Prota hadn't moved from her bed for a few days now. John had been bringing her food, but otherwise, she'd been sulking on her own. She would've moved had she had purpose, but ultimately, she didn't know what to do. John had no information for her, and that meant she had nothing to do.

"How's she doing?" Destiny said quietly as John stepped out of his room.

"Not good," John grimaced. "I've never actually seen her like this before. All I can do is find those two kids, I guess."

"And you don't know where to start," Destiny muttered. "Yeah. That's not great."

"By the way, I take back what I said about cultists," John said quietly as he began to walk away. "Keep anything in mind."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. I take it back. I was wrong."

Destiny nodded. "Good to know."

As he walked away, John couldn't help but doubt himself. He'd never been so in the dark before. Every time something major happened, he was at least somewhat aware of what was going on. He'd always been prepared to some extent. Of course, there were always variables he couldn't prepare for, but he was often more prepared than not.

But now? He had nothing. He didn't even have a clue as to what the enemy was. For all he knew, it could be some random schmuck he'd never even heard of. The [Author] seemed to enjoy doing that in this [Story].

Making Elfin the spy. The [Author] appearing in his dreams for no reason in particular. Aiden, reappearing out of nowhere during one of the midterms.

Sometimes, things just happened for the sake of happening. And sometimes, that was how real life worked. But that wasn't how [Stories] were meant to work. But it was what was happening.

And that meant John could never truly discard it as a possibility.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, pulling at his hair. "Seriously, this is way too hard for me to figure out…"

He sighed as he walked toward his class. There were too many things to think about. He had to be careful when dealing with Prota, since he wasn't the best at reading what she wanted. Yes, he could understand her emotions and expressions, but that didn't mean he was the best at understanding her desires. This had easily been shown when she'd been pushing to grow stronger, when she'd been lonely during her second birthday, so on and so forth.

If that wasn't exhausting enough, he was still thinking about what would happen to the world when he left. This wasn't occupying a lot of brain space, but it was still there, in the back of his mind, like a little nagging devil.

Finally, he still had to pay attention to a few classes. While he ignored most of them, he couldn't entirely ignore the fact that he was still a student. He'd claimed Prota was ill, and Sofya seemed to understand, but he couldn't make the same excuse for himself.

"I did say I'd prepare myself, but seriously," John sighed.

Things weren't looking up.

~~~

The days passed, and somehow, things only got worse. First, no more students disappeared. Normally, this would've been a good thing, but for John, that was terrible.

His suspicions weren't confirmed, but they were only growing stronger. Whoever was behind this was getting close to finishing whatever task they meant to finish. Without even knowing the intent behind the kidnappings, John couldn't tell what kind of catastrophic event would occur.

Worse, though, were the rumours that began to spread. Thankfully, the target of said rumours wasn't around to hear them, but her brother was, and they were pissing him off more by the day.

That was right. People were beginning to accuse Prota of doing something to the missing students. The source of said rumours? Someone who wasn't even here anymore, someone John had thought couldn't bother them anymore.

Draco Wynton. From beyond the grave, he'd managed to reach up and give them one last slap.

The rumour had started in the Casting class. In the first place, only ten or so students had gone missing, and students of all years had been affected, so there wasn't much chaos. Just some quiet discussion here and there. However, that all changed after someone brought something up.

"Didn't Draco say that girl was a demon?"

Suddenly, rumours began to crawl out of the woodwork. These mainly came from a few of Draco's supporters who had lost credibility once he'd vanished. Not all the students hated Draco; a few had been hoping to use him as their ladder to success, but now that he was gone, they couldn't do so anymore.

However, they did know the boy held a deep hatred for John Quarta and Prota Char. Draco had constantly told stories of Prota, about how his father would rant about a white-haired demon roaming the streets.

So they did all they could to spread all the negative rumours they could think of. These mainly consisted of whatever things they could remember from Draco's stories, and with faulty memory came exaggerated retellings of already false information.

Prota could steal your soul. She was strong because of how many people she'd killed. She was like a lich or a necromancer, gaining strength with each soul claimed. Students were disappearing because she needed souls to survive.

Nobody had any reason to believe these rumours, and many people dismissed them as pointless. Most students in the third-year Casting class protested against them, as they knew how much Prota had fought back against Draco in the first place.

But once a rumour began, it couldn't be stopped.

"You guys hearing this bull?" Briar said as she sat down for lunch one day. "It doesn't make any sense!"

"I mean, she doesn't look like she's taken even a single life," Celestia nodded furiously. "She's too cute."

Destiny shuddered as he remembered the man she'd frozen to death back when they'd raided Doctor's lab. Best not to bring that up to the princess; there was no need to shatter her perception of Prota.

"I mean, she's killed," John shrugged. "Technically, they're not wrong."

Well, so much for that. Destiny just shook his head.

"What? Prota?" Celestia exclaimed. "Really?"

"We were fighting for our lives. What, do you think she's a pacifist who can spare all her enemies?" John said, shovelling a potato into his mouth. "That's not realistic, princess."

"Ugh. You don't have to tell me," Celestia frowned, crossing her arms. "But… still."

Everyone at the table muttered their agreements, nodding and sighing at the stupid rumours going around. It didn't make sense. Besides, the rumours were only serving to create chaos, as more and more people realized students had disappeared under their noses.

"But, John," Danjo said hesitantly. "Shouldn't you be upset? You seem kinda… calm about all this."

"I'll get upset if someone actually does something to Prota," John said, spearing another potato. "Until then, why should I care?"

Danjo nodded slowly, accepting this as an appropriate answer. Destiny, on the other hand, noticed John's grip on his fork. His knuckles were white. That mask John wore on his face was good, but he wasn't perfect at hiding his emotions, especially when it came to his sister.

"John," the hero said quietly as everyone finished their meal. "I…"

"Hm? What's up?" John said turning to his friend.

"Are you ok?" Destiny said worriedly. "Look, if you're not, it's ok to be upset."

"Upset? Why would I be upset?" John smiled.

To his credit, his mask was really good. There wasn't a single twitch in his mouth muscles, not a hint of irritation in his eyes. He genuinely looked happy.

"John, I know you care for Prota. You don't have to hide it. And I would also be upset at the rumours spreading. They're really stupid. But I'm worried that if you leave things as is, you're going to end up doing something stupid."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Stupid?" John laughed. "When do I do anything stupid?"

Destiny just stared.

"Ok, fine," John sighed. "Look, you don't need to be worried about me, ok? I won't do anything stupid. Trust me."

"Let us help. Please."

"It's fine, I-"

"John!" Destiny exclaimed. "You don't have to handle everything on your own! We're here to help you. That's what friends do. At the very least, let me do something."

At that, Destiny got a reaction, not that he was fishing for one. A single twitch, but it was enough to crack John's poker face.

"What? Can you help? No. Then what're you gonna do?" John snapped, then eased his expression. "It's fine, Destiny. I'll figure something out."

"It's not fine. You're not fine," Destiny pointed out. "But that's normal. Just… let us help you."

"Help me?" John snorted. "With what?"

"With…"

"There's nothing to help. I don't know what I'm doing myself," John admitted. "If you can help, I'll let you know as soon as possible. But there's nothing to do. Nothing. I don't know what I'm doing myself. How the fuck are you going to do anything?"

Destiny sighed. "You promise? If you figure anything out, you'll come to us?"

"To be honest? No. I'll come to you if I need it, not if I think it'll help. But… well, ok. If I go missing, look after Prota, ok?"

"What? You think you'll go missing?"

"It's a possibility," John shrugged. "I'm looking into things. People tend to dislike when they're looked into. They might try to silence me. Probably not kill me. The point is, if I disappear, you gotta make sure Prota doesn't fall into a slump, ok? You guys gotta find me."

"Find you… John, can't we just make a tracking device?" Danjo said timidly.

It was then that Destiny and John noticed everyone else at the table. They'd been so engrossed in their argument that they'd nearly forgotten that others were nearby.

John's eyes widened. "Wait, Danjo… that's right."

Destiny grinned. "I hope you don't get kidnapped, but if you do, it'll be good for us to have a backup plan, right?"

John let a small smile settle on his face.

"See? You're smarter than me." He tapped Destiny on the shoulder before heading off. "Keep putting that brain to good use and you'll do way better than me."

~~~

Lilith groaned as her eyes slowly opened. She tried to look around, only to find she couldn't move her head. Her eyes were still working fine, though, and what she saw stunned her.

Nine other students were strapped down to tables, the same as her, most of them unconscious. Ryan was one of them, and thankfully, he seemed to still be breathing. Lilith let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what was going on, but at least her brother was alive.

Looking around a bit more, the students didn't seem to be in any sort of stress. Lilith couldn't see any injuries, and they all seemed to simply be sleeping peacefully. Their chests rose and fell, showing they were still breathing. This was reassuring, but also a little confusing.

For what purpose was she here? Why was she bound?

"Hey!" she said. "Hey!"

No one stirred.

"Hey! Wake up! Please?"

No response. It seemed the other children were in a deep sleep. Lilith sighed. She wouldn't be getting any answers out of the other students.

"Hello?" she called out. "Is anybody there?"

Her words echoed into silence. Nothing. With no reply, she tried to muster up some magic, only to find she couldn't control her mana at all. Her core still felt full, but it was as if it was no longer connected to the rest of her body.

Looking around, she tried to gather what few details she could. They seemed to be in an underground area. There were no windows, the walls and floors being made of crude stone and iron. Magical lanterns dimly lit the room, but for the most part, it was impossible to make out anything.

Suddenly, the lanterns brightened, and a figure stepped in.

"Hello?" Lilith called out, a little more uncertain this time.

"Ah," the figure said quietly. "I didn't expect you to wake up."

"Hold on, who are you?" Lilith frowned. "What are you-"

The figure touched Lilith's forehead, putting the girl back to sleep, but not before she saw a flash of silver hair and blue eyes.

~~~

Destiny sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I wish I could do something," he muttered.

"So do I," Danjo said timidly. "But… what? If John can't figure it out, what are we supposed to do?"

"I think he was trying to give me a hint. It's something he can't handle, but us combined… you're working on that tracking device, right?"

Danjo nodded, but he was nervous. Destiny could tell. The dwarf had a habit of fiddling with pieces of material when he didn't know what to say, and if nothing was available, he started fiddling with his fingers instead. Danjo was doing it right this very instant.

"I'm trying," Danjo muttered. "But it's a little hard to explain what I need the stuff for. Tracking devices aren't very complicated, so I can't say it's an experiment or anything…"

Destiny grimaced. "Let me try talking to your teachers."

"You? But-"

"Trust me," Destiny sighed. "It might work."

Danjo nodded, and Destiny flashed him a reassuring grin. Inwardly, though, the hero was nervous. He stepped out of his room and walked down the halls, heading outside to the training grounds.

There, he unsheathed his sword and closed his eyes. He'd gotten into a habit of meditating this way recently. Lupin had taught him how to focus his mind, and Destiny found that this method worked best. It had the additional benefit of helping to channel his unique ability, so in the end, it was a method of training with very few downsides.

As his mind began to clear, Destiny thought. What could he figure out on his own? In times like these, he missed Kit. John was a good source of information, but it was difficult to deal with him. His answers were cryptic, and he was always so secretive. Of course, his solutions typically worked, which was why Destiny relied on him so much, but it was nice to go to other people sometimes.

Unfortunately, wishing for Kit was only hopeful thinking. John didn't know what to do, and Kit couldn't come anywhere near Scholaris.

Suddenly, Destiny's eyes snapped open as he swung his blade, cleaving a target dummy cleanly down the middle. Panting, Destiny resheathed his blade and sat on the ground.

"What do you want, John…?" he muttered.

At that moment, a chill ran down Destiny's spine. Something John had said earlier.

"If I go missing, look after Prota, ok?"

John never made backup plans. Well, not that Destiny knew of. It was always one plan of attack, and John always seemed confident it would work. But this time, he'd asked Destiny to look after Prota should something go wrong.

John was a confident person. Despite expressing constant doubt toward his own abilities, his predictions typically came true. So if he was confidently telling Destiny to look after Prota… didn't that mean he anticipated being captured?

But then why hadn't he thought of a tracking device? Suddenly, things became more complicated. Did John expect death? He had said he didn't expect to die, but then again, he often told Destiny not to worry.

"John," Destiny muttered. "I hope that, whatever you're planning, it's not stupid."

~~~

That night, John was busy scribbling on the whiteboard feature in his system. His markings looked like the work of an insane conspiracy theorist, but they were helping him organize his thoughts.

He had to consider all the possibilities. However, there were just too many to consider at this point. Cultists were a whole mess on their own. Cultists like Doctor, regular cultists, cultists that weren't worshipping demons, things went all over the place.

Sofya was another point of consideration. So was every other Mystic, but Sofya specifically was of some interest to John. The rumours about Prota needing souls to survive had caught his attention. While he didn't consider Sofya to be a primary suspect, she definitely wasn't cleared by anything.

The same went for Lupin and Leora, although they were the last people John would consider suspicious.

Interestingly enough, his friends were people he considered to some degree. There were enough stories where one of the [Protagonist's] friends turned out to be a villain. Granted, there weren't enough hints to warrant this line of thought, but then again, John hadn't been paying all that much attention to his little friend group.

"Argh," he groaned, pushing his chair back and standing up.

He needed to take a quick walk, just to clear his head. He swiped at the air, saving the whiteboard and storing it in the system for later.

"Prota, I'll be back," John called out.

"Nn."

"I'm doing my best," John sighed. "I like them too, ok?"

"...nn."

Her second noise was a little less sulky, although the difference between the two sounds was nearly indistinguishable. John just wrapped his scarf around his mouth and left the dorm building.

"Haah… seriously, this is way too hard to figure out," he muttered, kicking at the snow.

To his surprise, Zero spoke. However, he didn't appear, which was strange. He didn't have much to say these days, and whenever they had a conversation, the soul had a habit of showing himself. What was going on?

"You want to know who it is?" Zero said, his tone a little too smug for John's liking.

"Well, yeah. Duh."

"Hm. What will you do if I tell you?"

John frowned. "What? What can I even do for you?"

"Mm… good point. Well? Wanna know?"

John stopped walking. "Who are you?"

"What? It's me, Zero."

John focused, his muscles tense. He looked around, but there weren't any active threats.

"No, you're not Zero. You don't give away information this easily. I don't know how you found out, but-"

"Oh, stop it," Zero sighed. "Seriously, you're no fun. I just wanted to play around, but if you're gonna be this paranoid I might as well just tell you."

"Who are you?" John demanded.

"You fuckass! It's me! Seriously, I can't even afford to play around for just a moment! Ugh… ok, for future reference, nobody will replicate me, ok? Nobody can pretend to be "Zero." Of course, that doesn't apply to illusions made from your memories. It also doesn't apply to dreams. But right now, neither of those things are happening, so it's me, ok?"

John clenched his teeth, but it seemed to really be his soul. Well, there was one way to check.

"Send me a message," he said quietly.

[It's me. Happy?]

John let out a sigh of relief. "Seriously, don't do that."

He loosened up, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. He was already on edge. Why did Zero have to play around like that?

Well, now that he thought about it, this little back and forth had made him feel a little better. Although he still had a pile of thoughts stuck in his head, he felt a little less stuffy. Zero had a habit of helping him out, even if he didn't exactly appreciate the way the help came. Such were the benefits of having a sentient soul, John supposed.

"Sorry. I'm just… things suck, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Zero sympathized. "In hindsight, wasn't the best thing for me to do either. I didn't think you'd be so on edge at the moment. Also never really considered that someone might try to impersonate me."

"So… really? You can't be impersonated?"

"No, like I said, only you can do that to yourself. In the first place, people shouldn't find out about me, but if they do, they won't be able to try and copy me through telepathy. It'll just sound like the censor if they try."

"...why?"

"That's just how I work, John. Why question it?"

"Hm… good to know," John said, a small smile forming on his face.

"Yeah. Basically, if you see me and I'm weird, it might be a dream or something. You might hallucinate my voice on your own. But I can never be copied."

"Like anybody would want to copy you."

"Hey! I'm cool. I'm sure the [Readers] really like me."

John snorted. "As if."

"What?"

"Me when I lie."

"Yeah, I am you, and I- oh, shit."

John laughed. Yeah, this wasn't bad for his health.

"So, wanna know?"

Suddenly, John felt a little tense again.

"Know what?"

"Who the culprit is."

"...fine," John said, still a little suspicious.

He didn't get it. Why was Zero being so open?

"It's the headmaster. Sofya."

John frowned. "Why are you just telling me this?"

Suddenly, an intense aura came from out of nowhere. John spun around, but he was barely able to see the figure of a little girl before the world turned upside down. The last thing he remembered was Zero's voice, still too smug for his liking.

"Well, I can tell you because you're about to be kidnapped by her. Have fun."

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