“Can everyone please give it up for Team Vivisect! They’re live and in person! Defenders of the Western Wayside! Slayers of the Waygone Wailing!”

“Owners of the loudest teammate ever…” Mike complained, opening up their hotel room door. “Didn’t we get enough of that at the meet and greet, Andy?”

“And everywhere else.” Andy mentioned, dropping his bags onto the couch. “I thought you liked getting hyped up like this?”

“Before meeting fans, not after a long day…” Mike said, sitting on the bed and taking off his shoes. “And they don’t all sound like that.”

“Oh, come on, Mike. Even you can admit they all borrow from the same script.” Vanessa pointed out, passing right through and landing on another one of the beds. “For once, I’d like to hear them completely skip the Waygone Wailing stuff.”

“That was a big moment for us.” Mike reasoned.

“That was a decade ago!” Vanessa argued back, laying over the sheets. “We took out three Wailing the other day, and I guarantee nobodies going to care about that epic bout in, what, five, six weeks?”

“Ahh, but remember what Rusty says.” Andy interjected, hunching his shoulders, and putting on a nasally voice. “You’re building a brand…it’s all about your public image…remind people what Vivisect stands for…”

Vanessa chuckled to herself, hitting the bed. “Now do him on the phone!”

Andy mimed picking up a phone. “Hello, Sherri. Of course, I love you…of course I’ll be home soon…but you’ll have to wait another twenty minutes, I’m currently five feet deep up some TV presenter’s ass getting Team Vivisect another interview they don’t need…”

Vanessa was red-faced, struggling to breath from laughing too much, as Mike gave Andy a knowing look.

Andy knew what he was going to say. “What?”

“Rusty does good work for us, and you know it.” Mike argued, standing up.

“Yeah, I know…” Andy said, sitting against the couch. “…and he can be a total hard-ass.”

“We need a hard…” Mike said, before rethinking his phrasing. “…we need someone to watch out for us. He takes care of the important details we don’t have time for.”

Vanessa had finally recovered, only to watch Andy now miming Mike behind his back, rebuilding her laughing fit once again.

“We wouldn’t get half our research grants or material without his effort, and he’s managed to keep us relevant for far longer than most teams.” Mike pointed out, Andy still miming him. “And sure, he can book us in for too many interviews, or insist on a cheap movie being made about us, but that’s only because we take on every challenge, we’re…”

Mike finally faced Andy, catching him mid-act, as Andy played it off with a feigned innocence.

“…given.” Mike finished, going over to close the blinds to their room. “I’d rather be known as the team that faced everything head on over the team that sat by whi-“

…rumble…

“…what was…”

…rumble…

…rumble…

…RUMBLE…

…RRUUMMBBLLEE…

…RUMBLE…

…rumble…

“Whoa…” Vanessa let out, looking at Andy. “What was that?”

Vanessa turned to Mike. “Was there something out there?”

Mike was still by the window, having yet to close the blinds, as he froze in place, unable to move his arms.

“Mike, buddy, did you see something?” Vanessa asked, getting up to check on him.

“…what…”

Vanessa and Andy looked at each other.

“…it couldn’t be…” Mike said, a noticeable shakiness in his voice. “…there’s no way…”

———

“…this enemy takes that many hits!” Harley yelled, throwing away her controller. “How’s it resistant to both fire and shock damage?”

“Well, we’re twenty stages in.” Sola pointed out. “Things are bound to get more difficult from here.”

Harley slumped into the couch. “How much longer does the game have?”

Sola counted on her fingers. “About…six hours.”

“Ugghhh!” Harley groaned, her head falling back onto the couch. “Hurry up already!”

“Come on, Harley. We can do this!” Sola encouraged, unpausing the game. “We’re basically at the end already! We’re just about to confront the henchmen, then we’ve gotta raid the fortress, protect the captive from assassins, travel to the outer reaches, expose the monarchies corruption, end the demonic ploy, and escape the burning ruins with our frien-“

Harley let out another groan. “But that’s so much!”

“And it’s super worth it!” Sola exclaimed. “Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”

“…okay.” Harley let out, bothering to pick up her controller again. “…you better keep on top of healing.”

“Yessir!” Sola exclaimed, saluting playfully, before losing focus on the game and taking damage. “Oh, dammit.”

Right after reviving, the dorm door opened, as Julia came in, collapsing next to Harley and Sola.

Harley looked to her and hit pause. “You okay, girl?”

“Did the search not go well?” Sola asked, closing in on her.

“We looked everywhere…” Julia said, sighing out. “He’s not on campus. Or he is, and he’s hiding from us…”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Harley said, hugging Julia’s side. “Joleicia told me she asked the security to help look too.”

“Yeah…Dulce is pretty cool…” Julia let out, a noticeable lack of energy in her voice.

“Don’t worry, Julia. We’ll find Florey at some point.” Sola encouraged. “And then we’ll smack him upside the head for making you worry.”

Julia nodded, as Harley picked up her controller again.

“How’s, uhh, how’s…Wess?” Harley asked, a bit tentatively. “She seemed okay when she left.”

Julia smiled a bit. “She’s good. We had a…talk about Cyrus, but she’s handling it so much better than she has any right to.”

“I hope I don’t break up with anyone.” Sola added. “It’d feel pretty weird sharing a class with them too.”

“Me and Chops seem to manage.” Harley pointed out.

“Wait, Chops is your ex?” Sola asked, getting a donk on the head from Harley.

“How much info do you actually retain?” Harley questioned.

Julia laughed a little, before turning her attention to the game. “Is it any good?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun.” Harley said, handing Julia her controller. “You wanna have a go?”

“Uhh, sure.” Julia said, already in better spirits. “Seems easy eno-“

“Fatal Injury.”

Julia turned to the screen, barely being given a chance to play, before realising her character had already died.

“Oh, that was…” Harley started. “How did that happen?”

Sola looked back at her. “You can keep playing, if you want.”

“…maybe later.” Julia said, taking a second, before getting up from the couch and wandering to the kitchen, checking the dates on the calendar to distract herself.

Only a few weeks until the end of semester. She realised. Time really flies.

———

Dulce tapped her foot impatiently, resting on her knees in Faller’s waiting area, just outside his office. As the Head of Security, she was used to early wakeups and sudden demands from higher-ups. Nothing about that was startling.

However, the lack of any other staff members was definitely throwing her off.

“Geez, Faller…” She muttered, trying to get comfortable. “Make a woman wait like this…”

“Hey, Dulce.” Called a voice, as Seears arrived from down the hall with noticeable bedhead.

“Oh, thank Reun…” Dulce let out, jumping out of her seat. “I was so worried about being the only one called here.”

“Do you know why Faller asked us in?” Seears said, checking his reflection in his tablet casually. “I swear, my boyfriend nearly threw me out the window for waking him up so early…”

Dulce looked around, more out of obligation, then shrugged her shoulders. “Staff meeting?”

Seears’ eyes drooped. “In the dead of morning?”

Dulce was noticeably embarrassed. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s a little…cloak and dagger, you know?”

“I’m in charge of PR. Cloak and dagger is fine with me.” Seears reasoned, taking a seat. “No point getting stressed out about it.”

“Unless it’s something worth getting stressed about…” Dulce said, shuddering at the thought.

“That’s paranoid thinking.” Seears said, tapping the seat beside him. “Come on, we can wait.”

It took a little over thirty minutes for the rest of the staff to arrive, the second-last obviously being Ferris, just as put off about the early wake-up as everyone else.

“You don’t know either?” Cecil asked.

“Why would I know?” Ferris groaned, pulling out her flask.

“You live with him.” Cecil said, as Ferris rolled her eyes.

“He doesn’t tell me shit. Hell, he drove here without me…” Ferris admitted, hardly stomaching her drink. “That’s the last time I’m taking the Flash-Rail. I’m stealing his car keys again…”

“Alright, hold up.” Seears said, interjecting. “I get me and Dulce being here, along with Science Boy Ceci-“

“Head Scientist Cecil.” Cecil quickly and pointedly corrected.

“Sure, whatever.” Seears said. “So, why’s Ferris gotta be here?”

The trio looked to Ferris, curious as to her place in this, as Ferris herself shrugged them off and took another swig.

“The guy hates me. He knew waking me up and dragging me here would piss me off.” Ferris reasoned, pocketing her flask. “He’s a secret sadist.”

“Kind words, Ferris.” Faller said, cutting through the crowd, as he emerged from his office, the door now open to the group. “Don’t make yourselves comfortable. I want to be brief.”

“Do you mind telling us why we’re here?” Cecil asked, as the other filed in. “You were pretty light on details.”

“I couldn’t risk the information getting too public.” Faller said, placing himself in his seat, as Seears took the opportunity to raid his liquor cabinet. “First of…Seears, what are you doing?”

“What? Ferris gets to drink.” Seears said, offering a glass to Dulce, who turned it down. “I’m a bartender, it’s fine. Please, continue.”

“…I’ll get to the point in a second. We’re still waiting o-“

Just as he said that, a knock came from the door.

Vice-Principal Coatsworth was now standing in the entrance, a curious look on his face, but visibly unaffected by the early hour.

“Right on time, for the most part.” Faller said, indicating to the seat beside Ferris. “If you would.”

“Of course.” Coatsworth replied, as Ferris glared him down. “Do you know why we’re here, Ferris?”

“Shut up.” She barked, pulling out her tablet, Faller letting it slide as he turned to address the room.

“I’ll cut to the chase.” Faller said, the group looking back at him. “As of last night, several residents of Michiri, along with Team Vivisect, saw a large group of Wailing crossing the border from the Eastern Wayside to Central Point.” Faller took a moment to breathe. “…numbers were reported in the hundreds.”

“Holy shit…” Dulce let out, the rest of the room having a similar reaction.

“It’s…unclear where they were headed, or even their exact numbers. These are mostly rumours at this point.” Faller clarified. “But I think it’s fair to say we don’t want a repeat of the welcome event.”

“Hundreds?” Coatsworth asked. “Th-that can’t be…”

“It…it isn’t unprecedented.” Cecil explained, struggling to maintain his demeanour. “Wailing have been known to gather in these sorts of numbers before. They most likely originated from the north of the Aishanara Forest…”

“And that’s coming here?” Seears let out. “Great, there goes the academy.”

“Alright, come on people. Get over yourselves.” Ferris argued, standing up from her seat. “We don’t even know if they’re coming here, considering there’s all of Central Point and fucking mountain range to cross, or even if there are hundreds. This was at night after all, the dark can play tricks our vulnerable little eyes.”

“And I’m not risking anything.” Faller declared in a tone insisting Ferris sit down. “For now, we treat this like it’s happening. We just got the support towers back up, I’m not about to risk the whole campus. Dulce.”

Dulce snapped out of her shock and faced him. “Yes, s-sir?”

“Get those reinforced defences ready. I want increased patrols, and patrols into the forest as well. If we can keep an attack away from campus, we will.”

Dulce processed his request, then took a deep breath in and saluted. “Yes, sir. This campus is now a fortress.”

“Cecil, I need you to look into their potential behaviour or migration patterns. If we can predict movements, then we’re one step ahead.”

“Right away.” Cecil said, getting up from his seat to leave.

“Seears.” Faller said, Seears still handling the information he’d just heard. “…admittedly, I don’t have much for you. But if this gets out of control…”

“Yeah, got it, got it, sir. Control the narrative.” Seears said, finishing off his drink. “Nip this in the bud…”

“Coatsworth and Ferris, you’re mostly here to stay informed. Just…keep doing what you’re doing. And don’t let people on to what’s happening.”

“Yes, sir. Thank for depriving me of sleep for this.” Ferris remarked, as Coatsworth stayed silent in his chair.

“Coatsworth?” Faller asked.

“…yes, sir. I’ll do what I can.”

Faller hesitated, before leaning back in his seat and sighing. “You all know what to do. Keep this to yourselves, and don’t let the rumours get around. Only a select few know about this for a reason.”

The others got up to leave, all doing what was required of them, except for Ferris, still planted in her seat, as her and Faller waited for the others to clear out.

Once the coast was clear, Faller sat back, rubbing his head in his hands, before Ferris kicked the table out of anger.

“God dammit!”

“I know…” Faller said, resting on his desk. “The worst news yet…”

“A sudden attack?” Ferris let out. “We start investigating Coatsworth and now a large group of Wailing are heading our way?”

“And right near the end of semester too.” Faller agreed. “This lines up too well.”

“And that stupid…” Ferris groaned, kicking it again. “Coatsworth was sitting right there, with that smug little look! Why’d you bring him?!”

“It would’ve been suspicious if I hadn’t!” Faller argued. “And if this attack was orchestrated by him, then he already knew it was coming!”

“Mother…” Ferris growled, kicking the desk a few more times, before Faller got up and stopped her.

“Get ahold of yourself. This doesn’t change anything. You know what you have to do.” Faller admitted, holding her by the shoulders. “At any cost.”

Ferris stared him down, sharing a brief and intense glance with him, before shrugging off his hands. “Yeah, I got it…”

“Don’t worry.” Faller said, sitting back down. “If he’s really behind this, he’ll get what’s coming to him. They always do.”

Ferris turned away, before feeling she could speak. “…there’s nowhere else they could go, right?”

“Yeah…” Faller let out, the duo letting a silent moment pass, as neither knew how to respond.

———

“Florey!!!”

Silence rang out amongst the forest.

“Florey!!! We miss you!!!”

“You’re making us worried sick!!!” Chops added, climbing onto a large, unearthed root. “Come back already!!!”

Silence continued to plague the forest, as Joleicia and Chops furthered their search, truly leaving no stone unturned.

“He’s not here.” Chops said. “I tell ya, if he’d taken Tracking and Hunting like I’d suggested, we wouldn’t have to worry so much about him…”

“I don’t care, he’s gotta be here.” Joleicia professed, climbing over more flora. “FLOREY!!!”

“If he’s here, then he’s ignoring us.” Chops admitted. “He just ran out on Bestalow, so ignoring us would be par for the course.”

Joleicia shook her head. “He didn’t run out. He’s just scared, or panicked, or doesn’t want to admit something, or…”

“Jojo?” Chops asked, grabbing her shoulder.

“Did I do something wrong?” Joleicia asked, panic in her voice. “I’m the leader! I can’t screw up like this! What kind of team leader loses a member in their firs-“

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Chops assured. “Don’t go blaming yourself. You didn’t kick him out or get into fights with him.”

“I should have, though.” Joleicia said, turning away. “At least then I’d know what he was thinking about…”

She sunk to the ground, huddling her legs to her chest. “He was having such a hard time, and we didn’t even know…Julia had to tell us after the fact…”

Chops found a spot to sit and join her. “Don’t act like that’s all on you. A conversation’s a two-way street. If he wasn’t willing to talk to us, forcing it out of him probably wouldn’t have worked either.”

She leaned back against the ground and stared up at the foliage. “He seemed fine when we were hanging out together.”

“He was keeping up appearances…” Joleicia realised, lying back too. “…he really didn’t want our help.”

“Well, he’s getting it.” Chops assured her. “We’re gonna find that jerk and make him talk this out.”

“Don’t…call him a jerk.” Joleicia insisted.

“He just ditched! That’s what jerks do!” Chops demanded, splaying her arms. “I want him back too, but once we find him, I’m lording this over him so bad…”

Joleicia looked concerned, as Chops was visibly sheepish.

“…after we help him work through his problems, of course.” She attempted.

Joleicia stared up at the sky, or at least what little she could see through the forest’s canopy.

“…we could’ve helped him, right? If he’d talked to us?”

Chops turned to her, thinking it over for a second too long, before nodding back. “Yeah. I think so.”

Joleicia nodded back, more trying to convince herself, staring back at the foliage covering the sky, the few hints of clouds blocking the errant rays of sunlight breaking through.

Where are you, Florey?

———

Everyone at the academy agreed Ferris had a certain attitude about her. It was in no way welcoming, but it was recognisable.

So seeing her lose that was almost alien, like seeing a duck without its bill. It made her classes especially off-putting. Team Valiant were easily the most confused.

The room was dead-silent, save for Ferris at the front, rhythmically tapping her fingers to her desk. A few students present looked around curiously, seeing if anyone else knew why the class was being held up.

Ferris continued tapping, staring blankly at the floor, until Wess felt she had to butt in.

She raised her hand, before realising Ferris wasn’t paying attention and stood up instead.

“Excuse me.” She asked, projecting across the class. “Is there a reason we aren’t doing anything today?”

Ferris stopped staring and lifted her head for the last half of her sentence. “Maybe.”

Wess blinked. “Do you feel like telling us?”

Ferris blinked as well, before getting up out of her seat, then laying against her desk.

“I think she’s stalling.” Sola whispered to the rest of the team.

“At least that tracks for her.” Julia replied, watching Ferris attempt to draw something on the whiteboard, before putting the marker back down and banging her head against it.

“You kids…” She groaned, dragging herself away, then laying on the ground. “You don’t know how lucky you are…how much choice you really have…”

A student leaned out of their seat. “Miss? Are you alright?”

“I’m never alright…” Ferris let out, getting up again and sighing. “I’m only telling you this to get it off my chest. I don’t want anyone here thinking it’s cause I care about your safety.”

“Great way to start…” Harley remarked, as Ferris paced idly, trying to work up the nerve.

“…there’s been rumours…going around…” Ferris prefaced, turning around to the class. “…about a potential Wailing attack on the academy.”

The class got into a panicked frenzy, muttering to each other about what they’d just heard, as Ferris stamped her foot.

“Hey! Shut up!” She yelled, massaging her forehead. “Nothing’s been confirmed yet, but there’s a group of Wailing from the Aishanara forest that have some people on guard. Apparently, Team Vivisect caught wind of it an-“

“Are they coming here?” A student asked.

“We don’t know. The academy’s preparing its defences…” Ferris said, causing more murmuring. “…but it’s relatively under control! Get a hold of yourselves!”

“There’s gotta be something we can do.” Another student asked.

“As first-years?” Ferris pointed out, slumping back into her seat. “Maybe wave some pom-poms for the security and third-years…”

The murmuring continued, the students present all trying to rationalise what they heard, as Ferris was trying to drown it all out as best she could.

“Do you know why this is happening?” Julia asked, her voice cutting through the confusion.

Ferris looked up at her knowingly, before sighing out. “Beats me. Most Wailing attacks are small incidents, but sometimes they just amass and take out large things for…I dunno, the sake of destruction? It’s like those disaster movies where the invading aliens keep hitting famous landmarks…” Ferris remarked, pulling out her tablet. “Anyway, if the time comes, you guys know how to evacuate…”

Julia realised just how many people were staring back at her now and sat back down, trying to calm her heart, as Harley stood up in her stead.

“If this is such a big deal, why hasn’t Faller told us about it?” Harley asked, projecting louder than Julia had.

“Maybe he’s busy.” Ferris played off, avoiding facing her. “Maybe it’s cause it’s unconfirmed. Maybe he’s giving himself less to do so he can focus on the attack. I dunno, I’m just his easily ignored, lowly assistant…”

Harley started snickering, as Ferris was visibly red-faced.

“What?”

Harley kept up her snickering. “…Ferris is embarrassed.”

A couple laughs came from the class at the cheap rhyme, sending Ferris out of her seat.

“You think I like the name Ferris? If I had a…” Ferris complained, before dropping off the sentence. “Forget I said anything. Class dismissed.”

With that, she made a swift exit, surprising everyone there. They took an extra minute to leave just to make sure she wasn’t pulling their leg.

“What was that about?” Harley asked, the team collecting their things.

“She had mentioned rumours of an attack.” Essex replied. “This is concerning…”

“No, not that. The name thing.” Harley clarified. “She got real pissy at the end there.”

“At least she wasn’t really drunk this time.” Julia pointed out, facing Essex. “And you’re right about the rumours. I want a plan in place in case something happens.”

“There is a plan. Escape to the tournament arena.” Wess explained, grabbing her bag. “Or it’s only one Wailing and we go into lockdown for the night while security handle it. Or, the most likely option, it’s absolutely nothing.”

“It can’t be nothing! A bunch of people saw something.” Sola reasoned, following along with the team down the seating row. “And remember that news report from a bit ago? A bunch of Wailing were missing from the Aishanara Forest.”

“Plus, we know Team Vivisect. They wouldn’t go around spreading baseless rumours.” Harley pointed out, as the team left the classroom with everyone else.

“I’m not saying they’re untrue, I’m saying we should indulge in some healthy skepticism.” Wess argued. “We shouldn’t always be panicking the moment we hear the word ‘Wailing.’”

The team continued to discuss the issue, before Essex noticed Julia off to the side, consumed in her own thoughts.

“Julia? Are you alright?”

Julia lifted her head and realised the team was looking back at her.

She waited for the hallway of students to clear out before facing the team again.

“I-I was just…thinking…” Julia said, gulping to herself. “…about something I talked about with Faller.”

“With Faller? When?” Wess asked.

“Well, it was back when Harley got in that fight with Baron.” Julia said. “…he asked about Coatsworth, and I mentioned that we knew about his theory of a third party to the Wailing Conflict. Then he…said Coatsworth might be behind it…that he might’ve been pulling the strings this whole time…”

“So it’s true!” Harley exclaimed. “Coatsworth must’ve realised that Faller was onto him! Now he’s sending in a Wailing army to finish the Behemoth Wailing’s work!”

“Wait, he can control Wailing?” Sola asked, bewildered. “Does he have mind control powers?”

Wess ignored the comment and stroked her chin. “…if he was working within the academy, then planning each of these attacks would be…well, criminally easy.”

Essex nodded. “We should attempt to stop him before he can attain the upper hand.”

“Whoa, whoa, guys.” Julia assured. “Ferris just reminded us not to jump to conclusions, and, for once, we should probably listen to her. We don’t have all the evidence here.”

“So, you don’t think he’s behind it?” Harley asked.

“I’m saying we shouldn’t play judge, jury, executioner.” Julia reasoned. “Faller’s looking into this. If this is…actually something, we really shouldn’t be intervening.”

“…Julia’s right.” Wess agreed. “While justice would be sweet, we best leave this to the professionals for now.”

“…yeah, okay.” Harley admitted, kicking the ground.

“If this is our course of action, then the next concern is the attack.” Essex reasoned. “Classes will be finished soon. We should establish consistent communication in order to assure everyone’s safety.”

“We can just set up a group text.” Julia pointed out, Essex squinting uncomfortably. “Oh, right, you don’t…I can just show you how to.”

“I’ll check Activ for any news on…” Wess started, before noticing a notification on her tablet she’d yet to address. “…oh.”

“Is it something bad?” Sola asked.

“No, it’s…” Wess said, swallowing. “…I have a meeting with Faller regarding transferring teams.”

The team was left silent, trying to take in the news, with only Julia feeling like responding.

“Are…you going?”

Wess took a second, before putting her tablet away. “I guess I have to.”

———

Ferris slumped against the wall, having found a quiet spot to rest where no students were mingling. A couple students from her class were demanding more answers she didn’t have, which was supposed to be the point of the class, but clearly the message hadn’t sunk in. Her day was far busier than she’d ever intended.

“Faller…” She groaned, focusing on breathing. “I will neve-“

She was cutoff by her tablet, now buzzing in her hand frantically, as she picked it up wearily, landing against the floor while she took the call.

“This is Ferris speaking. Who may I be adding to my hit list?”

“This was you, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, Faller. You sound upset.” She replied, lifting her head up.

“I heard students down my halls talking about an attack. A couple just knocked on my office door asking if they could hunt the Wailing for us.”

“They’re morons, Faller. I keep telling you.”

Faller was audibly frustrated on the other end. “Why do you insist on making this harder for us?”

“The plan was to make it harder for you. I got caught in the crossfire.”

Faller stayed silent, the only sound coming through being the creak of his office chair as he leaned back heavily.

“They’re gonna keep coming, aren’t they?”

“…yeah.”

“Self sacrificing…” Ferris grumbled, grabbing her leg. “…you can’t stop them from wanting to protect this place.”

“We’ve almost done our job too well.”

“It’s not my job…” Ferris said, slumping down further.

“Well, thanks to your shortsighted actions, I’ll need to address this soon rather then later.”

“…yeah.”

“…I don’t want to push you any harder, but if you keep acting like thi-“

Ferris hung up the call, chucking her tablet across the hallway out of frustration and rested her head in her hands, taking large, heavy breaths.

“What the hell is wrong with me?”

———

Julia couldn’t explain it, but the academy had been whipped into a frenzy. News of the attack had spread fast, understandably, forcing the staff and security to really up their game in terms of defence. Security were working double-time and were now able to be more overt about it. Classes were regularly disrupted with students eagerly discussing and assessing the likelihood of an attack, stopping any real learning from happening, and this had all only happened within a week.

For Julia, this meant her afternoon was suddenly free, and her schedule had a giant gap that she felt like filling with some walking. The rest of the team was pretty worried about the rumours, so going back to the dorm room to relax wasn’t much of an option. But the sunlight on her back was certainly appreciated…

“Julia.”

Julia turned around suddenly, having strolled down one of the main building’s halls to appreciate the sideview out the window. She somewhat remembered the voice she was hearing, before spotting Donovan waving back to her in the hallway.

“Hey, Donovan!” Julia greeted, hopping over to them. “How’re things going?”

“Oh, pretty…good, considering the rumours.” Donovan replied, scratching their neck. “My team insisted on spending Bestalow together. I don’t really celebrate it…” They shrugged. “…but it was pretty nice, all things considered.”

Julia smiled pleasantly. “Sorry we haven’t seen much of each other. I keep meaning to hang out, but I’ve been pretty busy with a lot recently.”

Donovan waved their hand. “There’s only so much time in the day. Our training schedule’s only gotten more involved over the year.”

“Oh yeah! Harley told me she sat in for one of those.” Julia remembered, giggling to herself. “I think you nearly broke her.”

“Good enthusiasm, poor endurance…” Donovan reminisced, briefly forgetting Julia was there. “She still needs a lot of work…”

“Hold on, she’s my teammate.” Julia pointed out. “Don’t go training her behind my back. You’ve already got four of your own members to worry about.”

Donovan shook themselves from their trance. “Right. Apologies, I haven’t been training for the last few days, so naturally, that’s all I can think about.”

“Oh?” Julia asked, walking alongside Donovan down the hall.

“The rumours have put my team on edge. Team Instinct living up to their name and all…” Donovan dryly remarked. “It’s hard to focus on physical training when all your energy is spent worrying about a potential attack.”

“Tell me about it. My team’s been weirdly panicked recently.” Julia sympathised. “I think we’re all a little bit scared.”

“Less of that overt friendliness?” Donovan remarked.

“I guess.” Julia replied.

“Well, it’s good to know this type of thing effects all teams.” Donovan said, eventually hitting the stairs and jogging up them, followed by Julia.

They made it to the top and waited for Julia, who dragged behind, only just making the last few steps.

“You good?” Donovan asked.

“…yeah.” Julia panted, slowly getting up. “It was…just sudden…”

“Sorry.” Donovan apologised, stretching casually. “I want to get as much movement in as possible, even if my team doesn’t want to.”

Donovan twisted their hips. “Did you hear that teams from any year can sign up for defence?”

“In case of the attack?” Julia asked.

Donovan nodded mid-stretch. “At first, it was just third-years and security, but so many people started demanding the right to defend their academy that they had to allow it.”

Donovan turned to Julia during their stretches. “Do you reckon your team’ll volunteer?”

Julia was a bit thrown off by the question. “I…d-don’t think we should. We’ve already fought four Wailing this year…anymore would be pushing it…”

“That’s understandable.” Donovan replied. “I think I might be the only member of my team willing to volunteer.”

“Don’t they want to?” Julia asked, trying to join along in their stretches.

“Well, it’s not an inviting idea.” Donovan said, lunging forward. “We’re here to improve our physicality, not take out as many Wailing as possible. While we’re training to be Venators, our priority is always about becoming stronger. Conflict isn’t our biggest concern.”

Donovan started lunging the other way. “Dumbbells rarely fight back, after all.”

Julia nodded, attempting some lunges herself, before toppling to her side and getting a laugh from Donovan.

“You could just stand.” Donovan suggested, helping Julia up. “It’s clear why you haven’t joined our training routines.”

“Wow, hitting me while I’m down.” Julia commented, playfully punching Donovan’s arm.

Julia and Donovan kept up their stroll, as Julia noticed a lull in the conversation.

“Are you…” Julia asked, catching Donovan’s attention. “Are you worried about the rumours being real?”

Donovan looked up at the roof, then shook their head. “No, it’s not about them coming true. I’m worried about the paranoia that follows.”

Julia cocked her head. “Paranoia?”

Donovan nodded. “It’s all over the academy. That’s why people are so up in arms about defending. It’s already been affecting my team too. At this point, it doesn’t matter if Wailing attack us or not. We’re terrified already.”

Donovan spun around to face Julia, walking backwards. “We’ve had a year to prepare since the last attack, and even the security are scared shitless. The attack could be nothing, or it could actually happen.” Donovan said, turning back around. “But constantly being on the edge like this makes people act a lot more irrationally; jump to conclusions. Fear makes you defensive.”

Donovan slowed down to line up with Julia. “You get what I mean?”

Julia was staring off, thinking back on the last few weeks, before turning to Donovan again. “Yeah, I get it.”

“That’s why I want my team to keep training.” Donovan explained, reaching another stairwell. “Exercise is good for you. Keeps you focused. Stops you from just dwelling on unhealthy base desires.”

Donovan looked to Julia. “We can just walk up this one.”

Julia gave a good-natured laugh. “Thanks.”

The walk up the stairs was brisk, but helped Julia realise just how high up the main building they were. In their seemingly short walk together, the duo had already reached the rooftop, just catching the slow roll of clouds coming over the Eldos Mountains.

“Have you been up here before?” Donovan asked, bracing themselves against the sudden breeze.

Julia nodded. “Yeah, on Orientation Day, actually.”

“Oh.” Donovan said. “Probably doesn’t bode well for the rumours, then, if you coming up here is some kind of trigger for attacks.”

Julia’s expression sank, as Donovan looked visibly embarrassed.

“Oh wow, that joke really didn’t land.” Donovan realised. “I really didn’t mean that, I was just…”

Julia shook her head. “It’s…fine. I’m still getting used to your sense of humour.”

Donovan quickly joined her side, as they approached the edge of the building. “It’s incredible just how tall this building is.”

“Yeah…” Julia admitted, lifting her gaze. “What do you reckon it’s going to be like once we graduate?”

Donovan shrugged. “More of the same, really. I don’t see much reason to change my life drastically.”

“But what if it changed without you getting a say?”

“I’d still roll with it. If you can’t adapt to the world around you, how’re you supposed to survive?” Donovan replied, putting on an air of dignity.

Julia smiled. “You could always coast b-“

Julia slipped.

Her leg suddenly lifted into the air, having not noticed how wet the rooftop was from the overnight rain, on top of casually wandering during their conversation, as she was sent over the edge of the building.

Donovan’s instincts kicked in, causing them to reach over, grabbing Julia’s arms before she fell any further and pull her up with an impressive amount of ease.

Julia finally found her footing again, helping Donovan by using her Whil and slowing her fall, until she made it back over the edge, both her and Donovan collapsing back against the rooftop, exhausted and visibly panicked.

Donovan took a second to recover from panting. “Are you…okay…?”

Julia was focusing on slowing her heartbeat to a reasonable speed, before sitting up and nodding in response. “U-uhh…yeah…”

“That…was sudden…” Donovan said, wiping their forehead. “…bad luck hits all of us, huh?”

“…can we get off the roof?” Julia asked, Donovan helping her to her feet.

“Yeah, sure.” Donovan said, patting her back. “Roofs are overrated anyway.”

Julia and Donovan left the rooftop, still reeling from the sudden experience, as Julia looked back at the building’s edge, slowly disappearing from sight as they continued down the stairs and thought about anything else she could.

———

“Is it…a solid?”

“Yes.”

“Is it a primary colour?”

“No.”

“Traffic cone.”

Renee sat back in shock. “H-how did you guess that so quickly?”

“It was a good guess.” Gates said, popping her head back down. “You’ve always been predictable.”

“Takes one to…” Renee tried, before forgetting it and placing another card down. “Are we staying in Shanlin any longer? The hotel room’s nice and all…”

“Yeah, I’m getting a bit stir crazy too.” Gates admitted, looking out at the town, as the duo sat out the front of the hotel. “The jobs really dried up after those Valiant girls left.”

“You mean job.” Renee pointed out, lifting a finger. “One job.”

“How do you reckon the others are doing in Pining?” Gates said, lying back and kicking her feet up onto the table. “It has even less Wailing activity, if you can believe it.”

“Pretty sure it’s famous for that.” Renee said, finishing off a house of cards. “Oh, that’s a good feeling.”

Gates lazily turned her head, then smacked the cards down, before turning it back to the rest of Shanlin.

“How did I know you were gonna do that?” Renee admitted, sighing out and starting again, before Gates turned her head toward something.

“Uhh, Renee?”

“You can knock it over when it’s finished.”

“No, seriously.” Gates said, as Renee lifted her head and followed Gates’ gaze.

“Oh my…” Renee muttered, as Shanlin residents exited their homes, assessing where all the sudden and frantic rumbling was coming from.

A few shrieked out in terror, some simply fainted, while others stared on at the mass of Wailing charging beside the town, heading straight past Shanlin and deep into the forest, slowly disappearing out of sight.

“W-was that…?” Gates asked, her hand visibly shaking, as Renee had her tablet out, frantically sending out a message on Activ.

“This is…” Renee mumbled, finding it hard to swallow. “Are they heading for…?”

Gates tried to shake herself from her trance. “…well…the central forest is pretty massive, so it could be anywhere, really. It doesn’t have to be Detu City.”

“Right, but…” Renee stumbled. “Where else would they go?”

———

Harley swung the academy bar door open, just catching the weather starting to turn, as Essex followed behind, closing it for her.

“Seriously? Nobody in there caught your eye?” Harley asked, slinging her hands behind her back.

“Romance is not a concern to me as of right now.” Essex replied, assessing her scythe casually.

“What about that guy in the corner? He was totally eyeing you up.” Harley suggested, turning around. “While you may not admit it, you make that suit look good.”

“The effort is appreciated, but I do not require a relationship.” Essex professed, following Harley toward the academy entrance. “Once I am finished with my goals, I will seek one out.”

“Is that a Segaru Clan thing?” Harley asked.

Essex shook her head. “…admittedly, it is a personal choice. Clan members will often avoid romantic and sexual relationships all together to avoid indulging in personal desires.”

“Ouch. Sounds like the toughest abstinence ever.” Harley admitted. “Well, when the time comes, I can be your wingwoman. Get you some really lucky babe, talk you up to them…”

“I…would not wish that.” Essex let out, somewhat impassioned. “But I thank you for the offer.”

“No prob…” Harley said, before a couple security guards ran past, nearly running into them. They ducked around the corner, as a few more followed after.

“What’s up with them?” Harley asked, Essex following her gaze, until Dulce appeared too, stopping by Harley and Essex.

“Hey, you two should really get out of here.” She projected. “We’ve just gotten confirmation from Shanlin of Wailing movement in the forest. It’s not safe here.”

“Wait, the attack’s happening?” Harley exclaimed, Essex just as shocked.

“Maybe. The forest is massive, so it could just be a false alarm, but we’re not risking anything.” Dulce explained, directing a couple guards behind her. “Unless you’re helping defend, I suggest getting to the tournament arena ASAP.”

“Will th-“

“Come on, people!!! There’s no room for slacking off!!!” Dulce commanded, interrupting Essex.

“…will the academy be properly defended?” Essex asked, her hand tentatively resting on her scythe handle.

Dulce gulped. “I can’t speak for the academy, but I promise you’ll be safe, if you do as you're told.”

Essex lowered her hand from her scythe. “We will do as suggested.”

“Thanks, Dulce.” Harley said, running off with Essex. “Keep up the good fight!”

“I always do…” Dulce said, finally letting herself break a sweat now that she didn’t have an audience.

“We should locate the team.” Essex said, peering around the campus. “Do we know where they are?”

“Well…if I remember correctly.” Harley replied, panting beside her. “Julia’s studying in the library and Wess should be at…”

———

Faller rested his head against his window, staring up at the overcast sky, threatening to rain again at any second, as Ferris sat by his desk, tapping away at her tablet.

“I’ve never liked the rain.” Faller said. “Plenty of people find it relaxing for some reason…”

He turned back to Ferris, still mostly ignoring him. “You know, there used to be this myth back in the day that Wailin-“

“Couldn’t touch water. I’m fully aware.” Ferris interrupted, her attention still on the tablet.

Faller turned back to the window. “I’ve always thought that was weirdly fascinating. Not from any factual point of view, but I guess some curious part of me wanted to see if it held any water.”

He waited to see if Ferris would respond to the pun but found no purchase in his attempt.

He took his seat again. “Then, of course, aquatic Wailing were discovered, and the idea fizzled out as quickly as it started.” He leaned over his desk to address Ferris. “Why do you think it started?”

“Cause we’re stupid.” Ferris answered, finally looking up at him. “Stupid and scared. We’re desperate to find a weakness in the Wailing so we don’t have to think about our own.”

She looked back down, slinking her legs over the armrest. “The theory fit, and we all clung to it for security.”

“But it didn’t fit.” Faller reasoned. “Everyone just thought it did.”

Ferris sighed out. “Is that different?”

Faller went silent, spotting the security outside prepping themselves near the edge of the forest bordering the academy.

“Maybe if it was true, I’d finally like the rain.” Faller expounded, sighing out loud.

To break up the newfound silence, Wess popped her head into the opened office and knocked on the door.

“Principal Faller.”

Faller lifted his eyes from the window, before indicating for Ferris to leave. “Miss Nouvel. Please.”

He pointed to his chair, Wess taking her seat and briefly locking eyes with Ferris, as Faller sat up properly, trying desperately not to look exhausted.

“If I recall correctly, you had problems with your team earlier this year and wished to transfer. Am I correct?” He genuinely asked, getting a basic confirmation from Wess. “And we concluded that you should give them a chance before making your decision about transferring in second year.”

Wess nodded along, as Faller stood up in his seat. “I know this year hasn’t gone perfectly, and you may have resented me for that suggestion, but I hope you saw what I was trying to show you. Regardless of the outcome, I want you to make the best decision for you, and if that means breaking four hearts, then so be it. With that said, seeing as you’ve spent a full year with Team Valiant, is transferrin sti-“

Wess raised her hand and interrupted him.

“Faller, let’s be honest. I don’t think there’s any point dragging this out. No, I will not be transferring teams.”

Faller looked somewhat relieved, before finally letting himself lose his professional demeanour and sit against his desk. “That’s…that’s good to hear. May I ask why this change came about?”

Wess went to make her point, before straightening herself out and cleaning up her appearance. “I started the year with base assumptions about what constitutes a Venator. After spending more time with my team, and seeing what they had to offer, I’ve come to see things from a more nuanced perspective.” Wess explained. “Quite simply, I’d yet to give my team a fair shake.”

“Okay.” Faller smiled, before sighing out. “That’s so much less work for me…”

He sat back down in his seat, before leaning over to Wess. “Truth be told, working out the logistics of a transfer with these attacks rumours floating around would’ve been my whole week.”

“Oh…” Wess realised, blushing a bit. “…well, let’s be thankful it didn’t come to that.”

Faller shook his head. “It isn’t much easier anyway. This whole threat of an attack has made these last few weeks a living hell…”

Wess nodded sympathetically. “You’re starting to sound like Ferris.”

Faller gave her knowing look. “We both know how much of an insult that is.”

“Don’t worry, sir. I’m sure this matter will blow over soon enough.” Wess assured, getting up from her seat. “These sorts of mass Wailing rumours pop up all the time and often just lead to a couple people freaking out like chickens with no heads. They only truly hold power if you let them.”

“Yeah, tell that to the board of investors…” Faller remarked, waving her off, as a quick knock came to the door.

Sola popped her head in. “Hey. How’d the meeting go?”

“Good. I wish more meetings went that smoothly.” Wess pointed out, looking around the hall. “I was half-expecting Julia to be here.”

“Yeah…she didn’t want to be here in case you changed teams.” Sola said, avoiding eye contact. “You didn’t…?”

“No, Sola. Unfortunately, you’ve gotten your hooks in me at this point.” Wess remarked, coming off as more sarcastic then intended, before Sola stared at Faller, deep in work-mode.

“Oh! Mr Faller sir!” Sola exclaimed, swinging into the office. “I just remembered. I’ve been meaning to tell you something! I totally forgot!”

“Uhuh. Can this wait until later?” Faller said, returning to his work.

Wess looked to Sola, who nodded back at her confidently, prompting her to speak.

“I…believe this may be worth hearing. Sola wouldn’t waste your time needlessly.” Wess reasoned, drawing Faller’s attention.

He sighed out. “Fine. What it is?”

“Okay, so, I’ve been seeing some weird bugs around campus. They’re, like, all over the lecture halls and stuff, and I think they might be dangerous.” Sola explained with matching hand motions, as Wess was visibly disappointed. “I don’t know what kind th-“

“Apologies, sir.” Wess interrupted, cutting in front of Sola. “I didn’t realise Sola would actually elect to waste your time like this. If you’ll excuse u-“

“Bugs?” Faller asked, surprising Wess.

She stepped away from Sola and let her keep speaking.

“Yeah, they had this weird pattern, and they were on seats and the roof, but like, only a couple each room.” Sola elaborated. “They looked lethal, so I wanted to tell you about it.”

Faller visibly thought some things over, before getting out of his seat. “Can you show me to one?”

Sola nodded vehemently. “There’s just some in the lecture hall downstairs.”

Faller followed Sola out the door, as Wess was still reeling from the sudden tone shift in the conversation, before following suite as well.

Sola arrived first, swiping her ID to get into the hall, before jumping around the rows of seats, looking for the bugs, as Faller soon arrived, along with Wess.

“What do…they look like?” Faller asked, a little out of breath.

“They’re green and red, and kinda like beetles.” Sola said, jumping down the seats. “They should stand out pret-found one!”

Faller and Wess joined up with her, crouching to spot the small beetle underneath one of the seats.

“It looks harmless enough…” Wess said, reaching out for it, before reeling back in pain. “Ow! The little bugger bit me!”

The beetle attempted to take flight, before Sola quickly caught the bug in mid-air, pulling up her jacket sleeves to avoid touching it directly.

“Gross…” Faller let out, as it squirmed around in Sola’s hand, trying to pry itself from her grasp.

Upon closer inspection, Sola noticed a few wires popping out the sides and jumped back in fear, dropping it on its back.

“Ah!” She cried. “It’s a robot! They’re robot bugs!”

“I had a feeling something was up…” Faller said, trying to get close to it and failing. “I can’t inspect it while it’s moving around so much.”

Wess turned to Sola. “Could you use your Whil to stun it?”

Sola opened her eyes again. “Like short circuit it? I guess so…”

Sola got in closer and pointed her finger, trying desperately to hold back the raw power of her Whil. Her hand trembled, as a small jolt travelled into the bug, frying it, causing Sola to jump back again to prevent her Whil going out of control. Faller leaned into it to get a closer look.

“Remarkable…” Faller admitted, lifting up the metal casing to inspect the inside. “There’s a defensive shock barrier around it that stops tampering.”

“Tampering?” Wess asked, standing back. “So, whoever made this had a plan in case someone went picking around?”

Faller prodded further inside, before stopping suddenly.

“It has a listening device.”

“What?” Sola asked, climbing back over.

“Sola, you said these were all over campus, right?” Faller asked, Sola nodding in response.

“Yeah…” She said, as it dawned on her. “Then someone was listening in to our classes? That’s so creepy…”

“But what could…” Faller wondered, before standing back up immediately and heading out the classroom, followed by Sola and Wess.

He ran back up to his office, scanning around the room, spotting a small green and red dot on top of one of the bookshelves. Sola and Wess caught him pulling a chair over, getting a heavy book and smashing the bug flat.

“They’re in here too.” He said, showing off the destroyed bug. “They’ve been listening in on my meetings…they’ve…”

He stopped, then threw the bug to the ground, stamping it out of anger. “Right under my…!”

Faller stopped again, before muttering to himself. “But someone else was listening in…that confirms it…it has to…that confirms the third party…”

In an instant, he jumped out of his chair and grabbed Sola and Wess by the shoulders. “I was right! There is a third party to the Wailing conflict! They’ve been pulling the strings, and now there’s proof they w-“

“Attention: Multiple Wailing detected near campus. Please exit to the tournament arena and await further instructions. Attention: Multiple Wailing detected near cam…”

“What?! No!” Faller cried, jumping over to the window with Sola and Wess.

As soon as the alarm rang, Venator teams lined up outside the entrance, side by side with the campus security, all frantically structuring themselves from the sudden call to duty. Eventually, the chaos turned to calm, as a dead air hung over the day, like a held breath for a coming conflict.

The silence was deafening, almost letting everyone drop their guard, until a small rustling was seen near the forest foliage, drawing everyone’s attention.

Then it was gone.

Then it returned.

Then it grew.

Then it was…

“No, no no no…” Faller let out, fist pounding against the window. “Not now! I was finally there!”

Waves upon waves of Wailing all filed out of the forest, now bordering the academy moat with an intimidating presence.

They were unnaturally still, waiting for the moment to strike, or at least for when the defending army had its guard down.

“Hold!” Called Dulce, holding her arm up. “We don’t attack until they cross that moat! Anyone with water, ice, or electricity based Whils, approach and get ready!”

“This is…” Faller let out, forcibly removing himself from the window. “I need to find Ferris. You two stay out of trouble and don’t go down there. This isn’t your fight.”

Wess nodded in understanding, watching as he left, as Sola’s view was fixated on the two parties, still sizing each other up, neither ready to make the move.

“They’re actually here…” Wess admitted, a lack of composure in her voice. “They weren’t rumours…there really was a Wailing attack coming…”

“They look like they’re waiting.” Sola mentioned, staring out at the Wailing.

“…I don’t know if it’d be waiting. It’s most likely strategy.” Wess reasoned, trying to ignore the panic inside her. “If we attack first, then they only need to retaliate to our actions.”

“I don’t know. The Wailing look kinda…” Sola started. “…apprehensive.”

SCCCRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Sola and Wess lifted their heads, along with everyone else present, as the walkway leading to the academy started shaking, the waterway running beside it further down the road starting to ripple and crash with violent, thrashing waves.

Cracks formed on the walkway’s sides, as what looked like tentacles climbed up its edges, emerging slowly from the water, until a mass soon followed to give cause to the appendages.

The horde of Wailing lay in wait, unmoving, but all staring toward the growing creature, as it claimed the impressive width of the walkway as its own.

The silence remained, but with all caution and apprehension increased tenfold to accommodate the added threat, as it dwarfed out what was left of the sun in the overcast sky, claiming it as its own.

“It’s…” Sola started, too scared to admit what it was.

“…it’s a Behemoth Wailing.” Wess said, staring out through the window. “And one with an army.”