Sylvester and his friends simply stood there frozen despite Leonardo’s invitation, so he opted to make them feel a bit more comfortable.

“Don’t just stand there! Come in!” He repeated as he gestured for them to move closer.

Silently Sylvester and the rest walked inside as Sylvester noticed some newly placed table and couch that wasn’t present the last time he was there. Leonardo then each gave each of them a cup of tea before they began their talk.

Still, the four remained quiet and docile.

“Ah, I don’t get why they all seem so fidgety. I understand mr Sylvester being a little bit more reserved now but I wonder why those other three are acting like that.” Leonardo thought to himself, completely oblivious to the fact that being called to the principal’s office is kind of scary, and will always be scary no matter how old you are.

“I guess right now you are wondering why I called you all here.” Leonardo said, finally breaking the ice.

“Did we do something wrong, uh Headmaster?” Estelle asked in a meek voice.

“No, why would you think that?” Leonardo immediately replied, dismissing the thought. “Anyway I called you here because I wanted to give you some extra instructions regarding the mission you just accepted.” He said.

“Oh that. I see now.” Estelle let out a long exhale as if finally being able to relax.

“So, Headmaster. What do we need to know?” Sylvester asked with a rather serious face. He obviously has a small idea of what the headmaster was about to say.

“To put it shortly, this mission was once a simple investigation that turned into a full blown joint operation.” Leonardo said as he looked at Sylvester.

“Up until recently, there was an increase in ghoul activity throughout english soil. While at first it was speculated to be just separate freak cases, now we have some good reason to think they are all connected. And frankly it has become a rather jumbled mess of red tape, it’s complicated.”

“Red tape? Are there people interfering?” Rossa replied.

“Well. Interfere is a strong word, more like there’s an overly complicated dialogue about who will and how we should deal with this matter. It’s annoying, but don't think too much of it. ” Leonardo continued.

“Sadly I really can’t give you the complete details because your mission is a relatively small part of a bigger picture. You’re there to gather info and stay at the outskirts for the most part.”

“Info gathering? Well it did say investigate on the paper.” Artian reacted.

“Yes. You see, I at least felt that it would be fair for all of you to know more details about the mission and also to let you know that there’s a chance that things can get hairy. So my request is for all of you to retreat at the first sign of danger and send out a signal.” Leonardo said in a serious tone.

The rather desperate sounding request bothered the four as they didn’t expect this kind of pre-mission briefing. Right now they feel like they just walked into something pretty big. That being said they really don’t want to back down.

“So, with that in mind. Would you four still want to take up this mission?” Leonardo asked and much to his surprise, one of them answered immediately.

“Yes we would like to, or rather we have to!” Estelle said in an assertive tone.

“Sylvester said that this mission was something he coincidentally dabbled in before getting to Inanis Orbis. But I want to confirm something for myself first.” Estelle said as she looked at the headmaster.

“He said that there were no missing people’s reports despite all the ghouls. So I would just want to know. Those hypothetical missing people, does this mean they were all-”

“There is a lot of factors that can come into play when were talking about those hypothetical missing people but your hunch is probably correct.” Leonardo answered before Estelle could finish her question.

“I see, then all the more reason for us to do it. The sooner this ghoul infestation is dealt with the less lives will be lost and be forgotten. It’s too cruel! Those people probably died all alone, and yet there is no trace of them. Not even their loved ones can grieve for them.” She said with a rather convincing voice full of conviction, to which Artian could only smile and nod in response.

There was no need for words, as Artian’s face said all the things he wanted to say.

“This may sound rude, but I didn’t expect this whole very justice-y side to you Estelle, but you are right.” Sylvester followed through. “We will do what we can to help.” Sylvester obliged.

Leonardo then turned his head to face Rossa, at this point Sylvester and the rest knew what he was going to say next.

“How about you Miss Rossa. Are you willing to take a risk for a world that’s not even your home?” Leonardo asked a rather front loaded question, but to his surprise she immediately responded without hesitation.

“Yes. I should do what I can for the people who were kind enough to take me in after all.” She paused. “Plus, you did say this was my duty as a mage. I won’t back down.”

With everyone’s feelings on the matter accounted for, Leonardo could not help but smile in satisfaction. It seems there was no need for worry, and everything was going smoothly.

“I see. What great resolve all of you have shown me today. It warms my heart that the youth still have the fire of duty burning within their heart.” Leonardo said as he stood up.

“I apologize that I can’t give you the full picture but. Mr Sylvester, I would want you to bring this with you just in case.”

He then went behind his desk and took out a long black case that was about a meter or so in length. Afterwards he walked back to the four and placed it in front of them for all to see. Once all their eyes were on it, Leonardo opened the box revealing a simple and beautiful looking staff.

It was merely a bluish metallic stick that was about a meter long, hosting a colorless crystal resembling a diamond at the top as its crowning jewel. The crystal was held in place by an ornamented sliver nest.

Overall it felt very sophisticated and expensive, so much so that even Rossa was taken aback by the outside extravagance.

“This is a simple staff that holds a magic stone. Oh and don’t mind the artistic uh liberties I took but I enjoyed making this staff.” Leonardo declared. “Oh and that magic stone is very high grade. I’m pretty proud of it myself actually.”

“Headmaster, y-you made this?” Artian asked, still can’t believe what he was seeing.

“Yes, and I would like for you Mr Sylvester to have it, just in case.” He said as he closed the case shut once again and offered it to the man in question.

Sylvester then took hold of it, but could not stop himself from asking a very obvious question even though he understood why he was given this.

Like Estelle earlier, he simply wanted to confirm something.

“Why are you giving me a magic staff?” Sylvester asked. To which Leonardo smiled, and surprisingly, gave him a rather detailed answer.

“Well, let’s just say this will help you a lot with that gift you were given before. But mostly, it’s because it might be connected to this case, and its gift is the strongest spell you have.” Leonardo said in an ominous tone.

Once those words were spoken, Rossa, Artian, and Estelle all focused their eyes on their leader, Syvlester, who seemed to have an even deeper connection to all of this.

“But that doesn’t mean you should use it at first sight. Not that you could anyway since it’s quite an annoying spell to use if your parents' report was to be believed, only fitting as a last resort.” Leonardo continued talking. “You are only allowed to use that spell as an emergency measure. That being said I am placing you responsible for your team’s lives.” He said with a stern voice.

Sylvester then tightened his grip on the case’s handle before he decided to reply.

“Yes, headmaster. I understand.” He said as he bowed and excused himself. The rest of his team followed him immediately, but now there was a heavy silence that choked the air around them that tailed them once they were back outside.

Rossa, Artian, and Estelle, all didn’t know what they needed to say. They wanted to ask about what exactly did the headmaster mean by his words, but at the same time, the subject was a rather sensitive one considering how Sylvester reacted.

The three of them started to feel like they were brought together by some force, as they realized that each and everyone of them have some sort of story to tell.

Sylvester too, realized this change in mood and awkward dancing in silence, so he let out a loud sigh and decided to clear the growing clouds.

“When I was younger, I think I was 13 or 14 at the time.” Sylvester began to speak, deciding to give his friends some much needed context.

“Me and my parents were in this really packed market or street, I don’t even remember where this was to be exact, I think it was somewhere in southeast asia. Anyway, in the blink of an eye, I suddenly found myself all alone lost in a sea of people.” He continued as he noticed Rossa’s right hand cover her left, forming a tightening grip.

“I wasn’t scared, this wasn’t the first time I got lost and they usually just find me a few seconds later. But, to my surprise, they didn’t show up immediately. So, being the dumb kid that I am, I decided to keep walking and walking until I reached this antic shop that looked dilapidated and old.”

“I could feel myself being beckoned towards the door, towards inside, even the crowd seemed to split and paved me a path to follow. I then found myself inside this shop. It was dark, dusty, and strangely quiet despite the bustling street I just came from.” Sylvester’s left hand then moved towards his chin, scratching it moments later.

“It was also filled with tons of weird trinkets, old trinkets. But at the center was a table with a card placed face down, and on its side was a very clean mirror, out of place really. The card had a strangely vivid depiction of the night sky printed on it and I soon found myself closer and closer towards it, until I flipped the card over and then I saw a symbol.”

The moment Sylvester mentioned this detail, the other three could immediately guess what happened next.

“And then pain started to trickle in, but I don’t need to elaborate on that anymore since you all know what that feels.” Sylvester smiled. “Then I saw it in the mirror. Something was standing behind me. I don’t remember too much except for one thing, it was wearing an upside down smiling mask.”

Seeing that his friends were now staring at him mortified, he then decided to end the discussion there. They then went with the usual routine, ate dinner, and separated though there was an uncomfortable silence throughout. They also needed to finish packing up for their mission.

Artian was in a very prickly situation since it felt kind of awkward after Sylvester gave them that insight. Even back in their dorm, he found it hard to try and speak to his friend until he suddenly heard him scream.

“NO! MR TINDY! WHY DID YOU EAT MY EXORCISM SEALS!” Sylvester yelled out as he lamented over the pieces of paper he was pulling out of his hat, only to find one last piece of white paper with japanese characters written on it.

Seeing his friend’s miserable state made Artian feel relaxed.

“Why am I getting so worked up over his little story? The dude himself doesn’t seem to give a shit.” He thought to himself as he started laughing at Sylvester’s misery.

“Stop laughing, Artian! This is a serious blunder! I said stop it!”

---

Nice