"Akashic! Thank you!" Lena cried, tears streaming down her face. She had been terrified after receiving Sya's text, and when she saw Nik at the door, she froze in fear.
Luna clung to him as well, silently sobbing as she thanked him repeatedly.
Both girls caught a glimpse of Nik's body but assumed he was merely unconscious. Their minds refused to think further as the thought that Akashic might go to jail for saving them was too much to bear
Akashic spent the next few minutes comforting them, keeping a watchful eye for any potential threats.
Meanwhile, Lena was preoccupied with how easily Nik had gained access to their dorm. They couldn't stay there any longer. She had some money saved from her influencer work and planned to rent an apartment close to the school. For now, she decided they would stay in a hotel until something permanent was available.
Just as she was about to ask Akashic to stay while they packed, he spoke first.
"You two, it's dangerous to stay here any longer. How about you pack your bags and come with me?"
Seeing their shocked expressions, he continued, "You know about Naomi's plans, right? Tomorrow, I'll set up her house, and there are plenty of extra rooms. Why don't you stay with her?"
The twins were extremely grateful at the sudden offer.
Overwhelmed, Lena could hardly think straight. Akashic had invaded her thoughts more and more recently, even appearing in her dreams. Once again, he had swooped in during her time of need.
Her heart fluttered every time she glanced at him. Desperately trying to keep her emotions in check, she and her sister expressed their immense gratitude.
Sensing the beginning of another round of endless thank yous, Akashic cut them off and helped them pack.
Though despite his composed demeanor, the increasing SP showed his true feelings.
{SP: 650}
~~~
"Woah…" The twins gasped as they pulled into the driveway and saw Akashic's home for the first time.
[+10 Satisfaction Points]
~
Inside the house, Akashic brought their bags and pointed to an area. "Just pick any room downstairs; Naomi's over there as well."
'She's in a bad mood, though…' he added in his mind, thinking of Naomi's dejected look ever since she arrived at his house.
Shaking his head and saving that for later, it seemed they were tired from the events of the night, and seeing how late it was, there was no time for hellos as everyone was already fast asleep.
The twins went to bed while Akashic headed upstairs, finding Alexia still awake.
"Ah, you're back already?" she said, looking up from the book she was reading, a small smile appearing on her face.
Nodding, Akashic replied as he got ready for bed, "Everything was fine; I got there in time, luckily. Though…" He trailed off, thinking about the actions he took inside the dorm.
He didn't regret them, but he worried there might be trouble following them.
Sensing his worries, Alexia wrapped her arms around him as he sat on the bed. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she simply comforted him as they laid there.
The rest of the night passed quietly, but elsewhere, a large commotion was unfolding.
The President of MoonCity University was stirred awake by the incessant spam calls coming from his phone.
When he answered, he was immediately assaulted by loud yells and a panicked voice. His tired mind barely registered their words, but once it did…
"There's a…what?" President Quail was wide awake now, hurriedly standing from his bed as he moved to get dressed, leaving the phone on speaker.
"I don't—yes! In the girls' dormitory! I don't know what's happening—just get here soon!" Quail finished putting on basic clothes and rushed out of his home, speeding to campus in record time.
As he arrived, he noticed the flashing police lights, and his stomach sank as reality set in.
Parking and exiting the car, he was approached by a man who seemed to be in charge. They shook hands, and Quail was filled in on the situation.
"Firstly, we have a member of your staff who was taken to the hospital. It is unlikely he will survive, but it was stated to be a heart attack." the officer paused before continuing. "The victim was identified by other students as Nik Asyn. Further details revealed that he was causing a disturbance for several minutes before it abruptly stopped. We have detectives working on getting more information for us."
The pale Quail stared blankly, resting his hands atop his head to regulate his breathing. This was the biggest event to happen during his lead. Everything seemed to come to a standstill as the situation lingered in tense silence.
Soon, another man rushed over and whispered something to the lead officer. The officer nodded before sending the messenger away.
"We need to see the room registration logs. According to witnesses, the victim was causing a commotion in a certainroom." Quail agreed, and several minutes later, a book containing every room number and the students living there was in front of them.
Looking down the list, they found two names.
[Room 412: Lena Starr & Luna Starr]
Seeing the names confused Quail, as he knew the two to be good students.
"We tried knocking on their door, but we received no response. Furthermore, after gaining entry, many items were missing and scattered about."
"That, along with the damaged security cameras, concerns us that the two were harmed in some way by the killer. Nik comes from a well-off family, so I can't imagine their son would be caught up in the wrong side of this." The detective paused before continuing. "It is likely Nik tried to help the two, but someone killed him for interfering."
The lead officer offered his personal opinion on the matter. Quail, however, had a deeper understanding of his students and knew this was probably far from the truth.
He knew the Asyns would arrive shortly, so he did not contest that course of events.
"No!" Speak of the devil…
An older woman in a nightgown rushed into the building, hurrying toward Nik's body.
Many officers tried to stop her, but they were blocked by a tall man with visible killing intent in his eyes.
The lead officer sighed and rubbed his temples, ordering his men to let them pass. He knew he'd get in trouble for this, but it didn't matter.
Mrs. Asyn approached the body with tears in her eyes, each shaky step seemingly a prelude to her imminent collapse.
Following her was Mr. Asyn, who remained calmer, but his clenched fists spoke of the rage building inside him.
Looking at the mark around his son's neck intensified his feelings.
He took time to comfort his wife before approaching the lead detective and demanding more information.
Due to their status, the Asyns received special treatment and were filled in on the current situation.
Hearing about the two girls' connection, Mr. Asyn shrugged it off as unimportant. His son wouldn't use such open means to pursue women, so he didn't believe they were that involved.
Besides, it seemed their phones weren't on, as no calls went through.
They spent the next hour gathering information to no avail. So far, there were no traces of a potential culprit.
Unfortunately, the news spread further as more students arrived to watch.
"Come morning, we'll have news crews swarming the place…" Quail spoke exasperatedly.
Next, the body was taken in for more extensive examination, leaving a distraught Mrs. Asyn sobbing in her husband's arms.
Soon, they were the only ones standing at the entrance of the dorms until they were approached by a man in a security guard uniform.
Mr. Asyn, or Daltin, recognized the man from earlier as he had been brought in for questioning.
It was obvious the guard had more to say, so Daltin invited him to sit.
"I have information on the suspect…" Those words shook Dianne, and her head shot up from her husband's arms.
"Why did you withhold this?" Daltin spoke calmly, though his anger was rising.
"I—I…I need money!"
Those words rang out into the air, and the quiet that followed sent a shiver down the guard's spine. His fear of what little he had seen was even scarier.
"You don't get it…what he did to my friend…that was no simple heart attack. I need to get out of here, far, far away." The guard's words intrigued the couple, revealing interesting information.
Urging him to continue, they learned more.
"We have a small camera pointed at the entrances that only records motion, and there's a glimpse of who I'm talking about!" Handing over the picture he took with his phone, the couple saw a blurry image of a man with long light blue hair.
Before him was a man sprawled out on the floor, unresponsive.
Being able to put a face to his hatred, Daltin quickly acquired the photo and paid the guard.
Now with a target, the couple left and returned home to start an investigation.
Unfortunately for them, things may not go as planned…
~
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Keven…why'd you bring this trouble to me?!" With the newly acquired money, the security guard scrambled to pack the bare minimum before beginning to flee.
He had no wife or kids, not even any immediate family, so he was free to escape easily.
With him, he kept a picture of the man who haunted him, just in case he came to take him out.
His final card.
Running, he knocked over several people as he made his way to the bus stop.
Soon, he reached a crowded section. Glancing around, he spotted a gap leading to an empty back alley.
'It'll be faster!' he shouted in his mind before taking that route.
He ran, passing a dog on a leash, a brown fence, broken glass, and discarded food.
Minutes ticked by as he sprinted, constantly checking his watch to ensure he wouldn't miss the bus. The money he received was enough to keep him hidden for a while and allow him to lay low—at least until the man was captured and arrested.
He ran and ran, passing a dog on a leash, a brown fence, broken glass, and discarded food.
'Huh? Didn't I…?' Shaking his head and forgetting those thoughts, he ran and ran, passing a dog on a leash, a brown fence…broken glass…
"What?!" Abruptly, his surroundings shattered, and he woke up.
Looking around hurriedly, he realized he wasn't in a back alley. In fact, he was in a random wooded area. It was pitch black, and he could barely see in front of him.
"Congratulations on breaking out of the low-level illusion."
The sudden voice startled him, and as his eyes adjusted, the sight before him filled him with terror.
Standing just a few steps away was a tall old man dressed in black formal attire. He held both arms behind his back, standing upright, but what frightened him most was the look in the old man's eyes—dull and emotionless.
The guard sat frozen in fear for what felt like an eternity before the old man spoke again.
"I believe you have some information you shouldn't. Hand it over." Though the old man appeared frail, the guard, who was fairly trained in hand-to-hand combat, felt zero confidence in his ability to win.
A primal fear coursed through him as he watched the calm man.
Shakily, he handed over everything he had, including years of blackmail material he had collected.
To his surprise, the old man tossed those items aside and only took possession of his phone.
He plugged something into it, and a loud beep echoed in the stillness, followed by a voice sounding from the device.
[Data Copied & Erased From Device of Origin.]
[Origin Device Destroyed.]
For extra measure, the old man crushed the phone to powder before looking up at the next piece of evidence that needed to be erased.