(A/N: Sorry guy's I've been gone for about a week, I just recently went on a break from school and it's not been easy for me, so I'll be posting 2 chapters each day until Sunday as an apology! Thanks for understanding!)
"Where the hell could Lily possibly be?!" Noah screamed inwardly as he sprinted down the school hallway. Both Lily and Maya had gone separate ways to search for her after spotting Lily with Noah earlier.
"I can't help but feel that all of this is our fault," Eva mumbled, her fiery red hair swinging with each hurried step as she walked briskly down the hallway, Maya by her side.
"Me too. If anything happens to his little sister, I'm not sure he'll ever forgive us," Maya replied, her eyes scanning the area for any sign of Lily.
Maya knew all too well how much Noah cared for his sister. She had dug into his background—both inside and outside of school, even his personal life. She had also witnessed his furious reaction before he ran off, and it was clear just how angry and worried he was.
"Hey, have you seen a little girl with curly black locks around?" Maya asked, stopping a random student in the hallway. "She should be in Class 2 of the junior section."
The student paused, her brow furrowing in thought as she tried to recall any sight of the girl. After a moment, she shook her head. "Sorry, I haven't seen her."
"Thanks for your time," Maya said with a tight smile, before quickly moving on to another student. Her heart pounded in her chest, every second feeling like an eternity.
Noah continued his frantic search, his eyes darting over every face and scanning every hallway as he rushed past the students. His heart pounded, each second stretching longer than the last.
"She's not here either!" he muttered, his frustration building with each failed attempt. He spun around, ready to move on to the next corridor when a voice—familiar, calm, and unexpected—sounded in his ear.
"[Hmm, Noah, would you prefer that I conduct a thorough search of the school premises for your sister? It seems rather unbecoming of a future Monarch to run about in such a disorganized manner.]"
Noah halted in his tracks, shock and irritation flooding through him. "You… you could do that this whole time?!"
The system's tone remained dispassionate, unaffected by his mood. "[Of course. I am, after all, a system. You simply never asked.]"
A sharp exhale escaped Noah as he rubbed his temple, his patience beginning to fray. "Unbelievable…"
"... Just help me search," Noah replied, his tone weary as he calmed himself, waiting for the system to complete its scan.
[Searching...]
[Searching...]
[Search complete! The premises have been thoroughly searched, and the target, Lily, could not be located within the Academy building.]
Noah clenched his fists, frustration boiling over. "Tsk, what the hell!" he muttered under his breath, his irritation growing as the search yielded no results.
Noah's mind raced, but the lack of a lead only deepened his sense of helplessness. He forced himself to take a breath, trying to push through the rising panic.
"Think, Noah. Think," he muttered, his gaze darting across the empty corridor. The Academy had many class rooms, passageways, and strange pockets of space—places even the system might have missed.
He gritted his teeth and took out his phone, quickly sending a message to the few people who might know where Lily could be. As he waited for a reply, the system's voice broke the silence once again.
[Would you like to conduct a more targeted search in specific areas of the Academy, or perhaps expand the search beyond the building itself?]
Noah's eyes narrowed as the weight of his sister's disappearance pressed down on him.
"Do it. Search everything," he ordered.
The system responded instantly, its tone devoid of urgency despite the gravity of the situation.
[Search parameters expanded. Scanning surrounding areas and potential escape routes...]
Noah started pacing, his steps echoing through the empty corridor. The Academy, usually buzzing with life, felt eerily silent—its quiet halls amplifying the dread creeping into his chest. Every passing moment felt like an eternity.
[Preliminary results located: A suspicious trail has been detected leading away from the Academy grounds. Tracking in progress...]
His heart raced at the notification. "A trail? Where?" he demanded, his voice sharp, his body already moving toward the nearest exit.
[The trail leads to the forest on the outskirts of the Academy. An analysis of the traces suggests recent activity consistent with human and beast movement.]
Noah's jaw tightened. It had to be Ben. No one else had the audacity to pull something like this. He stormed down the corridor, his mind whirring as the system continued its update.
[Warning: Potential danger detected. The trail suggests multiple hostile entities.]
"Good," Noah muttered, his tone dark. "I hope they try."