Draeyer Academy (First Ver.)

Chapter 53-The Thief

Draeyer Academy
Drae Skyland
Northeastern Space

"Do you need help with that Erin?" Gael asked.

The stacks of folders and envelops in his arms almost hid Erin's face from view. The man leaned his head to the side to regard him. A smile of relief flew to his face as Gael relieved him of all the documents, carrying it all with ease.

"Thanks Gael," Erin said while wiping the sheen of sweat on his forehead. "I didn't know how long I had before I just collapsed in the hallway."

"Where are you taking these?" Gael asked.

"To the headmaster. He requested these old documents. And I really want to eat lunch too."

"All right," Gael said as he chuckled at the frustration on his colleague's face. "I'll take these to Headmaster Donovan so you can eat."

"Really? My stomach thanks you. See you later."

He shook his head as Erin ran to the direction of the dining hall. While humming a tune under his breath, Gael passed the student lounge and entered the grey hallway. Once he reached the double doors, he saw it was ajar. His foot moved to widen the gap but he stopped. His brows knitted together when he heard the headmaster's pacing footsteps.

Peering through the gap, Gael saw that the old man was indeed marching the length of his office back and forth. Donovan stopped and turned to his window. He placed his hands on the sill and clamped down as he released a groan.

"Your worst fear is happening, Nial," Gael heard him say as he stared up at the sky. "He is on the move. We don't know how much time we have. We don't know how we're going to keep protecting them."

Gael was more than confused. The headmaster never made it a habit to speak to himself. The words leaving his mouth made no sense whatsoever. It was then that he decided to interrupt.

"Headmaster," he said. He knocked on the door with his foot, which seemed to startle the old man inside the room.

"Come in." Gael pushed through the open doors and walked to the headmaster's desk. He placed the pile of documents on the floor among the other stacks already there. He roamed his gaze around the room and the old man's unusually messy table caught his attention. His head shot up when Donovan spoke.

"Where's Erin?"

"He was dying of hunger, so I decided to help him." This earned a hearty chuckle from Donovan. The laughter seemed to make the image of his anxious face vanish from Gael's mind.

The old man walked to the door before shutting it closed. The laughter in his eyes vanished as he regarded Gael with grey eyes stoned from seriousness. The professor straightened his posture as the headmaster passed him and sat on his large chair.

"When Kreis came and delivered the files about Alen Arden's, he also added the sketch of the thief's face. As I recall it was made last Visitations with Alec's help."

Gael nodded and waited for him to continue. "After I saw the sketch, I thought he looked familiar," he said with entwined fingers. "I've had Erin gather all these files and I've been going through them for the past few weeks.

"Recently, I found a few of what I was looking for." Donovan picked one folder among the many on his desk and handed it to him. The folder had patches of brown, a bit torn at the edges, with little amounts of dirt covering it.

Gael flipped to the first page and his green eyes fell on a picture of young man who looked to be around the age of 14-17. His grass-colored eyes were devoid of emotion and a scar ran down the right side of his lips. His gaze trailed lower on the first file until they landed on a name.