CHAPTER 100: A SHOCKING INCIDENT!

The next few hours of class were a blur of sigils, diagrams and a vast amount of writing. Kayle was standing at the front of the class, using her mana to create various sigils on the board which formed intricate mana formations.

She explained their purpose, weak points, and the way one formation could be layered upon another. Even the faintest waver in her voice carried a weight that kept the class sharp and silent.

"Reminder that the three primary uses of formations are protections, traps, and prepared attacks. Most formations take quite a long time to setup at your level of strength, but the stronger you become, the faster you’re able to create complex formations by yourself,"

Kayle explained, golden light faintly blooming around her hand as she drew another glyph into the air itself, the arcane lines hovered, and various formations with different effects appeared in the air.

Some of the formations purified the mana in the room, others dimmed the lights in the room and the final formation was a simple defensive one.

Albedo listened, jotting down notes with mechanical precision, his mind already pulling apart the structure of the glyphs Kayle demonstrated.

With his Academic Anomaly buff he received at the Entrance Exam, it was much easier to learn or adapt to various magical concepts. The System would also catalog everything for him in case he missed something for later review.

This was what made it so easy for him to master all the theoretical knowledge. With the buff and his system, he’d have to be actually incompetent to not be one of the best.

Beside him, Morgana scribbled furiously in her notebook, her lips pursed as blood-red sigils were sketched all across her book.

When class finally ended, Kayle clapped her hands to make sure they were all paying full attention and dismissed them.

"Review these formations tonight. Tomorrow, we move to layered construction. If you falter, you will not only hinder yourselves, but the one beside you. I expect none of you to fail your comrades."

The dismissal was both liberating and oppressive. The moment her golden presence exited the hall, chatter between various students exploded at once.

Dorian immediately swooped toward Nilah Blaire, his grin shameless as ever as he quickly tried to rizz her up.

Lucian and Miranda quickly packed up and left together while William and his gang also left in a group.

Albedo packed his books into his bag. He was halfway through tightening the straps when a familiar voice broke through.

"Albedo."

He turned and spotted Elara who was standing behind him, her expression calm but her eyes quietly bright with expectation. "I heard some of the others heading toward the Academy café for lunch. Were you... planning to go?"

Albedo considered it for only a moment and then nodded, "Yes," he said simply. "Let’s go."

A faint smile tugged at her lips, "Good."

They started toward the door, but before they could exit, another voice which was softer and slightly hesitant called after him.

"...Albedo."

He turned and spotted Morgana, who had risen from her desk, clutching her notebook close to her chest. For a heartbeat, she looked as though she might retreat back into her seat. Then, with surprising resolve, she stepped forward.

"I heard you were heading to the café." Her words were careful, not quite a question, not quite a statement. "Would it... bother you if I joined?"

Elara turned her head slightly, her expression unreadable, though her green eyes flickered over Morgana with quiet scrutiny. Albedo caught it instantly. Elara wasn’t hostile, but she was wary or...jealous?

"It wouldn’t bother me," Albedo answered, his tone even.

Morgana’s shoulders loosened, just slightly, relief coloring her face, "Then... thank you."

And so, the three of them left together, quickly walking through the halls until they arrived at the Cafe, which wasn’t overly crowded.

Glass-paneled walls let in wide shafts of daylight, reflecting off polished oak tables and the faintly steaming trays of food being carried to and fro. The smell of freshly baked bread and simmering broth drifted through the space, warm and comforting.

They claimed a table near the window and all began to read the menu, resting their bags next to their feet.

"What are you getting?" Elara asked, glancing at the menu posted above the serving counter.

Albedo scanned it once. "Beef stew. Simple enough."

"I’ll try the herb-roasted chicken," Elara said, the corner of her lips quirking faintly. "I’ve heard the café sources from their own greenhouse."

Morgana shifted, her gaze darting over the options. "I... think I’ll have the mushroom risotto. My family used to..." She trailed off, biting her lip. Then she shook her head. "Never mind."

They ordered. The trays arrived not long after, steaming plates carried with neat efficiency by enchanted service golems that hummed faintly as they rolled away.

The three settled in. For a moment, there was only the clink of cutlery and the muted murmur of the other tables.

It was Elara who broke the quiet.

"So." Her voice was light, but her gaze sharp, "Are you guys excited for the exchange program?"

"The Demon Kingdom," Morgana murmured, her spoon pausing mid-air. Her dark eyes flicked between them, "I..I definitely am. A-lot of my family techniques are derived from Demon and Vampiric Magic."

"Oh really? Then this trip will be a big opportunity to you. You’ll get to read all the books in their library and receive their training," Elara quickly said

Morgana looked down at her risotto, stirring it absently. "Opportunity," she echoed softly.

"Actually, I’m excited for another reason," Elara admitted, twirling her fork idly before setting it down.

"The Demon Kingdom is supposed to be filled with rare herbs and minerals. Plants that don’t even exist here, ores that only grow in the Abyss-touched soil. For an Alchemist..." her lips curved into a small, eager smile, "it’s basically a treasure trove waiting to be explored."

Morgana blinked, tilting her head slightly, "You’re an Alchemist?"

"Among other things," Elara said, her tone almost playful, though the spark in her eyes gave away how much it mattered to her, "I love to collect things, ingredients, reagents, anything unusual. Half of my dorm room looks more like a greenhouse than a study."

Albedo nodded faintly, unsurprised.

Morgana gave a soft, almost reluctant smile, her voice quiet but genuine, "That... actually sounds nice. To have something you really love to do."

Morgana’s quiet words lingered in the air, and for a fleeting moment, but before any of them could respond,

~BANG!~

The entire café seemed to shudder with the sound. A plate fell from a nearby table, shattering on the floor, but no one had touched it.

Another sound quickly followed that sound, a wet, gurgling crack, and all of their heads immediately snapped towards the source of these sounds.

Across the Cafe, one of the students seated at a table in the far corner had lurched forward, his body violently convulsing as his hands clawed at his chest. His skin stretched unnaturally as if something beneath it strained to tear free.

Veins continuously bulged and then, with an abrupt sickening rupture, the student’s body burst open in a grotesque detonation.

His flesh, blood and bone sprayed outward in a shower of red, his guts soaking the walls.

~RUMBLE~ROARRRR!~

A guttural, inhuman howl shook the café as what remained of the student twisted, black veins spidering across what was left of his form. His head lolled unnaturally before jerking back upright, his eyes nothing but bottomless, seething voids.

A Hollowed One.

Screams erupted around the café, chairs clattering as students stumbled to their feet, some running for the door and trying to escape this Abyssal Monstrosity, but none of them got far before things got even worse.

~BANG~BANG~BANG!~

All around them, other students convulsed similar to the first, their bodies inflating grotesquely like overstuffed skins before bursting apart in sprays of gore.

Each violent detonation left behind another Abyssal Hollowed One, their twisted, inhuman shrieks piercing the chaos.

The scent of blood thickened in the air as panic and terror spread like wildfire, a mass shuffle of students occurring as people tried to run, more and more Hollowed One’s appearing.

Albedo’s chair screeched back against the floor as he stood, his blue eyes narrowing, already assessing the battlefield. Beside him, Morgana’s obsidian eyes widened, her hand twitching before shadows rippled to life around her fingertips, answering her call.

Elara rose as well, her expression sharp despite the paleness of her face. With a flick of her wrist, threads of green mana spiraled out, weaving into the beginnings of a tactical net only she could fully see.

The three of them stood together, the wreckage of the café around them, the Hollowed Ones screeching and crawling closer, their distorted limbs dripping black ichor onto the polished oak floor.

Albedo exhaled slowly, Havoc and Ruin already humming in his grip. The calm was gone. The momentary warmth shattered.

Now, only battle remained.

"First day back and new shit is already happening,"