From the shadows, five figures emerged into a small, dimly lit room. Their faces were almost impossible to recognize, concealed by the darkness surrounding them. The only light source was a small bluish candle, flickering weakly as if it were about to go out.
"Did you manage to collect the crystals?" Cain, the leader of the shadows, asked in an authoritative tone.
"Yes," another of his subordinates immediately responded, bowing respectfully. "Here they are." Then, he tossed the bag containing all the crystals to his master.
"Tsk! I'm sure these are the crystals of the weakest students," a third shadow joined the conversation. "This won't be enough to weaken them. We should have taken advantage of catching them by surprise and attacked once and for all."
"No, not until our lady returns," Cain replied sharply. "We can't act recklessly and risk failing the mission."
