Ascension of the Dark Seraph

Several days passed after the funeral.

And the days returned somewhat normal again.

Nobody in the Bloodhaven Academy knew about the death of Lucivar and Nerissa, and Mirel said that he was going to handle it. He was going to be the one who broke the news about their deaths to anyone who was acquainted with them.

It was unclear how it had progressed, but frankly, Leandra and Ravenna didn't care that much.

Both were too deep in sorrow to care about anything other than distracting themselves from reality.

"Mmhh…"

Leandra moaned as she raised her head from the table.

Her head felt like it weighed a ton, but considering that her system was overflowed—with alcohol, this was about right. Across the table that was littered with empty bottles and cans, Ravenna was sleeping soundly on the sofa.

Neither had slept in the dormitory ever since the funeral.

Instead, the two opted to live in the place where Lucivar and Nerissa died peacefully.

"Tch… She said she's going to finish it." Leandra lazily grabbed the last bottle and poured the remaining contents into her glass. She knocked over multiple cans in the process, but she has no intention of picking them up. "So dizzy…"

Despite being clearly reluctant, she downed the last bit of the alcohol and slammed the glass on the table.

Leandra stood up and stumbled towards the bathroom.

Every inch of the room was a mess, and the world was spinning, but Leandra managed to somehow reach the bathroom. She flicked the faucet and washed her face, and also drank more water to sober up a little bit.

As her body dispersed the spirits clouding her mind, she sat down on the toilet in silence.

"Eugh… what time is it?" She wandered aloud.

From the window, she passed along the way to the bathroom—it was late in the night.

For a good moment, she stayed in the toilet before she combed her lustrous violet hair back and looked out of the door that she had forgotten to close. Nothing was there, and there was also no sound. Somehow, the silence made her feel emptier.

"Around this time, I would normally wonder what he was doing…" Leandra mumbled silently.

Unconsciously, she shed a tear, but she quickly wiped it away.

It would be hard to get used to her new situation and forget about the pain.

Leandra didn't even know if she could come out of this, but she's still going to try day by day.

"Mirel is doing his best informing people—about Lucivar and Nerissa… I should probably help, too," Leandra inhaled deeply and went to the bedroom to change. There are a few people Mirel wasn't aware of who knew Lucivar, and she's going to be the one to bear the news.

Once she wore a simple hoodie, she walked out and headed for the main door.

"Ravenna, I'm leaving for a bit."

"Mmh…"

Just as Leandra grabbed the doorknob, she paused.

"Wait, it's nighttime… Who's still up at this hour?" She mumbled, realizing that she should wait a bit.

At least until tomorrow.

As she turned around to sleep, someone knocked on the door.

"Hold on," Leandra answered as she pushed the door open, only to see a woman standing outside. She looked rough—mascara running down her face from crying. "Elira…? Is that you? What are you doing here? And how did you find where I was?"

Elira stared at Leandra in silence.

Instead of answering, she shot a demanding question of her own, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Mirel came to me earlier, and he told me that Lucivar… died. I'm here to ask you. Is it true?"

Leandra paused for a second and then sighed.

She nodded helplessly, "Yes, it's true. He killed himself."

Even though Elira had come expecting Leandra to confirm Mirel's words, the moment the truth slipped out of Leandra's lips, her resolve crumbled. Her eyes welled up, and tears spilled freely down her cheeks like two crystalline lakes.

She found it hard to believe that Lucivar would really do something like this.

Considering how powerful and steadfast he was, this sounded like a dream—a nightmare.

But seeing what a mess Leandra was right now, it was clear that she was telling the truth.

"I…" Elira gritted her teeth and walked away. "I only came to ask that. Thank you for being honest."

Leandra stared at her back with pity.

Although Lucivar wasn't family to Elira, he was still her savior—and the man she had undeniably grown fond of. Strength carried its own allure, and for someone like Elira, raised within a prestigious family, she's basically wired to be drawn to strength.

Her ingrained ideals made her orbit around strength.

Naturally, ever since Lucivar saved her, he had always been a potential spouse in her eyes.

But now, he was gone.

Just then, Leandra's eyes sparkled as she remembered something.

"Elira!" She called, stopping Elira dead in her tracks.

Elira turned to look at her questioningly.

"I know we have nothing between us anymore, but can I ask you for a favor?"

"Just say it. I'll help you if I can."

"I wanted to tell this woman about what happened to Lucivar personally. I don't really know her, but Ravenna mentioned that Lucivar was close to someone outside. Supposedly, she's the secretary of the Trading Union's CEO."

As soon as she heard that, Elira called someone.

"I'm not really in a hurry…"

"It's fine. Finding someone wouldn't take much time for me."

Elira talked with the person on the other side for a minute and then looked at Leandra again.

"Her name is Angel," She slipped her phone back into her pocket. "She has worked for the CEO for a long time, almost five years. I'll send you her address, but it's better to schedule a meeting with her first than to go straight to her home—it's more appropriate. If that's all, I'll be on my way."

"Thanks for the help," Leandra waved her hand, watching Elira disappear into her car.

Once the car zoomed away, it was silent again.

Leandra inhaled the cold night air deeply and looked up to the moon above.

"Since I'm out already, guess I'll go now…"

Moments later.

Just as Elira suggested, Leandra went straight to the Trading Union's main branch in the city. Since it was the Trading Union, there should still be people working at this hour. She came by to leave a message for Angel, perhaps her coworker or even the security guard is willing to help her.

Looking around, she found a security guard on his post.

He's an old man with a friendly face, so Leandra decided to try with him.

"Excuse me…"

"Hmm? Can I help you, young lady?"

"I'm looking for someone called Angel—she worked here."

"And who might you be?"

"My name is Leandra, is it possible for you to chec—"

"Leandra? By any chance, are you friends with that rising star from Bloodhaven Academy? Lucivar?"

Upon hearing the name, Leandra could feel a pinch in her heart.

But she forced a smile and nodded.

"Hoho…" the security guard's eyes lit up excitedly. "Of course, I can help you. Who are you searching for again?"

"Angel…" Leandra repeated. "She should be a secretary here."

Just as the security guard was about to stand up and help Leandra find this Angel, he paused mid-track as he recalled that name, "Angel… Angel… She's the CEO's secretary, right? If that's her, then I believe she doesn't work here anymore."

"Hmm? Don't work here?" Leandra raised a brow, confused.

"Yes, she's quite friendly with everyone, and I knew her personally myself," the security guard said, sitting back down again before folding his arms. "She quit her job not too long ago. I was surprised to hear about it since she seemed happy to work here, but people and circumstances changed, I guess."

"Not too long ago?" Leandra's heart pounded inside her chest. "How long is that exactly?"

"Fairly recent. A few days, I'd say. Why? Do you need something from her?'

"Ermm, do you hear anything more about why she quit?"

"Hmm…" the security guard rubbed his chin in contemplation. "If I'm not mistaken, her co-workers also thought that it was very sudden. So, they said that it must be because of a man, as she seemed more glowing than usual. But don't take it too seriously, it's only an office rumor."

Leandra looked down; her pupils trembled.

'No, it can't be, right…?' She pondered, her pounding like a war drum. 'I must be mistaken, right?'

Snapping out of her daze, she asked again, "By any chance, do you have her photo?"

"Of course," the security guard shrugged and pulled out his phone. "She's the CEO's secretary. Clearly, wherever the CEO goes, she's bound to be there too. Let me check… Ah, here we go. First photo in my gallery, and there she is."

Finding the photo, the security guard turned to the screen to show Leandra.

Leandra leaned forward to take a closer look.

And the moment her eyes locked onto Angel, her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

"I-I'm sorry, I need to go!" Leandra bowed and sprinted away.

She ignored the security guard's voice calling for her and kept on running with all her might, her mind was thrown back to that rainy night when Lucivar showed—where Bob died, 'The woman in that black sedan… Is that her? Angel?! What about the one he was on the phone with? Is that also Angel?!'

Lucivar said it himself that someone was helping him in the background.

So, when Leandra realized that it was Angel who was helping him, suspicion began to grow.

Now that her mind was clearer, she started to realize that coming here was also a mistake on her part, as if Angel was helping Lucivar from the background, then she must've known about Lucivar's plan to commit suicide.

But Leandra was thankful for the alcohol, as her haziness brought her here.

And now, she realized something was not right.

'Why did Angel suddenly quit her job?'

'Around the same time as when Lucivar died, even. Don't tell me…'

Swoosh!

Leandra channeled her ether and zoomed across the street, faster than the speed of a car.

Hours passed.

And when Leandra arrived at her destination, the sun was already up.

She kept on running without stopping, fueled by the determination to see the truth.

Upon reaching the slope, Leandra lifted her gaze to the tree above—its trunk blackened and brittle, scorched as though lightning had cleaved it in two. Charcoal remnants clung to the bark—the scent of burnt wood still faint in the air. Heart quickening, she hurried closer.

Surprisingly, the three graves were still intact—exactly like how she had left them.

It wavered her determination a bit, but she was already determined to get to the bottom of it.

Leandra dug the grave with her bare hands like a madwoman.

But she was proven not to be mad when she couldn't find the corpse.

She couldn't find Lucivar's corpse.

"He… He's alive?!"