Alitia: Welcome to Millenia

XLIII: The First Wave

The group of five girls stepped outside of the portal slowly. They arrived outside Sierra, staring up at the tall, imposing school. None of them had been to Sierra before, but they had heard rumors of the terrifying school of cantors.

It was a large castle with spires that pierced the sky. The dark clouds hanging low overhead dared not grow too close to Sierra out of fear that the towers would break the mist. The school's dark colors caused it to blend in with the surrounding weather, leaving the area a bleak blur of dreary shades.

"Well, here we are," Carys whispered. Luce looked over at the ice enchantress and saw that her hands were clenched tightly into fists. She looked ready to lash out at any moment should an attacker draw nearer.

"There's so much negativity around here," Helena murmured, shaking her head. "I don't know what to say."

"If you ask me, there has to be something around here that could lead us to him... I don't think he's here, which it really pains me to say. I've gotten used to his presence by now, and I feel like I would be able to sense it if he was here," S.M. frowned.

"Even if he's not here, then we can find some clue here as to what his plan is. I mean, look at the place... It's so obvious that he was here, if the mentions of an army made of Sierra students going after Sacred Heart didn't already make that obvious," Luce remarked.

"There's no point in just waiting around here," Sylvia said, though it was clear that her voice was shaking. "Even if he isn't here, we have to figure out where he'll be... I won't let him get away with this for any longer."

"I didn't hear any Sacred Heart students mention seeing Myra or Chester... But I feel like they're probably out there fighting with him," Helena told the group. "But what if they are here?"

"That could explain why nobody saw them when Sacred Heart fell... Maybe they were here making sure nobody got into Sierra. Each school of the Millennium Six has important knowledge stored somewhere within its walls. They all have rich histories both in magic and literally. He would want to keep all of that stuff safe, even if it meant he was losing out on two key soldiers," S.M. deduced.

"Well, I already had a bad feeling about this before, but now, I think I might just start projectile vomiting at any moment," Helena said, her voice deadpan despite her joking nature on the matter. "I guess we had better get this over with before anything gets even worse. I don't think I want to die today, thank you very much, so we might as well jump right in."

"Into the school we go then," Carys murmured, taking a few steps forward. She took the door handle to the castle in both hands before prying it open, grunting as the door creaked noisily.

The inside of Sierra was a mess, to put it lightly. There had once been paintings hanging on the walls, but they had since been tossed to the floor. Magical strikes could be seen everywhere, leaving indents in the walls. Outlines of various types of flares were everywhere, leaving the inside of the school a mess, to put it lightly. If one had added a few cobwebs or spiders, the place could have easily passed for an abandoned building rather than a school that had been fully occupied less than a few hours before.

"I don't sense any life here at all... It's unsettling. It's like even all the animals in the area have turn tail and run," Helena murmured, glancing around the room, pleading for any signs of life to show themselves already.

"If they did run, they probably made the right choice. Look at this place. It's a mess in every way you can imagine. If the Possession Master was here, wouldn't he try and make it look a little nicer? I don't think this really gives the best vibes for an evil lair," Carys scoffed.