The morning sun over the island of Tobias’ estate was a harsh, unforgiving spotlight. Quite the contrast to the storm it had endured the night before. It illuminated the gore in the garden and the absolute desolation of a cult’s fallen small empire.

Chief Hudson stood at the center of the carnage, right beside the pristine marble statue of the Goddess, which now watched over the mangled, unrecognizable remains of Tobias.

A wooden cart’s wheels creaked under the weight of several black-robed bodies, rolled to a stop nearby. An officer wiped sweat and grime from his brow.

"That’s the last haul from the estate, Chief. That makes 52 here and 198 at the fortress."

Hudson clicked his tongue, sounding sharp with irritation. He looked at the list of names on his clipboard, then at the pile of meat that used to be the revered bishop. "250 bodies. Zero survivors. Not even a low-level acolyte left to sing."

He sighed, a puff of frustrated air. "I’m honestly starting to regret telling Valentine about this. If she hadn’t come through here like a localized apocalypse, we could’ve had a thorough interrogation. We could have had tangible leads, we could have known what position they’ve taken in society, their connections... now we just have a lot of paperwork and a very high body count."

He shook his head and straightened his posture. "Alright. Give me the reports. I want to know exactly what we’re dealing with before the king or royal guards starts breathing down my neck."

An officer stepped forward, holding a notepad. "First report, sir. We cleared the eastern wing of the fortress. We found a giant playroom. It’s... it’s unsettling, sir. Hand-painted murals, wooden blocks, but the doors were reinforced iron."

"Any children that were possibly left behind? Any dead remains?"

"No, sir. Not one. The room and entire eastern wing leading to the front were empty, save for a few discarded toys and a single shoe. Dominik must have cleared every living soul out of there."

"Good," Hudson muttered. "I expect nothing less from him. The kid’s a pain in my ass, but he’s thorough. Next."

Another officer approached, looking slightly green. "Chief, we searched the sanctum. We found a woman... or what was left of one. She was headless, in a room filled with... extracurricular activities. But the strange part, sir... is that there were multiple hearts scattered in the room."

"Hearts? Store them all for the forensics team. I want to know whose they were. If we can return even a piece of those kids to their families, we do it. Next."

"We found the underground cells beneath the estate, sir," a third officer reported. "A lab, mostly. Someone did a number on the doctors there. We’re still clearing the rubble from a localized explosion in the back, but we’re finding evidence of illegal alchemical extraction."

"Keep digging," Hudson commanded. "I want every vial cataloged. Next."

The fourth officer stepped forward, his expression grim. "The woods that lead to the fortress and back, Chief. We found the carcass of an A-rank monster, more precisely, a Great Weaver. Its lair was... it was a graveyard. We found the bones of multiple children."

"Fucking hell. They kept a Great Weaver as some sort of pet or disposal unit? Sick bastards. Gather the remains. I want those parents to have a name to put on the headstones."

"We’ve already started the collection, sir."

"Good work," Hudson said. He looked at the final officer, who was carrying a heavy leather sleeve and a communication orb.

"Report."

"We thoroughly searched through Tobias’s private chambers again, Chief. This is all we’ve gathered. Ledgers, names, even some correspondence with the rest of the continents, but nothing substantial. We believe Tobias is mostly a small piece to the bigger puzzle. And this..." He held up a clear communications orb. "Found it amidst the rubble. It’s still active, but it’s only a one-way line."

Hudson’s eyebrows shot up. He took the orb, feeling the cold, oily hum of its magic. "Now this is a lead. Good work, son."

He looked at the Goddess statue, then at the dead bishop. With a sharp snap of his fingers, a spark of lightning jumped from his thumb, lighting the cigar clamped in his teeth. He took a long, deep drag, letting the smoke curl into the morning air.

"Chief!" a voice called out. "We found a rat! Caught him sneaking around the perimeter."

Hudson turned, hoping for a high-ranking priest he could break. But as the officers dragged the prisoner forward, his excitement turned to immediate, flat disappointment.

It was the captive Dominik, and the others had brought along for the mission.

"Him?" Hudson sighed, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "He wouldn’t know a damn thing that would be considered useful. Cage him back up and put him on the transport. He can be a witness, if nothing else."

An officer checked his watch. "The mainland investigation and forensics teams should be arriving at the docks any minute, sir."

Hudson nodded. He tapped the communication orb on his belt. "Men, round up at the ship. This island is secure. We’re handing the keys of this hellhole over to the specialists."

.

..

...

The docks of Eldoria is usually a place of salt, fish, and the mundane chatter of merchants. But today, the air was charged with a different kind of energy.

A sleek, white-and-gold vessel glided toward the main pier. It bore the crest of the Myria. A soaring phoenix etched in front of the rising sun. The gangway lowered, and ten students stepped off onto the wood.

They wore the elegant, high-collared uniforms of the Academy, their capes snapping in the breeze. The crowd of fishermen, commoners and merchants began to gather, whispering in hushed, reverent tones. These students were the future of the magical world.

At the very front walked the leader of the group, who all followed quietly behind her. She had long, flowing black hair and eyes that held the calm, piercing depth of the void.

"... Look! It’s Ayako Izumi!"

"... You idiot! It’s Izumi Ayako! You have to call her by her family name first, Izumi!"

"... The one-in-a-lifetime genius! They say she’s already mastered all-known elements!"

Ayako kept her gaze fixed forward, her expression a mask of serene composure. Behind her, a male student with black spiky hair and fire coloured slitted eyes. He wore a cocky grin and leaned toward her. "Listen to them, Izumi-san. They’re already glazing us before we even hit the arena. This tournament is going to be a cakewalk."

Ayako didn’t look back. "Don’t get conceited, Ryuuji. We aren’t here for the applause. We are here to represent the Skyward Academy and secure victory for Myria. Remember why we were sent."

Ryuuji laughed, waving a hand at the cheering crowd, putting on his best "cool" face for a group of swooning local girls. "Yeah, yeah. Win the tournament, bring glory to Myria, yadda yadda. Learn to have some fun will you."

Just then, the resonant gongs of another ship echoed across the harbor.

A huge ship banked into the pier adjacent to Skyward Academy’s vessel. It was a stark contrast. Scarred, soot-stained, and smelling of smoke and sea salt. The crowd’s attention immediately shifted.

"Alright, listen up!" Dominik’s voice boomed from the deck, loud and unrefined. "One pair at a time! Hold hands, stay in line! Watch your step on the gangway, it’s slippery!"

Then, the children began to emerge.

They were thin, their clothes were white tunics, and many were wrapped in oversized prefect blankets. But as they stepped onto the solid wood of the pier, the silence of the docks was shattered by a different kind of sound.

"AGGY!"

"Mo...mmy? MOMMY!"

A woman in the front of the crowd let out a piercing scream of joy. She broke through the crowd, sprinting toward the gangway. A small girl in the line recognized her and broke rank, her little legs moving as fast as they could. They collided in a heap of tears, sobs, and desperate embraces.

"My baby! Oh, thank the Goddess, my baby!"

Emelie descended from the ship, not walking, but floating a few inches off the deck, her green aura shimmering. She looked exhausted, but she was smiling as she watched the small girl weeping in her mother’s arms. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The crowd, which had just been "glazing" the Academy students, completely turned their backs on the ten elites. They swarmed toward the children descending the ship, shouting thanks to Dominik and Emelie, offering food, blankets, and prayers. The spotlight was gone, replaced by the messy, emotional reality of a rescue.

"What the hell? They’re just... they’re ignoring us? For a bunch of street rats!?" Ryuuji’s "cool" face crumbled into a scowl of pure annoyance.

Ayako, however, didn’t look annoyed. She stopped walking and turned her head, her sharp eyes locking onto Emelie. She watched the way the silver and green haired mage handled the children, noting the precision of her mana control even in her state of fatigue.

"So," Ayako whispered to herself. "That is the famous Emelie Herst. The best, as they say..."

Ayako’s eyes drifted to the ship’s helm, where a man with a black cloak and a single, weary eye was leaning against the rail, watching the reunions with a quiet satisfaction. She didn’t know his name, but in him, she felt a ripple of something... strange.

Ryuuji stepped up beside her, looking at Emelie. "What do you say, Izumi-san? Shall we make our presence known to that girl?"

"Leave it, Ryuuji," Ayako said, her voice cool and commanding. She turned away from the scene. "Whatever is going on here is none of our business. They’re doing their job, and we have ours. Don’t let your ego blind you to the fact that this city has teeth."

She started walking again, her pace steady. "I look forward to the tournament. If that woman is the standard of the local competition, I might actually have to try."