Chapter 246: The Lab After the incident, the entire academy was in shambles. By morning, the reports were everywhere. Over a hundred students had been replaced by their clones... they had been bound, gagged, and locked in their dorms. Twenty people were confirmed dead, and at least triple that number were currently in therapy. Even one professor hadn’t made it out alive. It was tragic. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚 It was horrifying. And yet, to Azel... it was amazing. This was an amazing score. He sat in the cafeteria, sipping a cup of cold water as sunlight filtered in through the cracked glass windows. The usually lively place was quiet now. There were no classes too. Still, he felt strangely satisfied. He had already accepted that people would die. In every major event in Fall of Ares, there was always loss. Massive loss. It was part of the world’s cruel rhythm. ’Besides,’ he thought, setting his cup down, ’in the original, over a hundred and fifty people died, and the ones who survived were traumatized for life.’ Compared to that, this was mercy. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms as he scanned the cafeteria. A few scattered students were sitting alone or in pairs. Some were crying quietly, some staring at nothing. Azel sighed softly. He had already checked on the people close to him. None of them had been harmed by clones. Flare had been one of the few who actually fought back... she’d even managed to save several first-years with her enchantments and skills. And as for Esme... she’d gotten lucky. She hadn’t even shown up to the academy that day. "She was sick," he muttered under his breath. "Plot armor works in mysterious ways." He reached for his cup again and took another sip then sighed. "Are you sure you’re okay?" he asked. The maid who usually attended to him was sitting beside him. She looked pale and her eyes were swollen and red. The other maids were all in therapy, their minds broken by what they’d endured. She was the only one who had come back to work. "I-I’m fine," she said quietly, forcing a small smile. Azel didn’t need to read her mind to know she wasn’t fine. According to what she told the professors, she had been shoved into a cupboard by one of the maids during the chaos, She was the youngest and they wanted to protect her... She’d heard everything... the cries, the pleas, the tearing sounds. All of it. She was alive, yes which was a good thing. But the life in her eyes was gone. Tears began to fall again, streaking down her cheeks. "C-can I borrow your shoulder...?" she whispered, barely audible. Azel nodded silently. She leaned into him and buried her face in his shoulder. Her small body trembled as sobs escaped her throat. He didn’t say anything. He just raised his hand and gently patted her head, letting her cry. "It’ll be alright," he said softly. It definitely would NOT be alright. The academy’s peace had been shattered, and with it, its reputation. The public would demand answers. And since he was one of the Representatives, he would most probably be dragged straight into the mess. He sighed. "I really didn’t sign up for politics," he muttered. When the maid’s sobs finally slowed, he offered her a napkin and waited for her to calm down. He stayed there until she managed a weak smile. Then he stood up and made his way out of the cafeteria. ... A few minutes later, he stood in an empty hallway. He opened his system window. The missions were marked [Completed], glowing in soft blue light. He tapped on the reward section. A golden shimmer appeared in his hand... a small metallic key, which was ancient-looking, with the engraving of a howling wolf on its head. The Key of Lycas. He turned it over between his fingers. "So this is it," he murmured. "Lycas, huh?" He smiled and slipped the key into his inventory. There was also the other reward... the Mystery Box, glowing in purple on his System menu. He was tempted to open it now, but decided against it. "Later," he whispered. "I’ll need a quiet place for that one." He closed the window, exhaled slowly... and then froze. A new notification blinked. [Would you like to head to the Professor’s Lab?] [Y / N] "...The Professor’s Lab? Ah... I remember." He hesitated for a moment, then pressed [Y]. The instant he did, his watch which had been dormant since there were no active classes began to whir. Its black interface flickered, and the orange arrows that usually led to class turned crimson, and strange sigils appeared across the screen. The watch was pointing him somewhere. He gulped. "Alright... guess we’re doing this." He followed the glowing path that appeared before him. The crimson lines led him down one corridor, then another. He passed by shattered walls, broken glass, and dried blood on the floors. It didn’t take long before the glowing trail led him... outside. He frowned. ’Why the hell are we going outside? Isn’t it supposed to be his lab? Shouldn’t the entrance be in his office or something?’ The trail wound around the courtyard and stopped at the large library. The place was deserted. Some of the shelves had toppled over during the chaos, and books littered the ground, some had been torn while others were still okay. He stepped inside, his boots crunching softly over scattered pages. "Creepy..." he muttered. "Of course it had to be the library." The watch glowed again, brighter now, guiding him toward the back. When he got there, the shelves were stacked tightly together, covered in dust. But the light on his watch began to blink faster, like it was excited. Azel scanned the books and then froze. There tucked neatly in the center of the shelf was a crimson book. He reached out and tugged it. The shelf groaned, then began to shift. Books rattled and fell as the entire structure split apart, revealing a narrow passageway behind it. A gust of cold air rushed out, and hit him in the face. "Secret room," Azel said. "I like it." He stepped inside. The darkness swallowed him immediately. He lifted his hand, and golden energy flared from his palm, lighting up the way. The walls were lined with stone. A long staircase spiraled downward, deeper and deeper beneath the academy. The air got even cooler as he descended "This guy really built a whole dungeon under the school?" he muttered. "How did no one notice this?" He kept going and then his foot hit something. He stopped and looked down. There, resting on the step, was a book. It was lying face-down and the cover smeared with grime. He bent down and picked it up, then immediately felt something wet against his fingers. It was slimy. He frowned and turned it over, expecting maybe old leather or a crimson binding like before. But it wasn’t crimson. As the light hit it, Azel realized what it was. Blood. The entire cover was soaked in blood. This was.... a diary of blood.