The darkness of the dead of night and the whiteness of the falling snow blend to create a collage of white and black. What am I thinking? I’m so bored that my thoughts have become like the things around me. That is to say, flurry. That’s a good word for it. Flurry.

  “Charlatan, are you paying attention?” Penelope asks as she crouches behind a tree.

  I lean my head up against my tree as I count the branches. “Yes, I am, Penelope. I was paying attention the last time you asked an hour ago. I know you said the Student Council is short-handed, but can’t we let them take care of this part at least?”

  Garus shivers as he hides behind a nearby bush. “Can you really trust the Student Council? If you want something done, you should do it yourself,” he says as his teeth chatter.

  Hopper hops down from the tree. “You guys do know that we’re trying to be stealthy, right?” he asks, a bit annoyed.

  “We’re going to freeze out here if we don’t distract ourselves,” I say as I look over at Dianthus Hall. “Are we even sure he’s in there?”

  Hopper looks over at the window. “Yeah. I can still hear him in there. The real question is, when do we expect him to leave?” Hopper asks.

  Penelope takes a bite of a cookie. “Based on what I know about that magic circle, they’ll want to try that spell again soon, or the residual mana will dissipate.”

  “That could be anytime in the next 24 hours. Are we going to stalk for the rest of the night? Plus, they’re not stupid. They wouldn’t go back to the scene of the crime the very next night,” Garus says as he munches on a cookie.

  “I don’t know. From the little I’ve talked to them, they didn’t seem like the brightest candles in the shop,” I say as I look at the cookies.

  “And what exactly are we going to do if they do try to cast that spell again?” Hopper asks as he takes a nibble out of a cookie.

  “We will- Wait, where did you guys get these cookies?” I ask as I look at them.

  “They’re yours,” Hopper says, obviously lying.

  Penelope doesn’t say a word as she quickly eats her cookie.

  I look over at Garus, who sighs. “The Cooking Club was having a bake sale earlier. We bought some when you went back to your room,” Garus says, shattering my heart.

  “Do you guys not like my cookies?”

  Hopper scratches his ear. “We like your cookies, but these cookies were just a change of pace. They’re different.”

  Penelope avoids making eye contact. “These cookies aren’t as good as yours. They were just available.”

  Garus looks me straight in the eyes. “I like these better.”

  “I see how it is. I guess you guys don’t appreciate what’s right there in front of you. I will remember this betrayal. Buying cookies from the enemy. Might as well have stabbed me in the back,” I say as I take out one of my cookies.

  As I dramatically recount the betrayal, Hopper's ears twitch. “He’s moving.”

  “Convenient,” I whisper under my breath.

  The four of us watch as a cloaked individual, I can only assume is our cult leader, Mr. Drak, exit Dianthus Hall. As he disappears in the distance towards Iris Hall, we begin to follow.

  “Hate to bring this up now, but is anybody worried about the number of second years that we may be running into here soon?” I ask the group as we trudge through the snow.

  Garus’s foot gets stuck in the snow as he goes to answer. “He’s not even in the advanced class and obviously relies on dark magic. I don’t think they’re as formidable as you might think,” he says as his foot comes free.

  “Lord Garus is right. Plink Drak may be a second year, but he’s nowhere near as dangerous as Lupin. We can take him,” Penelope explains as Iris Hall comes into view.

  “I would recommend we don’t let our guard down, though. Complacency is the leading cause of death for experienced hunters,” Hopper says as he effortlessly traverses the snow-covered ground.

  They’re awfully confident. It probably has to do with their [Level] and [Skills], but given what I’m working with, I'd better be careful. After all, a second year could sneeze in my direction, and I might just fall over. I carefully tap the hilt of the Sacrificial Dagger. I’m not entirely sure it was a good idea to bring this thing with me, but leaving it back in my dorm seemed like a recipe for disaster. At least now I know where it is at all times, and just because I can’t equip it doesn’t mean I can’t [Throw] it at somebody. After all, it’s still a dagger.

  As we enter Iris Hall, we stop our ceaseless chattering. We’re trying to get the jump on them after all. Following Mr. Drak, we eventually make it back to the Cooking Club room.

  Wow, I was right. They really are that dumb.

  He enters the club room as we sneak up on the door. Penelope cracks open the door, letting us listen in on the conversation inside.

  “How is it that The Chosen One still breathes life?” Drak asks the other cultists.

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  “We’re sorry. We had poisoned his and Lord Garus’s food, but he shrugged it off,” one of the minions says with a hint of surprise.

  “Shrugged it off? That poison is from a Dark Orchid. He should’ve been writhing in pain before his inevitable demise. What of the Sacrificial Dagger?” he asks.

  “We searched his room while he ate lunch, but we couldn’t find it. We believe that he has it on him,” another minion says.

  Drak shakes his head. “Incompetence. Inelegance. Inferiority. Bring me the Durook. I’ll have to do it myself.”

  I look over at Penelope with a confused look. “What’s a Durook?” I whisper.

  Penelope shakes her head. “It can’t be.”

  Garus’s eyes go wide with surprise as one of the minions brings out an evil-looking book. “Princess, is that what I think it is?”

  She nods her head. “That’s the magical tome, Durook. An artifact from the era of the First Chosen One. Known to hold a thousand curses. I thought the forces of evil stole it in the last great war,” Penelope says as her eyes stay glued to the gnarly-looking book.

  “I’m getting the feeling that it’s a dangerous book,” I say as I reach my hand into my pouch of rocks.

  “It is. History states that the Durook was created by sacrificing the lives of a thousand killers. Their corrupted souls were then bound in the book. Their hate amplifies the power of the curses,” Garus explains as if reading off a definition.

  “Not to be rude, but if it’s so bad, shouldn’t we try to stop them?” I ask as I watch Drak crack open the book.

  Everyone’s eyes go wide as Drak begins to recite an ancient curse. Before he can finish, we burst into the Cooking Club, pulling their attention to us.

  “Ah, welcome. It’s about time that you joined us. It’ll make it easier to kill you here rather than hunt you all down. Kill them,” Drak orders his minions as he continues to chant.

  Hopper lets loose an arrow that heads straight for the Durook, but before it can reach the arrow stops midair. It then turns around and flies straight back at Hopper. Penelope rushes forward, hoping to block the attack. As she moves, an invisible force suddenly hits her, sending her flying through the club room.

  Seconds away from Hopper's eye, the arrow stops in its tracks. “Move!” Garus says as he strains to hold the arrow in place with his [Skill].

  Hopper quickly moves out of the way moments before Garus loses his grip on the arrow. It then flies past Hopper and into the wall, leaving a hole through it.

  “‘We can take him,’ she said. ‘Not as formidable as you might think,’ he said,” I say as I take in the view around me.

  “Enough complaining. We need to stop Drak before he completes his chanting,” Garus says as he lifts the nearby pans with his [Skill].

  Hopper slides over behind a counter as he lets loose a volley of arrows at the minions. The majority don’t hit as they are sent flying back. I quickly duck as I watch some of the pans that Garus threw come flying back. Penelope grunts as she’s battered around by an invisible force.

  Ok, think. Hopper and Garus are useless due to whatever [Skill] the cultists are using to throw their projectiles back. Penelope is being occupied by another one of the cultists [Skill]. All the while, Drak is reciting an ancient curse from the evil curse book, Durook. They knew we were coming. Which is why it seems like they’ve fully countered us. That leaves us with only one course of action.

  “Garus, Hopper, fire at Penelope!” I yell out.

  Penelope looks confused as Garus and Hopper look at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

  “Are you insane?” Garus asks as he throws another pan at the cultist.

  “We might hit the Princess,” Hopper says.

  “Trust me. Just do it. She can take it,” I say as I grab my pouch of rocks.

  “I’d rather not have to take it!” Penelope yells as another invisible force slams into her.

  Hopper shakes his head as he draws his bow. “Sorry, Princess!”

  “You'd better know what you’re doing,” Garus says as he readies to throw a bunch of pots towards Penelope.

  The moment that Hopper and Garus let loose their attacks, I [Throw] my entire bag of rocks at the pots and arrows. In a messy deluge of attacks, I watch as the rocks ricochet at random around Penelope. One of the rocks slams into something that seemingly isn’t there. Penelope swings her greatsword, slamming into the invisible cultist. With one hit, the cultist falls unconscious.

  Penelope huffs and puffs as she looks down at the arrows in her arm and leg. “I’m going to remember this,” she says as she rushes towards us.

  Before she reaches us, she disappears and then reappears behind the line of cultists. Now that Penelope is distracting them, Hopper and Garus send a volley of arrows and pans. With their formation broken, the cultists are unable to stop their attacks. Bit by bit, the cultists fall until there's only one left standing.

  Drak looks around him with confusion. “Not another step,” he says as a darkish red energy convulses in his hand. “I’m sure you know what this is. Take one step, and you’ll wish you had never been born.”

  “Dispell the curse, now, Drak!” Penelope commands.

  “Quiet half-blood! I will not be ordered around by an inferior like you. I’m the one in charge. I am the superior one here. You have to listen to me!” Drak yells as we watch him.

  I watch Penelope as she tenses her grip on her greatsword. She’s about to do something stupid. I’ll have to beat her to it.

  “Oi, Drak!” I yell as I stand up from behind the counter.

  “Devil! This is all your fault. If you hadn’t become The Chosen One, I wouldn’t have to do this, but you’re a threat. You’re a symbol to the inferiors. The longer you live, the bolder they will get. I can’t have that!” Drak yells as I step closer.

  “Hate to break it to you, Drak, but you’re not superior. Hells, you’re not even in the advanced class, and a bunch of first years just foiled your plans. I don’t know about you, but that sure doesn’t sound like a superior to me,” I say as I slowly step closer.

  “Your Devil tongue won’t save you now. So, don’t even bother trying to convince me to change my ways. You’re a blight on this school and in this empire. I will rid this world of you,” he says as he points the curse at me.

  “Who said I was going to try to convince you? I don’t see any hope in you, only hate. I can’t and won’t help someone like you,” I say as I [Throw] the Sacrificial Dagger at him.

  The hilt of the dagger slams straight into his forehead, knocking him out, but not before he lets loose the curse at me.

  Shit.