The mission to save his brother had been a complete disaster. Luckily, his recruits had gotten away without so much as a warning, but it had come at a great cost for the feline third year. So now he sat at his home, having been removed from the school for the time being, just wondering where the hell everything had gone wrong. Sure, they had been caught, but he had managed to bribe his younger brother with enough to let everyone else go. He took the downfall, just as he said he would. But now he was left here, staring at the empty cage before him where his brother used to be.

"I thought I would find you here.." Luka turned a bit to look at his younger sister as she approached him. "I'm sorry Luka.."

"Did you know, Nao?" He had to ask. He had to know how long it had been since his brother had been here. But she shook her head and he looked back towards the empty cage. "Did Ren?" But he doubted that too. No one knew. That was the whole point of it, wasn't it?

"No... Ren was just told that you would be in this part of the house. No one told him why. I didn't.. Gods.. So it was true then? I mean.. I heard it.. I swore I heard something from this part of the house.. I always just thought maybe it was haunted real bad.."

Suddenly, Luka spun around and hugged his sister. "That's it! That's it! Thank you, Nao! You're a genius!" The older sibling ran up the stairs and out, down the hall and to the other wing of the house where his room was. Akira was still alive! He had to be! He was just moved! That was all there was to it. It had to be. The teen rummaged through his things, looking for anything that he needed to bring with him.

"Luka? Where are you going?" Nao's voice of concern came from the doorway as she just watched her brother rushing around like an idiot.

"The school! He's at the school! He has to be! What you said... That it was haunted. It hasn't been like that for months now, right? Here in the house? But.. At school. The hall... He's gotta be there! He's gotta be!"

"Luka..." But nothing she would say would change his mind. "If mother catches you at school..."

"I'm just going to visit Ren. That's all. She can't keep me from that, can she?" He smiled a bit and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'll be alright. I promise."

But still, she shook her head. "I won't let you go alone. I can say that I forgot something at school, and needed you to give me a ride. Come on then. Let's go."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once he made it to the school, the third year quickly made his way to the hall that most students insisted was haunted. Many went in, none came out. That was just how it was, right? At first he had thought they were just rumors, but perhaps there was more to it than that. Maybe it was really his brother. "Lukas." The teen stopped, looking towards the voice that had called to him. "Please, Sir.. I urge you not to go in there."

"Cyril? What are you doing here?" The red haired male shook his head. "Is he.. He is here isn't he? Has he.. Has he been here this whole time?"

"Please. I must insist. You must leave this place. You are much safer elsewhere. Please, Sir... Please.. Leave here." But he hesitated. Cyril trembled a bit, seeming to be stopping himself from something, fighting off the evil that grasped his mind. How his master demanded this particular sacrifice. But not yet. Luka shook his head. He couldn't back down. "Then please.. At least allow me to-" But he paused, his eyes glazing over a bit as he moved to hold the door open for him. "I will accompany you, for your own safety, Sir. I know the secrets of this place, better than anyone. Please, allow me to show you."

Luka didn't argue that, entering the hall and allowing the red head, whom he so foolishly trusted, to lead the way through it. While the building itself wasn't very large, there was more magic than anywhere else on the grounds, and the building almost always had hidden rooms and passages, that seemed to move from place to place. It was very easy to get lost within them, but Cyril did indeed seem to know exactly where to go. The farther down into the building they got, the more he felt it. His brother's power. "Akira... I'm coming for you..."

Eventually, the two reached a door, that lead down a rather long winding staircase into the pitch darkness below. Luka looked towards the red haired male who motioned forwards. A small gulp before he began to descend the stairs, only the have the door shut behind him, locking him down there. "Hey! Cyril!? What is the meaning of this? Cyril!?" But there was no answer, and the door itself seemed to vanish into the wall, leaving him pounding on it rather pointlessly. Slowly, the feline male pulled his phone from his pocket, no signal.. But at least it offered a bit of light. Carefully he made his way down the stairs, keeping his light out ahead of him, and his other hand on the wall. The stairs seemed almost endless, but eventually they came to an end, just a small landing with a single door. "Akira.."

This was it. It had to be. The power that emanated from the room was something he had never felt before. It seeped into him, making him grow rather fearful of whatever could possibly be on the other side. What if it wasn't Akira anymore? His hand shook as he reached for the handle, gently prying it open. "Huh?"

"I knew you'd figure it out eventually. You are a rather intelligent boy, after all."

"M-mother...?"

The sight before him, horrified him, and he gasped a bit in shock once he realized what she was doing. Bones lay scattered around the dimly lit room, some still had flesh attached to them. The blood, the filth.. It was horrid. But that was nothing compared to the sight of his brother, chained up to a wall, broken, bruised, and bleeding. His mother was carving some sort of symbol into his chest. He shook his head, his blood running cold. "Y-you... You're..."

"Oh please. I'm not going to kill him. I've spent far too much time creating him. But alas, there is some crucial piece missing, dearest son. I am glad you made it here. Honestly, I thought that perhaps Naomi would warn you, or just not give you the hints that I told her to." The woman turned to face him, turning the knife over in her hands. "Come here, my son. It is time you learned the truth of our family."

Not that he had much of a choice, the door behind him slammed shut and locked itself, the room around them began to tremble and shake as he was unwillingly drawn forward. Still, his mother grabbed him and pulled him close, placing the knife to his neck, causing a small whimper to escape him. The woman moved him along with her, keeping a firm grasp around his middle as she lay her free hand against the wall, pushing open a secret passage. But beyond it, some sort of swirling black mass lay writhing around the floor, suddenly launching itself at them, and failing to pass some sort of barrier.

"You see, for generations, we've been guarding this, protecting it. But when I first discovered its existence, I was drawn to it. It whispered to me, told me how to make it stronger. So I have. I drew in all of the broken, the hurt, the lost. All these poor abused souls in one single place for it to feed off of, to grow and grow. And now.. All it needs is a sacrifice. And it can be released." The woman smiled in a loving sort of manner that she would never use towards her children. "Don't you see, Lukas? It needs to be free."

"N-no.. Mother.. th-this is.." Insane? Was that what was causing everything around the school to be so... So... "But you.. You said you weren't going to.. Kill him..."

"Oh, don't be silly, little one. I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to kill you." He felt the knife tighten at his throat, but just as quickly he felt his body start to move on it's own. What the hell? He found it rather easy to bash the back of his head into her face and elbow her harshly in the stomach, turning and ripping the knife from her hand.

"You misunderstand, Priestess." Shit. Was he talking!? No.. No.. No! What was happening?! How could he be... "The sacrifice.. Must be you." The knife plunged into the woman's heart. he wanted to scream, to cry, but instead, he laughed. He laughed in a way he wasn't sure that he had ever been capable off. The life started to fade from her eyes and he stood, picking her up as if it was the easiest thing to do, and brought her over to the hidden door, throwing her straight through that invisible barrier. He watched in sheer terrified horror as she was ripped apart by it.

Finally, he felt his body become heavy, falling to his knees as tears suddenly sprang from his eyes. His hands were shaking, still covered in his mother's blood. The blackness swirled for a bit in front of the barrier before launching itself repeatedly at it until it cracked and shattered. He watched as it rushed passed him, still in some sort of shock as it swirled around the room and then rather suddenly disappeared.

A scream came from behind him and he watched the form of his brother twist and contort for a moment before he stood and rushed over to him. The chains.. The seals.. They were burning through his wrists. "Hang on Akira.. Just.. Just hold on.." He wasn't sure if he even had the strength to break through the seals. Still, he had to try.

It was about then that someone showed up, a certain white haired teacher known for the miracles that he would perform for certain prices. "Luka! Move away from him child!"

"No! He's my brother! I can't let him suffer like this! Not anymore! Please! Please help me!"

Rae'ilin wasn't sure that he wanted to, but the teen had a point. His brother was still in there somewhere, and he wasn't about to condemn an innocent soul.. Quickly he moved over to him. "Prove to me.. Prove to me you're in there..." The boy gasped and growled and tried to squirm away from the touch of the white haired being. It burned! It hurt! Still, Rae stepped back a bit and moved Luka behind him, speaking some sort of incantation as the building began to shake even more. The shackles from his wrists broke off and the boy fell into his arms. "Take him and get out as quickly as you can. I cannot guarantee the building will remain standing. Please. Go now."

Luka nodded and took his brother from the arms of the teacher, uttering a small thank you before he pulled the younger male onto his back and headed out and up the stairs as fast as he possibly could.

The teacher remained behind, trying to erect the barrier over the door again. "I will not let you out. I will not let you roam freely and destroy these poor children. You.. Will.. Stay... Locked here.. Forever!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just as they got outside, the building itself collapsed behind them, and he turned to look and see if the teacher that had helped them had made it out, but there was no sign of him. Still, he had to be stronger than this. He wouldn't be able to rest until his brother was safe. So he did the best that he could, carrying the boy as quickly as he could towards the dorms.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rumors flew around the school at what possibly could have caused the building to collapse like that. Luckily no one was hurt in it's collapse. But Things went about like normal for the most part for the next week or so. Luka remained in his dorm, staying as close as he could to his brother, who had yet to gain consciousness, at least until there was a knock on his door.

"Y-yes..?"

"Are you Lukas de'Enguarde?" Police officers... He paled a bit in fear about their reasoning for being here. Could they know about his mother? Was he going to be arrested? He nodded slowly. "We are sorry to have to inform you.. But.. It would appear that perhaps your mother has-"

"Luka!" He found his younger, twin siblings launching themselves at him, even Ren, which surprised him quite a bit. He just blinked up at the officers.

"It seems that your other siblings were murdered in your home. Your mother seems to be the prime suspect. We are very sorry for your loss. Is there any reason that you can think of that she might do something like this? Do you know where she might have gone?"

Had she done that? Had she perhaps tried to sacrifice them, like she was going to do with him? But he shook his head. He wasn't about to tell them that he had murdered her in no control of his own. He still had no idea that it had really happened other than the fact that he still had blood on his clothes that night.

"Well, if you think of anything, please.. Let us know." He held out a business card of sorts and Luka took it and nodded, wrapping his arms protectively around his siblings.

"Tell us the truth, Luka.. Please..? Did.. Did she? Did she do it..?" But he had no idea. He couldn't answer that question. "Is she... Is she gone..?" Of course it was Nao that was concerned for their mother, but Ren pulled away a bit, looking towards the motionless lump on the bed, just staring in some form of shock. "Ren?"

"Is that.. Him? Akira..?" Luka nodded at his younger brother's proposed question. "So.. You did see mother then. Where is she Luka?"

He was silent for a few moments, but now that they were both looking to him for answers, he had to say something. "She's dead. She tried to kill me... I.. I don't know how.. Or.. What happened.. But she's.. She's dead.. I'm.. I'm sorry."

"Heh. Good riddance."

"Ren!"

"Well it's true. She was an evil bitch. Probably deserved it."

"Ren!" But he just shrugged at his very hurt sister. It wasn't like his mother's death was any sort of loss for him. After all, he was sort of envious that he hadn't gotten to do it himself.

"Please. The two of you.."

"Don't worry, Luka. We won't say anything to the police. I mean, it was self defense right?" Ren smiled a bit, but there was little actual emotion behind it. "Come on Nao. We have to go meet with father soon. Are you going to come with us, Luka?"

"F-father? He's... He's coming back? Please.. Don't tell him about Akira.. Please?" Luka pleaded with the two of them and they both nodded. He let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you.."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Another week or so passed. Luka joined his two younger siblings and his father to hold a funeral for the rest of his family. Afterwards, it was explained that the school would belong to him in a small matter of months, but that he needed to find someone to act as interim principal until he graduated and was ready to actually take over. It was around then that he found the perfect candidate had already been appointed. And the two sat down to have a meeting, going over paperwork and clearing out his mother's office.

Still, word of the new principal spread around fairly quickly. A man by the name of Kuroki Mahōtsukai had come to take over the school. He was personable by all means, and very obviously used to running things. But Luka had only ever met him a few times in his life, and was rather surprised that he had been called in to have a meeting with him. It was probably better just to keep his hands in his pockets, lest they go dancing around in his nervousness.

"Don't worry young one, as soon as you graduate, I am sure this place will blossom into the school that it is meant to be. Come, sit. I have no intention of taking your legacy from you." Luka cautiously made his way over and sat in the chair across the desk from the older man. "Now.. I would like to talk to you about some things that you do not know. What happened here. What this place truly is."

"Your mother belonged to our group. Our goal is to keep the chaos from spreading across the planet and consuming all of humanity. You have seen it yourself. It can corrupt, even the best of us, like your mother. She was once a great woman, lots of drive and passion and ambition. But once she learned of your father's... indiscretions, she changed. Something in her turned towards the darkness. None of us saw it in time. We did not know what she was up to. This school is built atop what we call an Access Point. There are many of them around the world, and they all lead to that darkness that you no doubt have seen by now. Your family has been guarding this one for centuries now. This place has always been a school for the gifted, but we hadn't realized that your mother had privatized it further, only accepting applicants with darkness already in their hearts. She used this to feed it, to allow it to grow large enough to spread."

He paused and looked towards the door where the white haired teacher entered, smiling at the boy that he had helped save, patting him on the shoulder. Gods, Luka was so glad to see him. "Rae'ilin here informed us, much to his dismay, that the darkness may not have escaped in it's entirety. But unfortunately, we have been unable to track it. If you had not gone to save your brother, we fear that it may have emerged entirely. She was unable to finish her ritual, thanks to you." But there was something about the look on the teacher's face that said perhaps he hadn't been entirely honest with the new interim principal. "I would like you to keep all of this a secret for now, as we would hate to incite panic amongst the students so close to graduation. Just please, let us know if you see anything resembling the same darkness you saw down in that chamber."

Once he was excused, Luka found himself just standing in the hallway, trying to process all that had happened. A secret society of sorts, trying to keep the world from falling apart, and all thanks to him... It was out.. Or at least, he could have sworn it was out.. If his mother hadn't been killed.. Maybe it would still be...

"Hey kid. How're you holding up, hmm?" He blinked up towards the soft smile the white haired male had on his face and he nodded a bit. "Walk with me." Rae led him out to the old hall, which he had managed to fully repair in the matter of the last few weeks. "This place used to be a lot worse. This darkness ate through humanity like it was nothing, tearing it to shreds. And yeah, it got out. But not all of it. I was able to make the barrier hold again but.. It is still cracked. It still oozes down there. It won't take much to break it again, and next time, it might be even worse." He paused for a moment, looking towards the young feline male. "They want you to join them you know. To take your mother's place. That's why he told you all of that. She was one of the members of the inner circle. Their leaders. And they want you. So that you can keep this place safe. You want to keep it safe yeah?" Slowly he nodded, just looking towards the hall. "Listen.. Has he woken up yet? Your brother?"

"No.. He's still..." He shook his head and looked down at the grass.

"Good. It means he's fighting. You see... I think it's in him. That amount of darkness doesn't just vanish unless it finds a suitable host.. And I think.. I think she was trying to make your brother be that host. I don't think she ever intended to kill him. At least not on purpose." Rae looked off towards the building. "I need you to promise me something, Luka. If he ever shows any signs of it. Anything at all that seems corrupt or dangerous or chaotic-"

"Kyou..."

"Hmm?"

"Kyou... He's.. My brother is.. He's not stable.. Akira is a sweet kid.. Or.. Was.. But he's been through so much.. There's.. There's another him inside of him. Kyou.. He's always been.. Dangerous. He's killed before. He'll kill again. So how will I know? How will I know if it's this darkness, or if it's just Kyou? You won't kill him will you? I know Akira is in there! He has to be..." The boy found himself crying and turning to bury his face in the teacher's chest. "He has to be.."

"Alright.. I promise. I have no intention of killing him. If anything, I want quite the opposite. I don't want your brother to die if he's innocent of all of this. I'll do whatever I can to help you protect him, alright? But this Kyou you speak of... He does seem to be a perfect host. If she has been trying this, she could have been filtering the darkness into him for years now. Only time will tell. Please, do come to me when he wakes. I want to take a look at him for myself, okay?" Luka nodded and sniffled a bit before pulling away. "In the meantime, I will try and make something to keep the darkness at bay. If it is in him, I know a few binding spells that will keep him contained." He paused for a moment and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It is going to be okay Luka. Just take some time. Grieve your losses. Work through your options. Reach out to friends. And remember, as alone as you feel, you have us behind you."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~