As the six students marched toward their destination, they had hoped for silence along the way. Sadly, that wasn't the case, thanks to Donovan, who was humming a particular part of his favorite song. Normally, the song would be incredibly difficult to perform, let alone hum.
But with his gifted tongue, he managed to hum it flawlessly, without missing a single note. That was one thing he particularly enjoyed about his blessing—no lies, no manipulation, just something fun to do.
The familiar melody didn't seem to bother anyone else, but Elyssia recognized it. "Donovan, is that Tame Impala?"
Donovan paused his humming, acknowledging her. "You know him?"
"Yeah, I love Tame Impala," Elyssia admitted. "My favorite song is 'Let It Happen.'"
"Which is exactly what I'm humming," Donovan replied, feeling a wave of joy at finding someone who shared his taste in music.
"Woah, I never thought Elyssia would have a favorite music artist," Matthew chimed in. "I didn't even think she listened to music."
"She does, sometimes," Rovanne added. "But she's usually too occupied with her other duties to really relax."
They reached the security force room, standing before a wooden door. Elyssia placed her palm against it, muttering, "Halstrumg."
The door pulsed yellow for a moment before unlocking, allowing Elyssia to push it open, revealing a warm, cozy living room. Yellow lights hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow over the dull white walls. A long sofa rested in the middle of the room near a television mounted on the wall. Multiple doors lined the space, each marked with signs to indicate where they led.
One door led to an artifact room, another to a training room. Other doors bore signs like "Files and Paperwork." A noticeboard beside one such door had nothing posted except for a single piece of paper reading, Patrol the area.
Next to the noticeboard was another door labeled Dorm Hall, adorned with a carpet and a small poster for decoration. This was where they would sleep and relax.
"Ooh, interesting," Donovan remarked, taking in the surroundings. "Is there internet here?"
"Yeah, we've got our own network. It's one of the fastest in the school," Elyssia replied, pointing to a wall where the password was displayed.
"Sweet."
As Gary and Samuel explored the room, they couldn't help but wonder about the missing fourth member. "Hey, I have a question," Samuel asked.
"Yes?" Rovanne replied.
"Where's the fourth member? Donovan said there's four of you."
"Oh, you mean Madhav?" Rovanne glanced at Elyssia, who shook her head. "He's probably off patrolling. We're not sure."
"Were there only four of you? Shouldn't there be more?" Gary asked.
"Well, the leader disappeared a while ago, leaving me to handle things. He was in his third year, and everything was much easier with him around. I still wonder where he went…" Elyssia's voice carried a hint of sadness, and the trio decided not to push the topic further.
"Alright...so where's our room?"
"It's in the dorm hall. But first, I need you three to hold out your right hands." Matthew retrieved a box from the side of the room and walked up to them.
The trio extended their hands, palms down, as instructed. Matthew opened the box, revealing a radiant light that transformed into three silver rings. The rings slowly levitated toward the trio's hands, sliding onto their index fingers with a light tingling sensation before settling.
"It's a ring of dwelling," Matthew explained. "You can use it to summon a door on any surface that will lead back here."
"Ooh...sweet," Gary said, inspecting the ring.
"Now that you're one of us, a room should appear for the three of you. Head to the dorm hall. You'll find your names on the door, and your stuff should already be inside."
"Thanks," Donovan said, wrapping an arm around Samuel's head and grabbing Gary's shoulder. "Let's go to our dorms and...study."
Elyssia raised a brow, doubting his sincerity, but decided not to object. "Alright then, good luck. You've got a lot to catch up on."
As the trio walked down the dorm hall, they found themselves in a long corridor with five doors on the right and two on the left. The left side held Rovanne and Elyssia's dorms, while the right side belonged to Matthew, Madhav, and finally, theirs. Each moved to their respective rooms.
Donovan opened his door to find a simple room with a bed, luggage on the floor, and a desk with a chair in front of it. What caught his attention, however, was the door next to the desk. Opening it revealed Samuel, standing in his own room.
"Oh cool! Our rooms are connected," Samuel said.
Behind him, another door revealed Gary's room. "That's convenient," Gary added. "Easy communication."
"Alright, we've got work to do. Lock your doors," Donovan said, his tone suddenly serious.
The three of them locked their doors and regrouped in Samuel's room, sitting in a circle on the floor. "Samuel, you still got the journal?"
"Yep," Samuel replied, pulling the journal from his pouch and tossing it in front of them. "And I still have a relic I didn't hand over to Avshino."
"Good." Donovan examined the relic, a golden idol with a glowing blue pearl in its eye socket. "Alright then...I have an idea."
Meanwhile, Elyssia led Rovanne and Matthew into the Files and Paperwork room. They closed the door quietly behind them, surrounded by rows of shelves packed with files and boxes. Notices, files, and old documents seemed to close in on them, a chaotic clutter of information.
Loose wires snaked across the floor, leading toward the far end of the room. Illuminated by stark white lights, a path led to a long table where a boy sat, facing three monitors. Two larger screens hung on the wall above him.
As they approached, the boy turned around, a cup of chai in his hand. "There you are. I was wondering when you'd show up."
"Madhav, are the folders ready?" Elyssia asked.
"Yes bosso," Madhav replied, sliding the stack of folders toward her. "Want some chai? Or should I just drink it all?"
"Ooh, I'll take some," Rovanne said, reaching out for a cup.
"Thank you, Madhav," Elyssia said, taking her cup as Madhav opened the folders. Each contained a profile of Donovan, Gary, and Samuel.
"Have you gone through them?" Elyssia asked.
"Yeah," Madhav nodded. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Donovan Cuanna, from Ireland, lived in Dublin for two years before moving to a rural area in Italy. Spent thirteen years there before coming to Dalsinor for Cainlocke. Gary lived in Norway for four years, then moved to Louisiana for nine years. Samuel lived in Brazil for nine years before moving to Boston, then came to Dalsinor. Nothing too unusual."
They skimmed through the files but found nothing suspicious. Still, Rovanne couldn't shake the feeling that the trio's connection ran deeper than three months. Surely they had met before Cainlocke?
"Nothing at all?" Rovanne asked, frowning. "Not even how they learned their magic paths?"
"They have magic paths?" Elyssia looked surprised.
"Yeah," Rovanne replied. "Before I brought you along to subdue them, I saw Donovan and Gary using magic. Not like amateurs either—they were following a path."
Madhav turned to his monitors, typing quickly. "Alrighty then, I'll look into it. People with magic paths are usually registered in their home countries' databases. It's been like that for the longest time. Should be in Cainlocke's too."
"Are you hacking into it?" Matthew asked.
"Yep."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, genius. We do what we gotta do." Madhav said sarcastically, pressing his fingers against a glowing ball beside him. Magic surged into the computers, causing them to scan through hundreds of files. But for all his effort, Madhav found nothing—no records of Donovan, Gary, or Samuel.
"What did their magic look like, Rovanne?" Madhav asked.
"White light, with runes on their arms," she replied.
Madhav tried again, but still came up empty. "Shit, still nothing."
Elyssia furrowed her brow, still puzzled as to why the headmaster had brought them into S-Class so late in the semester, despite their behavior. By all accounts, they should've been expelled. So why were they still here?
"What now?" Rovanne asked.
"We keep an eye on them," Elyssia decided. "Rovanne, you handle Samuel. Matthew and Madhav, keep tabs on Gary. I'll watch Donovan." She cratched her scar, a habit she never let go of.
"Understood," they all nodded.
Uncertainty hung in the air as they pondered what lay ahead. The trio, wherever they went, chaos seemed to follow. But beneath the destruction was a purpose—a purpose to protect the weak and eliminate those who threatened them. That was what Hanlerk had trained them for. That was their mission.