Chapter 26 MURDER MYSTERY

Chapter 26 MURDER MYSTERY
Aria's POV

The school days went by and so did my training. Nothing really notable happened and I have actually been enjoying my stay in the school. Even the random chatter about me had long reduced. School work has become rather intense and I have been buried in it. 

Kael and Kraegon the Unseeing have both been drilling me. Kael had me after classes, that man was stoic and almost wicked. I have to think he enjoyed seeing me yelling in pain or passing out after training. He pushed me to the limits beyond what I thought possible. Although I think his actual goal was to make me quit. Something he will never get to see, in this life or the next. 

Kraegon on the other hand was subtle and gave me advice, he was curious by nature and he told me everytime. He paired me together with Zephyr most of the time. However soon, I started to fight other students who were hell bent on proving their superiority, this usually gave me an upperhand. 

A month passed like this and currently I was in the school cafeteria seated with Ciora on the early morning of a school free day. She had two notes on her desk and Payten was solving some equations for her. 

Zephyr was seated beside me and I was teaching him a very hard topic on magical differentiation and he was currently lost. He slumped on the desk for the fifth time and I smacked him with my wooden fan yet again.

“You are so mean,”  he muttered. 

I smiled and closed the book. “Guys, let's take a break. I am tired,” I announced, stretching myself. I stood up and was about to hit Zephyr again for no reason when I felt a presence behind me. I turned back and Vianka was staring right back at me. 

I frowned. “What is it?”

Just as I spoke, Ciora, Payten and Zephyr all stood up and stared at her. Their movements were almost instinctive, sharp and immediate. They had this deep frown on their faces, and even Payten had his fist folded tight at his side. Over the past few weeks, due to Kraegon’s teachings, he had improved tremendously. He’d learned how to use his little magic to an exponential level, and Zephyr had been training with him closely, pushing him and watching over his progress. It showed now in the way he carried himself—more alert, more ready, more dangerous than before.

“I am not here to fight. I need to see you,” she spoke directly to me.

I gave her a mild glance, keeping my expression firm. “You can see me here!” I answered assertively, making it clear I had no intention of stepping aside for her. As I looked at her more closely, I noticed there was a certain scar on her forearm, pale and jagged against her skin.

Zephyr had noticed the scar too, and he seemed rather interested in it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned forward just a bit. “Where did you get that scar?” he asked with a piercing gaze.

“Don't worry about that,” she said. Her tone was flat, dismissive, but there was something dull about her appearance and something sad too. She’d always appeared like a bully, with this vibrant and imposing nature, the kind of presence that filled a room and demanded attention. Today, though, she’d shrunk down, her shoulders slightly hunched, her confidence stripped away, replaced by fear. I shuddered to think what could actually make someone like her afraid. “Please Aria, I need to see you,” she said.

“Why would I agree to do that? The last time we saw you made me realize what kind of person you are, so please just take a step back!” I said with a shake of my head. “I want nothing to do with you.”

She looked at me for a while, longer than I expected. I could see that her face seemed to be welling up in tears, her eyes glossy, her lips trembling as if she was struggling to hold herself together. After a moment, she nodded slowly, as if accepting something she didn’t want to accept, and then turned around and left.

I frowned. “What do you think that was all about?” Ciora asked.

“I honestly don't know. She felt sad though,” I said with pity, lacing my voice.

“Don't feel sorry for her,” Ciora muttered. “Remember she doesn't necessarily consider you human, just something to beat and be trampled upon. My kindness doesn't extend towards such people. If she needs someone to talk with she has friends for that!” 

I nodded. “You are right.”

A loud bell rang across the school and it resonated throughout their bodies. Only time that bell dinged was when there was an emerging to announce. I wondered what kind of emergency they wanted to announce.

We first years already know that our competition starts tomorrow and we will be ready. Although I felt like I would be so useless in the whole game. It made me anxious that I will drag my team down. 

“What the hell happened now,” I sighed.

“We will know when we get there, let's go,”  Ciora ordered and we all moved in unison. 

Heaps of students gathered around an assembly ground. We were numbering up to three thousand in total. The teachers were lined on the pavement and they were staring down at us. The Head Teacher, Hernabella walked outside and raised her hands. “Silence,” she said and everyone fell quiet. 

“You all must be wondering why we summoned you here,” she sighed. I have to admit that I wished it was for a good reason  but it’s not.” She turned to her teachers. 

“A student has been murdered!” she declared and the murmurs that followed hit the roof. She didn't try to stop the children at all. She just let them rant on. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop them from saying how they felt about the news. 

I was shocked. “Who is going around murdering people?”  I demanded as if wanting my pairs to provide the answers. 

Ciora and the others didn't respond, they had the same question in their heart, so they just waited for the murmurs to die down and hoped the Head teacher would speak again.

“We tried to keep this under the wraps but there is the presence of a Ghoul in our school. If you notice anyone acting strangely please, don't hesitate to report the person. Ghouls are quite dangerous, but make no mistake, they aren't humans!”

“Remember, watch your back, move in a group. The guard details have already been doubled. So protect and take care of yourself. You are dismissed!!” 

The principal ended the talk and we all left the assembly ground. “Who do you think died?” I asked. 

Zephyr stopped and then frowned. “That girl from earlier Vianka, what did she want to tell us earlier. This feel a little too coincidental!” 

Just as I was about to reply, one of his brothers walked towards us. “We need to see you now.”

“Huh why?’

“Aseryn is dead, didn't you hear?”