Donovan and Gary sat idly in chairs next to each other, while Jacob, a nervous wreck, muttered incoherent nonsense to himself. Elyssia, Matthew, and Rovanne stood behind them, all patiently awaiting the headmaster to leave his room and confront the troublemakers on their very first day.
"Hey. Just so you know, I'm innocent—"
"Just shut your trap, Donovan," Elyssia quickly cut him off, leaving Donovan frowning.
"Are you sure you haven't seen Samuel? I thought he was always with you?" Rovanne asked.
"Well, he had some family stuff to deal with. So, he had to go off by himself. I think I'll meet him back at the dorm," Donovan answered, before turning to Gary, "Come on, dude. Just let her be. She's just doing her job."
"That's the second time in a single day..." Gary grumbled.
"Sorry…" Rovanne tried to apologize.
"Faen ta deg—!" Gary cursed under his breath.
"Calm down, Gary..."
A rustle echoed from the second floor of the office, and soon after, a figure emerged from the bookshelves, hopping over the railing and landing directly in front of the students. Headmaster Avshino brushed himself off before taking a seat in front of them.
"Sorry, everyone. I was a bit lost in my books," he chuckled. "So, what happened?"
Donovan and Gary raised their bound hands, showing the purple constraints circling their wrists, courtesy of Rovanne.
"Really? On the first day? It hasn't even been a full day, and you're already in trouble?"
"Can't help it," Donovan chuckled. "It just happens."
"Does fighting a whole class count as a 'natural occurrence'?" Matthew asked.
"Not really."
Avshino leaned in closer over the table. "And Mister Jacob here is with us. Are you okay, my child?"
Jacob didn't look up from his foot, still constantly muttering in some incoherent language. His behavior raised concern in everyone. Donovan and Gary had never seen him like this, so they had no idea how to handle it.
"I don't know what happened," Donovan said, "Really. I don't."
Gary was surprised he didn't hear the usual hisses and whispers coming from Donovan, signaling that he wasn't using his blessing. This was the truth. Yet, Donovan still had the ability to make people believe him, which only boggled Gary's mind more.
"Hm... Where's Samuel?"
"He's off doing some work. Should be done by now," Donovan replied.
Just as he said that, Elyssia seemed to pick up something in her earpiece. While the others continued talking about the incident, and Matthew and Rovanne stood awkwardly, Elyssia began communicating with a familiar voice.
"Hello? Elyssia, you there?" a voice crackled in her earpiece.
"Sorry, I need to take this," Elyssia excused herself, moving to a corner of the room. "Yes, Madhav. You see anything yet?"
"Well, I guess I did. Saw two students sleeping on a bench outside the dormitories. Quite adorable, honestly."
"Madhav."
"Alright, alright. Just so you know, the cameras have been glitching out every time someone exits the dorms. It's been happening for the past three months, but I did catch something."
"Who?"
There was a brief pause before Madhav continued, "I saw Samuel running out nearby. He's heading back to the main building. I've saved the footage."
"Samuel... Send him to the headmaster's office if you can."
"Got it. I also managed to dig up some info about them. Are you sure Avshino requested us to allow them in?"
"Yes, he did. We'll go over it later, Madhav. Just make sure you get Samuel to the headmaster's office," Elyssia sighed.
"Righto, boss."
After a brief static, Elyssia rejoined the group just as Rovanne and Matthew began heading to the door, indicating the headmaster wanted privacy. Elyssia reluctantly followed them outside, moving down the stairs and closing the door behind them before standing guard.
With them gone, Donovan finally relaxed, turning to the headmaster. "I found this," he said, handing over a red envelope.
As soon as the envelope touched the table, Jacob's eyes shifted. He reached out in an attempt to grab it. "Don't touch that!" he shouted.
A bundle of whispers and hisses echoed through the room, before forming into a clear sentence, "Stay where you are."
Jacob froze in place at the command, allowing Gary to ease him back into the chair. The headmaster took the envelope and inspected it. "What was that, Mister Donovan?"
Donovan clicked his tongue before sticking it out. No longer its natural red color, his tongue had elongated and turned silver. "It's my blessing."
"Wow. That's interesting," the headmaster said as he started to open the envelope. "Can you force people to speak the truth?"
"I can, yeah," Donovan replied, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Good. That will be useful when you join the security force, and for what's about to happen now." The headmaster pulled out the letter and began reading it. An uneasy silence filled the room as Jacob nervously tapped his foot. He was on edge, ready to break down. He couldn't let this happen, but he was powerless. He's reading the letter. No... No…
The headmaster placed the letter down and stared right through Jacob's soul, his expression shifting from warmth to cold authority. "Jacob."
"I-I…"
Donovan and Gary skimmed the letter, confirming their suspicions. The headmaster leaned in, pressing Jacob further. "Jacob, who gave you this letter?"
At that moment, Jacob shattered. Slamming his fist onto the table, he startled everyone around him. His voice cracked as he started to break down. "I'm sorry... I had to... I—"
"The Red Hand forced you to try and kill us. Why?"
"They... H-Have my sister… They know where she is." Tears streamed down his face as he finally let it all out.
"Little Evie?" Avshino asked gently.
"Yes... They have her..."
Avshino summoned a white bird from the ceiling. It fluttered down to his arm as he whispered something to it before sending it off through the window.
"Donovan, can you…"
"Yes, I will," Donovan grumbled. He turned to Jacob, clicked his tongue, and the whispers echoed through the room again. "Speak. Tell us everything you know."
Jacob, as if controlled by invisible strings, began spilling everything in a hollow, emotionless tone. "They started threatening me about a month ago, maybe longer. I ignored them at first, but then they sent pictures of my sister in the city, telling me they would kill her. That's when I panicked. I... I was forced to steal artifacts from the school's bank and hold onto them until I could send them off. They gave me a time limit. If I didn't comply, they'd hurt her. Then, a few days ago, they told me to kill three newcomers in S-class. I tried to get my classmates to help, but... well, you know how that went."
"Do you have any idea who's sending you these letters?" the headmaster asked.
"No… They just appear on my desk without me ever noticing. They always catch me off guard."
"Well, my son, you can rest easy. I've sent a message to my associates in town. They'll make sure your sister is safe," Avshino reassured him, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry it had to come to this."
"I just... I don't know what to do..."
"They won't try to kill you," Gary said. "That would raise suspicion and make things harder for them."
"Finally said something smart," Donovan chuckled.
The headmaster tried to offer some comfort. "Jacob, just return to your normal life, alright? Try not to kill anyone, and be a good boy. Don't mention this to anyone. I give you my word—you will be safe."
"Alright…" Jacob muttered, wiping his tears as he stood up.
"Go back to your dorm and take a break."
"Yes, Headmaster…" Jacob turned and left the room.
With Jacob gone, the headmaster sighed in relief. "Well done, you two. Quite the first day, isn't it?"
"Just doing our job, Headmaster," Donovan replied, while Gary sat back, observing quietly.
"Seeing what you're capable of, I'll make sure you both get security force access. It won't be popular, but it's for the best, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Donovan stretched in his chair.
"Where's Samuel again?" Avshino asked.
"He should be nearby," Gary answered. "We sent him off to investigate on his own. Hopefully, he found something useful."
"This could be done more efficiently," the headmaster said.
Donovan and Gary exchanged a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" they asked in unison.
"Have you considered taking the other security forces with you on this mission?"