Small but Divine (Old)

Chapter 28 - Angel of Death

A/N-- Yeah hi it's me again. This chapter contains some mild(ish) violence, so read at your own discretion.

After Class - Tuesday - Lower Stairwell of the Garland Mansion - Time: 5:15pm

June 3

Aria's POV

"So..." Marigold tried to fill the silence that was swallowing us as we made our way down to the bottom floor. "What have you two been up to lately?"

"Well," Lanny replied, almost indignantly, "I was accused of a murder I didn't commit, taken in for questioning at two in the morning, and now I'm sneaking out behind Rana's back to help a guy that I've barely met. You?"

She stayed quiet for a few seconds. "Aria, since you're the only one of us three who's actually passing her classes, I have a question," she said, opting to ignore Lanny.

"This isn't the time for smalltalk, Mari," I muttered, then continued upon seeing her tearful face. Yes, I know that she was likely faking it, but all the same, I sighed. "What is your question, Marigold?"

"Who exactly is this Jin Garland fellow? Rana made such a big deal about us coming here, but why exactly is he so dangerous? I mean, we're diviners! There's no way he could be that difficult for us to beat."

"I think you forget," I replied, "that we are nowhere near the potential of diviners. As of currently, we're no more powerful than the average mage. I don't know much, but I do know that Jin Garland is a witch, and an insanely strong one at that. You know that witches and mages don't get along. If he were to find us on his property, we'd have no chance against him."

Lanny, who had been walking ahead of us up till now, turned around to face me. "Aria, do you know his MPL?"

"Lanny, I don't even know my own MPL."

"MPL?" Marigold looked at me.

"Magic power level," Lanny explained. "It's how you measure how powerful a magic-user is."

"It's a form of measurement that people only use when they're planning to take over the world," I said, earning a half-assed glare from Lanny.

"Aria I swear to-" he started, but a loud crash coming from the bottom of the stairs.

I could hear the guards running, on their way to investigate. Not knowing what to do, I wrapped one arm around Lanny, one around Marigold, and flew the three of us up towards the ceiling, almost falling once or twice, praying that they wouldn't see us.

Thankfully, a group of heavily armed men ran down the stairs. Either they didn't see us, or they didn't bother to react. Once they were safely out of view, I dropped my friends back down to the stairs, following them shortly after.

"Alright, no more banter. We're here for a reason," I said, starting back down the stairs. Marigold and Lanny followed me, silent.

Eventually, we reached a split in the path. The stairs in front of us continued downwards, presumably to the dungeon. There were hallways on either side of us, with floors and walls made entirely of stone. It was dimly lit by hanging chandeliers spaced out every few meters. The labyrinth.

"Which way..." Lanny muttered. "Which way are we supposed to go?! The bracelet could be anywhere!" He turned to me, "Ria, you're the leader. Left, right, or straight ahead?"