Shard

Over sixty professors had gathered in a spacious room, their sleek chairs filling a long table at the center. A large display screen hung on the front wall, easily visible to everyone in the room.

Two people stood beside the screen, a woman and a man.

The woman's fiery red hair flowed in waves down to her waist, resembling a flickering flame. On the other side of the screen, the man had light brown hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled like a clear sky.

"Here, right here," the woman said, her finger pointing at the footage playing on the screen.

The scene showed a grove behind the fourth-year dorm building, captured from a bird's-eye view as if recorded by a drone.

The video revealed the lush trees and greenery of the grove, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight. The leaves rustled gently in the night breeze, casting dappled shadows on the already dark grove, creating an eerie yet serene atmosphere.

In the next second, the camera zoomed in, capturing the two individuals by the pond in closer detail.

The boy had brown hair that shimmered in the moonlight, and his eyes were fixed on the man in front of him. The man, whose face was hidden in the shadows before, now came into focus.

When the man took his hat, he then bowed to the boy. Unfortunately, at that moment, the video suddenly lost focus and the image became a blur.

The video feed was paused, displaying the man's blurry face on the screen.

"Does anyone have any idea about this person?"

The red-haired woman asked, her voice commanding attention.

The group murmured among themselves, trying to make out any discernible features from the blurry image.

One of the professors, a man with a thick beard that resembled a cloud, raised his hand as he squinted at the screen.

"Sorry if I sound rude, headmaster Nuria, but… I think you should play the video first. I, and probably the others here are looking rather confused at your sudden inquiries of wanting to know the person whose face was blurry in the camera."

The red-haired woman, Nuria, who was referred to as headmaster flicked her finger musingly.

"You're right, Gilbert. Well, then…"

The video feed continued. The moment the video was unpaused, the boy, wearing an academy uniform suddenly fell to his knee as the man in weird clothes looked at him.

There was a short talk between them before the boy moved in a sudden motion, the fluttering wind suddenly formed around him. But, in the next second, the boy's head suddenly fell to the ground, separated from its body.

"Wha–?!"

"What happened?!"

Hearing that the room was filled with noises, Nuria paused the video again and observed the professors' reactions.

"Did that man just kill our student?!"

"How dare he?!"

The professors' reactions varied as they watched the video. Some expressed curiosity and shock at the sudden beheading of the student, while others directed accusations toward the man who appeared to have killed the student.

The noises in the room grew louder, prompting Headmaster Nuria to shout for attention and unpause the video feed.

The next scene in the video added to the confusion of those watching.

It showed the man about to swing his sword even though the student's head had been cut off first. In the end, he cut through empty air where the student's head had been.

This unexpected turn of events left the professors puzzled, and murmurs of confusion and disbelief filled the room.

Headmaster Nuria paused the video again, and the room fell into a hushed silence. She looked around at the gathered professors, her fiery red hair framing her determined expression.

"I noticed something wrong… Look at this, everyone."

Nuria zoomed in on the image on the screen, highlighting the right hand of the student that looked odd with protruding claws and reddish skin color.

"Is that… the Astray?"

"It could be the Minion, too…"

"It seems we have more questions than answers," Nuria said, her voice commanding attention.

"We need to investigate further to understand what happened here. Gilbert, gather a team to analyze the footage and see if we can enhance the image of the man's face. The rest of you, I want you to review the events leading up to this incident. We need to piece together the puzzle and find out who this man is as well as the student's identity."

"But let's make sure the investigation doesn't interfere with our teaching responsibilities. The student's education is a priority, after all."

The professors nodded in agreement, and Gilbert, the bearded man, nodded solemnly as he left the room to assemble a team for the analysis.

The rest of the professors began discussing amongst themselves, exchanging theories and speculations about the strange turn of events as they left the room.

Headmaster Nuria remained by the screen, watching the paused video with a determined look.

"It might be that the demonic humans are starting to make their move," Lawrence suggested, his bright blue eyes peering at Nuria.

Nuria turned to Lawrence, her trusted advisor, and vice-headmaster, who had interrupted her as she was watching the paused video with a determined look.

"It's possible," Nuria replied, "but there's something different about the transformation this time. Take a close look at the hand."

Lawrence leaned in for a closer inspection and soon realized what Nuria was pointing out.

"You're right," he confirmed, "this is new. Usually, when they transform, the body part that has changed appears as a misfit from the human body. But in this case, it looks perfectly in sync, as if the transformed body parts are the original ones."

Nuria nodded, her mind racing with possibilities.

As her mind wandered, she recalled something which her granddaughter had told her some time ago. Something about the beings that the demonic human worshipped and the beings that became their source of power.

The demon.

With that word kept ringing in her head, Nuria turned her attention back to the screen.

"That student might be a demon."

"A demon?"

"Yes. The being that the demonic human worshipped and got their power from."

"I'm sorry to say this, but, are we talking about the demon that once appeared in the second catastrophe? The one that…"

Lawrence's voice faltered, afraid that his words might offend Nuria. But, it was Nuria herself that finished his unfinished words.

"...killed Garuda. Yes, that very demon…"

Her fists were clenched as she said that, there was a resentment look on her face.

Both of them were silent for a moment before Nuria broke it with a cheerful sound, she was the best at controlling her emotions, and that was the reason why she was strong. After all, her power–the blessing of Emberheart was the power that was influenced by emotions.

"Yahh. We could say that the student is a demonic human or an astray or a demon. But, what about the man with old-fashioned clothes?"

"I'll be looking for it immediately."

Nuria smiled at Lawrence's reply, she could always trust him when it came to this, gathering information.

***

Somewhere in an ancient ruin…

A shadow figure resembling a human was roaming around the ruin.

The ancient ruin was shrouded in darkness, with only faint beams of light filtering in through cracks in the crumbling walls. The air was thick with dust and the musty scent of decay as if the ruin had been abandoned for centuries.

Amidst the shadows, a figure moved stealthily, blending into the darkness with a grace that seemed almost unnatural.

The figure appeared to be humanoid in shape, but its form was indistinct as if it was constantly shifting and changing, never settling on a single appearance.

The figure moved through the ruins with purpose, its steps silent as it navigated the ancient corridors and chambers. It seemed to know its way around, moving with familiarity as if it had been here before. Its eyes glowed with a faint, otherworldly light, casting eerie shadows on the walls as it moved.

As the figure continued its exploration, it came across a chamber adorned with ancient runes and symbols.

The air crackled with energy, and the figure paused, sensing something powerful within. It reached out a hand, and the runes on the walls seemed to respond, glowing brighter as if acknowledging its presence.

The figure raised its head, and its features became momentarily clearer.

It appeared to be a human female, with her skin as pale as snow, her silver hair tied to a ponytail seemingly contrasted with the dark place, and her eyes were piercing, glowing light blue.

With a sense of purpose, she approached the center of the chamber, where a pedestal stood. On the pedestal, a glowing crystal shard pulsated with a mysterious energy.

She reached out a hand, and the shard responded, resonating with void-like black color.

The crystal shard glistened with an otherworldly radiance, its surface smooth and translucent. Within its depths, a peculiar sight caught the girl's attention.

A faint reflection or image seemed to be trapped within the shard, like a fleeting glimpse of someone. The figure had jet-black hair and hollow black eyes that seemed to hold the depth of nothingness, like a void.

The image appeared to be trapped, as if imprisoned within the crystalline confines, peering out with an air of desperation.

Her lips curled into a smile as she observed the image reflected within the shard.

"Found you."