Magic Council - 1st October 2005
Faragonda sat at the table with her chin resting on her interlocking fingers as she looks at the other occupants. To her right was Saladin while Griffin sat 3 seats away from him. Some seats were empty but the meeting could not start without Favian at least. He replied that he would come, no answer from the others.
"Sorry for the lateness, I was caught up in my research and time just slipped by," Favian apologises as saunters in without a care in the world and collapses onto the chair, kicking his feet up onto the table.
Tarone clicks his tongue at the blatant disrespect but important matters were at hand so he announces the reason for the meeting. "I'm sure you all heard what happened last night."
"The attack on Lightrock Monastery," Fei Lan states what everyone knew.
"Exactly. Now, we need a plan in case war breaks out."
"What we need is to round up all the escaped convicts," Ghaliyah intervenes before turning to a buff Russian man. "Sezja, how many of them have you and your men captured?"
"24 but I suspect there are more still roaming the streets," Sezja replies.
"Should we be surprised?" Favian doesn't even bother to stifle his snickers much to the annoyance of the others and the growing rage of the chief of police.
"What does that mean?" Sezja demands, slamming his fist into the table.
"Oh, come on, everyone knows cops are just lazy tubs of lard who sit on there a** complaining about their sh*tty lives while scarfing doughnuts down their throats."
"You dare-!"
"Enough." That simple word had enough power to halt the upcoming fight though there was no force nor raised voice.
"Faragonda's right. We shouldn't sit her squabbling like children," Saladin adds.
"We? It's them," Griffin huffs.
"Now, now. Let's remember why we were called here today," Aubree plays peacemaker.
"Lightrock," Diego speaks up. "I see where Tarone is coming from with the slaughter of the most powerful soldiers in the Magic Dimension, but I think to prepare for war is excessive. There's been no declaration towards Magix."
"You think Lord Darkar who massacred the Knights of Templar, just as he did to the inhabitants on Domino, will not strike Magix?! No one is safe from a psychopath like that," Tarone warns.
"Right! Sorry, sorry, sheesh," Diego puts his hands up in surrender.
"Don't apologise. Tarone is overreacting. The General of Magix Army hasn't even bothered to show up which means she's not worried so why should you? Honestly worry about your own damn department." Having enough, Favian gets up from his seat and heads to the door with a yawn, complaining about what a waste of time this meeting was.
"The meeting's not over."
"It is for me. I might have stayed had there been snacks but as it turns out you're a poor host," Favian retorts without even turning around.
"I thought you would have jumped at the chance of showing off your creations," Tarone couldn't help but taunt though he knew how low a blow it would be.
Favian pauses, hand gripping the door handle tight until his knuckles turned white. "I'm not a weapons contractor anymore," Favian responds darkly before slamming the door behind him. The room is heavy from the tension until Aubree chooses to speak up.
"Tarone," Aubree scolds, her arms crossed over her chest as she glares at him like a mother would at her disobedient child.
"He started it!"
"And that gives you permission to finish it?" Fei Lan counters with a brow raised.
"This is turning into a disaster. Faragonda, what do you think?"
Faragonda takes a moment to ponder becoming to her decision. "I believe that Tarone has raised a valid point, chances are that none of us are safe from Lord Darkar. It wouldn't hurt to raise our defences and inform our allies."
"It's decided then," Saladin rises from his seat. "I'll inform Codatorta, after all, it is his sister who leads our army. She's more likely to listen to him than any of us."
"I guess we are dismissed."
Griffin didn't need to be told twice and left immediately while the other members plan what they need to do to prepare. Faragonda stayed in her seat as mulls over the events.
War. It's the last thing she wants for her students but she cannot shield them away as that will put them in more danger. 'How did life get to this?' She sighs.
Alfea - Cafeteria
"We have 3 exams to complete and 4 assignments to hand in but that's all we need to do to pass our first year," Mirta explains to Kaneki as they were the only ones who did not start the first year of Alfea.
"Luckily, we have the whole year to complete them all," Kaneki adds as he wipes Glim's food-covered cheeks with a tissue, only sparing a single glance to the help-sheet Mirta provided.
"That sucks," Elidyr mumbles with wet crumbs flying out her mouth due to her cheeks being stuffed with her breakfast. Her sister crinkles her nose in disgust.
"Why?" Amaryl queries lazily pushing her remaining food with her fork.
"They're doing less work than we had to do," Elidyr points out.
"Course that's what you complain about," Elidor rolls her eyes before focusing on her breakfast.
"Oh, did you see the news report this morning? Apparently, Lightrock Monastery has been destroyed and the Knights of Templar have been killed," Amaryl inquires, suddenly invested into the conversation as she waves her fork around. "And not just a simple stabbing or single spell, it was full-on brutality. It was so graphic that the extent of damage couldn't be shown but apparently, there's nowhere the police could step without getting blood, brain matter and other body parts on their shoes."
"Could we please not talk about this while eating?" Elidor huffs her face now an interesting shade of green.
Kaneki was worried about this as he knew this attack was from Darkar, it appears he's making his move. Maybe he shouldn't have taunted Darcy like that. There was tension in the air and Kaneki knew how to relieve it. Kaneki swaps his plate of food with Amaryl's and immediately digs in.
"Uh, that's my breakfast," Amaryl points out.
"Some apple slices is breakfast?" Kaneki wants to confirm and when Amaryl looks away, he continues. "What would you consider a snack? Breadcrumbs?"
"I need to diet. My boyfriend thinks I'm too pudgy," Amaryl admits hesitantly.
"He's a prick. Don't listen to him."
"What?"
"Not good enough? I would use a more colourful description but my vocabulary is limited."
"Don't say that about him. He's the love of my life and I'm his," Amaryl says it as if she were trying to convince herself rather than him.
"Really? Then what's up with your style?" Kaneki counters with a knowing look as he gestures to her. "It's understandable if you want to change it up a bit but you're like a completely different person."
"And what would you know about me? What if this is me?" Amaryl retorts defensively.
"What do I know about you, Amaryl," Kaneki ponders looking to the ceiling as he taps a finger against his chin. "I know that you sit outside your balcony with your telescope every night until you mesmerised practically all the constellations. I know you secretly love rock music and listen to the same band over and over again. So you gonna eat or do you want more facts?"
Amaryl stares at Kaneki for a moment before looking at the plate, she picks up the buttered toast and tentatively takes a bite which was good enough for Kaneki. Throughout the rest of breakfast, Kaneki noticed that Amaryl kept glancing over to him when she thought he wouldn't see with a rose tint in her cheeks.
Finished with his slices, Kaneki gets up to leave just as the Winx arrive at the table. He parts a few words with Aisha before departing, ignoring the way Tecna was scrutinising him.
The Winx sat at the table where Kaneki was previously and began to load their plates. A few minutes in and Tecna begins her rant on her suspicions much to the chagrin of some of her friends.
"Tecna, not this again," Aisha rubs her forehead in exasperation as she prepares herself for the onslaught.
"Kaneki is the Fairy of Destruction. Look," Tecna whips out her phone and taps fervently at the screen to show them the picture she took of Kaneki's dissertation.
Flora frowns as she plucks the phone out of Tecna's hand before the others could get a proper look. "Tecna, how did you get this photo? Because I doubt Professor Avalon would've shared these essays with anyone no matter what the reason."
"He didn't. Musa and I broke into Avalon's office to get this photo," Tecna discloses without any shame while Musa had the decency to appear guilty by the way she refuses to meet the gaze of Flora.
The girls gasp at the admission, shocked that the two could stop so low though Stella was secretly impressed.
"Are you crazy?" Bloom demands with her brows furrowed and arms crossed like a mother scolding her disobedient child. "You could get expelled if any of the teachers find out."
"I had to!" Tecna retorts in an attempt of defending hers and Musa's actions. "We know nothing about him and from the moment he came here he's been suspicious. He says he's from Earth but never has there ever been an earth fairy in centuries especially one that has entered the Magic Dimension. He always keeps to himself and rarely hangs out with anyone. He has special access to places that students aren't supposed to go."
"Tecna's right. We shouldn't just trust him without getting facts straight," Stella was the one who comes to Tecna's aid much to everyone's bewilderment. "What?" Stella questions when everyone stares at her like she's grown a second head even Tecna.
"Nothing, just surprised to see you on our side," Musa responds. "That just shows you're being smarter than the others."
Aisha rolls her eyes and huffs before spitting out a retort, "You're just saying that because you're still jealous that Kaneki was picked over you for the pixie rescue mission."
Musa's face inflamed with rage at the accusation thrown even though she knew it to be true. She pushed herself out of her seat and got right into her face.
"Please don't fight," Lockette pleads, flying between the two as she attempts to appease them.
"I know how we can settle this," Flora interjects before she turns her head to the rest of the pixies who were messing about on the table. "Pixies, you spent the night at Kaneki's room while we were at the party. What do you think about him?"
The Pixies stopped what they were doing once the attention was on them. Chatta floated to Flora and cheered, "He's super cool!"
"He was so nice while we were playing cards," Lockette adds.
"And sweet and handsome," Amore sighs dreamily.
"He may be a little asocial and awkward but that doesn't mean he's malware to us or others," Digit points out. "Plus, his RAM is quite broad as well."
"Yeah, he guessed all of my cosplays correctly!" Zing announces, squealing. "He even said it was endearing." Zing was especially happy at that comment since some of the Pixies found her cosplaying a little strange.
Piff babbled excitedly, showing her approval of Kaneki.
"See?" Aisha throws them a smug look.
"Okay, fine," Stella relents before stabbing the last of her eggs with her fork and gulping them down in one go. She made a noise at the back of her throat to express her enjoyment of her breakfast then notices that her plate is clean. Stella responds to this by banging the table with her knife and fork and complaining, "I can't believe it. They never give us enough food around here. My breakfast is already gone but I'm still hungry."
"Really, Stella?" Musa rolls her eyes, irritated at the blonde who switched vital topics like they weren't worth anything. She never takes anything seriously.
"What? I'm hungry," Stella retorts with as much ire as Musa before glancing at Tecna who was immersed with a book instead of her tray full of food then stealthily began to pull her tray towards herself. Unfortunately, Tecna already predicted Stella's action and pulled it back without ever tearing her eyes from the pages.
"Come on Tecna. Please," Stella whined.
"Alright," Tecna acquiesce knowing from experience that Stella will not give up. Stella beams then grab at the apple only for her hand to go right through it. She gasps before poking at it which makes it multiply, "okay if this is a joke, I'm not appreciating it."
"Look at the bright side, things are finally stacking up in your favour," Amaryl teases.
"Very funny(!)" Stella snaps before turning to Tecna who still had her head in her book. "Tecna, is this you?"
"Relax lassie," Wizgiz intervenes, he was holding up a small metallic box painted gold yet still looked ancient, "you've been the subject of an experiment. The apples fool the eyes of the fairy of light. Clearly, my work is important however practice makes perfect. Enjoy your breakfast, me lassies." Wizgiz waves his students goodbye as he leaves to test his invention elsewhere.
Stella took that as her queue to stuff her cheeks with the remains of Tecna's breakfast. She slumped back down in her seat, depressed, once she was finished, "Ah, this is the worst day ever. My hair is frizzy, breakfast just disappeared and we've got 7 hours of class ahead of us. Nothing can cheer me up now." At that moment, flowers bloomed in front of every girl.
"Good morning," Avalon greets with the girls replying enthusiastically. "I hope the flowers got your day off to a chilly start."
"How thoughtful. Thank you, professor. Purple is my favourite colour," Bloom tells him.
"Yes, it's mine too," Flora adds.
Avalon smiles as he walks closer to Bloom, he then places a hand on her shoulder. "Last night you had a dream that touched your heart," Avalon hypothesised.
"Professor it was about my parents. I'd like to know what happened to them. Will you help me?" Bloom requests hopeful.
"Certainly. Meet me in my office after class,"
"I think this is the best day ever," Stella sighs dreamily.
"I won't have any trouble listening to him all year," Musa adds just as enamoured.
"Oh, sorry, Professor," a familiar voice squeaks as he bumps into his colleague. Everyone turns their head to see a handsome man with pointed ears and familiar long orange hair in Avalon's arms.
"Is that Palladium?" Flora gasps and everyone on the table whips their head to get a good look at this fine specimen.
"What happened to him?"
"Who cares?"
"Total hunk-cicle."
Palladium leaps out of Avalon's arms, his face glowing red and is left stammering wildly as he figures out what to say.
"I don't mind rather I found it quite enjoyable," Avalon chuckles which only serves to fluster Palladium further and the girls nearby to titter at the obvious crush. "Is there a reason for you to be in the cafeteria at this moment?"
"Ah, yes. Charlotte forgot her cardigan in my class yesterday," Palladium holds up a black crop cardigan with spider web design on it.
"That's where it was. Thank you, Professor," Charlotte takes it from Palladium and puts it on, clearly grateful that she has her favourite cardigan back.
"It was no trouble," Palladium assures smiling kindly.
"Truly you are a wonderful role model for these girls," Avalon twists his wrist and in his hand appears a single gladiolus which he places above Palladium's ear. "Symbolises the strength of character, faithfulness and honour. I believe this describes you best."
"Why, thank you," Palladium mumbles, unable to meet Avalon's gaze.
"We should probably get going. Lessons to plan, students to teach," Avalon wraps an arm around Palladium shoulder and leads him out the cafeteria and away from the giggling fangirls.
"This sucks," Lola huffs. "All the good guys are either taken or gay."
Outside Alfea
"Haley, why are we heading to Alfea?" Celia shouts over the roar of the motorcycle, she was right behind Haley, holding tightly onto her waist in fear she would fall off.
"I told you this morning, I want to thank that jerk-face for saving me," Haley replies gripping the handles a little tighter.
"Okay, the first thing about expressing gratitude is to not call the person you're thanking a jerk-face," Celia chastised before yelping when Haley drives through another muddy puddle, "and second, where did you get this bike? It doesn't look like the ones from our school and you seem to love destroying it."
Haley couldn't help but smirk at that astute observation, "Don't worry about the bike. Uncle Saladin won't mind." Mostly because that prick senior that insulted her during the opening will be the one to get in trouble for not locking up his bike properly.
"Your uncle lets you off with way too much," Celia sighs use to Haley's childish acts of revenge. Haley doesn't reply but instead speeds up when she sees Alfea in the horizon. She parked in the Central Courtyard and made sure the bike was secured in the bike trail. Even though the bike belongs to that prick and nothing would make her happier than smashing it into pieces, it's her and Celia's only ride out.
They are not taking the freaking bus. That spells disaster for her.
"Wow, this is Alfea?" Celia marvels, examining the beautifully large building before focusing on the students.
"They're lucky, no uniform," Haley kisses her teeth in annoyance as she hands Celia the crutches strapped to her back. "Here you go," Haley assists Celia in getting off the bike and finding balance.
"Come on our uniforms aren't that bad," Celia counters smoothing out the skirt of her dress. Their school uniform was an expensive blue skirt that went over their stomach with suspenders, underneath was a white short sleeve button-up shirt with a red bow and a darker blue cardigan.
"Oh, please since when is it necessary to have skirts so short you don't even need to bend down to give out a panty shot?" Haley challenges and Celia couldn't refute since she did have a point. Haley objectified to the uniform so much that the teachers got fed up and let her and the students wear whatever they wanted though they were still forced to wear the uniforms when going out on school events or if certain people were visiting the college.
"So how are you going to find that guy? This place is huge," Celia wonders.
"He's the only guy on campus. Can't be too hard," Haley counters.
"Isn't that him over there?" Celia points to a white-haired male who just turned a corner and got out of sight.
"Gotcha. I'll talk to you later," Haley yells as she runs after where Kaneki disappears off to. Celia yells at Haley when to meet up before hobbling in the opposite direction.
She watched the other fairies and wondered if this was the life she would have experienced if she had powers. Then again, if she hadn't been discovered as a normie then she never would have met Haley and she treasures her friendship with the hard-headed girl who's never afraid to speak her mind.
Unfortunately, Celia still wasn't used to her crutches and accidentally crashes into another student.
"Watch where you're going!" Carina snaps shoving Celia away from her, "you could have scratched my designer purse. It cost more than what your parents will earn in a lifetime."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Celia apologised instantly due to her timid nature and naturally being a total pushover.
"Is that all you can say, tubby?" Lola jeers.
"I-I-I already apologised. What else is there for me to say?" Celia was lstumped.
If possible that just got them angrier, Jessica raises her hand intending to slap Celia when something seizes her wrist and yanks it behind her back, "Ow!"
"Come on it is a little harsh to slap someone when all they did was bump into you," another girl chastised, she had short dark blue hair and orange eyes.
"Whatever," Jessica replies rolling her eyes before yanking her wrist back and whipping her hair into her face as she sauntered away in the opposite direction with her friends following.
"Are you alright?" The girl inquires her eyes scanning Celia for any other injuries.
"Ye-Yeah, I'm f-fine," Celia stuttered, her cheeks dusted a light rose pink. She could feel her body temperature rise even though the weather hadn't changed.
"My name is Janice."
With Haley
"Where is he? How could he disappear that quick?" Haley hummed in thought as she tried to search for Kaneki which was unsuccessful. She had made it into the garden where she bumped into Faragonda, Flora and Tecna, the latter two helping Faragonda carry some books.
"Why, aren't you Saladin's niece?" Faragonda questions kindly, "whatever are you doing here?"
Haley immediately straightens her back and switches to a respectful tone, "I was hoping to visit one of your students today but I can't seem to find him."
"Well, I have no idea where Ken could be. Girls, do you have any idea?" Faragonda inquires turning to Flora and Tecna. Both girls shake their heads.
"It's fine. I can find him myself. Thank you very much," Haley nods her head in respect before passing by the trio and continuing her search for Kaneki. Since she could not see hide nor hair of him outside, she decides to shift her search to the inside. 10 minutes of manoeuvring around the endless twists of this maze called a college only serves to further fuel Haley's ire.
Just as she turns another corner, she bumps into someone and finally releases her pent up fury. "Oi, wat-you!" Haley stops mid-rant when she realises she's found who she's been searching for all this time.
"Yes. Me," Kaneki retorts dryly as he turns around to face her.
"Yes. It's Kenny," Faith reiterates with Glim parroting him.
"I've been looking for you," Haley reveals before punching him in the arm though he shows no pain or discomfort from the blow.
"What was that for?" Kaneki sighs.
"For ignoring me when I was calling for you," Haley counters, trying to punch him again except this time he caught it.
"What is wrong with you? This is the second time I've seen you and in both instances, you have verbally and physically attempted to attack me." Haley opened her mouth to defend herself but Kaneki cut her off. "And just so you know I didn't hear you calling for me."
"But I saw you outside in the courtyard. You weren't that far from me," Haley argues.
"Kenny hasn't even been in the courtyard," Faith interjects.
"What he said," Kaneki supports.
"Forget it. I want you to meet me in the public square, 3 days from now."
"Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'? Because I said so,"
Kaneki scoffs, looking to the ground while shaking his head before looking straight into Haley's eyes. "Listen, you seem like a... nice-ish girl but I'm busy."
"With what?"
"Personal stuff," Kaneki responds before promptly walking away.
"You know when asking someone on a date? You ask kindly instead of demanding they show up," Faith assists.
"Who said anything about a date?" Haley's stammers, flustered. "As if. No way. I just wanted to thank him for fighting against me."
"Suuure," Faith grins knowingly, waggling his brows before placing his hands behind his head. "You still might want to think about your approach. Just smile and ask nicely."
Smile. Ask nicely. Okay, she can do this.
"Gloomy... guy." 'Boy' didn't seem appropriate. "I'll be waiting around noon even if you said you won't show up but you better show," Haley demands before swiftly spinning on the balls of her feet and marching the way she came.
"Strange girl," Kaneki shakes his head. "Like a bad alternate version of Touka."
"You mad she reminds you of your girlfriend?" Faith teases.
"Touka's not my girlfriend," Kaneki retorts with a huff though his cheeks tinged red. "And her anger was endearing. At least she had a reason for attitude."
"So does Haley. You just need a chance to know her," Faith counters.
"I'm not going so forget about it," Kaneki shuts down.
"Why not?"
"Because you are acting like it's a date which I don't want," Kaneki huffs. "There's also the fact I'm 19 going on 20 and she's probably between 16 to 19."
"So you're just gonna leave her there?"
"That's all on her," Kaneki snaps. "I told her I won't meet her. If she's left waiting an hour or five then it ain't my problem."
Shrugging off his cold response, Faith simply replies with, "Whatever you say, Kenny, whatever you say," before they head to Avalon's lesson.
Haley, having done her business, returns to Celia who sitting on a bench with a lovestruck look plastered on her face. When walking up to her best friend, Celia wouldn't stop babbling about her new cute friend Janice but Haley didn't mind as its been a while since Celia's spoke so much. They both headed back to their school, Blue Swan Academy back on Eraklyon.
Kaneki's Room
With her suspicions of Kaneki growing, Tecna could no longer stand idle which is why she skipped Professor Avalon's lesson to snoop through his room.
The second she set foot into his room, her gaze focuses on a plant by the window sill. "Strange, I don't think I've ever seen this fruit before," Tecna hums before plucking the fruit off its stem and wrapping it carefully in a napkin before putting it in her bag. She's on a time limit and could deal with this later.
"Have you found anything?" Tecna questions as she flips through another one of Kaneki's books.
"Negatory," Digit replies as she keeps a lookout for Kaneki outside.
"There has to be something here," Tecna mutters, slamming the book down onto the desk with a grunt. The desk shook unintentionally knocking down a stone in a pot full of soil.
Tecna curses as she drops to her knees and starts scooping as much dirt as she possibly could back into the pot all while berating herself for her idiocy. A white floor. He has white floorboards. One of the few colours where the soil would stand out like fresh blood on untouched snow.
And it's wet. Tecna's shoulders slump at the realisation as the dirt liquifies into the gaps of the floorboards. Digging her nail of her thumbnail into the groove, she winces as splinters pierce through her skin, some drawing blood.
Once she deemed the floor spotless, she places the pot back onto the desk before standing back up, she pats the mud from her hands onto her knees. Arms akimbo, Tecna racks at her brain trying to remember if the desk was exactly how it was before her arrival. Why didn't she memorise the room or at least took a picture? That way there'd be no trouble.
Taking a step back, the back of her shoe bumps into something, Tecna glances down to see a stone block. Baffled, she plucks it off the ground and lightly traces her finger against the strange engravings, her delicate skin scraping against the rugged texture of the stone.
Her forehead puckered as her brows knitted together in a scowl and her lips pursed while trying to figure out the purpose of the stone. "Tecna, need I remind you we are on a tight schedule?" Digit huffs, bringing up a holo-screen with the time flashing in bright red.
Tecna apologises then jams the stone into the soil before returning to her search of the room. "You can't see Kaneki down there, can you?" Tecna queries as she analyses the room for any square inch she's missed. She hasn't looked through his wardrobe.
"Nope," Digit replies diligently. "You still have 20 minutes before Avalon's lesson ends."
Tecna gives a hum of approval as she opens Kaneki's wardrobe and rummages through his clothes. She had to rub her eyes, wondering if her vision was failing her as her sight is met with only black and white.
It was there that she took note of a box tucked far away in the back, almost hidden in the dark. Tecna kneels and opens the box only to fall back with a shout that is barely muffled by her hand.
Before her is the grotesque face of horror staring her right in the face despite the lack of eyes. A mask made of leather with bolts sticking out the neck like Frankensteins' monster. It's large, feral teeth bared like an insane beast though there were no lips to conceal them.
She just sits there, watching or waiting for the mask to come to life and strike but it doesn't. Tecna makes no move until Digit zooms over to her with grievous news.
"It's Kaneki! Avalon's lesson must have ended early," Digit hisses before yanking on Tecna's shirt. "We gotta go now."
Tecna nods before closing the flaps of the box before pushing it back into place and closing the wardrobe before rushing the hell out of there.
Winx Dorm
Tecna heads straight for her bed, taking no note of how she bounced on the springs, before pulling out her laptop and connecting it to her compactor. Once fully connected, Tecna takes out the strange fruit and puts it on the compactor for it to be scanned.
Surveying different links, Tecna chose the one most promising link, "The fruit is known as 'Rc Mediator' is an artificial plant that was created during the 9th century. The Earth fairies made it a peace offering for ghouls who fought against the tyranny of humans. The war between them was known as 'The War of the Beasts' due to both sides displaying the very worst of their humanity."
"Ghouls? Never heard of them," Digit brings up a holo-screen and types in 'Ghouls' before the contents pop up on Tecna's laptop.
"Ghouls, also known as Flesh-Eaters, are a carnivorous humanoid species that is now extinct. They were found only on Earth and could only feast upon the flesh of humans. A specie originally with a tiny populace back in early medieval until the population gradually grew around 1000 AD. With the increase of ghouls meant chaos for human settlements as they were constantly being hunted and consumed without mercy. Humans turned to the Earth fairies for help and war broke out. Ghouls allied themselves with witches and the war lasted 80 years until a peace treaty was brokered between all species."
"What happened next? It mentions that ghouls are extinct. How did that happen?" Digit chants in a rapid-fire until Tecna hushes her.
"The treaty was broken... by the ghouls," Tecna reveals gesturing to the screen. "And only humans survived. The fairies, witches and ghouls were all wiped out."
"Must have been a pretty bad war," Digit mutters as the implications hit them full frontal. Tecna scrolls down further until she lands on an image of the battle, but Tecna focused on the monstrous appearance of the ghouls and that odious image is seared into her brain. With their fangs gnawing on bones, their sharp talons clawing through steel armour, their bodies growing back as they dash through attack spells without faltering in their madness.
This wasn't enough. She must learn more. She needs to learn more. So the next few hours are left studying that one website which was filled with a surprising amount of information, including a legacy which did not give specifics.
"What is this Ghoul King? Why can't I find anything more on it?" Tecna grinds her teeth as she restrains herself from bashing her fists into the keyboard.
"Let me," Digit assists immediately before searching through a myriad of information that could reveal the importance of this figure. "Found something. Turns out this is an extract from a book, 'Monsters of the Magic Dimension', no author stated. Maybe there's a copy in the Alfea library."
"If there is then let's find it," Tecna quickly shoves her laptop under her pillow before rushing out the room with Digit following closely behind.
Alfea Library
Tecna heads straight to the library while trying to keep a low profile as not to get noticed and walked past numerous bookshelves to reach an empty section right at the back.
"Alright, Digit, where would it be?"
"In the Golden Gate."
"Also known as the restricted vault," Tecna sighs running a hand through her hair in frustration.
"What do we do now?" Digit queries.
"I need you to keep watch. Warn me if Ms Barbatea is near," Tecna takes out her compactor and creates a hacking platform. She removes the back of the compactor computer and gently pulls out two wires before connecting it to two hairpins. She rushes over to the Golden Gate, kneels by the lock and quickly picks it, her tecno magic successfully opening the gate without alerting Ms Barbatea.
Tecna picks out the book then rushes out the doors but not before clicking the lock into place.
Outside the Auditorium
The Winx were deep in chatter about the success of Bloom's session with Avalon when their conversation was cut off abruptly by Musa who was dragging an unwilling Tecna to the group.
"I know you wanna stay to do more research but you can't keep skipping class," Musa scolds and she shoves Tecna to their friends.
"Glad to see you could join us," Bloom comments jokingly.
"What research were you working on?" Aisha questions.
"Nothing you need to know yet," Tecna responds curtly, eyeing Kaneki who was leaning against the wall by himself not too far off.
"You weren't at Avalon's class. Where were you?" Flora inquires with her brows furrowed in worry.
"Don't stop her now," Stella interjects excitedly. "Tecna's always been such a goody two-shoes. It's a miracle that she's finally learning to live. As her friends, we should encourage her, not bring her down."
"That's the last thing you should be encouraging," Aisha stresses.
"Well said, Aisha," Palladium praises as he saunters down the stairs.
"I still can't believe that's him."
"I know right? So sexy."
Palladium coughs into his hand to cover his ruddy cheeks which were flushed from embarrassment. "Into class now."
The class went on without a hitch surprisingly or unsurprisingly as the girls were enamoured with Palladium's new look enough to actually pay attention thus learning how to conjure up a plasmasphere. Though there was a small incident where Amaryl tried to attack Stella with a plasmasphere and she got threatened with expulsion.
Library
Tecna called over Musa, Stella and Flora to meet her in the library, they sat in a private section of the library used for personal or group studies without any distractions. Not only them but Digit, Amore, Chatta, Tune, Livy, Zing and Lockette.
"Okay now that we're all here let's get down to business," Tecna asserts before taking in a deep breath, "I know this will be hard to believe, especially for you pixies, but you need to know this. I believe Kaneki is a ghoul." Tecna places the book on the table then pushes it to the centre. Flora picks it up and starts to read it out loud for Musa and Stella to hear. Tecna then explains the points she came up with the summarise why she concludes Kaneki is one of the monsters written in the book. With his surprisingly inhuman strength and skill, his secrecy, the strange fruit.
"No," Flora remarks, her voice crumbling under the insinuation. "I refuse to believe this. This is more than crazy, it's-it's... ludicrous. You're essentially stating that he... that he eats people," Flora mutters, bringing a hand to her mouth and nearly gags at the thought, her cheeks now a sickly hue of green. She decides to have no part in this and storms out, ensuring that Chatta follows so her susceptible mind could not be manipulated by this ridiculous discussion. After a moment's hesitation, Livy and Zing also left and no one had the heart to stop them.
"Well, there goes Flora. Not that I blame her," Stella comments after the frustrated girl leaves in a huff.
"Even I have to wonder if you're going too far, Tecna," Musa adds gravely.
"I know how unbelievable it sounds, but believe me I haven't made this up," Tecna proceeds to hold up her evidence. "This fruit known as Rc Mediator was created solely to pacify a ghoul's hunger, it allows them to blend in with normal people. There's no other use. He comes from Earth when there are no longer earth fairies in existence and it was the only planet where ghouls reside. There's also the freaky leather mask and suit he owns. What else do I need to prove he's dangerous?"
"A mask and suit?" Musa queries, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"You sure it ain't cosplay?" Stella responds. "I've tried cosplay and it's fun."
"What the heck is cosplay?" Tecna furrows her brows in confusion.
"How do you not know? Zing does it all the time," Tune reminds.
"It's when you dress up like a character from any tv show, movie or other forms of entertainment. Isn't earth neat?" Stella giggles. Tecna shakes her head and Digit begins to research about the suit but finds nothing.
"Kaneki doesn't seem like the type to cosplay anyway," Digit concurs as she closes her holo-screen.
"That settles that. But one problem, I've seen him transform and use magic," Stella informs.
"I think I might know. Have you heard of 'The Devitaliser'?" Tecna questions.
Stella shakes her head but Musa's brows rise in knowing, "Isn't it that device that can drain a fairy or witch of her magic?"
"Yes. It was outlawed a decade ago but since it's popular amongst normies, it is still being sold in the Black Market."
"Was this the time all those girls got sick?" Stella inquires, her peach and cream skin now pallid as the blood drains from her face. "I heard a couple died," Stella mumbles.
"Did you find the device otherwise we can't prove it," Musa points out.
"No, but I could search his room again," Tecna offers. "I just need you two to distract him."
"Alright."
"Count me in."
Lockette and Amore lock eyes with another. Throughout the conversation, they had remained silent and now only one thought ran through their minds.
This will not end well.
Kaneki's Room
"Please!" Faith pleads whipping out the big guns, his puppy dog eyes.
"Faith, just cause I can cook doesn't mean I'm baking a full-blown cake peppered in sprinkles, frosting and other assortments of sugars. You need proper food," Kaneki admonishes as he pats Glim's back, the baby sniffling on his shoulder because he refuses to indulge in their sweet tooth.
"Like what?"
"Like," Kaneki hums as he takes a moment to ponder what these two sugar addicts would like. "Hamburger steak. I'll make it for breakfast. It never failed to cheer me up, I'll use my mum's recipe," Kaneki swears in determination he turns the doorknob to his room.
"Fine," Faith relents with a long sigh only to realise Kaneki was eyeing his room in suspicion. "Kenny?"
"Someone's been in my room," Kaneki snarls, immediately marching towards his desk. His nostrils flare at the callous treatment of his parents memorial. Whoever disrespected his personal space didn't even bother to hide the evidence of their iniquity. He amends the crooked stone by placing it the right way up before his eyes scan for anything else of the ordinary.
It was then he turns his attention to the floors, there's something stuck in the groove. He drops to one knee and lightly scratches at the groove. When he sees the dirt stuck to his nail he snarls before scrutinising the rest of his room when his gaze stops at his wardrobe.
There are only a few things of utmost importance to Kaneki; his mask and suit being especially high on the list which currently reside in the back of the wardrobe.
Rushing towards his wardrobe, he slams open the door to find the box moved from its original position. Tearing the lid off, Kaneki's eyes almost watered upon finding his mask still within his grasp. He cradles his mask close to his heart, his shoulders shaking as he bites his lip to muffle his gasping breaths.
"Kiki?" Glim babbles, landing on his shoulder and stroking his cheek.
"I'm fine, Glim," Kaneki reassures with a soft smile. "In fact, how would you and Faith like a job?"
"Sounds boring," Faith snorts without even hearing what Kaneki was offering which gets him a flick to the head.
"It's a promotion. You're now going to be guarding my room."
"You mean we're gonna be like Secret Service?!" Faith eyes shine with childish glee. "Alright!" Suddenly, he transforms into a suit with cool shades before striking a pose. "Secret Agent Pixie, Faith and Glim!"
"Badah!"
Kaneki shakes his head as they begin to bust out what they thought were cool karate moves but were really only embarrassing themselves. He then leaves them to protect his room from unwanted thieves but comes across Tecna, Musa and Stella hanging outside their dorm as if eyeing anyone good to mug.
"Aren't you heading to Avalon's class?" Kaneki couldn't help but inquire.
"Later. We have something to do," Musa says with a vaguely concealed sneer.
"Alright, just asking," Kaneki holds his hands up in surrender.
"Um, Kaneki? Where's Faith?" Amore questions, hesitantly.
"He and Glim are in my room. Someone decided to trespass so they'll be guarding the place for a while."
"What?!" Tecna splutters in outrage.
Kaneki raises a brow at her outburst, "Why are you mad? It's not like my decision affects you."
"Of course not. Tecna's just mad that someone would do that," Stella comes to her rescue with a quick-witted reply.
Kaneki looks as if wants to counter Stella's statement, considering that Tecna did steal his underwear albeit when drunk, but ultimately decides the upcoming argument would not be worth it so he leaves.
"What do we do now?" Musa hisses once Kaneki was out of earshot.
"There's no choice. We have to draw him out and expose him for what he truly is," Tecna proclaims with determination. "Even if it kills us."
Nightfall
When Kaneki returns to his room after a whole day's worth of classes and his research session in the Magic Archive, he finds his two master secret agents sprawled on his desk fast asleep.
"So much for security," Kaneki snorts as he shrugs off his bag and places on the chair which was he took notice of the letter on the desk. Kaneki picks it up and eyes it for a few seconds before opening it up and reading the contents.
Kaneki,
We know your secret. Monsters such as yourself can't hide forever. Meet us outside in the courtyard at midnight or we'll expose your secret.
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damnitdamnitdamnit!" Kaneki shrills venomously as he fights the urge to punt whatever was closest in the vicinity. His splenetic rant waking Faith and Glim from their sweet slumber.
"Kenny?"
Kaneki does not indicate hearing Faith as he sharply runs a hand through his hair while still muttering irately under his breath. Faith opens his mouth then closes it, the action repeating itself, as he stumbles upon his decision on whether to call his fairy again.
Despite how intimidating Kaneki appears to the pixie, there are no two ways about it, Kaneki would never lay a finger on him - unless it was a flick to the head.
"Kenny?" Faith reiterates, his brows furrowed.
Again, Kaneki does not answer. Deep in thought, Kaneki attempts to pacify his dread by assuring that they have no proof he's not exactly human. 'Who sent this? How'd they found out? What did they find out? There's no way they could've found out I'm a ghoul, I gave no indication and the specie is extinct in this world. Maybe it's something else... impossible. They called me a monster, why else would they call me that?'
Kaneki erratically chews on his thumb till he reached flesh even when the bitter salt of red seeps onto his tongue, he doesn't stop.
His disturbing action begins to freak out his pixies, whimpers escape from the wobbling lip of Glim while Faith desperately tries to snap Kaneki out of it by calling his name but it doesn't work so Faith finds no other option except to fly to half ghoul's face and smack him near the eyelid.
Kaneki blinks a couple of time before realising it was his pixie before him, "Faith?"
"Are you, you right now?" Faith inquires hesitantly as if waiting for Kaneki to snap once again.
"No. Look," Kaneki shoves the crumpled ball of paper into Faith who reads it over.
"This is serious," Faith states with no trace of humour laced in his voice. For the first time and within the time they spent together, Kaneki finally sees the moment when Faith is austere. Unlikely it would ever happen again.
"Don't go," Faith determines, handing the letter back to Kaneki. "If you go then it proves you have something to hide. The chances of them finding out you're a ghoul is slim unless they had help from a teacher but we know that's impossible; they're all loyal to Faragonda. The only conclusion is that whatever information is false and that they're trying to provoke a reaction from you thus you should pretend nothing is wrong."
When Faith finishes his explanation he is shocked at the queer looks from Kaneki and Glim.
"Glim, did Faith hit his head while I was gone?" Glim just shrugs her shoulders, still staring at her surrogate brother.
"Oi!"
"But you're right," Kaneki adds. Whoever these girls are, they're probably just picking a fight. He promised Faragonda that he'd protect her students, not just the Winx, and that's exactly what he'll do. He decides to head to bed early which is why he's walking to his wardrobe for his pyjamas. "It's best if I do nothing which is why we're going to bed early."
"But me and Glim aren't tired," Faith whines.
"Not my problem," Kaneki slides into the bathroom but quickly pokes his head out. "Oh, and if you wake me expect consequences," Kaneki warns pointing specifically at Faith.
"But that's not fair!"
Central Courtyard
"It's almost midnight. Where is he?" Tecna seethes, checking her watch for the tenth time these past 5 minutes.
"His lights are off, maybe he's gone to bed," Stella suggests. "I don't think he's coming."
"Maybe we're wrong and there's nothing up with him. He obviously doesn't feel threatened by the note," Musa explains.
"No, there has to be. Amore, are you sure he got the letter?"
"I put it on top of his desk," Amore justifies. "It's pretty hard to miss unless Faith or Glim knocked it to the ground."
"30 minutes. If he's not here in 30 minutes then we draw him out," Tecna snaps.
"How will you do that?"
"Trust me. I have a plan."
Kaneki's Room
"-then you marinate it-"
"Faith. Shut up," Kaneki groans as turns on his back but keeps his eyes shut.
"But I'm not even talk-"
"Don't care. Turn it off,"
"But it's my dream!"
"Your dream is to shove 10,000 cannolis down your throat in under 30 minutes," Kaneki retorts dryly as he sits up and grabs his eyepatch knowing there's no way he'll get any sleep while Faith's up. Kaneki doesn't even own a phone so where'd Faith even get that?
(Boom!)
The window on the balcony doors shatters into tiny knife-like particles that rain into the room cutting into whatever it could.
All Kaneki could think about was Faith and Glim who screamed and disappeared from his gaze under the smoke. Kaneki swore before dashing to his upturned desk and yanking it back into position.
"Faith? Glim? Where are you?!"
"H... here," Faith replies weakly as he and Glim crawl out from under her bed.
"Are you okay?" Kaneki gathers them in his hand and holds them close while his eyes scan them for injuries. Kaneki growls when he sees Faith had slashes all over his body judging the bloodstains growing on his clothes. Glim begins to whine with beads of tears streaming down her cheek upon seeing the damage Faith had taken. Apparently, when the blast occurred, Faith threw himself atop Glim out of pure instinct to protect her.
Kaneki carefully places the two on his bed before storming to the balcony, he practically tears the door from the hinges and takes notice of 3 figures arguing amongst themselves.
Going after him? Understandable. Going after those he loves? Big mistake.
Scorning the distance, Kaneki leapt right off the balcony not heeding the shocked gasps of his pixies nor the calling of his name.
"Kenny, no!"
"Kiki!" Glim tries to fly after him but crashes back onto the bed seconds after takeoff.
"Glim!" Faith is by her side instantly checking her wings and found one to be slightly injured. "I don't think you'll be flying for a while."
"Fay," Glim sobs lightly tugging on his wings, one had been torn by the shards of glass.
Faith simply smiles before patting her head, "I'll be fine," Faith promises before zooming off to find a member of faculty, ignoring the scream of his name.
"Faith, what's happening?" Aisha demands as she and some other girls flood the hallway trying to figure out the cause of the explosion.
Faith only responds with, "Take care of Glim."
Aisha and Mirta into Kaneki's room to find Glim crying her lungs out on his bed with shards of glass littering the floor. Aisha ignores the glass cutting into her feet as she goes to comfort Glim.
"What's wrong?!" Glim just cries harder while pointing to the balcony. "Mirta, take care of Glim," Aisha gives her no time to respond as she leaps off the balcony while transforming.
"B-But... what..." Mirta stammers chasing after her only to stop at the railing and watch the ensuing fight.
Central Courtyard
Shocked, Musa and Stella watch as Tecna casts Static Sphere into the balcony doors of Kaneki's room.
"That was too much!" Musa snaps. "What if you hurt Faith and Glim?"
"Girls?"
"It was necessary!"
"Um, girls?" Stella fervently slaps their shoulders to grab their attention but it was too late as a figure crash lands onto the ground not too far off.
"Just how necessary?" Kaneki growls as he gets to his feet. The girls walk back with each forward step taken by Kaneki, they were terrified of the look on his face. Truly monstrous with teeth bared like a rabid dog.
"We're not scared of you. Monster," Tecna spits out taking a step forward with her chin up high.
Kaneki stops at her words before bringing a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. "Monster? Oh, honey, you don't know the meaning of the word. What monsters have you girls gone up against? The Trix? Those stereotypical mean girls wannabes? I've seen chihuahuas more threatening than those 3."
"We could take you on," Musa huffs.
"No, you can't. You think just because you have powers you can take on any baddie that comes your way? Maybe so but no way you're on my level," Kaneki snarls. "You just harmed 2 people who I cared about most. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't wipe you off the face of this planet."
"Don't," Aisha beseeched as she lands behind him in her winx form, she grabs his upper arm and pulls him so he faced her. "You can't do this now. Glim needs you and you have to see Nurse Ofelia about your wounds."
Kaneki was about to argue when he notices Aisha shifting her weight from one foot to the other, wincing from the movement. "You're in pain. What happened?"
"Nothing. I just, I stepped on some glass," Aisha confesses.
"And you're telling me to go to the nurse?" Kaneki scoffs, he glances to the troublesome trio but decides they're not worth it, Aisha is his main priority. Besides Faragonda could deal with them. "Come on, I'll take you. I'll even piggyback you if you want," Kaneki offers, his smile growing as he notes the twinkle of excitement in her eyes at the prospect. That moment was then ruined with a yell.
"Static Sphere!"
Kaneki reacted within seconds. He shoves Aisha out of the way and whips around only halfway when the sphere hits his side and sends him crashing back first into the wall.
'That's a dangerous spell,' Kaneki muses as he feels his cracked skull piece back together. There's a slight tingle on his charred skin as the skin grows back as if it wasn't scorched by the intensity of the blast. The smooth skin disguised by a thin layer of ash.
"What are you laughing about?" Stella questions hesitantly.
"Can't you smell it? The tantalising whiff of meat? It's my searing skin, my meat. It's a pity... for a second I thought someone cooking hamburgers. Imagine my disappointment." Kaneki pulled himself out of the wall, he rubs the back of his neck as he rolls his head which brings a barely noticeable crack. He moans as the cricks in his neck are sorted.
"Kaneki, are you alright? What am I saying? Of course, you aren't," Aisha frets, fussing over him.
"Aisha, please stay back," it was more of a demand than a request from Kaneki who took a few steps back outside.
"What? Why?" Seeing that Aisha had no intent on moving due to her confusion, Kaneki did it instead as he had no desire to harm her. A dangerous smile on his face which promised something dark, Kaneki cracks a finger before uttering two words, "Death's Door."
The girls soon fell to their knees coughing and hacking at the poison which entered their system.
"This mist... so thick..!" Musa exclaims struggling to breathe.
"My strength... it's fading... I can't stand..." Stella hugged herself as she curled up into a ball.
"... it's... useless we failed... no point in going... on..." Tecna mutters as despair overtook her system.
"Kaneki, stop! They're going to die!" Aisha exclaims rushing forward and grabbing his shoulder. Unfortunately, this meant that the miasma also entered her system and all hope and strength were diminishing by the second. "S-Stop... please..."
"Kenny!" Faith zooms towards the group at light speed to knock some sense into that fairy of his. His determination fueling the flight as his strength is rapidly drained by the miasma.
Kaneki couldn't hear due to the rush he was feeling, his blood was pumping hard and fast. He was in ecstasy. Except for that one moment upon comprehending the words that should have never left Faith's lips.
"You're scaring me!"
Immediately snapping out of his high, Kaneki looks on in horror at what he's done, wondering how he let it get this far.
"Girls!" Avalon yells in distress as he glides to the scene where he finds Kaneki towering over the fallen bodies of some Winx members with a deadly miasma mixed into the air. Assuming the worst, he has no choice but to knock Kaneki out. He covers his mouth and nose with his sleeve as he slowly floats higher, "Lux Trabem Egreditur!"
Instantaneously, the miasma dispersed almost as if it never existed. The girls could finally find themselves able to breathe although Aisha was the only one who had enough strength to get back to her feet.
The Next Morning - 2nd October 2005
The impact of the miasma faded quickly after a good night of sleep so Aisha, Tecna, Musa and Stella were back to their feet after a good night's rest. Their enjoyment was cut short as Faragonda ordered them except Aisha into her office as soon as possible.
The girls winced once they saw all the grim, serious faces of Griselda, Palladium, Faragonda, Avalon and Wizgiz.
"Alright girls, we have no idea what led to the events last night so explain," Faragonda orders her voice full of authority.
"Kaneki's a ghoul," Tecna blurts out before elucidating her reasoning. The staff is shocked upon finding out that Kaneki's secret is revealed but they quickly hide their surprise from the girls who, luckily, didn't notice."I know it sounds ridiculous and I have no proof but it's true. I found a book that describes ghouls to be selfish, narcissistic, monstrous creatures who only care to satisfy their hunger so that's why I called Kaneki out last night. Although I don't why he didn't attack us last night."
"And how exactly did you come to this conclusion?" Faragonda questions without letting her emotions get in the way.
"The abnormal fruit in Kaneki's room, Rc Mediator," Tecna responds curtly before realising her blunder.
"And judging by the look on your face, I presume you didn't have permission to enter his room," Griselda states. "Aggravated assault, trespassing and now breaking and entering. This isn't looking good for your records."
"Trespassing?"
"Ms Barbatea has informed me that someone broke into the restricted area of the library," Avalon informs. "We a conversation when she received a notification that someone that the seal had been broken. The lock on the vault can only be locked and unlocked with magic, simply using a key or clicking into place won't work."
"I thought I had to. It told me about the fruit," Tecna stresses. "Rc Mediator was created solely for ghouls as a peace treaty. Why would Kaneki even have it? Also, cultivation should've stopped centuries ago when the ghouls just tossed it away and slaughtered all the fairies even the witches who were their allies."
"Tecna! Where on Magix are you getting information?" Wizgiz questions scandalised.
"Monsters of the Magic Dimension," Tecna passes the book she took out her bag to Wizgiz who examines the front before flipping to the spine. He yelps before chucking it across the room much to the shock of the rest of the occupants in the room.
"This was written by Natit Faol Cazists!" The temperature drops several degrees and the room is enveloped by dead silence. Tecna breaks out in a cold sweat causing her to shiver.
She knew exactly who that man was. Heck, 8-year-olds know who he is. The most intolerant, racist, xenophobic man ever to have existed in the Magic Dimension.
Stella made a noise that everyone currently wished to express.
"It appears you forgot to check your facts, Tecna," Faragonda sighs, wistfully shaking her head.
"But the fruit," Tecna persists in desperation.
"Tecna while it is true that the cultivation of the plant was halted it was recently reintroduced a decade ago for medical purposes," Palladium enlightens.
"What problem does Kaneki have?" Musa questions.
"Nothing too serious, me lassies," Wizgiz reassures, waving his hand languidly.
"The fruit is now used to assist those who suffer from digestive complications," Faragonda adds.
"Oh," the girls say in unison before Stella adds, "Is that why it tastes so icky?"
"It's medicine Stella, it's not meant to taste nice," Avalon states blandly.
"Girls, tell me what happened last night?" Faragonda demands, her tone and aura commanding that they dare not mess with her. (1)
"You should already know," Stella huffed looking away as she struggled to come to terms with what she did.
"Stella!" Musa hissed at her disrespect.
"I have an idea, yes, but I still need to hear exactly what happened. You all to acknowledge your wrongdoings and I need to understand Kaneki's part in the fight."
"Why isn't Kaneki here then?" Musa inquires as the guilt slowly crept in.
"The injuries he sustained were far more grievous than yours, I gave explicit orders to Ofelia to inform me when he wakes so I can question him. It appears he is still asleep," Faragonda informs but the information was far from the truth. Kaneki's regenerative abilities meant that all wounds have healed but no one is allowed to know about him being part ghoul so he needs to assume the guise of being injured.
The trio began to spill their suspicions of Kaneki for the past month and the plan to reveal his true nature as well as the theories of how he snuck into the school like using the highly illegal devitaliser.
"With all the information presented before me, I have chosen the appropriate punishment for the 3 of you," Faragonda informs. "Stella, Musa. You shall assist Knut in his duties as well as kitchen duty for the next 2 months."
"What about Tecna?"
Faragonda sighed deeply in regret, the last thing she wanted to do was this but she had to. "I'm afraid due to the gravity of your actions and the fact you're the instigator of the attack, you are now expelled from Alfea. I expect you off the property by tonight, I'm sure your friends will help you pack."
"What?!" The girls exclaim in shock and horror.
"You can't do that!" Stella blurts out.
"Believe me when I say this brings me no pleasure but Tecna's action are too grievous to allow her to attend Alfea. If I don't expel her then it means I'm condoning violence within this institute which will simply bring more trouble."
"But-But."
"And you girls need to take this as a warning," Faragonda turns to Musa and Stella. "So far you girls have been breaking and bending the rules for your own gain, using excuses such as 'it's for the greater good' to justify your actions. You need to understand that what you do has consequences, if not for you then someone else."
"We're sorry, Headmistress Faragonda," the trio were sincere with their apology and were beginning to truly understand the ramifications of their actions.
Faragonda's tone meant that there was no room for discussion so the girls were forced to relent and leave.
Infirmary
Kaneki finds himself staring up at a familiar white ceiling, he didn't know exactly when he woke up neither how long he just laid there. He hears a small moan and feels the blanket shift as the person resting by his knees stirs. Kaneki sits up to see it was Aisha who he nudges awake.
She groans before lightly slapping his hand away, mumbling, "5 more minutes, mum."
"Pretty sure I'm not your mother."
"Oh, Kaneki!" Aisha shoots up, wide awake. "Are you alright?"
"Think so. Did something happen?" Kaneki looks around before spotting Faith and Glim napping in Faith's bed on the bedside table with their share of bandages. "What happened to them?" Kaneki demands outraged as he checks over them. The pixies didn't even stir, just kept snoring on peacefully. They're fine.
"Don't you remember last night?" Aisha inquires worriedly.
"No, but for some reason, I feel horrible. Did I do something? Why am I in the infirmary? What's with all these bandages?"
"No reason. Just some girls messing with their magic. Nothing too serious. Would you like to have breakfast?" Aisha grabs a tray and places it on his lap.
Kaneki took note of the abrupt change in topic but chose not to comment on it. His breakfast consisted of eggs on toast, sausage and beans.
"I'm not as great a cook as you but it should be good," Aisha rambles.
Bringing a small spoon to his mouth and without thinking chewed only to slam a hand over his mouth from the rancid meat overpowering his tongue. Kaneki unintentionally throws his tray to the ground as he leans over the side to vomit.
Aisha yelps, but does not hesitate to spring into action by rubbing his back in a circular motion, ignoring the disgusting substance on her clothes as she continues to comfort her friend.
"Ssso... sorry," Kaneki rasps before coughing out the remnants of his stomach.
"It's fine. Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I just... I forgot that I can't eat without taking my meds," Kaneki mumbles. How could he forget that he needs Rc Mediator to eat? Has he really been that domesticated? The fruit is back in his room anyway.
Kaneki freezes, his eyes widening as last night's events flash through his mind. His room. An explosion, shattered glass, a ruined room, his pixies injured.
"You're scaring me!"
"Kaneki?" Aisha calls tentatively as he stares at his hands clenching the sheets.
What did he do? His stomach churns uncomfortably as the remaining contents of his stomach fight to come out. How could he do this? After all Faragonda's done for him, he repays her by harming her students. What's with him relapsing into violence? Why does he crave it so much?
"Because it's who you are," Rize giggles wrapping her arms around Kaneki's neck.
Aisha tries calling him once again when he suddenly flinches and tries to see what's behind him without actually turning his head. "Rize?" Kaneki chokes as Rize snuggles closer sighing contently as if he were her lover. A fine sheen of cold sweat covers his skin and soaks into his clothes.
"Who else lives in that damaged little mind of yours?" Rize teases before adding, "well other than Mukade and while I applaud his ideas of dismemberment, disembowelment and other wonderful ways of satiating our gluttony, he's a total bore."
"A bore?" Kaneki scoffs in disbelief as he rests his chin on his palm. "That bastard is anything but a bore." A being of pure animalistic instinct born of both ghoul and human selfishness.
"Even someone such as I would like to have a decent conversation with someone with some form of intelligence. You might not know but I did enjoy our date. Your little expressions were so adorable especially when you took a sneak peek down my dress."
"Shut up!" Kaneki snaps, his cheeks flaring with heat which amuses Rize greatly.
"You were so honest back then, unlike recently," Rize stops tittering behind her hand and does a complete 180 on her personality. "How long are you going to convince yourself that you're still human?"
"What did you say?"
"You attacked those 3 girls plus the one who is currently by your side and even little Faith was involved. Do you think you can come back after that? How childish. Honestly, I thought you abandoned that ridiculous notion back in our world after all it only served as a foolish tool that would've led to death."
Rize finally removes herself from Kaneki's back and strolls around his bed admiring the sights.
"Get lost," Kaneki snarls.
"To where exactly? I hope you know that I'm not real. I'm just a figment of your imagination, a construct of your subconscious warning you when you're living a dangerously foolish life. Honestly, it makes me wanna laugh," Rize taunts, smirking which send Kaneki's temper straight through the roof.
Without even looking at what he seizes, Kaneki hurls it towards Rize who simply stands still, giggling. What was strange was the scream that came even though the glass of water had gone right through her. Suddenly, Rize disappears only to be replaced by a cowering Aisha who had her arms up to protect her face.
"A-Aisha?" The slow realisation of his action made Kaneki sick to his stomach. He could have hurt Aisha, he was gonna hurt her and all because he couldn't take the taunts of Rize. Rize who wasn't even real.
"Told you so," the she-devil croons from the back of his mind.
"I..." Kaneki croaks, his voice crumbling under the weight of what he's done. Unable to look at her any longer, he bolts, "I'm so sorry!"
Kaneki had no destination set, he just ran. He ran from Aisha, he ran from Faith and Glim, he ran from Alfea, he ran from every single problem that he's caused with his arrival in this world.
The Clearing
Deeming to be far enough, Kaneki leans against a tree for support but finds himself sliding down and collapses onto his knees once again. "What's wrong with me? Why do I always give into Rize? I'm human! I'm human... right?" Kaneki sobs as pounds his fists against the ground while cursing at himself for losing control.
There's no forgiveness for someone like him, there shouldn't be, he doesn't deserve it. Never for a monster. His life, it's a goddamn circle.
"Do you wish for the pain to disappear?" A voice inquires. Kaneki looks up to see a phoenix hovering in front of him.
"You... what are you doing here?" Kaneki takes a few steps back from the bird, ensuring not to take his eyes off it. How did he know where Kaneki would be? The link between them should be blocked but by his appearance here it's like Darkar knew he'd be out here. How? Kaneki didn't plan to run off outside, he just wanted to get away from what he's done.
"That does not matter. If you want I can take your pain away. You simply need to accept my hand." A hand gently cups his cheek, taking a moment to wipe Kaneki's tears away with his thumb, before moving his hand to undo the knot of his eyepatch allowing it to flutter to the ground forgotten.
To Kaneki's surprise, when the bird materialises into a man, it wasn't Darkar, at least not the one Kaneki first saw, this was-is Argulus. Instead stood a man, a head taller than Kaneki, who was undeniably handsome with angular cheekbones and a sharp jaw, all of which perfectly accentuate his face. His wavy midnight blue mane gleams in the soft light of the sun.
With the most resplendent cobalt blue eyes, dark and mysterious as the stormy sky yet clear as a starry night, revealed the love, the longing, the worry, the kindness and the loneliness. Numerous emotions that Kaneki never thought he'd ever see the tyrant express even if only through the windows of the soul.
Argulus's other hand wraps around Kaneki's waist, tugging the younger male closer as if expecting him to be snatched away by fate any second now. The grip was tight yet Kaneki knew without a doubt that were he human no bruises would tarnish his skin. Despite the thin barrier of his shirt, Kaneki could feel the calluses on his long fingers and he saw the scars on his hands, the markings of a battle-hardened soldier and while most would be disgusted or at least indifferent, Kaneki found those blemishes beautiful.
Despite being neither a warrior nor a soldier, Kaneki could appreciate the flaws for he was a fighter and a survivor. Argulus may be slim but that does not equate to physical weakness as muscles shape his strong arms, broad shoulders and a firm chest.
Part of Kaneki's mind screamed that the man before him is the enemy, the one who ripped him away from his friends and family, the reason that they could be dead. He should be shoving him away and defending himself yet this man is soul taking. How could he ever reject him?
Kaneki's tired, he doesn't how long but he is. He's tired of the lie he's been living, that he could have friends who would accept him for what he is, that he could live safely in Alfea, that he could pretend to be human just a little longer.
With his mind made up, Kaneki lays his hand atop the one still cupping his cheek, he closes his eyes and nods, muttering only a single word for the man who stole his heart in a matter of minutes. "Thief."
"Only for you, my King," Argulus leans down, closing the distance between them for a kiss, but it never came. Kaneki jolts out of the embrace when his name is cried out.
"Get away from him!" Faragonda summons a green sphere and flings it towards Argulus who could not dodge or perform a counter or defence spell at the speed it flew.
The ground explodes and Kaneki had to put his arms up to shield his eyes from the debris. The dust settles to reveal a pissed Darkar had replaced Argulus. With a flick of his wrist, geysers of black flames erupt from the earth without any warning, even Kaneki was kept on his toes to prevent him from succumbing to a painful fiery death.
Faragonda retaliates without a beat and the ensuing battle is devastating as powerful spells clash and collide in a wicked flurry. Nothing in the vicinity was spared from the rampage.
Kaneki tried to intervene whether it was to help Faragonda defeat Darkar or help Darkar escape he didn't know but he knew that the violence would reach Alfea.
Just as he was planning his next move, Kaneki spotted numerous spears forming in Faragonda's blind spot. It'd fatally injure her if not outright killing her.
"NO!" Without faltering, Kaneki darts towards the scene, shoving himself between Faragonda and the weaponry. He spreads his arms out and his kagune unfurls, protecting whatever Kaneki couldn't with his body.
An ear-piercing shriek strikes through the air immediately pausing the battle between the two magical beings but they had little time to figure out what it was before the area is engulfed in raw destructive energy.
Faragonda conjures a barrier just in time but it strains under the pressure and even with her abilities she struggles to maintain it.
The energy dissipates to reveal Kaneki on the ground with spears of concentrated dark matter coming out his body like he was a pincushion. Darkar nowhere in sight. Whimpers and cries came from Kaneki who clutched around his right eye which had a dagger sticking out.
"Hurts... make it... stop..." Kaneki sobs before fainting from the pain though his whimpers hadn't died.
Faragonda rushes to his fallen body and removes a spike from his lung but the puncture wound didn't heal. Confused, she removes a couple more with the same more result; he won't heal. At this rate, he'll die whether it'll be from blood loss or brain damage she didn't know and she didn't want to find out. She lays his head in her lap as she pets his hair as this is the only thing she could do. She laments her inability to protect the boy she thinks of as a son.
"Headmistress," Wizgiz pops out from the bushes and slides down into the crater. "Are you al-what has happened to Kaneki?!" Now that he was close enough he could see the pincushion Kaneki had become.
"I fought Lord Darkar. The man played dirty by attacking from behind and Kaneki used his body to shield me. But what matters now is getting him help, I don't know why but he won't heal. We have no choice but to get him to a hospital."
"Is that wise? Don't get me wrong it's not like I want to deny him treatment but a ghoul would throw the higher-ups of Magix into a frenzy."
"Don't worry I know some people who can keep quiet, I just need to cash in some favours," Faragonda assures before using her remaining magic to transport the three of them out of the crater and onto its edge.
"I'll call the ambulance. Be back in a jiffy," Wizgiz zooms out of sight and Faragonda is left trying to stem the bleeding. The sticky crimson coats her hands as blood flowed thickly through her fingers despite desperately trying to stop the flow.
The effects of blood loss were beginning to show, Kaneki breathing came out as sharp, shallow gasps and he was sweating. Drops of water fall on his face and slide down his cheek much to the astonishment of Faragonda who realised she was crying.
What is she doing? This wouldn't be the first time that she'd be left fearing to lose someone close to her. She was a warrior. She fought in numerous wars and even defeated Valtor with her comrades on Domino. Yet the win itself doesn't soothe the ache that comes when you see your fallen comrades nor the mournful cries of victims who lost their loved ones.
Though she supposes it never gets better. Maybe that's why she never touched another sword after the disbandment of the Company of Light. She still fought whenever requested but never of her volition.
"I should've protected you better," Faragonda whispers.
"...d... don't... blame... self," Kaneki pleads, his breathing evening out. "My fau...lt... you... you done... enough."
"Save your energy. The ambulance should be here soon."
"It's been... short, but I... I really en...joyed my time... here," Kaneki coughs, hacking out a fair amount of blood. "The... the classes. The food. The events. I mana...ged to make... friends. He-heck, I even... even enjoyed spending time... with the Winx... though I doubt... the feelings... mutual... for some of them."
"Why are you telling me this like you're going to die? You're going to live. I promise."
Kaneki chuckles yet it lacks any humour, it looked rather sad. "This past month... felt like a... dream. Thank...you... for every... thing," Kaneki replies weakly, his eyelids growing heavier with each passing second. His consciousness ebbs away piece by piece and Faragonda's face turns into an unrecognisable blur. It's a shame. He would've liked to have shared a hamburger with Faith and Glim.
"Don't close your eyes! Just hold on a little longer!" Faragonda begs but his warmth drained from his skin slowly and gently as if he were enveloped by the Grim Reaper himself. "Ken? Ken!"
Dun dun duh! Will Kaneki survive? Stick around for the next chapter.
I decided to end it there to get this chapter out, hope you liked it. It was supposed it be up yesterday but it was Eid and I had guests over. I also updated Chapter 13 and 14 but the changes are small so you don't need to check up on it.
Oh yeah, if you think Kaneki died too easy, there's a reason for that which I'll explain in the next chapter.