Chapter 6: Closing Ceremony
(Ersa)
The rest of the week flew by for Ersa. She had tried to visit Serafina numerous times, but was denied access every time. The more she thought about the situation, the more suspicious it was that Serafina was allowed to get away with little to no punishment. Just what were the Headmasters scheming…? Ersa pondered over this as she got ready for the closing ceremony.
The closing ceremony was a great party throughout the campus to celebrate the First Years who managed to pass orientation week, celebrate the start of a new school year, and remember those who had bravely lost their lives during orientation. It was similar to a first of the school year dance back in primary school, only the alcohol flowed freely and the music was better and the fun crazier. It was only a matter of minutes before the seven would happily join the merriment. Right now Chan, Kai, and Pyaar were waiting on the rest of them. They were all sitting around on their beds reading or watching TV.
Hali had offered her father’s personal makeup artist to Ersa, but she wanted to enjoy this moment with her team. Lux had the music turned up and he and all the girls were crowded around the bathroom mirror, doing hair and makeup. Ersa was happy to be by their side. They weren’t the best team, but they were still her team.
“Damn, how long does it take for you to get ready for a stupid dance?” Ersa heard Pyaar’s annoying voice over the loud music.
“Clearly he’s never had a girlfriend.” Lux told the girls. They all laughed at Pyaar.
“I think we’re ready,” Ersa nodded to the others after a few final swipes of mascara.
“Quick selfie!” Lux squished them all together, catching only a little of Jet’s hair, the rest of her cut out.
“Let’s go,” Ersa ushered before the two started to fight again. “And, please. No one fight with each other for the next twenty-four hours. We need a break from the week.”
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“Fine.” Lux sighed.
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“Tch. Whatever.” Jet huffed as they emerged from the bathroom in a haze of steam, hairspray, and perfume, looking like they had just stepped off the pages of one of Lux’s fashion magazines.
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“Whoa!” Kai looked up from his book. “I hardly recognized you!”
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“You all actually look normal-ish.” Pyaar smirked, the closest he’d ever get to complimenting anyone.
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“Shall we?” Ersa turned on her heels, black tulle skirt swaying at her hips, making her look like a princess.
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Chan stood and followed his co-leader out the door, awestruck by her beauty.
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(Kai)
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The closing ceremony began with each group of first years passing through an archway that led from the back of the ballroom to the front. Only guardians in training were given this opportunity. All other first years were already out in the ballroom. From there you’d walk down a long runway made by a red carpet to the other end, all the other students watching your every move, silently judging you. Each team would give the announcer their name and be presented formally to the rest of the guardians in training. They were encouraged to wear matching outfits. Kai’s team had decided black formal wear for the girls and black pants and a white button down for the guys.
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Kai didn’t like the idea of having everyone stare at him, but that’s what the rest of his team was for. For the first time since they had joined together, he found himself thankful that he wasn’t alone.
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“What did we decide our name was?” Ersa casually asked Chan as they all waited for their turn.
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Shit!
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“Uhh…”Chan coughed nervously.
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“My gods, we forgot.” Ersa whipped her head around and stared at all of them. “Any suggestions?”
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They all looked at each other, for once no one had anything to say.
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“Cardinal!” Serafina said excitedly, appearing out of thin air. She was pointing at one of the birds on the intricate paintings on the ceiling, definitely having nothing to do with the word “cardinal,” but whatever. Let her have whatever she wants, for the last few hours of her life, Kai thought.
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“Serafina?” Amber looked at her with wide eyes. “What are you doing here?”
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Before the demon could respond, it was their turn to parade down the red carpet.
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“Names?” Gus asked from his crystal-infused tablet. The tablet was linked to the podium where Professor Soji stood, along with Ms. Worthington. Gus sent your names and team name to them. You had about ten seconds to do all that and give your team name, otherwise Professor Soji would come up with something on-the-spot for you. And it was usually a really bad name like “Dickweed Fartbags.” Yeah. That was an actual team name several years ago. The poor team had only one guy by the end of the first semester, who dropped out of school entirely not long after that. They had decided that each of them would pair up and go out as a team, to look more presentable. Chan and Ersa were together, next was Amber and Lux, then Jet and Pyaar and finally Kai and Serafina. I would be stuck with the demon. Kai grumbled to himself.
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They all gave him their names to Gus.
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“Team?” Gus asked, sounding as bored as Kai felt.
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“Cardinal…” Ersa began slowly.
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“Equinox!” Chan finished quickly. “Team Cardinal Equinox.”
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Hmm. Not bad. Kai actually liked the sound of that. Cardinal Equinox.
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“Watch your step.” Gus instructed as they all walked past.
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“Equinox?” Jet whispered as they walked onward.
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“Since school starts on the Autumnal Equinox, it’s been on my mind recently.” Chan whispered back.
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Kai’s heart thumped wildly in his ribcage as he stepped into the light, Serafina’s thin arm wrapped around his.
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“Up next,” he heard Professor Soji say “We have team Cardinal Equinox.” The crowd erupted into massive applause once they saw who all made up the team. “Chan, Ersa, Lux, Amber, Pyaar, Jet, Kai and Serafina.” More like they erupted into massive applause once they saw Ersa, the golden girl of the class. Kai felt himself give a genuine smile. The focus was nowhere near him or Serafina, thank the gods. If anyone realized this demon had basically murdered everyone… Well, Kai didn’t want to be around for that.
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Why she was even allowed to be here was beyond him.
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Not soon enough, their procession was over. There was a huge buffet on the far side of the ballroom.
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“Eee!” Serafina squealed, ripping from Kai’s arm and running straight to the party room with the bouncy castle. He subconsciously wiped his arm off.
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“Bye bitches.” Lux left for one of the other party rooms. Everyone dispersed until it was just Kai.
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He wandered around aimlessly until he found a semi quiet place on one of the upper level balconies. He walked outside into the cool night air and sighed. He reached into his pocket and brought out his book and music player. He perched on one of the railings, popped his earbuds in and began contently reading. The perfect way to spend any party, as far away from it as possible.
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He saw Serafina happily bounce up and down on one of the bouncy castles.
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She then skipped merrily over to the buffet table and helped herself to an assortment of treats and meats. She wandered around for awhile until she found herself in another party room, this one with a pool in it. Kai shook his head. Observing was fun to a certain degree, but he’d rather just read. He prayed he could just be left alone for a while. Hopefully he’d get lucky tonight with that. He needed to take his mind off of Serafina and what was about to happen to her. He glanced up at her innocent smile. Did she even realize what was about to happen to her? Did she even care? Maybe she’d made peace with death and it was her final wish to be at the party?
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Dammit. Kai sighed. Curiosity was something he could usually suppress, but Serafina was a dead man walking. He had to know what she was thinking. He tucked his book away and jumped off the balcony, landing gracefully on his feet. He had to tread carefully with how he worded this, but he couldn’t just sit aside wondering for the rest of his life.
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He walked towards the demon, a mix of emotions flowing through him.
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“Serafina,” he stared at her bright purple eyes and grabbed her hand just before she jumped into the clear blue water. “Before you get too invested into this party, I need you to tell me the truth,” Serafina looked at him with her big, childlike eyes. He stared at her as he searched for the right words.
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She looked at him, eyes suddenly going dark. Kai’s heart clenched in his chest.
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“So, you know?” she asked, all life and color draining from her face. “Don’t tell the others, ok?” she pleaded, putting a hand on his shoulder. “My final request was to have this night with all of you. Please, just… don’t say anything, okay?” tears brimmed her eyes, catching Kai by surprise.
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“I...” he cleared his throat, more confused than ever.
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“Kai, please.” she begged. Kai stared at her, wondering if she was tricking him because of her demonic origins or if she was being sincere. He stood there, searching. When he found the answer he was looking for, he nodded.
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Serafina’s face completely changed. “Thanks Kai!” she giggled and pecked his cheek. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she waved “They resupplied the buffet table!” she grinned and skipped off, leaving Kai with a handful of regrets.
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(Ersa)
Ersa felt like she was the center of attention. You would have thought the party was meant for her, so many people kept coming up and talking to her.
Finally Hali and San came over to rescue her.
“Girl!” San waved and grabbed her left arm.
“We’ve been looking for you for, like, ever.” Hali winked, grabbing her right arm. Together they dragged her out of the crowd and out to one of the balconies, this one overlooking the gardens in the center of the school.
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Ersa took a deep breath of the cool night air. “Thanks, guys.” she smiled, scanning the area for Serafina’s dark green pigtails.
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“Finding you was the easy part.” San put his hands on his hips. “Getting you out was a whole other story.”
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“Anyway, you’re sticking to us all night.” Hali insisted, bouncing up and down in her short emerald dress. “Well, me all night. San until he finds some cutie to bang.”
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“Mhmm,” San looked over their shoulders into the crowd. “Speaking of, I’ll be right back...” he brushed past the pair and beelined through the crowd at someone.
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“He usually goes after the ones in red,” Hali muttered watching his figure disappear into the crowd. “Anyway, any cuties ask you out or confess their love to you yet?” Hali beamed as she and Ersa leaned on the railing.
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“Nah,” Ersa shook her head, curls bouncing. “I’m way too busy for romance, anyway.”
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“What?” Hali smacked her arm. “C’mon. You’re never too busy for a little love, that’s what I think.”
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Ersa shrugged.
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“Don’t tell me you’ve never had a boyfriend?” Hali looked at her in disbelief.
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“Fine, then I won’t say it.” Ersa smiled.
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“Okay, we are going to have to get you a date by the end of the night. Look,” she pointed to the balcony next to theirs. “See how cute those two are?”
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Ersa looked over and saw Serafina sitting on the ground next to a guy with glasses wearing a mismatching blue suit and striped bowtie. They were laughing and feeding each other sweets. “Hey, that’s Serafina.” Thank gods she found her! “I didn’t know she had a boyfriend…?”
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“Oh.” Hali looked closer. “The weird demon girl?” she paused. “See, if she can get a boyfriend, you can. Or girlfriend, if you swing that way.”
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“I guess I’ve never really thought about it too much before,” Ersa looked at the two happily hanging out. “But I am more attracted to men than women. Men have such interesting bodies.” she looked at Hali and they giggled.
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They continued talking until the funeral portion of the closing ceremony commenced. For that everyone went into the gardens onto the far side of the greenery. There was a hill with a tree at the top, covered in graves. Not all students wished to be buried at the university, but many did, finding it an honor to be buried next to some of the greatest Guardians of all time.
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After there were awards given to students. Some for the most kills during orientation, best form, fastest time during the races, etc.
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After, everyone was free to do whatever again.
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Ersa had met so many people already she’d forgotten most of their names.
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At one point she found Amber and Jet and went over to talk to them with Hali.
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Later she found Serafina again with the same guy from earlier.
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“Hey, Serafina!” Ersa called to her. She spun on her heels, dark green hair swishing around her.
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“Who’s this?” Hali wiggled her eyebrows.
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“My friend Oma’ar.” Serafina smiled. “He said he likes my designs for a weapon!” she shoved a sketchbook filled with purses, parasols, and cats.
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“Very unique.” Ersa smiled. She subconsciously fiddled with her bracelet, tiny crystals chinking together.
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“Friend?” Hali wiggled her eyebrows again.
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“Yup.” Oma’ar smiled kindly at the girls. “I sensed her magical energy and was intrigued. She’s a pretty weird girl. Very interesting.”
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“Let’s go get more punch!” Serafina gasped then dragged Oma’ar off.
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“I’m not sure if he’s blind or just likes to wear those sunglasses.” Hali frowned at the pair.
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Ersa looked at them. “Probably just a fashion statement.”
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Hali and Ersa made their rounds to just about every party station until they made it to the dance floor. Hali was completely sloshed by then.
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“Hey!” Ersa heard. She turned around and saw a handsome guy with dark blue-grey hair, pale skin, and red eyes that danced with mischief. He had a scar over his left eye, making him look more dangerous.
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“Akumaaaaaaaa!” Hali slurred. She’d had one too many sips of whatever the green drink was. “Ersha, meet muh boi Akuma. He’sh on Terrin Solstice. What kind of shitty name ish dat anyway? Terrin Solstice?”
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“Our leader named our team after himself.” Akuma rolled his eyes as he held Hali up.
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“Hish pride’ll be hish downfell.” Hali giggled and put her empty glass up to her mouth. “Shits. Outta juice.” she frowned.
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Ersa felt totally fine and she’d had just as much as Hali. Then again, Hali had mentioned she was part Fairy and Fairies didn’t hold their drinks too well.
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“I’ll take her back to our room.” Akuma sighed. “Once I drop our lightweight champ off, may I steal you away-Ersa, was it?”
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Ersa grinned back at him. “If you can find me,” she winked. “I’ll text Hali in the morning to make sure she’s ok. Thanks for looking out for her!”
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“Then it’s a date,” Akuma smirked and walked off in his blue button-down and navy dress pants, leaving Ersa to herself. She enjoyed the moment to herself after the evening filled with social interactions.
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(Chan)
Chan glanced at his phone, amazed that time had flown by so quickly. It was just a few hours until sunrise!
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Chan had found Tah’m and his friends and was currently playing video games with them.
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“Shit shit SHIT!” Zer yelled, waving his controller right and left, mashing buttons like crazy.
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“Yes!” Tah’m whooped as Zer’s character died.
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“Good game, dude.” Zer held out his hand as Tah’m took it.
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“You too, Zer” Tah’m beamed happily.
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“Alright, now to fight the undefeated champ,” Ga’rhet smacked Chan’s back. “This time we’ll getcha for sure!”
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“Two versus one hardly seems fair… for you.” Chan taunted as he took Zer’s still warm controller.
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“Chan!” he heard his name. Chan turned around to see Kai running full-speed towards them in the party room. “Chan!” he yelled and waved frantically.
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Chan set the controller down, leader-mode completely on. “What’s wrong Kai?” He barely knew Kai, but he knew enough of him to know that looking so frantic wasn’t a good sign.
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“Chan!” he huffed, trying to catch his breath. He looked into Chan’s eyes, dark orbs darting frantically around. “Chan… I fucked up.”
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Everyone around them seemed to perk up.
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“We’ll finish this some other time.” Tah’m smiled at Chan from his wheelchair.
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“Thanks,” he nodded and walked to a more private place with Kai. “Kai, what’s wrong? What do you mean-”
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“Chan, I lied. They’re going to execute Serafina at sunup.” Kai looked terrified as he clutched Chan’s arm.
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“What do you mean?” Chan looked at him and talked in slow, hushed tones. “Who’s they?”
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Kai quickly explained he had lied because he thought Serafina deserved to die, but after their conversation he realized she was genuine. “It was a mistake. Serafina deserves to live. I can’t… we have to stop this!”
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“Why didn’t you text me?! Where’s Ersa?!” Chan grabbed his phone and looked at his dozens of missed texts and calls. It was on silent.
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“I did.” Kai looked pointedly at the phone. “And called. Same with Ersa. It’s just too damn loud in here. How the hell can people still be partying at 3AM?”
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“Oh gods...” Chan looked at Kai “It’s 3. We need to find Ersa NOW!” sunup was only a few hours away. And they had no idea where Serafina’s execution was supposed to occur. “Keep calling Ersa. We’ll meet at the entrance to the gardens in 15 minutes if we can’t find her.”
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“I’ve got a better idea,” Kai beamed and scurried through the crowd. A moment later, Chan heard the fire alarm blaring as the sprinklers went off.
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All students hurried outside as quickly as possible.
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“Kai?” Chan looked at him as they rushed outside together.
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“Wasn’t me.” Kai shrugged, clearly guilty.
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Once they were outside, Kai climbed up the nearest tree, and looked through the crowd “Chan, call her.” he called down.
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Chan dialed Ersa’s number.
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“Hello?” he heard her answer, giggling. “Chan?”
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“Hey Ersa,” he gave Kai a thumbs up. “Look up into the tree nearest the school. See Kai?”
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Ersa laughed “Yeah? He looks like a monkey! What about it?”
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“Ersa, come here now. And hurry, we need you.”
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“Oh… Is everything okay?” her tone changed from giggles to serious.
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“Can’t say over the phone. Too many ears. Please hurry.” He hung up, heart beating wildly in his chest.
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Ersa was there moments later.
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Chan and Kai filled her in as quickly as possible.
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“Shit.” Ersa leaned against the tree. “I knew I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.” she took a deep breath in. “We need to find the guy she was with, if possible.”
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“What’d he look like?” Chan asked, ready to search.
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“Um...” Ersa tried to remember. “He had dark hair maybe? It’s hard to tell since it was dark when we met. He had dark blue tinted glasses-”
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“Looking for me?” Chan looked behind Ersa to see a guy standing there in a mismatching suit and striped bow tie. “You must be Ersa,” he bowed looking at Ersa. “Forgive me for my lateness. You were hard to track down. Serafina kept describing you with physical features even after I told her again and again I’m blind.” he chuckled. “Anyway, my name is Oma’ar. I just met Serafina but we became fast friends. She told me to tell you ‘Thank you for everything. You all have been the first friends I’ve ever had outside of my family. I will cherish you until the end.’”
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“Serafina...” Ersa’s face twisted in sorrow. “Where is she? Where did they take her?”
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“I’m not sure who you mean.” Oma’ar frowned. “Serafina left of her own volition. She walked that way,” he pointed towards Fariyoh Forest. “I assumed she didn’t want to be a guardian so she left to meet someone within the forest…” he furrowed his brows.
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“Oh gods...” Kai ran his fingers through his navy hair in frustration.
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“Oma’ar...” Ersa looked at him curiously. “How is it you’re able to get around, if you don’t mind me asking?”
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Chan and Kai looked at Ersa. “Ersa, can we not do this now?” Kai asked.
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“Give me a sec,” Ersa frowned.
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Oma’ar grinned “It’s alright. I get around by sensing the magical energy flowing through the world around me. For example, I can tell you use Heavenly Light magic, this fellow to my left uses wind magic, and you over there use Ethereal magic.”
“Impressive.” Chan nodded.
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Ersa grinned. “Oma’ar, I think you know what I’m about to ask you,”
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Oma’ar nodded. “I expected as much. Someone she spoke so highly of wouldn’t give up after a few words from a stranger.”
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“Hold it,” Chan looked at Oma’ar, catching on to what they were planning. “How do we know we can trust you?” after Kai’s lie, Chan wasn’t in a very trusting mood. If you can’t trust those closest to you, who can you trust?
“Hmm...”Oma’ar tapped his chin. “Fair point. I’m far too trusting myself, so I hadn’t even considered the potential consequences of my own actions.”
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“Chan,” Ersa looked at him “Stay if you must. If there’s any chance of saving Serafina, I’m going to take it.”
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“Me too,” Kai looked at them with wide eyes. “I fucked up. I have to fix this or it’ll haunt me the rest of my life.”
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“Lead the way.” Chan sighed. If they were in this, they’d have to be in it together.
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“Follow me.” Oma’ar ran off towards the forest.
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(Kai)
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I made a mistake. Kai chastised for the thousandth time since earlier. He, Chan, and Ersa were following Oma’ar into Fariyoh Forest. Kai usually loved the quiet still of night, but he only felt the darkness overwhelmingly near to him. He couldn’t take it, he just wanted to get in, get Serafina, then get the hell out. They’d been running for hours. He wished, for once, morning would come sooner.
The others were silent while they rushed through the forest towards their teammate. He welcomed the silence, for he didn’t have to explain himself to Ersa and Chan and apologize over and over for his mistake.
Up ahead, he could see a faint light in the distance. He wondered for a brief moment if it was Serafina and the execution brigade. To his dismay, as he looked closer, he realized it was the sun slowly beginning to rise.
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“How much farther?” Ersa called out. She was growing more restless by the second. Kai felt her anger emitting like the heat from a furnace. And with every moment it grew brighter and more vicious.
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“Not long,” Oma’ar assured her. “Her magical energy is growing stronger every second.”
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Like a moth to a flame. Kai thought to himself. There was no way this confrontation was going to go well for anyone. So long as they managed to save Serafina, he was okay with the consequences.
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As the light grew brighter, Kai felt more and more panicked. He did not want Ersa’s anger to be directed at him. Surely they’d have to come across her or someone soon…
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Oma’ar suddenly stopped running.
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“What?!” Ersa stopped next to him.
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“They really don’t want any interruptions,” Oma’ar reached his hand out. He poked an invisible field of energy that zapped his finger. “Ouch!” he yelped and sucked on his finger.
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“What…?” Chan huffed behind them. He was so tired from running he couldn’t even talk. He reached into his afro and came out with a frost water bottle he squirted half in his mouth, half over his sweaty body.
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“I told you to use magic,” Ersa rolled her eyes as Chan collapsed to the ground for a moment. “I can bust through this,” she continued confidently. “But that’ll draw the attention here.”
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“I’m a blind man who just got lost in the forest after too much partying.” Oma’ar unbuttoned his suit, ruffled up his hair, and twisted his glasses so they hung crookedly off his face. Kai looked into his milky-white eyes, amazed at how they saw so much more than he ever could. Oma’ar pat Ersa’s shoulder. “Leave those who come to me. I didn’t get to my third year as a guardian in training for nothing.” he smirked.
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“Alright,” Ersa smiled as a dark and light green swirled crystal floated from her bracelet. She snatched it from the air and placed it on her right palm. She then held her palms open in front of her as she closed her eyes and muttered a quick spell. She opened her eyes and took a step back, the crystal branching out green throughout the invisible wall. Ersa then swung her foot around, bare foot coming in contact with the crystal, shattering it and the surrounding area. The image of trees disappeared before Kai’s eye and an open field laid before him. On the other side were the ruins of what looked like a fortress from thousands of years ago.
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“Where’d your shoes go?” Chan asked. He’d gotten back up and seemed to be in full-strength.
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Ersa gave him a sassy look. “Like I’m going to run in bloody heels.” she rolled her silver eyes. “Come on, we have to hurry.” Chan and Kai followed her.
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“Thank you, Oma’ar.” Ersa whispered as Oma’ar waved and staggered off.
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“I’ll stay with Oma’ar” Chan stated as Kai jogged off.
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“What?” Ersa looked at him. “It’ll be a more powerful statement if it’s all of us.”
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“Maybe,” Chan shrugged. “But we can’t leave Oma’ar by himself. I can’t leave him by himself.”
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“I’ll be fine!” Oma’ar yelled. “Hurry and go!”
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“Do what you want,” Ersa huffed and ran off.
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Kai turned to Chan “Okay, first of all Chan when a girl says that, do not do what you want. Second, Oma’ar is a third year guardian in training. If he can make it past two whole years of crap, he can handle a few guards.”
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“Well, yeah, but-”
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“I know, I know.” Kai sighed. “Look, It’ll be better if it’s all three of us. Together that’s half our team with Serafina, so if we need to-I don’t know-fight or something we can.”
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Chan shuddered slightly, knowing Kai was right.
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Oma’ar clasped hands with Chan before they ran off in opposite directions.