Chapter 3- The Moondrip

In a run-down building, hidden by a cloak of darkness. A man wearing a hooded cloak suddenly stood up from his seat, "What do you mean the plan keeps failing!"

"We're...we're not sure why it keeps failing."

The man sat back down, his hand balled up into fists, "Tch...Summon the agent!"

"Yes, sir!"

A few minutes later, a mirror, engulfed in black magic, appeared and a figure walked into view.

"Agent one, what the hell is going on."

"I apologize sir, but I am not sure myself."

"Hmph. Then report. Have you confirmed the situation."

"I tried looking into multiple files of students with anonymous backgrounds, but I was unable to find anything."

The hooded man raised his hand, silencing the figure, "I see. How many suspects do you have?"

"...Only 4."

"You seem hesitant," the man looked at the figure with an intense gaze, "Are you afraid?"

"I- what?! Of course not!"

He smirked, "Fine, continue to search for the target and when you find them, contact me immediately, understand?"

"...Yes, sir,"

"Good. You may go."

The figure bowed and the mirror suddenly disappeared.

The man wryly smiled, "Send agent #2, I doubt we can trust #1 anymore,"

"W-why sir?"

"Was it not obvious? They're hesitant, which means they can be persuaded out of it."

"Oh… I… I see…Then I… I will see to it,"

"Good,"

Omisha woke up in a cold sweat and flinched at the sudden pain. She glanced at her wrist, a large bruise starting to form. "Another one? Are you kidding me?" she thought to herself.

She sighed, going back under the covers, wanting to sleep some more. This was the second time that this happened to her. At least the injury wasn't as serious. "I hate this…" she thought to herself.

She closed her eyes and started to think of home, "I wonder how mom and dad are doing…" she whispered.

Omisha sighed, getting out of bed and started to walk to the lounge.

She poured herself a glass of water and looked out the window. She sighed quietly and drank her water while watching the sky. Putting the glass in the sink, she walked back to her room.

As she walked, she started to hear someone murmuring.

Omisha looked around trying to find the source, but the murmurs silenced in just a few seconds. Omisha stood still, trying to see if the murmurs would start up again.

After a minute, she shrugged before walking into her room. Closing the door, she flopped onto the bed.

Omisha's mind lingered on the attacks for another minute. She sighed once again, feeling annoyed. Climbing under the blanket, she closed her eyes letting herself drift off to sleep.

Later in the afternoon, Omisha and Ash walked back to the dorms right after lunch. Omisha had bought a bag of chips and ate as they walked.

Ash then noticed her bruised wrist as she put a chip in her mouth. He stopped her and grabbed her arm, looking at her wrist.

Huh? Why...how did he see it?? Omisha thought to herself in surprise.

"What happened?"

"Oh...uh, well you see...I…"

"Another attack?"

"Uh...yeah…"

"What the hell...what is up with you being attacked?"

"I… I don't know…"

Ash let go of her hand and sighed, "Come on, let's keep walking."

"Oh, um...ok…"

As they walked, Ash spoke up, "Are you sure you didn't do anything to make someone attack you?"

"Wha- Of course not!"

"You sure?"

"Yes!" Omisha pouted at him.

"...Yeah, I doubt that with your personality."

"Hey!" Omisha glared at when a male student suddenly sneaked up on Ash.

"Ash! Long time no see!" the student was looked almost exactly like Ash, yet he was taller.

Ash froze and sharply turned around with a shocked look, "A-Adryen?! You're back already?!"

"Of course! How have you been?!"

"I...uh...good…?"

"That's good!" the guy named Adryen then turned to Omisha, "Oh? What's this? Did my little Ash finally get a girlfriend?"

Omisha and Ash both flushed a bright red out of embarrassment.

"Of course not! Dammit!" Ash barked.

"Haha! That's good! Now come on let's catch up. Oh! And hey girl, my name's Adryen,"

"My name is not 'girl'! It's Omisha!"

"Haha! Whatever! Now come on Ash!" he spoke as he dragged Ash across the quad.

Omisha looked at them with an awkward smile. As she watched the two turn a corner, she sighed and shrugged before walking back to her dorm.

Omisha walked through the door and saw Phoenix and Tyler snacking on ice cream. They noticed her and waved, "Hey Omisha! Finally back, ay?"

"Yep." Omisha threw away the finished pack of chips before joining them. "What's the flavor?"

"Mint chocolate chip," Tyler replied with a grin.

"Can I have some?"

"Sure, there's some more in the freezer," Phoenix replied pointing to the shared refrigerator.

"Oh, cool. Thanks."

Phoenix nodded and Omisha walked over to the refrigerator. Opening the freezer. She skimmed around before noticing the mint ice cream. I grabbed the ice cream and closed the freezer.

"So where's Ash?" Tyler asked curiously as Omisha turned around.

"Oh, he got dragged off by someone," Omisha replied, ripping off the wrapper.

Phoenix laughed, "Hah! Being popular with girls must be fun."

Omisha grinned, "I'm sure it is, but he wasn't dragged off by a girl."

"Oh, then the guy that dragged him off must be gay." Tyler joked and the other two laughed.

Sitting down at the table, Omisha scrolled through her phone as the other two talked.

She then noticed a message. Pressing on the message, she saw it was from her mom.

"How are you doing sweetie?" it said.

Omisha smiled, "I'm doing alright, what about you?"

"I'm fine"

"Is dad ok?"

"He's alright. I'm sorry we haven't texted you in a while. Our jobs have been keeping us busy."

She smiled, "It's fine, just focus on work."

"Oh I have to go, I'll talk to you later, honey."

"Alright," Omisha replied before turning off her phone.

Suddenly the door slammed open. Ash stormed inside with Adryen behind him.

"Oh come on! We're brothers aren't we?!"

Ash turned to him with a sinister glare, "Get. Out."

"Hmph. Fine." Adryen huffed and pouted as he left.

Ash sighed in relief and stormed into his room.

"What was that?" Phoenix asked staring after Ash.

"No idea…" Omisha replied before realizing something, "Did he say 'brother'?"

"Uh, yeah," Phoenix replied.

Tyler looked at them in surprise, "Oh, you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"He has a brother and that was him." Tyler looked at them with an awkward smile.

Both girls looked at the werewolf in surprise, "Oh-" Phoenix started before being interrupted by Ash.

"Why did you tell them?" He asked gruffly.

Omisha looked at him, instead of the casual clothes he had worn earlier, he was now wearing a uniform. It had a design similar to that of hers and most students she saw except it had a darker color scheme.

"Why are you wearing your uniform, Ash?"

Ash's hand moved to the back of his neck as he glanced at Tyler, "Huh?"

Tyler laughed, "Did you forget already?"

Ash looked at him, contemplating, before his eyes lit up, "Oh, I forgot."

Tyler and Phoenix laughed.

Omisha glanced between them, "Forget what?"

"Oh, you don't know do you?" Phoenix glanced at her with a smile.

Tyler spoke up, "We really need to add you to the group chat."

Phoenix glanced at him, "James can do that. I'll tell him later."

"So, uh, who's going to tell me what's going on?" Omisha spoke up.

Ash glanced at her, "The Moondrip festival."

"The what?"

Ash turned around walking to his room, "You'll see."

"Ah…"

The three of them talked for some time. It was late afternoon when Katherine and Omisha looked at Katherine and James, "Oh, hey you two. Where were you?"

Katherine gave one of her bright grins, "I found the location of the Moondrip ceremony!"

Tyler beamed at Katherine "Great! Now we can go!"

"Don't you need an invitation…?"

"Nope! Anyone can go as long as they know the location!" Phoenix informed her with a smile.

"Huh."

Ash walked in, "So what time do we need to go?" It seemed he had heard the conversation.

"The ceremony starts at 7. So we can leave around 6 and get there early for food and such." James replied.

Phoenix grabbed Omisha and Katherine by the hands, "Woo! Then let's get dressed up!" She grinned before pulling the two girls into her room.

"W-Woah!" Omisha stumbled before the door was closed, leaving the guys alone.

The guys exchanged glances.

"Well, I suppose we should get ready as well," James spoke and the other two nodded in agreement.

Ash was about to walk into his room when James called out.

"Oh, Ash!"

Ash turned around, "Hm?"

"We need to get excused from class."

Ash sighed, "Fine." He grumbled as he reluctantly followed James.

Omisha glanced at herself in the mirror. Phoenix had gone into her room, snatching a black lace dress that she had forgotten about. Her usual hair down style was now replaced with a high ponytail; the hair tie is a beaded rope-like object.

Katherine wore a green-hued long slim dress. Her hair was decorated with moon and star-shaped ornaments.

Phoenix herself wore a similar dress she usually wore; a short orange, red, and yellow dress. Her hairstyle was also now in a braid instead of a ponytail.

Omisha tugged at her dress awkwardly, "So, uh, why do we need to wear formal clothes?"

Katherine smiled and replied, "Elves don't usually wear casual clothes and prefer more formal ones."

Omisha glanced at her, no longer messing with the dress, "Oh, ok."

The three girls walked out, noticing that Tyler was on the couch. In his hands was his phone and instead of his usual clothes, he wore a slick brown tuxedo.

"Wow, you're actually wearing a tuxedo." Omisha grinned, leaning against the wall.

Tyler looked up at her with an exasperated expression, "Yeah, and I hate it."

"Why~?" Phoenix whined as she skipped over to him, "You look good in it~"

Before he could reply James and Ash walked in.

James smiled, "We got permission, so we can go."

"Yay!" Phoenix cheered.

He glanced at us before chuckling, "Well, me and Ash have to change so wait for us!"

About half an hour later, both of them came out. James had gone with a red, white, and black tuxedo while Ash had gone with the traditional black tuxedo. Their hairstyles weren't any different as they adjusted their clothes.

"So are we all ready?" James asked.

Everyone nodded.

James smiled, "Then we should get going."

With a few quiet cheers, everyone put on their shoes and jackets.

Omisha slid on her jacket and walked behind the group as they walked to the portal room. She then stopped and glanced outside the window. Something felt off. After a few seconds, she shrugged the feeling off and caught up with the rest.

They walked into the portal room and James grabbed a key from the inside of his jacket. He walked over to a keyhole and placed it inside, turning it. A portal on the opposite side of the room flash opened. The colors of it swirled in a circular motion and everyone stepped through.

Instead of the room filled with empty frames, they were now in a beautiful forest.

Phoenix stood next to James as he led the way and was holding up a flame, lighting up the surrounding area. James then stopped in front of a group of trees. He nodded to Katherine and moved to the side, letting her take his place.

She smiled at him before holding up her palm to the tree and murmured a chant as a magic circle appeared at her hand. The branches of the trees in the front then moved, forming an archway. Suddenly, as if it was a curtain, Katherine moved what seemed like reality to the side, revealing the location. She smiled at the others before letting them walk inside.

Omisha walked in last and she gawked at the beauty of the area.

It was well lit with floating flames surrounding the area and there were tables with elven food. At the very back was an altar with a carving of the moon.

Omisha then noticed that many of the older elves were watching her.

She started to feel anxious, "I wonder why they're staring at me…" she thought to herself. She was then distracted by the commotion being caused by Tyler. She giggled as she watched him go crazy over the food.

With a shake of the head, she walked up to the tables too. Her eyes skimmed over the table, recognizing many foods. Picking up a plate, she placed some of the choices on her plate.

As she talked with her friends, she noticed two old elves walk up to her.

"Miss, may we speak in private?" one of them asked.

She tilted her head in curiosity, unsure of what to say, "Um…what about the ceremony?"

They smiled, "The ceremony won't start for another hour."

"Um...Alright then…"

"Follow us."

The two elders led Omisha through the forest with the moonlight shining through the trembling branches that covered the night sky. Many magical animals were also in the area, stopping for just a second to watch them before continuing their own tasks. Pixies would also show up now and then, lighting the area up even more.

The path was just plain old dirt with footprints from the many people and animals that walked the path. Rocks littered the ground, all shapes, and sizes. There were also different weeds and plants that snaked upwards from the ground.

Omisha then noticed many shiny rocks that sparkled like the stars in the sky. She stopped, kneeling down to grab a small shiny rock. "What's this…?" She asked as she held it up to the sky, inspecting it.

The two elderly elves had stopped and turned to her, "Ah that? That is a mana stone." one of them said with a small smile.

Bringing the rock down and looking at them, she asked, "a mana stone?"

"a mana stone is a stone that holds mana that can give or strengthen the mana of the holder. It is most commonly built into swords. The small stones that litter this path only hold a small amount of mana, so they're not very useful."

"I see."

Putting down the stone, Omisha stood up and they continued to walk.

She kept on looking around amazed by the beauty of the forest. "I wonder if the Moondrop has something to do with this…?"

The path then opened up into a small clearing. The two elders stopped in the middle.

Omisha also froze, unsure of what was going on.

A minute passed before they turned around, facing her. Their expressions were serious as they held up a hand each.

"We suggest you duck right now," one of them spoke, their eyes on something behind her.

Her eyes widened as they chanted their spells. Their spells fired and she ducked, bracing herself by putting up her arms. She could feel the spells dart right over her head

Behind her, Omisha could hear several strangled screeches of pain. She slowly put her shaking arms down as she hesitantly turned around.

On the ground, were several pools of black liquid with smoke rising from them.

"W-what just happened…?" she asked slowly stepping back in shock.

"Did you not feel their presence, young lady?" one of the elders asked.

Omisha sharply turned to them with wide eyes, "N-no!"

"I see."

The other elder spoke up, "We noticed their presence and realized that they were following you. So we took you here to lure them out and it seems it worked." The other elder spoke.

Omisha gulped, her body still shaking out of fear, "I-I see…"

"Now, let us head back."

"...right."

They started walking back to the ceremony grounds and Omisha lagged behind. What do those shadows want…?

She sighed, "Why would shadows of all things want her dead? Or… is there a mastermind behind this?" Her eyes widened at the realization. She placed her hand on her chin as she thought.

Soon, they were back at the ceremony grounds. Ash noticed Omisha as she walked in.

He walked up to her, "Where were you?" He asked briskly, although that was overshadowed by the concern in his eyes.

"Oh...um some shadow monsters were following me or something…" she whispered.

Ash blinked in surprise, "What happened to them?"

Omisha gripped her shaking arm, looking down at the ground, "Some of the elders here dealt with them…'

"Oh…" After a few seconds, he randomly placed a hand on her head before ruffling her hair.

"H-hey!" She protested as she put her hands on her head and stepped back.

"...The attacks will stop soon, you're safe here…" he spoke, pulling his hand away and turned around, about to walk away.

She glanced at his turned back before gripping onto his sleeve, stopping him, "...You're not even sure, are you?"

He didn't answer.

Omisha sighed after a few seconds before letting go. She forced a smile, "I think the ceremony is going to start. Let's go."

Ash looked at her before nodding, following after her.

They walked to the center of the grounds and found the others near the edge of the crowd.

"What's going on?" Omisha asked.

"They're starting the ceremony." Tyler hissed, motioning for them to come over. They had saved them some seats and they watched from a distance.

The elders chanted a spell and a magic circle appeared on the stone altar. In a second, an elixir with a bright shining blue liquid materialized. The liquid seemed to shine like the moon.

They then started to chant again after a minute break. This time it seemed they were making a barrier of some sort. After some time, the elixir turned to stone.

Omisha looked in surprise, "Why would they turn it to stone?" She whispered.

Ash leaned in, "Extra precautions. Only certified elders can undo the spell."

"Oh,"

The ceremony dragged on for some time. The elders were setting up more protective spells.

The moondrip must be important for them to be using so many spells to protect it, Omisha observed.

After a long while, the ceremony finally concluded. It was about midnight by now,

After eating some food and talking, the group walked back to the dorms.

Omisha glanced at the ground, noticing the mana stones. She paused and knelt down, grabbing some of the stones.

She glanced at them, stuffing a few into her bag before quickly catching up with the others.

When they arrived at the apartment, they all said goodnight before going to their respective rooms.

Omisha changed out of her clothes and into pajamas before sitting at her desk. She glanced at the stones and placed them on her desk.

She thought for a second, "maybe I could make this into something…"

After a minute, nothing possible came into mind. With a sigh, she scooped up the stones and put them in a drawer.

She turned off the lights before getting comfortable under her blankets. Omisha soon drifted off into the realm of sleep.