Shattered Sanity

(A few minutes later, The Northwatch Grounds)

Principal Boseman officially suspended Black Week only a few minutes after arriving at the Northwatch Grounds, while the growing crowd of students was ordered to return to their respective Houses as a temporary curfew came into effect.

”This isn’t fair! These are our friends! You can’t force us to go back!”

Several students protested, although with Principal Boseman unwilling to risk anyone contaminating the crime scene, the gathered professors continued forcing them away from Northwatch regardless of their complaints.

As the last groups of protesting students were gradually pushed away, the Northwatch Grounds were finally secured, allowing the Academy to begin bringing in specialists capable of determining exactly what had happened.

Among the experts who arrived a few minutes later was the Academy’s Chief Weaponsmith, Sir Roderick, who immediately crouched beside Mary’s body and began stroking his long grey beard while carefully inspecting the horrific wound across her throat.

”What do you think, Roderick? What happened here?”

Principal Boseman asked, as Roderick continued running his fingers through his beard while his eyes moved repeatedly between Mary’s severed wrists and the deep wound that had torn through her neck.

”H-Halberd.”

Roderick stuttered, as his fingers suddenly stopped moving through his beard.

Several professors looked towards him.

”A halberd did this, sir.... I’m almost certain of it.”

Roderick explained, as he leaned closer towards Mary’s throat without touching the wound itself.

”Look at the width of the cut and how the flesh opened near the end. A sword could produce something similar at first glance, b-but the wound grows wider towards the exit because the blade isn’t uniform throughout its length.”

Boseman’s expression remained unreadable.

”So we’re looking for someone carrying a halberd?”

”N-No.... Well, yes, but....”

Roderick muttered, as his hand returned to his beard and began stroking it considerably faster than before.

”That’s what’s bothering me, sir. It isn’t merely the type of weapon.”

The old weaponsmith rose slowly before walking towards another corpse, where he crouched and examined the enormous wound that had passed completely through the student’s torso.

For several uncomfortable seconds, Roderick said nothing.

Then his fingers began trembling inside his beard.

”I’ve seen wounds like these before.”

Chadwick immediately glanced towards the weaponsmith.

”Where?”

He demanded, as Roderick swallowed hard.

”N-Not personally. Records..... I’ve seen marks like these in old forging records kept within the Imperial archives.”

He stood again, although the movement lacked the certainty expected from a man who had spent most of his life studying weapons.

”There were halberds forged during the Ancient War specifically for Stormborn warriors.

Their blades could channel enormous amounts of Storm Aether, allowing them to cut straight through flesh and bone without slowing down.

S–so, instead of shattered bones and torn flesh around the wound, they left behind a smooth cut.....”

Roderick’s gaze returned towards Mary’s body.

”And in my understanding, these wounds look disturbingly similar to the ones described in those records.”

A silence settled among the professors as the rain continued falling around them.

”But there haven’t been any confirmed Stormborn for decades now, wasn’t their bloodline all wiped out?”

One of the professors eventually said.

”I-I know.”

Roderick replied, as his fingers continued nervously combing through his beard.

”That’s why I don’t understand what I’m looking at.”

He mumbled weakly, as Chadwick’s expression gradually changed upon listening to that hypothesis.

’Halberd, Storm Aether, Stormborn?’

Chadwick wondered, as his gaze slowly shifted towards Principal Boseman.

”Sir, doesn’t Riven Dawnriver carry a Halberd?”

Several professors immediately looked towards Chadwick.

”He was also present at Northwatch when this happened, and unless I’m remembering his appraisal incorrectly, Storm is his elemental affinity.”

Chadwick insinuated in a stern voice, though Boseman barely reacted.

”His involvement in this incident is not in question, Chadwick.”

The Principal replied, as he calmly looked towards the corpses surrounding them.

”The possibility that he committed these murders is.”

Chadwick frowned.

”Sir, surely the similarities warrant—”

”They warrant investigation.” ℯ

Boseman interrupted, as his voice remained calm enough that Chadwick immediately stopped speaking.

”But they do not warrant ignoring everything else we already know.

The Aether resonance throughout Northwatch indicates power considerably beyond Dawnriver’s current rank, while the condition of these bodies suggests that whoever attacked them overwhelmed the students gathered here with extraordinary ease.”

”But his affinity—”

”Riven Dawnriver can barely perform four proper steps of [Lightning Step].”

Professor Elena interjected, as the Spell Training instructor moved closer to the gathering while looking towards Chadwick.

”I’ve personally instructed the boy, Vice Principal. His Storm affinity is exceptional, although his ability to actually use it remains embarrassingly underdeveloped.”

Elena explained, as she gestured towards the bodies scattered near the forest.

”I knew all of these students and have personally taught each and every one of them.

Riven could not defeat this group alone, especially when several of them were his seniors.”

Elena concluded, as Professor Mike released a heavy breath before folding his enormous arms across his chest.

”There’s something else you’re overlooking, Vice Principal.”

Mike added, as Chadwick turned towards him.

”Dawnriver was apparently the one who carried Gary Ironveil all the way from Northwatch to the Medical Wing.

From what I’ve heard, he was screaming for someone to save the boy while running through territories controlled by other Houses.”

Mike’s expression tightened slightly.

”If Dawnriver had just butchered everyone here, why would he carry one of the survivors straight towards the healers?”

Chadwick’s frown deepened as he looked between the professors.

Ever since Riven Dawnriver had entered the Imperial Academy, Chadwick had been suspicious of the boy and his bloodline, as he suspected him to not be a Dawnriver at all.

However, Chadwick knew better than to continue pressing an accusation that he couldn’t presently prove.

So instead, his gaze returned towards the nervous weaponsmith.

”Sir Roderick.”

”Y-Yes, Vice Principal?”

Chadwick gestured towards Mary’s wound.

”You’ve spent most of your life forging and studying weapons. If the halberd responsible for these deaths was placed directly into your hands, could you determine whether its blade made these cuts?”

Roderick’s fingers stopped moving through his beard.

For the first time since arriving, the old weaponsmith appeared to forget about his nervous habit entirely as he looked down towards Mary’s throat.

”I-I believe so.”

Roderick replied, as he crouched beside her again and studied the wound more carefully.

”Every forged blade carries imperfections, Vice Principal, even those made by master craftsmen. The curvature along the cutting edge leaves subtle differences in a wound, and repeated strikes from the same weapon create patterns that an experienced weaponsmith can compare.”

Chadwick’s eyes remained fixed upon him.

”So if I brought you a particular halberd?”

”If you placed its blade before me, I should be able to ascertain with reasonable certainty whether it was responsible for these wounds.”

Roderick confirmed, as his fingers once again began moving slowly through his beard.

Principal Boseman remained silent as Chadwick turned towards him, the Vice Principal’s earlier frustration gradually disappearing beneath a far calmer expression.

”Well, Riven Dawnriver is still inside the Academy.”

Chadwick said, as he gave a small shrug.

”So rather than standing here arguing about whether the boy could have done this, why don’t we simply prove his innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt?”