William walked toward the student centre at an unhurried pace, his hands resting casually inside the pockets of his coat.
Almost a full week had passed since the academy officially started, yet time felt strangely uneven for him.
Some days seemed to rush past in a blur of lectures and noise, while others dragged slowly, weighed down by thoughts he could not easily dismiss.
Most of that week had been spent with Seraphine.
Every morning, William woke up early for classes.
He made his way to the female dormitories while avoiding the watchful eyes of the warden, who guarded that place like a hawk.
By now, he had memorised the timing of patrols and the blind spots in the corridors.
Once he reached her room, he knocked lightly, always in the same pattern, and Seraphine would open the door with a soft smile that made the trouble worth it.
They attended classes together, sat beside each other, and endured lectures that ranged from mildly interesting to painfully boring.
Unfortunately for William, Seraphine's large friend group often joined them. Katherine was loud, Leila talked endlessly, and the others always managed to turn even simple moments into social events.
William tolerated it because Seraphine enjoyed it, even though half the time he felt like leaving.
Lunch was usually spent together as well. William made sure she ate properly, even if it meant spending points he did not really have.
In the evenings, they would walk around the campus, talk quietly, and watch the sky change colours before finally saying goodbye.
Those moments were calm, almost peaceful, and they reminded William of the faint warmth of having good people in life.
He had tried more than once to invite her into his room.
His room was larger and had a proper kitchen where he could cook dinner for her instead of relying on cafeteria food.
Every time he mentioned it, Seraphine's face turned red instantly. She always refused, shaking her head and mumbling excuses that barely made sense.
William found it strange, but he did not push her. Some part of him understood that she needed time to be comfortable with him.
He often wondered where his master had gone for her training, and her thought reminded him of his own mission and motivation.
Still, now that a week had passed, William felt restless.
It was time to get some shit done.
He entered the mission hall and scanned the large board filled with floating screens.
Rows of missions glowed softly, each one marked with difficulty levels, time limits, and rewards.
William started checking them one by one, his eyes moved quickly as he filtered through the listings.
At first, nothing stood out.
Then he noticed a pattern.
"What the heck..." William muttered under his breath.
A large portion of the missions involved finding missing people.
Villagers, merchants, travellers, and even a few minor nobles had disappeared. The locations were varied and spread out across empires, but many of the reports pointed toward routes leading south.
William's intuition tingled.
This felt wrong.
His thoughts immediately pieced together that these people were kidnapped by the cults so that they could be taken to the south for experiments.
He checked the mission records more closely and realised that most of these missions had been reassigned.
Their previous holders had either failed or abandoned them entirely. When William looked at the list of completed missions, his expression darkened.
Not a single mission related to kidnappings or missing people had been completed.
"Shit... it has to be that." It was confirmed that these missing reports and what he knew about Lia were connected.
His jaw tightened as he scrolled further. There were more than a hundred such missions listed.
"This has gotten out of hand."
Without hesitation, William selected one of the missions. It had a two-week time limit and offered a decent reward. He turned and walked towards the counter to claim it.
"You cannot claim this mission."
The words stopped him mid-step.
"Huh? Why?" William asked, clearly irritated.
The woman at the counter looked up from her work and met his gaze calmly.
"The principal has temporarily put a hold on missions for first-year students after the cult's attack."
William stared at her, then rubbed his face with his palm.
"Seriously?" he muttered.
Seeing his expression, the woman continued in a neutral tone, "If you can get a letter of approval from the principal, you will be allowed to take on the mission."
She turned back to her work, clearly done with the conversation.
William nodded slowly and stepped away from the counter.
Great. Another obstacle.
[What will you do, host?]
"Let's see what the principal has to say," William replied as he changed direction and headed toward the staff block.
The walk felt longer than usual.
His thoughts moved quickly, weighing possibilities and potential consequences. Andrea was neither unreasonable nor a fool.
Inside the principal's office, Andrea sat behind her large desk. Several stacks of documents lay neatly arranged beside her.
In her hands was the same journal William had given her earlier. She read it carefully, her expression growing more serious with each page.
"Where the hell did that brat get this?" she muttered to herself.
The names, locations, and symbols inside the journal painted a disturbing picture.
Knock*!Knock*!
"Come in," Andrea snapped out of her thoughts and kept the journal inside her desk.
The door opened slightly, and William's head peeked inside. A moment later, he stepped fully into the room.
"Sit," Andrea said, gesturing toward the chair across from her.
William took the seat, watching her closely. She finally looked up, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"I am here to request approval for a mission," William said directly.
"No," Andrea replied immediately.
"What?" William blinked.
"No, I won't approve it."
"Why?" His annoyance surfaced clearly now.
Andrea adjusted her glasses and looked at him like an old grandmother scolding a reckless child. "Your master told me to keep an eye on you until she returns."
William's brows furrowed deeply. "That's it?"
"Yes," Andrea replied calmly.
"I am capable enough to handle this mission, and it's clearly an investigation-based mission; there is no real danger involved", William tried to reason, but it was useless.
He was at Andrea's mercy now.
His fingers tapped against the armrest of the chair. "How about we make a deal?" he asked, clicking his tongue.
"Oh?" Andrea raised an eyebrow. "And what could possibly tempt me enough to ignore my best friend's request?"
William smirked slightly.
"Heh."
—————————
Riverdale Empire, Capital City
Draconis Mansion...
The atmosphere inside the Draconis mansion was anything but peaceful.
The massive structure, built from polished marble and decorated with gold and silver finishes, echoed with hurried footsteps.
Servants ran from one corner to another, their faces filled with panic and confusion.
In the centre hall, Matilda Draconis cried uncontrollably.
"My son... bring him back... my son..." Her sobbing voice shook as tears streamed down her face.
Heavy footsteps cut through her cries.
Rizwell Draconis, the lord of the house, walked out clad in his armour.
His expression was grim.
On his right walked Clark, his eldest son, though not the heir due to his common blood.
On his left was his trusted butler, a man who had served the family faithfully for decades.
The three figures moved quickly.
Outside, war steeds waited for them.
Rizwell mounted his horse and turned to look at his wife. "Do not worry, Matilda. You will see your son soon enough."
Matilda wiped her tears but continued sobbing. "Take care, my lord."
Rizwell nodded firmly.
With that, he led a small group of cavalry out of the mansion and toward the city gates.
A few Days ago, his son had been admitted to the World Academy, the news of the cult's attack had shaken them, but still they convinced themselves that the academy was relatively safer to be in.
After the week-long break, his youngest son had left the capital, heading for the World Academy ground station.
It was a long journey, but several powerful draconis knights had escorted him.
But this morning, the academy staff had delivered a devastating piece of news.
Their boy had never arrived at the academy premises.
And now, Rizwell Draconis was leaving on the same route to find his missing son.