Warm blood pools under the body of a pale-skinned young man—his white shirt and pants stained red and his black eyes greyed. Tear marks highlight his cheeks in faint red streaks. A gaping hole decorates his chest in a horrifying design. 'The Sleeper' Rasui Joseph is dead.
"No... Rasui..."
As Alora sits on her knees, crying, Arthur investigates the body. It's still warm. Was he attacked before we arrived here? He hears footsteps walk towards the outhouse. Sweat rolls down his cheek and he readies himself to attack. The footsteps slow momentarily before continuing forward in rhythmic, almost joyful skips. The footsteps skip closer and closer to the door until they stop completely. Arthur stalks the entrance nervously.
"Arthur," says Alora, exhausted as she appears in front of the outhouse entrance, "I... think... I can look... at the body... now..."
Arthur sighs, relieved. He turns to Rasui's body and says, "You scared me there for a second. When I felt your mana... disappear...?" Wait. Did we ever learn how to mask our presence in the academy? As Arthur turns to look at Alora, he comes face-to-face with a charging sword. I'm... too late...
—Magus Academy: The Academy's Dungeon
"I didn't know such a place existed," says Azrael. And this structure, they call it an 'elevator'. It can transport objects up and down long distances. Humans are so inventive.
"You are less defensive than yesterday," says Marchioness Atalante, smiling. "When I came to your abode, you were not as surprised as your neighbours were."
"I was surprised." But more annoyed than surprised. She interrupted the wonderful breakfast Arthur prepared before leaving.
Marchioness Atalante giggles, "Well, it did not look that way." She places her hand on her cheek and fakes a dejected expression, "After all the effort I put into finding out where you lived to the time it took me to travel from the furthest point south of Chasrol, where I live, to the furthest point north, where you live—it was all to surprise you. Yet," she sighs once again, "instead of being surprised, you looked at me like I was a pest, stalking you."
"You just explained how you stalked me!"
She bursts into laughter. "Well, I jest," she says, wiping her tears. "I came to your home because I do not trust you yet. You have not been completely honest with me, so how could I?"
"And you don't trust that I would kill my student if she turns out to be a traitor?"
She shakes her head. "No, I believe that your heart is cold enough to accomplish such a measly feat." She goes quiet for a moment and stares at the light zooming past her eyes as the elevator takes them down. "What I do not trust are the words of a traitor. Seat Rank Four has infiltrated this academy and tarnished its reputation, she will not fool me with cheap words."
"Do you think I'm so weak-minded that the words of a child would sway me?"
She giggles, "No, I think the words of a vampire might compel you into doing her bidding, Primordial God Azrael." Azrael looks at her shocked and Marchioness Atalante bursts into laughter. "That! The face I wanted! Your troubled expression is what I desired from this revelation. Sigh, This was truly worth the wait."
"How... do you know?"
"Well, I knew the moment you stepped into that office. My eyes can see things other people cannot. It sees the truth."
"The... truth?"
"When you stepped into my office, I saw your true form—an adult man, in his late twenties, dressed in white angelic robes, stalking me with eyes as pink as rose quartz. It was an awe-inspiring sight—one I was all too familiar with."
"All too familiar? What are you talking about?"
"I was a member of the Hero's party."
"The Hero's party? That group of humans Dolion collected to fight against Lucifer?"
"Yes. After you blessed Dolion, he set out to defeat Lucifer. As you know, Lucifer descended onto Gaia after he was banished from the heavenly realm and terrorised humans. The Gods did not interfere for many years, despite this starting after the heavenly realm erupted into a civil war. After a decade of fighting against the demons, the gods finally descended and blessed humans with otherworldly powers. Though magic already existed within the human world, these 'chosen' humans were given the powers to battle against angels and gods. It was humanity's final hope. One of those chosen as humanity's final hope was Dolion Sapphire. He was impulsive, perverted and rude. It made me wonder why a god chose him as the hero. 'Was the god misguided?' I asked myself. I questioned that god's authority and saw no hope for the future of mankind. That was when I decided to leave his party. Though it was small, we were, with no doubt in my mind, a powerful S-ranked party. We excursed many dangerous missions and completed them with zero complications." She giggles, "Well, almost zero complications. Before I left the party, Dolion betrayed me. He left me in a large dungeon to fend for myself. As he was leaving, I was overcome with grief. A grief I never felt before that moment." She rests her elbows in her hands and her body trembles, "Grief I still feel to this day. But," her body stops trembling, "I saw something as Dolion turned his back on me—something my eyes had never seen before. At the time, I did not know why I saw what I saw but it mattered not."
"What did you see?"
She turns to Azrael and smiles, "I saw the pitiful gaze of a being I had never seen before. An adult man, in his late twenties, dressed in white angelic robes, stalking me with eyes as pink as rose quartz. The man raised his hand and bestowed upon me his divine aura. Though it was only a temporary blessing, it gave me the power I needed to survive the dungeon. I was forever grateful to that god and made an oath, to always serve him in his time of need." Marchioness Atalante turns to Azrael and bows before him. "Primordial God of Death, Azrael, I am Atalante Dukas and wish to serve you... No, I will serve you."
"I-is something wrong?" she asks.
"No," he responds shaking his head. "Fine, I will allow you to follow me. However, the journey I will embark on is not for the faint-hearted. If you are prepared to die for me," he extends his hand, "then take my hand and you shall be my loyal follower."
Marchioness Atalante smiles brightly, "I would kill myself if you so wished, my lord."