Ash did not have any sleep for the whole night.
The next morning, he was also very busy—talking to all manner of people in order to offer his condolences and make small talk with them… seemingly as a way to apologize for his fault in the death of a very good man.
If there was anything he learned from his conversation with everyone, it was that James—the guard who perished—was someone who was well-liked by those who knew him. He was a hardworking commoner who managed to get to such a position in the Academy after working his ass off for years.
He was a paragon for many younger guards to follow, and even the Workers that Ash spoke to—both male and female—had good things to say about him.
Even Britta!
"I-I didn't know him for very long… but he took care of me and looked out for me."
Those were her words, and it seemed everyone who heard them were in agreement. Finally, the three guards who found him dead—seemingly his closest friends since they belonged to the same patrol unit—had the most to say about him.
Needless to say, he was going to be very missed.
It didn't take long for Ash to be called into Gerard Lockwood's office for his statement regarding the White Death, and he was honest about what went down.
He woke up to a buzzing sound.
Frantically, he cast a light Spell so he could see, and that was when he noticed the White Death.
Out of fright, he ran out of the room and called for help, rushing to the Workers Residence, since it was the only room closest to him that had competent employees that could protect him if need be.
As for why he went into the female and not male room, he was simply very confused and it was also considerably dark.
Everything added up quite nicely, and he was dismissed before long.
He spent the rest of his day doing mundane activities, like talking to Britta, taking a walk around the Staff Quarters, and having a short power nap in his room—a very uneventful day for him, relatively speaking.
Then… evening arrived, and darkness began to creep in.
Shadows manifested like elongated tendrils, seeping into everything it touched. Dark clouds hovered over the entire Academy, and the moon's dim light was obscured by the thick layers of the fluffy mist that danced high in the sky.
A prime night for the White Death to strike.
Ash lay on his bed, his eyes wide open as he gazed up at the ceiling, his face perfectly unreadable.
After staying like this for a while, he took note of the hour.
Then he nodded.
"It's time."
************
BBBBZZZZTTTZZ!
A certain Alpha Class Student was walking home from the library slightly after curfew, her slightly long hair dancing in the air as she ran back to her dorms.
The book she borrowed from the library hung very tightly to her chest as she dashed past the school fields and took a shortcut through a rather covert spot in order to reach her residence on time.
"Damn… just how much trouble am I going to get into for this?" She wondered.
A bead of sweat formed on her face as she gasped for breath, taking one more step before completely stopping at the sight of something right in front of her.
It was transparent white, with a soft glow that seemed to be made up of pure energy.
BBBBZZZTZZZ
Slowly, the moon's dim glow shone on the student, revealing some of her features as she looked at the horrifying existence that hovered in front of her.
She had dark brown hair, with violet eyes that seemed to gleam in the dark. Her school uniform was prim and proper, and she held a tag on the right side of her shoulder that showed her status in the Academy.
—Alpha Class.
"Y-you are…!" She mumbled, eyes wide as she gazed upon the majestic form of the mysterious being before her.
The White Death moved closer, its buzzing increasing as it neared her.
Most students would freeze in fear, or attempt to run if they ever encountered such a threat.
However, this one was different.
"Who do you think I am?!" She yelled, instantly engulfing herself in flames as she leaped into the air with her firepower.
"I rose from Beta Class to Alpha Class… my name is Elma, and I will defeat you, White Death!"
Her words dripped with hubris, but the rising tide of her flames did more than enough to back up her declaration of war.
She was truly determined to win.
The sudden burst of power caused the Alarms around her to ring, but since she was in a rather obscure location, it would take time for even the nearest patrol guard to reach. In essence, she would have to hold her own for a while.
"Eat this!"
VWUUUUSH!
"[Salamander's Breath]." She shot a concentrated burst of flames towards the enemy, creating a bright spark that painted the dark sky in a beautiful hue of burning colors.
Unfortunately for her, this did her no good against the incorporeal foe.
The White Death passed through the flames and charged towards her, scaring her to the ground.
However, Elma switched gears and used her flames to propel her higher into the air and send another streak of flames down at the enemy.
The flames rained down with ferocity, but the White Death was unbothered about them.
It didn't even bother dodging and simply charged at the girl.
That very instant, she erased the flames that pushed her up, suddenly descending into freefall—completely evading the White Death yet again.
With one final spurt of energy, right as she reached the ground, she perfectly landed on the ground.
At this point, the White Death waited in the air as it looked down at the girl.
"What? You're not attacking anymore?"
The White Death didn't respond.
It simply remained high in the sky, looking down on the girl as it began the countdown to her gory demise.
However—
"I wouldn't expect her to twist her body and fall anytime soon if I were you."
—A voice suddenly erupted from seemingly out of nowhere.
Instantly, the White Death turned in the direction of a particular individual that appeared out of the shadows, undoing the invisibility that was cloaking him.
"I've incapacitated your allies… all five of them."
With a snap of his fingers, the four accomplices of the White Death appeared on the ground, groaning and grunting in pain as they slithered on the ground.
It was obvious that they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
"It's just a simple paralyzing Spell… no big deal." He shrugged, tossing the last accomplice that he held with his hand forward, hearing another groan after a loud thud.
"Four accomplices for killing, while one for lookout… a very smart move, Miss White Death."
Yes, that's right.
Not only had this boy captured the accomplices of the White Death, but he had also figured out precisely who this enigmatic serial killer was.
As he stepped forward, the dim light of the moon shone upon him, revealing his ashen white hair, pale face, and the glowing crimson eyes that had an additional gleam of deadly danger as it looked up at the cornered White Death.
"Why don't you get down from your height so we can have a little talk… Britta?"