The festivities have ended and normalcy has once again reigned over Inanis Orbis as the students retired from their energetic day. However, as the neophytes continued on with their student life, a storm was beginning to brew as more clues and signs began surfacing.

Leonardo was enjoying a cup of tea inside his office, trying to relax as much as he could while the night was relatively young when suddenly Mona Lisa opened the door without even bothering to knock.

Leonardo stared at her figure as she walked towards his desk, knowing full well the reason for this impatient intrusion. On her hands was a black folder with a red seal pasted on to it, carrying information that he desperately needed to review.

“So my dear Mona Lisa, I’m guessing that’s the compiled reports?” He asked as he adjusted his weight on the chair, leaning closer towards her.

“Yes, oh and I also added the official response from our friends of the cloth.” She said as she handed Leonardo the black folder.

“Response huh? I didn’t think it would be this quick. Maybe those stubborn old fools are starting to turn around.” He jokingly replied.

“It’s more like the situation might be more complicated than they expected and are hoping it won't escalate any further.” She declared as she sat down on a chair in front of Leonardo’s desk.

“Complicated? I see. I think I know the gist of it.” Leonardo then opened the folder and red through the contents.

After a minute or so of reading, his eyebrows furrowed as a complicated expression showed on his face. He then took off his monocle to scratch and pinch his eyes, letting out a loud sigh.

“It looks like their bid to try and fish out the mystery benefactor has led to some disturbing discoveries. It would be in our best interest to try and put the stop on this as fast as possible.” He sighed.

“However, this can potentially grow into an even bigger probelm, and I hope we won’t need to involve our buddies at the UN.” He added.

“So, headmaster. Is it what the Clearsights initially suspected?” Mona Lisa asked.

“Oh most certainly yes.” He then took off his golden monocle and started to inspect it in an exaggerated fashion, raising it upward against the light of inside his room.

“This is the work of a Lost Item.”

Mona Lisa didn't have any immediate reactions and instead replied in a calm manner.

“So, should we mobilize the Hunter units?”

“No, the clergymen want us to sniff for clues and hand over the rest of the information to them.” Leonard replied as he handed over the folder back to Mona Lisa.

“And we’re just going to abide by their demand or are you planning something?” She asked.

“My instincts tell me that I don’t really have to do anything too drastic, buuut I do feel I need to nudge a few things here and there.” He then flashed a smile at Mona Lisa whose expression remained serious all throughout.

“You had a vision?”

“No, not exactly. I just have gut feeling that we have what we need to resolve this, though I also feel that I will suffer someone's wrath if I go through with it. Nothing ventured nothing gained!” He replied as he stood picked up his cup to sip some tea while seemingly in deep thought. He then glanced at Mona Lisa.

“Say, don’t you think the phrase “expect the unexpected” is somewhat paradoxically silly?” He asked in a mused tone.

---

Inside a decrepit crypt deep underground, a restless soul continues to stir in the darkness. The cracking of bone and tearing of dry skin could be heard loudly as the only sounds that seemed to pierce the ever heavy veil of silence.

Lately the Lich had been more restless as he realized his memories amounted to nothing more than vague fragments broken up like shattered glass. He did not know who he was, or what he was. He had been acting on a simple instinct of recovering his power. But why? Even he himself does not know.

However, all that he could right now is hope that all his questions will be cleared upon quenching this unbearable thirst.

“Where are my offerings?” He asked onto the empty void in front of him, a barely audible tint of impatience could be surmised from his raspy and dry voice.

Soon a hooded figure entered hurriedly into his chambers carrying a single candle that cut through the dark. It went and stood before the dry corpse and proceeded to bow his head.

“My great master! I have some bad news.” The figure spoke in a frightened tone.

“Where are my offerings?” Was all the reply it received. Unperturbed by the seeming indifference its master showed, it then continued to speak of the events that had transpired.

“M-my lord. Our numbers have dwindled greatly! The enemies above seemed to have tracked down our scent! My lord please, at this rate we won’t have enough to sustain ourselves let alone offer to you!” It said in a desperate tone.

“Please understand, great master! We need to go into hiding again! It won’t be long before they find this place themselves!” The hooded figure continued to plead, however his words seemed only to reach deaf ears.

The Lich then slowly turned his head, cracking and tearing as it went along, and opened its eyes revealing empty eye sockets where the whites have long dried out. It then stretched out its hand towards its hooded servant.

“M-master? What are you doing?” The hooded figure then stood up and slowly backed away in fear.

“If you have nothing to offer me. Then simply just offer yourself!” Those words rang across the dark room like thunder during a storm as an eerie blue glow then radiated from the corpse’s empty eye sockets

“Master please no!” The poor figure then tried to run away but soon found that its strength was quickly being whittled away.

A blue haze of energy then started oozing out of its body and made its way towards the outstretched dry hand causing it to slowly regain color and vitality.

“Master! Please! Mercy!” The figure screamed and beg, but its pleas started to die out as the seconds went by and soon all that was left of it was the black hood it used to cover itself.

For a brief moment it seemed that the Lich was starting to gain more pronounced flesh and skin as the lively color from his arms started to slowly climb towards the chest and head.

“Ah yes! My body is!” He started shouting with joy, his voice too started recovering some life. However, this all proved to be a false hope as he quickly reverted back to the mummified state.

He then silently looked at his dried up and shriveled hand as an immense burning anger fueled by frustration started to grow.

It opened his mouth and let out a loud inhuman shriek that seemed to shake the very walls of his forgotten and dilapidated crypt.

“How.. much… longer.. should.. I… wait!” he screamed in frustration as it started firing off different elemental spells indiscriminately, lighting up and scattering the dark as patches of flame littered the room.

His tantrum however, was short lived as he heard footsteps that was followed by an accompanying third strike in between each thud. As the sudden visitor was about to turn and enter the room he then blasted the entrance with a furious inferno.

But despite the raging flames that blocked the entrance a masked figure engulfed in orange flame entered the room seemingly unaffected as it slowly approached with cane in hand. Despite the orange glow, a downward facing crescent and two slits at the bottom could clearly be seen on the mask.

It then stopped in front of the Lich, silently looking and observing, the mask hiding the wearer’s face. But for some reason, he knew that there was a sly smile hidden beneath.

“Is this how you treat a guest?” The figure said in an amused tone with a voice that sounded like an amalgamation of numerous other voices ranging from small children to adult men and women. It sounded distorted and wrong, yet strangely clear.

Yet this voice made in unclear whether it was a man or woman.

“I was a bit excited coming down here seeing as I just got this really beautiful tailored black suit.” The figure explained. “After all that I’ve done, this is how you repay me?” The figure continued to talk as the flames kept burning.

“And I was trying to finalize what this new Identity should be known as too!” The figure declared as it stood there with its arms crossed.

“All you’ve done?” The Lich replied in retaliation, his anger building up again. “Even with your so called help I am nowhere closer to recovering my strength!” He shouted.

“And now, the forces that walk above have started to hunt my minions down! You said you would deal with this kind of situation!” He continued to yell.

“Well yeah I did!” The masked figure replied as it conjured a golden book with black trimmings on the side. It then opened its pages that seemed more like it was made from aluminum foil and not paper.

The figure then placed it closer towards the Lich’s face and pointed a figure towards the large list of names written on it.

“See? I was doing my job! Sadly it seems that me doing any sort of intervention also caused them alarm. People have really gotten smart.” The figure explained and before the Lich could reply, it continued to speak.

“But, if I didn’t do this you wouldn’t have survived for a day. No matter how prepared or powerful you think you are. Nevermind that, without me you wouldn't even be able to speak the current tongue!” The figure said as it closed the golden book and made it disappear.

“And why do you need power anyway?” The masked man asked only to get nothing more than a defeaning silence.

“Ah right. You think getting power and getting your life back will make you remember who you are?” The figure suddenly declared as the Lich continued to stare at him.

“While that hypothesis itself is incredibly debatable, I don’t really think it would matter too much. If anything else, even if you do regain your past prowess you will still be easily crushed like a bug under a boot.”

“You, insolent little-!” the Lich replied but was soon shushed by a burning figure gesturing to him to continue listening.

“You see, me amigo, the world at large has changed. It has moved forward, unrecognizable from the one you barely remember.” The figure declared in a mocking tone.

“You are nothing more than a teenee tiny blip, in an infinite plane of existence. In short, you don’t matter at all. But fret not, for with my help you can be so much more!” These words however were only met with another barrage of flame and fury.

The figure then let out a sigh of disappointment as the Lich continued to pepper him with ineffective elemental spells.

“It’s okay, let out all your stress! It’s good for your few hundred year old system after all!” The figure said as it stretched out its arms wide, welcoming a large fireball headed its way with open arms.

“Oh and yeah, by the way I came to give you this!” The figure suddenly declared as it produced a very small metallic cube with uneven surfaces, throwing it to the ground causing it to suddenly morph into a large unassuming metallic box.

It looked plain and boring, so plain that it was strangely difficult to notice even when you are looking at it directly. The figure then raised its head and faced the furious corpse sitting at the throne.

“Now listen well, my skeletal friend. Let me tell you of my elaborate little scheme!”