To the findings the two had made, they called the Academy's security after taking the information and running the forensics of the scene.
After that, an emergency was called in by the Headmaster after the news had been heard.
Now most of the second-year teachers sat by the round table with Headmaster Davion, their faces pressed with trouble.
Alistair, getting the signal from Davion to explain, narrated the entire situation to them, beginning from when Gabriel had come to report to her, then detailing the discovery of the body, and finally showing printed copies of the images she had taken from the scene.
When she was done, she stopped and reclined in her chair, traumatized—not by the current situation but by the memories of the wave that had hit before. She slowly recalled those events.
This was the same for most teachers at the table. The memories of the horrors they had seen during the wave came flooding back to them.
"This is absurd. How did a beast get into the school?" Dorothy asked the others, but no reply came.
"That probably doesn't matter for now. We can leave that to the Academy's security to search in groups of two. But what we should be most concerned with are the students. They will be in danger," Rika stated.
Headmaster Davion held his head down. This was the first time in the academy's history that a soul beast had managed to get in, much less kill a student, as had happened now.
He knew the news of this death would not bode well for the other students. It would probably send panic through them, making them feel less safe at the academy—
"Headmaster Davion, what do you propose we do?" Leonard folded his hands and asked.
Davion took his time before replying. "We'll make sure the students hear of this news, for it to serve as a warning to them all and a motivation to get stronger. If our students... our second-years cannot protect themselves against a mere beast, doesn't that mean we are creating weak students?"
"He was a Grade Two, and he died such a death that he didn't even last long enough against the beast to create a ruckus loud enough to alert others. That isn't what the academy should be proud of."
The teachers could see what the Headmaster meant. They weren't to pamper the weak in any way. If humans had been so weak in the beginning, the world they knew now would never have existed.
"I suggest we take this as an opportunity to utilize the Farm Test coming up next week to train them," Tyler, the teacher who taught the utilization of abilities, suggested.
The Farm Test was a basic test held when all students would be taken from the school through a portal to somewhere beyond the walls and out of human civilization, to a place dominated by beasts, to hunt and grow stronger. "Farm" was used to describe a group of soul beasts, so it was typically a hunt.
"Why don't we just make the hunt this weekend? It might be too hasty and leave the students unprepared, but the earlier, the better, as this beast might get hungry anytime soon. And we can't give excuses to a beast, saying we waited for a Monday instead of a Saturday to teach our students how to defend themselves against beasts," Rika argued.
The Headmaster considered this strong point.
The meeting continued a little further, with others confirming the hunt as a good idea. Then Headmaster Davion finally decided to speak.
"In that case, I would like the test to be conducted by two teachers, and this should be announced as soon as possible to get the students ready."
Meanwhile, Headmaster Davion's mind was not on the matter in the slightest. All he could think of was the file of a student he had noticed before the emergency meeting had been called.
It was Kael's file, and when he had gone through it, he was shocked at how blank it was, though it was government-approved. There was no father listed, no picture of his parents, no house address, and a lot of other prior information was missing.
It was as though Kael was part of one of the Big Six Families.
'It seems he has a really strong backing. If that's so, I can't wait to find out more about this kid.'
---
A while later:
The meeting had come to a close, and two teachers had been selected. Leonard had suggested himself for the role, and Alistair had been voted in as the second teacher because of her ability to heal others.
They summoned all the second-years to the assembly hall, which now had hundreds of students from different classes gathered.
After waiting to ensure everyone was present, Leonard finally stepped up to the upper podium in front of the class. With a wave of his hand, the room quieted.
"Thank you all for being here," Leonard began in an audible and clear tone. "As you all know, there have been reports of a missing student. But what you don't know is that he has been confirmed dead, killed by a beast of some sort—"
The crowd instantly became rowdy after Leonard's words.
"A beast, in the academy? How is that even possible?"
"What? Aldric's dead?!"
"Talk about being the best academy. We can't even prevent beasts from getting in."
"Does that mean they haven't captured the beast yet?"
"Be silent, will you!" Leonard screamed loudly, silencing the crowd into murmurs. "The beast is still out there, and it might come for any of you next. The academy has decided to keep the security the same, as you all possess power—abilities that should be trained in combat and not used to bully others weaker. You should be able to handle a beast on your own."
Leonard paused, observing the fright and bewilderment on each student's face. Only a few stood confident after hearing him speak.
"I and the school healer, Mrs. Alistair, will lead you students on an expedition to a Farm Hunt."
The noise escalated again as the students argued among themselves, with a mix of happiness and worry. Some had been awaiting this day, while others dreaded it.
This time, the crowd silenced itself after venting their emotions.
"Now, I'm glad to see you still have enthusiasm. The hunt will take place in two days, on Saturday. You will all be taken, regardless of any excuses, to an unexplored area of the world. If I were you, I would use the next two days to practice my heart out... Oh, and there will be no classes until next week, giving you all the time to prepare or goof off."
With that, Leonard was done speaking. He turned and exited the room with Alistair, leaving the students in a noisy argument.
The hunt was soon to begin.