Chapter 9 School

After a wave, the young man with the golden eyes and Miya went on with their separate way, leaving Rose and Amber all on their own.

Then, the playful aura and smile quickly left Rose's face as she said to Amber. "Follow me, now."

Without question, Amber followed Rose, who ran in the complete opposite direction of where the other two disappeared.

"Rose... Maybe... Slow down?" Amber suggested as she lagged behind.

With a pained expression, Rose turned back to Amber before saying. "Okay. But we should get somewhere safe before we take a breath."

"Is there... somewhere safe... From him?"

With an incredibly pained expression, Rose said. "You... Have a point."

Then, as Amber caught up with her breath, Rose placed a hand on her chin as she pondered deeply, which slowly caused her to look angry and frustrated.

"Where... Should we go?"

After some thought, Rose asked. "Where is the professor?"

To which Amber replied. "I don't know. He only left a note saying 'I'll be gone for some business.'"

"That's it?"

"Yes."

After slightly biting her lip, Rose proposed. "With those overprotective weirdoes around, the school should be the next safest place."

"Let's go, then."

And as they sprint walked toward their destination, Amber asked. "Rose?"

"What?"

"If someone was to tell you something... Incriminating about someone you know, will you leave them?"

"What? Can you be more specific?" Rose asked as she slightly turned her head towards Amber.

"... If someone were to lie to you about something, something you might deeply care about, what will you do to them?"

"Where did this come from?"

"..."

After Amber turned her head away in silence, Rose turned to face what is in front of her while saying. "Everybody has their little secrets that they don't want anyone to know about. Everybody lies, Amber. Especially me."

"... Will you leave me if I lied to you, Rose?"

As she lowered her head, causing her red hair to cover her face, Rose replied. "No. I'm your friend, Amber. I've never thought and never will think about something like that. Do you hear me?"

Then, as she turned away after seeing Rose's hidden face, Amber replied. "Yes, I hear you loud and clear."

And after a bit, Amber and Rose arrived before a large, daunting building. But before they could cross its front door, the doors suddenly burst open, with a woman on the other side.

She then spoke with a commanding tone. "You are early for once, Velvet."

With a cheeky grin, Rose answered. "It's just that I couldn't wait to hear your voice again, ma'am."

"I've heard you caused some trouble this morning."

"What do you mean?"

"You might be fast, peacekeeper, but the news is faster."

"I appreciate the compliments, Miss Beautiful."

"You're not walking away scratch free this time, Velvet. Tenebris, inside."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Amber, just... Nevermind. Just go to class."

And so, Amber went inside while the woman and Rose gave each other a mouthful.

After walking through the crowded halls all on her lonesome, Amber headed for one of the rooms. It was a wide-open room with windows on the side. The majority of the room is filled with chairs and tables, but in front of it all, a chalkboard hangs on a wall.

After taking a seat, Amber opened the drawer under the table before taking out her books. But as she did so, a boy from the next seat over began trying to get her attention. "Pssst!"

After annoyingly slamming her books onto the table, Amber asked coldly. "What do you want?"

"Wow, I only wanted a chat."

"No."

"I haven't even-"

"No."

"What, you suddenly grew a spine after your little guardian angel left you?"

But then, before Amber could reply, a book suddenly shot past the boy's arrogant face, much to Amber's delight.

And a moment later, a shout echoed throughout the halls. "Velvet!"

Followed by a certain redhead's retort. "But, I didn't hit him."

"Office! Now!"

As Rose angrily stomped out of the room, a teacher walked in, saying to her. "How many times does it take until you learn?"

As she triumphantly raised her arms in the air, Rose left the room, shouting. "Never!"

After Rose left the room, the teacher stood in front of the chalkboard before saying. "Alright, back to your seats. We will not be waiting for Miss Velvet to return before we start our morning ceremony."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, firstly, the hymn."

And then, the entire class began singing a song about a certain someone's achievements. But as they did so, Amber's eyes began wandering.

It eventually led her to a set of small hand-painted images at the top of the chalkboard.

In the first painting, a large number of people are leaving the confines of a tall and expansive wall of pure mountain stone.

In the second, the people overlooked a great plain of green.

In the third, the group of people emerged from their houses in the green plains with weapons at the ready.

And in the fourth, they fought against truly monstrous animals in the vague form of a human.

And in the fifth, the people were being slaughtered by the Beasts with their claws and teeth.

And in the sixth, within the people's houses, a baby surrounded by a bright light rose into the air as the people got on their knees before it.

After seeing this, Amber scoffs under her breath. But she continued to observe the paintings as she sang along with the rest of the class.

In the seventh, the baby was now a young man, and while the light around him refused to leave his side, he held slammed a hammer against an anvil.

And in the eight, he was now encased in a suit of metal alongside his people of iron, leading a charge against the monstrous Beasts.

And in the ninth, the young man with the bright light was now standing triumphantly atop the corpses of the Beasts alongside his ironclad people.

And in the tenth, he was in front of his people, wearing a crown while saying something to the masses.

And in the eleventh, armed with his flaming hammer, he and his people rounded up the remaining Beasts, forcing them to build a monument.

And in the twelfth, the shining man and his people in iron boarded the monument as it took its place along with the clouds, leaving the howling Beasts down below to look at them in envy and primal wrath.

And as Amber finished observing the paintings, she scoffs once more. Just in time for the class to finish their song with, "The people of Viridis send their thanks to you - Ego Mutton."

"Alright, class. Let's start with the -"

"*Bam*"

But before the teacher could finish what she was saying, the door slammed open, with a certain redhead behind it.

"Velvet!"

Lowering her foot, Rose did a polite bow before saying. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I did it by... Reflex?"

"Sit down, Velvet, or I will reflex my foot onto your face!"

"I'm deeply sorry, ma'am." Rose started before rushing over to the seat between Amber and the boy from earlier, who Rose gave massive evils to.

After the threatening expression transformed into a playful one, Rose turned to face Amber as the teacher began writing on the chalkboard.

"What was that look for, you piece of shit?" Whispered the boy with an annoyed expression.

Then, just as Rose turned to face him, Amber gave her side an elbow, causing Rose to say. "I got it."

But before she focused on what is in front of her, she gestured toward her eyes with her two fingers before pointing them at the boy while wearing a scary expression.

"..."

"..."

"..."

After a long silence ensued, as the teacher continued to write on the chalkboard, Rose raised her arms in the air as she gave herself a little stretch.

But after doing so, Rose gave the grimacing boy a slight hit at the back of the head as she whispered. "That meant to stay away, boy."

Then, with a stretch of his own, the boy also smacked Rose at the back of the head, saying. "Oops, my hand slipped."

Then, the two of them started an intense staring contest, which was broken when the boy said. "Little peacekeeper, protecting her master. Wh-"

But before the boy could finish his sentence, he received an eraser to the face, much to Rose's surprise and delight.

And the perpetrator was the person beside Rose, Amber, who then stated to the bewildered boy. "She is my friend, got that?"

But then, another boy from behind them asked. "Oh? Is it bully Dickus day already? Here, have another eraser."

"Biggus, you're supposed to take my side."

Then, as she made way for Amber to be seen, Rose said with a sadistic expression. "Sounds like YOU have no friends, Dickus."

"Grr-"

But before the boy could retort, the teacher slammed her fist onto the table before yelling. "Velvet, this is -"

"*BOOM*"

But before she could finish, a large explosion happened in the distance before being followed by a massive shake.

"..."

"..."

"..."

After the quaking stopped, everybody looked out of the massive windows with a blank expression.

And when they did, they saw a massive cloud of smoke emerging on the island.

Then, with a calm, yet shaking voice, the teacher said to the students. "Nobody panic."

"Aaaaaa!"

"Panic!"

"We are going to die!!!"

As the room and the entire school began being filled with shrills of horror, the teachers did the best they could to calm down the students.

"Hey! Put down the chair! We are not going to break open the window! And you! Don't even think about it!"

But amidst the chaos, Amber and Rose just stared at each other blankly.

With a pained expression, Rose said to her. "Amber, stay here."

"No."

"Now's not the time to be stubborn, Amber. It's definitely him."

"Rose."

"Don't try it."

"You are NO LONGER my protector, we established this."

"Amber," Rose grumbled with a furious expression.

"You might be a peacekeeper, Rose, but what will you do against him? Fly circles around him until he gets tired? Because that is very unlikely."

"Amber," Rose grumbled, only this time, it was a grumble of pain and frustration instead of anger.

"If he really wanted us dead, he would have done it earlier."

"Amber, stop."

"Rose, stay here. Or do you have a death wish?"

"I don't."

"Then, why do you want to go?"

"Because... I-I"

"What?"

"I-I... Nevermind. I'm staying, don't worry." Rose said with a sigh.

"Good. Now, let's -"

But then, another explosion occurred. Smaller than the last one, yet it somehow produced an even longer and larger shake.

And before someone could scream, everyone felt a slight, yet noticeable tilt on the very floor they stood on.

And then, everyone got on the ground or grabbed onto something instinctively as they quaked in terror. And then, the screams came.

"AAAH!!!"

"WE ARE GOING TO FALL!!!"

"EVERYBODY, CALM DOWN!!!" Yelled the teacher as she too looks visibly shaken and afraid.

As the entire island began being engulfed in screams of terror, Rose took a sudden inhale as she turned to look at horrified Amber.

She then said with an exhale. "Grab onto me, Amber. We are leaving."

With a furious, yet horrified expression, Amber asked. "This is not a choice, Rose. I refuse to let everyone die because of me."

With her own furious expression, Rose asked. "Are you willing to die for everyone else?!"

"What do you mean, Rose?! They are going to die because I had the bad luck to meet that man!" Amber said angrily.

After hearing Amber's argument, Rose gritted her teeth as she pulled on her long, red hair.

"Rose! Let's just go to him and end this!"

"Grrr!" Rose did not reply and only gritted her teeth while pulling on her hair.

"Rose!"

Then, with an incredibly angry expression, Rose grabbed her seat before throwing it towards the window, creating a massive hole in it.

"Velvet!"

As everyone else continued to panic, Rose, while still looking angry, extended her arm toward Amber while saying. "Fine, we'll have it your way! But if I am offered a choice, Amber, you know who I'm going to pick!"

Then, as she remained shaken, Amber grabbed onto Rose's arm as she said. "We will talk him out of it. That's for sure."

And as Amber grabbed Rose's other arm tightly, Rose's back suddenly emitted six pinkish flames which burned their way through her jacket.

And as everyone turned their attention to her, Rose began rising in the air as the flames on her back adjusted their size and intensity, all while lifting Amber with her.

And as everyone looked at them with desperation in their eyes, Rose flew through the hole in the window while carrying Amber.

And as the pink flames on her back went full throttle, people back in the room began screaming.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"

"MY PARENTS HAVE MONEY! GET ME FIRST!"

"RO-ROSE, COME BACK!"