Crosswinds

Thane's heart pounded as he took in the brutal scene. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He'd never seen Serephira and Seraphina together at the academy, and now, seeing them reunite in the midst of such carnage—especially with Seraphina's unnerving calm demeanor—left him both confused and worried. He wasn't sure what to think, or how to react.

Unbeknown to Thane, Serephira's expression softened as she walked toward her sister. The tension hung thick in the air, but as she got closer, the gruesome scene around them seemed to fade into the background. When their eyes met, Seraphina's face showed a brief glimmer of recognition and relief. Neither of them spoke, making Thane gulped nervously at their confrontation, but instead, Serephira simply hugged her sister, the warmth of her embrace was cutting through the cold atmosphere, if only for a moment. Seeing the genuine warmth between them, Thane thought to himself

'Huh... looks like there's nothing to worry about'

After the hug, Serephira stepped back and gave her sister a concerned looks.

"Are you okay?"

Seraphina just simply nodded

 "These people suddenly attacked me. I managed to subdue them. Don't worry, they're not dead."

As Thane's eyes shifted from the sisters to the impaled Seekers, something caught his attention. Each of them bore the same emblem—Veridonia. The sight confirmed his suspicions, reinforcing their theory that their kingdom was indeed up to something. Thane looked at the grim scene once more and then turned to the sisters.

"We should check the situation outside"

Serephira nodded, and together, they hurried through the corridors.

As they emerged into the daylight, the sight before them was unsettling. In the center of the arena, the headmasters and headmistress were deep in discussion with grave expression showing on their faces. Around them, the citizens who sat in the stands were appeared to be asleep, their faces looked oddly peaceful.

They quickly made their way to the group.

 "Headmaster, what is going on?"

Headmaster Orion turned to them with a steady gaze.

"There has been a treachery, I need you three to go outside and check for any potential threats and wounded civilians. Prioritize the latter."

They exchanged a quick, uncertain glance but ultimately nodded in agreement. Just as they were about to leave, Orion halted Serephira with a hand on her shoulder. He said to her with a low but deliberate voice:

"Not long ago, I saw the sky streaked with dark light"

Serephira's eyes widened, she instantly understood the gravity of his words. Without another moment's hesitation, she turned and dashed out of the arena with the others.

***

As they stepped outside the arena, Serephira quickly assessed the situation.

"We should split up, I'll head to the south side, Seraphina, you take the west, and Thane, you cover the east. The Capital's road will likely be empty due to the fact that most of the citizens are already in the Grand Arena. So if you do see someone, urged them to stay at their home for the time being."

The reason for her suggestion to split up is because the Grand Arena itself was almost at the center of the capital, so by splitting up, they can cover more grounds.

Thane gave a brief nod, and Seraphina, with her usual calm demeanor, agreed without hesitation. Just as they were about to go to their separate ways, Serephira turned back to her sister.

"Fina, be careful"

Seraphina paused for a moment, and with her usual unreadable expression, she simply nodded to her sister before she quickly heading off to her designated area.

***

Bastia had been chasing Zephyr across the capital for what felt like a long time, her determination was unwavering despite the confusion about his intentions. Frustrated, she called out to him:

"Stop! What are you trying to do?"

Without a word, Zephyr responded by casting a torrent of ripping wind from mid-air. The force of the wind surged toward her with a powerful, cutting edge.

Bastia landed deftly on a nearby rooftop, she immediately braced herself. With a determined look, she summoned her immense strength and delivered a powerful punch. The force of her strike created a countering gust of wind that met Zephyr's torrent head-on. The two forces clashed in mid-air, causing the rooftop to trembled under the strain of their conflicting winds.

Zephyr's voice cut through the chaos

"This doesn't concern you, Thalorian. You'd better stay out of it."

Bastia's eyes flashed with determination and rebuked him

"If innocent lives are at stake, I won't back down."

A smirked can be seen appearing on his face.

"You're a stubborn one."

"I am a princess, after all."

Zephyr's eyes narrowed to her.

"I wasn't talking to you."

Before Bastia could react, a set of daggers flew from behind her. She turned sharply as her instincts starts kicking in. In the same moment, Zephyr lunged forward with a dangerous wind blade manifesting from his hand.

"Damn it!"

Bastia muttered under her breath, bracing for the impact.

But just as Zephyr was about to strike, Thane materialized from the rooftop ground with his claymore drawn, he immediately blocked Zephyr's wind blade.

"Two saves in one day? I'm on a roll here!"

Zephyr quickly hovered away from them. Suddenly, a woman appeared out of thin air on the rooftop beside him. Zephyr's tone was sharp as he addressed her.

"You're late, Liora."

The woman shot him with a cold gaze.

"Watch your tone, boy. I am still your superior here."

Both Thane and Bastia was suprised by her sudden appearance. The tension in the air was thick with unspoken questions and unease. Still catching her breath from the previous confrontation, Bastia turned to Thane

"Thanks... and you are?"

Thane who was slightly flustered at her question, gave an awkward bow

"It is an honor to meet the Princess of Thaloria. I'm Thane Victor, from the Calaria Royal Academy."

Bastia couldn't help but giggle at Thane's awkward introduction. She shook her head slightly and a light smile can be seen playing on her lips

"Are you still able to fight?"

She asked Thane with a teasing yet concerned tone.

As he regained his composure, Thane straighten his back. And with a determined look, he replied to her:

"By all means."