Classes have wrapped up for the day. With a couple of hours left until curfew, the students of Rhodeia are free to roam and do as they please.
Once again, Caelus found himself wandering aimlessly, unsure of how to use this time efficiently. The library was useless, as it only contained textbooks and historical scripts, yet nothing relating to his mother. She was once a prominent name in the college, so it was both surprising and frustrating that her name rarely appeared.
Suddenly, a pair of students bumped his shoulder as they ran by.
"O-oh!" shouted one. "Sorry about that, man! We're in a hurry!"
"Ah. Don't worry about it," Caelus said. "It's—"
Fine...?
The pair ran off, leaving him to his thoughts. He had never wasted words like that before, much less offered his attention to unnecessary matters.
Why now? What's different?
Even as those questions plagued his head, he already knew the answers.
He had grown complacent. This peaceful college life was starting to rub off on him, and rightfully so.
For a world like this, where war ravaged and blood was spilled every day, peace had always been a distant stranger. Yet, there were moments when he peeked beyond the dark corner to see a bright place like this.
"Yeah... It's not too bad."
After scanning his surroundings, Caelus quickly slipped into an alleyway. Further down was a small opening — a vacant backstreet with no one around.
"At least, it wouldn't have been too bad if it weren't for you rats scurrying around. Come out."
Here, where the sun does not reach, rest only shadows. They say one may never know what lurks in the darkness, waiting for the right moment to strike. Having been raised by demons, he had become all too familiar with what that feels like, both as the prey... and the predator.
One moment, not a single person was here apart from him. Yet, the second he blinked, he found himself surrounded by ten, twenty... maybe thirty figures lined up on the roofs. They were all shrouded by a black cloak, and each cloak was pinned together by a sapphire crest — the symbol of Kyriel, the fifth seat of the Malevolence.
"And now I'm starting to question the security of this college since you guys were able to sneak in so easily."
One of them dropped from the roof and approached him. His face was entirely covered by a mask in the shape of a pointed shield.
"Master Caelus. We would request that you come with us."
"Hah. Come with you? And for what?"
"We cannot disclose that."
"Right. I assumed as much. After all, you've decided to ambush me in human territory. Quite bold, I must say. But alas... something is off. What is it you need that requires this many assassins from the Fifth Division? Was it Commander Kyriel who sent you?"
"...No, it was not."
"Is that so? Then who was it?"
The masked man hesitated to answer, which made Caelus increasingly wary.
"Make haste, assassin," he muttered. "Right now, you are standing in Rhodeia College. If we were to be found out, you'd be executed, and I would surely follow. You understand why this is a problem, don't you? So before I accept your request, answer me. Who sent you?"
"Man~ You can't just let me have my way, can you?"
Caelus's confidence shattered like glass.
A familiar voice — smooth, playful, and mature — cut through the air. The atmosphere shifted instantly, thick with an unseen pressure.
His body froze. His breath hitched. His heart pounded so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
"After a month of searching, I finally found you," that same voice uttered. "But I didn't wanna meet you out of the blue, no. I wanted to have some fun with it. Make it a little dramatic, but you're always so stiff and to the point... that it kinda reminds me of Father."
A cold hand grazed his shoulder as a cold shiver crawled up his spine, sharp as a blade and frigid as the winds of Yu'La, the Northern Land of Eternal Winter.
As slowly as he could, he turned his head. The instant he saw her, he regretted it.
Standing behind him was a young woman with messy black hair, parted down the middle. She was taller than he was, so he had to look up. That only made the suffocating pressure worse.
A long, uneven ponytail curled behind her back. Peering down at him were sharp, narrow eyes, gleaming a deadly hue of lavender.
Celine de Luvelaine, his older sister.
For the first time in a while, Caelus's nerves were rattled.
"Uh... H-hey, Sis..."
"Hello, Caelus, my dearest, wonderful little brother."
That smile... It was so bright. Too bright. So why was it that the darkness around her was intensifying?
Her grip tightened on his shoulder, causing the ground beneath them to crack.
"Well then," she said sweetly. "Seems like I need to teach you a small lesson in respect for your elder siblings."
"...Fuck."
Of all the people he could've run, she was the last person on the list. Even Commander Noir, from whom he stole his favorite salmon rice, would've been a more acceptable option. He could've negotiated with him, or even one of the other members of the Malevolence, but her? When it came to her, there was nothing he could do except...
Celine leaned forward, whispering into his ear.
"So how about it, Caelus? Shall we find a nice spot for our chat? Or... should we play a little? Just like the good ol' days."
"No. Definitely not," he muttered. "I surrender."
"Aw~ Are you sure? We rarely ever get the chance to be real siblings. Why don't we start now?"
"I'd rather die."
"Hmph. A whole month gone, and you haven't changed. Here I was thinking you'd be traumatized after mingling with humans for so long."
"Demons are no better. Loud, obnoxious, and annoyingly nosy."
"Heh. Was that directed at me, too?"
"Who knows?"
Celine suddenly threw a hard jab at his hip, forcing him to stagger back. She crossed her arms, a little too proud of what she had just done.
"Careful, brother," she smirked. "I'm still mad at you for leaving without saying a word."
"Tch... I can't do anything without having you breathing down my—"
The dark aura surrounding her intensified as her smile stretched wider.
"What was that?" she asked. "I didn't quite hear you."
"...N-nothing..."
"Hehe~ You're so cute, Brother."
She clapped her hands to gather everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone. Mission failed successfully. I do appreciate your help."
Almost all of them collapsed, falling to their bottoms with a collective wave of relieved sighs.
"Oh, come on, guys," I mumbled. "You're overreacting. It's not like I was actually gonna kill you."
One of them pulled down her hood and removed her mask, revealing a head of luscious aquamarine hair and a pair of fin-like ears.
"It certainly seemed like it, Master Caelus..." she mumbled. "Besides, we didn't know whether or not you had gotten used to being here rather than Wyrheim."
"What do you take me for? I'm a human, not a monster."
Along with the others, she stared at him blankly, clearly asking herself what the difference even was.
Caelus knelt in front of her, locking his gaze into those deep, ocean-blue eyes. His stare always made her nervous, even when he was a child. This time was no different. If anything, it was far more intimidating.
"You're... from the mermaid tribe," he said.
"Huh? I mean— Yes... I am."
"And Celine dragged you from the waters for this pointless mission?"
"W-well..."
Caelus twisted his head, giving his sister the most deathly stare, and she was trying to play it off, looking elsewhere while whistling.
He sighed, pushing himself up.
"In any case, leave this place and return home. I'm sure I don't need to say that this should be done discreetly. And also, this is a direct order from me. Should any of you receive any more ridiculous orders from Celine, you are to ignore them without a second thought."
"W-wha—?! Hey!" Celine exclaimed. "You can't do that!"
"You are dismissed."
"Yes, Master Caelus!" they all shouted.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared hastily, almost as if they were eager to get away from a certain someone. And that someone was no mystery.
"Commander Kyriel's assassination squad?" Caelus muttered to Celine. "Are you insane?"
"Whaaat? She gave me permission to use her division as I pleased!"
"And this is what you thought of? You're gonna get me killed!"
"Pssh~ I wouldn't do that. You know I'm super cautious in everything that I do, especially when it comes to you, dearest little brother."
Caelus planted a hand on his forehead as he sighed.
"Aw, come on," Celine smiled cheerfully. "Aren't you so happy to see me after so long?"
"It's only been a month..."
"Hey. A month is a long time. Speaking of which, I need to catch you up. Likewise, you should catch me up with your college life, too. So..."—she twirled around while extending a welcoming hand—"shall we?"