Underground, Origin Pillars
"Why is it not activating?" The Principal frowned deeply, unable to understand why the pillars, which had once activated with ease, suddenly stopped functioning.
The students, clueless about what was happening, stood by nervously, waiting for the Principal to take action. The Principal moved from her position, meticulously inspecting each student to ensure they were performing the activation correctly.
After a thorough check and finding no apparent issues, the Principal returned to her position and addressed the students once more, "Say it again."
""""""""""Log In""""""""""
'Ssssshhhhhhh!!!'
Just like before, the pillars abruptly lit up with a burst of energy, only to die down almost instantly.
"..." Principal's frown deepened. She instructed the students to step away from the pillars and await further instructions, her frustration barely concealed.
She then called Alaric over, asking him to inspect the pillars for any signs of damage or malfunction.
Meanwhile, the students began murmuring amongst themselves,
"It must be because of the old dust," Kai mumbled, glancing at Aqualina for her opinion. Aqualina replied, "I don't think so..." as she pointed to the spotless surface of the pillars, indicating there wasn't a single speck of dust on them.
Kai clarified, "I mean the whole cave. The dust must have caused something to get stuck or blocked...." He was merely speculating, grasping at straws for an explanation.
"Possible..." Aqualina nodded thoughtfully but couldn't shake off a different suspicion, 'But looking at the Principal, it seems to be something else...' She observed the Principal and the professors' actions intently, trying to discern any clues. MVLeMpYr-only
Kai opened his mouth to contribute more to the conversation, but seeing Aqualina's contemplative expression, he hesitated and held back his thoughts.
'Thud'
Someone nudged him. Turning his head, he saw Leon looking at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Leon leaned in and whispered, "I think you should man up and speak freely, otherwise she'll be the one riding you, not the other way around." Leon's wink only added to Kai's embarrassment.
Kai's face turned crimson at the suggestive comment 'Riding', but he quickly gathered himself. Now wasn't the time for such distractions. Clearing his throat, he whispered back, "At least my girlfriend talks to me..." his tone laden with sarcasm.
Leon's eyes twitched in response. He glanced over at Raven Noir, who was staring blankly at the wall, seemingly indifferent to the situation around her.
Leon sighed and whispered back, "Unlike me, you got a free pass from her parents...." He had been doing everything he could to win Raven's favour, but she remained distant and detached, unaffected by his efforts.
"Hehe," Kai chuckled softly, feeling a surge of pride for his father's successful matchmaking.
Thinking about 'match'... He still needed to talk with Lia.
He needed to mend their strained relationship; otherwise, he feared losing her..... Thinking about her again, Memories of Lia's unwavering support and she was always the one to initiate the conservation.
He had bought a special gift for her, hoping it would help patch things up and restore their bond.
Just as he was lost in these thoughts, Leon's voice interrupted him, "You know... does your sister have a boyfriend or fiancé?" Leon's question snapped Kai back to reality, and he frowned as he looked at him.
Leon, noticing Kai's reaction, quickly added, "She is kind of cute, you know. I'm just asking. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."
Kai sighed deeply. He knew his sister was attractive and that she might draw unwanted attention. That's why he had even made a fake promise to Timmy so that he would protect her from other bastards when he was not around.
But the person before him was the Arcane King, so Timmy might back off.
Kai considered his options. He knew Leon was a good guy, friendly with everyone, and most of all... He was from a noble family, so it seemed fine. However, it had only been a day since Kai met Leon, so he decided to observe him further to see if he was truly worthy of his sister.
"I'll tell you..... later," Kai finally said.
Leon's eyes sparkled with happiness, and he hugged Kai tightly, shouting,
"I truly love you, man!!"
Hearing that declaration, the Principal and Professors flinched, casting glances at the two gays before resuming their work.
The students looked at them in disbelief, stepping back cautiously..... Especially Raven, who took a few more steps back.
Aqualina wore a look of astonishment, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"N-No, it's not like that!" Kai shouted, his embarrassment evident.
"Shit!" Leon realized his mistake, pushing Kai away and saying,
"I-It's boy's love, you know... brotherly love! Sharing and caring!!"
Hearing that, the students were even more shocked, their expressions a mix of confusion and amusement.
"You're not helping, idiot!" Kai shouted back, his face flushed with deep embarrassment.
Ignoring Kai and Leon's situation, the Principal focused on the issue at hand and discussed it with Alaric.
"Should we call the Archpriestess?" Alaric asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
The Principal pondered the suggestion. They had found nothing wrong with the pillars: no cracks, no dust, no other unknown interruptions, nothing..... Yet, somehow, they weren't activating.
'Calling the Archpriestess... might be a good idea,' the Principal thought. Just as she was about to make the call,
'Twitch'
Her ears twitched as she sensed something and looked up at the cave's ceiling.
"Is something wrong?" Alaric asked, noticing her sudden alertness.
"Hmm..." The Principal responded thoughtfully, then turned to the two professors and asked them to check outside. Though reluctant, they nodded and left the cave to investigate.
"Did something happen?" Delphine asked, seeing her colleagues leave with reluctant looks.
"Hmm," the Principal nodded but did not elaborate. She called the students again, determined to give it one more try before resorting to calling the Archpriestess.
Jack Sparrow watched the departing professors with a smirk, 'Did he finish the job already?' he wondered and glanced at Kai, who was approaching the pillar once more.
'I wonder how he's going to react when he finds out his sister was killed by agents from the Umbrionis Void Empire... Hehe...' Jack chuckled inwardly.
He knew his grace had already sent a few people to look for Kai. However, Jack had manipulated them into believing that kidnapping Kai's sister, who was weaker, would be the easiest way to lure their target.
He couldn't let Kai be taken by those agents; otherwise, he knew his grace would kill him without mercy for lying.
So, when Kai's sister was taken, he instructed his puppet to eliminate her. That way, the blame would fall squarely on the Empire.
He also instructed his puppet to eliminate Lia if possible, because he wanted to pull someone behind Lia.