2 months later:

"This is it... today is the beginning of the Branching Exams. My stomach hurts." Diana drops her forehead on the wall across from her as water from the showerhead runs down her back. She is more than ready for the exam, but that doesn't mean she isn't nervous about how things will go. She had been so busy with studying, she hasn't met up with her friends in the two months that have passed.

The training they've gone through has been excellent. There are less students as those in Acacia Pycnantha and Acacia Mearnsii are spending more time outside of The Wall, doing patrols as well as learning with experienced soldiers. There are expeditions around The Wall to check for any attacks as they try to keep up their exports and imports.

Protests have also started to become more frequent both inside and outside as entrance and exits to Artemia have become stricter. Passage is not easily accepted to new arrivals. At best if someone has been coming to Artemia for the last five years or more with no issues has a better chance of entering than others. Things shifted so much and tensions have not improved.

Diana finishes getting ready in front of the mirror, sighing heavily. She gathers her bag and goes to the door right next to the mirror. She looks around at her dorm before stepping out. The door next to her opens at the same time.

Lori steps out and seems surprised to see Diana. Diana smiles over at her and waves. "Hey, Lori!"

"Hey, Diana!" Lori gets it together and returns the smile and wave. Diana's smile slowly drops, making Lori look at her curiously. Diana looks away and her gaze seems to dull. Lori is not just a person who greets you with a simple smile and wave.

"Um... I'm sorry." Diana mutters before going on ahead. Lori is surprised at the sudden change.

"Diana, are you..." Diana speeds up and rushes down the steps. Lori watches her go and then thinks about her own behavior. She didn't act like her usual self. She tried to talk with Chelsea, but Mary's words have gotten to her. She too has seen how close Diana and Crowley have gotten which makes her jealous. She's tried to get close to him as well, but their conversations are brief when she does get that chance.

"What am I doing? I should believe in Diana. My gosh... she can tell I'm being weird. I hurt her. I really hurt her. I don't want to be like Mary and let my feelings for a guy get in the way of knowing a genuinely good person." Lori feels tears well up. She squeezes her eyes shut as she squats down, hugging her knees.

Diana sniffles and keeps blinking and wiping away stray tears. She clenches her jaw and is becoming frustrated as she's unable to shut off her emotions. Especially right now when all her focus has to be on the Branching Exams. Every time she tries to go back to it, her mind wanders back to her interaction with Lori.

"Stop it, Diana! You know this has always been a common trend in your past attempts at friendships. Eventually you're shut out. Because I did something offensive and the worst part... I don't know what that is." Diana mentally berates herself as she wipes her eyes again.

"DIIIIAAAANNNNAAAAA!!!" The crowd gasps or yells out as a loud voice comes over everyone. The blackette is startled and looks back. She grunts and falls back onto a grassy patch as she's tacked by a red bullet named Lori.

"Ow... what are you doing?!" Lori is hugging her tightly around the waist and her cheek rests on her chest. Diana rubs the back of her head as she props herself up by one of her elbows. She hears sniffling and calms down, hearing Lori whimper.

"Don't be sorry... I'm the one that is sorry. Mary's words just got into my head and I festered in it while not seeing you. But I can't hate you, because you're my friend! I love my friends!" Lori yells out. Some of the audience dissipates as they realize it is not a fight. Diana looks down at Lori, not wanting to assume what awoke those feelings within her.

"What do you mean?" Diana says quietly. Lori looks up at her with tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. She sniffles as she tries to say things properly.

"I'm sorry, Diana. I see what Mary's jealousy is doing to her and I was falling into that same place. If you like Crowley then-"

"Ew, gross." Diana clamps her mouth shut as the response comes out automatically. Lori blinks in confusion, she did not expect such a visceral reaction. "Sorry... I mean, there's no way I could ever see Crowley in a romantic sense." Diana assures Lori once again.

"But then he must- mph!" Diana squishes her cheeks and looks into her teary green eyes. Diana takes a breath.

"I'm going to tell you something, but you can't tell anyone." Lori nods as Diana keeps her hands on her face. "Neither Crowley nor I will ever see each other in a romantic sense. Lori, he's my biological brother."

"WHAAAAT?!" Diana pulls back and shields her ears too late as Lori yells out in shock. The last batch of people look on confused at the two women straddling each other. Diana clears her throat and moves Lori off of her before the two of them stand up. "Wait, do you really mean that?! Do you mean it?!"

"I'm serious, but you really can't say anything. Crowley doesn't know that I know. It's a long story." Diana says with a soft smile. Lori is trying to process the news, but then hugs her. Both relieved and happy for her.

"You have such a hot and cool brother." Lori compliments. Diana giggles at that, she can agree that he's cool. She feels proud that so many people look up to her brother. The fact that she can say to someone he is her brother makes her so happy. Her only wish is to be able to tell Crowley, but he said she has to remember her true name. That still does not make any sense to her. As much sense as the strange humanoid woman with gray skin and sharp black horns she has had visions of.

Diana looks up towards the clock tower. "Oh gosh! I'm gonna be late for the Branching Exams!" Diana panics. Lori's mouth becomes a surprised O as she also remembers that today is the day.

"I got you, Diana!" Lori grabs her hand, summons her wand and holds it up. Diana's eyes widen as she realizes what is about to happen.

"Lori, waaaaaai-" Diana screams as Lori takes to the skies. However she is not flying, but letting the wind push the two of them. Which feels like a wall as she gets them towards the library. "Lori, stop!" The two of them are heading right for the building.

"Winds stop!" Lori yells out. They do, but now the two of them are falling from the sky. Diana puts her hand out to slow down their fall and have the two of them float down like feathers. Diana flips over on her feet. Lori is in a position ready to be caught in someone's arms. Diana sees Crowley on the way down and releases her magic.

"Catch her!" She yells out at him. Crowley holds up his arms as Lori falls into them. She grunts and closes her eyes for a moment, thinking she was going to land on the ground. She opens one eye and then looks at who caught her. She becomes bright red as she looks into Crowley's light blue eyes. In her lovestruck moment, she hasn't processed that his eyes are different. "Nice catch! Gotta go!" Diana waves as she runs up the stairs.

"Diana!" She stops at the door and looks back as Dean runs up to the library. "Good luck! You got this! Chelsea wishes you luck too!" He yells out as he reaches the bottom of the stops. Diana waves at Dean, smiling at him as she goes in. The door closing behind her.

Dean smiles, relieved that he made it in time to wish Diana luck. Chelsea is out of breath as she catches up to Dean. "Sorry, you just missed her. But I told her you wished her luck too." Dean says to her. Chelsea gives him a breathless thanks.

"Damn." Crowley quietly curses as he missed his chance to wish Diana luck. Lori looks up at his handsome profile.

"She... she knows that you're wishing her luck. You being here is enough." Lori speaks up to him. Crowley looks back at Lori, realizing he's still holding her. He sets her down. "Thanks for catching me."

"Work on those flight skills, Freckles." He lightly flicks her forehead. She flinches a bit and touches her forehead once Crowley also makes his way into the library building.

Lori squeals and hugs herself. Chelsea and Dean look back at her and let her have that moment to calm down. "Looks like Mary came over early, so we couldn't wish her luck in person." Chelsea brings up. Dean nods, also disappointed he couldn't wish Mary luck on her exams.

"Well, I guess we just go to our training and leave the two of them to it. There's not much else we can do." The pair nods at each other and then goes over towards Lori as she happily continues to squeal to herself.

"Let's go, Lori. I'm glad you look like yourself again." Chelsea says with a smile. The last time they spoke, Lori had been close to behaving like Mary.

"I talked to Diana properly. She helped ease my concerns." Lori calms down to let her know. Chelsea is relieved that they were able to talk and be normal friends. However, Diana was not aware that Lori had issues with her as her time was spent between intense training and studying for the Branching Exams. She also recalls that she had to set aside time to fix up the second floor of the girls' dorm. The situation of how that happened is still unclear.

"Thank goodness, I was worried for a while there. I'm glad you two are okay now." Dean smiles as he pats down stray curls popping out of Lori's head. She nods eagerly, feeling the same.

"Oh! Adonis!" Dean waves as he catches sight of his classmate. Chelsea and Lori watch him try to physically shrink down as he tries to keep going towards the Salix building. "I'll catch you two later! We need to get to training!" He waves at the two young women and runs after a speed walking Adonis.

"Poor guy." Chelsea laughs lightly as she pulls Lori along towards their buildings.

"Dean is just excited! It's his first guy friend." Lori says happily. Chelsea is equally happy to see that Dean's friend circle is finally growing.

                                                                                           ~0~

Diana walks into the designated test room. The room is filled to the brim. The only spot open is a seat next to Mary. Mary notices as well, thinking Diana had decided not to come as she knows that Diana is a chronically early person.

Of course Diana does try to search for a different spot as she walks in. People glance at her as she makes her way over towards Mary. There are no other options, so Diana quietly sits down next to Mary. She wonders if she should be the bigger person to greet her or politely ignore each other. Mary doesn't seem to want to say anything to Diana.

"I forgot she was taking the Branching Exams too..." Diana keeps her cringing from showing on her face. She brings out her pens and pencils and plays with them to keep herself from looking at anything but that.

Mary glances briefly at Diana, feeling a competitive edge coming up. She knows she can't fail the exams as Serena promised to help her. Mary will be in the Salix Branch with Dean. If Diana also makes it in, she will make sure they won't become closer. She will make Dean love her romantically.

The chattering stops as the door opposite of the entrance opens. All eyes go to the door as Caroline Acacia steps in. Some soft murmurs pass through students as they watch the elegant woman make her way towards the front of the room. Diana's gaze is focused on her belly, trying to see any baby bump even though it's only been two months. Her suit jacket makes it impossible to see anything.

Her focus is disrupted as the chatter increases and becomes surprised. She looks back to the door as Nichole, Vincent, Sean, and Crowley also walk in. Diana's eyes widen as she finally gets to see the Five Elite all together in person.

"Silence." Caroline orders, which ends the chattering. All eyes are on Caroline as she scans the faces of the students present. "Welcome to the Branching Exams. Normally things are not like this, but these are not normal times. We need the best in what is to come and these exams will help weed out the strong from the average. Not only that, present here are professors that shall also serve as proctors to ensure no cheating is possible."

Anyone who had planned to cheat was going to find it nearly impossible under all these powerful people in one room. Mary gulps and feels her scalp itch with developing sweat beads. She clenches her hands under the table, tugging on the wristband she uses to hide the butterfly mark left behind by Serena.

"Alright, our exams will begin with Tyr written portion. This is only ten percent of your grade. We will explain the stages as we come to them. However, I do have one question... who would like to leave?" Students whisper in shock as Caroline asks them such a question without any real context.

Mary and Diana look around at the other students. Some sound like they may be considering leaving. Caroline puts a sand clock on the desk next to her. Diana looks at the falling sand to keep her focus on something else.

Mary decides to stay and do her best. She did study hard on her own and with her friends, so it's not like she is leaning entirely on Serena's influence. The first person walks down the aisles and bows their head to the professors before heading out. This causes a chain reaction and the once filled room nearly empties out. There are only fifty students remaining of the eighty.

The sand falls all the way to the bottom, yet Diana doesn't see any of it piled on itself, and Caroline grabs it. Diana's danger signals seem to suddenly flare up as she watches her do this.

Diana gets up and presses against the wall of the room. Other students look at her confused. Some do follow her lead as they too sensed something. Some people scream as the sand falls all over them and makes them slump over on their desks.

"Very good, this bunch reduced our numbers to strong students. Some were quick to detect danger and others," Mary stands up as she holds a barrier over herself as she steps away from the sand. "Know how to protect themselves from danger with little detection." Caroline nods approvingly and uses her wand to bring the sand back into the container.

"You pass the first test. Go to the next room to proceed with your written exam." Everyone that remains is caught off guard by what just happened. Now suddenly they feel all their studying for a written test seem wasted. Especially since it only counts for a tiny amount of their grade. No one mentioned that the Branching Exams would be this intense so soon. The professors greatly reduced their numbers.

Mary is the first one to go through the door. Everyone else follows suit as they enter an exact copy of the meeting room they were in just now. However, there are dividers to keep people from cheating as easily. Everyone finds a seat and look at the exams before them.

"As of this moment once the exam starts we will be monitoring you all to ensure things are fair. Anyone caught will immediately fail the exam." Sean speaks up, now at the front of the class. The young adults there look on at the youngest member of the Five Elite.

"You will all have four hours to complete your exam. Then part two of the exam will resume tomorrow at the same time." Sean informs everyone. He looks at the clock on the wall, watching the time. "Begin!"

Everyone lowers their heads and begin to fill out their tests. Diana stares at her test and glances up to look at the professors. She meets eyes with Crowley and he smiles briefly to encourage her. She lowers her gaze back on her exam and writes.

"I have to pass. For the sake of my brother who doesn't have to do reckless things alone anymore." Diana thinks to herself. Determination fills her as she goes back over the information that she studied for two long months. She plans to pass with high scores.

During the exams, Sean calls out for short breaks so the students can go to the bathroom or rehydrate. They are being watched closely to ensure nothing gets done that could be considered cheating. Everyone avoids speaking to each other as they are out for themselves during these written exams. No one wants to fail as a majority of the group has been taken out.

The same pattern goes on for the remainder of the exam. No one gets thrown out for cheating. Everyone follows the rules carefully as members of the Five Elite walk up and down the aisles between the desks.

"Time is up." Sean waves his wand and all pencils and pens disappear from everyone's hands so there is no finishing any final touches. Anyone who didn't finish completely was done. They mutter in disbelief or frustration as they lose their writing materials.

Diana's cheek is pressed on top of her hand that rests on the desk. She watched the pencil she was twirling disappear from her hand. She puts her hand down and sits up. The dividers sink down to the sides of the desks so everyone can properly see each other again. The exams are collected with levitation magic by Sean and neatly piled beside him.

"As Professor Acacia mentioned, tomorrow is another day of exams at the same time. We will be meeting at the training stadium this time. Be sure you have your wands and I suggest you bring your workout clothes. No school uniforms." Sean advices everyone as everything gets collected and the room put back in order. "You're all dismissed."

The students all rise, put their right hands over their hearts and bow their heads. "Thank you, Professors." The students start to file out of the room. Some people leave right away and others gather with their friends to talk about their experiences and what they felt with this odd day.

Diana and Mary are the last ones to walk out and look towards each other. Diana gulps and looks at her. "How did it go?" She brings herself to ask. Mary looks at her in disbelief. Diana knows it's awkward to ask, and it was Mary that decided to fight her that time. Diana still thinks she has to try and get some sort of peace with Mary for the sake of Dean, Lori, and Chelsea.

"Fine, it was easy." Mary gloats, even if she felt like she struggled to find the creative answers she wanted during the essay portions of the exam..

"That's good. You must have studied hard. Good luck." Diana nods her head at her. Thinking that this conversation is plenty and she is ready to end the conversation.

"Sure." Mary doesn't say much else, also wanting to end the conversation.

"Diana." The two young women look away from each other as Crowley comes over. Diana smiles up at him. Mary frowns, looking at their interaction as she backs away. She knows that Lori finding out about this would make her unhappy. Mary hopes that this will convince Lori that Diana is just a man stealer. She walks away.

"Hi, Crowley. How's it going? It's been a busy couple months so I haven't gotten the chance to talk with you." Diana mentions with an apologetic tone.

"Don't worry about it. I was surprised you decided to do this. What changed your mind? You do realize what it means if you show your true potential to everyone?" Crowley looks at her concerned. Diana smiles and nods her head as she plays with the hem of her jacket.

"I know... I have to do this. I'm convinced now, so... I'll do my best." Diana assures Crowley, while also trying to keep the secret of her knowing about their relationship. Crowley is still worried but nods.

"Alright, if that's what you want to do. Good luck, you can do this. Always trust your gut instincts." Crowley reaches out and gently puts a hand to the top of her head. Diana nods, appreciating Crowley's support.

"Thanks. I'll see you later then, I'm sure you're busy still." Diana looks at him with a bit of pity. Crowley sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Unfortunately. Anyway-"

"Crowley!" Diana and Crowley look back as Sean rushes over to them. The pair notice the other members of the Five Elite talking to each other in shock. Vincent is the first to rush out of the building. "Lord Charon Matthews has woken up from his coma."

~0~

"Nefertari, Nefertiti, how did it go?" Ilyas questions the twin mummies as they work their magic into a bowl. The two women turn to the mummy pharaoh and bow their heads to him.

"Very well, my Pharaoh. The spirits have been placed in their proper locations and shall start the move to face the wielder of the Holy Sword, Diana Green." The twins allow their bandages to come undone and expose their dried maroon colored flesh. The bandages hover and form their mirror portal to show them the location of Diana. They have not lost sight of her since finding out her routine and always keep a distant spirit nearby.

"That is perfect. Now... is the water ready?" Ilyas questions the twins. They retract their bandages and move back to welcome Ilyas into the body of water they poured magic and herbs into.

"Come in, the water is ready to project your spirit to the dead body." They both mention. Ilyas removes his robe and walks into the deliciously smelling water. He walks in waist deep before he lies back and allows himself to sink to the bottom of the water. The twins clasp their hands together and begin to pray in their ancient mummy language.

Ilyas feels his spirit leave his body and through a tunnel of spirit worlds he travels as he makes his way towards a hospital. He hovers over the scene as doctors attempt to resuscitate the old man before him. He watches his soul leave his body in an orb of light. He grabs it and holds it in his hand.

"That is unwise, Ilyas Ithamar. This spirit must be returned into his home of origin. This human soul must be protected." Ilyas looks over to a jackal-headed man, who had also appeared next to him. Ilyas holds the soul in his palm.

"Fear not, God. I will keep this soul safe as I have those who have not given themselves to me. That was the deal I made with you after all. I shall return this soul to you when I am finished with him." Ilyas looks at the jackal-headed god that looks on at him. They don't put much of a fight at Ilyas's words. They tap their staff on the ground and disappear.

Ilyas smirks and swallows up the soul to gain access to all of his memories. He begins to glow and fades away.

"We have a pulse!" The doctor calls out as they watch the monitor slowly come back to life.

"He's opening his eyes! Lord Charon Matthews is awake!" Someone else calls out as they watch him slowly blink awake. Everyone rushes to make sure he's stabilized and is actually waking up. They watch in real time as he seems to be recovering in a miraculous way.

"That's enough. I'm awake." Charon's raspy voice comes out as he pulls off the oxygen mask. The doctors insist on making sure he's well and performing some tests before they take him back to a recovery room.

"Excuse me, Lady Matthews. Wonderful news! Lord Charon Matthews has awoken from his coma!" Charon's wife and daughters all happily embrace as they go through the emotions of shock and joy at the news. The doctor informs them their process and when they can visit him.

"Isabella, call your Uncle Vincent and tell him his brother woke up!" Her mother exclaims. Isabella smiles and nods as she wipes at her tears to call Vincent and tell him the news of Charon's miraculous recovery.

Vincent arrives an hour later. He meets with his niece that waits for him to take him to the room they have put Charon in. He hugs his niece before following her in.

"Charon..." Vincent looks surprised at his brother as he sits on the bed, reading a book. He closes the book and nods in a greeting.

"Uncle Vince, he woke up about an hour ago and look at him. He's so healthy." Isabella says with a smile the two younger women that were in there also hug their Uncle happily. Vince hugs his other two nieces back and keeps staring at Charon. He smiles at his younger brother to reassure him that he is feeling much better.

"My dear, Isabella, Isadora, Iseline, could you all give me a moment with Vincent?" Charon asks of his wife and daughters. They all agree and step out to give the two men some privacy. Vincent sees off the four of them before closing the door behind them. Vincent straightens out and walks over to sit besides Charon.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Charon." Vincent says with a small smile.

"Now, I wasn't dead for long. It's good to be up now. My wife told me that I'd been out of it for a few months after suffering a severe attack. Did you find out who it was?" Charon sits up on his bed to look at Vincent properly.

"We did. It was the owner of the remaining goblin and ghoul safehouse. Unfortunately they fled before we could arrest them. We found tunnels around Artemia that lead to the goblin city. However, they had all been demolished about halfway through, so there is no getting in to Artemia any longer from those tunnels. We finished demolishing them the rest of the way these last few months." Vincent updates Charon on the things that they discovered.

"What of Caroline Acacia?"

"She was rescued from the goblin city by Crowley, Dean Acacia, Officer Kiara Pancheri, and Diana Green. However, upon returning she did not go back to her duties. She left Chandler Acacia as her stand in as one of the leaders of Artemia. Now that you're back, are you going to take your position back from Crowley?" Vincent wonders. Charon goes quiet and becomes lost in thought. "Charon?"

"It's time for the Branching Exams at Acacia Academy, isn't it?" Charon changes the subject, confusing Vincent. He stares at his elder brother as he nods cautiously. "Crowley can keep his position. It would be too soon to get back to work anyway. I would like to observe the exams. It's been a little over five years since I've seen them."

"I guess that's not wrong. Charon, are you sure you're alright?" Vincent tries to find anything different about his brother. He looks like himself, albeit a bit cold. He noticed it when he didn't use the nicknames for his daughters. Vincent wonders if they need to check his brain for any damages from his attack, his coma, or nearly dying.

"I'm alright. I just need something I'm familiar with is all." Charon assures Vincent. Vincent sighs and relents.

"Fine, the first part of the exams is done. Next up is the more fun parts. So, I suppose you woke up at a great time." Charon nods approvingly. He smiles more so to himself than to Vincent. Vincent feels like Charon is looking forward to something.

"I can't wait." Is his only reply. Vincent stares on at his brother. He is relieved he is well, but he can't shake off the feeling that something is wrong with him.

"Vincent, I'm alright. You look concerned, but I've made it past something like this at my age. I think that would change any sane man." Charon explains to him. Vincent does his best to relax and nods.

"You're right. Anyway, I won't bother you too much. You need your rest. I'm glad you're alright. I'm going to go take the ladies home so they can also rest and see you tomorrow." Charon nods and the two brothers shake hands before Vincent heads out. He closes the door behind and slowly walks down the hall.

"Something is off... After what happened... he's just better? Scientifically that shouldn't be possible. Something else must be happening. There's only one person I can turn to. The question is whether he will talk to me. Only one way to find out." Vincent pulls out his phone and then stops. He knows this is not an effective form of communication, so he decides to leave to go search for the man that he needs.

                                                                                ~0~

"Hey, you made it out!" Dean waves over at Diana as she is the last one to walk out of the library. Diana looks at her friends that are gathered together. Mary looks over as well. She just finished telling the group that Diana stayed back to flirt with Crowley. However no one believed her or didn't see it that way. Especially Dean and Lori that also know the truth.

"Lord Charon Matthews woke up..." Diana informs the group as she too is still processing the information. They too are stunned to hear this.

"That's great! So, I guess that means Crowley is going to be free from leadership duties... or my dad." Dean mentions as he thinks about what it means for Charon Matthews to be well again.

"Who knows? I mean Lord Matthews was the one that appointed Professor Crowley to the position of leader. He would probably need a lot of recovery time after being out for a long time." Chelsea adds in to the conversation.

"That's true. Oh! Diana, how did your exams go? Mary says she can't tell us much, but she said it went well." Dean changes the subject.

"Yeah, it was fine. Though, a lot of people got eliminated during the first part of the test. It was crazy to see. Tomorrow is another day, and I don't know what to expect." Diana realizes she doesn't know what to expect. She wonders why they were made to study so long for an exam that isn't going to be worth much of their grade by the end of it.

"That's crazy! But hey I'm glad you both made it through it!" Lori cheers on her two friends. Mary looks at Lori in disbelief. She suddenly seems alright with Diana unlike how she was a couple months back. She can only assume that they made up.

"It was... this is going to be a weird time for a bit. I'm surprised that the Five Elite are helping with this exam in particular. Aren't there any others?" Diana wonders to herself. The group look at each other as she spoke aloud. Mary had truthfully wondered the same thing. Then again no one is privy to what happens at the exams as it seems to change periodically.

"Chelsea, is everyone taking the exams at the same time?" Dean questions her. Chelsea looks at the pensive young woman.

"I mean, yes. You would think they would keep an eye on Acacia Pycnantha for strong students as they have more training than us in Vachellia Nilotica. Maybe they want younger people? Or there's way more talented students in Vachellia Nilotica this time around. However... this group is also the largest of our population." Chelsea puts her thumb and forefinger to her chin, a frown appearing on her face.

"You would think they would protect us a bit more as well since we're also the age to... you know..." Diana had started off seriously but is now blushing. "Um... start having babies..."

Lori squeals and hugs Diana. "You're so cute!" Diana sighs and fans her flushed face. They look over towards Dean who is staring wide eyed with a blush on his own cheeks.

"Don't tell me you just realized that, Dean? Don't worry you've got a long time to decide on fatherhood." Chelsea teases the blond. Mary looks at him and smiles to herself.

"Um, yeah let's not think about that for now. Let's get some lunch before the last half of training starts up. We have an hour and a half. Do you think we have time to go to Welker's?" Dean mentions to change the mood.

"Yeah, I'll let mom know we're on our way then." Mary grabs her phone to send her a text just in case the restaurant is busy. The group make their way out towards the academy gates.

"There's more closed businesses. This was my favorite fae cafe." Chelsea says as she sees a for sale sign on the empty building. It makes her sad to see such a sight.

"It doesn't help that a lot of monsters can't come into Artemia as easily anymore. This sucks. I had hoped things would get better." Dean sighs as he glances at the empty building. Diana frowns a bit and looks ahead.

"I mean I don't know how much Crowley can help with Granny and your dad. They probably don't let him put much input because of how he's always been." Lori comments. Diana nods to herself. She is sure that Crowley can only do so much without approval from Imogen and Chandler. "Ah, speaking of the old lady." Lori sighs as her phone goes off and she sees her grandmother's name pop up.

The group stops walking as Lori takes the call. "Hi, Granny. What's up?"

"Lorisandre," Lori rolls her eyes. "I'm calling to remind you that your dress has arrived for the gathering this evening. Don't forget to come pick it up at my place." She reminds the young woman. Lori frowns in confusion.

"Uh... why are you telling me this? Usually you just have one of your maids call me." Lori mentions suspiciously.

"I have important things to discuss with you when you arrive. So, I should just tell you myself to avoid having you decline my offer." Imogen mentions as she brings up past behaviors from Lori.

"Yes, Granny. I'll stop by after school. Love you, bye." Lori hangs up and puts her phone away. She grunts and hugs Chelsea's arm.

"Is she making demands again?" Chelsea reaches over to pat down her messy hair. She nods as she rests her cheek on Chelsea's arm.

"Um, I've been wondering... you don't really get along with your grandmother, huh?" Diana wonders as she looks over at Lori. Lori makes a huge of approval as she keeps her cheek on Chelsea's arm.

"She's so strict and cold. She's always been this way according to my parents. She's nothing like her parents that helped establish Artemia. She's the total opposite and I don't know why. Especially considering our long family legend." Lori mumbles without thinking. Diana frowns in confusion. She looks to the others who don't seem surprised. She's sure they know this family legend.

"Family legend?" Diana really wants to know what kind of legend this could be.

"I'm going to be honest with you... I don't buy it myself cause it's never been proven in modern days. But the Dragul family has apparently been linked to dragons of eons ago. A great fire phoenix dragon or whatever. It's unclear whether we are literally decended from this dragon or have been blessed by this dragon. I know if it were true Granny would have a fit if we were actually related to monsters. But as you can see we're ordinary humans." Lori explains with no cheer in her voice. Which is unusual for Diana. She didn't think anything deflated the red head until hearing her speak to her grandmother.

"That would be pretty cool though. No humans have seen a dragon in eons. Yet there's proof they existed at one point. Unless I'm overstepping and it's not cool." Diana mentions, trying to be cautious to not upset Lori.

"That would be cool. But I'm sure the legend was made up to make us look cooler than we actually are. Its a human thing to do to stand out." Lori perks up and pulls Diana over to hug her arm as well. She keeps in between Diana and Chelsea.

"I mean we kinda gained the ability to do so when we could start using magic. I just can't imagine the times when humans couldn't use magic." Dean adds in as he walks behind the three ladies. Mary follows next to him as she listens to him with interest.

"I mean that time is so far far away. It's believed our reduced numbers allowed a new era of humanity to come about. Year one of magic as they called it." Chelsea brings up her magic history lessons that she is very invested in. Diana looks over at the taller young woman and smiles.

"You really like history, huh?" Chelsea looks over at Diana and then looks ahead with an embarrassed expression.  "You'd be an amazing teacher I bet."

"I would like that. I'm happy you can see it." Chelsea smiles looking at her relieved. Dean smiles, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. "I didn't think of where to do it, but I'd enjoy being a teacher in the elementary schools where humans and monsters all go together. Did you ever go to a mixed school, Diana?"

"No, not really. I was learning at the orphanage up until I turned thirteen and was enrolled into Acacia Academy." Diana shrugs, not really having put much thought on her schooling as she would never interact with other kids from the orphanage.

The group reaches the restaurant. They enter and look around the slightly busy restaurant. Flora waves over Mary and her friends. She waves back at her mother in acknowledgement and they begin to walk over to the table and food that she left prepared for the group.

"Welcome! It's good to see you all, have a seat. It's been a while since I've seen you. I was worried you hadn't liked my cooking. Diana, right?" Flora questions the young woman. Diana blushes a bit and smiles apologetically to the older woman.

"I'm sorry, it's been pretty hectic. But I did really love the food. It was delicious, I just haven't found a time to come back. Until today that is." Diana apologizes. Flora laughs and shakes her head.

"I'm just kidding. Though, I'm glad to see you here again. You kids enjoy the food before heading back to the academy." Flora sets some drinks down in front of everyone. 

"Thanks, so much." Everyone thanks her. Diana loses herself in the food as the others greet Flora and chat briefly with her as they eat. Eventually Flora leaves them to eat and chat peacefully.

"Hey, Lori, what did your grandma call you about anyway?" Mary questions as she scoops up a spoonful of food. Lori sips on her drink, her mood slightly souring. 

"Oh you know... rich people stuff. They have fancy parties to find ways to make more money and increase their power. Political talk... I'm just there cause I'm related." Dean nods in understanding. Diana, Chelsea, and Mary stare blankly at the pair. They in fact do not understand what the rich kids are talking about.

"No, enlighten the poor." Diana jokes with a roll of her eyes. Lori slaps her hands on the table making the plates vibrate. The group look at their friend confused.

"You four should come too! I won't be bored this way going through the motions of adult talk with strangers. That way I can be Lori and not Lorisandre." The red head beams as she looks at all her friends.

"But I've never been to a party before... nor would I have the clothes for it." Diana mentions to her. She's not sure if a party like that would be something to look forward to.

"We should all go shopping! We gave time! The party is this weekend." Lori bounces on her seat. Diana is unable to decline as she sees the enthusiasm in Lori.

"Okay fine..." Lori cheers as Diana relents. Chelsea can't help but laugh a little. She is able to see just how much Diana likes to make people happy. Mary can only keep her disdain in check.

"Girls shopping trip! Sorry, Dean... unless you wear a wig." Lori reaches over to pat Dean's hand.

"I'll pass. Maybe I can have a guy's hang out with Adonis and Rex!" Dean is just as enthusiastic as Lori about hanging out with friends. "What do guys do when they hang out?"

"You're asking the wrong people, Dean." Chelsea reminds him that they are in fact not guys. He becomes pensive and seems to get an idea. He gets up and steps outside to make a call. The young women all watch him leave. They are too confused to question what he's doing.

Dean hums patiently as he waits for his call to go through. It doesn't, so he goes again. Finally he hears the line connect.

"Are you nuts?! Thirty calls in less than two minutes!" Crowley yells into his phone.

"Great, glad I got through! Say, wanna hang out this weekend? I'm gonna try out a guy's night while Diana and the ladies have a ladies' night!" Dean completely disregards the yelling. He can hear Crowley trying to find words. "It'll be fun!"

"I gave you this number to discuss important things. Like Serena Bathory." Crowley reminds him the reason their first encounter since their interrogation happened. Dean glances to the side as he remembers the events that happened two months ago after confronting his father.

Dean stares with wide eyes at Serena Bathory. She stands before him in darkness, shining like the moon. Her lovely hand is outstretched for him. He doesn't sense any menace in her, but he doesn't trust her. Serena sighs softly and takes a step forward towards Dean. Her outstretched hand turning to reach for him.

He is frozen in place, unable to talk as her hand reaches for his face. Dean has never been this close to a vampire, so he can't help but stare. Her golden-brown eyes seem to keep him in place, captivating him into compliance. Dean grunts as he feels something wrap around him and pull him back. Serena becomes annoyed as she watches Dean being pulled from her illusion. 

"Wake up, blondie and rub this over you." Dean gasps startled as Crowley pours blood over him. Normally it is a spray bottle, but he undid the cap and poured it over Dean. Dean touches his face as he feels the blood running down his hair to his face. He cringes, but rubs it over his face and neck.

"What are you doing?" Serena questions annoyed as she looks over at Crowley with glowing red eyes. Crowley grunts as he feels like he's been punched in the chest and can't breathe.

"Crowley?!" Dean goes to check on him, but he can't speak while trying to catch his breath. He grits his teeth and pulls out his wand. He points it out towards Serena and sends bright flames towards her. She shatters into multiple butterflies and hovers over them.

"You'd better get out of here. I just sent up a warning flare to the other people here. I'm sure even you can't stop everyone!" Dean yells out at the butterflies as they seem to innocently flutter about. The butterflies scatter into the sky and fly away. Crowley finally gasps as he catches his breath. Dean rushes back over to him.

"Hey, are you good?! Crowley!" Dean crouches down to check on him. He feels around his chest to make sure nothing is injured somehow. He didn't see Serena cast an attack, but her words seemed to cause Crowley pain. "Ah lets get somewhere safe first. I lied, and she believed me so easily. Lets go!" Dean helps Crowley into a sitting position to pull him back into the building where the offices are. He breaks down the door as it locked after he stepped out.

"Dean?! What- Crowley?!" Chandler heard the commotion and rushes over to help bring Crowley in. 

"Dad! Serena Bathory was out there! She did something to Crowley and then left!" Chandler's eyes widen as he says this. He rushes to his desk and sounds an emergency call button to the members of Acacia Mearnsii that stay on campus to immediately lock students in their dorms and patrol the area for danger.

Crowley grunts and sits up, holding his chest. "I'm fine now." Dean sticks right next to him to make sure he's not faking being well.

"I've already signaled an emergency to ensure all students remain in their dorms. Students from Acacia Mearnsii are patrolling the area to ensure that Serena Bathory does not remain at the academy. Did she say anything to either of you?" Chandler walks over to the young men. Both shake their heads.

"Not really... she also didn't attack me. Just Crowley... I don't know what her plan was but she bought my bluff to call for help." Dean mentions just so Chandler wouldn't ask too many questions. He nods his head as they watch Crowley get up.

"You can't leave right now, Crowley. We are on lockdown until we get word that the area is clear." Chandler reminds him. Crowley sighs annoyed, having to hang out with the Acacia men present. Crowley lowers his hand from his chest and tries to put distance between them by walking into the hallway.

Dean waits for a moment before walking after Crowley. He's still mad at his father for their earlier argument.

"Hey, what kind of attack did Serena use on you? It looked like she punched you either on the chest or stomach even though she didn't move. She seemed really angry with you. Like... she knew you." Dean makes conversation with him. Crowley sighs again and glances over at Dean.

"I could say the same to you." Dean frowns in confusion. Crowley turns his head towards Dean to look at his expression. "I saw her looking at you with familiarity. She actually seemed fond of you. So, what kind of secrets could you have with Serena Bathory?"

Dean is taken aback by the accusation. "I've never encountered her until today. This was my first encounter with the vampire queen." Crowley can hear the honesty in his voice. He turns away and looks ahead at the wall.

"Then she must have plans for you as the son of the Acacia family. It could be troublesome for Diana, and I can't have her getting hurt-"

"I'm not going let her hurt Diana. I'm going to protect her. I'm going to stay by her side always." Dean doesn't allow Crowley to forbid him from being close to her either. He wants Crowley to see that he's on his side when it comes to Diana.

"Fine, then for now we can't talk about what Serena might be doing to the higher ups or they'll end up either using you or hiding you to protect you as the Acacia heir from Serena Bathory. We won't get answers to her intentions from either of those situations. She will be on guard." Crowley's voice goes quieter as they stand there.

"Isn't that how you ended up with Diana upset with you for not saying anything?" Dean reminds him. Crowley almost flinches as he remembers what happened the last time with Diana. "But I think you're right. I fought hard to get my freedom to be an ordinary man that is trying to go to school and be a normal person. If anyone higher up or my family know... I'll be back to where I started."

The two men turn towards each other as they come to that agreement. "However I have to tell Diana as soon as possible. I don't want to keep secrets from her. I definitely upset her when I didn't mention I was an Acacia. So, I get it. You don't want to have her mad at you again."

Crowley lets a small laugh escape, cause Dean has the face of a person who absolutely gets it. "Then we gotta keep an eye on things. This may not be the last time that Serena Bathory will come and confront you. For whatever she is planning." Crowley pulls out his phone. "We need to keep in touch to discuss Serena Bathory or any other strange happenings. Diana too..."

"New friend?!" Dean questions him with bright, mismatching eyes. Crowley looks at him like he said something gross and annoying. Dean pulls up his phone with a grin, making Crowley regret his choice.

"You probably did... so, what do you say?" Dean goes on with the conversation. Crowley wishes at that moment he could punch him as he can only glare at his phone. "I'll keep calling."

"No wonder Diana is stuck with you. You can't take no for an answer." Crowley mutters annoyed.

"Only on things like this. So?" Crowley sighs heavily again and smacks his forehead. Dean was not going to give up.

"Fine."

"Awesome! Then I'll text you our plans later!"

"Sure... whatever you say." Crowley hangs up and suddenly feels extremely tired after his conversation with Dean. He shakes his head and goes back to the center of the training room of Acacia Mearnsii.

He reactivates the magical tool that ruins all camera recordings so he can continue his own training. Crowley focuses himself and then crouches down, staring at his shadow.

"Let's do this." Crowley takes a couple deep breaths as he lets his magic flow through him. He watches his shadow darken further and lose the form of his silhouette. It becomes amorphous and the edges wriggle around. Once he feels confident that the form will hold, he slides his hand on the floor until he is over the shadow. The texture changes from floor to what feels like a thick liquid. He pushes his hand down and it starts to sink into the shadow.

The texture changes again even though he can't see the shadow change and his hand is still lost in the abyss. He feels the texture of wood. Slowly his fingers move around until he comes in contact with an object. He smiles a bit and pulls it out of the abyss. Once again his shadow returns to normal as he holds up in his hand a mug from where he left it.

Crowley walks over to the storage closet and reaches over to the switch to illuminate the room. He sees an abandoned desk with a disturbed salt circle. He puts the mug back from where he got it.

"I'm getting the hang of this new power... but..." Crowley reaches for a bucket and vomits black liquid. It doesn't cause him physical pain like that time he and the others fell through the dark abyss he has concluded was his doing in the goblin city. "My body can't handle this power without getting sick."

Crowley takes the bucket to clean it in the showers of the locker room. He watches the black ooze spill out. He pulls the bucket back up once it's clean, placing it back where he found it. For now he ends his training to avoid getting sick again.

                           ~0~

Diana looks up at the training stadium. She came in early this time, so no students are there yet. She hasn't seen the professors either.

"Hello there." Diana jumps startled and looks back at Vincent and Charon Matthews. Her eyes widen before she quickly reacts and puts her right hand over her heart and bows her head.

"Good morning, Professor Matthews, Lord Matthews. You look well, I'm glad." Diana goes through the formalities. She waits for them to walk in to avoid anymore conversation.

"I've been put up to speed. You are Diana Green, the wielder for the Heavenly Sword." Diana lifts her head as she looks at Charon. She looks into his black eyes and feels a shiver run down her spine. Diana gulps and lowers her gaze again.

"So I've been told... um..." Diana really is stuck on what to say. She wishes someone were there to save her.

"Charon, let's go inside. Caroline hates when we're not punctual." Vincent breaks up the awkwardness. Diana could almost hug him in gratitude. However she just respectfully puts her hand over her heart.

"Alright, Vincent. I'll be keeping an eye on you, Diana Green." Charon smiles and heads inside with Vincent. Diana feels the hairs of the back of her neck stand up as the brothers walk past her.

"Why do I sense danger?" Diana thinks to herself as she looks back over her shoulder. Having her back to them does not feel safe. She is startled as Charon also looks back over his shoulder to smile back at her. There is emptiness in his gaze.

"Hey, you're standing in the way." Diana gasps startled and looks forward at Mary. She frowns and looks at her like she's weird. "What's your problem?"

"Um... nothing. Good morning, Mary." Diana once again tries to be friendly with her. She knows it's pretty useless, but Diana will try to play nice for Dean's sake.

Mary doesn't respond and walks over to the door, opening it. Diana sighs and follows after her since she doesn't want to bump into anyone else. Diana and Mary hear both their phones go off. They look and see good luck messages from Dean, Lori, and Chelsea. They smile at their phones and text their friends back.

They walk around the circular building as they find the meeting area for students. They find a door with a tired student sitting by a scanner. They yawn and look over at the two young women.

"Oh, sign in for the Branching Exams is here. Scan your student IDs or put in your student number in this scanner tablet." She explains to them. "Oh yeah, then just step inside and wait for the rest of the group to show up."

Mary goes ahead, scanning her ID and going in without waiting for Diana. She purposely even opens the door enough for her to get through. Diana can only sigh and follows the same steps to get inside.

Diana walks over towards the railing keeping her from falling into the stadium arena center. Mary sits on the bleachers as Diana looks out. She starts to walk around the circle to keep herself entertained.

"Mary really threw me off. I didn't get time to process whatever happened earlier. I don't get it... I felt so much danger coming from the Matthews brothers. Maybe... maybe it was Lord Matthews. Maybe it's cause he's one of our leaders. Was? Does this mean Crowley is not a leader anymore?" Diana loses herself in her thoughts as she finds herself halfway around the circle.

Mary sits with her elbows propped on her lap. She casts her hazel eyes up and watches Diana walking around. She rolls her eyes and decides to just focus on her phone.

"What the?" Mary watches her screen go black and tries to turn it back on. The screen remains black until a pink butterfly appears on the screen. Mary's eyes widen as she holds the phone against her chest. She suddenly feels like anyone would catch such a thing happening.

Mary gets up and rushes to the bathrooms and looks through all the stalls to make sure she's alone. She goes to the stall at the very end and locks the door behind her. A soft breath escapes her as she looks at her phone again.

The butterfly flutters and then causes the screen to glitch before Serena's face pops up on the screen. The vampire queen is sitting back on a throne as she stares at Mary.

"Good morning, Miss Mary Hale. I've given up some of my beauty sleep to speak with you about some important things. I'm sure your peabrain hasn't come to sense that among you is Ilyas Ithamar." Serena tells her right out. Mary's eyes widen at the news.

"What?! Where?! When?!" Mary looks around, suddenly regretting not bringing her second sight potion. It allows humans without the gift to view spirits of varying types for a few hours. Not that she expected to even need something like that or that Ilyas Ithamar would also be invading Acacia Academy.

"Be quiet. I can sense his overwhelming aura from the butterflies I have placed on you and around the arena. He is hiding his true form, so I can assume he is watching someone. I think it's safe to say that he is looking for the wielder of the Heavenly Sword." Mary listens to Serena. That immediately brings Diana into her thoughts. Mary clenches the phone in her hand.

"Shouldn't you just let him do what he has to?" Mary's chest tightens as she finally wishes for harm to come to Diana aloud. Serena slowly smiles, showing the tips of her fangs.

"My goodness, Miss Mary Hale, how cruel of you to say. But I don't disagree with that. Lady Diana Green's presence truly is unwanted. She should die and suffer eternal torture at the hands of the mummy pharaoh in her afterlife." Serena giggles lightly to herself. Mary doesn't respond right away as she tries to block away the thought of Dean in despair over Diana. How he would be in pain over her loss.

"Very well!" Mary jumps startled as Serena speaks again. "However there is a pesky little obstacle that will try and prevent that. He must be eliminated first." Mary frowns in confusion. Serena sighs and looks at Mary like she's dumb.

"Who?" Mary ignores the look.

"Lady Diana's protector of course. Crowley has to be rid of." Serena says it like it's a simple task.

"And how? I'm absolutely no match for that man. He's the most powerful human in all of Artemia. Both politically and physically." Mary reminds the vampire queen. Serena rolls her eyes and brings attention to Mary's wrist. She winces as she feels a slight burn.

"He wasn't always all that powerful. There was a moment when he too was weak and clueless. When he was desperate." Mary looks at the butterfly on her wrist as she pulls up her wristband. She stares at it as something clicks.

"He... he has a butterfly too..."

"Dingdingding! She's not so dumb after all! Of course, I do have in mind that his own power has grown exponentially since our first encounter and he's been able to resist my influence from afar. He is still susceptible to my influence the closer I physically am. So, Miss Mary Hale... will you grant me your body?" Deep inside she feels an answer that is not her own coming up. Mary clamps her mouth shut in shock. Giving her body up to Serena is not something she wanted to ever think about doing. Not like the students that have ended up possessed by her.

"Hey, speak up. You are in no place to-"

The bathroom door opens. "Mary? Are you in here?" Mary holds the phone against her chest as she hears Diana speak. She was saved from having to agree or disagree. Mary looks at her black screen before stepping out of the stall.

Diana sees her step out, tucking her phone in her pocket. "Um, you've been gone for almost an hour. Everyone is pretty much there. The announcements are about to start." Diana explains as Mary walks over to the sink to wash her hands and wet her face.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

"What do you care?!" Mary finally snaps at Diana. The blackette sighs and plays with the hems of her long sleeve gym shirt.

"I just do. Any normal person would want to make sure someone else doesn't collapse out of nowhere." Diana explains as calmly as possible. She stiffens up as Mary walks up to her with clenched fists.

"I don't need your concern. We will never be friends, so stop talking to me. I'll play nice in front of Dean, but here... we are enemies." Mary pushes Diana aside and heads for the door.

"The one that is going to cause your relationship between Dean, Lori, and Chelsea to fall apart isn't going to be me." Mary pauses at the open doorway. Her hand that had been used to open the door clenches again. She looks turns back with a fierce look at Diana who looks at her with sadness. All Mary sees is pity and superiority.

"Is there a problem?" Diana sees Crowley as he holds the door open without stepping into the womens bathroom. Mary looks back at him as well.

"No problem." Both young women answer as they separate. Mary bows her head to Crowley and goes ahead. Diana keeps up a calm demeanor as she's left alone with Crowley.

"Diana, is everything okay?" Crowley questions concerned as he briefly watches Mary leave before focusing back on Diana. She gulps and then forces a smile.

"It's fine. We'd better get going to our spots. We can't hold up the Branching Exams." Diana walks up to go past Crowley. He reaches out and grabs her wrist. She nearly loses her composure and looks back with a smile. "Really, all good. We can talk later."

"Okay... just know you can tell me anything. I'm on your side." Crowley reminds her. Diana smiles more genuinely as his words reassure her.

"I know. Thanks." His hand releases her wrist slowly. Diana waves and jogs back over towards the bleachers. Crowley watches her go with a worried expression before letting the bathroom door close behind him.

Crowley makes his way back over towards the stairs to get down to the stadium with the other professors. Crowley was the last of them to arrive, but still made it on time as the other students and not the professors. Caroline's pastel green eyes are narrowed as she sees him walk over. He takes his time in walking over. 

Crowley avoids looking towards Caroline and looks around the stadium's lower floor. His gaze quickly goes back as he sees Charon Matthews sitting in the special guest spectator room. It is specially protected from magical damage in order to have professors and other important guests that come to observe the training students. The old man smiles and gives him a brief wave.

He ends up looking over towards Vincent. Vincent is also looking towards his brother with a serious expression. Something feels off, and he's come to learn to not ignore that feeling. Something is wrong with Charon Matthews, and his presence there makes it that much clearer. Crowley takes his place behind the others as Nichole stands up front. He glances up at the students to find Diana among the group.

"Alright everyone, that's time. Any late arrivals will not be admitted, so I'm glad you all made it in on time. I am Nichole Sintek, and I am the professor for the branch that you all are seeking to enter... the Salix Branch. So, I will be testing you all on this field to see if you all have what it takes to be strong independent soldiers as well as excellent allies to your superiors and especially your peers." Nichole speaks up with a loud voice, looking at the students as they focus their attention on her. She is the one that they all must impress and will get a chance to be taught by if they pass.

"I'm sure you can all tell that we will be testing your physical skills and magic in this arena. These things are also important to have as you all make your journeys to the branches of your choices. The physical aspects and magic are beneficial to all the branches. We will be simulating a real life situation that could happen at any moment. We must be prepared for the inevitable. We must protect the elderly and the children of Artemia!" The students clap at Nichole's passionate speech. 

Diana claps along, but her expression does not show any sort of enthusiasm. She decided to take the Branching Exams in order to make sure Crowley isn't doing all the fighting alone. For her elder brother, she has decided to push past her fears and find the strength to go against Ilyas Ithamar. She glances over at Crowley to remember the promise she made herself.

"Come down everyone and we will get started with the simulation. There will be different levels. The difficulty will be at maximum. You will have the major species that are going to attack as well as their subspecies." Nichole commands everyone. They all rise and make their way down while the professors move over to where Charon is at. 

Diana follows in the middle of the group, a little bored of the idea of doing this again. She'd been doing these kinds of simulations since coming back. They're all difficult and have made her work different strategies both in teams and individually. So, this part of the exam just seems like regular practice to her. 

Charon sits back, watching the students come down. His dark gaze travels through the faces of students until they stop on Diana. A slight smirk appears under his knuckles. He has his fist resting on his chin and mouth to hide any expressions of excitement. He closes his eyes as the professors start to come in.

"Nefertari, Nefertiti, are you both here now?" The twin mummies perk up as they hear the voice of Ilyas Ithamar in their heads. They sit up from the roof of the stadium, using a one way magic window to look into the students. Their focus on Diana green.

"Yes, my Pharaoh. We are here and ready to make our move and capture the woman." They answer simultaneously to him aloud. They place their bandaged hands on the roof that is riddled with different hieroglyphs of different types of poltergeists under the control of Ilyas Ithamar. "Just say the word, and we will let these monsters loose."

"Not yet. There will be an opportune moment to let them out. Just be prepared." He orders them firmly. However there is amusement in his voice.

"As you wish." They look on as Nichole changes positions to stand before the students and goes over the instructions of what the simulation will look like. Diana wonders if it will be different from her lessons as she has become familiar with the simulations they've been doing for the last two months in the Salix Branch. She isn't too worried today about failing. She just wonders if someone will try to sabotage her. She is not familiar with everyone here and she doesn't know what kind of intentions or thoughts they could all have.

"I think I've made my instructions clear. The test ends when everyone makes it to the finish line. Getting over will not be easy. Good luck... begin!" Nichole teleports to where the other professors are and the simulation begins. The students all stare in awe as the monsters start to appear and then solidify. Diana recognizes the simulation, but waits anyway so the others can process what is happening.

Fire shoots out into the monsters and Diana doesn't get to turn around before Mary runs ahead to begin the fight. Others follow her lead as they get the confidence to also fight. Diana looks at all the monsters coming at them and starts to run towards them as well as she goes over the pattern she hadn't realized she'd memorized.

"Now!" Ilyas yells out as the twins laugh and slap their hands on one of the hieroglyphs each. This makes all of them start to glow and the poltergeists start to appear among the fake monsters. They are smart enough to appear away from the trained eyes of the Five Elite. They are not as careful as they start to appear among the students, most of them crowding over towards Diana discreetly.

"What?!" Diana grunts as she's hit by the unexpected poltergeist that appears in front of her. Diana covers her head as she avoids being stepped on by the other monsters. Before she can get up to move away from dangers a hand grabs onto her ankle. She looks back at the poltergeist that is fazing through the ground to the surface. "You're real!"

It starts to squeeze her ankle, making icy coldness pass through her body. It's empty eyes glow as it looks like it wants to start possessing her. Diana glares and then starts to pray at it. "God of Death, claim your spirit and return it to where it belongs. For my body is mine alone." It hisses at her and releases her ankle. She knows it won't send it away as she is not a devout believer, but the prayers do work to hinder the different types of spirits. 

Diana quickly gets up and puts some distance to go back and find what has summoned the poltergeists. She knows from history that the academy has not had anyone die on campus which would cause a lingering spirit to remain. Let alone this many. So, she assumes this is an intentional attack. As she is closer to the storage shed, she goes that way instead of towards the Five Elite. She can only hope that they notice something is off soon before anyone gets possessed. 

"What the hell?! These things are way too real! But they're making their way away from me." Mary thinks to herself as she fights off a poltergeist. Her wrist tingles, so she can only assume that Serena's butterfly is keeping her safe. Her gaze follows to where the poltergeist she was facing is trying to go. As the crowd moves along, she manages to see a blackette running back, away from the finish line.

"They're going after her... Ilyas Ithamar must be making his move! Just like Serena thought... how does he know?! Who am I kidding, if I'm being used as Serena's spy, he must have spies too. Especially if he can control spirits of all kinds. But I won't get caught up in this mess and have myself fail or have this exam cancelled!" Mary uses her wand to get some wind around her to head towards the direction that Diana is heading to. 

Crowley sits up from his seat as he starts to notice something strange. He is doing his best to keep an eye on Diana, but now he can't find her towards the forward direction that she was heading to. 

"Crowley, how is your new position going?" The young man glances over at Charon Matthews as he speaks up. 

"Oh it's so great." Crowley has obvious sarcasm in his voice as he answers Charon. "You look like you're doing well."

"Yes, a clean bill of health actually."

"Great, so you want your position back?"

"Mmm, no not yet. I still have to get back my former strength. That could be a while, so I entrust Artemia to you." Charon says as he keeps up the conversation with Crowley. Crowley sits back as he looks at Charon. He is trying to find what is wrong with him. His behavior doesn't seem genuine at all. It's nothing like the Charon that he knew before.

"You're so old. I don't think you'll ever get back to full health again." Crowley insults him slightly. Charon only smiles as he looks to Crowley. The young man looks away from Charon as he turns his attention back to the students as he tries to look for Diana.

"You seem interested in being here today." The other Five Elite listen in on their conversation and can't help but glance over at the chatting pair. They all are privy to the secret of Diana and Crowley, but no one brings it up when they're all together like this. "Tell me, is she strong? Will she be able to wield the Heavenly Sword?"

"You'll have to see for yourself." Crowley carefully answers. He tries to not give any sort of information of his own observations of Diana. He has never acknowledged her weaknesses or her strengths to the members present in order to keep her safe from being used for as long as he has. Unfortunately now she is willingly being used by Artemia, and he can't even figure out why. 

"Very well, lets see what Miss Diana Green is capable of today." Charon smiles as he watches Diana being chased by an increasing amount of poltergeists. He leans forward to see how the young woman plans to get out of this while everyone is distracted by the chaos on the field. He doesn't believe that this little girl is capable of anything on her own. That is why he is keeping Crowley distracted.