Episode 10

 The academy gardens were supposed to be peaceful.

Stone paths curved between trimmed hedges, a fountain murmured quietly in the center courtyard, and tall iron lamps cast lazy shadows across the grass.

It was the kind of place people came to read.

Or think.

Or, apparently-

Skip class with someone who absolutely should not be trusted.

---

Crimson stood with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed slightly as she looked around the quiet garden.

“What are we doing here?”

Ash stretched his arms behind his head like this was the most normal day in the world.

“I’m going to teach you how to have fun. You clearly don’t know what that word means.”

“I know what it means, Pierce.”

He winced dramatically.

“It's Ash, you know. Or you can call me what the teachers call me.”

“And that is?”

“P—actually never mind.”

Crimson slowly raised an eyebrow.

Ash coughed. “If you know what fun is, then you have no problem with it.”

“There’s more important things going on besides—”

“Now you agreed to spend time with me, no complaints,” he interrupted smoothly. “You like books right?”

She hesitated.

“Well yes, it’s one of the things that I can use to take a break from work— uh, yes, I do.”

Ash blinked.

“What kind of work do you have while being a student? How do you even have time?”

Crimson straightened immediately.

“That’s classified.”

“Oh c’mon,” Ash said, stepping in front of her. “You have a whole band of people and clearly know all the ins and outs of the whole academy, and you have only been here for like a day. I might not know everything but I’m not oblivious.”

Crimson looked away, muttering just quietly enough that he almost missed it.

“A day and you’re already whisking me away…”

Before he could respond-

A shadow passed over them.

Both of them looked up.

A bat glided overhead, wings slicing through the bright afternoon sky.

Ash frowned.

“A bat in broad daylight?”

Crimson stiffened instantly.

Her eyes sharpened.

“Myskie.”

Then she turned.

“Ash, we need to go.”

He froze.

For half a second.

Because she’d called him Ash.

Not Pierce.

“—Oh,” he said, slightly startled. “Uh… right?”

And suddenly the peaceful garden didn’t feel so peaceful anymore.

---

Meanwhile — Somewhere Not Nearly Peaceful Enough

“RYDER!!”

People in the café turned.

Ryder slammed his hand over Myskai’s mouth.

“Bat! Shhh!”

She shoved his hand away.

“Don’t you shush me! The academy is being attacked and for some reason my bats can’t see any agents on campus!!”

A spoon clattered somewhere nearby.

“First, Mira gets in, then Mira escapes, and now all agents are off campus!? This is not just some silly coincidence!”

Ryder blinked rapidly.

“Can I even call myself an agent?! We haven’t even had our meeting with the other agents about the last attack! I get we were sent here because of stuff like this but this is insane! Why’re the villains attacking so much?!”

“Myskai! Calm down!”

“What will calming down—”

She froze.

A tiny black bat landed on the table.

It squeaked.

Myskai went still.

“…Ryder.”

He swallowed.

“Yes…?”

“Vienna isn’t normal.”

“…Uhh…okay?”

Myskai shot to her feet.

“We need to get to campus now. Nocturne said Rose is almost back and Buttersnips is on his way to find the other agents.”

Ryder blinked again.

“Right…”

He muttered under his breath.

“Just how many bats do you have?”

Myskai didn’t even turn around.

“…I believe at least 15 fully trained bats that’re here and check in, but I don’t see many of them. There are more around the area and out on scouting missions, plus I’ve got five in-training.”

“Of course you heard me…”

He stood up.

“If we run we’ll make it faster.”

Myskai was already gone.

A literal blur disappearing down the street.

Ryder sighed.

“And she’s gone.”

Then he smirked slightly.

“Though she forgets how easily I can catch up.”

And sprinted after her.

---

Back at the Academy

Crimson pushed through the gates, Ash right behind her.

The campus felt wrong.

Too quiet.

Too dark.

Crimson stopped in the courtyard.

“Where the heck is everyone?!”

Myskai dropped down from the fountain wall like a shadow.

“Some are at the arcade, some are at some fancy restaurant. One’s at a park with an unknown individual, though it seems like a date. And one is at some boardwalk with that guy’s friend.”

She pointed at Ash.

Ash blinked.

“Elias…is with somebody?! That might be the most concerning thing of all.”

“What?” Myskai said flatly, chewing her bubblegum which she somehow always has in her mouth, “Are you his only friend or something?”

“Pretty much.”

Crimson snorted.

“Someone thinks highly of himself.”

“I was just—”

“Rose,” Ryder interrupted quickly, jogging up beside them. “This isn’t really the time…”

Crimson exhaled.

“Yes, I know.”

Myskai pointed upward. “The sky is pitch black…at 1pm.”

Everyone looked up.

She wasn’t exaggerating.

A massive dark blanket of shadow stretched across the sky above the academy.

Ash tilted his head. “So I can go to sleep? Classes are over for the day, I presume.”

“Stay right there, Pierce.”

“Pierce?! Oh, come on!! We were making such good progress.”

Ryder groaned.

“Ash, stop flirting with my sister and help.”

“Well clearly whoever did this isn’t super powerful,” Myskai said, scanning the horizon. “The black blanket doesn’t even make it to the river.”

Suddenly—

FLASH.

Kosmo appeared in the courtyard with a bright teleportation spark. Riddhima, Amber, and Ace tumbled out with him.They were holding armfuls of stuffed animals, plastic rings, and candy.

And laughing.

“See, Amber, what did I tell you!? We made it back and everything is fine—”

They stopped.

Looked around.

Amber slowly raised an eyebrow. “Fine, you say?”

Crimson folded her arms. “Welcome back.”

Riddhima immediately straightened. “We’re sorry, Boss.”

Kosmo raised a hand proudly. “Don’t worry, I brought back all the students that tagged along in one piece.”

Myskai’s head snapped toward him. “One piece?! Why were they with you to begin with? Better yet with you off-campus?!”

Crimson pointed sharply. “You better explain why you thought you could slack off and leave without telling us after this is over!”

Amber looked around nervously. “Where is everyone else?”

Ryder rubbed the back of his neck. “Also out and about.”

Amber’s face fell. “Oh…”

Right then—

J and Arthur stumbled through the courtyard gate. Arthur looked like he had just discovered gravity.

“I was a bird….”

J sighed deeply. “Arthur—”

“…J…so much has changed. We flew in the air…like a great eagle.”

Kosmo blinked. “Where did you take him?!”

“On a helicopter,” J said proudly. “I’ve got friends. He wouldn’t stop talking about new things that I brought him to something that I knew would make him dumbstruck. Then I shocked him even more when I picked him up and we started flying myself and———shoot, what is going on here?!”

Myskai gestured broadly. “Welcome back.”

Arthur laughed joyfully.

“Haha, flying!! Lady Crimson, thank you so much for letting me come here. Hah, I’m so glad Vienna got our class cut! Aren’t you, J?!”

Amber grabbed his shoulders.

“Arthur! Are you not a great king? Stop acting like a child!”

“Everyone!” Crimson shouted.

Silence dropped instantly.

“Quiet! We have a problem to deal with!”

She pointed rapidly.

“Amber, Riddhima, Ace. Go look inside and see if you can find any agents possibly here. J. Survey the grounds and see if you can find anyone outside.”

She turned.

“Myskie. Can you find the rest of the agents off-campus with Ryder?”

Myskai nodded.

“Kosmo. Check the security cameras, and if they’re down, fix them. Also, if Myskie and Ryder need you to, teleport them to pick up any agent.”

Kosmo saluted dramatically.

“Pierce. Get Arthur back to his dorm.”

“But—”

“Unless your name means bat. I don’t want to hear it.”

Ash sighed.

Just then—

Footsteps echoed across the courtyard.

Vienna stepped forward from the hallway shadows.

“How can I help?”

Crimson turned toward her.

“At the moment, can you be on immediate standby?”

Vienna smiled softly. “Of course. Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

Behind Crimson-

Myskai stiffened.

“No—”

“Myskie?” Crimson said, confused. “She’s offering to help. We’ve seen what she can do, with half our agents still gone, we should use whatever help we can get.”

Vienna tilted her head politely. “If Miss Myskai thinks it’s better, then I can just return to my dorm.”

Myskai stared at her. “Myskai is fine.”

A pause.

“And yeah, that sounds like a terrific idea.”

Crimson frowned slightly.

“Myskie, I don’t know what you have against Vienna, but put it aside for right now. We could use her help.”

“But—”

“Let it go, Myskie.”

The courtyard went quiet.

Myskai clenched her jaw.

“…Fine.”

But high above them -

A single bat circled the dark sky.

And if anyone had been paying closer attention…

They might have noticed Vienna smiling just a little too much.