus and carried Selene all the way to the female dormitory. The male and female dormitories for official students were on opposite sides of the campus. Luckily for Kaito, the cafe they were at was closer to the female dorms so he only had to carry Selene for 20 or so minutes....or so he thought. When they reached the female dorms, Kaito was about to lower Selene from his back but she insisted he carry her up to her room.
[Why would I do that?]
[Because I'm tired and it's hard to walk. There's so many stairs.]
[There's an elevator in the dorms.]
[It's too far.]
[Stop being so lazy.]
[Why are you complaining? A beautiful girl everyone wants to get their hands on is inviting you into her room.]
[Beautiful girl?]
[Am I not?]
[Nah, you are.]
[See? No problem then. Now carry me to my room!]
[I don't see why I should.]
[Aw Kaito you're no fun. You should come up and play with me.]
[Nope. Not happening.]
[Aw, but I'm feeling so dizzy and sick. You should take care of me.]
[Don't lie you just drank bubble tea, not alcohol. Now get down.]
[Don't wanna!]
While Kaito was having his playful banter with Selene, they felt a sudden chill in the air.
[Hey Kaito..put me down.]
[Right.]
Kaito gently let Selene down.
[You felt it too right?]
[Yeah.]
The smile was no longer on either of their faces and they were focused, preparing for a fight. It had gotten so quiet one could hear a pin drop. A gust of wind kicked up dust and made Selene and Kaito shield their eyes. In the next moment, a hooded figure appeared and stood about 100 metres away from them. The hood was black on the outside and dark red on the inside. It was a long sleeve cloak that completely covered the figure's body. The cloak had no distinct features at all. Whoever it was, they would be hard to identify in their current attire. Their hands were covered in black gloves and their face was completely covered in a mask.
[Careful Kaito, we don't know what we're up against but something feels off about them.]
Kaito tried questioning the figure about who it was and what it wanted but got no response. Even without a response, they could tell this was an enemy and a fight could not be avoided.
***
Somewhere, a hooded figure walked into a large room that held large canisters. The figure was wearing a gold mask that resembled the face of an ogre. He tapped the glass of one of the canisters. The figure asked the one kneeling behind him a question.
[How are our pets doing?]
[They are coming along nicely sir. I've sent one out in the field to test.]
[Good, I expect good results. Do not disappoint me.]
Inside the canisters, floating in a green liquid, were 9 unconscious figures.