Lyss was rapidly running out of stamina. The constant back-and-forth against the Malform had pushed her body dangerously close to its limits. Every dodge, swing, and sudden change of direction demanded another burst of energy, and she hadn't been given a single proper opportunity to recover. Her breathing had grown increasingly heavy, her shoulders rising and falling as sweat trickled down her face. Even her movements, usually so fluid and effortless, were beginning to show signs of strain.
She had been gambling with her life for far too long, and the creature showed no intention of making things any easier.
Despite her exhaustion, Lyss turned her head towards Kai, who was still lingering nearby instead of getting himself and his injured friend to safety.
"Forget about me! Get your friend out of here!"
Kai hesitated, looking between Lyss and the enormous creature occupying the battlefield. He shifted his weight uneasily, clearly struggling with the idea of abandoning someone who had already risked her life to save them. His friend was injured, the tunnel was collapsing, and the monster was still very much alive. Yet somehow, he couldn't bring himself to simply run away.
"But what about you?! You can't just stay here alone! We can't leave our saviour to die! Every life matters, and we should be doing everything we can to save as many people as possible!"
Lyss stared at him for a moment, almost wondering whether he'd hit his head during the earlier encounter. Here they were, standing in front of a monstrous creature capable of tearing through concrete, and he was still trying to negotiate their survival arrangements. She let out a frustrated breath, briefly glancing towards the Malform before returning her attention to him.
"You're an idiot for going after something like this when you're still an unclassified Vanguard, but at least you've got enough sense to understand what your job is supposed to be."
Her tone was sharp, but there was a reason behind her words. She wasn't interested in insulting him for the sake of it. If anything, she was trying to make him understand just how far out of his depth he was. Lyss shifted her stance, keeping her body angled towards the creature while continuing to speak.
"I've dealt with this thing long enough to know what I'm up against, and this isn't even my first encounter with a Malform. I've got a much better chance of figuring out how to survive this than either of you. So get your friend out of here and stop wasting time trying to play hero. You can't do anything against that thing. Now move!"
She gave him a dismissive wave, as though sending him away were the most obvious thing in the world. Her attention was already drifting back towards the Malform, and the blue strands around her wrists began to move again, responding to the slightest movements of her fingers.
Kai swallowed, his gaze lingering on Lyss for another moment. He wanted to argue, perhaps even insist on helping her, but the condition she was in made it difficult to ignore the truth behind her words. She was exhausted, yet she was still standing between them and the creature. Whatever her reasons were, she clearly knew what she was doing better than either of them.
Without another word, he crouched beside Rakki and carefully hoisted his injured friend onto his back. Rakki let out a pained groan, but Kai adjusted his grip and secured him before straightening up. He cast one final glance towards Lyss, his expression caught somewhere between worry and reluctance.
"Just make sure you don't get yourself killed!"
Kai turned and hurried away from the battlefield, carrying Rakki towards the nearest doctor. His footsteps gradually faded into the distance, leaving Lyss alone with the enormous creature.
She watched them go for a brief moment before lowering her head. Sweat dripped from her chin, and her chest continued to rise and fall with every strained breath. Her arms felt heavy, her legs were aching, and she could feel her remaining stamina slipping away. Still, she wasn't about to let herself collapse now.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm not dying."
She rolled her wrists, allowing the twin energy lassos to gather momentum around her arms. Their luminous blue strands spiralled through the air, tracing increasingly rapid circles as Lyss prepared herself for another exchange.
Across the battlefield, the Malform finally ceased its roaring and screeching. Its enormous body settled into a low, predatory stance, its crimson eyes remaining firmly locked onto her. The creature's claws dug into the ground as it shifted its weight, seemingly preparing to charge again.
Lyss narrowed her eyes. The others were finally out of danger. Now she only had to worry about keeping herself alive.
Another forty-five minutes had passed since their previous class, and the academy's morning routine had finally reached its scheduled break. Students poured into the cafeteria, filling the tables with lively conversations and the familiar noise of trays, chairs, and footsteps. After several consecutive lessons, everyone seemed eager to take a moment for themselves, grab something to eat, and enjoy a brief escape from their academic responsibilities.
Takumi stood near one of the cafeteria tables alongside Itsuki. Timotheo, unfortunately, still had one more subject to attend before he could join them, leaving the two friends to spend their break together. However, Takumi seemed far less interested in food than in the phone he had been holding for the past few minutes.
He tried calling Lyss again, waiting patiently as the connection attempted to go through. Nothing. He ended the call, checked the screen, and tried once more, only to receive the same result.
"I can't get through to her."
Itsuki leaned slightly closer, peering at Takumi's phone as though the problem might somehow become clearer if he stared at it long enough.
"No way, man. She's gotta be messin' with us. Maybe she's just ignorin' her phone or somethin'."
He tried to sound convincing, throwing out the first explanation that came to mind. Still, even he couldn't quite believe it. Lyss wasn't exactly the type to disappear without a word, especially when she knew the others might need to reach her. And if she really was ignoring them, that still didn't explain why their calls weren't connecting properly.
Takumi lowered his phone, his expression growing increasingly serious. Something about the situation wasn't sitting right with him. Lyss had already missed the first two classes, and now she wasn't answering any of their attempts to contact her. It was becoming difficult to dismiss the whole thing as another one of her usual mysterious errands.
"Something's wrong."
He slipped his phone into his pocket, briefly glancing towards the cafeteria entrance as though expecting her to suddenly walk through it. When she didn't, he turned back to Itsuki.
"If she'd at least told us where she was going, this would be a lot easier. We could've gone looking for her instead of standing here guessing."
Itsuki sighed, his shoulders dropping as he considered their rather unfortunate situation. He glanced down at the food on his tray, then back at Takumi, who seemed nowhere near finished worrying about their missing companion.
"Yeah, well, she didn't. We don't even know where to start lookin', Taki. Without her location, we're basically screwed. We've got nothin' to go on. At this point, we might as well grab a bite and figure it out later. I'm starvin' over here."
Despite his complaints, Itsuki was clearly concerned as well. He just wasn't particularly fond of standing around worrying when there was perfectly good food waiting for him. He picked up his tray and shifted it into a more comfortable position, hoping Takumi would finally agree to take a break.
But Takumi remained focused on his phone.
"You can eat. I don't mind."
He looked down at the device once more, his thumb hovering over Lyss's contact before he locked the screen.
"But if I can't reach her because she's somewhere without a signal, then whatever she's dealing with must be pretty serious."
Itsuki let out a long groan, tilting his head backwards in disbelief. He knew Takumi well enough to recognise that particular expression. Once he'd made up his mind about something, convincing him otherwise was practically a lost cause.
"Aw, c'mon, Taki! What're you even gonna do? Skip class and go lookin' for her when we don't even know where she is? Aoshima's huge, man! For all we know, she might not even be somewhere in the city!"
He gestured around with his free hand, as if the sheer size of Aoshima alone should have been enough to convince Takumi to abandon the idea. Itsuki wasn't saying they shouldn't look for Lyss, but charging out without the slightest clue where to begin seemed like a pretty terrible plan.
"Yeah." Takumi answered without hesitation. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do."
He turned away from the cafeteria counter, leaving his food behind without so much as a second glance. Itsuki watched him go, his expression slowly shifting from disbelief to irritation. He let out a long, exasperated sigh before rolling his eyes and setting his tray aside.
"Seriously...? We're doin' this again?" he grumbled. "Fine! Whatever, man! You pulled this shit last time and nearly got yourself killed. I'm not lettin' you pull the same stunt twice. I'm comin' with you."
He was referring to the night Takumi had ventured out alone to find Yuna, putting himself directly in harm's way and coming dangerously close to meeting his end. Itsuki hadn't forgotten how that night had turned out, and there was no way he intended to let his best friend repeat the experience.
"Sure. Come along if you want," Takumi replied casually, already making his way towards the cafeteria exit. "Just don't start complaining about being hungry halfway through."
He knew Itsuki well enough to anticipate exactly how miserable he'd become without food in his stomach. The guy could turn an empty stomach into everyone's problem, and Takumi had no intention of listening to him whine the entire way.
"Oh, trust me! I am definitely gonna complain!" Itsuki shot back, quickly catching up with him. "Consider it your punishment for makin' me skip lunch!"
Takumi didn't bother responding. He simply continued walking, already knowing he'd be hearing about that missed meal for the foreseeable future.
The academy corridors were almost deserted, a stark contrast to the usual bustle between classes. Most students had settled into their classrooms or gathered in the cafeteria, while the teachers remained occupied with their duties elsewhere. Every now and then, a distant voice or the muffled sound of a closing door broke the silence, but otherwise, the two boys had the hallways practically to themselves. Takumi walked with his hands in his pockets, his attention drifting from one empty corridor to the next as he continued trying to figure out how to find Lyss. Itsuki, meanwhile, seemed to be growing increasingly impatient with their lack of progress.
"You know, you're kinda wastin' your time here, Taki," Itsuki eventually pointed out, walking alongside him. "Have you even tried usin' Aegis Link? Y'know, that thing you've got and I don't?"
Takumi's steps briefly faltered. He turned his head towards Itsuki, and for a moment, his usual composed expression gave way to a thoughtful frown. Of course. The Aegis Link. He'd been so preoccupied with figuring out where Lyss might have gone that he hadn't even considered using it. It could potentially give him the lead they needed, assuming he was able to access it.
"Actually, that might work," Takumi admitted, looking ahead again. "If I were allowed to bring it to class, that is."
Itsuki glanced at him, expecting him to elaborate. Takumi let out a quiet sigh, already knowing the suggestion wasn't quite as simple as it sounded. He wasn't about to risk getting caught breaking one of Cinder's very specific rules, especially when she'd made it clear that their Aegis Links weren't meant to be used openly.
"I can't exactly walk around with that thing on me," he explained. "They're restricted to upper-level Vanguards and teachers. Cinder specifically told us not to let anyone see us wearing them. If I could use mine whenever I wanted, we'd have found Lyss already."
Itsuki's expression soured. He'd finally come up with an idea that sounded useful, only to discover that the academy had another rule standing in their way. Not that he was particularly surprised. Rules, restrictions, and things they weren't allowed to do seemed to be a recurring theme whenever they needed something done.
"Besides..." Takumi added, his tone turning slightly more thoughtful. "Timotheo hasn't managed to hack into it yet."
Itsuki's shoulders slumped. He let out an irritated groan, dragging a hand down his face as they continued through the empty hallway. Every suggestion seemed to lead them straight into another dead end. First, they couldn't contact Lyss. Then they had no idea where she'd gone. And now, even the one piece of equipment that might have helped them locate her was practically useless.
"Great. Just great..." he muttered. "We're runnin' around in circles, and we're no closer to findin' her than we were an hour ago."
Takumi didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed ahead, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. He was beginning to feel that familiar uneasiness creeping into his chest. Lyss wasn't the type to disappear without a reason, and the longer they went without hearing from her, the harder it became to convince himself that everything was fine.
Just as Itsuki opened his mouth to complain again, a sudden flash of light erupted before them.
Both boys stopped instinctively.
The brilliant burst lasted only a moment, illuminating the otherwise quiet corridor before fading away. Takumi narrowed his eyes, shifting his weight slightly as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Itsuki, meanwhile, took an instinctive step back, staring at the spot where the light had appeared.
And standing there, as though he'd simply stepped out of thin air, was a peculiar man dressed in brown.
A tall top hat sat neatly atop his head, complementing his rather unusual attire. He held an elegant cane in one hand, its tip resting lightly against the floor, while his other hand moved thoughtfully across his moustache. His expression carried an unmistakable air of amusement, as though he'd been expecting to find the two boys exactly where they were.
Takumi immediately became wary, his eyes studying the stranger from head to toe. Itsuki looked equally confused, though his surprise was quickly giving way to suspicion.
The man tilted his head slightly, rubbing his mustache with a knowing smile.
"Perhaps I can help."
To be continued...