Chapter 240: Apprehended
Kai struggled—fought back as he looked over his shoulder at the open room where Talitha and Abigail lay. He screamed at the two grey-masked Angels, and then he shifted to begging for them to rescue those two.
But his words fell on deaf ears.
Nothing he said or did could ever make these two turn around and rescue the sisters.
One of them leaned in, "Save your strength, Lesser Angel. You’re going to need it."
"Those two are already dead." The other scoffed. "And we need to preserve the crime scene."
Hatred rose from the deepest part of him.
It felt like he was back at the inauguration; the hatred for the Demon Man then was so deep it had ached like a physical wound. He said he was going to protect Abigail, to keep her safe. And he had failed.
Abigail was beaten, defiled, and left to bleed dry.
Not only that, but Talitha also got dragged into the mess and was now barely clinging to life.
Kai failed both of them, and that realization settled heavily on his conscious mind—as he was dragged down the staircase. He badly wanted this to be a dream, but the pain of the body and mind gave no room for such an excuse.
It was real—this was really happening.
Meanwhile, on the Aerial Stable.
Bree, Matilda, Dorian, and Bryan rushed back the moment they snapped from their trances.
Realizing that something bad was happening that made Kai rush back to the academy—they also tried to follow him, riding their own Pegasus at maximum speed. But despite going as fast as they could, they were more than fifteen minutes late to arrive.
And the moment they landed and rushed out of the Aerial Stable, they saw something.
Or someone.
A figure in the distance that was rushing towards them.
At first, the four of them paid her no mind. She was flying high above, far from their path. But then she descended without warning, landing directly before them and stopping them cold in their tracks.
The four of them blinked in surprise, and then the figure’s familiarity struck them.
It was Professor Hera.
"Professor," Matilda stepped forward with a clear worry in her eyes. "What’s going on?"
"Something terrible is happening." Professor Hera’s voice was strained. She was out of breath, not from being tired, but from something else. Panic. "Ragnar and Chester were using Abigail as bait. It was a trap for Kai. By now, he’s most likely walked right into it."
"Most likely? You don’t know for sure?"
"My time is limited. I can’t—"
Before Professor Hera could even finish her sentence, Matilda already rushed past her.
She didn’t want to waste time here when she might be able to help Kai before it was too late.
The others also thought of the same thing. They quickly followed Matilda.
But Professor Hera caught Bree’s wrist, stopping her.
"Professor, I need to get to him! I need to be right beside him if he needs help!"
"I need to tell you something first."
Professor Hera reached into her pocket and pressed something cold into Bree’s palm. It was a small steel badge that took the shape of a chain, broken at its center—where a wolf’s head was biting the severed links.
For a second, Bree looked at it with a frown.
"What is this?"
"If Kai survived this. If Kai survived their plan—give this insignia to him and tell him to give it to a man named Markus at the Association of Angel Academies headquarters. I cannot keep my promise directly, but Markus would make up for it."
"Professor Hera, I don’t understand... What is this?"
"Just—" Professor Hera raised her hand, gesturing for no more questions. "Just tell Kai that. And inform him that there’s a key and a map to a safehouse I built in Ixos, well-hidden in the professor’s headquarters near my desk. If he becomes the Red Prince—No, when he becomes the Red Prince, tell him to go there."
As soon as she gave that information to Bree, she began to ascend again.
Ascending slowly with her winged boots.
"Can you promise me to relay this to Kai, Bree? It’s for his well-being."
"I-I promise."
"Good. Know that you’re going to be doing a good thing by doing this. And... farewell. Give him my goodbye."
Swoosh—!
Bree watched as Professor Hera blasted into the sky again and vanished beyond the horizon. She hadn’t truly known that Kai shared a special bond—with the professor. She had noticed a few hints, but now she knew for sure.
"Just what is going on...?" She mumbled inwardly.
But she quickly shook her head, pocketed the badge, and rushed back to the academy.
A few miles away.
Matilda arrived at the academy, rushing past the main gate, and then looked around in search of Kai. She heard a commotion in the distance. Assuming that it must be Kai, she went to the source and saw students crowding the freshmen dormitory.
Several grey-masked Angels could be seen walking in and out.
It must be what caused the commotion.
As she squeezed through the gap in the crowd and reached the front, her breath caught in her throat. Two grey-masked Angels had Kai by the arms, one on each side—dragging him out of the dormitory and hauling him away.
Matilda’s eyes widened, and without thinking, she stepped out and barred the way.
"What are you doing?!"
"Get out of the way, or we’ll bring you in for being an accomplice."
"Accomplice? Accomplice for what?"
"Lesser Angel Kai has been caught in the act of killing a student—and his own servant. If you don’t want to be taken in too, then get out of the way."
Almost instantly as she learned what was going on, Matilda realized the trap.
Chester and Ragnar had somehow managed to frame Kai—painting him as the one who had harmed Abigail and Talitha. But he would never have done that. Whatever problems he’d had with them before, they were long past. This was a setup.
It was Chester and Ragnar who had harmed Abigail and Talitha, not Kai.
And these grey-masked Angels are probably working for them, ready to catch Kai in the act.
"Get them to the infirmary!" Kai’s hollow trance shattered at the sound of Matilda’s voice. His head snapped up, eyes wild with desperation. "Abigail and Talitha... They’re still inside! Bring them to the infirmary now!"
Both the grey-masked Angels continued, walking past Matilda, who was stunned in place.
She blinked, and they bolted toward the dormitory as she realized Abigail and Talitha were not dead. Not yet. They were still clinging to life, and every second mattered. Abigail could endure a little longer, but Talitha? Talitha needed help immediately.
An arm barred her way and pushed her back.
"Move," Matilda said coldly, glaring at the grey-masked Angel blocking her path to enter the dormitory. "I am High Angel Matilda. A Supernal of Athena. Do you understand? If you do— step aside. Now!"
"I’m sorry, High Angel Matilda. I can’t let you in." He shook his head. "The crime scene must be preserved until the investigation is completed. Freshmen students for a few days would be temporarily allocated to another building."
"Preserved?! The victims are still alive!"
"I assure you, the victims are dead. Lesser Angel Kai killed them."
Just then, Dorian and Bryan also arrived.
"You can’t do this," Dorian said sharply. "You can’t hide the crime scene!"
"At least there should be a representative for the students to check, right?" Dorian asked.
"Yes," the grey-masked Angel nodded. "Rest assured, there will be a student from the student council who would be the one representing the students to make sure that the students aren’t blindsided by this. You do not have to worry."
"Who is it?" Matilda asked flatly.
"If I’m not mistaken," the grey-masked Angel thought for a second. "It’s Student Ragnar."
Almost instantly, Matilda snickered.
She knew that this was a trap set for Kai, but this was completely shameless.
Out of all the students, the one chosen to represent the Freshmen was Ragnar; the very person orchestrating the plot against Kai and also not a freshman. The calculation was painfully clear. This was no accident. There was no path left for Kai to escape this conviction.
"Get out of the way."
A commanding voice reverberated through the air.
Matilda and the others looked behind them and noticed Bree had arrived.
She regarded the grey-masked Angel with a calmness—that seeped into the bones. Her voice was steady, almost gentle, but the grey-masked Angel wavered before her like a candle being blown by the night wind.
He stared at Bree as though she were a Star Beast that could kill him in a single swipe.
Gaining no answer, Bree approached the grey-masked Angel with calculated steps.
"Do you know who I am?" She whispered once she stood right in front of him.
Unconsciously, the grey-masked Angel nodded his head like he was put under a spell.
"Do you know what I can do?"
Again, he nodded.
"Then this is going to be easy to explain—so listen to me carefully." Bree stabbed a finger into the grey-masked Angel’s chest hard until it touched the ribcage. "If you don’t move right now, I will make sure that a few Demons will fly up to the sky and visit the academy. Then, they will come to me and see me crying in my room. And when they asked who made me cry, I’ll point at you.
"They will then demand you—and your family’s heads to be staked in front of the main gate. Guilty for causing emotional distress... to me."
He swallowed harshly.
Every single grey-masked Angel, before being appointed, was warned about several things.
One of them was to never cross High Angel Bree.
Her family has enough political power to demand that anyone within Eventide Academy, including even the Deans, be beheaded at a whim. As long as they demanded it, then it would happen. And it would be far easier for them to demand the life of a mere grey-masked Angel and also their families.
In fact, that could be done by the end of the day.
"Or you can get out of my way, and I’ll pardon your arrogance for blocking my path."
"I-I apologize for my rudeness."
Fearfully, the grey-masked Angel stepped aside, giving them way.
"Come on," Bree glanced to the others and then entered the dormitory.
The four of them rushed to the second floor, passing several more grey-masked Angels who moved out of the way when they recognized Bree. And when they reached the second floor and entered the room that emanated the stench of blood, the four of them gasped.
"Dead...?" Matilda clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "Bastards."