"Alright here we are the Arcane Club booth," Leo exclaimed, his voice ringing with infectious enthusiasm.
The arcane booth was a symbol of the progressing expansion of magic. Magic circles of varying sizes floated around. Students demonstrated impressive control over mana while creating animals that reflected their elemental affinities.
"Thanks you two." Jaylen briefly thanked the twins before heading inside the booth to look for the person in question, unaware of the mysterious departure.
Scanning the inside of the booth, he found no one who matched the description of the person he had been told about. No one was seated over a strange device, and no one was saying anything unusual.
Wondering where he had gone Jaylen walked over to the close student to inquire. "Excuse me Senior"
"Huh, Oh, Yes Junior?" With a reluctant sigh, the Senior drew her gaze away from the intricate scroll that held her attention, pivoting to meet Jaylen's curious eyes.
"Um, do you know where that strange person who was just here went?"
"Oh, sorry. I just got here, so I don't know, but give me a second. I'll go get the someone who was." With a swift motion, the Senior darted deeper into the booth, clutching the scroll tightly in her grasp.
Not too long after, another student emerged from the back, her identity visible to anyone who glanced her way.
The brown locks of hair flowing gracefully down her back, paired with her amber-colored eyes that seemed to contain unknown arcane secrets. A tall stature that stood out amongst her female clubmates of similar age.
"Hey Jaylen, I heard you were here to inquire about something," She asked, her tone calm and measured.
Jaylen tilted his head slightly as he tried to phrase his question properly, "Yeah, I was wondering where that strange person who was just here went. Do you happen to know Kana?"
"Oh, that person... let me tell you…" Kana begins explaining the person's sudden appearance and disappearance.
***
"I See… So that's what happened" Jaylen answered absent-mindedly, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Yeah it was like having two of you in here, the way they walked, their mannerism, and just overall vibe was similar to you in almost every way."
The crease between Jaylen's brows deepened. His gaze became distant as he sank further into the maze of his thoughts, and words of thanks spilled from his lips without much consideration.
"Alright, thanks for telling me, Kana. I'll try an investigate this a bit more to–"
"What are you two talking about?" Brandon's voice cut in announcing his arrival.
As Jaylen shook off the remnants of his daydream, he turned to greet him. "Hey Brandon what's–"
With a sudden burst of energy, Kana interjected, her voice ringing out as she interrupted Jaylen. "Brandon!!"
In an instant that felt almost like a blur, Kana sprang forward and enveloped Brandon in a warm, tight embrace.
No one paid any mind to the shocking scene in front of them, maybe when it first happened but after the tenth time it lost any sense of meaning especially if you understood the two relation to one another.
Kana's Full name was Kana Astros, the illegitimate daughter of the family head and the older sister of Brandon. She is also known for her deep love for her siblings.
Jaylen let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head with a tired yet amused smile as if to say he had seen it all before.
'This is going to take a while' he thought. Raising his arm Jaylen decided to review his notes.
Or at least that was the case until Brandon, in a voice lacking warmth, said, "If you don't let me go, I will start to hate you."
Jaylen chuckled lightly at Brandon's empty threat, but Kana felt as if her perish song played, as all color drained from her face.
In just three short breaths, Kana released Brandon and swiftly moved back to her position next to Jaylen, faster than the eye could see.
"Good" Brandon nodded feeling the ability to move his limbs again.
"So now tell me, what were you two talking about?"
Jaylen and Kana begin to describe the man's mysterious appearance, detailing how Jaylen learned about him and the circumstances leading up to his disappearance.
***
"I think I understand and I have a suggestion." Brandon's hand rested gently by his chin as he mulled over his words
"Really? What is it?" Jaylen asked, his brow arched in disbelief and curiosity.
"Let's just leave it be and not investigate" Brandon replied without hesitation, his tone clearly indicating how little he cared.
"Huh!! What do you—" Jaylen's voice soared slightly, snapping back with a hint of irritation.
Without missing a beat, Brandon pressed on, "Calm down and start using your brain. How many things do you think we could successfully investigate right now? We already have our hands full with other things, think about how many things you yourself need to investigate"
Brandon was right. If he hadn't spoken up, Jaylen would have overlooked the numerous issues accumulating around him. First, there was Silvaria's death, followed by the challenges of leading his family.
And let's not forget the complicated matters concerning himself and the secrets that enveloped him. Stacking something else on top of that without considering the troubles of Brandon, Sarah, and Yuki, felt like more trouble than it was worth.
"Alright, We'll leave it be." He agreed without hesitation finding no reason to argue otherwise.
Brandon's eyes flickered with surprise before disappearing entirely. "Well, since that was easy, let's hope convincing the girls of our decision will be the same."
"Heh, Yeah good luck with that, Sarah will most definitely not agree." Jaylen rolled his eyes sarcastically in response.
"Who knows you might be in for a surprise, but we should seriously start heading over" Brandon retorted lightly, shrugging his shoulders as he walked forward.
With a slight bow of his head, Jaylen began to trail behind Brandon, the rhythm of their footsteps syncing for a moment. But then, a flicker of realization stopped him in his tracks.
Something important had just surfaced in his mind. As he pivoted on his heel, his eyes swept over the bustling crowd, searching intently for any glimpse of the twins, but they seemed to have vanished into the sea of faces.
'I guess they already left somewhere' He thought before his gaze landed on another student, when an idea popped into his head.
Walking over to the Student, Jaylen began talking to him before quietly telling him something. The student gritted his teeth in anger before thanking Jaylen and rushing off somewhere.
Walking back to Brandon each step he took seemed lighter than air, his smile twinkling with untold mischief.
"What'd you tell him for him to react like that" Brandon asked, a faint questioning smile tugged at the bottom of his lips as he spoke.
"Oh, nothing really, Just told him about someone disrespecting the honor of dragons," Jaylen said, his tone clipped yet deliberate, his gaze filled with malice.
"Haah, You're just as petty as always" Brandon let out a heavy sigh, as he shook his head slowly, disappointment etched across his face.
"Really? I think I've been pretty lenient" Jaylen scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.
"Haah, Whatever let's get a move on" Brandon grumbled with a resigned sigh.
'Onwards to the next destination V-Brawler Club' Jaylen yelled Dramatically in his mind, his mood ten times better than before.