Nothing's changed much about her once beloved academy—at least, that's what it appears on the outside.

The moment the escort guards deposit the trio at the gates however, that's when she notices the subtle changes as she passes through the dimensional gate to enter Arcane Academy premises.

There are not only students and professors milling about, but also another entity: the red-uniformed guards of the bureau representatives who have since taken control of the school. Arcane Academy is built on a fifth dimensional plane, and as Lena stretches her vision to see the entire expanse extending over her head, she notices the differences when she'd first enrolled and now: the main courtyard and the training fields over her head where there are usually brawls now are quietly empty and devoid of life or any form of activity. Ahead, students in uniform are forming a neat and solemn line to enter the dissecting ancient hallways of the academy, and she can't make out what they are waiting for, what's this queue about. Where there was a brazen sort of chaos before that she didn't know she would miss now, it's a quiet sort of compliance that she never expected the powerful students of Arcane Academy to bow to.

She supposes that in the end, they are merely subjects of the city and nothing else. Powers to be used against demons, valued ability users that are to be controlled. It's always been obvious that the foundation of this world values abilities as assets, but Lena wonders if it's slowly beginning to dawn on the students that they aren't truly in control here—not ever, as long as the bureau and its laws are in place.

They have always been brainwashed into thinking that having being strong will lead to fame, riches, and reputation—and that's all still true, but it's only an illusion of greatness. Because then these students will eventually be used for their abilities as weapons against demons. Lena thinks back to the news reports of dead Catalysts while the authorities simply report whatever they want, watching this all unfold from the safety of their thrones. It makes her angry just thinking about how many things they are hiding while civilians and suffer the brunt of it, and professional Catalysts take the fights and lose their lives.

Said authoritative figures are now standing at the entrance of the arched corridor walkways where they branch to classes. The students are in line, all stepping forward one by one.

"Security check," Caelus explains, reading Lena's confusion. "In the impossible case anyone infiltrates the academy as a student imposter—but really it's just their chance to intimidate and go through all our personalized virtual assistants."

Lena is grateful that Caelus hasn't left her, and is in line with her while they wait. Their conversation earlier has definitely left them on a shaky note, but he seems to be electing to ignore it, perhaps hoping Lena would forget what she'd seen entirely. Whatever it is, it's obvious that he's been avoiding conversation—and any eye contact with Lena for that matter—since this morning, though he still stays by her side. She needs to make him understand that nothing will change how she sees him, and she will make whoever who had ever hurt him pay. There's no way she'll forget what she saw, and it'll always be at the back of her mind until she gets some answers from him. If anything, this only solidifies the fact that they will stand by each other without fault despite whatever happens.

But right now, they have other matters to worry about.

When Lena reaches the front, she's greeted by none other than Lieutenant Raines and Viktas Zakkas.

The two authority figureheads have been around since the Annual Games' demise, and nothing has been the same since. They had misused their authority and brought in captured, aggressive demons onto academy grounds, claiming it's all for training purposes, when they only brought them in to warn the students by punishing Lucifer and some other students they'd deemed defiant. They locked the students in an enclosed space not even conducive for battle, with Lucifer not in the condition to stand, let alone defend himself. Then they'd set the demons loose, intending to kill.

She hasn't been present in the academy for a while, but she sure hopes that the professors are still in control of the lessons, and that none of these unfair dealings are taking place. Arcane Academy may be training students to fight demons, but the junior—years one to three—are only allowed to train with simulations until they go into their specialized fields in the senior years where they get field experience. Besides, that one time Lieutenant Raines and Viktas brought in demons, it wasn't even for practice. It was an execution, until Caelus put a stop to it, with Neesha defending the whole batch of students.

The authorities had then again disappointed Lena when she'd sought help from the authorities when she first encountered the Shadow Syndicate on academy grounds. It was convenient enough to have the authorities on campus too, and she'd pleaded Viktas particularly to stop the threat only to be sent away dismissively. After that, she'd had to fight alone, and vaguely she remembers how they wanted to take her in after she'd been hit with the drug.

Now, as she moves up the student line, she is suddenly afraid. What if they declare they want her detained immediately, and that they want to know how her body had sustained that drug they'd been so interested in, despite having outlawed in across the city?

A soft brush of fingers at her arm brings her back, and the warm tingling she feels put her at a momentary ease. Caelus subtly nudges her forward, reminding her that he's here.

A look of surprise crosses both Lieutenant Raines' and Viktas' features before the latter's turn into a sort of dark amusement as his eyes flicker from Lena to Caelus behind her.

"Look who's returned," he remarks.

Lena's heart beats fast. She keeps reminding herself that the academy is the way it is because Arcana has guaranteed her freedom, and her safe return. And she knows for a fact that the soft breeze only she can feel right now has an owner that will fight with her if it ever comes down to that. "Great to be back," she says simply, head high.

Viktas' features turn into an almost sneer, but Lieutenant Raines gives the briefest of nods. "Better catch up. There are changes we'd like to address today."

She doesn't have to be told twice to linger any longer, though she shivers from what she knows is Viktas trailing her retreating form. They'd let her go without much protest; Arcana had truly pulled some strings to make sure they kept their word.

Viktas hisses, "You're just going to let her walk like that? She's—"

"Don't make a scene," Lieutenant Raines orders, and Lena turns back to see Caelus pass by with nonchalance, though he does stop to shrug at Viktas who glares back with deep hatred. "We've been over this."

Celeste bids them farewell before she disappears into the senior buildings, and it's now only the two of them left to head into the familiar labyrinth like hallways of Arcane Academy. Lena follows Caelus blindly, until they reach a set of doors at the sides that open for them.

He pauses at the entrance, and she's reminded that he hates the sound barriers.

She steps forward, offering him her arm, to which he looks at her in surprise.

"Let's go," she says gently. "I can be your support if you need me to be."

He looks away quickly, but does take her arm. "Thank you."

She can tell he's holding the discomfort in as they pass through the door. He squeezes her arm without realizing it, his head dipped. Lena herself feels that something is off, but isn't sure what it is yet—or that could just be her nerves.

Before she can check to make sure he's doing fine, a sudden flurry of movement catches her off guard as she's whisked into a tight hug.

"Lena! We were so worried."

She finds herself returning the embrace, tightening the hold on the shorter girl she's missed so much. It feels like a lifetime since she's had a normal conversation with Neesha.

"I'm glad to be back," Lena admits. "Roen had the same reaction, you know."

"I'm sure."

Her classmates give her varying looks—from a mix of caution to something similar to awe—as they pause in their chatter the moment Lena and Caelus entered the room. Same as the common areas and the courtyard, there is a sort of quiet calm in the classroom, and the students are all  obediently seated throughout the room, if not standing around and minding their own business, as if they are afraid something might suddenly jeopardize their peace. Lena supposes they ought to have something to fear, considering that the authorities now rule the campus. Before, they respect the professors, and the teachers equally give them free rein over free periods and allow them to develop their skills and abilities through various means, even encouraging fights among each other.

This shift might need some getting used to; Lena just hopes it isn't permanent.

She can tell that Neesha is full of questions, but the uneasiness she's felt since entering the classroom now materializes in front of her: the large glass windows at the entire side of the room, where her seat just happens to be beside.

After the few times she'd been around glass since she'd woken up have all ended up in disaster, Lena isn't quite sure how her abilities will react in the presence of glass, and she hasn't exactly prepared for this. Arcane Academy usually allows its students to be battle ready, so the institution is where she usually stock up on her glass pieces and daggers, but she came empty handed today, not even ready to fill the weaponless state she's in. She curses inwardly; she'd been unarmed all this time, since leaving the Aveyard's this morning and all the way to back to her cutthroat academy that has brawls and duels every corner and in every few minutes, and she'd been all but comfortable.

She knows Arcane Academy is now no longer the same as before, and students might not simply challenge each other as often as they do when the authorities are not around, but to be so careless while they walk the streets even with patrol guards and escorts... Lena has been getting too comfortable, and too out of practice.

Whether or not her body is ready, she needs to learn to control her abilities again—the full extent of it, this time.

She'd been too nervous about returning to the academy that she didn't think about how this handicap of hers might be a problem for her classes, since a good half of them are physical classes. Worse still, they might need to be performing in front of the authorities, and they've already got her on watchlist.

The visions are swimming in the glass surface almost rather normally, and Lena hasn't lost her head yet. At least, that's what she thinks as she still has the sense to turn and look for Caelus, the one person who understands her situation. He's still at the front of the classroom, engaged with two other students who'd approached him when they enter the room, but his eyes are on hers the moment she looks, as if he knows where to find her.

"Everything all right, Lena? You look spooked," Neesha comments, bringing Lena back.

She looks back to her friend, and a sudden memory of another young woman: honey-brown skin, long lashes, amber eyes, but with crimson hair.

It's almost enough to make her fall into her seat—and she does, a little too dramatically as she accidentally crashes the window pane while taking a step back from Neesha. Her friend, so familiar, and she'd uttered that name in front of an enemy she'd faced for the first time.

Reality comes crashing in on each other, but Lena knows it's not because of anything to do with the drug, or any of the side effects it has on her abilities. It's really herself remembering one of the enemy from the one encounter before she'd faced Erebus eventually, and that woman struck her as frighteningly familiar.

Belladonna.

One of the Shadow Syndicate, and a painful reminder that just facing one was too much for a single student.

She now sees that young woman in her friend Neesha even as her friend is calling her name and reaching for her aid. The only thing Lena can do is to anchor herself to something she knows is her constant. Sure enough, she can only see him, as from all the way across the room, he heard the clutter and is walking toward her. Students part for Caelus and the peers he'd left appear heavily disappointed, but all Lena can see is him making his way toward her.

"What's happened?" he asks when he's near, crouching so he's level with her as she's seated now, back facing the glass windows. "Lena?"

He reaches for her, and in her state of shock she registers that he is trying to pry her off the glass windows.

"I'm fine," she says quickly, realizing the attention they are garnering.

Some students had noticed her little fall back into her chair but have since looked away when they realize she is probably just talking with Neesha, but all the focus has since followed and zoned in on Caelus, and silence befallen as he makes his way straight to Lena.

"It isn't the glass," she adds quietly, only for him to listen. "Everyone's looking."

"Does it matter?" Caelus asks instead, and suddenly Lena finds it harder to breathe, staring into the depths of his eyes.

Neesha clears her throat, reminding the two of them that they aren't alone. Lena looks between Caelus and then Neesha, contemplating—knowing—that this new hypothesis she has arrived at might be just as disastrous to report to both her friend Neesha who potentially has a connection to the Shadow Syndicate that she might not even be aware of—and to Caelus who is capable enough of taking them down. Weighing her options, she comes to a silent conclusion.

"I'm good," she reassures Caelus once more, before he relents and settles into his own seat at the back of the classroom, right behind hers.

"I'll be right here, if anything happens," he reminds her.

Lena tries to ignore the fact that everyone had so closely watched them just seconds ago; is this what Caelus' life is like, to be observed and followed for his every movement as the ace? She waits for a few more seconds, until Caelus is well distracted behind her—sure enough, another group of students are already at his desk, making conversation. She overhears something regarding Roen, to which Caelus responds with certainty that he isn't going to be present today.

When the room returns to its chatter and Lena is sure Caelus is occupied enough with other classmates, she gestures for Neesha to temporary occupy the seat in front of hers so they can talk.

"Is everything quite all right?" her friend begins with concern. "After... everything that's happened, are you truly recovered?"

"Hey," Lena says with a smile. She's missed this—the easy conversations before classes, the lessons themselves, her friends, and even perhaps some part of her miss the competitive classes like Combat Training. Not with the demons and the authorities, of course. "What was the story you were told?"

"Well, we weren't really informed of what happened to you or anything," Neesha admits. "It's just another 'student out of commission' kind of thing in the official news statement, and you were said to have been badly injured from training with live demons that the authorities apologized for."

Lena coughs. "Apologized for? You can't be serious."

"They needed to spin a tale, and they certainly didn't want the truth to be leaked," Neesha confirms. "None especially regarding something they are actively looking out for, and have been actively preventing the usage of for the past several months—the rumored ability booster."

"So you do know about it," Lena says.

"The students here all do. After what happened to Lucifer, we all put the pieces together. And what happened with you was because Caelus was a direct witness. He told Roen and I the full story, after much pushing from our end."

"How much do the other students know?"

"Bits and pieces," Neesha answers. "The three of us knew this isn't a story to be spread, especially on authorities' cautious watch, but we knew that there will be questions from our classmates. And they are not our true enemies. So we gave a bit of truth, enough for them to think up their own stories. Most of them now have an understanding that you faced off at least one member of the Shadow Syndicate, sustained an injury, and have been recovering since. Everyone however, agrees that you're a hero."

"A hero? For what?" Lena asks weakly.

"For inspiring them. For fighting off the unknown, powerful ability users who are working against this city. Spirits have been low, you know, ever since the cut off of the Annual Games, and then when everything went downhill—the rifts in the city, the authorities taking over, the demonic punishment in Combat Training..." Neesha pauses, sighing. "It's always been a fact that we are training to fight demons. Maybe not all of us—for some of us wants to major in more supportive roles or forces—but the great majority of us, you can tell, are aiming to be professional Catalysts one day. And yet that morale has been lowered because of everything that's happened, and when we were forced to witness the authorities punish Lucifer with demons that we were not at all ready to face just serves as a reminder that we are just so very young with inflated egos. We are in Arcane Academy for a reason after all, and we get stronger as we progress in our studies. There is just so much more to learn.

And then there's the Shadow Syndicate," Neesha continues on, "who invaded our school and captured our own. You fought them off. You faced them despite our lack of actual field training, and stood your ground. Why are some people calling you a hero, you ask? We have all been raised and taught to fight demons, a foreign entity that isn't human. When the Shadow Syndicate became a known threat and had directly targeted Arcane Academy, we didn't know what to do with a group of humans who are so much more powerful than us, and with definitely way more combat experience. Students duel with each other all the time but that's really all there is to it, a challenge and a test of egos, and nothing more. But now that you've survived and fought off one of the Shadow Syndicate, students are seeing lessons in a different light. In the future, we might not just be facing demons—and an increasing rank of them, for that matter—but we may stumble across enemies who can wield equally as powerful abilities as we do. You left a valuable lesson in us: which is that everyone has a fight in them. And you've reignited the fighting spirit that has been lost since the cancellation of the Annual Games."

There's so much to take in. Lena settles for a humble, "It was Caelus who'd saved me in the end. He defeated the Shadow Syndicate."

"Funny, because he said that you saved him."

"And what of this fighting spirit? I haven't seen a single brawl since I've returned."

"Are you saying you're missing the duels?" Neesha smiles. "Well, the authorities don't take too kindly on wild brawls, but you will see the difference in our physical lessons, I promise."

"Right," Lena says, then pauses. There's still that one matter she needs to talk to Neesha about. A quick glance behind tells Lena that Caelus has somehow disappeared, probably off to another corner or perhaps even to somewhere else entirely, ready to skip their first lesson which is history. No better time than now. "Listen, Neesha, as I was fighting off the Shadow Syndicate, there was this woman."

She studies her friend's expression carefully. And there it is, the subtle shift of her brows, and then the tightening of her lips. This can't be good.

"She was also present when the Annual Games was interrupted," Lena continues. "I don't think her profile is made known, but she has red hair under that hood she's always wearing, and then when I faced them, I got a closer look at her." She looks up at her friend, who has the exact same features with the enemy she is describing now. "Golden brown skin. Long lashes. Amber eyes."

Neesha's golden eyes widen and look wildly around, before realizing that Lena will never let this go. She hangs her head in defeat, and eventually whispers the confession that chills Lena to the bone: "Belladonna is my sister."