The school bell rang, but no one moved.
No students rushed to their classes. No chatter filled the halls. Instead, silence hung in the air like a warning—the kind that follows a storm, not because it passed, but because it might return.
The crater behind the academy, now hidden behind hastily cast concealment wards, still pulsed faintly. The earth refused to heal.
Inside the staff chamber, the air was tense. The Dean, Solon, sat at the center of the table surrounded by a half-dozen teachers. All eyes were on the projection floating before them—a spectral recreation of the battlefield. Trees shattered. The ground scorched black. Residual ether signatures that should not exist.
"We've seen cursed flame before," whispered Professor Kael, the Spellcraft Instructor. "But this… this wasn't infernal. It was unbound. It devoured laws."
"And the wind magic?" asked another. "It didn't obey formation geometry. It responded directly to emotion. That's not sorcery—it's sentient elementalism."
Solon didn't speak. His eyes had not left the image of Anubis, frozen mid-air, violet flames cascading behind her.
"She did this," he finally said, voice low.
"Are we... safe with her in the school?" someone whispered.
No one answered.
"It is my fault for letting this to happen," Daemon's voice rang out. He stood up, his face emotionless, yet a long stare at his eyes, one would see that he was truly bothered.
'If I had known that Yama will make things extremely difficult for her, I would have protected her myself and not let her out of my sight. Now, I have failed both father and she.'
"How do you mean?" Professor Kael asked, seeming to glare at him.
"She is my student. They both are," Daemon replied. "It is my duty as their teacher to keep them in order."
"And what about their strange powers?" Kael asked again. "They are clearly not humans so what do you say about that?"
"I—"
"Enough, professor Kael!" The Dean said, his voice calm but authoritative. Everyone turned to him, surprised. He knew but he still maintained his calm demeanor. "We should be worrying about the students and not their identity," he said and then glanced at Daemon.
'Since it has come to this, take Anubis and Ramiel. They do not belong here so they should leave. This is their only chance. If their identities are exposed, it won't do the mortal world any good.'
Daemon lowered his head. 'I understand. Thank you for your help throughout all this time. I might as well resign today, I too do not belong here.'
The Dean sighed. 'Fair enough, just leave. My regards to that friend of mine.'
After they had finished communicating telepathically, Daemon cleared his throat.
"I have failed in my duty to bring my students up very well, as such, I will resign today — here and now."
With that, he turned and left even before the other teachers could say a word.
The Dean sighed as he watched him leave. He knew what he was going to face up ahead but his mind was already made up. He was always ready to lend his friend a helping hand, even if it means risking his life in the process.
*Meanwhile outside the courtyard*
Students huddled in whispers, glancing nervously at the ruins that had been hastily cordoned off by golden wards.
"She just vanished afterward."
"I heard that she was fighting a demon."
"I saw her bleeding. And that boy—Ramiel. He was also bleeding."
"She's not human anymore."
That last voice was barely above a whisper.
But it lingered in the air like a curse.
"She shouldn't be allowed here," another student said, louder. "We don't even know what she is."
A small group nodded in agreement, fear tightening their throats. Several students who had once mocked her now wouldn't look her way. The ones who once admired her power were now wondering how long before they, too, would become collateral.
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The sanctuary had gone still.
The violet pool that once pulsed beneath them faded into dim nothingness, the magic spent, the pain numbed. In its place: a heavy quiet, filled only by the sound of breath and the memory of blood.
Anubis stood first, silent, and arms folded.
She didn't say she was leaving. She didn't have to.
Ramiel, sitting with his back against the cold stone wall, looked up at her. His shoulder was healed—mostly. But he still wore that faraway look, like the wound in his soul hadn't closed.
"You're going home?" he asked quietly.
Anubis nodded.
Ramiel exhaled. "Nothing would remain the same again."
"It doesn't matter anymore," she replied. "I have a clearer goal in mind now."
He looked at her for a long moment. Then stood, brushing his shirt down. "And me?"
She stared at him—those violet-gold eyes unreadable.
"You need to figure out if you're your father's son… or your own."
She turned away.
But just as she was about to step through the veil, she paused.
"Ramiel."
He looked up.
"If I ever need you again…" she said.
He nodded, solemnly. "I'll be there."
And just like that—she vanished.
-------
The veil of the sanctuary parted without a sound.
Anubis stepped through.
The air that greeted her was thick with dust, warm with familiarity—and yet foreign, like a childhood dream visited too late.
She stepped through the door and let it shut softly behind her. The scent of wood smoke, faint herbs, and aged fabric hit her all at once. For a second, it made her pause—not because she feared the past, but because she no longer did and would never.
And waiting in the dim living room were the fragments of the strange life she had built.
Telma sat curled in the corner chair, arms folded loosely over her chest. She was waiting.
Standing near the window was Uriel, his red eyes half-lidded, arms crossed, silent. The transformation still clung to him like a second skin—elegant, cursed, unfinished.
Kneeling at the foot of the old table, head bowed low to the floorboards, was Zeel. The girl-turned-demon. Once proud, once cruel, now shackled by magic and will. Her presence was muted—neither servant nor sister. A shadow bound by choice never made.
Anubis didn't say a word as she stepped into the room.
The only sound was the soft click of her boots across the old wood.
"You're back," Telma said, her voice low.
"I always do," Anubis replied. She scanned them all once. "The whole place is intact. Unfortunately, it'll soon be long forgotten."
A silence stretched.
Uriel didn't look at her. Zeel didn't move. Only Telma met her gaze.
Anubis walked to the table and sat at the head, her hand trailing lightly across the surface. Her runes pulsed faintly—dimmed, yet ever present beneath her skin.
"The school has changed," Telma said, breaking the silence.
"How?" Anubis asked, narrowing her eyes.
"You fought with a monster... You and Ramiel. Everyone saw it and they are talking about it. Teacher Daemon has resigned. The Dean is saying nothing about it... No one wants you and Ramiel back in the school."
"The fight was not supposed to happen there but it did nonetheless. It was unavoidable... I never intended for it to happen and now, my identity has been made known," Anubis said, more of a mumble.
"You were seen and now you're feared. What do we do?" Telma asked her.
Anubis said nothing for a moment. She turned to look at Zeel.
She was still silent, obedient.
"Fear is useful," she finally murmured. "But it's not what I need right now."
Uriel spoke from the shadows. "Then what do you need?"
Anubis met his eyes.
"Time, and power. I have found a new purpose and I must pursue it to the end."
She stood up. The room stilled.
"I'm going back," she said. "Back to my original home...to where I belong."
"And where is that?" Telma asked her.
"Hades," Anubis clarified. "The fight with Noctis isn't over, it was just a taste. Whatever Yama is planning... It's only just the beginning."
"That's a war," Telma said.
Anubis' eyes glowed faintly violet.
"I am the war."
Zeel stirred. "My Lord, whatever you want us to do for you, we are ready."
"I want you to stay here and protect Telma. This house is no longer mortal — it is bound to me now. If any come for her, they won't leave breathing."
"Yes, my Lord."
Uriel stepped forward, finally. "And me?" He asked. "What happens to me?"
"You'll come with me," she said after a moment of hesitation.
"Fine by me," Uriel replied. He couldn't deny the fact that he was happy about her decision to take him with her.
Anubis turned back to her sister. The moment softened.
Thelma stepped forward slowly and reached for her. For a briefest heartbeat, the girl Anubis used to be — Cerene— flashed in her eyes.
"You're going to leave again," Telma whispered. "You always do."
"I will still come back," Anubis replied. "I will come back stronger. A new being."
"Hmmm," Telma sighed. She didn't know how long they were going to be apart and it pained her. "I'll be waiting for you, sister. Here, always."
"Very well then," Anubis said.
They hugged. Not long but memorable.
Anubis turned to leave but as she left, her words remained.
"Get stronger, Telma. That is the only way you can stand by my side."
Outside, the night shifted. The clouds curled open as a violet streak split the sky. The veil shimmered, and Anubis vanished in a wave of silent flame, Uriel stepping through just behind her.
The house stood still.
But the embers on the floor burned brighter now.
War was coming.
And Anubis had chosen her side.
As for Telma....
"Don't worry, sister. I will get stronger, not just to stand by your side but to be create a name for myself."