Strongest

"For violating the rules of the Interschool Tournament and nearly killing a whole roster of students, Arin, you will atone for your crime."

Arae looked up from where he was chained to the floor of the circular chamber, the Headmistress and faculty all behind diamondglass as they delivered his verdict.

"Does the perpetrator of this act have anything to say before punishment is delivered?"

Arae's gold eyes snapped to the Headmistress' as he smiled. "I do, in fact, have something I want to say, but to you alone, Headmistress."

The Headmistress of Solariya stiffened. "Fine, Arin. The rest of you, please exit the room."

"But Headmistress Silvia…!"

"I will not repeat myself," said Silvia.

The professors protested, but they ended up having to exit, leaving Headmistress Silvia alone with Arae.

"What did you want to say to me?" she asked.

"Well, actually, I had a question I wanted to ask you." Arae's lips curled into a smile. "What is the most important trait for a leader?"

"Please explain further what you wish for me to answer," she replied.

"I mean, what qualities must any leader have? Whether a student council president, earl, a sports team, or even the King?"

"I am not in a position to answer that question."

Arae laughed. "Oh, please. My time is about to end. The least you can do is humor me until I arrive in the shadow of death."

Silvia pursed her lips. Then she opened her mouth. "Very well, as a last request from a diligent student. My answer is strategy. With a good strategy, even a low-tier could win against a high-tier. Any leader able to strategize is one who can perform what others call miracles. A leader with this quality is highly regarded, and his subordinates are willing to destroy themselves for him, because they know, as long as he is alive, they have another chance."

Arae thought for a moment, eyes somewhat glazed as he spent nearly five minutes contemplating.

But then he smiled.

"That is a good answer, Headmistress Silvia," he said, tilting his head. "That is the first time I've heard that answer to the question, though there was one quite similar to it awhile back. That answer has partial truth to it. A leader able to strategize well would be a hard one to take down, and as you said, he will be protected, though I have a different reason why that might be."

"Continue."

"I believe he will be protected because he will have already calculated everything that could have happened beforehand. Therefore, his subordinates don't save him because they believe in him, but because he'd manipulated them so well into thinking they had another chance as long as he remains alive. Do you understand my reasoning?"

"...Yes, though I do not use such a pessimistic view."

"Oh, the view can't be helped, Miss Headmistress," said Arae, a slightly crazy look entering his gold eyes. "Not when you've been through the horrors that haunt my life."

Silvia shuddered at the look in his eyes. "What would you say is the most important trait, Arin?" she asked, trying to distract herself from the feeling of dread that had crept up during the conversation.

Arae grinned as he shifted in his chains, moving from a kneeling position to a standing one. He raised his shackled hands to the sky. "A willingness," he said, a dark shadow falling over the room, dimming the lights. His left gold eyes wavered a second before turning silvery gray. "To destroy. Destroy oneself and even the world for the sake of his goals!"

Silvia's eyes widened. "Vice Principal Havenfield--!"

The ceiling exploded, sending rubble in all directions.

Arae looked up as a large chunk of the ceiling fell toward him. He blinked, then his lips curled up into a cruel smirk.

A figure appeared between him and the rubble, a single swing of the large scythe shattering it into nothing more than dust. "Thanks, Rael," Arae called. "Care to get the iron off of me so I can protect myself?"

"I told you earlier, but it's Azir!" the figure snarled, black and silver hanfu swishing with her movements, huge skeletal wings outstretched. Azir snapped her fingers, a disk of darkness appearing under Arae, making him fall through. Arae reappeared on the back of a huge starry dragon with fluffy white fur, a figure with gold eyes and gold hair riding it.

"Nice to have you back," she said.

"Nice to see you, too, Jocelyn!" shouted Arae over the sound of the dragon's wings. The portal rings had cut off as soon as Arae had fallen through them, cutting off the chains.

"Can you get these off?" Arae asked.

Jocelyn nodded. "Iron blocks magic power, but it has no effect on what's already around it." Jocelyn waved her hand through the air, freezing the water vapor in the air before putting it in the keyhole for the shackles. As she added more frozen water, the ice took the form of the key that would have fit the lock. "And… viola. Iron restrictions are no more."

"Thanks, Jocyn. Now, Azrael, how's it going down there?"

"I told you," snarled Azir. "My name is Azir!" She swung her scythe at the diamond glass, shattering it as if it was nothing more than normal glass. Azir flew right into the little observation room Silvia was in. She smiled. "Hello, how are you?" Azir asked. "What do you want me to do with her, Arae ?"

Arin smirked. "Get rid of her. The timeline has no need of her. In fact, it will benefit from having her gone. Just make it quick."

Azir sighed. "Too bad. Looks like I can't play with you." Azir ran a finger over the blade of her scythe. "I have a question for you, Silvia."

"How do you know my--"

"Are you a believer?"

"...No."

Azir nodded. "Very well. In that case…" Several rings appeared around Azir, different colors, though most were a silvery black. She snapped her fingers, and the smallest gray-silver one separated itself from the rest. "Well, since I don't think you committed a sin other than not believing, the First Circle of Hell should be good enough for you, right? At least you're not living in a burning grave for eternity." Azir pointed at Silvia. "Goodbye."

The ring shot at Silvia, settling under her feet, before a complex pentagram configured itself under her feet.

"What's happening?! Arin!" Silvia screamed. "What's going on! Why are you doing this?!"

Arae smirked a second before his face turned cold and cruel. "Get rid of her foul shrieking, Azir. It's beginning to grate on my eardrums. Oh, and I really wasn't lying, Miss Silvia. I really did want you to humor me until I was cast under the shadow of Death. I never lie." Arae grinned, a terrifying, cruel grin. "Lying is a sin, afterall."

The pentagram glowed bright silver before both the ring and Silvia vanished.

Azir just uttered a shot laugh before spreading her invisible wings and shooting back into the sky.

"Let's go. Back to Goldryn. Though… Jocyn, you stay here." An evil smile. "We need someone to take over as Headmistress, after all."

Jocyn grinned before nodding. "Yori will get you to Goldryn, so you can recover your power . I'm relying on you, Azir, to protect Arae. Do you understand that? If I find he's hurt, I will kill you. I don't care if you're Death itself. I will find a way."

Azir gave a nasty smile. "Well, that's taboo, and I doubt you'd be able to survive the consequences of breaking that. While I have no reluctance to get rid of both you and your brother, I do keep my promises."

Arae and Azir started to rise into the air.

Arae shouted, "Do not confront Allu, no matter how much you want to, understand?"

Jocelyn nodded, though she sighed.

"Besides," Azir called. "Not even God's Archangels can escape Death."

.

"Why let the school fall to ruin? I mean, they'd be useful pawns, am I wrong?"

Arin glanced at Azir. "Everybody's a pawn, but that one isn't important. A real king doesn't have just the pieces he shows on the board. There are other ones that he either wants to keep quiet, or aren't as important. In the end, the only pawn I find important out of the fifteen diamonds is Luminine. The rest can burn."

"What if you end up needing them later?"

"Well, all I'll ever need is the strongest." Arae smirked. "I was always good at starting wars."

∽