Frustration on Kaito's face he sighs deeply. He wants to give chase, but with his friends injured he turns to go to them.
He first goes to Nanami helping her up. "I apologize for my inability to combat him." She apolgizes. Kaito smiles at her, shaking his head. "What are you kidding, you got some good hits in." He compliments.
He then picks Toni up. Toni limps standing. "Thanks friend, i ain't a fan of being tossed around like that."
Rika comes back limping falling into Kaito. "I already know i was great, don't have to make me feel better." She says.
Kaito rubs her head. "Yeah, you did great Rika."
Dante stood off to the side hesitant to even speak to Kaito after what he did.
Kaito turns to Dante. "I'm glad you're ok Dante." He says with the same calm smile on his face.
Dante's chest tightens from Kaito's smile, even after he was a coward, even when he had failed to lift a hand to help out, Kaito would still smile at him as if he did nothing wrong. "Aren't you upset with me?" He timidly asks.
Kaito looks puzzled for a moment. "I don't have a reason to be, i know you're scared and that's ok." He says offering comfot to Dante.
Dante clencthes his fist. "But I can't fight." Dante says avoiding Kaito's eyes.
"Would you feel better if I yelled at you?" Kaito asks him. Dante shakes his head. "You can fight Dante, you just doubt yourself, you're in your own head too much." Kaito calmy says. "I won't yell at you for being afraid."
Kaito smiles at everyone. "Don't stress guys, we can still win this." He says to them all.
Nanami nods. "Right, we just have to get to Arsaw." She says. "We'll arrive in the night." She says.
Kaito and his friends continue forwards, eventually reaching their destination in the dead of the night.
Night had fallen by the time they reached Arsaw—its skyline burning with quiet magic, tall spires rising like frozen fire. At its heart stood the Academy, towering and still, lit from within by a thousand floating lights. It looked less like a school and more like a monument—one built to remind the world who held power.
Kaito stood at the edge of the hill overlooking the campus, wind tugging at his coat. He didn't speak for a while. The others waited.
His cool aroma dropping once he got all giddy. "This place is huge!"
Rika looked up at the massive structure, her breath catching. "Empire really gives all this to some kids."
"It's more than that," Nanami muttered. "That's not just a school. That's a research fortress. The staff there are high-tier mages. Professors, battleminds, ex-field commanders."
Toni raised an eyebrow. "And we're just gonna waltz in?"
"No," Nanami replied. "We blend in."
They turned to her.
"Students come and go by the hundreds. If we sneak in during a shift change and grab uniforms, we can move through the school during the day without raising too many questions."
Dante turned to Nanami. "Central ID system?"
"Not for non-barrier students," she confirmed. "They rely on faculty to notice anomalies. It's risky, but it can work, if we don't draw attention."
"Then that's the plan," Kaito said, already walking.
No arguments. No discussion. When he moved like that, the rest followed.
Later that night, the five of them stood near a rear courtyard wall. The moon floated above them, half-veiled by clouds, casting silver light on the glass-tipped towers and spiraling bridges of the academy.
They'd already slipped past the outer gates—no patrols at this hour, just old wards and lazy enchantments. Nanami disabled the outer lock of the maintenance entrance with a flick of her fingers and a quiet, controlled surge of energy.
Inside, the school felt like a cathedral to magic. The walls pulsed faintly, humming with centuries of layered spells. Every corridor was wide and smooth, every floor perfectly polished. Runes glowed along the ceilings, guiding ambient Elara currents through invisible channels.
Nanami led them deeper into the faculty dorm wing. "Uniforms should be in the auxiliary prep rooms. Staff keep extras for emergencies."
"How do you know that?" Dante asked, brows raised.
"I make sure to do my reading beforehand."
They moved quietly, careful not to trip any silent alarms. In one of the locked closets, they found what they were looking for, rows of student robes and jackets organized by department—Theory, Combat, Alchemy, and more.
Toni held up a maroon jacket. "I call this color. Brings out my blood loss."
"Nice, very stylish," Rika said, grabbing a green Combat jacket and throwing it over her shoulders.
Dante found a blue robe, promptly putting it on.
Nanami and Dante stayed quiet, focusing on blending in. Once everyone had changed, Nanami checked the small display embedded into the nearest classroom door. It read: 5:47 AM.
"Shift change in twenty minutes," she said. "We move with the morning students."
By sunrise, the academy had come alive.
The front plaza swelled with students pouring out of dorm towers, some yawning, others already reciting incantations or debating elemental theory. Floating drones zipped between buildings. Professors in ornate robes hovered between balconies. Bells chimed in soft, irregular intervals, each tone guiding different departments to different wings.
"Just act normal," Nanami whispered.
"I don't know what 'normal' is here," Rika replied.
"Then act like you're better than everyone friend, and late for class," Toni said, adjusting his cuffs. "That should fit in."
They walked in with a group of second-years, all wearing similar jackets. No one questioned them.
No alarms. No alerts. Just the ever-present hum of a school built to shape the elite.
Still, Kaito's eyes never stopped scanning.
"Where do we start?" Rika asked.
"We find out what Yukki's studying," Kaito said. "He'd never keep his head down for long. He's too proud. Someone around here will have noticed him."
"You think he's already in class?" Dante asked.
Kaito paused, watching the hundreds of students pass by—some laughing, some casting light spells just to show off, some clearly exhausted from nights of training.
"I don't know," he said.
Above them, a set of golden arches led to the upper libraries—restricted access. Nanami's eyes lit up. "A library of the elite!" She shook with anticipation.
Behind them, one of the floating drones paused for a moment. Scanned them.
And then moved on.
"Let's not get comfortable," Nanami said. Forgetting about the library..... for now.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Kaito muttered.
They disappeared into the crowd, five ghosts in borrowed uniforms, each step taking them deeper into the heart of a mystery wrapped in enchantments and whispers.
Somewhere in this city of students and secrets, Yukki was waiting.
And whether he wanted to be found or not… they were coming.