When Tomorrow Burns

After the initial excitement of being chosen to train for the Devil Executioners, life at school settled back into its usual routine, classes remained as dull as ever, and the training sessions stretched on for a long time.

The only noticeable change was the sudden surge of attention directed towards Alastair. Suddenly, everyone wanted to know about the boy who had caught the eye of The Second.

Alastair became popular, during recess or whenever there was free time, everyone would gather around Alastair to ask every bit of detail, and right now he was stuck with two girls who asked so many questions. They just wouldn't stop.

Thankfully, Mika and Yu, forever loyal friends, came to Alastair's rescue.

"He has to write a letter"

"Letter?..." the girl raised a brow.

"Yes, a thank you letter, you girls be on your way."

Yu responded before driving Alastair out of the courtyard. All of them laughed heartedly.

Exhausted after a long day, Alastair retreated to his room and retrieved the form that had been safely hidden within the pages of his notebook. His hands trembled slightly as he grasped the pen, the moment's weight settling heavily upon him. It took him a full hour to painstakingly complete all the required details, his handwriting is quite bad, he admits but he doubts they select students on that basis.

"There are a lot of shady questions in here," remarked Yu, glancing over the form.

"Mm, where's Kate?" I inquired, noticing her absence.

"She said she'll be here in some time, probably spreading the news," Yu replied, rolling his eyes in amusement as he handed the form back.

Alastair inspected the form one last time for any errors, Mika posed a question, "So, how are you going to send this?"

Alastair hesitated for a moment, pondering the best course of action. "I don't know… I guess I'll send it through the post office," he replied uncertainly, his mind preoccupied with the weight of what lay ahead. With a final glance at the neatly folded page tucked into the envelope, he carefully stowed it away in his drawer.

He settled back into his chair, and Yu's amused voice broke the silence. "Did you see how pissed off Lawrence was? His face was priceless." 

Alastair chuckled in agreement, nodding at Yu's observation. "Yeah, he hasn't been handling my new 'fame' very well," he replied, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

"Serves him right."

"Even the headmaster rarely comes out of his office nowadays, only saw him at the morning assembly today. He was awfully pale."

Before their conversation could continue, Mika's voice interrupted, drawing their attention "H-hey guys, there's something over there," he said, his finger pointing towards the small window behind the desk.

Alastair widened his eyes in surprise.

Perched on the windowsill was a large black crow. Its feathers gleamed with an otherworldly lustre, the darkness of its plumage contrasting sharply against the pale light filtering into the room. It's eyes glowing, a purple shade, staring at us with an unwavering gaze.

Something was unnerving about the way it looked at them as if it were beckoning them to open the window and let it in. A shiver ran down Alastair's spine as a sense of unease settled over him.

"Eh- what type of crow is that?" Mika questioned, his voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of apprehension.

"It looks like it wants to get in," Yu remarked, his tone nonchalant as he observed the crow's behaviour. It was hitting its black beak on the window continuously.

Tap, tap, tap.

They all rose from their spots and gathered around the window, drawn by the peculiar sight. The crow seemed undisturbed by their presence, its glowing purple eyes meeting theirs with an almost hypnotic intensity. It continued to tap on the glass as if conveying a silent message to them.

As the crow's tapping persisted, the feeling of unease grew stronger. "Should I open it?" Alastair asked tentatively, uncertain of what to make of the bird's strange demeanour.

"I guess," Yu replied with a casual shrug, displaying little concern for the potential consequences of letting the crow inside.

Alastair reached for the lock and slid it open, the metallic click barely audible in the room. Slowly, he pushed the window up, creating a gap wide enough for the bird to get in.

To their surprise, the crow wasted no time and darted inside, its wings flapping rapidly as it manoeuvred through the opening.

They watched in astonishment as the bird entered and started to fly around the room.

"Um..."

"Oh god! we're doomed if someone catches us inviting birds to stay with us!" Yu exclaimed, his voice tinged with horror as he grabbed his head in distress.

"You're the one who literally told me to open the window—" Alastair began, but his words were cut off by Mika's sudden shout.

"Look over there!"

They turned their attention to Alastair's desk, where the crow had perched itself, holding something in its beak. To their disbelief, it was the envelope that had been hidden in the drawer. How had the bird managed to find it? And what did it want with it?

"Did it just open the drawer?" Alastair exclaimed, his disbelief evident in his voice.

"He's got the envelope! Catch him!" Yu shouted, lunging towards the bird.

But the bird was too fast and agile. It dodged Yu's hand and flew across the room, landing on the bed. It looked at them smugly, as if taunting them to chase it.

"Hey you stinky bird, that isn't yours!" Alastair yelled, jumping on the bed and reaching for the envelope.

But the bird was ready for him. It flapped its wings and soared away, leaving them empty-handed. It circled the room, looking for another place to hide.

"Get back here!" Alastair shouted, frustration seeping into his voice as he leapt off the bed and chased after it.

With a swift motion, he lunged forward, reaching out towards the bird. "Get back here, you thief!"

But just as his fingers grazed its feathers, it flapped its wings defiantly and darted out of his grasp.

"Damn it!" Yu exclaimed, joining in the chase. "We can't let it get away with that!"

But before they could make another move, the crow took flight once more, soaring gracefully through the air as if mocking their futile efforts. The crow hovered around, its mocking caw echoing through the room.

After many failed attempts and a few bruises on the face.

"I got it!" Alastair finally announced triumphantly, holding the bird firmly in his hand. The bird dropped the envelope onto the bed and tried to get out of his grasp trying to get free. 

"Kraa!!" it croaked loudly, seeking help.

"Nice try, little birdie. You're not going anywhere now," Yu declared, approaching him with a smug grin.

But the victory was short-lived.

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Kate's voice startled us as she burst into the room. The door opened with a loud bang. They turned to look at her, and in that split second, the bird seized the opportunity. With a swift bite, it sunk its beak into Alastair's hand and wriggled free.

"Ow!" he screamed, instinctively releasing the bird who took the chance to grab the envelope once more, it then fluttered to the window sill, casting a mocking glance back at them before disappearing into the sky.

"What are we going to do now? The bird took the envelope!" Alastair panicked, feeling a combination of pain from the bite and dread in his stomach. He rushed to the window, but the bird was now nowhere to be seen. It had taken its flight and had disappeared in the sky.

"Maybe we can tell them it was the bird's fault. They might believe that," Yu suggested, his voice tinged with uncertainty as he looked out the window aswell.

"Did I miss something?" Kate asked as she looked around the room, taking in the mess that they had created.

Kate looked at them with confusion, clearly wondering what was going on in the chaos of the room. While Mika just stood with her and tried to explain what happened, trying to sound plausible.