That afternoon, the dorm room was filled with the sound of laughter and the clattering and beeping of game controllers. Nickolas and Gallus’ room had become the new unofficial hangout spot for the group of friends, especially now that Aurelia was away for the weekend with her family. The absence of Aurelia’s lively presence was noticeable, but the friends were determined to make the most of their time together.
Gallus was in high spirits, engaging in friendly banter with Selena, Thalia and Lead. Nickolas, despite missing Aurelia, was doing his best to keep the mood light and entertaining. The room was a mess of snack wrappers, soda cans, and video games. Meanwhile, Aurelia was relaxing at a resort in the city outskirts.
It was a much-needed break for the group, but Lead couldn’t help but worry about the elemental mystery they were probably going to be involved in. He heard the dean’s warning, to stay out of it. But he knew that there was more to it.
As the sun began to set, the laughter in the room slowly subsided, replaced by a more serious atmosphere. Lead, who had been quietly observing the group, finally decided to voice his concerns. He shared his worries about the elemental mystery, reminding them of the dean’s warning. His words hung in the air, casting a shadow over the room.
Nickolas, who had been trying to keep the mood light, looked at Lead with a thoughtful expression. He admitted that he too had been thinking about the same thing. Gallus and Thalia exchanged glances, their playful demeanor replaced by a more serious one. Even Selena, who was usually the most carefree among them, had a solemn look on her face.
“Should we do anything about it?” she asked, a hint of worry in her tone.
“I don’t know…” Lead replied. “Usually, we would have delegated Aurelia to go ask her dad, but neither of them are here. I really don’t know.”
“Since when do you wait for Aurelia before taking a decision?” Thalia asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lead was taken aback by Thalia’s question. He had always been the one to take the lead, to make decisions, but he realized that he had been relying on Aurelia more than he thought. He looked around the room, his cheeks slightly flushing.
“I… I guess you’re right,” he admitted, a hint of surprise in his voice. “I’ve been relying on Aurelia a lot. But we can’t just wait for her to come back. We need to figure this out ourselves.”
The room fell silent as they all contemplated Lead’s words. They knew he was right. They couldn’t just sit around and wait. They had to take action, to figure out what was going on with the elemental mystery.
“We have to defy my dad on this one,” Thalia said, voice barely above a whisper. “It’ll work out, won’t it?”
“It will,” Nickolas reassured her. “I’m sure it will.”
As they ventured out of the dorm room, the sun had set, and the campus was bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. The once lively dorm room was now silent, the laughter and chatter replaced by a sense of determination and resolve.
As they stepped out into the moonlit campus, each of them felt a mix of fear and excitement. They knew they were about to embark on an adventure that could potentially change their lives.
Gallus and Selena headed towards the library, their steps echoing in the quiet night. Thalia, with a hint of worry, made her way to her father’s office. Lead and Nickolas, meanwhile, ventured towards the areas of the campus where the strange occurrences had been reported.
“Hey,” Gallus said to Selena as they walked, “Any theories on the situation?”
Selena shook her head. “No, not really.”
As they continued their walk, the silence between them grew. The usually vibrant Selena seemed lost in thought, her eyes reflecting the moonlight. Gallus, noticing her silence, decided to break the ice.
“You know, Selena,” he began, his voice barely above a whisper, “I’ve always admired your spirit. Your ability to stay positive, even in the face of adversity.”
Selena looked at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. “Really?” she asked, her voice soft.
Gallus nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. “Yes, really. You’re… you’re amazing…”
Selena blushed, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink under the moonlight. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.
Gallus, seeing her struggle for words, gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Selena. You don’t have to say anything.”
She smiled back, and squeezed his hand, as the two of them continued their walk to the library.
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“Hey, any idea where Aurelia went?” Lead asked, trying to seem casual.
“How should I know?” Nickolas responded. “Thalia was right back there, you don’t usually rely on Goldie much, and all of a sudden, you’re asking about her. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know, just curious…” he shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. “I thought you’d know… what with you guys… you know?”
Nickolas chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re overthinking it, Lead. Aurelia and I are just friends.”
Lead raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his face. “Just friends, huh?”
Nickolas rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of a blush on his cheeks. “Yes, just friends. Now, can we focus on the task at hand?”
Lead laughed, nodding. “Alright, alright. Let’s get back to it.”
A few minutes passed. They waited near the same spot where they saw the mysterious light the previous day. Suddenly, they heard a faint scream. They looked at each other, their eyes wide with surprise. The voices seemed to be coming from the direction of the mysterious light.
“Did you hear that?” Lead asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Nickolas nodded, his eyes scanning the area. “Yeah, I heard it too. It sounded like… a voice screaming.”
They listened intently, trying to make out the words. But the screams were too faint, too indistinct. They could only catch snippets of words, syllables that made no sense on their own.
“Should we… should we go check it out?” Lead asked, uncertainty in his voice.
Nickolas looked at him, a determined expression on his face. “We’ve come this far. We can’t back out now.”
With that, they ventured towards the source of the voices, their hearts pounding in their chests. As they got closer, the voices became louder, more distinct. They could hear the urgency in the voices, the fear.
And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the mysterious light resurfaced, illuminating the area around them. They shielded their eyes from the bright light, their hearts pounding in their chests.
As the light faded, they found themselves standing in front of a strange, glowing orb. The feminine voice was coming from the inside the orb, their screams echoing in the still night.
“What… what is this?” Lead asked, his voice filled with awe.
“I don’t know,” Nickolas replied, his eyes wide with wonder. “But I think we just found our elemental mystery.”
“Hello?! Is someone in there?” Lead called out, standing a safe five feet away from the source of the sound.
“Ferris? Is that you?! Can someone get me out of here?!” the voice yelled in response.
The voice sounded desperate, filled with fear. Lead and Nickolas exchanged a glance, uncertainty written all over their faces.
“Calm down, who’s Ferris?” Nickolas asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I… I don’t know,” Lead replied, his gaze fixed on the glowing purple orb. “But we need to help her.”
Without wasting any more time, they approached the orb cautiously. The screams had stopped now, replaced by soft sobs. They could hear the woman’s ragged breathing, her desperate pleas for help.
“Can you tell us your name?” Lead asked, his voice gentle.
There was a pause, and then a soft voice replied, “My name is… is Alithea.”
“Alithea, we’re going to get you out of there,” Nickolas reassured her. “Just hang on.”
“Call the others,” Lead prompted to Nickolas, who nodded and pulled out his phone. The thought lingered at the back of his mind. Was this Alithea Radon?
Nickolas quickly dialed Thalia’s number, explaining the situation in hushed tones. Meanwhile, Lead tried to communicate with Alithea, asking her if she knew anything about the orb that trapped her.
“I… I don’t know,” Alithea’s voice trembled. “I was in my room when I saw this… this light. The next thing I knew, I was trapped in here.”
“Okay, Alithea. We’re going to figure this out,” Lead reassured her, his gaze never leaving the glowing orb.
Soon, Thalia, Gallus, and Selena arrived, their faces filled with worry and confusion. They quickly assessed the situation, their eyes wide with shock as they saw Alithea trapped inside the orb.
“Guys, I think she’s Alithea Radon…” Nickolas explained. “She’s not sure how she ended up here, but she did, somehow…”
Selena gasped. “Alithea Radon as in…”
“Yes, that Alithea.” Lead replied. “She’s trapped. We need to free her.”
“Maybe we neutralize the orb like we did for the storm?” Gallus suggested. “Do we have more of that solution?”
As they pondered over Gallus’ suggestion, Thalia suddenly remembered something. “Wait, I think I have some of that solution left in the lab where she exploded,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “I can go get it.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and sprinted towards the science building, her heart pounding in her chest. The others watched her retreating figure, a mix of hope and worry on their faces.
Meanwhile, inside the orb, Alithea was growing more and more frantic. The confined space was making her claustrophobic, and the lack of fresh air was making it hard for her to breathe. She could hear the muffled voices outside, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Please… hurry…” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Back at the lab, Thalia had managed to find the solution. With a triumphant smile, she raced back to the others, the small vial of liquid clutched tightly in her hand.
“I got it!” she announced, panting heavily. “Let’s do this.”
They gathered around the orb, their faces set in determination. Nickolas carefully poured the solution onto the orb and positioned himself a few feet above it, watching as it fizzled and smoked upon contact. The orb started to shake violently, emitting a high-pitched whining sound.
And then, with a blinding flash of light, the orb vanished, leaving behind a disoriented Alithea. She was fairly tall for her age, and looked a few years older than them, even though she technically should have been in her mid forties. Her platinum blonde hair She blinked in surprise, looking around at the group of friends who had just saved her.
“Thank you…” she whispered, tears of relief streaming down her face.
As they helped Alithea to her feet, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. They had defied the dean’s warning, faced an elemental mystery, and saved a life. But they also knew that this was just the beginning. The elemental mystery was far from solved, and they had a long journey ahead of them.
But for now, they were just relieved to have Alithea safe and sound. As they walked back to the dorms, under the soft glow of the moonlight, Thalia received a phone call. It was from her father. “Hello, dad?” she said into the phone. “I’m sorry, we had to go explore. But we’re all safe.”
“Hey, Thalia. It’s okay, I don’t blame you. Bring whatever you found, and meet me first thing tomorrow morning.” he instructed her.
【Pt 4 ends!! Cover pics and Pt 5 coming soon!】
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