Books, dust, and three warriors cleaning old, filthy books.

Addai was the chosen warrior to clean the whole library at the Dark Mana Section alongside Ajal and Blanche, who offered help for those two unfortunate souls. However, what no one expected was that every single being in that war was allergic to dust, and even the mask they wore wasn’t enough.

So, Blanche grabbed the first person she saw in the corridors and dragged them inside to help them. The fourth unfortunate being was a clueless Aarush, who was passing by after gathering enough ingredients for upcoming potions classes. The calm and gentle Potions teacher, seeing the poor condition of the three teachers, wholeheartedly agreed to help them.

Aarush was, by all means, a saint on Earth. With a serene expression on his face and steady hands wiping the dust and cleaning everything he saw on the way, the Potions teacher was the help the trio needed the most. With that, they could better focus on tricky books while Aarush took care of the dust.

After finishing a pile of Imps Language Book, Blanche scanned the room. Addai was calmly shushing a book called ‘Supernatural Beings Vol. 01 – Banshee’ while his eyes glowed crimson and a dark grin crossed his face. Nope, Addai definitely didn’t need help. So, Blanche looked around again and saw Aarush humming a soft tune while cleaning the dustier books from all the libraries. Nope, Aarush also didn’t need help despite his brown hair also turning dusty. How about-

“AH!” Ajal screeched, his fur standing after he jumped two meters away from an Old Grimoire.

There was the one who needed Blanche’s help…

… not that she wanted to help her brother, though.

“Be careful, it bites,” Blanche materialized in front of Ajal.

Her ivory Foxian ears were out while she intensely looked at the book on the floor, which made sure to look innocent. The ivory Foxian took a careful step forward, and the book twitched, and so did her ears. Her brother on the rear was as agonized as Aarush, who looked at the ruckus with preoccupation.

These books were known for their difficulty, not only due to their complex and challenging language but also because the book itself wasn’t of much help due to its fussiness. But there was a trick to making it quiet.

When the book twitched twice, Blanche stepped on it, and the book whined. She then huffed and poked its “mouth” with a freezing finger. That touch made the book hibernate again, and she gladly gave it back to her startled brother.

“Here, now you can clean it up and register it in the system,” Blanche informed, her upright ears slowly dropping until it mingled with her hair. If it wasn’t for her Foxian ears to have a blueish tip, there was no way someone could tell they were showing.

“Mrs. Blanche is sure skillful,” Aarush nodded with his usual serene smile.

Blanche’s pale face got a faint blush, and she reciprocated the smile. “That’s nothing.”

“Right? My sister is awesome,” Ajal posed proudly, leaving the fussy book – now seized – where it belonged.

“Mr. Ajal is as energetic as always,” Aarush acknowledged with a faint laugh. “And what’s going in Mr. Addai’s world now? He’s way too quiet…” he looked at Addai, who was caught off guard at the sudden call.

Addai turned to the group, and his once crimson eyes weren’t there longer, only the usual heterochromatic hues and the classic frown on his face.

“Can’t a man work in silence?” Addai grumbled, looking back to the books.

Aarush chuckled and nodded. “Of course, of course… but it would be a waste if this man didn’t interact with his colleagues every once in a while… we don’t bite,” he grinned.

Addai grumbled once more and approached the group like a grumpy kid. Aarush chuckled at him and offered a clean spot for him to take a seat on the floor like he did to Blanche and Ajal. The Dark Mana teacher couldn't refuse such kindness, so he sat down where he was offered and looked at the serene Potions teacher.

Their conversation flowed so well that Addai found it strange. He rarely heard anything about the mysterious and calm teacher; not even during his classes did his students gossip about the Potions Teacher. The most he had heard about Aarush was from Mine, who often mentioned how close his friend's anniversary was, even though it was actually still quite a while away. Despite this, Aarush remained just an unknown colleague to him; he was aware of his existence but nothing more.

There was something behind his kindness that bled, but his temperament always told that his scars were far healed…

… contrary to Addai’s.

Ajal, who rushed his way to grab a pile of falling books, came back with a single book in his hands. It was huge and dark-covered, screaming elegance and miasma. Addai couldn’t stop his eyes from looking at it, and when he read the title, his pupils sharpened.

‘High-Class Demons vol. 5 - Lilith’

The fellow Foxian was oblivious to Addai’s intense gaze. Ajal just sat beside Blanche and continued talking to Aarush, who, contrary to Ajal, noticed Addai’s tense behavior. The Potions teacher cleared his throat, taking Addai’s attention.

“If you’re tired, let’s call it a day?” Aarush offered.

Addai looked at him. His eyes, once sharp, slowly softened, and his tense shoulders relaxed. He nodded negatively and looked at his own hands, not saying a thing or mumbling. Aarush patted Addai on the arm. His hand was warm, and his touch was gentle. With a nod, the Potions teacher smiled. “Okay then. If you get tired, don’t hesitate to tell us.”

“… Hm,” Addai nodded again.

“Well, if you aren’t tired Addai, I am,” Ajal stretched, yawning afterward. “I’ll call it a day then,” he scratched his head.

“So am I,” Blanche agreed.

“So, let’s all call it a day,” Aarush chuckled. “Tomorrow I’ll come back to help you guys, and I’ll take one more person too,” he smiled, and both Blanche and Ajal’s Foxian ears twitched out of curiosity.

“Then, I’ll close the room,” Addai took the room’s keys from his pocket and rubbed his nose with the other hand. Well, arriving home he’d surely have to take antiallergics.

With everything left behind, the group dusted their clothing outside the room while Addai locked it. When he turned the keys, he noticed that the teacher’s room felt unusually eerie. However, he didn't pay much attention to it since there was always something strange happening there. With the books in disarray, he figured a poltergeist might be at play.

Nothing out of normality.

With that in mind, Addai finished locking the room and followed his fellow colleagues.

After ten minutes, a shadow formed right in front of the teachers’ common room and slid under the door. The moment it entered the room, the door also vanished, and an ominous trace spread across the corridors like a disease.