[center][color=orangered][h2]Ɗecision[/h2]
[sub]4:55[/sub][/color][/center]

It was just before sunrise that Andri finally gave up on sleeping and headed for the Academy. The streets were scarcely populated with people, their grey shapes faded in and out of the morning gloom like the spectres that had recently started appearing. Men, women, winged or tailed, hurrying or lingering around the small shops that dotted the streets. 

Still, they were few and far between. It had more to do with the part of town than with the time of day. One of the first things that had struck Andri when he first came was that Loom’s inhabitants didn't really stick to the human schedule of waking and sleeping. Instead there was a colourful current of people constantly cruising down the streets, each apparently sticking to their own routine. Many were nocturnal, many were diurnal and yet many others were somewhere in between. It was an oddity but not an unpleasant one. Loom truly was a city that never slept.

On the up-side, there were seldom huge traffic jams unless people were getting to or off work. 
On the down-side, sunrise and sunset marked the times when the bustle of the city was the loudest. Those were the times when most of the megapolis’ inhabitants started their days and headed off somewhere. It made sleeping difficult for some... especially those with recently enhanced auditory perceptions.

Andri couldn't deny that he was cranky as he got off the tube, squeezed his way through the crowd and emerged on the surface. At the entrance of the station, once again there was the man playing his guitar, the ginger tabby a constant accessory on his shoulder. As the sun peeked over the treeline of the Academy it’s rays hit the cat and lit his fur on fire, making him look like a bronze statue, an eternal companion and listener. The music itself was nothing special but it’s sole presence in this cold november morning made things somehow more bearable. 

Reaching into his pocket without slowing, Andri rewarded the man’s commitment with a few coins and put him out of his mind as soon as he passed him by. He reached the front gates in less than five minutes and paused barely long enough for the security system to scan his wrist and confirm that he was holding a Shard and had every right to be here. 

Covering the Academy grounds took a bit longer. The crater that the Academy sat in had in time been levelled and planted with grass, flowers and trees, making it seem almost like a natural forest. In fact, the space was often utilised as a training ground - while the gyms, pools and underground tunnels were used for teaching specific techniques, trees often presented the biggest challenge when it came to combat. They bent and twisted the sound and many creatures were outright strong enough to knock one on top of you. To his right some workers were still cutting up the last remains of a huge birch that had presumably been used for exactly that. The electric chainsaws sounded crude against the songs of the birds but that was the cycle of life. Some perish so others could live. 

The thought made him pick up his pace with a grimace and but he was too tired to invest any real feeling into it. His scowl was shallow, somehow lazy as he approached the building… which was probably why Kian, the short Asian kid who intersected him, didn't spot it right away. 

“Hey there, Churchill! Long time no see, we thought the Boogieman got you!”

Andri’s eye didn't twitch, although it really wanted to. Second-years were always so overeager. Not as overwhelmed and timid as first-years but twice as cocky instead. They thought they'd seen it all by now, the poor souls. Kian himself wasn't too bad, he supposed, and normally he even enjoyed their interactions. The guy had come here all the way from New Zealand and was working two jobs to pay his rent while studying for a pianist. If anything, Andri admired his commitment.

“He tried but I broke his nails and he went home crying for mommy.” He gave the other boy a weak smile and waited for him to stop laughing before continuing. “I'm sorry but I'm actually in a bit of a hurry. Do you know if Hazumi is in her office?”

Kian waved his hand dismissively. “No man, haven't seen her in a week! Probably out on an adventure somewhere, putting some Lordling back in their place.”

Andri forgot to pretend to be amused and frowned instead. “Over a week? And no official warning?”

“No, man. You know how she is.”

It was true, he supposed. Hazumi came and went as she pleased, about as predictable as a snow in the winter. You knew she was coming, just not when. 

“They should honestly find a way to make her stick to regular working hours.” He mused disgruntled.

“Yeah, maybe you should tell her that when you see her.”

Andri’s lip twitched and he waved a goodbye at his friend, deciding to check for himself anyway. With some luck, she'd be back by now. 

Walking fast without looking at his classmates, Andri made his way to Hazumi’s office. It was roughly in the middle of this long building, on the first floor, presumably to allow her easy exit should she feel any imminent trouble stirring. She wasn’t a clairvoyant, but she was fairly good at predicting trouble, especially when more people were involved. The corridor itself was long and wide, covered in old-fashioned wooden paneling and although there was no natural light, the chandeliers far overhead made it almost as bright as outside. Unlike the rest of the administration which was congregating in the southern wing, Hazumi’s office sat alone in the midst of classrooms and training halls in the northern wing, the only indication of its importance being that the golden plate next to the door read more than a simple number: “Essence of the World”. It was slightly inaccurate, of course. She’d last been that back in Judas’ hand. Now the whole Academy was part of her and so she was a part of it too. 
Usually this corridor was rather quiet - it was the first years that had classes here and they were seldom comfortable enough to cause a fuss. However, now it was almost desolate. The few students that walked past seemed somehow nervous. The voices were hushed, the glances were quick and fleeting and everyone seemed to walk faster than usual. Frown deepening, Andri overtook a big group of girls and reached his destination.

The door to the Essence’s office was remarkably indistinct – just the same heavy wooden brown as all the rest of the doors in the Academy. Normally it was closed, but often times it hung open, the sounds of rustling paper or quiet (often terrible) music spilling into the hallway and inviting people in.

Today was different. So different that at first Andri’s tired mind couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. The door was closed. Or rather, [i]sealed off[/i]. Two men in heavy combat armour stood on each side, their bodies and faces completely concealed by metal and other materials he couldn’t name. His eyebrows arched even further when he spotted machine rifles hung casually across their chest on full display, well within reach for less than a second.

Black Guards. [i]At Master Melody’s[/i]? That didn’t bode well. 

The youth’s steps slowed as he hesitated. Everyone was giving the men a wide breath – something he couldn’t blame them for. The Black Guards and the Wielders didn’t exactly get along. Despite the fact that they both existed for the sake of preserving the balance on the Surface, they had very different functions. The pupils of Master Melody’s were every diplomatic way of solving a problem: negotiators, guards, investigators, interrogators, and soldiers when needed. The Black Guards were assassins. They were a special task force that dealt explicitly in extermination. The only similarity they had to the Musicians and Wielders was that neither of them discriminated against any specific race.

And if Black Guards were in the Academy, things were serious. Hopefully it had nothing to do with their patron going berserk and attempting something similar to what she had done a couple of years back.

Andri was well aware that it was a bad idea to approach the men – they were professionals, sure, but the likelihood of them being complaisant as well was minimal. Perhaps he did it out of spite.

“Excuse me,” he started as he approached, not going out of his way to sound polite. “I’d like to speak with the Essence if she’s in her office.”

One of the Men’s heads turned towards the student, the red glowing cameras of the helmet scanning the boy. “The office is currently off limits, as the premises is under BG investigation, by the orders of the PeaceKeepers. If you seek more information. We suggest you speak to the headmaster.” The soldier’s head turned back to look at the wall ahead.

Andri’s brow furrowed. He really didn't have the patience to be messed around today. “And why exactly is it off limits? You’re on our turf, if anyone has the right to investigate, it's us.”

“Speak to the headmaster.” The soldier replied again.

Narrowing his eyes at the men one last time, Andri turned and walked towards the next office. 

He knocked and entered without waiting for a response. As he stepped into the spacious room he caught the last words of a conversation. “Keep me updated.” The principal was on the phone but he gestured for Andri to stay and once the device was set down, the demon turned his full attention to the newcomer. 

“Andri, nice to see you.” Like most hellions, Ein considered the first name to be the most important one of all. It had to do with their naming system where each incarnation required a new title and it always went in front, describing the creature in its current state while still preserving their legacy. It made the headmaster sound casual even when he didn’t necessarily intend to be. “I heard from Kanna that you’ve been… rather unfortunate.” He wouldn’t apologize for that, though. A human bearing a demonic infant wasn’t a tragedy to most demons, even if they pretended it was because of the social norm. In the Academy social norms were often disregarded.

“Where is Hazumi? I need to speak to her and I need her to rip this parasite out of me.” He said, more sharply than he should have. It was hard to remain objective when your own life was the one slowly suffocating under an alien presence you hadn’t asked for. “And why are there Black Guards in front of her office?”

Ein scowled ever so slightly. There was a short pause, only interrupted by the rhythmic twirling of the pen between the demon’s fingers and it's clicking against the desk. “She’s missing.” He admitted at last. “We’ve been trying to find her for a few days now but there’s no trace of her that we’ve been able to find. Even her husband knows nothing about it, she just vanished one day a bit over a week ago.”

Andri could feel the liquid nitrogen pouring into his veins and he couldn’t tell if it made him feel hot with anger or cold with despair. He did know that his teeth were grit so tight they might break and that he [i]would[/i] break something if that wasn’t going a step too far. 

Ein stared at him but said nothing more for a long while, giving the boy time to breathe and calm down. “Kanna’s already attended an evaluation of her condition. If you want, I could schea--” 

“What’s that?” Andri’s voice interrupted sharply. His mind had finally caught onto what was laid out on the principal’s desk. Ein’s face finally twitched with distaste. Pictures, at least ten of them. They were fuzzy, with a lot of noise, downloaded from an angel’s feather, but they were sharp enough to get the gist of the memory even through the paper. They were very red.

Students at Master Melody’s couldn’t be spared the sight of death. It was what they dealt in and it was one of the first things they were introduced to in here. The fragility of life, the importance of their job.  Andri had seen enough massacres to recognize one.

These pictures were worse than most. And they showed a lot more hatred towards demons than towards humans, his analytical mind remarked distantly. Back in the present, he could tell Ein was reluctant to talk but he didn’t press further. The flaming halo over the man’s head was twisting uneasily revealing just how tense he was, even when his body didn’t. It spun faster than normal, the flames hissing and spitting quietly. He should have noticed earlier... but he hadn’t. 

“An incident happened last night. Two of ours were killed by a Renegade, along with two demons.”

“Two of ours?” Andri’s eyes darted back to the pictures and found the two human corpses. His gut twisted as he recognized a girl slumped by a wall, her neck broken. The other body was male, face-down, mutilated and decapitated…

“Who is this?” He pointed, his voice betraying the shock he kept away from his face. When Ein didn’t answer his voice rose, demanding. “Who is this?!” The man gave him a warning look but Andri was beyond caring. “I can’t do my fucking job without knowing what’s out there, killing our own, can I?!”

The halo above the hellion’s head spun violently - a sure sign that passions were about to boil over but when Ein spoke, his anger was still contained. Barely. 

“This Renegade is out of your league, Andri. We’re talking about an Original angel, the man who slaughtered all the other Archangels, one by one, and not quickly either. Don’t even think of going after him - we’re calling the hunt off and as of noon today, nobody is allowed to engage.”

Suddenly it didn’t matter what the names of the latest victims were. What mattered was that Lucien had done it before, and that he’d do it again, and that suddenly he was supposed to be ok with standing by and watching. 

Andri’s mouth opened, sure to spill out some profanity but Ein’s tail moved faster than the sound of his voice. It lashed out and struck the young man in the chest, knocking him off balance and straight into the chair he’d been too restless to use. What came out of his throat was a muffled [i]whoop[/i] when the air escaped him. The headmaster had gotten to his feet before Andri could blink and his two meter bulk of muscle and scale was now looming over the desk, the halo twitching with annoyance, bathing the room in a hellish light. 

“You’ll listen to me when I speak. You might disagree with me and you can even go get yourself killed for all I care, but you will hear me out before you go. Hazumi is missing, she can’t help you and right now you are in no condition to fight. Your possession is unstable and you’re more of a liability than an asset. Those are the [i]facts[/i]. And here is another fact for you: you can’t kill Lucien even if you tried. He’s killed better than you, and by the hundreds.” After the last word was spoken between sharp inhuman teeth, the edge was off and Ein leant back a bit. His strong reptilian tail remained where it was, pressed firmly against Andri’s chest, spines scraping against his skin through the shirt. “Up until now we’ve been able to monitor his movement and minimise the casualties but you don’t need me to tell you why that’s impossible now. He must be growing impatient as he’s never mutilated one of ours this bad before. We can’t hope that the parasite will kill him soon enough so we need to track him down ASAP. We know that. But that’s the job of the Peacekeepers and me. Not yours.” 

The two men glared at each other for a long moment, then Ein removed his tail and stood upright. “You will be instructed at twelve. Until then I suggest you go see Patricia.”

Andri stood from his seat and gave a curt bowl before turning his back to the hellion. 

“And Andri?” The voice caught him with a hand on the door handle. “If you do plan on getting yourself killed, don’t make it a group suicide.” 

The grim smirk did not make it to the surface. There was still time until noon.