Mayhem
Chapter 11. The Dark Prince: Crime
(From Toren's point of view)
— Toren, remind me, what date is it today? — Professor Grimveil asked.
— September third.
— Exactly, — he replied calmly. — Only three days have passed since the beginning of the school year, and the four of you already can't calm down.
— It was just a friendly sparring match, — I said. — Besides, we were in the magic combat arena.
— That's true, — he sighed tiredly. — But next time, if you plan to fight a strong mage, warn me in advance so I can reinforce the barrier. This applies to all of you.
— Understood. Sorry.
— You may go, — Professor Grimveil said. — I need to speak with Emilia.
The professor and Emilia remained in the arena. Emil, Kair, and I headed toward the dormitory.
On the way, I decided to clarify something right away.
— Emil, Kair, — I called out to them. — Please don't tell anyone about what happened today.
— Yeah, it's better to keep quiet about this for now, — Kair agreed. — But you should get to know Emilia better, Toren.
— I'll try, — I said.
— Maybe she's just crazy? — Emil muttered. — She really tried to kill us.
— I don't understand her either, — Kair said. — She was clearly holding back against us.
— Yeah, — I added. — If she wanted, she could have just killed you both.
— In any case, — Kair concluded, — we won't tell anyone about this.
After that, we went to our rooms.
A week passed. At school, everything seemed normal. Apparently, none of the students found out about what happened in the arena.
During lunch break, I noticed Emilia in the hallway.
— Hi, — I waved.
— Hi, — she smiled and waved back.
She sped up, walking toward me, but suddenly a girl ran up behind her and tripped her.
Emilia fell to the floor.
— Oh, sorry, it was an accident, — the girl said, not even trying to hide the falseness in her voice.
I ran up and offered Emilia my hand.
— Are you hurt?
— No, I'm fine, — she said as she stood up.
— I really didn't mean to, — the girl continued, now with a clear smirk.
— It's okay, I'm fine, — Emilia said.
That made me angry. I turned sharply to the girl.
— Disappear, — slipped out of my mouth. I couldn't control my anger.
Her smirk vanished instantly. She froze.
— E-Emilia, w-who is this guy? — she asked in a trembling voice.
— This is Toren, my friend, — Emilia said, smiling. But now her smile was clearly fake.
— Oh… I see. My friends are waiting for me, I have to go, — the girl said quickly and hurried away. — Sorry again, — she threw over her shoulder before rushing off.
I looked at Emilia.
— What was that?
— I don't know. She said it was an accident, — Emilia replied.
But her words sounded like an excuse. So she was lying.
At that moment, a boy ran up to us. His bright blue eyes and light hair stood out immediately.
— Emilia, did they do it again…
— No, Mirak, don't worry. It was an accident, — she interrupted him.
— I saw everything, — he said unhappily.
— I need to go, — Emilia said and quickly walked away.
The blond-haired boy let out a heavy breath. It was filled with anger and sadness.
— So your name is Mirak? — I asked.
He flinched and turned to me.
— Sorry, I didn't notice you. Yes, I'm Mirak Rozier. Nice to meet you.
— I'm Toren Hager.
— I know you. I saw you in the park last week when you and your classmates got into a confrontation.
He spoke so fast that it reminded me of a machine gun firing heavy rounds.
I remembered him too. He was the one who took Emilia away back then.
There was silence between us for a few seconds. Then I finally asked:
— Are they bullying her?
— No, of course not. Why would you think that? — he answered too quickly.
I didn't say anything and just looked into his eyes for a few seconds. He avoided my gaze, his pupils darting from side to side.
— I see, — I said and turned to leave.
— You just saw it yourself, — he suddenly said.
I turned back.
— You're her friend?
— Yeah.
— Then why aren't you doing anything?
— I'm trying… — he answered guiltily. — But it's beyond me.
— Why?
— It's easy for you to say. You have magic. And the girls who bully Emilia have magic too. But I don't, — he said, looking at the floor.
I wanted to press on his pride, to make him feel ashamed. But to my surprise, he was honest with himself.
— Then why doesn't Emilia do anything herself? — I asked calmly.
— She asked me not to interfere. She said she would handle it herself.
Guilt was still visible in his eyes.
— Mirak, — I called him. — This isn't your fault.
He looked up.
— I have a proposal.
— What kind?
— I'm a strong mage. Probably stronger than all the first-years in this school, — I said directly.
— And what are you implying?
Suspicion replaced guilt on his face.
— If you tell me what's happening in your class, I'll help you solve these problems.
— Are you serious?
— Yes.
He suddenly laughed.
— Ha-ha-ha… You're funny.
— What's wrong? — I asked.
— You're way too serious. Relax, man, — he said, smiling. — I'll refuse your offer. I'm not interested. See you.
He patted me on the shoulder and walked away.
At first I didn't understand him. But looking at it from the outside, my proposal really did sound strange and overly dramatic.
During the next class, I thought it over and laughed at myself. I really did sound like a child.
— Toren, why are you laughing? — the teacher suddenly asked.
— Sorry.
After school, I noticed Emilia at the exit. She seemed to be waiting for someone. I decided not to show myself and just watch.
A few minutes later, several girls approached her. Among them was the one who had tripped her earlier.
So they're the ones bullying her?
They talked about something and then left the school, heading in the opposite direction from the dormitory. I decided to follow them, keeping my distance.
At one of the turns, I noticed someone following me as well.
I turned around, but no one was there.
— Come out, Kair, — I said quietly. — I know you're behind the black car.
He slowly raised his head.
— Why are you following me? — I asked.
— You're following Emilia and her friends, right? — he walked closer. — I'm curious too. I'm sure you're not doing this for no reason.
On one hand, I didn't want to involve him. On the other, he wouldn't back off anyway.
— Fine. But don't let them notice us.
— You doubt my tracking skills? — he asked irritably.
— Rhetorical question.
— Fair enough, — he shrugged.
We continued.
The girls left the road and took a narrow path leading toward the forest. After some time, they left it and we lost sight of them. But the ground was still wet from yesterday's rain, so following their tracks wasn't hard.
The tracks led us to the entrance of a sewer — a massive concrete tunnel. Approaching directly was risky, so we came from the side.
I looked inside.
And saw what I feared.
Subconsciously, I had expected something like this… but I refused to believe it.
Inside the tunnel stood Emilia with an energy sword. Four bloodied bodies lay around her. One of them had no head.
The head was in Emilia's left hand. She was holding it by the hair. A thin stream of blood was slowly dripping down.
It was the same girl I had seen earlier.
I froze.
Kair looked too. He flinched, caught his foot on a stone, and fell backward.
Emilia slowly turned her head toward us.