Ashen Requiem-Chapter 64: Sabotage

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Chapter 64: Sabotage

Throughout the day, the academy buzzed with anticipation for the live broadcast.

Yet in the south wing building, four figures moved out of sync with the rest of the world.

— "You’re going to be sweating before it even starts..." Giana muttered, adjusting her glasses as she crouched behind a metal crate.

Shigeo trembled. He was already wearing the journalism club staff uniform : black jacket, red armband, lapel mic clipped to his collar.

He wasn’t ready. He knew it—his whole body screamed it.

He nearly puked breakfast when Mina casually opened the control room door.

— "You can always chicken out." Dante said, leaning against the wall.

Giana rolled her eyes.

— "Seriously ? Where’d you pull all that from ?"

— "From the guys I knocked out ten minutes ago."

Mina said nothing, her eyes fixed on the keys hanging from her belt.

The keyring felt like a necklace of thorns. Every jingle echoed like an alarm in her head.

She’d always hated betrayal—even when it was justified.

Still, she’d slipped a pair of latex gloves into her pocket to feel a little less dirty.

The plan was simple, too simple. That’s what made them all nervous.

2:00 PM.

In less than an hour, Youpi’s interview would be broadcast live across every room, the forum, the giant screens in the central place.

A public execution.

Dante was to be humiliated once and for all, torn apart by the sharp tongue of a cheap hero.

That was the intent, theirs was to silence the world.

— "Let’s recap." Shigeo said.

He tapped a small wrist holographic terminal.

A map of the academy appeared.

— "Mina, you handle the control room access. You open the door for me, we cut the audio and video feed, and I’ll broadcast a fake cancellation message. Giana, you make sure nobody catches us."

Giana nodded, feeling like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

— "I stashed motion sensors in the hallway. If anyone approaches, we get a five-second head start."

— "And you, Dante ?" Mina finally looked up.

He raised his head, fingers sliding over the earpiece tucked beneath his black hair.

His expression hadn’t changed. Not worried, not excited. Just... alert.

— "I go in. Become their cameraman. Don’t record anything, just listen."

— "What if Youpi recognizes you ?"

— "He will."

Everyone silently turned their gaze towards him, confusion hung in the air.

Mina stared at the floor.

— "What kind of guy could say that so calmly ? Maybe that was strength."

Or maybe it was just someone who’d learned to keep quiet to survive.

— "One last thing." Dante added, straightening up.

He looked each of them in the eye.

— "If it goes south, you run. No heroics. Got it?"

Giana said nothing, but her look screamed don’t order me around.

Mina nodded weakly. Shigeo raised a trembling hand as a pledge.

Dante slipped into the corridor first, quietly closing the door behind him.

The countdown had begun.

2:45 PM.

The studio was the old spirituality club’s room, hastily converted for the occasion.

Spotlights focused on a round table.

Two chairs, a backdrop shifting between the academy’s white and blue shades.

The Genesis Morning logo proudly displayed at the top right.

Everything screamed stagecraft.

Youpi was already there, legs crossed, a smile on his lips.

Opposite him, a club journalist, feigning ease, nervously rubbed his hands under the table.

He knew what he was about to do was closer to a trial than an interview.

But the boss had said, "Go all in."

In a corner, a substitute cameraman.

Fabric mask, beanie, dark glasses.

They’d been told some Jules had fainted.

No one checked—it was too late.

That cameraman was Dante.

He’d slipped into the role without a word.

All he had to do was point the lens, not record, and observe.

2:59 PM.

— "We go live in 30 seconds!" someone said in the journalist’s earpiece.

The guy inhaled deeply, straightened up.

Youpi glanced at the cameraman, thoughtful.

— "You know, you’ve got an incredibly refined aura for a background actor." He said lightly.

Dante said nothing, simply tilted his head as if pleased by the compliment.

---

[Control Room]

The red "ON AIR" light went off.

A second later, a message flashed on all screens, projected on atrium walls and relayed to students’ phones :

⚠️ Urgent Announcement

The live broadcast with hero Youpi is canceled due to technical difficulties. Thank you for your understanding.

A wave of surprise rippled through the halls.

Students of all years, gathered in the central courtyard, stood frozen, arms at their sides.

Murmurs rose, blending disappointment and confusion.

— "What?! They said it was live!"

— "Is this some kind of joke?"

— "Maybe Youpi got censored, haha."

But in the viewing room, some figures didn’t move.

Three students wearing red armbands marked with the journalism club symbol stood up.

One thin boy with glasses frowned.

— "Wait... The red light went off too early."

— "You’re saying this was sabotage ?" another asked, adjusting his gloves.

They exchanged looks, then took off running.

---

[Control Room — Just before the breach]

Shigeo kept pulling at the collar of his borrowed uniform.

— "I’m hot. Too hot."

— "You’re stressing too much. Focus." Mina said softly, seated by the control panel.

He tapped nervously, eyes fixed on the devices.

— "Done. Fake message programmed, stream rerouted. If all goes well, they’ll think it’s just a bug."

— "And if it doesn’t go well?"

Mina didn’t answer, busy checking access signals.

Then, a piercing beep sounded.

— "Oh no..." she murmured.

On Shigeo’s pad, motion sensors triggered at the corridor entrance.

Three body signatures approached steadily.

— "We’re spotted!" Shigeo panicked.

— "Not yet." a calm voice said behind them.

It was Giana, still, eyes closed, one hand on the floor.

Around her, small spheres of white light floated up like fireflies.

— "I got this."

She stood, dropped her cloak, revealing a glowing seal on her right arm.

Shigeo’s eyes widened.

— "You’re going to use... magic?! But if they see it, it’s over!"

Mina was awestruck, eyes sparkling—it was her first time witnessing magic.

Giana smiled, both sad and determined.

— "Then let’s do it right."

She stepped into the corridor. Reaching the door, she raised her hand.

— "LUX PRÆVENIRE."

A white wave spread down the hall.

The three club members froze, disoriented.

Their eyes glazed over, breath slowed.

It was a luminous hypnosis—a white magic spell of mental confusion.

Giana staggered back, breath short.

— "I made them think the alert was a dream... but it won’t last long."

Shigeo and Mina caught her just in time.

— "Giana!"

— "I’m fine. But we have to hurry. Something’s about to... go very wrong. I saw it."

— "Magicians actually have crystal ball?!" Mina exclaimed, admiring Giana’s skill. For Giana, it was more a curse.

— "I’m not a fortune teller !" Giana exclaimed, embarrassed.

---

[Interview RoomMinutes before]

— "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this special edition of Genesis Morning, where we have the great honor to welcome one of the heroes of the northern convoy, the one called the True Savior... Youpi!"

Recorded applause, holograms of cheering crowds, fake euphoria.

— "Thank you, thank you..." Youpi said, feigning modesty.

— "First of all, how have you been since that tragic event?"

— "Doing my best. It’s tough being in the spotlight, especially in such a... demanding school."

He paused.

Then turned, locking eyes with the cameraman’s black glasses.

— "Especially when some like to twist the truth."

The journalist jumped in.

— "Speaking of which, Youpi, what can you tell us about that famous medal of student Dante?"

Dante raised an eyebrow behind his lenses.

Youpi laced his fingers, resting them on the table.

— "What I’m about to say might disappoint some... but I didn’t come here to talk about him."

A silence. The journalist panicked.

— "Uh... but we—"

— "Yeah, I know. I was told this would shed light on my role in the convoy. Not to tarnish someone else."

He leaned in slightly, now looking directly at Dante.

— "But there’s one thing... just one thing I want to say."

— "When I saw Dante leap to fight the mutant, I was scared. Not for him, but for the mutant."

Dante squinted. His hand on the camera trembled.

— "Because I realized he was going to do what I never had the courage to do."

The journalist tried to interrupt.

— "So, you mean that—"

— "I mean," Youpi cut in, more sincere than ever. "I’m tired of being used as a weapon against others."

Silence fell, journalism thrown off balance.

Youpi sighed.

— "And let’s be honest. That guy," he said, vaguely pointing at Dante. "Even disguised, reeks of refined energy from ten miles away."

The journalist opened his mouth but Youpi smacked him on the back of the neck immediately.

This time Dante raised his head, lowered the camera, and... switched it off.

— "I noticed you right from the start," Youpi said. "You’re not cut out for disguises."

— "Didn’t expect you to be so sharp."

Youpi chuckled.

— "That’s one of the abilities of my power, but your refined aura makes you easy to spot for those who know."

He stood up.

— "I wasn’t here to bury you. But I did have something to say..."

Suddenly, his expression grew serious, voice dropping, intimidated.

— "Dante. Do you feel that pressure?"

Dante frowned. His forehead... the seal... it started to burn.

— "Since when?" he asked.

— "A few seconds ago."

The studio lights flickered.

Then suddenly... everything froze.

No sound, no breath.

The set, the cameras, the holograms, Youpi.

Everything stopped.

Except him.

Dante’s heart skipped a beat. He dropped to one knee, gravity vanishing.

And far away, in the absolute silence of the suspended world, he felt a demonic spiritual pressure emanating from the student council chamber.

— "The chamber...?! But... Johanna’s there!" He thought inwardly.

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