Vermilion Blur

(Pt. 5) Stealer

(y/n) left the Cafe with a full belly and walked to the original destination. The library.

The large building was decorated similarly to the class buildings with big windows on the second through the fifth floors; the first and sixth floors had intricate Japanese folktale designs.

Peering through the doors, I spotted several students buried in their books or napping on a lounge couch in a common area.

"At least the entire school isn't here."

(y/n) shuffled through the door. Then, hurrying past the two sleeping students on the couches, and ducked behind a biology section. She sighed, relieved that her wings were out of sight of the other three at the tables.

She was running a finger along the spines of the different books, each a different color. The scent of old paper tickled her nose while searching among the various titles.

I opened the time-worn book and was met with a drawing of a humanoid dragon. Large red wings wrapped around its small frame with glowing scales on its cheeks, arms, collarbone, and forehead.

Just as she turned the page, all the lights went out. The library is shrouded in darkness, lit by the bright light leaking from the windows. A dark red light strobed, followed by a shriek of a female student.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" A sultry voice called over the beginning alarm.

(y/n) snatched Lumin and shut his mouth slightly so he wouldn't bark. A book crack showed a female and a male standing by the common area. The female had large dark purple dragon wings curled angrily against her back. She was at Cafe Ryuu works.

"Where is she? I know I smelled her stench!"

She slapped a thick tail onto the couch. She had thick fluffy red hair pulled into a ponytail with sunkissed skin that matched the horns growing from her forehead.

"Raya, shut up, will you? This alarm hurts my head enough without all your momma drama screeching." The male spoke in a very monotone manner, twitching a pair of Leppard's ears back against his head.

"No! Not until I find that bitch and that little Fucker. She tricked me for the last time!" Raya flicked the tail around, knocking off a lamp.

(y/n) frantically searched for an exit, scanning over every wall and bookshelf. Being on the bottom floor would have made it easy to find one. But luck was running out.

"Whatever! Guess a little smoke won't hurt!"

Her breath caught when a large crackle of flames seared up the walls. Peeking through the shelf, Raya had pressed her flaming palm against a nearby frame, igniting it. Flames shot up the bookcases, slowly licking the walls and spreading to all the shelves and paper.

She tensed, hot sweat gathered at her palms and neck. The scent of smoke had them desperately searching for anything to climb on. Taking the bookshelf as the only option since the other was the door. But those to pyros were standing right by it.

(y/n) quickly flipped the sweatshirt around and placed Lumin in the hood. Even tightening it with the strings so he wouldn't move. Then, extending the wings, she set foot on the bottom shelf. She forced a gulp down her drying throat, trying to find enough bravery to climb the rickety frame.

The flames seeped through the bookshelf on the right, burning the exposed skin on her arm. She only climbed faster, hands and arms shaking.

She heaved herself over the top of the shelf. Its entire width is just about two feet. Glancing between her feet and the nearby wall latched to the stairs; she stepped forward. The frame shook beneath the weight, forcing her wings to open to balance.