Authors Note!:
Hello and welcome back to Arcane Academy! It's been since like... November since I have properly updated. I have been in a writing slump, to say the least. And then January hit and school began. I will keep trying to update, but with school happening, I imagine the updates will be slow. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I do hope this new chapter will get your forgiveness! Enjoy!
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Arlo:
The darkness of the campus swallowed the group whole as they exited the Weapons Hall. Arlo wasn't sure exactly where to start. He looked from Elio to Aster with raised brows as if they might have the answers, but found that the two were giving him the exact same look. They were ready to follow Arlo, though Arlo felt completely clueless. He hadnt seen which way Azrael had ducked once he had ran free from the arms that had held him in an attempt to control him. Where did someone who had no self control even go?
"Maybe we should split up," Aster suggested and earned a small sound of disbelief from the darker haired boy beside him.
"Haven't you seen horror movies? That's, like, the worst mistake you can make in these situations." Elio replied.
"No, I haven't." Aster said flatly, a look of seriousness across his angled features. The red haired boy turned his attention to Arlo as if asking for his opinion.
"I have to agree with Elio. Splitting up isn't a good idea. Especially with Azrael acting the way he is. What if he hurts one of us while we're separated?" Arlo said as he turned to scan the area around them. The path to the woods stood to the right, and in front of them were the steps that led back to the main campus. Through the woods, the Equestrian Studies building stood in isolation, surrounded by trails and stables for the horses. Surely if someone had gone that way the horses would have acted out and they would have heard a ruckus. Especially with the way Azrael was behaving.
"Where do we start then? There's a lot of ground to cover." Aster huffed as he crossed his arms, disappointed to have his idea shot down so quickly.
"I guess we just work our way through and hope we stumble upon him. Worse comes to worse, someone finds him in the morning." Arlo sighed as he headed toward the stone steps with Elio and Aster in tow. The three padded their way up the steps in silence, the only sound around them their footfalls and the chirps of night bugs who had no idea what was going on in their own little worlds. "You guys know Azrael better than I do, is there anywhere he might go? Anywhere he frequented?"
Elio hummed in thought as they reached the top of the steps and entered back onto the main campus. Aster and Elio began whispering back and forth, locations to suggest, Arlo assumed. "Either the library or one of the study halls." Elio finally answered with a small nod.
Arlo looked to one of the towers that stood above them, knowing that at the top of the spiraling staircase was one of the regular study halls students would frequent. While he didn't tend to go there nearly as often as he'd liked - he spent a majority of his study time in the library - he knew the place was gorgeous. He led the two other boys up the stairs and pushed the door carefully from their path. He grinned as he took in the high towers of shelves lined with rows upon rows of different colored books. Books that were doubles of those from the libraries, ones that weren't allowed to leave the room. Books that Arlo had barely skimmed the surface of, but one day he longed to read them all.
The room itself was dark, the lights having been turned off hours before when curfew hit. Arlo felt along the wall for some sort of switch, having no luck for a long moment until a bright illumination caused him to squint. When his eyes were able to adjust, he found Elio, hand outstretched and palm upward, a pure white light glowing in his palm. Arlo raised his brows at the boy who merely shrugged and held his hand outward to light the room further. He followed Arlo along the wall until the lightswitch was found and the wizard boy flicked the switch on, filling the room with a golden glow. Elio dropped his hand and let the angelic light die out.
"I'll never get over that trick," Aster said with a big grin, obviously impressed with the fancy white angel light. Elio rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the room. The three boys stood there, stumped, not sure how to handle this. The room had no nooks and crannies, there was nowhere to duck and hide. If Azrael wasnt there in plain sight, then he wasn't in this room at all. Aster let out a sigh as he moved to push the curtains on the windows aside to check - ya know, just in case - and came up empty. He turned back to the others with a frown. "Perhaps the library, then?"
Elio nodded and turned toward the exit, pausing only to flick the lights off. Arlo and Aster followed on his heels. Elio drew the door open and immediately stumbled backward into Arlo and Aster, letting out a yelp of surprise upon seeing a figure on the opposite side of the door. Arlo caught Elio and straightened him back up as he observed their new arrival: the girl from the party.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," she said, blush creeping up to her cheeks and settling along her skin, down her neck and across her shoulders. He had never seen anyone blush quite as severely as this girl - he had read about such kinds of blush in books, pointless romance novels he had stumbled across - though, he didn't quite believe someone could blush in that way.
"What are you doing here?" Elio asked in exasperation, huffing as he straightened out his clothing and ran a hand through his fine curls. "I mean - sorry, you just scared the Heavens out of me!"
"I - I figured I could come help you search for the boy... Azrael?" She asked at the end, sounding unsure. Aster nodded beside then to assure her that she was correct.
"Valerie, right?" Aster asked.
"Valentine. You can just call me Val, though." She said with a quick nod and then she stepped aside to let them past her. She peeked behind them with curious eyes. "No luck there?"
Arlo found himself shaking his head as he moved out the door and stopped beside Val, looking her over carefully. The girl had thick, reddish brown curls that fell past her shoulders and settled close around her hips. When she tucked her hair behind her ears, he saw her ears come up in a sharp point. An Elf. "He didn't come here. We were going to try the library next."
"What about the other study areas?" Aster asked as he joined the two, then turned to start down the stairs behind Elio who glanced back at them and slowed when he realized the others were not directly behind him. Arlo gestured for Val to follow and joined the others on the stairs. The group made their way down the stairs and started through the darkness toward the library, their shoes clapping against the dark cobblestones as they went. The air was thick with worry and the night air was chilly with a breeze. The stars above them shone beautifully, almost as if there was nothing wrong that night. The stars didn't seem to care that things were amiss. They had their own duties to attend to that didn't involve a wild goose chase.
"I suppose we will have to check those places after the library?" Elio suggested questioningly.
"Sounds like an okay plan to me," Arlo said as the group found their way onto the stairs of the library. They climbed up and stopped in front of the door, Aster giving the doors a push and pausing when they didn't budge. He turned, eyebrows raised, to his group of friends. Elio frowned, knowing he had no way to open the doors. Valentine shook her head and then all eyes fell on Arlo who let out a sigh.
"I don't have the keys," he murmured.
"But, don't you have, like, magic?" Elio's eyes brightened as he said this, as if this were the most fascinating thing to an angel.
"Wait, if the doors are locked, doesn't that mean Azrael couldn't get in either?" Valentine suggested as she looked between the three boys.
"She has a point." Aster said.
"Well, why would the lights be on?" Elio said as he gestured to the building. And Arlo knew he was right. He noticed, for the first time, that the lights inside the library were on. Usually, the windows would be dark at this time, no students permitted past the curfew. The others hummed in thought at Elio's words, then eyes fell back onto Arlo who sighed once more.
"We aren't really supposed to use magic like this." He mumbled, knowing that he would be breaking some rules by breaking and entering into the school library, but also using his magic to do so. Both were a big no. His father would have his head. But he knew he really had no choice. He moved closed to the doors without word from the others and held up his hands. Val, Elio, and Aster watched with wonder as Arlo's hands began to glow a light, turquoise blue shade. Moments later, the lock clicked open.
"Wow, you don't need to like... say a spell or anything?" Aster asked, amazed.
"The more you learn, the less talking you need to do for your magic." Arlo informed the other magic user and pushed the large double doors to the library open.
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"Seems pretty empty to me," Elio said as he came out from yet another row of empty rows.
"Just keep looking. There has to be someone in here. They don't just forget to turn out the lights. Someone has been here." Arlo half yelled toward Elio who was across the room from him. From behind the desk, Aster's head appeared and he sighed.
"No one back here!" He shouted.
"And there's no one near the restrooms." Valentine called from back near the computer labs.
Arlo stood where he was by another stack of books, scratching his head. There weren't many places to hide within the library, especially not with this many people searching it. Seriously, where could Azrael be hiding? His eyes glided to the door he'd seen Nate appear and disappear from many times: the forbidden section, where students were not allowed. He noticed, with a start, that the door was cracked open. Valentine saw the surprise on his face and sauntered closer but didn't say anything. Aster watched this interaction and he too joined them.
"This is the most bogus game of hide and seek I've ever-" Elio started, but stopped when he saw Arlo raise a finger to his lips to hush him. All three remained silent at his side as they eyed the open door to the stairway down to the basement where the books for higher level reading and research were. The books that remained a mystery to everyone but Nate and the Headmaster and a handful of professors. As far as Arlo knew, not many people had been down there, and even though Nate had permission to be down there, he did not have permission to read the works. Nathaniel was rarely allowed down there himself and only Nate and the Headmaster owned a key to this room. So, how had Azrael gotten the key?
Arlo stepped cautiously toward the door and the stairwell beyond, the other three choosing to remain behind. After pulling the door open fully and gazing down into the darkness, Arlo heard a small set of footsteps. He turned to see Valentine following him and he gave a small nod, as if telling her to stay close. Val nodded in return and the two made their way down the steps, remaining silent and listening for any footsteps or breathing down within the room. Aster and Elio shared looks before moving to the top of the stairs to watch the two descend into the darkness.
Arlo felt along the wall for a moment until his hand found a switch, which he clicked happily, letting out a relieved sigh. But when nothing happened, he held his breath and looked to Val, though he could barely make out her features in the darkness. Instead, he pulled a wand from his pocket and held it up, then whispered a spell to the wooden wand, illuminating the space before them. It was like something out of Harry Potter, which Arlo tended to love. Though their worlds were very different, as were the spells, he loved seeing the magic of other worlds play out, curious if there was anyone like himself in fictional stories. Of course, he liked the books far more than the movies, but who didn't?
Val's eyes widened in fascination at the magic trick Arlo had pulled with the wand and the two wandered further into the room, pausing only when a small wheezing sound hit their ears. Somewhere within the rows and rows of metal shelves, which held dozens of boxes of files, and even more hundreds of dusty old books, the sound traveled. With slow precision, they rounded a corner and saw a figure crouched over a box of files and a few books, the wheezing coming from the figure. Arlo had never heard such a frightening sound in his life and wondered what the Spirits was happening to these students. They were becoming... something else?
When Azrael heard the approaching footsteps, he froze, even in his breathing. He turned slowly to look at the two, a crazed look within his eyes. Val gave a small gasp and stepped back as he stood swiftly, kicking the box of files over in the process. He clutched a book in his grasp. Arlo stepped forward and held out a hand.
"It's alright, Azrael. Just hand the book here. You know we aren't allowed down here." Arlo said, trying to reason with the boy, but froze when the wheezing began again. Followed by a sneeze and a cough.
Was Azrael... having allergies?
"Do you have an inhaler, Azrael?" Arlo took another step forward slowly, wand still glowing, casting an eerie light against Azrael's rabid face. His hand was still held outward, hoping to show that he meant no harm. He just wanted the book. "Azrael." He tried again.
Azrael gave a long growl before he dashed forward and smacked right into Arlo, knocking him backward and into Val who let out a small shriek as she smacked into the wall. The two steadied themselves and took off after Azrael. There was a loud creaking sound and ahead, Arlo saw one of the shelves coming down. He skidded to a halt just in time for the shelf to crash. Another shriek fell from Valentine's lips. She was not so lucky. The shelf fell atop her, pinning her to the floor, rows of boxes and books tumbling down on top of her and burying her in a sea of papers. Arlo swore and turned back toward Val, looking from her to Azrael who darted up the stairs.
"Catch him, quickly!" Valentine yelled as she saw the hesitation, pushing files away from her face. Arlo frowned at her a second longer before he took off after Azrael, taking the light with him, leaving Val alone in the dark. He rushed up the stairs, but knew he was too late. The door had already begun to swing closed. As he reached the top, he tried the knob, swearing once more at finding it locked.
"Elio?! Aster!" Arlo shouted as he pounded on the door. "Catch him!"
"Arlo! Aster has him, but he needs help!" Elio called through the door in a panic. He could hear a struggle happening somewhere on the other side of the door. "We'll come back with a key once we have him settled!" And then there was the sound of retreating footsteps. He and Valentine were trapped for the time being.