Phantasia

Byron was still trying to fathom out Joel and Kaori’s inexplicable logic when he noticed it. Face hidden behind a cowl, the figure looked as if its robes had been bathed in blood. It walked with long, purposeful strides across the field, ignoring him as it made its way towards his three friends hiding in the shadows. The cigarette he’d lit only a minute ago slipped from his mouth and smouldered on the grass for a moment before he realised and stamped it out with his boot.

“Damn, that’s Godhand…” he whispered. He took a few steps back and contemplated running for the school, but a sick sense of curiosity held him in place. Just what was going on? Had Godhand overheard their conversation? Were they going to be arrested for heresy? Was he going to be arrested for associating with them?

There was a scuffle. Joel was confronting the Inquisitor – his typical brash reactions – while Lyra was gearing up for an attack. Byron didn’t envy the man on the other side of one of her punches. Then Joel made a pathetic swing at the figure – again, typical behaviour from a guy who thought he could fight – and the Inquisitor responded with a quick jab to Joel’s stomach, which he followed up by tossing the boy aside. Byron cringed as Joel tumbled away, curled up in agony. Sure, he was a prick a lot of the time and his fiery nature grated with Byron’s laid-back philosophy, but he was still a mate. Byron was too far away to make a difference though. Lyra was felled by a quick slap from the back of the Inquisitor’s hand – she’d bear that grudge, and take it out on everyone else for sure – and the figure towered over a cowering Kaori.

It wasn’t normal for Byron to feel the emotions that were beginning to force their way through his veins right now. He liked to avoid confrontation unless he knew he could win, and preferred to win through wit and knowledge rather than violence, but now was one of those rare moments where he wanted to charge in and smack a bat around the back of the Inquisitor’s head.

Lyra and Joel were pulling themselves up, ready to strike back, and Byron thought he noticed them making signals to each other. In unison they sprung, staggering, forwards. It happened so fast that Byron didn’t even see what happened, but both Joel and Lyra had been knocked down once again and Kaori was unconscious. Then two more robed figured swept past to meet with the first. Realising his chances of making a heroic rescue were non-existent, and lacking Joel’s idiotic brash temper, Byron turned and walked as fast as wasn’t suspicious towards the school building, hoping someone better suited to fighting would step in, but knowing they’d all be busy with the sports club.

***

Shelley glanced over at the rest of the group and dug her nails into the palm of her hand as she struggled to control the flow of self-depreciating thoughts that charged through her head like an army of insatiable werewolves. She played with the buttons on her white shirt and wondered if Phantasia was safe. The white-haired new girl was an awkward subject in the circle of Hawks Shelley loitered around with, with their opinions on her changing every day.

“That albino girl’s not going to be securing you kudos any time soon, Vincent,” said Elone, making tiny adjustments to her artistic make-up.

Chapter 15
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