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When the university’s clock tower struck twelve, Keigo silently walked into the secret passage. The flickering flame of his candle was barely enough to illuminate his path, but this wasn’t his first time. He had found and memorized all the secret passages of the university in his first year. This was the one he used the most, the one from the dormitories to the library.
When he reached the wall that blocked his way, he ran his hand over the damp stones, pushing the looser one than the others. When the wall creaked open, Keigo quickly walked into the library. After ten o’clock, the library doors would be locked until morning. Keigo had always found this ridiculous; The library was the most important place for students to stay up all night during exam weeks.
Maybe this had something to do with last week’s murder.
Okay, fine, he couldn’t exactly call it murder, the police weren’t making any statements, and the dean was continuing to smile as if nothing had happened.
That was why Keigo had to be as fast as possible.
The moonlight that fell through the windows reached to the shelves at the very back, as if guiding him through the starless night. All the windows were closed, but a light autumn breeze caressed Keigo’s cheek. The moon, the enemy of darkness, was trying to extinguish his candle’s light. As if the light it stole from the sun was not enough.
Dark floorboards creaked beneath his boots as he walked to the table he considered his own. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he had set his bag down on the table. With a sigh, he dropped himself onto the chair and carefully took out his thermos, unscrewing the lid. The strong smell hit him like a slap. He winced as he took a sip. He had never been one for black coffee; he was a sucker for smooth and definitely sweet. But tonight, he had to stay awake, just like he had been for the past week.
He put his thermos on the table and went back to taking out his things. A sketchbook that was about to fill up, two books with worn covers and yellowed pages, a small notebook, a fountain pen, a regular pen, an eraser and his laptop…
After he had everything ready, his eyes turned to the oil painting in front of him as he took another sip of his coffee. He glanced at his own sketchbook. The Greek statues that you could find in every corner of the campus covered the first pages. Then… Then he found the leather bound books on the list he was given and carefully drew the runes inside.
Secrets of Darkness.
The Wheel of Fate.
Through the Shadows.
The Fall of Angels and The Rise of Magic.
Eye of the Oracle.
Chronicles of Prophecy - Volume Eight.
The list had been left to him by his older sister, she had slipped it into his hand before disappearing.
“Ah, there you are,” said a deep, husky voice. The smell of cigarettes was already starting to surround him. Keigo was gripping his pen so tightly he nearly broke it. “I was starting to wonder where you were.”
“What do you want, Todoroki?” Keigo said, looking at the figure that had emerged from the shadows.
“As if you don’t know.”
Touya was dressed in all black, as usual. Dark jeans hugged his legs, his black boots shone like black pearls. His long coat’s tail was cut to resemble spider webs.
“Don’t get too excited, all the professors confirmed that we both have the same GPA down to the decimal point,” Keigo rolled his eyes. He reached for his thermos as Touya approached him with cat-like steps, but Touya had taken it from between his fingers in an instant and brought it to his lips.
“Black coffee?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you were a sweet tooth, birdie.” He took another sip. “But it tastes really good, it must be—”
“And I was wondering when the poor jokes would start,” Keigo spat. He needed to focus on the books in front of him, deciding what to do with the handwritten letter he had hidden under them, but now he was reaching his limit.
The Todorokis were a noble family known throughout the country. Todoroki Enji had played a major role in the establishment of this university. He had also been a professor here since it opened. Three of his four children were studying here. And everyone knew very well not to mess with them.
But Todoroki Touya couldn’t help but pick on him.
Takami Keigo was a ghost, a child that no one wanted, a brother who lost his only family in life.
“When did I ever tell you something like that?” Touya asked, his arms crossed over his chest, his voice harsh. “You know I don’t care one bit.”
“Is that so?” Keigo asked, leaning back. “Then why are you here?”
Keigo stared at him as sapphire eyes penetrated his soul. After what felt like an eternity, Touya turned his head and placed the thermos on the table. He ran his long fingers over the leather-bound books. It didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for.
“You got the letter.”
“Did you actually write that in your own handwriting?” Keigo asked with a grin.
Touya scrunched his face in disgust. “You know I’m not one of them, Takami.”
“I don’t know anything—”
“I got one too.”
When Keigo stood up, his chair fell to the ground. “What?!”
“I’m not sending you there alone,” Touya said, leaning on the table.
Keigo clenched his fists, his voice trembling as he spoke. “I didn’t ask you for this.”
A glint passed through those sapphire eyes that Keigo didn’t understand. “You didn’t have to.”
“Todoroki—”
“Cut the crap, Keigo!” He flinched when Touya slammed his hand on the table. “I know you care about the League.”
“You don’t know shit,” Keigo hissed.
Touya closed the distance between them in two steps. “Shut. Up.” Their faces were so close that Keigo was suffocating in the smell of his cigarette. “We all know you care about us!” A lump formed in Keigo’s throat as Touya’s burning eyes softened. “We all knew that you joined us to look for your sister. But after the murder, you suddenly started ignoring us—ignoring me.”
“Why do you care?” Keigo couldn’t hold back his laughter. “You see me as nothing but a rival.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t—”
“You what?!” Keigo throwed his hands in the air. “You don’t know me—you don’t know anything about me!”
“I would if you let me!”
The candle on the table flickered, their shadows danced on the books. The moon, seeing their secrets nakedly, hid itself behind dark clouds.
“Touya…” Keigo’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t ask for your help.”
Touya scoffed. “As if you would ever want anyone’s help.”
“I—”
“I don’t want you to disappear or die either,” Touya said quietly. “So no, I won’t let you enter the monster’s lair alone.”
Keigo straightened his chair and slumped over, he ran his shaking hands over in his tangled curls. “Fuck you.”
“Maybe later, pretty bird,” Touya said, sitting next to him and lit a new cigarette. “But right now, there’s a secret society we need to infiltrate.”
Worst of all, Touya was right.
The HPSC was the oldest secret society in the university. Every year, they would identify students who had connections to magic or were likely to wield magic and take them into their care. Keigo had heard that the student found in a pool of blood last week had strange patterns carved into her body. Like ancient rituals. Like old magic. He had to find out what was going on, even if it meant revealing his own secrets. He had to save his sister. Even if it meant exposing his identity, which he had been hiding for years.
“Listen to me Keigo, no matter what happens you can’t tell anyone that your father is a witch and your mother is a seer, understand? There will be many who have their eyes on your power because to them you are a ‘rare creature’.”
Because his sister had managed to save herself from the HPSC’s clutches. As Lady Nagant, she had broken her spirit by fulfilling the tasks given to her behind secret doors and escaped to protect his brother, but nothing could protect her. Kaina had disappeared a year ago and Keigo was sure that the HPSC had a hand in it. That was the reason he came to this university.
Touya took out his folded invitation letter from his pocket and placed it next to Keigo’s. Both were written in the same handwriting.
“Why the fuck did they call you Hawks?” he frowned.
“Because they are the ones who give their members names,” Keigo said, his eyes scanning the gold-embroidered envelope. “What name did they give you?”
“Like I’d let them pick,” Touya said, rolling his eyes. “I don’t need another nickname, pretty bird. Everyone knows me as Dabi.”
“Sure, hot stuff.” Keigo ran his hand through his hair. “This can’t be happening.” He glanced at Touya, already knowing deep down the answer to his question even as the words left his lips. “Will you go?”
Touya’s lips curled upwards. “Will you?”
“Only if you go,” Keigo said, unable to hold back his smile. He missed this—missed him.
“Baby, don’t you play with fire,” Touya whispered, his eyes flickering to Keigo’s lips for a moment. “You know what I’m planning.” Then their gazes locked. “I can ruin you.”
Just as Keigo was here to find his sister, Touya was here to accuse his father of murder. After all the years of suffering Todoroki Enji had inflicted on his family and the crimes he had committed had gone unpunished, Touya had decided to take his own justice. For that, they needed proof. They needed the HPSC.
Keigo reached out to him, took the cigarette from Touya’s lips and placed it on his own, smiling. “Ruin me for everybody else.”
Because if Touya was going to be the one to destroy him, Keigo wouldn’t mind sacrificing himself.