Aiden slowly walked down the empty quiet hallway, Seraphina's lifeless body laid down on the cold floor, her vacant eyes staring into nothingness, a deep wound in her gut bled out pooling beneath her.
Kai peered from the edge of the wall as he watched Aiden slowly exit the building, his hands covered in blood, his curiosity piqued, he carefully followed his steps measured to avoid detection.
****
Dante and Kagetsu stood in the cast school compound, Kagetsu sluggishly pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket, unfolding it to reveal a map of the entire school compound.
Both Kagetsu and Dante held it due to its sheer size.
"Alright according to Jinzo, the seal should be right here" Kagetsu muttered tracing a spot on the map with his fingers.
"Underground?" Dante muttered.
"Smart move, if I wanted to hide a thousand year old seal I'd also keep it underground, let's bounce" Kagetsu strolled forward confidently, his fingers tucked in his pocket as he walked.
"Wait" Dante's voice halted him in his tracks.
"Whaaaat" Kagetsu drawled clearly uninterested
"I don't think it's underground, the principal probably we've gotten past his defenses meaning he knows we're already here for the seal, so why would he leave the seal underground knowing fully well we'd come for it." Dante said his voice, calm and calculated.
Kagetsu sighed "So where do you think it is?"
Dante's gaze drifted toward a window, his silence speaking volumes.
"You think it's in his office?" Kagetsu scoffed. "Come on, man. The last seal of Alzarel, just sitting in his office? Dante, I thought you were smart, but this..."
Dante ignored him and walked toward the building.
"Hey! You know it's considered rude to walk out while someone's talking!" Kagetsu called, picking up his pace to catch up.
****
The Principal's Office
The Principal is seated peacefully behind his chair, the entire was shrouded in darkness except for a dim overhead light casting a weak glow, the sound of keyboard clacking filling the silent room, his face calm not even the slightest bit of worry on his face.
Immediately his door knob turned downwards from inside, Dante slowly push the door open, his armor, dark yet distinct, separated him from the darkness, its unnatural sheen making him stand out even in the shadows.
Kagetsu followed his crimson eyes glowing in the dark.
Both of them stood in front of the door, their eyes fixed on the principal who didn't seem bothered in the slightest about their presence.
The Principal lifted his gaze observing his guests.
"I see you're already here" He noted glancing at his watch "And you're three minutes late." He added.
"Grab a seat, would you like..."
"Cut the act–" Dante called out rage slowly filling his voice.
"You know why we're here, where's the seal"
The Principal exhaled deeply
"I thought you'd love to have a coffee or something but since you're both in a haste". He pulled open a drawer and retrieved a shimmering blue crystal
Ding!
The crystal landed on his table.
"There you go" He said, his fingers already returning to his keyboard
"Close the door behind you." His gaze not even moving to people he was talking to.
Dante and Kagetsu exchanged a glance, suspicious of how easily he surrendered the crystal.
"Even I'm stupid and I know something's off" Kagetsu spoke with an effortless nonchalance, like none of this really mattered to him.
"What do you think you're doing ?" Dante asked his voice calm and calculated.
"You asked for the seal. Here it is" The Principal said.
"Alright old man I don't know what you have planned but I can't wait to see how it fails, so I'll take the bait" Kagetsu slowly stepped forward each step bringing him closer to completing their mission.
On the outside the three of them acted calm like nothing was happening but on the inside they were on their highest guard, muscles tensed ready to snap at the sight of anything odd.
He touched the crystal with the tip of his fingers, expecting an explosionâ€"nothing.
Cautiously, he grasped it fully and lifted it. Still nothing.
"Huh. Guess it wasn't a trap after all," Kagetsu mused, turning to walk back towards Dante, his guard slipping.
But Dante remained skeptical. His sharp eyes stayed on the principal, noticing the subtle tremor in the old man's hands. He was nervous. His muscles twitched as if he were barely holding himself together.
The Principal tried to stay calm as his plan was almost reaching execution phase his nerves were getting the best of him, his limbs slightly trembling and Dante's intense gaze wasn't helping matters.
He couldn't wait anymore. He snapped
He slammed a hidden button beneath his desk. Instantly the remaining light flickered out, plunging the room into darkness.
With a burst of energy he sprang from his chair, energy in his body he dashed off to the window behind him, the distance between him and the window shrinking with every desperate step, eyes locked in unwavering focus.
Immediately his huge figure leaped into the air, both hands crossed in an X-formation. his muscular body crashing through the window.
"Hey, who turned off the lights ?" Kagetsu muttered.
"Oh you want light ?" A devious, menacing answered.
"Who the hell–" Kagetsu muttered, his head slowly turning around
"I'll give you light" A large silhouette emerged hanging in the air blocking the moonlight that penetrated into the office.
His right hand stretched forth, immediately a huge blazing inferno blasted out from his arm lighting up the entire room, the flames consumed the entire office, time seemed to slow as Kagetsu watched the inferno surge towards him, the flame lit up his crimson eye even more.
The flame reflected in Dante's black eye everything inside the office shone a bright orange color. A devastating sound thundered through the air and in a flash everything in the office was consumed in Ryder's thick flames.
Unsatisfied with the blast, Ryder thrust his left arm forward. A thunderous roar echoed through the air as the inferno surged, consuming everything in its path.
"DAX, NOW! GRAB THE SEAL!" Ryder shouted as he plummeted.
A towering pillar of Damien's ice latched onto the wall, providing a stable landing for the principal.
From below, Dax erupted from the ground, his massive frame diving through the shattered window. Thick black smoke blanketed the room, but amidst the chaos, the seal gleamed with an unnatural blue glow.
In a flash, Dax seized it and hurled it skyward with all his strength. The blue crystal soared, shining brilliantly against the darkened sky.
That was Damien's signal to begin.