"Take… that!"

Feene's voice came sailing across the court, reaching Wake's ears mere moments before the ball. Wake sharply inhaled, watching the ball come flying at him. At just the right moment, he thrust out his hands to catch the ball, latching onto it with his star energy as it came flying. The silver ball levitated between his two hands, and he looked at his star brand. The glowing mark on the back of his hand pulsated with energy. Without missing a beat, Wake spun around with the momentum of the ball, releasing it once he'd done a full three-sixty. The ball went flying across the court and towards the goal.

He saw Feene, a tall, blonde, and amazingly attractive young woman, dive for the ball as it sailed towards the goal. In contrast to her sharp blue eyes, her face was red – a clear indication of how hard she'd been playing in this Starball match. She was the best player on the girls' team, after all. Her hands flew out in front of the ball, and her star brand flared with energy. But it wasn't enough. She'd used a lot of her star energy in trying to spike the ball past Wake, and now she didn't have anything left in reserve for defense. The ball went sailing through, slapping her arms aside and knocking the girl off balance. The silver ball smacked into the goal with a satisfying thunk.

A buzzer sounded. An announcer came over the intercom. "And there you have it folks! Right down to the last second, the boys and girls intramural teams had battled it out, neck and neck! Never before have I seen such a brilliant display! Scores tied until the very end, but then BAM! God's Gift goes for one final strike, using his opponent's energy against her! The boy's team wins by a single point! This match is one for the ages, ladies and gentlemen!"

After that, Wake lost himself in the crowd's applause and the cheering of his teammates.


"I'm just saying, Feene, it's not FAIR! You're the best starball player at this academy, and we only lost because they have God's Gift on their side! His Ether power is incredible, well above what we can ever hope for… That's gotta be against the rules!"

Feene responded in a shy and demure voice, very dissimilar from the warrior-like tone she'd adopted during the match.

"I don't think that's really fair, Aya," she said, a touch of red reaching her cheeks. "We all played our best, and we lost. I think the important thing is that we all grow from this experience."

Aya sighed, stepping out of the shower room and throwing on a uniform shirt from her locker. Her short, blue hair was done up in a bun.

"That's just like you, Feene. You're too nice! I want to see Feene the warrior princess! Not the Feene who plays nice all the time! Look, you fought monsters in your hometown right, and continue to do so in the labyrinths. You're the best player on the starball team, and you can easily win against ANYONE who so much as challenges you in fencing club. Yet it's always 'we played our best' or 'good game, Wake! You deserve it!' I don't think I've ever seen you get mad. Is that possible for you?"

"It's not that, I just simply don't think this warrants being angry about anything…" Feene trailed off, unsure of what to say. Aya was her friend, but Feene could never understand where all of her hot blooded personality came from. She watched as Aya finished putting on her uniform.

Aya sighed. "Ugh… you're right, Feene. You always are. I just don't want you getting tangled up with that boy. I couldn't stand to see you get hurt, and men like him, that's all they do."

Feene's face flushed red so fast, she couldn't even attempt to hide it. "Wha… whatever are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Feene! It's so obvious! You like him! You're always so happy when he asks you to classmate with him, and the photography club? You and he are the only members! And it's all you talk about!"

Feene couldn't stand the embarrassment. She looked at her friend. "A… Aya! I am a proud disciple of the Academy! My job is to help the God's Gift in sterilizing the dusk circles, and preventing the world from being attacked by the monsters they spawn! It's my sworn duty to protect the world before it truly knows it's under attack! And… besides. I'll be leaving after all the circles are closed anyways…" There was a twinge of sadness in her voice.

"Feene… come on. Don't be like that. You've got friends here. Don't pretend like you don't."

"I…. thank you Aya," Feene said, her eyes downcast. Her blue haired, fiery friend came over and gave her a quick hug.

"Come on," she said, tugging on Feene's hand. "Let's go to the Amusement Park!"


"Ugh, I hate these stupid all-academy assemblies. We're not in high school anymore, you know!"

Serina's voice was curt and brimming with impatience. Her light blue hair fell over her shoulders, and her face was twisted in a pouting expression. Her arms were crossed as she sat on the arena's bleachers.

"You really hate these things, don't you?" Wake asked, looking at the short girl sitting next to him. His silver hair was rough and un-styled. He reached up to adjust his uniform around the neck.

"Mweh. I could be doing so many better things with my time! Like, oh, I don't know, fighting the monsters that threaten to destroy the world!? Or buying milk." Wake laughed before Serina continued. "Everybody already knows it's just you, me, and the other S-Rank disciples that do all the work to kick the tar out of the dusk spawners. So why'd they have to go and call an emergency all Academy meeting just to belabor the point?"

"Um, I don't really think that's accurate…" came a very shy voice from Wake's other side. He turned to see Narika, standing above both of them, her dark blue hair swaying in the breeze. Serina turned away to pout when she saw the buxom beauty, crossing her arms tighter. Not that anyone saw. "The other students really do a lot of work to keep the world safe," Narika continued. "They're the ones who deal with the monsters that escape the circles, and they patrol the original core circle here at the Academy."

Serina made a noise reminiscent of a grunt. Narika decided to sit down next to Wake. "The other witches are going to be here soon," she said, smiling. "Except for Chloe. She's going to be speaking, I guess."

"You were certainly quick to adopt the name of 'witch,'" Wake said, laughing. "I thought for sure you S-Ranks would have hated it." Narika blushed and cast her purple eyes towards the ground.

"W… well… it's not that I really like it… it's just that…"

"It's that she's too damn shy to want to correct anybody," Serina said, bluntly and with indignation.

Another voice came from behind, breaking the tension. It was brimming with bright energy. "Oh come on now Serina, you don't mean that!"

Serina spun around in her seat and looked up in surprise. "Mweh?!"

Standing on the bleachers behind them was Ellie, a short and small girl about the size of Serina. Though, despite the similarity, there was one small difference in size that bothered Serina to no end. Serina decided to shift her gaze upward - at her face - and try not to think about it. Ellie had green hair, cut short to about chin length, which she kept tidy with a headpiece that looked like small ears sticking from her head. Her eyes shimmered with excitement, one could almost swear there were stars in them. Serina sat in stunned silence.

It was Fuuko that broke the tension this time. Her pink hair falling down beside her on both sides, she wore a pair of black and green headphones and a pair of earrings that complimented her disciple uniform. "Well, now that we're all here, we should sit down, don't you think?" Torri and Feene, who stood behind Fuuko, nodded in agreement before sitting down.

"I wonder what all the fuss is about," mused Fuuko as she looked out over the empty stage. "It's pretty weird for the Academy to call a sudden assembly like this, right?"

Feene's soft voice broke in. "It seems like only yesterday we didn't have a care in the world, playing starball. I hope everything is all right…"

Wake agreed, and decided to weigh in. "All you girls are here… where's Chlotz?"

"Probably off chatting up some floozy," Serina chimed. She was obviously unhappy.

"Ah, give Chlotz some credit," he replied, shaking his head. He's been there for us, probably more so than we all realize."

Fuuko tilted her head. "I bet he's off with his sister, actually. They make not look it, but he and Chloe are really close."

Torri, who had remained quiet until now, crossed her legs and sat on the bench at a slight angle, askew from everyone else. Her hair fell down on either side of her, one side dyed black, the other her natural white color. Once she was situated, a confused look crossed her face, and her red eyes widened. She spoke very slowly, enunciating each word carefully. To the disciples around them, it might have seemed strange, but everyone on the dusk circle infiltration team was used to this. It's just how Torri was. She stared into space.

"I… had heard rumors around the magecraft club. There are important members of AngelMarker here. And some detectives. Why would AngelMarker researchers be at a school assembly? I think something bad might have happened. I don't like bad things, they make me unhappy."

Overhead, a bird flew by as the speakers in the arena crackled to life. All of the students fell hushed as they watched two figures walk onto the stage. Usually, events like this started with music and some form of fanfare. The fact that this meeting didn't, however, put many students on edge. Hushed whispers circulated throughout the crowd. The first figure was an old man of dark skin, clad in blue church robes that made him look like a wizard. Woven lines of holy script decorated the robes. Next to him, with fiery red hair and a faculty uniform, stood Chloe Genus, the seventh and final "witch." While she was still young and carried the brand of the Star God, she had advanced enough in her studies to actually be a faculty member here. Though, to the rest of the dusk circle infiltration team, Chloe was just another merry member of the band. Today though, she was not so merry. Everyone could see dismay and worry painted across her face. Each member of the team – Wake, Fuuko, Ellie, Serina, Narika, Torri, and Feene – felt their heart sink. This was not going to be good news.

The man in robes took the microphone and began to speak. He voice was slow, deep, and aged.

"Good afternoon, students of the Atteran Academy, members of the church, and representatives from AngelMarker. As most of you know, I am High Priest Mattero, and I oversee matters here on the island as they relate to the Star God which gives us our power to fight the dusk that is invading our world."

Mattero swallowed, forcing a pause in his speech.

"The Academy was founded in response to the ever growing threat of the dusk circles in our world. They've appeared in various locations around the earth, mostly away from major civilizations. We've been able to identify eight in total, after the original core we've decided to name the remaining seven after the seven deadly sins. Each dusk circle is the made of the very essence of dusk energy itself, or what some might call "dark" energy, the very antithesis to the light energy of "Ether" the Star God grants our student disciples. Twisted creatures have begun to emerge from these circles by way of seeds – physical projectiles that resemble meteorites in speed and size – that house monsters of all kinds. The circles launch these seeds, which land randomly, unleashing the monsters on whatever is nearby. Up until now, our work here at the Academy as well as the work performed by both AngelMarker and the Church has been able to keep the seeds under control without the world at large recognizing the threat. If we can keep this panic from the public, so much more the better. Many do not believe in monsters, and I, for one, would like to keep it that way."

Mattero took a deep breath, glancing over at the red-headed girl next to him before beginning again.

"Recently, however, the attacks of monsters on civilizations have become more brazen. More coordinated. It's taking all of our efforts as an academy of disciples and all of the latest technology from AngelMarker to keep up. Rumors of strange creatures are beginning to spread. Which is why, I want to beg of you, that you do not let the following news disrupt your union as a team. Someone seems very interested in introducing chaos into our system, so I ask that you not let this chaos grow. We need you all at full strength." Mattero looked downward. He wasn't usually so solemn, but today was different. Wake and the girls braced themselves for what they would hear next. Over the crackling microphone now came Chloe's voice, one they all knew all too well.

"With… with that said," she began, taking the microphone. "As faculty we felt it improper to not inform the students of the current situation. There… has been a murder here with our own Academy walls."

The words hit the student body like a ton of bricks. Suddenly the crowd wasn't so silent anymore. Whispers became words, and words became shouts. A murder? Here, on the island? Who would do such a thing? Who died?

Chloe tried to speak over the murmuring crowd. "A former disciple of this academy, and a graduate, the body of Ms. Helen Back was found late last night. Ms. Back had since moved on from the Academy to work as an AngelMarker employee, and made her mark by helping develop the dusk breaker weapons you all carry into battle. Many details are not being released to us at this time."

Fuuko shifted behind Wake. "Look at her," she said, sorrow in her eyes. "I've never seen Chloe this uncomfortable."

"In addition," Chloe continued, "Several people – including some disciples - are missing in action from this island. It is assumed, based on reports from the investigation, that these individuals have been kidnapped, or… worse." She shifted and pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket, carefully unfolding it.

She took a few moments before she spoke. Torri whispered from behind "Chloe is very sad. She's trying not to cry." Everyone in the audience tensed.

"Among those reported missing are:"

Chloe then recited a list of names, about 15 long. But three of them hit the dusk circle infiltration team like a fierce wave, and they could barely hear anything else as the names resonated in their heads:

Aya Soikiniya

Chlotz Genus

Nazuna Leaf

Ruby Coiler

Each and every one of these four had a special place in the hearts of the team. Aya was Feene's best friend, and fellow starball player. Chlotz, an A-rank disciple who had supported them since the beginning, and Chloe's younger brother. Nazuna, the head of a café in town and Serina's older sister. And Ruby, a rambunctious researcher for AngelMarker that has helped the team grow and stay alive through countless scrapes. Suddenly, the news that these people were gone became very real to the team. Serina covered her mouth, trying to hold back tears. Feene was visibly distraught. Chloe's words continued.

"If… if any of you have any information regarding these crimes…" she said, her voice breaking as she spoke. "Please… Oh, Star God, please let us know."

In the following silence, Chloe ran off the stage, trying to hold back her tears. Mattero calmly walked off the stage. Suddenly, students began to move, shout, and attempt to flee.

That was the first day the academy began to descend into chaos.