Chapter 5-3: The Moon Sigil

Aiden quickly stepped back and bowed.

"Lord Condor, good evening." Princess Iris' cold voice was unmistakable. Ren sprung up to his feet. What was she doing here?

She stepped inside, then glanced at Aiden. "Would you mind if I borrowed Ren for a short while?" It was clearly an order, not a request. Aiden bowed again, "Of course not. I'll wait outside." He glanced at Ren, then left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Your Highness," Ren bowed. "Is there something I can do for you?" He couldn't even hazard a guess as to what was happening right now.

"No." Princess Iris approached him. "Don't bow, please." She gently touched his shoulder. "We've won yesterday's battle thanks to you. I simply wished to thank you and to give you something."

Ren straightened his back. "I did very little, your spell was the only reason I was even able to do anything." As he spoke, she stepped closer. Ren flinched. "Your Highness?"

She circled around and stopped behind him. He felt her gently grab his hair. "Your ribbon got destroyed because of me, so allow me to gift you this." He felt her tie his hair back, just like when she did before the fight. Once she was done, she again circled around him and headed for the door.

"Thank you, Princess Iris." He motioned to bow, then stopped himself remembering her previous words.

"It was nothing." She nodded, then opened the door. As her graceful steps carried her outside, Ren thought he glimpsed a smile on her lips. Dazed by what happened, he touched the ribbon holding his hair back. He could feel her mana coursing through it.

Soon after she left, Aiden came back inside. "Well, what do we have here?" He said with a wide grin. "I never thought you to be the type to-"

"Let me stop you there." Ren sighed and undid the ribbon. As his hair flowed freely, he gently touched the surface of the dark blue cloth. There were silver inscriptions embroidered onto it. "She didn't take this lightly, did she?" He mumbled.

"Are those inscriptions?" Aiden asked in disbelief. "They seem layered. I… can't figure out what the spell is." His shoulders dropped. "Sorry." He said with a saddened expression.

Ren shook his head. "It's a locating and protection spell. It will alert her if the ribbon is destroyed. And it will create a barrier around me, however weak it may be." He sighed. "I'm too tired for this."

Aiden suddenly grabbed his shoulders. "Ren, you do realise she's the crown princess, right?"

"Yes." Ren raised his eyebrows. What was he getting at?

"If she falls-"

"I'll stop you right there." Ren pushed the young noble back. "Presentation. Now."

"But-" Aiden clearly wanted to keep at it, but Ren's almost hostile glare stopped him. After a disappointed sigh, he nodded. "Right, the dragonkin."

* * *

Aiden shifted his weight to his left foot. He'd been waiting for Ren for about ten minutes. The young man was late – probably due to oversleeping. He glanced out the windows. It was a beautiful dawn, the colours of the newly rising sun seemed even more vivid today than they did on other days. Was this the effect of the full moon?

He sighed and let his gaze wonder within the dorm's common room. Most people were still asleep, only those in Class I had classes this early. When he heard the creaking of stairs, he turned to see Ren slowly come down.

"I was about to come and wake you up." Aiden said with a grin. Ren yawned as a response. "Oh, did you not sleep well? Did the Princess-"

"No. Stop. Let's go." Ren brushed past him and headed for the exit. If he weren't so small and fragile looking, his deathly gaze could scare Aiden. And teasing him was so much fun. Aiden's wide smile cracked as he remembered Ren's mana. On second thought, that deathly gaze was terrifying after all.

Their short walk to class passed in silence. Ren seemed to be lost in thought and on edge. It was clear from the way he constantly scoured their surroundings. Aiden hesitated to ask him about it, the young man was probably still processing what happened that evening.

On that note, Aiden also needed to process all that. He'd never sensed anyone with such a vast mana pool before. Sure, the battlemages were much more powerful than the young man, but what Ren had was still incredible. He also couldn't help but question who the young man's master was. Who had taught him how to fight like that? Who had taught him that spell?

"Good morning guys!" Lena's cheerful voice pulled him away from his thoughts. She was standing at the classroom door. "Ren, you look like you didn't sleep at all!" Her smile shattered as she saw the young man. She wasn't wrong, Ren was pale, and his eyes were slightly red. The bags under his eyes were a lot more visible under the light of the mana lamps.

"I'm fine, I was working on my report till late." Ren said with an obviously fake smile. Aiden's lips formed a thin line. He was lying. He had finished both of his reports yesterday. Why was he lying?

"I know you work hard but don't overwork yourself, ok?" Lena said with a worried tone. "Also…" She hesitated and looked around. Once she made sure no one was around, she kept talking with a low voice. "Serana went to see her family yesterday. She heard something disturbing."

Ren raised his eyebrows. "Oh?" He seemed calm despite the way the young Tesfel was treating him whenever she was around.

"Apparently, someone disappeared." Lena glanced around again. "Lord Tesfel didn't tell her all the details, but as far as she knows, a scholar from the royal library hasn't been seen since the day before yesterday."

"What?" Aiden flinched. "How could…"

"It's happened before." Ren mumbled. "Four years ago, several people disappeared, one after another." He fiddled with his hair. "The Inner keep was on high alert for months."

"Wait, what?" Lena asked in surprise. "I hadn't heard of that before."

"Were they ever found?" Aiden asked after a moment's hesitation. Could it be that Ren knew something more than what was made public?

Ren shook his head. "No, how they disappeared was never found either."

Aiden's shoulders dropped. Why had he even hoped? He shook his head and sighed. "Well, we should be careful and alert our families to be careful as well."

Ren nodded, then suddenly turned around to look behind them. His posture had changed. He stepped forward as Instructor Fiora walked around the corner. Aiden couldn't help but be amazed – it was as if Ren already knew she was coming. "Eighth," He placed his right hand on his chest and bowed.

"Ren," Instructor Fiora nodded, then placed her hand on the young man's shoulder. "There is no need for that." She then turned to Aiden and Lena. "Head inside, we'll be right there."

"Yes ma'am." They quickly went inside. As Aiden closed the door behind them, he glanced at Ren. He was now standing straight. His left foot was extended slightly, like he was about to leap into action. His left hand rested on the hilt of his tachi and his right hand was still on his chest. His lips formed a thin line as he glared at Instructor Fiora.

Aiden flinched as he recognised that posture. He quickly shut the door and headed to his seat while ignoring Lena's questioning gaze. He clenched his fist – why was Ren standing like that? How did he know that?

Soon, the door opened once again. Ren entered, immediately followed by Instructor Fiora. Aiden quickly put on a facade – a happy grin. He waved at the young man to come sit with him. "What was that about?" He asked as soon as Ren sat down.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Ren mumbled. "And something else is also going on. Look," He nodded towards instructor Fiora. She was holding the hilt of her rapier.

"I'm here today not as your instructor, but as the Eighth Battlemage. Starting now, martial law has been declared within the academy grounds. No students are allowed to leave the academy grounds. All students must be within their dorms by dusk. Any and all who disobey shall be punished." She glared at the students for a short moment before leaving. As she opened the door, she glanced at them again. "All classes today have been cancelled."

As she finished her words, Aiden gulped. He hadn't noticed how terrifying the battlemages could be. Or rather, after spending so much time as their student, he had forgotten it. He could feel fear gripping at his throat.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine." Ren silently said. "You don't need to worry so much." He got up and headed for the door. "Are you coming?"

Dumbfounded, Aiden stared at the young man for a moment before hurrying behind him. How was he so calm? Martial law was nothing to be scoffed at. Did Ren know anything about this?

"Isn't your uncle coming today?" Ren asked. He still seemed on edge, but at least he was focused on the present now.

"Yeah, but he'll come in the afternoon." With the day's classes cancelled, he had found himself in a loss. He hesitated, then with a forced grin lead Ren to the cafeteria. "Alright, breakfast comes first." Ren nodded with a faint smile. "I'll head to the library afterwards. I want to familiarise myself with some concepts for Instructor Fiora's next class."

"How about you take a break instead?" Aiden said as they reached the cafeteria. They both picked some light meals and picked a seat towards the back. "How about we go for a walk in the woods? I'm sure Mirielle and Lena would love the idea too."

Ren hesitated. "How about we do that tomorrow?" He avoided Aiden's gaze. "I'm a bit tired for that."

Aiden shrugged. "Sure."

They ate their meal in silence and parted ways shorty afterwards. Ren hurried over to the library as Aiden sighed and leaned back on his couch. The cafeteria was as good a place as any to waste some time. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. There was too much to think about. The disappearances, Ren's behaviour, the martial law… He couldn't help but worry. Something was happening behind the scenes.

Towards the afternoon, he headed for the gate to greet his uncle. Perhaps he could answer some of his questions. He didn't have to wait long as a lone horseman approached the gates shortly after he arrived.

"Uncle Nathan!" He waved at his uncle who got off his horse and gave the reins to a stable hand. "Aiden!" His hug was as deadly as always. Aiden felt as if his ribs were about to be crushed. "Can't…Breathe."

"Sorry, sorry." His uncle's grin was as huge as always. "Sorry if I kept you waiting." He shuffles Aiden's hair. "Did you get taller again?"

"No, and I didn't wait nearly as much as I thought I would." Aiden also grinned. Uncle Nathan's smiles were contagious. "I doubt I can ask you what brings you here, can I?"

"You can ask me anything my dear little nephew." His smile slowly faded. "It's just that I can't answer."

"Stop being so dramatic." Aiden lightly punched his shoulder. "Does it have something to do with the martial law?"

"What? No, no." He grinned. "That's because of the disappearance. It's got nothing to do with my job."

Aiden stopped in his tracks. "What? Wait. What does the disappearance of a scholar have to do with the academy? And more importantly, what kind of council work could possibly bring you if it isn't the disappearance?"

His uncle just grinned. "Like I said, I can't say anything." He suddenly grabbed Aiden's arm and pulled him towards the main building. "Our first stop: the principal's office!"