In the stairway, Felix, Ace, Kai, Epel, and Rook rushed up the stairs. Then all of a sudden, ghosts started to appear as they blasted their magic at the group barely dodging them at the speed of light.

"Hold it!!" The ghosts shouted at them.

 "These ghastly guards just keep multiplying...!" Epel yelped.

"They are just as serious as we are. I'd expect nothing less from someone who's been waiting to get married for 500 years." Rook said with a slight smirk appeared in his face.

"Raaaah!!" Ace yelled as he blasted his magic at the ghost in front of them. "... Yeah well, they're super annoying!"

"Annoying... You're certainly not incorrect. But don't you have to admire their determination?" Rook said to the tangerine boy.

"Admire? Is now really the time to be tossing compliments around!?" Ace sighed.

"Everyone has something they can't give up, so I understand how they must feel in this moment." Rook replied, "Surely..." He then tossed his bouquet at the ghost and blasted his magic at them. "It's the same as my need to protect all of you."

"Crap, that archer took one of us out!" One of the ghosts yelped.

"Well, of course, monsieur. There's nobody who can hide from me." Rook told the ghosts with a smile then turned his eyes at his team. "... Everyone, could you go on ahead?"

"What!?" Ace shouted. "Unless you're on the same level as my dorm head you don't stand a..."

"Don't worry," Kai spoke as he placed his bouquet at the side and took off his coat. "I gladly will assist him."

"Kai-senpai!?" Ace yell.

"Ace, we gotta go!" Epel said with a serious face.

"This time around you're sure raring' to go!" Ace said.

"... Ace, take a good look at his face," Epel said, pointing at Rook.

"Face?" Ace, Kai, and Felix said look at him.

"Fufufu..." Rook giggled. A smile appeared on his face with his eyes told a different story. "There's something I've always been curious about! How exactly does one go about hunting a ghost? Ghosts don't really have a physical body, but can they be frozen with magic? Do they react like a cloud? Can you cram them in a bottle?"

"C-cram us in a bottle!? There's some scary stuff coming out of this guy's mouth!" One the ghost stuttering in nervousness.

 "Any hunter's blood would be racing with their unassuming prey right in front of them," Rook told the ghost.

"Eeek. S-stay away!" One of the ghosts shouted in fear as they moved away from Rook.

"..." Ace and Kai hummed.

"Saying he wanted to protect us was just a front. That guy's having the time of his life." Ace sighed.

"Seriously?" Kai mumbled.

"Yeah, Rook will be fine." Epel nodded. "It's hard to say but... He is a lot stronger than either of us."

"Sure, he might be strong, but I don't wanna be anywhere near him, y'know," Grim mumbled.

"Rook sure is a weirdo..." Ace said.

"Let's get a move on before they catch up!" Felix said to the two boys and Grim.

"Felix, take care of those two," Rook said. Felix gave him a thumbs-up before everyone rushed away. He then turned to Kai. "Let's have fun, Roi du brouillard. These ghosts are going to enjoy dancing a beautiful waltz here with us."

"I'll try to have some." He said, stretching his arms.

•◈──────◈✧✦✧◈──────◈•

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, a roar blasted in the atmosphere as the ground started to shake with a few trees burdened down to the ground. 

"Jeez, your monster is so loud does it know how to shut up." The charming prince said to the pirate.

"What's wrong bother from the noise." Captain Hawk laughed, as he leaned his back against a tree. "My friend here is just happy that he can eat an ugly, annoying prince such as you."

"That's a mean thing to say, especially when it took so long to put this outfit together." They said as they blasted an ice magic the captain Hawk and his crocodile.

"Well, forgive me if I don't give a sh!t on your fancy and expensive clothes!" Captain Hawk shouted while dodging all of the attacks. "Tick-Tock! Hurry and finish him off." He shouted.

"Roooaaaarrrr!!!" The crocodile blasted a heat vision from his mouth as Captain Hawk blasted a fireball.

'Damn it! I have no time for this...' They thought to themselves, hiding behind the walls. 'I need to get to the wedding fast.'

•◈──────◈✧✦✧◈──────◈•

"Do you, Idia Shroud, take Eliza as your lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health..." The ghost said, then suddenly tears started to burst out. "The tears won't stop, I'm just so happy...!"

"Oh, you. If you keep crying like that on such a wonderful day as this, I'll..." Princess Eliza soon started to cry as well. "I'll...! Handyman, I'm going to be the happiest princess ever..."

"They are getting the ball rolling," Jack said.

"We've gotta put a stop to the wedding!" Deuce said.

"But we are still unable to move an inch!" Sebek growled.

"Man, I'm so done with this," Floyd whined. "When Mr. Firefly squid gets a kiss, we getta go home, right? Get it done already."

"Oh yes. My back is starting to hurt from being stuck in the same position for so long. Give her a good peck on the lips while the getting's good." Lilia told Idia.

"Follow Lilia's instructions! Hurry and give her a "good peck"!" Sebek shouted.

"A peck!... But that'll send me right over to the other side y'know!" Idia yelped. "Are you demons now? You've lost all humanity? Is this a parade of cruelty??!?!??"

"This won't do. We're still in the middle of our vows..." Princess Eliza said, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, the kiss is coming right up. Kya~"

"..." Chubby looked down and frowned.

•◈──────◈✧✦✧◈──────◈•

In the hallway 2F, Ace, Felix, Grim, and Epel rushed to the direction of the cafeteria where the wedding was being held. There are only a few minutes left before the clock Strick midnight.

"Since Riddle, Kai, and Rook stayed behind that leaves Ace, Epel, and Felix..." Grim said. "Looks like it's all going to come down to me, y'know."

"Hey... I can do this!" Epel said. "Ace, Felix, we've got to show them that us freshmen can hold our own!"

"Okaaay. The cafeteria is right up ahe... Wah!!" Ace stopped his sentence and dodged the attack that was aimed at him.

"Tsk. Guess he dodged it. Nimble little guy aren't ya!"The ghost said, coming out from the walls.

"Ace, are you alright!?" Epel asked.

"That ghost appeared all of sudden," Felix growled.

"Like some crap-shot spell like that can touch me," Ace told Epel.

"Those ghosts are almost on top of us, y'know." Grim yelped.

"Get back! I'll take care of these..." Epel said, shielding Ace from the ghosts, "... Huh, wh-what?" Epel gets confused about the ghost who suddenly seems to be protecting him.

"...."

"... They aren't attacking me? Why are they turning their backs to me?" Epel said.

"Please get out of here, princess!!" One of the ghosts said.

"Princess? Just who..." Epel mumbled.

"Someone as lovely as you... Couldn't anyone else but a princess from a neighboring land." The ghost said.

"Huh???... Why does this seem so familiar?" Felix raised his eyebrow.

"Pfft! Epel... A princess!?" Ace laughed. 

"Staying near violent ne'er do wells like them will only put someone as feeble as you in great danger! Let us protect..." The ghost was stopped.

"Who..." Epel mumbled.

"Hm?"

"WHO YOU CALLIN' PRINCESS!!!" Epel shouted in rage.

"Waaaahh!!" The ghosts yelped.

"D-did his switch just flip!?" Grim yelped.

"What a tomboy... Wait a moment, if you listen close his voice is definitely a boy's!" One other ghost said.

"Put a stop to all of them!" Other ghost said.

"... Go on without me!" Epel said.

"Huh!? How do you plan to take all these ghosts on by yourself?" Ace asked.

"I can't stand that they called me feeble so I'm gonna show them just what I can do!" Epel shouted.

"Epel..." Ace mumbled.

"We'll leave this to you," Felix said.

"... Hah hah. That guy sure hates to lose." Ace said.

"Eheheh." Epel giggled. Out of nowhere, the group could feel the ground below them shaking. "Wh-what the?!"

"That floor is shaking.... An earthquake?" Ace said, balancing his feet. Felix gazed at the ceiling and saw it was going to collapse above Epel.

"Epel!!!" Felix shouted, then quickly grabbed his hands and pulled him away before the ceiling rushed down.

"Wow, thanks, Felix," Epel said. The group gazed in front of them and saw a man wearing a royal suit with a hat covering his face standing on the collapsed rocks.

"Who is that?" Ace mumbled.

"Tsk. Another annoying boy." The ghosts growled.

"Ah... Damn, if he keeps on aiming his magic like. The school will be destroyed." The man said. Soon their hat flowed away by the wind, as a short hair of h/c shade and eyes of e/c hue were disclosed.

"That figure..." Felix mumbled under his breath.

"Huh?" They turned their head at the group of students who stared at them with wide eyes. 'Ach! Ace, Epel, Felix, and Grim are here!! I didn't even notice them.'

"Just who..." Epel was cut off by them.

"What are you doing?" They asked them.

"Huh?" Everyone said.

"Why are you just standing around? Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" The man exclaimed; they jumped off from the rocks. They walk straight at them.

"That... You're right!" Epel said as he snapped out. "Ace, Felix, get to the princess! Damn ghost... You gonna regret callin' me a princess."

The man glances behind Epel, caught the sight of a ghost rising from the ground. Without hesitation he pulled Epel's arms back as they changed position, and with his right hand pulled his black sword out. He blocked his blade with the ghost knight's blade, the prince thrust his blade with a sparkle of purple aura causing the ghost to fly away. "Always watch your back, during battle, youngster." They told Epel, standing back-to-back.

"Thank you," Epel said, in stunned.

"Ooh, little prince, come out. Come out, wherever you are." They could hear Captain Hawk's voice coming towards them.

"Sounds like, you accompany yourselves, man," Epel said.

"I did and let me tell you, his pet is so noisy." The man informs him.

"Bring it on," Epel smirked, drawing out his magic pen from his pocket.

•╭────────────────────
•╰─► 𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒅
➤ 𝑼𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅: 03/03/2025