The sun had barely kissed the skies above Astra Academy when a thick tension blanketed the entire school. From the crystal bell towers to the floating marble spires, every corridor buzzed with hushed murmurs. Today was the day—the long-awaited trial between Class E and Class B. Justice would finally take form within the sacred School Court, and all of Astra's students, teachers, and elite council members would be there to witness it.
Prisca stood before the mirror in her dorm room, her reflection firm and composed in the pristine uniform lined with the fire-red trim of a student advocate—officially titled the Verdict Flame. The designation wasn't just symbolic. A Verdict Flame was a rare student authorized to speak on behalf of an entire class in times of magical or disciplinary conflict. For Prisca, it was more than duty—it was personal.
She clipped her robe and opened the door.
Outside her dorm, a shadow leaned casually against the wall. It was Joel. His grin was wide, smug, and painted in cruelty.
"So," he started, voice oily. "You're really going through with this? Astra's little Verdict Flame thinks she can sway the court?"
Prisca said nothing. She walked past him.
but Joel blocked her path.
"I don't think you'll make it to the court," he said lazily. "Too much trouble in your way."
She stopped. Her eyes, like molten fire, locked on his. "What do you mean?"
Joel laughed, tilting his head. "My gods… that stare. You trying to kill me with those eyes?"
Prisca clenched her fists, but kept her breath steady.
Joel then dropped the name like a dagger. "Your mother, Lucy—"
Prisca turned like a beast awoken. Her aura ignited in a swirl of fire. Her eyes widened in dread and rage.
Joel grinned darkly. "She's going to die in ten minutes… or maybe you can stop the assassins I sent."
Flames burst from Prisca's hands as she launched a punch at his face. Joel activated a transparent blue barrier just in time, the force rippling through the hallway like a thunderclap. Prisca staggered back, rage distorting her features.
Joel looked at her as if savoring her pain. "You have nine minutes left, Prisca.".
Prisca turned, her mind torn between the court and her mother.
Without another word, Prisca turned and bolted through the corridors, her heart pounding with hatred and panic. She muttered under her breath, "Please be safe, Mom… Please."
Meanwhile, Kate Patricia awoke from a dreamless sleep on the couch in Kain's office. Ever since Eren warned her to stay close to Kain, she hadn't dared leave his side.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she noticed the sun was already high Just then, the school's magical communication spell activated.
"Calling all Holy Ones, prefects, and assistants. Report to the Court of Flames for the trial of Class E versus Class B."
Kate gasped. "Shit! I forgot it was today."
She dressed hastily in her royal blue uniform and began sprinting down the corridor. Just as she turned past the Divination Garden's passageway, something warm and wet splattered on her shoulder.
"What the…" she muttered. She wiped the crimson smear and looked up.
Time seemed to freeze.
Kain, Number 4 of the Holy Ones, hung midair, pinned to a beam by a golden longsword plunged through his chest. Blood poured like rain down the stones. His eyes were open. Unblinking.
"KAAAIIIN!"
Her voice echoed across the halls. Within seconds, Riku Solheim and Isadora Vellcroft appeared.
Riku gasped, her thunder aura cracking in response. "Kain... no..."
Isadora's illusions faltered, horror contorting her features. "How... this can't be."
Kate collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Her vision blurred with memories.
---
Flashback: A Guardian's Kindness
She remembered the day she lost her mother.
The rain had soaked her to the bone. No family. No hope. Just tears.
Kain had found her on the steps of the academy, crumpled and broken.
"Get up," he had said simply, offering a hand.
She had slapped it away.
He didn't leave.
He sat beside her for hours until she had no tears left to cry.
"From today on," he had promised, "I'm your storm shield."
---
Now, her storm shield was gone.
"Why?!" she screamed.
Riku sent a magical call. "Code Crimson! Kain Morrix is dead. All Holy Ones, report."
"No…" Rosa whispered.
Galen clenched his fists. "Who did this!?"
Liorion's eyes narrowed. "First Crysta Yuno goes missing. Now Kain is murdered. There's a traitor among us."
Just then, Lucian walked into the bloody scene, Ruth by his side.
Lucian smiled — a serpent in human flesh. "Oh my… Kain is killed? How tragic."
Kate snapped.
She drew her katana. Ice surged.
"YOU DID THIS!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Ruth snapped her fingers. A wall of blooming pink petals surged forth, repelling Kate's strike.
"'Words of the Flowers,'" Ruth said calmly. "Please, Kate, don't do this."
"He killed him!" Kate roared. "Eren told me—he said protect him!"
Isadora paled. "You're saying Lucia..."
Lucia just smiled wider.
"Kate," Isadora warned, "One more move, and you're confined."
"I don't care!"
She lunged.
Before the clash—
Eren appeared.
He stepped on Kate's blade, halting the attack.
"Enough," he said softly.
Yuno touched Kate's shoulder.
She collapsed.
The holy ones stared in stunned silence as Kain's body was taken away. Lucia watched, emotionless.
The cold stone floor echoed under the sharp heels of the enforcement wardens as they led Kate Patricia through the long, winding hallway of the academy's disciplinary wing. Her silver hair hung loose, matted slightly by sweat and the dried tears of the earlier chaos. Her body moved stiffly—half from fatigue, half from the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Her grip tightened around her frosted katana, now sealed and neutralized by a suppression glyph branded at its hilt.
They passed ward after ward—glass doors that shimmered with spell sigils, holding in students who had broken the sacred laws of Astra Academy. Some gazed out, hollow-eyed. Others just looked away, lost in their shame or fury. Kate didn't spare them a glance. Her mind was filled with Kain's lifeless body... and Lucia's smile.
Once they reached the confinement room, a circular chamber lined with silver runes and surrounded by anti-magic barriers, the guards opened the cell. Kate was pushed in gently but firmly.
"Assistant Kate Patricia," a stoic voice said behind her, "you are confined for seven days under the regulation of magical misconduct and attempted assault on a Holy One."
The door closed. The locks clicked. Silence followed.
Kate sat in the middle of the room. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. But the rage simmered beneath her skin like boiling ice.
---
Outside, in the central plaza where Kain had been found, the atmosphere was anything but quiet.
The once-bustling courtyard was eerily still, stained faintly with blood that refused to dry, even under a purifying spell. The air smelled of flowers from Ruth's magic... but there was a hint of iron beneath it.
Liorion Dante, Rank One of the Ten Holy Ones—"The Phoenix Flame"—stood alone beside the cracked stone, where Kain had collapsed. His crimson cloak fluttered slightly in the morning breeze. His expression was carved from obsidian.
His sharp golden eyes scanned the spot again and again, as if expecting the shadows to part and show him the killer.
"First Crysta Yuno disappears in a bloodless kidnapping that not even our detection spells could trace," he muttered under his breath. "Now Kain is dead... stabbed by a golden blade that bypassed his armor."
He knelt briefly, tracing his finger along a scorch mark left behind. "Someone is pulling strings, hidden deep—within either the Holy Ones... or the Prefects."
"Hmph... are you daydreaming about your wife again, Dante?" a sultry voice interrupted.
Liorion's jaw tensed.
Selene Noir—the Moonlit Chain, Rank Three of the Ten—approached from the left side of the corridor. Her dark velvet uniform shimmered under the light, stitched with lunar symbols. Her snow-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her soft violet eyes sparkled with mirth. Too much mirth.
She pressed close to him, her frame touching his—intentionally. Her ample chest brushed against his armor, but Liorion didn't flinch.
"You're too close to me," he said, eyes unmoving from the stain.
"Is that so?" she smirked. "I just like watching you get all serious. It's kind of... alluring."
Liorion didn't reply. His mind was sharp, unwilling to be distracted.
Selene sighed dramatically and leaned against the ruined pillar behind him.
"You already know what's going on inside the Holy Ones, don't you?" she said, this time, her voice quieter—more serious.
He turned to her at last, golden eyes blazing.
"Yes," he said coldly. "Someone is pulling the strings. Someone among us."
Her smile faded.
"Then we're heading toward war," she whispered.
Before Liorion could respond, footsteps echoed from behind them.
Eren —Rank Ten, "Blazing Archer"—strode toward them, his longbow strapped across his back. His movements were composed, but his eyes revealed strain.
"They're calling us to the court," Eren said. "The trial between Class B and Class E is beginning. The Magic King himself has arrived. There's no more time."
Liorion's eyes flicked once more to the dried blood.
He nodded.
"Let's go."
Selene walked beside him silently. Eren followed behind, his hands tightening into fists.
The Court of Flames – Trial Commencement
Inside the colossal marble hall, thousands of students filled the balconies. The grand court, ringed with ancient runes and floating torches, buzzed with tension.
At one side stood Class B — Joel, Elijah, Efe, John, Zechariah. Calm. Ready.
At the other side… silence. Only Peterson and Naomi stood. No Prisca. No Felix. No Paul.
Students whispered. "Class E isn't showing up?"
"Are they dropping the case?"
The judge, draped in gold, rose.
"Begin the trial."
Meanwhile – In the Forest
Prisca ran like the wind. Branches clawed at her robe. Her heart beat like war drums.
She reached the cottage in the center of the forest. She flung the door open.
"Mom!"
Lucy stood by the pot, startled. "Prisca? What's wrong?"
Prisca ran to her, touching her face. "Are you okay?"
Lucy nodded. "Of course. Why—"
BANG!
A silver bullet whizzed toward them. Prisca flared her flames, melting it midair.
Then she saw the sniper. Dressed in black. Ready for the next shot.
But before she could act—
Her mother turned. Her eyes were not human.
She drew a flame sword.
"Mom…?"
Lucy swung.
Prisca raised a flame shield just in time. The impact sent her crashing through the wall.
She hit the ground, coughing.
"This is an illusion," she whispered. "Damn it. They lured me away!"
The figure that had been her 'mother' transformed — into a tall man with silky hair and a cruel smile.
"I'm honored you noticed," he said.
Prisca stood, snarling. "I'll burn your illusions to ash."
Another figure appeared and punched her through the wall.
Meanwhile, Cain and Felix walked toward the court.
"Are you sure they'll come?" Cain asked.
Felix nodded. "They'll be there."
Felix collapsed.
Cain bent down—ambushed.
Black-clad kidnappers took Cain, leaving Felix unconscious.
At the court, tension was suffocating.
Joel sat proudly with his "defenders"—Elijah, Efe, John, and Zechariah.
On the other side, only Peterson and Naomi.
"Where are they?" Peterson muttered.
Class E grew anxious.
The judge entered. "We will begin."
Elijah smirked.
"Everything... is going according to plan."
To be continued...