The professors walked together inside the lounge, which was dark and unused.
"Oh, dear…" sighed Professor Adolpha. "Can someone turn on the lights, please?"
"Why don't you do it?" Professor Maxmillian mused. "You're a priestess, isn't it your job to do the work around here?"
"Let there be a reminder that she's also a professor like you." Professor Emilia patted his shoulder firmly. "We're equals here, according to Lord Gamaliel. Anyways, let us be prepared. The other professors are coming soon, and this is supposed to be a meeting about the students' progress."
The fiery Professor rolled his eyes, and he approached the lever, firmly pulling it downwards. Out of nowhere, a chandelier of stage lights flickered alive, the room was lit up to reveal the regal atmosphere of the lounge.
"Look at this wonderful room." said the proud Professor Maxmillian, his eyes wandering around the painted roof. "No Earthling could ever paint something as grand as this!"
"And they would be foolish to do so if they tried." added Professor Emilia, who simply nodded her head.
Professor Adolpha quickly took out two mugs, the warmth of coffee brimming within their cups. The professors took them, and they instantly began to drink.
"Professor Adolpha, aren't you going to drink?" Professor Emilia questioned.
Professor Adolpha giggled sheepishly and shook her hand, "No, no. I don't feel up to it at all."
"Are you kidding me right now, Adolpha!" ranted Professor Maxmillian, who violently set his cup back on the table. "Look at you, you're all skin and bones!"
Professor Adolpha flinched, unable to make eye contact. Her focus wandered around the room other than the two faces of her fellow professors.
"Fellows.." spoke an old but soft voice. "What appears to be the problem here?"
Everyone turned around to see their fellow professor, who was an elderly man with a beard that reached his toes. His eyes were barely seen due to the massive amount of hair he bore, and nearby him was a fashionable middle-aged woman whose face scrunched at the sight of Professor Adolpha's boney appearance.
"Professor Annette and Professor Nicolo!" she exclaimed, hurrying to the cabinet to take out a few more mugs.
"Now, now." Professor Nicolo raised his hand in insistence. "Don't trouble yourself over me, Adolpha."
"And look at you! You're all skin and bones!" huffed Professor Annette. "Just because you're a priestess doesn't mean you have to bother yourself so much!"
Professor Adolpha sighed, "Do you atleast want some coffee yourself, Annette?"
"Coffee, my foot! I don't wish to drink any of that rubbish and make myself so exhausted if we run out, someday!"
"Anyways, we'll have to wait for Professor Soleil and Lune to arrive." Professor Emilia remarked, her expression serene as ever.
Professor Maxmillian grumbled and paced back and forth in frustration, "Those darn twins! Never arriving on time! They're always stuck in their pretty, little rooms just looking at the sun and moon like it's their sweethearts!"
"And speaking of the sun, why don't we talk about the Impoten that Adolpha is training right now?" Professor Nicolo questioned.
"Oh, that girl? What a pity!" Professor Annette placed the back of her hand on her forehead dramatically. "To stand apart from the crowd in such a drastic way! What are we ever going to do with her! I might as well bloom the most beautiful roses for her funeral service if she ever—"
"No!" Professor Adolpha suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone's attention turned towards her, some of them concerned, some of them annoyed.
"Is there something that matters, Adolpha?" Professor Emilia questioned. "You look rather green around the gills."
"And she is!" Professor Annette pointed out.
Professor Adolpha gasped, and she rubbed the gills of her ears, feeling its scale-like sensation. She directed towards the mirror, and she yelped in surprise to see that she was indeed green around the gills.
"You look quite unwell, Adolpha." remarked Professor Emilia, who patted her shoulder. "Was the mention of the Impoten's slaying too unbearable for you?"
"Now, there's nothing to be ashamed of, darling!" Professor Maximilian approached. "That's just a testament to your love for your pupil!"
"It indeed is." Professor Nicolo approached as well. "It's not everyday a professor breaks their composure to express their feelings towards their beloved disciple openly."
Professor Adolpha nodded her head slowly, having a polite smile on her face. Suddenly, the door slammed open, everyone focused on the figure, who is revealed to be a bright and sun-filled man clad in yellow and black. He happily bounced towards everyone and rapidly gave them all a handshake.
"Why, good morning, everyone!" He screamed his greetings. "It's a relief to see you all! I thought you left us too soon!"
"Why, nonsense, Soleil!" Professor Annette huffed again, standing high and proud. "It's already been a week and you're assuming that we're all going to be destroyed by those pesky demons? Never! We, the Crusader Militia, will forever stand while the wicked fall back to below where they belong!"
Professor Soleil smiled with delight, clasping his hands together, "Yes, ma'am, yes!"
"But Soleil, where's Lune?" Professor Adolpha questioned.
"Oh? Him?" Professor Soleil scoffed. "He's probably sleeping like always, he's always up for the moon, no?"
Professor Annette scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Of course he always is."
"Anyways, why don't we discuss our students?" Professor Nicolo inquired. "Mine is Hiroko 'Hiro' Amano. He is quite the plucky one out of all my disciples, but sometimes he is too reckless with his Jupitarian winds, especially with that tornado incident."
"Poor boy!" Professor Adolpha placed a hand on her cheek. "It's no wonder Sunny needed everyone's help to get him out of there!"
"Ah, yes. Sunilda Tournesol." Professor Nicolo remarked. "That is her full name, no?"
"Indeed it is, but we call her Sunny for short."
"Now, I would like to talk about my niece!" Professor Annette huffed once more. "Constance Cassidy, the spoiled little brat I have ever taken care of! It's a wonder how she's about to grow those vines and flowers!"
"Why, I think she's only doing that because she wants to look like a pretty pink princess!" Professor Maxmillian mocked in a girly, high-pitched voice at the last part. "I had to take care of a gosh-darn boiler room! He's always sputtering water everywhere, even on me! He must be that angry to make his water lava-incarnated!"
"Raldir Thinfins is his name, no?" Professor Emilia questioned. "Yes, I heard of him. I thought that he would be suited best for Martian, but to my surprise, he was given Neptunian. But thank heavens I have a disciple as gentle as Anala Ashley. Her fires and movements are fluid, almost like water. She also is incredibly skilled in her abilities, as if she had a gift. However, I still see her practice all the time."
"Sounds like a very dedicated one if you just ask me!" Professor Maxmillian smirked.
Professor Soleil chuckled, "You gotta see my student, Imani Tucker! She sure is the lively one! She's so bright and loud, the sun powers just scream out of her! When I heard about the tornado incident, I couldn't help but give her a small party in celebration!"
"Do tell us more about it, darling!" Professor Annette spoke with glee.
"Why, we had a couple of cakes—One of them ended up exploding while still burning in the microwave—"
Everyone looked with wide eyes at Professor Soleil, stunned by the final part. The fun-loving man just smiled.
"I might need to borrow a microwave from you guys." he shrugged, sheepishly.
Professor Adolpha sighed and shook her head, "You must be more careful, Soleil. Not all of us use the Non-Law to their advantage."
"Oh, please!" Professor Annette scoffed. "The Non-Law only switches automatically, there's no such thing as just taking advantage of it!"
"Yes, I know that, but—"
"Alright now, let's continue the yapping about our kiddos!" Professor Maxmillian stirred his coffee with a spoon.
All of the sudden, the door slammed open. A panicked knight with an alabaster shotgun panted heavily as he walked right in.
"Professors, this is horrible! Worse than horrible! This is a nightmare come true!"
Professor Annette scoffed, "And what is it now? Aren't you supposed to be patrolling the streets like a real knight instead of barging in during our tea time?"
"We're having coffee, actually." Professor Nicolo reminded.
"Whatever! Now why don't you run along with that alabaster shotgun of yours and fetch some pesky criminals?"
The knight sighed, rubbing his sweaty forehead, "Lady Annette, my apologies for interrupting you."
"Well, may the Creator forgive you."
"But this is serious, all of you must know this! I was sent here to inform you about the Prophet!"
"What about him?" Professor Adolpha stood up, raising an eyebrow out of concern. "Is there something that matters? Is he not well?"
The knight took a deep breath, it was a silent moment. The chandelier flickered a little, and the knight's metallic armor shone because of the lighting, giving the illusion of diamond-made crafts.
"The prophet.." The knight gulped. "...is gone."
The professors' eyes widened, and they all stood up from their seats.
"Bring us to the Seal of Heresy!" exclaimed Professor Adolpha.
The knight quickly raced down the hallways while the group followed him from behind. Their minds were racing with questions, where was the Prophet? Why was he missing? And most of all, can he be found again? It didn't look long before they finally made it to the Seal of Heresy, and the group hurried into the room that was on the side. They barged right in, and they all gasped. There was an empty bedroom, the pillows were on the floor, the blanket and sheets were hanging from the bed, and indeed, the Prophet wasn't there.
"I-I don't understand!" Professor Adolpha clutched her hair in worry. "Where did he go?! We can't just have him go missing, especially since he's the Seal and the keeper of the Keys!"
Professor Emilia gulped, "But surely, the Keys of Protection are alright?"
The knight shook his head, "I'm afraid he's disappeared along with them."
Professor Annette ran the back of her hand on her forehead dramatically, "My Creator!! We're doomed, we're all doomed!"
Professor Soleil and Professor Maxmillian quickly catch her when she instantly becomes dead on her feet, resting her body on the floor while Professor Emilia cradles her head upon her lap.
"We're all doomed.." she muttered, her eyes wide open. "We're all doomed.."
"No, we are not!" Professor Emilia reassured. "He can't be that far away!"
"But we can't tell if he is!" Professor Maximilian scoffed. "What do you think we have? A tracker?"
Professor Adolpha took a deep breath, "We must inform Lord Gamaliel about this."
***
"He WHAT?!" Gamaliel slammed his fist against his desk, standing up from his office chair, huffing with frustration and a hint of panic. "This isn't right! He can't just be kidnapped like this! Where were the knights?!"
"They were there, sir!" the knight spoke. "We were patrolling day and night, we didn't rest at all, and we made sure to follow him wherever he went. But in the blink of an eye, he was gone! We really don't know what just happened!"
Gamiliel pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging it as he grumbled, he was just as anxious as the professors and the knight. He soon let out a sigh, rolling his chair to the large window, which showed the bustling city.
"He is out there, somewhere. There is only one person who knows about him, and yet we don't know who."
Professor Annette, meanwhile, was hurled into a ball, sitting against the corner as she rocked back and forth. Her eyes were inhumanely wide, and she could barely say anything else other than,
"We're all doomed…we're all doomed…we're all doomed!"
Professor Adolpha and Professor Soleil stayed by her side, both of them trying to rouse her from her shell-shocked state. But their efforts were in vain, and they watched as she continued to silently rant that they were all doomed without the Prophet.
Professor Emilia gulped, and she approached the desk, "Lord, we need to spread the news, especially to the other Lords!"
Gamaliel closed his eyes, "You are correct, Emilia." he let out a sigh. "For 300 years, I've been putting up with the Prophet and his antics…but now I must take action. We cannot lose him, especially since he's the Seal of Heresy."
"Shall we use Elysia's eye, Lord?" Professor Nicolo questioned.
"No, we cannot. It must remain in the glass seal, we can never use it under any circumstances."
"But why not? The eye could be useful enough! Maybe we don't need the Prophet!" Professor Maxmillian suggested.
"No!" Gamaliel raised his voice. "We can never use that eye, and it's something that me and the other Lords can never tell you."
"But—"
"Not another word! Announce to the others, right away!"
The professors and the knight nodded, and they all turned around, running out the door. Gamaliel sulked in his chair, rubbing his forehead as his hair began to become disfigured.
"Where are you…? What are you doing now..?"
He sighed as he turned on his computer, he was focused on the screen while his fingers danced across the keyboard. Three screens appeared, along with two men. One was middle-aged, and one was a young adult.
"Greetings, Siegbert, and Theodor." he said, professionally. "I have terrible news to discover."
Theodor frowned, "Don't tell me you burnt our ham sandwiches again!"
Siegbert face-palmed, "Oh, dear Theodor. What are we going to do with you? Must you bring up lunch at this time?"
Gamaliel snickers, and he shook his head, returning to his seriousness.
"Anyways, this isn't about ham sandwiches—My apologies, Theodor—But this is something about the Prophet."
"Ah, yes! How's the progress going?" Siegbert inquired.
Gamaliel winced, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "Not too well, in fact, it's far from too well. It's horrible!"
"Why? What's the matter?" Theodor asked. "Did he not like his meals? Was he tired of the same thing over and over again?"
Gamaliel groaned in dismay, "No, you two! The Prophet is missing!"
Siegbert and Theodor's faces turn pale, and the latter let out a girlish yelp of horror.
"But how can this be?!" Siegbert questioned. "We had the guards and everything!"
The dismayed Gamaliel sighed, "That's the point. We don't know who took him, but we're going to find him anyway we can. The two of you must send word to Nicodemus."
"Oh, dear." Theodor whimpered. "He's going to go mad when he figures out! The Prophet is like his son!"
"Poor him." sighed Siegbert. "He never had any children, let alone family. The Prophet was the closest he's got."
Gamaliel nodded his head, "I know, and he's in a terribly fragile state. Perhaps it's best if we don't actually tell him, because you never know if it makes him kick the bucket."
"We can never lose him, Gamaliel!" Theodor exclaimed. "He's like a second father to me! If he's gone, then I'll be truly an orphan!"
"No." Siegbert reassured. "You will never be an orphan. You will only be one if you never knew your parents, and they never knew you."
"And they never did." Theodor chuckled bitterly.
"Well, I don't mean that! It's just that real parents are the ones who would always remember you even after they die! It's memories that keep them alive and known! Memories!"
Gamaliel sighed, "Look, the point is, we must send search parties all around Meimon City, even through Humanica if he really is that far away. We can't lose him, he is our responsibility, Meimon City's responsibility. Without him, we are lost to Heresy."
Theodor winced fearfully, "What are we going to do then? This has never happened before!"
"We mustn't have the trainees involved in this mess. They're merely children, and it's already been a few weeks since the first day of training. For some unknown reason, their progress is amazing, but their age may be restricting."
Siegbert nodded his head, "I'll get forensic sessions ready in case we need evidence of the kidnapper."
"And I'll try to keep the peace of the city!" Theodor saluted. "Nobody could resist my charismatic speeches!"
"Good job, you two." Gamaliel smiled. "Now let's get to work." However, his expression darkened, and he spoke in a serious tone, "And remember, we're going to do whatever it takes as Elysia's kingdom to defend our people. The Creator and our ancestors are counting on us."
And just like that, the call has ended. Gamaliel was now truly alone in his office, and he let out a sigh as he pushed his rolling chair into the center of the area. He rubbed his forehead and groaned.
"By the Creator's might, what are we ever going to do with that one?" he whispered. "I have enough of his troubling antics."
But Gamaliel was determined as he gazed out the window. The sky was pitch black, and the stars glimmered, almost representing his hope. He was ready, and so was everyone else. He was going to find that Prophet, no matter how hard the journey may be. In fact, he was prepared for it, despite the upcoming grief he just faced.