“Cain!” Seraphina called, despite being early in the morning. She seemed to have calmed down after how angry she seemed the night prior, Cain walked to see her, confused as to why she’d call for him so early.” Cain walked down exhausted as Seraphina began to speak, “Due to the disappearances can you start going to school with Rip?” She asked with a worried tone in her voice. “Rip, huh?” Cain said thinking about it and nodding his head, Cain wasn’t well acquainted with Rip but he decided to agree nonetheless if nothing else it’d help keep Seraphina from worrying.
“I heard my name!” a more gruff voice called out as a boy similar in age walked out, with spiky black hair and a black coat, He had a shiny round light blue pendant worn around his neck, Rip was almost never seen without this, sharp red eyes and sharp teeth he grinned as he walked out to greet the two. “Oh! Good morning Rip!” Seraphian greeted cheerfully as Cain gave a small wave to him, “Mornin’ ringmaster! Hey uh…” Rip snapped his fingers remembering, “Cain! That’s it!” as Cain nodded slowly it seemed Rip was as loud and annoying as ever. “I’m transferring to your school today!” He said with excitement, Cain sighed for the longest time he was the only member of the circus to attend.
“I know you walk with Lala a lot but the recent disappearances have made me worried. Rip has always wanted to go to school and he’s one of the best at hiding his monster form so I decided to send him with you.” Rip nodded enthusiastically, unlike Elizabeth before him Rip actually looked fully human right now so Cain saw no harm in accepting even if Rip often got his nerves.
Cain quietly nodded as Rip cheered, despite his rough and intimidating appearance Rip was a friendly boy and cheered. “Have a good day you two, Cain try to show Rip the ropes please.” With a nod and wave from the two they set off to begin their day Rip following behind as Cain shows him the route towards the school. As the two continue down the route Cain stops and looks around after a bit, “That’s odd…” he mumbled to himself. Rip was confused about why Cain stopped suddenly as Cain continued to speak, “Usually she meets me right here… I wonder if she’s sick today…”
“She?” Rip asked.
“Lala, you know the human friend I made…” Cain said, a little embarrassed.
“Ohhhhh…” Rip started smelling the air trying to see if he could locate her, “Huh…” He said walking, “I picked up something but it ain’t a human.”
“It’s not?!” Cain said confused as Rip nodded.
The two investigated as Rip went towards the scent as Rip puts his arm out in front of Cain, “This is as far as ya go Cain… could be somethin’ dangerous.” Cain was annoyed but agreed, stepping back as Rip got closer. “It’s…. Eh?”
“What is it?” Cain questioned.
“It’s… a pumpkin… a carved one?” Rip said, stepping out showing the carved pumpkin.
The face carved into the pumpkin gave a malicious smile but there seemed to be nothing else wrong with it, it almost looked like a lost halloween prop here. “Odd…” Rip mumbled
“Why would someone just drop this off here…” Cain questioned, both decided it’s probably just nothing and continued on. “So I guess Lala isn’t going to school today… odd” Cain mumbled to himself as Rip listened to him, “She almost never misses a day, is she working at the commission for something I wonder…” Rip nodded his head and reassured Cain of course that’s all it is. “Yeah that’s gotta be it, ‘sides ain’t there a ton of humans and monsters goin’ missin’ right now? I bet they got all hands on deck tryin’ to figure out who’s doin’ it.” Rip said with confidence in his voice. Cain smiled at his attempts and knew Rip was most likely right before quickly returning to his normally neutral expression. “I guess you’re right, come on we’re going to be late.” He said, clearing his throat as the two boys continued towards the school.
As they arrived Rip was called away for registration purposes, as Rip made his way to the office Cain returned to class. Rip walked down the hall taking in all the sights around him, “So this is a human school wow… if we had this many people at our shows we’d be huge…” Rip mumbled as he walked until he picked up a scent again. Sniffing the air, “Vegetable… squash…. Pumpkin?” Rip said looking all over and in the corner of a room, peeking from the vents of a locker were glowing yellow eyes. Triangular shaped with an orange glow, it was a Jack ‘O Lantern, “aww man… another of those weirdo decorations?!” Rip said with a sigh, putting a hand to his face.
As Rip continued down the hall towards he continued mumbling, “Come on Rip, you’re the cool role model aintcha?! The cool guy everyone wants to be, don't let some vegetable mess with your head.” Rip said to himself as he walked into the office of the principal and took a seat. The principal was a small older man with round glasses,he had a friendly smile as Rip walked in to greet him, “Ripley Varon correct?” Rip nodded his head, though his real name was Rip it seemed Seraphina had given him a human name to go under. “Yep! That’s me, but ya can just call me Rip!” he said, friendly, with a big grin. The principal smiled warmly, he wasn’t used to students being so forward and friendly as he looked over a document. “Well then Ripley, it seems you have been assigned here please make your way to this room.” Rip looked at the paper, it was the same class as Cain. Rip sighed in relief and began making his way there, looking at a school map to figure out where he was.
Classes had already started and Rip took notice, “Geez this place is almost completely empty now… feels like a ghost town…” As Rip continued down his path he once again was taken by a familiar scent, the same scent of Pumpkin but this time… burning as well. “What in the…” Rip said looking around him, and once again out a window staring at him, was yet another Jack O’ Lantern, Rip was confused but once again wrote it off as a decoration. “That one’s got a candle… pretty cool…” Rip chuckled as he continued down his path, exiting into the courtyard when he stopped suddenly realizing. “Wait… I didn’t smell the Jack O’ Lantern by the locker. I smelled it near the door this time…” his eyes widened when he finally realized turning around to see the pumpkin moving.
A shadowy robe fell from under it, the fire in its eyes manifested and a pair of white hands appeared holding a burning lantern as it began to cackle, “KA KA KA KA KA HOW UNFORTUNATE!” a high pitched voice boomed from the pumpkin as it turned to face Rip, “I WAS GOING TO TAKE YOU FOR MY MASTER QUICKLY BUT YOU JUST HAD TO STICK YOUR NOSE WHERE IT DIDN’T BELONG HUMAN!” Rip gulped as he looked around, he was stuck in the courtyard, he had to go somewhere else, Rip took a step back with a scared expression. “KA KA KA KA! I AM JACK OF THE LANTERN, MASTER WOULD LOVE MORE HUMANS TO FEAST ON WOULD YOU COME WITH ME?!” its voice again booming as Rip took off back into the building. “Master?” Rip thought to himself as he ran, breathing heavily, “G-Get away from me!” Rip yelled as he ran from the courtyard into the hall.
“AWW DON’T RUN IT’S ONLY DOOM KA KA KA!” It was relentless from its lantern fireballs flew towards Rip, disappearing before hitting any walls. Rip dodged them, clicking his tongue as the next fireball vanished before making contact with a wall, “We’re in a school… it knows if its fire hits something the sprinklers are gonna activate huh…” Rip said, running through.
“COME ON, JUST GIVE UP I HAVE INFINITE STAMINA YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER!” Rip noted that, infinite stamina. So just running isn’t near an option as Rip approached the entrance to the school he opened and dashed out, running down the road stopping behind a tree in a park to catch his breath. “AWW YOU DIDN’T THINK I WAS JUST LOCKED TO THAT SCHOOL DID YOU?” Jack taunted as he appeared again in front of Rip as Rip smirked with a smug expression. “Nah I knew you weren’t just locked in there but y’know…” Rip said as his sharp teeth grew sharper, fur appeared on his face and he began to grow in size as his voice got deeper.
“School’s are monitored areas y’know, lots of security spirits like you don’t show up on cameras but I would… so I had to lure you out.” Rip said as his shifting was complete, black flur covered his body, his hands turned into paws with large sharp claws. His eyes now fully red with a dark glow and shadow energy radiated off of Rip, Jack stopped stunned as for the first time his booming intimidating voice showed fear.
“Y-You’re… a werewolf?! Not a human?!” Jack said with shock as quickly Rip launched forward to the spirit claws first, Jack quickly floated up to dodge the attack. “But I thought werewolves could only change their forms under a full moon?!” Jack said in a panic, Rip’s fanged mouth twisted into a sharp grin, “That’s right… but this pendant I got puts ME in control of my form.” Rip said once again launching at Jack, who was overwhelmed, Rip’s speed and power increased immensely he couldn’t get a good lock for an attack! “Werewolves are keen fighters, you can’t run away forever Jack.” Rip taunted the spirit who once arrogantly chased him around. Jack grew frustrated that his power was challenged by this child, he stopped and from his lantern a large ball of flames grew, changing its color from red to blue then finally to violet. The flames burned it was hard for Rip to breathe under its immense heat, “You foolish child growing some fur isn’t enough! I was going to bring you to my master but no! You die here!” Jack unleashed the ball of flame at Rip who simply grinned, his claws glowed purple as Shadow Energy channeled into them, with a spinning motion like a drill Rip launched himself at the attack, drilling through the flames and then directly into Jack’s lantern, shattering it.
As the lantern shattered Jack screamed, flames exploded all over rising into the sky until an empty pumpkin fell breaking into pieces when it hit the ground. “Go back to the demon realm, scum.” Rip said, pointing at the smashed pumpkin and leaning against a tree, with a heavy sigh his form slowly shifted back into that of a human’s and he returned to school. He was scolded for being late but nonetheless was welcomed. Cain questioned where he had been but Rip dodged them until school was out. That evening the two were walking back to the circus together.
“So what made you so late, it’s not like you to get lost like that…” Rip nodded, “That pumpkin was trying to take me away…” Cain stopped stunned to hear this, “It’s master… take you?” Cain put his hand to his chin thinking. “Yesterday a spirit attacked me too… it was lurking in the park…” both Rip and Cain agreed they had to report this to Seraphina who was also trying to track down the culprit of the disappearances and they rushed to the circus to update the ringmaster.
Seraphina listened to the boys’s stories and sighed, “So even my own are being targeted…” she said quietly. “Thank you both, please stay safe next time.” She dismissed the boys back to their rooms and sat by herself in thought, “2 different spirits… a flame spirit and a Jack O’ Lantern… those often see each other as rivals both using fire and causing mischief… are they working for the same cause…” She pondered to herself, “This case I thought had one culprit… could it be a group working together, or a monster with that much power over others.” Seraphina shook her head, she still didn’t have enough information to figure out what was really going on, nonetheless the night resumed and she had a show to prepare thus she decided to stop worrying, but she would resume her investigation soon enough.
