GLASS || The Catalysts Series, #1

XXXIX || Azalea's Threat

Lena is still fuming as she takes turns at random corridors with no particular destination in mind. Evidently, her encounter with the strange room has only left her ever more anxious and frustrated with everything here in Arcane Academy.

She meant to escape Lucifer. When she thought she finally found peace and isolation from the many eyes pointed in her direction what with Azalea, Caelus, and now Lucifer, her curiosity gotten the best of her. She stumbled into a strange room, only to be made a fool. What's worse, she had just literally fallen from a goddamn skyscraper.

Her thoughts ceases as she pulls herself into a short stop abruptly, finding herself face to face with Reyes—not exactly, since he's on his top toes and trying to get to Lena's height with much failure. The quirky boy, too, halts in the middle of his jumpy steps, nearly crashing into Lena if only she hasn't put her arms on his shoulders to steady him. Reyes lifts up his head to look at the person he's crashed into, his curly brown hair unruly as usual, the injuries from his fight against Arven still evident.

"Oh. New girl," he says, a little jumpy and somewhat nervous, just like he'd been when he saw Lucifer. Reyes adverts his gaze when Lena meets his eyes.

Gritting her teeth, Lena nearly snaps when she says, "What is it?"

He nearly squeaks, "Your duel..."

The blood drains from Lena's face. She stares at him, abashed. "I-I just came back." She swallows. She doesn't even know why she's said that; it does nothing to the present conversation. She clears her throat to keep from screaming, biting her tongue afterwards. What now?!

"Yes. But" —Reyes twiddles with his fingers and bounces on his feet, his eyes darting around— "Uh."

"What?" Lena asks impatiently, her blood rising now, her anxiety suppressed. "What about the... the duel?"

"You should see for yourself," is Reyes' only answer.

With that, he steps aside from Lena's path, then tips his head slightly as if urging her forward. He doesn't move away, and when Lena takes a step forward, she realises he's waiting for her to make her move—following her.

Lena swallows. What's waiting for her? The test? Such convenience that the memory of Arcana's distant challenge arrives at such a time. Is there still a test after everything? And the duel? Isn't she supposed to be the one picking the right time for it? Her head is spinning from the number of questions that pop into her mind as she steps forward in a slight daze. She must be missing something. Despite so, she wills herself to move forward.

A few people pass her, entering the rooms on either side. From their carefree, chatty attitude, the teachers have yet to return to classes from whatever meeting they are currently holding. Lena follows the shuffling of feet numbly. Her eyes trying to focus on the signs, if any, and thankfully, there are. Lena spots Aquila immediately, and she turns quickly into the room as if she's afraid of something that's going to attack her in the hallway, not bothering to take in the details of the location of their classroom or how she's going to find it in the future—certainly not by pure luck, like today.

But the threat isn't on the outside. It's on the inside.

Lena nearly turns around and bails as soon as she steps foot into the room. In fact, her feet are already pointed sideways as her body is itching to move. It is her will that keeps her in place. Biting her lip, she tells herself to keep her pride in check.

"Finally. I was beginning to you've coward away to some hole."

The voice belongs to a fierce looking girl with long, dark hair tied in a high ponytail. Azalea is sitting at Lena's desk by the windows, casually examining her fingernails. From under her short front bangs, she lifts her deep blue eyes, and Lena wants so badly to turn away.