3rd POV. Heat Haze Palace.
As the end of the month gets closer....
The day of the Impossible Mission draws near, and the training of Lamplight gets much more rigorous.
And now.....
With them having to attack Klaus and Caelus.....
They decided to divide into two squads.
Lily, Monika, Grete, and Annette are setting up their trap for Klaus.
While Sara, Erna, Sybilla, and Thea are going to infiltrate Caelus' room once more.
It so happens that Caelus is already asleep and Klaus is heading home.
Erna, Sara, Sybilla, and Thea are about to infiltrate Caelus' room.
Thea: All right. Are you sure we can finally unlock the door to his room?
Sybilla: Yes. I have Annette to create lockpicks that can open complicated locks.
Erna: I don't smell misfortune. This is perfect.
Sara: Mr. Johnny is also telling me it's all clear!
The four of them picks the lock on Caelus' room and they finally opened it in a matter of seconds.
Erna: Wait, this seems way too easy.
Thea: Okay. This is our chance. Today is the day....
Sybilla: We'll finally get you to surrender, Caelus!
Sara: Prepare yourself!
The four of them entered the room and found that someone is being covered in the blanket.
Thea: THIS IS OUR CHANCE! HE'S TOTALLY ASLEEP! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT LILY'S DRUG WORKED!
But as soon as Thea and Sybilla pull the blanket....
They only found that it was nothing but pillows.
Thea: What!?
Sybilla: Not here!?
Erna: Is that why there was no misfortune!?
Sara: Mr. Bernard never gave me a sigal!
At that moment, they found themselves tied in ropes.
Thea: When did—
Sybilla: Shit!
Caelus: Going to attack me while asleep.
Sara: *sigh*
Erna: How unlucky.......
Caelus opened the lights as he dusts himself.
Caelus: Seriously, that was the second attempt. This time.....
Caelus: Thea, Sybilla, you brought two more.
Thea: Ah, hehe.....
Caelus: But it seems like the other four also infiltrated my room. Only for them to fail.
Thea: Ah, haha.....
Caelus: But you four managed to infiltrate my room.
Caelus: But......this time, I just let the lock be easily opened.
Caelus: Now then.....
Caelus used his body to subtly hide his family photo as he walked to his desk.
Caelus: What do you want? Thrown from the window? From the stairs? Or just be kicked out once again from this room.
Caelus: Your choice.
Caelus gave them a lifeless stare.
Thea: *gulp*
Sybilla: Ah, haha.....
Sara: Please......
Erna: Oh no! No! No! I can smell multiple misfortunes!
And Caelus threw the girls out to the corridor while they are still tied.
Thea: Ow!
Sybilla: Hey!
Sara: So, this is how you were kicked out from his room?
Erna: How unlucky.
Sybilla: Now I'm starting to doubt if he really is a fresh graduate.
Erna: What is going on!? I know I can smell misfortune from him but then earlier it wasn't there!
Thea: No wonder he was able to corner Teach?
Thea: He's also a monster.
Sybilla: Before that......wanna figurr out how to break these ropes?
Sara: Yeah. He also tied Mr. Johnny.
Sara looks at the puppy named Johnny whose limbs were also tied.
Thea: Haha.......
Sybilla: So.....? Any bright ideas getting out of here?
Erna: No.......I don't have any......
Caelus walks out from his room and ignored the girls.
Caelus: ...
Caelus went to the lounge to read his book.
Caelus: Heh. So they're waiting for Teach to come back.
A few minutes later, Erna, Thea, Sybilla, and Sara got out of their bounds and rendezvous with the other four.
Lily: How did it go?
Sybilla: We failed. Caelus is just as strong as Teach. I don't know how but he can predict our every damn move.
Monika: Bummer.
Grete: So we also have to make a plan against Caelus as well.
Monika: He's too damn strong like Teach.
Monika: And to think we have two monsters amongst us.
Caelus just didn't bother and decided to go outside and spend time in the garden.
Once he's out and spotted a comfortable spot on the garden, he climbed on a nearby tree and sat on the branch.
Caelus: Impossible Mission. Missions that contains 90% death rate even among first-rate spies.
Caelus: Inferno, the elite spy team who infiltrated the Galgad Empire, stole intel from them, and saved thousands of lives.
Caelus: They are the unsung heroes of the Republic.
Caelus: Inferno, the ideal spies of the Republic.
Caelus: But then.....I found out that Inferno happen to have another mysterious member.
Caelus: Hearth, Torchlight, Firewalker, Soot, Scapulimancer, Flamefanner, and Bonfire.
Caelus: And just like Lamplight who has eight members from the beginning, Inferno also does have an eighth mysterious member.
Caelus: The said member was so mysterious that our teachers from the spy academy where I graduated called that member as fiction.
Caelus: And they called that eighth mysterious member as......
Caelus: Ember.
Caelus: It was said that Ember specialized in assassinations.
Caelus: As the mysterious deaths of numerous key figures during the middle of the Great War was attributed to Ember.
Caelus: But our teachers claimed that is where Ember comes in, the ridiculous urban legend who was attributed to such deaths.
Caelus: Ember's name was spoken in the shadows, and no one knows if they really exist or not.
Caelus: Heh. But if they really existed.....then that means that spy did a job well done. Hiding in plain sight, where no spy can ever detect them.
Caelus: A name whispered among the nameless. A shadow that walks among the nameless.
Caelus: A blur between fiction and reality.
Caelus: Heh.
A few minutes later....Caelus decided he had enough spending time under the night sky and went back inside the mansion.
He went to see Klaus who just returned.
Caelus: Teach.
Klaus: !?
Klaus: Caelus...?
Caelus walks in front of his desk and taps it.
Klaus: Magnificent. I know I was already expecting an attack from you but I still can't trace your presence.
Caelus: You have trouble sensing me?
Klaus: Yes. That is your greatest weapon or rather your second best weapon.
Klaus: Your mind is rational to the point that you can predict a person's next 100 moves and words.
Caelus: .........
Caelus: So, you finally found out who I am?
Klaus: No. But I managed to find stories about you.
Klaus presents and envelope and burns it with a lighter.
Klaus: Caelus. Codenames: Prince, Angel, and Shadow.
Klaus: A fresh graduate. Said to be a performing average student, yet somehow had terrifying talent when unleashed.
Klaus: Surprisingly, it was said that when your academy held a survival of the fittest exam, you're the one who survived without any wounds.
Caelus: Got lucky.
Klaus: And the rumors said that you just hid in the shadows and watched as your classmates take out each other.
Klaus: Another rumor was said to be that you were the one who wiped out all the participants.
Klaus: Because it was said you looked tired when you emerged from the site.
Klaus: Another rumor has it that all the members went against you, and you defeated them all.
Klaus. Now, which was it?
Caelus: You want the truth. The truth shall you receive. In one condition.
Klaus: What is it?
Caelus lets out a sigh.
Caelus: Tell Lamplight to stand down or they'll be spending a cold night outside the mansion and they'll be tied to a tree until sunrise.
All members of Lamplight was shock as they know Caelus will literally do it.
The girls were hesitant at first but they also know Caelus will draw them out from the shadows one way or another.
Erna can already smell multiple misfortunes.
Erna: No.....I can sense multiple misfortunes!
Caelus sighed.
Caelus: Fine. Have a good time spending the night outside with a tree—
Lily decided to come out.
Lily: All right! All right! Fine!
Caelus: .....
Sybilla: Damn it.
Monika: You bastard.
Grete: How come you knew we were here.
Annette: This is unbelievable, yo!
Sara: We can't hide, we can't run, we can't even fight!
Erna: How unlucky.
Thea: We tried everything......but why!?
Caelus: *sigh*
Caelus: I don't care if you are washouts from your respective academies.
Caelus: But a spy is a spy.
Caelus: That's all. Now, would you mind.
Caelus: Getting out of here.
Lily: But we—
Caelus: I can't trust all of you. Besides, what am I to tell Teach is something unrelated to me.
Lily: Huh—
Klaus: Stand down everyone.
Lamplight: !?
Sybilla: But—
Klaus: Leave. This is a private matter.
They have no choice but to leave.
Caelus already confirmed it but he braces for another attempt of being eavesdropped.
Klaus: Now then.....
Caelus: Hid in the shadows, took out all the survivors, all survivors went against me.
Caelus: Two of those were correct.
Klaus: Correct?
Caelus: I didn't hide in the shadows. My classmates wanted me dead, then I flipped the tables on them. I only had the shred of mercy as I know they will be somehow useful in the Republic.
Caelus: That was it.
Klaus: ......
Klaus: Three codenames.
Klaus: If I were to guess the reason as to how you got them.....
Klaus: Then, mind telling me your past?
Caelus: Fine.
Klaus: Prince, your appearance as a prince. Shadow, your lack of presence.
Klaus: Then, Angel......
Klaus: It remains a mystery.
Klaus: So, did I got it right?
Caelus: Only one.
Caelus: You only got one of my codename.
Caelus: So, I can't tell you my past. Now, pardon me, I have to go back to my room.
Caelus left and went back to his room.
While Klaus on the other hand......
Klaus: He's the same as you, Ember. Cold. Ruthless. Intelligent. Enigmatic.
Klaus: I thought I was being haunted by a ghost.....maybe I am.
Klaus: But......his resemblance......
Klaus: Ember.
Klaus looks at his painting that is covered on red paint.
Klaus: He strongly resembles Ember in more ways than one.
Klaus: To the point that when I saw Caelus, I thought it was Ember's ghost.
Klaus: Still, he reminds me of Ember. Except......
Klaus: Ember was always full of kindness. Elegant. Even in executing missions.
Klaus: Until Ember was gravely injured that she can't fulfill her duties.
Klaus: Just like the legends about Ember........
Klaus: Ember disappeared without a trace.
Klaus: The fade of ember's glow was the omen of Inferno's end.
Klaus: Ember......
Klaus: Hmm....there has to be something.
But Klaus decided to shrug it off.
Klaus: This will lead me to nowhere as to what happened to Ember since then.
Klaus: They or rather......
Klaus: She disappeared after she sustained an injury.
Klaus: On that accident.....
Klaus: Ember or rather......
Klaus: Anastasia left Inferno and vanished, becoming the blur between fiction and reality.
Klaus: The debated "eighth member" of Inferno.
Klaus also looked at the ceiling.
Klaus: Come to think of it.
Klaus: His room belonged to......
Klaus smiled.
Klaus: Magnificent.