It was 8 a.m. the morning after the fusion of the gems. Yaxoc and Moonlight sat silently in the living room, the air thick with tension.
"Yaxoc," Moonlight began hesitantly, breaking the silence. "Don't you think Yaxocara's gone off somewhere else? We've been waiting since yesterday."
"No way," Yaxoc said firmly. "Yaxocara isn't reckless enough to just wander off on her own."
Moonlight raised an eyebrow. "You say that, but she's always gone to arcades alone without telling anyone. This time, though... it feels different." She paused, her voice softening. "Do you really have no idea what happened after she faced Ogamak?"
Yaxoc shook his head. "No… I didn't see her after we escaped."
Before Moonlight could respond, a sharp knock at the door startled them. Moonlight got up and opened it to find a staff member from the Saviors Academy standing there, their expression grave.
"Good morning," Moonlight said cautiously. "How did you find our address?"
The staff member shook their head. "There's no time for that, Mrs. Nightes. I have urgent news."
Moonlight stepped aside to let them in. "Go on."
The staff member's voice was heavy with concern. "The principal was murdered last night. We still don't know how it happened. The enemy infiltrated our defenses, and we didn't detect them in time. As a result, we're temporarily shutting down the academy and halting all applications until further notice."
Moonlight's eyes widened. "Do you think this has something to do with hunters?"
"Most likely," the staff member replied. "We've received an anonymous warning that Ogamak and Lucius are working with a hunter organization. This complicates things considerably."
"Wait a minute," Yaxoc said, frowning. "How could they have outsmarted the academy's defenses?"
"Lucius is a manipulator," the staff member explained. "It's highly probable he deceived someone from within."
The tension in the room grew. The staff member continued, "Until this matter is resolved, all saviors are advised to stay indoors. Only Z+ tier saviors will be allowed to investigate this situation. If you are not Z+, you are not to leave your residence."
"What?!" Yaxoc snapped. "Listen here, smarty pants, I've taken down demons that even Z+ saviors couldn't handle! You can't just lock me up like some newbie!"
Moonlight interjected, trying to calm him. "Yaxoc, he has a point. You've proven yourself plenty of times."
The staff member was unfazed. "I don't make the rules. The head owner does. You'll follow them, or face the consequences." With that, they turned and left, leaving Yaxoc fuming.
"Ugh, that guy's impossible!" Yaxoc grumbled.
Moonlight sighed. "Yeah, not the kind of person you want to negotiate with."
Before they could dwell on it further, Marcus walked into the room, a relieved smile on his face.
"Oh, hey, Yaxoc!"
"Marcus? How did you—"
"I was discharged from the hospital three hours ago," Marcus said, cutting him off. "The poison's finally out of my system, so I can use magic again."
"That's great news!" Moonlight said, her tone brightening. Then she hesitated. "By the way… have you heard about the hunter organization working with Lucius and Ogamak?"
Marcus nodded, his expression darkening. "Yeah. It's a massive problem for the United Chronic, and it's getting worse by the day."
"Did you also hear about the principal's death?" Yaxoc asked.
Marcus's jaw tightened. "I did. And I've uncovered some information about it. Apparently, a hunter was specifically sent to assassinate the principal. The goal was to destabilize the academy and sow chaos. Their larger plan is even more sinister. They want to lure all lower-tier saviors into safe zones, then systematically eliminate the Z+ tier saviors during the investigation. Once the Z+ are gone… they'll target everyone else."
The room fell silent as the weight of Marcus's words sank in.
"We need a plan," Yaxoc finally said, his voice steely. "And fast."
A few hours later, Yaxoc, Moonlight, and Marcus arrived at the Z+ Saviors' training grounds. Spotting their target, Moonlight raised her voice.
"Hey! Hurricane Girl!" she called, drawing the attention of a stern-looking savior.
The Z+ savior turned toward them, her long gray dress flowing lightly in the breeze. Her jet-black hair framed sharp black eyes that glared at the trio. She adjusted the gray gloves on her hands and crossed her arms.
"What do you want?" Virelle asked bluntly, her tone laced with impatience.
Moonlight didn't miss a beat. "I was wondering if you'd join us. Marcus uncovered some critical information about this whole mess."
Virelle scoffed. "That low-rank comedian? I doubt he has anything worthwhile to say."
"Oh, come on! Don't you trust me at least?" Moonlight retorted.
Marcus sighed, stepping forward to face Virelle. "Look, I know you don't take me seriously. But I need you to hear me out, okay? Just listen for a moment."
Virelle rolled her eyes but made a dismissive gesture for him to continue.
"Here's the situation," Marcus began. "Lucius and Ogamak hired a hunter to assassinate the principal, forcing the staff and Z+ saviors like you to focus on investigating the incident. But that's just phase one. Their real plan is to send another hunter—a far deadlier one—to eliminate all of you while you're distracted."
Virelle raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And I'm supposed to believe this?"
Marcus stayed calm. "I'm not asking you to trust me. Just be cautious. That's all I'm saying."
Before Virelle could respond, a shout erupted from nearby.
"Watch out!" another Z+ savior yelled as they rushed forward, blocking an attack aimed at Virelle. The hunter's blade cut through the savior in an instant, and they fell lifeless to the ground.
Virelle's eyes widened in shock, her stance immediately shifting into a battle-ready position. "I believe you now!" she shouted, her voice tinged with urgency.
Yaxoc, Moonlight, and Marcus quickly prepared themselves as the hunter, cloaked in shadow-like armor, turned their attention to the group.
The hunter suddenly appeared behind Yaxoc, blade poised for a strike, but Yaxoc reacted instantly. Twisting on his heel, he delivered a swift manji kick to the hunter, sending them sprawling to the ground. Wasting no time, Yaxoc pinned them down with his knee.
"Got you!" Yaxoc exclaimed, holding the hunter firmly.
The group closed in, examining the downed assailant.
"So, this guy's a speedster, huh?" Virelle said, narrowing her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Moonlight asked, keeping her guard up.
"This isn't an ordinary fighter," Virelle explained. "They're a speedster—a combatant who relies entirely on incredible attack speed. If I'm right, this one's moving at speeds beyond light. That kind of velocity is almost godlike."
Yaxoc tightened his grip on the hunter before delivering a decisive strike, knocking them unconscious. "Let the authorities deal with this one," he said firmly, rising to his feet. "We've got bigger problems to handle. Let's move!"
Without hesitation, the trio and Virelle fled the scene, leaving the downed hunter behind as reinforcements arrived.
The trio and Virelle arrived at the meeting hall.
"This is where Watyrio and Darso should be," Virelle said, her tone firm.
"And how's that supposed to help us?" Yaxoc asked, skeptical.
Virelle sighed, clearly annoyed. "They're both Z+ Saviors, pothead. You should know their input matters."
Without waiting for a response, she knocked on the large door. Moments later, it opened to reveal Darso, dressed in his dark attire, his aura exuding arrogance.
"Z+ Savior Darso, master of darkness magic," he said, introducing himself with a smirk. "What do you—" His words trailed off as he noticed Virelle and the others. "Virelle, who are these… low rankers?"
Yaxoc immediately clenched his fists. "Don't be a pompous bi—"
Marcus quickly stepped in. "Zip it, Yaxoc," he said bluntly, cutting him off. "Darso, we need to join this meeting. Virelle's session starts in four minutes."
Darso scoffed. "Sorry, newbie, but no low rankers are allowed. It's protocol."
Virelle crossed her arms. "Darso, Marcus has something important to share. You can at least let him talk. Or are you too insecure to listen?"
"Important, huh? I doubt it," Darso said, shrugging arrogantly.
Before Marcus could respond, Moonlight stepped forward, her hands on her hips. "Listen here, Darso. If you don't let us in, I'm going to kick you so hard you won't be able to summon a shadow ever again!"
Darso smirked. "You tried that last time and missed. But fine, come in. Make it quick."
The group entered the meeting room, finding seats near the back as the Z+ Saviors gathered. Darso took his place beside Watyrio, who stood at the head of the room.
"Watyrio, let's get started," Darso said, gesturing to his fellow Z+ Savior.
Watyrio nodded, his commanding presence filling the room. Taking a deep breath, he addressed the room. "Welcome, everyone. Today's meeting concerns strategies for addressing the increasing hunter activity around our academy. This isn't just about defense; it's about survival."
He turned to another Z+ Savior, Gravito, who leaned casually against the wall. "Gravito, you're up."
Gravito rolled his eyes but stepped forward. "Alright, listen up," he said, his tone laced with impatience. "Even you low rankers. This savior here—Marcus—claims to have information we need. So, pay attention." He gestured for Marcus to come forward.
Marcus gulped, feeling the weight of all the eyes in the room. Taking a deep breath, he stepped up and began. "Ogamak and Lucius have been orchestrating this from the start. Their first move was sending a hunter to assassinate the principal and force us into lockdown. But their real goal? Distracting the Z+ Saviors long enough to send a second wave of assassins to wipe you out. They're systematically breaking our defenses, and once the Z+ Saviors fall, the rest of us won't stand a chance."
The room fell silent for a moment before Gravito broke it. "If what you're saying is true, that's a serious problem. We don't have many saviors who can react to attacks faster than light. Your friend Yaxoc seems to be the exception."
Marcus opened his mouth to respond, but another voice cut in.
"Actually, I know someone else who can match that speed."
The room turned to Virusela, her glitch-like presence flickering as she rose to speak.
"Oh, here we go," Gravito muttered, rolling his eyes.
Virusela ignored him, her tone calm but confident. "Hight has a sister. She's just as fast—maybe faster. If we can convince her to join us, we'll have a fighting chance."
Before anyone could question her further, a figure suddenly appeared in the center of the room, moving so fast it seemed as though she'd materialized out of thin air.
"Did somebody call me?" the figure asked, glancing around.
Virusela smirked. "Meet Hannah Hight, the sister of our late colleague."
Hannah stood tall, her appearance striking. She wore a black shirt under a gray jacket, a glowing purple scarf around her neck. Her black eyes scanned the room with sharp intelligence, and her yellow shoes tapped lightly against the floor as she shifted her stance. A bandage adorned her nose, hinting at her past battles.
"Hey, everyone!" she said with a cheerful grin.
Yaxoc, Moonlight, and Marcus exchanged shocked glances.
"I didn't know Mr. Hight had a sister," Moonlight mumbled.
"Yeah… This is news to me," Yaxoc added.
Marcus stepped forward cautiously. "Mrs. Hight, I—"
"Hannah's fine!" she interrupted with a smile.
"Hannah," Marcus corrected himself, "I wanted to ask about your brother. What happened to him? The last I saw of him was during the raid months ago."
Hannah's smile faltered, her eyes dimming as she looked away. "Ogamak executed him," she said softly. "He said my brother wasn't 'enough.'"
Yaxoc clenched his fists. "That's awful."
Moonlight nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Gravito cleared his throat, bringing the room back to focus. "Alright, saviors, back to the point. Hannah, what's your plan?"
Hannah straightened up, her confidence returning. "We need destructive magic users to keep the hunters distracted, no matter their speed. They just need to hold the line while we figure out the bigger picture."
Yaxoc raised a hand, his brow furrowed. "And how exactly are we supposed to pull that off?"
Hannah hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "Good question! But we'll figure it out later. Meeting adjourned!"
The Z+ Saviors exchanged uncertain glances, clearly unsure of her plan's effectiveness.
As the group exited the room, Marcus muttered, "Well, that was… something."
Yaxoc sighed. "Yeah. Let's hope it's enough."