The History Classroom
The school was quiet, a deceptive calm after the chaos of the Water Lock. The storm outside had passed, leaving behind a heavy, suffocating fog that pressed against the windows.
Eiden and Emily slipped through the halls, moving like shadows. They didn't go to the dorms. They went to the one place Eiden knew was safe.
He knocked on the door of the History classroom. Three quick taps. One slow. The Wolf signal.
The door opened instantly.
Master Sebastian stood there, still wearing his tweed "Mr. Blackwood" suit, but his eyes were sharp and alert. He held a heavy book in one hand, his finger marking the page, but his other hand was near his belt where a knife was hidden.
He saw Eiden, wet and shivering. He saw Emily, pale and streaked with grime.
He didn't ask questions. He stepped back. "Inside. Quickly."
He locked the door behind them and pulled the blinds.
"You look like you swam here," Sebastian said, handing Eiden a dry towel from his desk drawer.
"We took the scenic route," Eiden said, wincing as he dried his face. "Through the sea caves."
Sebastian looked at Emily. He didn't bow. He didn't treat her like a student. He looked at her with the weary respect of a soldier seeing a civilian on the front lines.
"You know," Sebastian said simply.
"I know," Emily whispered. She sank into a student desk, looking small. "I know about the gold. I know about the Nazis. I know he's a thief."
"He is worse than a thief, Miss Cronus," Sebastian said, his voice heavy. He walked to the chalkboard, where a timeline of World War I was drawn in precise white chalk.
He pointed to the year 1917.
"Your father didn't just steal money. He stole lives. He wasn't a businessman who got lucky. He was a Warlord."
Emily looked up. "Eiden said... you knew him."
"I did," Sebastian said. "But I didn't know him as Akuma Cronus. I knew him as The General."
Sebastian sat on the edge of his desk, looking at his hands.
"He was the man who trained us. He was the man who fought beside Evergreen. They were legends. The Queen and the General. They were supposed to save the world."
He looked at Emily, his eyes full of old pain.
"He taught us that the mission was everything. That emotion was a weakness. That people were just resources to be spent. I thought it was just training. But now... I see he believed it. He spent Evergreen. He spent your mother. And now... he is spending you."
Emily flinched. The truth hit her harder than the cold water. Her father wasn't just a bad man; he was a machine of war who had been grinding people down for twenty years.
"He lied about everything," she whispered. "He told me Evergreen was the monster. He told me she killed my mother."
"Because he needed you to hate her," Sebastian said. "Because if you knew her... you would know who he really was... you would never follow him."
Eiden stepped forward. He put a hand on Emily's shoulder.
"You can't stay here, Em. He knows we breached the vault. He knows the gold is compromised. He's going to tighten the leash. Or he's going to remove the problem."
"Where can I go?" Emily asked, her voice trembling. "He owns the police. He owns the ports. There is nowhere in England he can't find me."
"There is one place," Sabastian said.
He pointed out the window, toward the north, where the clouds were dark and heavy.
"The Den."
Emily froze. "The mountains? But... that's his enemy. That's the one place he hates most."
"It's the only place his money can't buy," Eiden said. "It's a fortress, Emily. Real warriors. Real protection. And... the Masters are there. Durai. Kael. People who knew Evergreen. People who can tell you the real story of your mother's death. Not the lie."
Sabastian added, "I may not know everything about Evergreen, but the other masters do. They can help you uncover the truth."
"I... I can't," Emily stammered, standing up and backing away. "If I leave... if I run to his enemies... he will send everything he has. He will send the Shadows. He will send the army. He will burn the world to get me back."
She looked at Eiden, terror in her eyes.
"He will kill you, Eiden. He will kill all of you."
Eiden didn't flinch. He didn't look at Sebastian. He walked up to her, invading her space, forcing her to look at him.
He took her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed away the grime on her cheeks.
"Let him come," Eiden said. His voice was low, calm, and terrifyingly certain.
"But Eiden..."
"I don't care about his army," Eiden whispered, his forehead resting against hers. "I don't care about his gold or his assassins."
He looked deep into her eyes.
"I am ready to fight the world for you, Emily. I will fight every soldier, every shadow, every demon he sends. If only you stay near me."
The room was silent. Sebastian looked away, giving them a moment of privacy amidst the war.
Emily breathed in his scent—rain, salt, and blood. She felt the warmth of his hands. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel like a possession. She felt like a person worth dying for.
"Okay," she whispered, a single tear escaping. "Okay. Take me to the mountain."
Eiden nodded. He pulled back, his face setting into the hard lines of the Bear King. "We leave tonight," Eiden said, turning to Sebastian. "We need a vehicle. Something off the books." Sebastian smiled, a small, mischievous glint in his eye. "I might have just the thing. The history department has given me something to use I haven't used yet" He threw a set of keys to Eiden. "There is an old Carage in the east garage. It's ugly, and it smells like wet dog. It's perfect. They won't suspect it. " Eiden caught the keys. "I will tell Robert to prepare for everything else."