It was around midnight, and the Crucis Sentinels were all over campus. Blair, who is now Epsilon Crucis, was in the eastern part of the campus scouting for anything suspicious while driving around in her motorcycle.

Cherie who is now Delta Crucis was in the western part of campus, that part being the largest. It wouldn’t be a problem for Delta Crucis since she can summon a constellation for help. Constellation summoning is a form of Aethereal techniques passed down for generations.

Different from any other summoning technique, constellation summoning is more like mutual understanding between the user and the constellation. The constellation itself needs to recognize the user as worthy of using its own power, not the other way around. Failure to do so will lead to disobedience, which may cause fatal consequences. Or simply the summoning technique will not work in which is very common.

Delta Crucis, for example, is well-versed in summoning techniques and doesn’t have that problem. Only a few or should I say a handful of Crux Nexus members can summon constellation guardians. Delta Crucis is the exception as she can summon one of the most essential constellation guardians, Canes Venatici; a small northern constellation and its name are Latin for "hunting dogs," and they often depict the constellation in illustrations as representing the dogs of Boötes the Herdsman, a neighboring constellation.

They travel in packs or in many cases they split up and partner up with other individuals. They have excellent tracking and attacking abilities. Usually, Canes Venatici is used to be in a supportive role, tracking down fugitives and other monsters.

Chelsea, who is now Gamma Crucis, was in the southern part of the campus. There she took refuge on one balcony surveying the vast agricultural field.

Erika, who is now Beta Crucis, was at the central part of the campus, perched on the highest rooftop, which was the cathedral. Her incredible depth perception and nocturnal vision, she can see clear as day from miles away.

Finally, Selena, who is now Alpha Crucis, was in the northern part of the campus, monitoring the surveillance cameras on her tablet. She even used the “borrowed” camera drones her Majesty took from the enemy.

Things were a bit silent. Not a sign of the monster or anything. Everyone took notice of the curfew and thought better of not making light of the situation. Well, not everyone… It turns out a couple who wanted some excitement sneaked out and have a little fun together. It was a dark-skinned wolf boy and his girlfriend with red hair and blue eyes. They found an empty room in the auditorium and had a little fun. The redhead pulled the wolf boy in close for a kiss as he was a bit hesitant for being out here at night in the first place.

“Don’t be shy…” The woman said encouraging her boyfriend as they both kissed. The sudden spur of romance will come to an abrupt halt when her boyfriend saw someone jumping over rooftops. This startles them as his girlfriend turns around to see the same thing.

“Whoa, what the hell is that?” The redhead said.

“Don’t worry! I’m calling the police!” the boyfriend wasting no time reaching for his smartphone in his back pocket.

In the meantime, Jacob and Natalia were driving around in the golf cart, patrolling the area on the ground. Suddenly Natalia’s smartphone rings and she answers it. “Talk.”

“We have a possible sighting of a monster at the central campus. The exact location: the art exhibit,” Ayeka responded over the phone.

“That’s the old auditorium,” Jacob finished.

“I got it. I am on my way,” Natalia said.

“Negative. Do not pursue the monster alone, Silvestri. Wait for backup,” Ayeka demanded.

“If we wait now, he’ll just kill another, so hurry up.” Natalia declined as she hung up the phone. “That little motherfucker’s mine.”

Natalia didn’t have to tell Jacob to hurry up either. It took them about a good ten minutes to get there as Natalia immediately hopped out of the golf cart and ran to the entrance of the auditorium. Jacob thought better of it and stood behind.

Natalia made her way through the darkened hallway. She could have gone left, leading to the theater; turning right would guide her in the gymnasium or straightforward to the auditorium. She took her chances and walked straight forward to the auditorium.

She minded the door and opened it slowly. The room was pitch black. However, she can see correctly in the dark, thanks to her nocturnal vision. The auditorium became a temporary art exhibit. Whoever thought to make an exhibition filled with fake monsters was a good idea for the students but the wrong time for Natalia.

You gotta be fucking kidding me, Natalia thought to herself.

Alas, she had to go through it maneuvering through sculptures of phony aliens and flamboyant movie-like vampires. What made matters worse is when she ran into another wolf girl. But this one was real, and she recognized her. The blonde wolf girl wasn’t too happy meeting up with Natalia, but neither was she.

“Ryoko!” Natalia quietly screamed. “You fucking startled me!”

“Didn’t she tell you to wait for backup?” Ryoko reminded.

“Last time I checked I am the leader here,” Natalia regarded.

“All because you’re the Grandmaster's favorite flavor doesn’t mean shit. If I want to listen to somebody with experience, I look to Ayeka.”

“Everyone, shut up.” Kayla stepped in between the bickering wolf girls, who came back from the section of oil paintings. “Control Tower received a call about someone jumping off rooftops around here. The monster’s not in the gymnasium nor the theater. Keep a lookout.”

Kayla, Natalia, and Ryoko decided it was best to split up so they can cover more ground that way. About a minute combing through the area, they found no signs of life. The time it took a few steps back and bumped into something. At first blush, she saw a werewolf. She acted accordingly as she emitted electricity in her hand and punched the werewolf through the chest.

Being a late bloomer, Natalia didn’t tap into the Nether two years after training with Ayeka. Even then, she still struggles to maintain and harness her elemental powers in the form of electricity. Bypassing this, Ayeka helped Natalia to channel such power through her fingertips. From there, Natalia can focus all her energy to her fist creating a powerful electric punch.

Natalia can also teleport herself using electrical transportation in a blink of an eye. She just recently found a way to throw electrical projectiles in the form of a ball which takes up most of her Nether energy. Her fingerless gloves and thigh-high stockings might look sexy on her, but in reality, they are also Copper-woven which helps her greatly channel electricity.

Adrenaline coursing through her veins and already out of breath, she looked at the helpless victim. The helpless victim being a werewolf— a 7-foot statue made from paper-mâché and clay. To her defense, the monster figure was heavily detailed with claws and fangs. Even the fake werewolf’s fur looked and felt real. Ryoko rushed over to Natalia, only to see another blunder.

Natalia tried to keep her cool as much as he could, but it wasn’t working as he tries to explain herself to Ryoko, “I… I thought it was the monster… My bad…”

“Well, at least you filled your quota of bad decisions in this mission,” Ryoko winked.

This pissed off Natalia, “Let’s just focus…”

Despite being physically robust and durable, Natalia is also mentally a glass cannon and doesn’t take failure or teasing very well. As Natalia tried to walk away from her latest blunder, Ryoko pulled out her smartphone to take a picture. Suddenly, her smartphone rings and Kayla’s number showed up on the caller ID. Ryoko immediately answers it quietly, “What you got, Kayla.”

“Nothing. I feel it in my gut that somebody’s here but… I just can’t seem to… track anything,” Kayla reported.

“That’s a first,” leaving Ryoko a bit worried.

Ninjutsu, sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term ninpō, is the strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practiced by the shinobi (commonly known outside Japan as a ninja). Ninjutsu was a separate discipline in some traditional Japanese schools, which integrated the study of more conventional martial arts (taijutsu) along with shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu, sōjutsu, bōjutsu and others.

Kayla also mastered Kenjutsu (swordsmanship), Bajutsu (horsemanship), Bōjutsu (stick and staff techniques), Bōryaku–(tactics), Seishinteki kyōyō–spiritual refinement), Shinobi-iri–(stealth and infiltration) Shurikenjutsu (throwing weapons techniques) and Taijutsu (unarmed combat) at a young age.

Tapping into the nether as a child, Kayla can efficiently use telekinesis and can read minds, create original projections of herself and even can predict the future which drains most of her energy and causes severe migraines. When push comes to shove, she will use her ESP abilities but as a rarity. Despite her immense mind-bending powers, Kayla always would instead work smarter and not harder in any kind of situation. She may look disinterested and spaced out most of the time, she is also an ingenious and ruthless killer.

There was no time for debate as the three immediately regrouped in the center of the auditorium. There was some space, but they have been entirely surrounded by multiple pieces of work. They were about to call it a false alarm until a soft feminine voice giggled throughout the room. Their wolf ears tuned into the sound immediately brought all three of them at all at high alert as Kayla clutched on her ninja sword with all three of them ready to fight.

“I didn’t know the Syndicate was sending hunters to the school,” the female voice echoed. “Are you sure you are qualified for this kind of job?”

The heckling female voice struck a chord with Natalia as she responded loudly, “That’s why we are here.”

“You don’t look like hunters to me…” The female voice touted as Ryoko and Natalia started to look around where the sound was coming from.

“When you kill with your own hands, there is reverence,” the female voice loudly whispered.

“Is that right?” Kayla humored.

“You’re all part of the Syndicate, aren’t you? There is no reverence in what you do,” the female voice loudly whispered again, mockingly.

Already at her wit's end, Natalia decided to speak up, “Lame ass speech aside, who in the hell are you?!”

Unknowingly, the female voice they were listening to was Beta Crucis. She was about 50 feet away from Natalia who had her back turned. Beta Crucis pulled out one of her throwing knives and threw it at one of the sculptures Natalia was standing next to. The knife plunged into the wooden statue making a loud metal thud, and Natalia immediately took notice. Her heart was racing, and so was Ryoko’s and Kayla’s.

“It’s here. T-the monster is here,” Natalia accused.

Kayla thought it was the best for them to get away from the specified area. She figured since the knife was thrown at Natalia, she would go after her first. However, Natalia wasted no time getting away from the area herself.

“Natalia, wait a minute,” Kayla demanded, catching up and walking beside Natalia.

Ryoko decided to tag along with the two since she doesn’t want to have any knives thrown at her as well. They walked a good length where the blade was. About a good 60 to 70 feet away from that area. Unfortunately, nobody was there.

Usually, Kayla Anderson, being a first-grade tracker couldn’t even find the person who threw one knife. This person was playing with them. Being focused was the key to find her. She wishes she could say the same for her two partners. Especially one who is somewhat impulsive and reckless, to begin with.

Seeing these three being wholly baffled, Beta Crucis stealthily went over to the wooden statue to retrieve her throwing knife. Taking it out of the statue and made a sound, which made Natalia flinch. She turned around to see the blade gone.

Already breathing heavy and mad as hell, Ryoko and Kayla could already feel Natalia’s anger rising by the second.

“To be quite honest, I didn’t know he would send a bunch of wolf cubs on such a dangerous mission,” Beta Crucis voice echoing throughout the room again. “The old man must be desperate…”

“TRUST ME, WE ARE NOT A BUNCH OF WOLF CUBS! AT LEAST I’M NOT A BITCH THAT HIDES IN THE DARK!” Natalia screamed, giving away their position.

As livid Kayla was, Beta Crucis already knew about their location already, “And if you’re all wondering who I am, I’m not the monster you are looking for. But I am a bit bored. How about we have some fun before our real target shows up?”

This baffled Ryoko, “Eh, the real target?”

“All three of you versus me in a game of tag,” Beta Crucis offered. Kayla was dumbfounded as Ryoko found humor in this.

“Are you serious?” Ryoko questioned.

“Does it sound like I’m not serious?” Beta Crucis sounding determined.

“Yeah, don’t push it, bitch…” Natalia bellowed.

Even though it wasn’t a good idea splitting up, Natalia took it upon herself to go along without Ryoko and Kayla. She went straight ahead with you through every dark corner. Looking behind her back every chance she got. It made no difference. Beta Crucis snuck behind her and sliced her left cheek open. Natalia screamed out in pain and immediately held her face from bleeding. As she was on one knee, Ryoko went over to the wounded Natalia. Seeing a dark silhouette running through the exhibit.

Ryoko’s primary ability is absorbing solar energy, converting it into kinetic energy and redirect it as a beam of light. She can also manipulate how big or small the solar beam can be by shooting it from her index finger to the palms of her hands.

However, it does have its drawbacks. Since this kind of magical power lies in the ‘forbidden circle’ it comes at a price. It uses too much of her own energy, and she must replenish this kind of power by being exposed to sunlight. Her nether pool of energy must be compounded by solar radiation in which she heavily relies on.

To work around this weakness, Ryoko wears a pair of Chinese silk fingerless gloves infused with nether enchantments called Raijinshou Shèngguāng. This helps her absorb twice as much solar energy, amplify it efficiently and redirect the solar energy efficiently.

Finally, Kayla showed up to see a wounded Natalia, and a frustrated Ryoko, “that’s her trick, she is using the acoustics in this place to her own benefit.”

Ryoko held her hand out like a gun and started to shoot light beams from her index finger. She fired at the silhouettes three times and missed her, only hitting the statues that were in the way. Ryoko ripped a piece of her dress and gave it to Natalia. Ever so prideful, Natalia smacked it away. The bleeding was not as profuse as it once was a minute ago, Natalia rose to her feet.

A certain sense of hopelessness and panic began to overwhelm the youngest rising stars of the Oleander Syndicate. Despite all their intelligence, brute strength and training, they were still outmatched and way over their heads. In this time, they were outclassed by a tanuki girl who took this violent encounter as a friendly game of tag. But she was no ordinary psychopathic tanuki girl, she was Beta Crucis of the Crucis Sentinels.