[Arc 7:Thread of Flame]

  (Dear little sister of mine...)

  (If you ever feel lost... let the flame lighten up your path.)

  "Big Sis!" A young child exclaimed excitedly, pointing at a specific sentence in the book she was reading. "What does this word say?"

  "Oh, that. It's a word about my name," a girl with reddish hair tied in a ponytail replied, sitting beside her little sister in anticipation. "Can't you read it?"

  "It's too dark for me to see though, Big Sis."

  (If you ever feel abandoned... don't let the flame inside you die out by itself.)

  The girl with the ponytail let out a sigh. "It's Elinira."

  "Eli... Eli... Uhm, Aria!" The child exclaimed, not caring about the true name written in the book whatsoever.

  "Huh..? My name is not Aria, you foolish girl," the girl with the ponytail stated, confused by how the child had decided to say her name.

  "But it is much easier to say for me! In fact, it's more lovable!"

  Hearing such a statement from the child, the girl with the ponytail went silent for a moment.

  (For our threads shall intertwine once more... let us meet again as our bond connects us once more.)

  "If that's what you want to call me," the girl with the ponytail moved her hand to the child's head, gently patting her with love. "Then so be it."

  The child chuckled in amusement, looking with bright innocence toward Aria. "Really?"

  "Yeah. As long as you can remember me well..."

  "...that's more than enough for me."

  With that, the scene was consumed by a bright light, a sign that the memory had finally ended.

  (A few hours ago, before the attack)

  Aria, now dressed in casual clothes, sat on her bed inside her dorm room for one last time. Most of her belongings were already packed away in boxes, ready for her departure. She stared intensely at her wand, her fingers clenching it tightly.

  "It's time," Aria whispered. She stood up, ready to leave the room behind, but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.

  "Come in."

  In response to her permission, the door opened to reveal Rein. He was also dressed casually, clearly prepared for his own departure from the campus later on.

  "Is there something you want, Rein?" Aria asked, confused by his sudden appearance.

  "Well, I just wanted to know what you’re planning to do now. Knowing that we’ve graduated and all," Rein answered, resting a hand on his hip.

  "Hmm. I... don't know yet," Aria replied, her eyes momentarily focusing on the floor before shifting back to Rein. "But we'll see. I have other plans that I need to attend to, anyway."

  "Like what?"

  "Just personal stuff," Aria said, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them. "Rather than asking me, what are you going to do now?"

  "Go back home. Like Saria and the other graduates. Though, Noire, Revir, and I were thinking of having one last drink together at the cafe," Rein stated, a slight tone of sadness lingering in his voice. "I mean, we’re going back to our normal lives. Each of us has our own path to take after this."

  "Is that so?" Aria paused, then snorted in amusement as she realized the real reason Rein had come to her room. "If you really want to say goodbye, just say it properly, you gloomy guy."

  Hearing those words, Rein’s eyes widened in surprise. He quickly looked away, brushing the back of his head in embarrassment. An awkward silence took over, causing Aria to let out a deep, annoyed sigh.

  "I need some fresh air. My mind has been fuzzy all morning, you know?" Aria stated.

  "O-oh. I guess I should leave, then. Sorry for disturbing you," Rein replied, feeling a bit guilty.

  "No worries. It’s probably because I've been sleeping so late these past few days."

  "I see," Rein said, turning toward the hallway. "See you later, then, Aria."

  "You too."

  Once Rein stepped outside and left her alone, Aria let out a heavy sigh. She gripped her head with one hand, clenching her hair in frustration.

  "Really, this headache is a mess. If she saw me in this condition, she’d scold me to my core," Aria mumbled to herself, still managing a small smile despite the pain and frustration.

  As Aria stepped out of the campus, she spotted an unfamiliar, suspicious figure standing alone just outside the front gate. He wore a cloak, hiding his face in its shadows. Feeling wary as her expression hardening, Aria decided to confront the mysterious man.

  "Do you have business around here?" Aria asked, readying her wand behind her back.

  "Oh, I do have business around here. And it is such a joy to see you've grown up so well," the man replied, his tone gentle. He pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing a half-burned face and short, dark hair. Aria widened her eyes in absolute horror upon saw the man's face. "My darling daughter."

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  Suddenly, countless fireballs erupted from a massive red magic circle above, raining down upon the Verlyn territory.

  Noticing the glow, Aria turned back toward her campus. Shock washed over her as she witnessed a hideous scene: flames were already engulfing the entire expanse of the academy grounds. Anger fueling her heart, she immediately morphed her wand into a broadsword, spun back toward the man in front of her, and swung her blade in a blind rage.

  Just as she swung her sword, a sudden teleportation magic circle appeared in front of the man. A girl wielding a clawed gauntlet materialized, catching Aria's attack.

  "I-I'm sorry for disturbing your reunion, S-Sir Kent..!" the girl stated nervously. She had messy, short dark hair and wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a long, dark blue skirt. "I-I couldn't hold back my excitement when it came to meeting Big Sis Elinira..!"

  "Big sis, you say..?" Aria's frustration and fury escalated further and further. "I don't know who the hell you are... But the only one who can call me 'Big Sis'..." She gripped her sword tightly with both hands, channeling her energy until fierce flames coated the blade. "...is the one I actually acknowledge!"

  As she finished her declaration, Aria delivered a devastating strike against the girl's claw, launching her backward away from the campus. The man, however, simply sidestepped to dodge the girl who had just protected him, letting her get hurled away on her own.

  At the same time, the citizens and remaining students who saw the raining fire falling toward them began to run wildly and screaming across Verlyn, panicking as they desperately tried to flee the territory. Noire, Rein, and Revir, who were currently in the cafe, noticed a sudden, oppressive spike in temperature. The three of them stepped outside, their eyes widening in great shock as they saw the countless fireballs illuminating the sky.

  "What in the world..?" Rein mumbled to himself, utterly confused by the sudden chaos.

  Then, the loud snap of someone's fingers echoed in the ears of the citizens, catching their attention and forcing them to look toward the source.

  "Hello, my dear audience," a man with slightly long, grey hair said, appeared in front of Verlyn's gate. He then bowing respectfully with a fedora held against his chest. Afterward, he raised his head and placed the hat back on. "I hope you are enjoying our performance so far. But fear not, it's not over yet."

  The moment his speech ended, a sudden slash tore through a male citizen. A girl with blonde hair tied in a side-tail had seemingly materialized right in front of him. She thrust her bloodied sword into the man's chest and violently swung it upward, cleaving the man's head in half. His lifeless body collapsed to the earth, pooling blood over the ground from the gruesome wound.

  The surrounding citizens, upon seeing this, darkened their expressions in absolute shock and disgust. They slowly backed away, but the girl, flicking the blood from her sword, gave them the gaze of a starving predator. Showing a maniacal smile, she charged toward her next victim. She was suddenly interrupted, however, by Rein. Having already morphed his wand into an azure lance, he clashed directly against the girl's sword, sending a loud metallic clang echoing throughout the plaza.

  "Noire! Revir!" Rein shouted, already struggling to hold back the immense force of the girl's strike. "I'm going to hold this girl off for a moment! Use that spare time to evacuate every citizen!"

  Hearing Rein's demand, Revir and Noire nodded silently and immediately took the lead in evacuating the panicked citizens.

  However, their plan to evacuate was interrupted. A man covered in bruises across his face and limbs, wearing a thug-like coat and sporting dark blue hair, stood in their path. His posture radiated discipline, and his expression was calm yet deadly as he glared directly at Noire and Revir.

  "You two must be one of Miss Elinira's friends," the man said with a cold, calculated voice. He readied himself, pulling both hands from his pockets to reveal sharp, bare knuckles resting on the surface of his hands. "Worry not. We are not here because we want to kill you. We just want to send a gift to our master's daughter."

  As his speech ended, he immediately charged forward, readying his knuckles along the way. Noire, having morphed his wand into a massive shield, stepped in to protect the citizens by taking the impact of the man's strike himself. However, to his shock, the force behind the man's punch was immense, more than he thought it could be as he was hurled backward, rolling across the ground in agonizing pain.

  "Noire!" Revir exclaimed, shocked that Noire was taken down in a single hit.

  But before he could rush to Noire's side, the man quickly delivered a punch toward Revir. Left with no other choice, Revir morphed his wand into a halberd and clashed against the man's knuckles, catching the blow on the weapon's hilt. In that moment, Revir gritted his teeth in frustration, struggling to hold his ground against the man's overwhelming power.

  Meanwhile, in the field behind the campus, Grey, Erika, Mary, and Mira emerged from a dark pool created by Mary's dark ender. Their eyes immediately widened in horror as they saw the campus and its surroundings engulfed in flames.

  "W-what the hell happened here?!" Grey shouted, feeling absolute disbelief at the unfolding chaos.

  "There is fire everywhere. Is there someone trying to attack the campus?" Mary asked aloud, feeling the tension rapidly escalating around her.

  "But why? It is not like there are any valuable resources left there anymore," Mira stated, equally confused by the sudden, destructive situation.

  Hearing their statements, Grey let out a heavy sigh. "And here I thought I could retire and take all the items from my office," he mumbled to himself, feeling deeply disappointed. "Anyway, we have to evacuate the remaining citizens. They might be in grave danger."

  "Hold," Erika said, swinging her arm out to block Grey, Mary, and Mira's path. "A figure stands before us. Their very presence speaks of a master’s skill—one seasoned in the art of war."

  Hearing her warning, the three of them looked forward. In the distance, they noticed a woman with long hair, a mix of reddish and slight orange hues, looking around. A red katana rested at her waist, and her entire existence seemed to be glitching in and out of reality. She wore a red veil that obscured her face, along with a red kimono wrapped elegantly around her body.

  Seeing her, a profound sense of dread lingered within Grey's heart. "Are you going to fight her, Erika?"

  "Naturally. I cannot suffer a foe of such caliber to pass me by. Leave me to this task, Uncle. For now, see to the safety of the common folk," Erika stated, her hand already resting against her katana's hilt, eager to begin the clash.

  Seeing the fiery spirit of his niece, Grey let out a resigned sigh. "If you say so," he replied with an expectant tone. He then turned toward Mary and Mira, offering a suggestion. "Mary, Mira. We are going to separate here. I want us to search every possible corner to see if there are any citizens currently in hiding."

  Listening to his plan, Mary and Mira nodded in agreement.

  "Good. Evacuate everyone you can find! And if you bump into the attackers, do not hesitate to strike back!"

  With that, the two girls rushed toward another side of the territory, separating as they began their search for possible survivors.

  "Good luck, Erika. You will need it," Grey said. He then rushed toward the opposite side, heading directly for the campus in hoping to find any students who might have survived the fire.

  Hearing her uncle's parting words, Erika snorted in anticipation. "Will do, Uncle."

  As Grey finally arrived inside the campus, he couldn't find a single student within. Only the thick smell of dust and ashes lingered in the air. He searched room after room, desperately hoping to find any slight sign of life, but it ended in utter disappointment. He only found the lifeless body of a student who had been crushed beneath heavy, burning wood from the ceiling, their body charred to a crisp.

  Giving up, he exited the campus building, only to spot Aria facing off against Kent, her broadsword drawn and ready.

  "Is that Aria?" Grey mumbled to himself, feeling slightly nervous as he watched her from behind a ruined structure. "I need to call Carol about this. This attacker might be a personal matter for her, considering that guy didn't attack her immediately."

  With that thought, Grey pressed the transmitter device wrapped around his neck, desperately hoping his voice would reach Carol's device.