Aftermath

The sounds of sirens blaring filled the streets of Astrovia. Ambulances rushed towards Rakuzan. Parents who received news of the incident, swarmed the gate of the school.

"Where's my child?" a mother screamed

"How could you let this happen?" a father queried.

Some parents burst into tears upon seeing their children in injured states. As the commotion unfolded, Ryder and his friends stood by watching. Not long after, Ryder felt a familiar presence coming from the gate. It was the first time he had ever seen an expression on her face, and it wasn't a positive one.

Emilia walked through the gates followed by a young man with short yellow hair. His name was Lance, the lieutenant of Squad two.

"Please calm down Captain," Lance said while breathing heavily.

"I never pictured Her actually being worried about someone," Lance thought as he watched Emilia continue to walk while ignoring his presence.

"I already had enough problems on my hands, now this..." Emilia muttered.

"Tch..."

As she approached the crowd, her eyes danced around, searching for Ryder. She caught a glimpse of him and he noticed immediately. She stared at him, sizing him up from head to toe and then shifted her focus to someone else, Layla. It was only for a short while, but Silver and Violet felt shivers run down their spines when their eyes met Emilia's.

"That's your sister?" Silver said, exhaling, releasing all the tension in his bones

"Scary can't even begin to describe her," Violet added, tracing Emilia's movements with her eyes until she was out of sight, blocked by other people around them.

"You don't look scared to me," Silver replied.

"This is the first time I'm actually seeing her like that. It's usually bad, but not this bad," Ryder said.

"I wonder who that was, with her..." Ryder added, a sense of curiosity lingering in his words

"Oh, that's the lieutenant of Squad two," Violet answered

"Right, Silver?" She looked at Silver, aiming to confirm her answer

"Yeah, that's him. Lance..." Silver affirmed.

"I see..." Ryder said, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening within the crowd. He saw Emilia approaching their principal, Layla but he couldn't make out the words they were saying.

"You're also wondering what they're talking about too, same here" Silver looked at Ryder

"H... Huh? Yeah. But I can't make out what they're saying," Ryder sighed.

"I should be able to hear them if I focus," Violet smiled.

She stared at Layla and Emilia who were currently engaged in a conversation. She was immediately met with Emilia's piercing gaze causing her to stumble backwards.

"Y... Yeah, I think some things a better left, unheard," Violet said, wiping the sweat from her forehead while breathing heavily.

"Your sister's definitely not human," she sighed.

Emilia approached Layla, her demeanor less violent than it was, before seeing Ryder. Upon setting her eyes on Emilia, Layla got down on one knee, "Captain Emilia. Please accept my apology for the current situation. This is a result of—"

"What's the situation?" Emilia asked, interrupting Layla, and ignoring everything Layla had been saying.

"Four sentinels, including myself, went into battle," Layla began to report.

"Two are confirmed dead, and one, in a life threatening situation," she explained further.

As Layla gave her report, Emilia scouted the area with her eyes, watching students as some of them were being carried into ambulances, and some were still trying to gather their minds and recover from the trauma of what they just experienced.

"Some students sustained injuries in the course of this battle, but none of them are life threatening," Layla added.

"As for the enemies, their leader was killed in battle, but we've currently subdued the other five who played a major role in the fight," she concluded.

Emilia turned her eyes towards Layla who was still on her knees. She could see the frustration and anger Layla was trying to hide.

"What are their names," Emilia asked, her tone, giving Layla a hint of the answer her question requested.

"Armstrong, and Lian died," Layla grit her teeth.

"R... Reinhart is currently in a life threatening situation. They said his chances of survival are low." She added.

"This really is a precarious situation," Lance whispered to himself.

"Where are their bodies," Emilia asked?

Layla got up from her knees and led them away from where they were standing. They approached an ambulance close to the gate and she opened the back door. Inside it were two beds, each covered with white clothes.

Emilia gestured her palm towards the bed on the right side of the vehicle. The body on the bed began to float towards her. She placed it down in front of her and lifted the cloth covering the body, revealing Lian's burnt body.

"She witnessed the battle to the end, right?" Emilia asked

"Yes," Layla replied.

Emilia got on her knees close to Lian's corpse and placed her palm over her. Lian's body began to glow. Her burns began to heal and her body was returning to its original state, free of injuries. Her skin glowed as this process took place. Layla, and Lance stared at the event taking place in front of them, remaining speechless.

"What I'm doing is reversing time for her physical body to the point it was before it sustained any injury," Emilia explained.

"However, I can't return her spiritual body."

"I understand," Layla recognized what Emilia's words implied.

"At least, she can be buried in a dignified state."

"Still, that's impressive. This is the first time I'm seeing her use that one," Lance muttered.

"Now, time to go through her memories," Emilia placed her palm on Lian's head.

As the memories of their experience on the Island rushed through Emilia's head, she raised her head, different images unfolding before her eyes.

She lifted her palm from Lian's head and got up, "I see... That's what happened."

"Reinhart..."

"What was his name again..." Emilia closed her eyes, trying to recall the name of the school's owner.

"The owner... Professor Valtorix. Where is he?" Emilia asked Layla.

"He's probably in his office," Layla replied.

Emilia turned her back towards Layla and began to walk away. Lance waved to Layla and immediately followed Emilia.

"You might be immortal, but you're still human. You should get some rest," Emilia said before she vanished out of sight, along with Lance.

****

The walls of Professor Valtorix's office were lined with holographic bookshelves that display digital tomes, flickering with arcane knowledge. The scent of ionized air mingled with the subtle hum of energy fields that protect these precious works.

The central desk was a smooth console of responsive crystals, projecting 3D images and interactive data with a mere gesture. Above, a skylight revealed the artificial sky of the academy's dome, where simulated weather patterns entertain the eye.

The window was a transparent display, offering a live feed of the academy's grounds, where students interact with virtual reality landscapes and robotic instructors.

Valtorix sat at the center of this technological treasure, his back relaxed against the floating chair, with his eyes closed. His mind was currently overwhelmed by thoughts revolving around Rakuzan's current ordeal.

"What a troublesome situation we're in," he exhaled heavily

"You're lucky no student died," Emilia's voice pierced through the silence, startling Valtorix.

He rushed to rise up halfway from his seat before he saw Emilia, "Ca... Captain Emilia."

"You really shouldn't do things to give this old man a heart attack," he sighed and returned to his initial position.

"I'm glad I didn't lose any of our students, but still, I lost some children who were precious to me."

"These people... They're not just ordinary attackers," Emilia said, walking slowly towards Valtorix's desk.

"The island they were on, it's close enough for me to sense if anything was wrong."

"But that barrier they erected, it severed the location it engulfed from our world, making it a temporary existence in another dimension," she stopped and placed her palms down on the Crystal surface of Valtorix's desk.

"Even the time flow was different. Days had already passed for them. Meanwhile we only experienced hours pass here."

"To create a barrier strong enough to block my senses..."

"Strong enough to render me unable to sense the presence of the barrier itself..."

She raised her head, locking eyes with the Professor, "Do you know how much mastery that would take?"

"You're lucky you got an outcome as bright as this," she said

Valtorix exhaled once again, placing his palm against his head, "I see... Your methods of motivation are quite scary compared to your brother."

"I'm not trying to motivate you Professor, I'm just providing a logical analysis of the situation," Emilia replied, rising up.

"But right now, the first pressing issue you need to handle..."

"Rakuzan's security is top notch," she said, acknowledging their precautionary methods.

"There are three barriers protecting the school," she began to analyse.

"The outer barrier, strong enough to counter the strength of a grade 1 B ranked threat," she raised her index finger.

"The second one in the middle, a grade 2 A ranked..." She raised her middle finger.

"The inner barrier, a grade 1 A ranked..." She raised her ring finger.

She turned her back, shifting her eyes towards the ceiling as she continued her analysis.

"In addition to that, each of them are complex, so breaking through brute force or deciphering the formula is not an easy task."

"But it's not impossible either..." She added.

"But the moment something happens to any of the barriers, your security team is alerted."

"The only way to get past the barriers are if you have one of your ID cards on, or if you got permission from the security team, and you'd be immediately informed if such permission is granted, right Professor?" She asked Valtorix who remained silent.

"I'm guessing you weren't informed about anything," she began to walk away from his desk.

She gestured her hand towards a sit at the far end of the right side of his office, moving it from it's position and placing it in her line of movement.

"Any use of force would also immediately be reported as an attempted break-in, but that didn't happen either."

"That all points down to one thing Professor."

As the tension in the air built up, the expression on Valtorix's face slowly turned into a frown. He knew what Emilia was saying for he had already considered the same thing.

Emilia arrived at the chair she set in her path earlier and sat on it. She placed her elbow against the right armrest and relaxed her cheek on her hand. The expression on her face remained unchanged, showcasing zero emotion.

"Professor..." She once again locked her eyes with Valtorix's. "There's a traitor amongst your ranks..."