Monday. The one week break before the school culture festival had commenced. Unfortunately for me however, I would not be sleeping in soundly. Instead, I was hard at work with the student council. Because of all the strenuous conditions around the Castle of Dreams, all of those trusted to know about it were required to work on it as well. I was currently standing on one of the many glasses' staircases which winded it's way around the magic academy. I was waiting, as well as watching.
I was waiting for the rest of the student council to arrive, Minus Yuri who had already begun to put into action the defense team's work.
And I watched down below, as a variety of magical technology did work, in order to make our jobs easier.
Robots capable of painting went through the halls of the school, making sure to paint literally every wall and door of the academy. Hundreds of other robots went throughout the building cleaning it. Others went throughout and cleared it out of any unnecessary items. Chairs, tables, everything that would eventually be refurnished. These robots that were powered by mana would do it all. It was a prime example of the combination between tech and mana.
Alongside those robots, a handful of volunteer students that Ichijo collected were finishing up drawing the map for all of the items that would be added into the Castle of Dreams. That digital map would then be turned into something that was scannable for the robots by students in the engineering branch. That way, all of the tedious physical labor could be set aside and done by robots, leaving the more important tasks which required a personal touch to be done by the student council with our full attention.
"Kami, your here even earlier than even me!" I turned to see where the voice came from. It was Suijin. She was dressed in completely casual attire, just a dress with black stockings. She had her hair up in a ponytail.
I waved down at her. "Raiden woke up early and was too jealous to see me sleeping peacefully, so he forced me to wake up as well." Suijin giggled at that statement, as she hugged me.
When I broke the hug, I immediately took notice of the tired look in Suijin's eyes. She was smiling, but it didn't hide the bags, and how stressed she looked in general. At first, I didn't want to say anything, as that would be beyond noisy and rude, but I remembered the kind of person Suijin was.
She had reached out to me and helped me even when I hadn't asked for it. That in on of itself was reason for me to return out the favor. Not only to repay her, but because I wanted to actually help her.
I hesitated for a split second, before reaching out my hand and touching her cheek. She seemed a bit surprised, but didn't flinch, or move back.
"You seem more than just a little bit tired. Are you sure it's okay for you to be taking on so much work?"
Suijin simply nodded her head. "I'll be fine. After all, I'm doing all of this in order to create a perfect culture festival for everyone. So, when I see everyone's happy face, all of this work will be paid off."
It was a noble reason. However, it gave me a bad feeling. It was really similar to the things that Raiden said. The way that he would put others above himself and try to justify it by saying that as long as they were happy, it was fine. That was a dangerous mentality.
"Even so, other people's happiness isn't your own. It doesn't justify disregarding your own wellbeing." I spoke.
Suijin paused for a moment, thinking over what I had said.
"I have to agree with Kami. Yuri even said the same thing. You overwork yourself, Suijin." A voice said from behind us. I looked over to see Genji and Ichijo walking up the spiraling staircase.
"What she said." Ichijo said, as he ruffled his hair. It was wet, and it covered his face. "Even if you say your fine, it doesn't change what we can see."
Suijin smiled as she saw them approaching. Genji and Ichijo were also just dressed in casual outfits, jeans and hoodies. Surprisingly, they were wearing the same color.
"You two planned that out? It's really cute!" Suijin commented.
Immediately, Genji and Ichijo took a step away from each other, creating as much distance as the glass staircase would allow.
"No, this bastard copied me." They both said in sync, while looking away from each other. Which made me and Suijin chuckle even more.
After she had gotten her laughs, Suijin addressed Ichijo's statement. "I'm fine really? Even if what you're saying is true, I have no choice but to pick up all this work. We can't tell anybody else about this. So as the student council, we're responsible for this. And as the president-"
"Your responsible for everything right?" Another voice finished for her. This time, Suijin turned around in a little bit of shock. Standing behind her was, Yuri Hamanai. But he shouldn't have been here. He should have been preparing things with the defense committee. Behind him, was a group of students.
Phi, Hikaru, Raiden, and Masayoshi. All members of the defense committee, who weren't supposed to know the specifics of the castle of dreams.
Everyone turned their questioning gazes to him. Yuri simply shook his head. "Things, occurred." He tossed a glare at Hikaru, who inched behind Raiden, humming innocently.
"Get away from me, I'm not your scapegoat." Raiden said tiredly.
"Come on, live a little." Hikaru fired back.
Phi laughed.
Yuri turned back to Suijin. "But I assure you, these people can be trusted. Well, most of them." He said that last part under his breath, so that only Suijin and I-who were the closest to him-could hear.
I knew exactly what he was referring to as well. My first clenched slightly. He was talking about Raiden. he didn't trust Raiden and me whatsoever. I still remembered when he held Raiden at gunpoint when we first arrived.
Suijin placed a hand on my shoulder, calming me down. I realized that I was allowing my mana to flow out, and the temperature was dropping.
"If that's the case, then have they already been briefed about everything relating to the Castle of Dreams?"
Yuri nodded in confirmation. He seemed to be hiding something. I don't know what it was, but something about his demeanor suggested that there was something that he was leaving out. I'm sure Suijin could see it to, but she didn't press him for it.
"What did you mean by what you said?" She asked.
"Exactly what I said. Do you think that because you're the president of the student council, it means you should shoulder everything possible?" His question was charged with a lot of emotion.
Suijin shook her head. "I simply meant that because of my role as the president, I have responsibilities that have to be carried out."
"You say responsibilities, but that's a vague term. Where do those responsibilities end?"
"As far as I can." Suijin said, with complete determination. She said it like a conversation ender, which made Yuri visibly more annoyed.
"As far as you can? Ridiculous. Why stretch yourself to your limits when you have people to help you?" As much as I hated the guy, I understood where he was coming from. I remembered my own argument with Raiden.
"My own burdens aren't for others." Was all Suijin said.
"Except they aren't just yours. This is the entire council's burden. And even then, that statement is hypocritical. You shouldn't give your burdens to others, but you can take on other people's burdens to yourself?"
Suijin was stunned into a bit of silence, and so was everybody else. Yuri had a point, that much was clear.
At that moment, before anybody else could make a move, a presence fell over the everybody like a veil. It was massive, strong, and seemed to flow on endlessly. It encompassed everything, and it felt like someone what dropped us into the center of a fog storm. A storm of darkness, which had no end.
The aura was so strong that it could bring someone to their knees. Forcing them to bow to whatever it belonged to as if it was exalted royalty.
It was so strong, so potent, and so all encompassing, that it left everyone in silent shock. It felt like all color in the world had been erased.
The magical energy was so utterly powerful that it violated expectation.
It violated logic.
It violated reality.
"I never thought I'd see the day where you two would argue." A voice said. It came from above. From the epicenter of where this insane amount of magical energy was coming from. There was a voice. A voice that suggested that the thing this Prescence belong to was human. A person.
That was impossible. This aura could not belong to something human.
It squeezed my heart, made my blood run cold, and sweat trickle down my brow. I was breathing deeply. My legs were shaking slightly.
No, this couldn't belong to a person.
This mana literally transcended into the realm being a presence. Like the atmosphere. Something that was everywhere, at all times. That's how it felt.
It wasn't a natural presence like oxygen was.
Something dark. Something unsettling.
I notice Suijin turn her gaze towards where the voice came from. She didn't seem to be affected to the extent that I was.
Slowly, I brought my eyes up as well. It felt wrong. As if looking this person-if you could believe it-in the eyes was a violation.
I looked up.
On the roof of one of the highest peaks of the magic academy, was someone. Around them, the air literally was being distilled by the strength of their magical energy.
He was fairly tall, even sitting down. Black hair that stopped at his mouth, and piercing red eyes. He was sitting with one leg bent, and the other extended. He was leaning over his bent leg with one arm, and his other was at his side. Next to him, embedded unto the roof, was a large, red spear. Damn near the height of a person, it glowed red. It gave him the look of some sort of supernatural entity, like the grim reaper.
"Shindo." Was what Suijin said. I gasped.
"I haven't been called that name in forever. What is it? Everyone calls me, "The Prince" now. It's both refreshing and concerning to hear my real name."
This was the man known as, "The Prince."