A/N: I'm so sorry for lack of an update! And I'd better go back on the Saturday schedule, mainly because the Thursday schedule didn't work out for me. I also figured that some of you read on the weekends so, hey, it's okay! I'll be back updating on the weekends right after this update. Next Saturday holds a new update for you! Thank you for putting up with me, though. The reasons I haven't been updating is (1) I have been losing productivity lately now that school's coming up for me and (2) I lose the internet. A LOT. I'm really sorry. Why don't we just get to the update?

    Dave Parker shoved his hands in his pockets. Every morning in Westerfield was always cold, but today was colder than what the shadow mage was used to. After Hazuki took him to one of the shopping district's alleys, he was left wondering what his old friend was after. He knew Hazuki had something else up his sleeve—but he didn't know what.

He pushed the idea of Hazuki's hunt off his mind and continued his walk to school. He was mentally punching himself in the face for realizing he hasn't asked both of his fathers for his allowance yet—and that really ticked him off because he deemed himself dead without money. He growled, scratching his head and sighing in frustration. How could he be so forgetful?

As he was nearing the school gates, he caught sight of a sophomore boy who ran smack into the entryways. The sophomore waited for the guard to open the gate, dashing into the school grounds after the gate has been open wide enough for him to enter. Dave watched in confusion as the sophomore sprinted into the school. He decided to ignore the boy—though he did seem to be in a rush—and entered the campus.

From there, Dave would pace the basketball court leading up to a road going to the high school building. He always took this path when he first entered Winchester as a freshman, using the basketball court as a checkpoint until he climbed the stairs on the far side of the cafeteria's exterior. After that, he walked straight to the high school building.

There were little to no students by the time Dave entered the building. He closed his eyes as he walked, some of the human students taking notice of his shadow fading until there was no more silhouette behind him. He opened his eyes and exhaled.

He climbed the stairs leading up to the hallway where the third-year students' classrooms were located.

* * 

Jack panted, wiping sweat off his forehead and dropping his bag on the floor of the ETR. He fell on his knees as he was catching his breath, his palms flat on the floor as he simultaneously inhaled and exhaled. His classmates watched as he tried to keep himself from being disoriented.

But something was wrong. Nobody noticed it, but Carla did. Something gleamed from the pocket of Jack's pants. She didn't know what it was, but she felt as if it were a lead to the mystery they were facing. She moved forward and crouched in front of Jack, her left hand on his right shoulder.

"What did you see?" She asked, her tone serious but with serenity.
"A male's corpse," Jack answered softly, shivering and biting his lip.
"Where did you see the body?" Carla asked again, helping the boy up this time.
"I-in the covered court." He stammered, his fingers and legs shaking.

Carla looked at her classmates. She nodded at them and told her classmates she will go to the covered court. Just as she was about to dash out of the training room, Frank grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.

"You're not going alone." Frank told her. "We're coming with you."

His sister smiled and led their group to the covered court.

* *

Dave noticed something unusual today. The number of students present today weren't the same as yesterday. Compared to yesterday, the hallways were crowded no matter where he was in Winchester. But today, none of the places he passed were packed with a crowd of students. There were little to no students surrounding him nor were most of them even in their classrooms.

He knew something was wrong.

As soon as he arrived in his classroom, he dropped his bag beside his chair and ran immediately to the covered court to see if anything would be amiss there. When he got to the covered court, he saw a group of students closing in on something. They looked like they were hovering over something. He had a feeling that they were looking at something grotesque.

Dave slid his hands in his pockets and walked over to the students. He recognized Carla immediately. He wondered what she and her classmates were gawking at. He hoped that they were looking at research material, though it didn't seem like it.

The sophomores inspected the body. Jack tried to hold the body, but Frank stopped him. Carla put on a pair of black latex gloves and carefully shifted the body, the dead boy originally face down on the floor. There was a noose around his neck, but Upsilon noticed something else. Or was it someone?

She glanced at her left and caught sight of Dave Parker walking toward her group. He looked like he was nervous—like he saw something horrible. She left her group and approached him.

"What the hell are you guys looking at?" Dave questioned, clenching his fists in his pockets.
"A dead body..." Carla answered, looking at her feet. "...yet again. Another classmate was murdered."

The shadow mage glanced at the corpse behind Upsilon. He was taller than her, giving him the advantage of viewing things better. He immediately recognized the dead body of James Antonio—one of Carla's childhood friends.

His face was contorted in a scream. There was a noose around his neck, tightened at the back for faster suffocation. As the students of Class 2-C inspected their classmate's body, Jack crouched and closed James' eyes and mouth. He said a silent prayer to him and slid his arms under the corpse, carrying James to the morgue.

"Did that guy kill himself?" Dave asked, scratching his head.
"No. He was murdered." Carla answered.

Jack passed the two and nodded. He continued to walk and walk until he turned left and took the staircase to the sophomores' hall. The rest of 2-C followed, but only went as far as their classroom. Dave and Carla remained in the court.

The pair sat on the first bench they saw, but didn't engage in conversation. Carla sat, her back hunched and hands on her lap. Her fingers were shaking wildly as she tried to clench her hands into fists. Dave scooted next to her and embraced her. She returned his hug, restraining the urge to cry with noise.

It hurt him to see her like this. What hurt even more was what she asked him—though she directed it to herself.

Did I really deserve another chance at life? Did I have to come back only to lose the people I have known?

Dave felt bad for being unable to answer her questions. While it was true that the both of them have no idea what the answer is at present, he kept silent and hugged her tight. He bit his lip as tears streamed down his face.

* *

Hazuki slid the hood over his head as he walked. He got to school rather early, doing nothing but studying for a quiz. When he glanced back at the textbook he was carrying, he let out a sigh. He woke up tired. Studying for the quiz early in the morning tired him. He surely didn't want the Ghost Witch or a ghost of the past to tire him further.

As he made his way to the staircase, he noticed two figures in the covered court hugging each other. He knew that public display of affection was strictly prohibited in schools, but the couple didn't really look like they were hugging each other because they were in love. They looked like they were both grieving.

Hazuki decided to take a closer look. He entered the covered court and stopped at a bench three feet away from the couple, his eyes widening at who he saw crying. He threw his book on the empty bench and approached them.

"What happened?" He asked, though he didn't receive a verbal response. Carla looked up at him. She was about to open her mouth, but what could have been her answer had been replaced with soft sobbing.

His phone beeped. He immediately took it out of his pocket and read Dave's message.

She can't talk right now. Her friend just died. On another note, the only reason I'm crying is because I've probably seen enough. Too much, if not enough. If I see Upsilon break down one more time, I may end up snapping necks. I really hate seeing the girl I see as my little sister feel like this.

I think you know how that feels. Maybe it's time for you to realize that some of the shards of a glass window weren't swept away after all. Because I'm fairly certain that somewhere out there, the Traveler is still alive.

Hazuki's heart skipped a beat at the last sentence. He entrusted most of his secrets to Dave, but he never stopped to consider a third find: the supposedly dead Traveler.

He put himself on a mission to eradicate the Ghost Witch and the rogue spirit of his father, but to find the Traveler was a different mission. He didn't know where to start looking for her.

Dave stood up, helping Carla on her feet and walking her to Classroom 2-C. Hazuki remained on the court, walking back to his bench and grabbing his textbook off the seat. He noticed a glowing blue mark on the cover, the mark in shape of a clock with hands.

The minute hand pointed to the five-minute mark and the hour hand pointed to eight. What was important about 8:05?

Hazuki thought that ignoring time was the best option, until he heard the tick. He looked behind him and saw a female figure, her face covered by her cowl.

The Traveler stood before him.