A Message From L.O.R.E.

Photo by Nikola Johnny Mirkovic on Unsplash

CONTENT WARNING: MISSING PERSONS, KIDNAPPING

READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

A press conference took place earlier this morning involving a series of kidnappings that have taken place in the dark dimension. Director Kasper Pickerin of the Legislation of Omens, Rituals, and Enchantments, better known as LORE, has been in the hot seat since the search for Headmaster Zohar bore no fruit–and as he was bombarded by questions by well-intentioned reporters, it seemed as if the intelligence agent was on the verge of cracking under the pressure.

Why was there a press conference, you ask? Well, there most likely wouldn’t have been one, had it not been for Headmistress Shararah, who noticed that one of our Hunter classmates has not returned since the last full moon. You see, Citizens, there are three types of special holidays observed here at the Academy of Occult Arts on top of those you may find in cultural and religious circles. These holidays are based on classification: pagan and wiccan holidays for Enchanters, spirit and death days for Haunters, and full moons for Hunters. The entire school takes the day off, regardless of classification–and a total of four Hunters have recently gone missing.

When asked why the disappearances of these four teenagers were not made public prior to today, the director had this to say:

“Our agency prides itself on its ability to work in the shadows. An incident of this nature is so rare that the only case we can use as a reference point is the case of the disappearance of the phoenix Zohar. That case cost us over a year’s worth of resources. Our search was hindered almost immediately as a result of having the case available for the public eye. While our hearts break for Shararah and her family, we ask the public to keep in mind one major difference in these cases: Zohar was not a student. He would be able to defend himself, and he would surely win. That was not a risk we were willing to take with the lives of teenagers–especially teenagers who are subject to the dark dimension time limit.”

When asked what the four missing students had in common, Pickerin responded, “As of now, the only binding traits of the victims are these: all four are Hunters; all four are youths between the ages of fourteen and sixteen; all four are students; all four entered the dark dimension through approved portals outside of approved hours. And at the last known whereabouts for each of the victims were the following: the clothes they were last seen wearing, down to their footwear and jewelry; their backpacks or purses used most often for school, all of which were empty; and their Dark Watches, which are how we were able to discern their last known locations.”

Another reporter at the conference asked whether rumors of blood and notes found at the scene were true. Director Pickerin assured the assembly that “those rumors are baseless,” before declining to comment further.

What is happening to our classmates? How were they able to enter the dark dimension through approved portals while the portals were powered down? And, possibly the most frightening–are these kidnappings related to the disappearance of Headmaster Zohar?

While we may not receive the answers to those questions any time soon, our academy did receive an important notice from L.O.R.E. before the conference began:

“All students must return to their homes immediately following the last bell at their respective school. All extracurricular activities must be supervised by a member of faculty; if arrangements cannot be made for a member of faculty to be present, then that club, sport, or association is cancelled until further notice. Students who fall under the Enchanter and Hunter classifications are expected to only enter through approved portal sites during the approved time frames. All Haunters are to remain in the dark dimension for questioning.”

These are troubled times, Citizens. While the optimist in me hopes that LORE’s reasons for questioning Haunters specifically is innocent–many of them reside in the dark dimension, so perhaps there are witnesses among them–the pessimist in me is concerned that this intelligence and defense agency is singling out those who fall under a specific classification. Again, this may simply be a strategy to flush out some witnesses, so take my suspicions with a grain of salt.

If you have any information regarding the disappearances of these students, please reach out to the appropriate authorities.

Plato Tyson – second year, 16 years old. Merlad who attends AOA. Last seen 28/03/2021

Aita Sachiko – first year, 14 years old. Kitsune who attends Medarry Secondary School for Hunter Youths. Last seen 25/03/2021

Kherizel – third year, 16 years old. Anansi who attends the Soryce Institute for Magickal Beings. Last seen 31/03/2021

Jinjin – second year, 15 years old. Troll who attends Grelerra Private High School. Last seen 03/04/2021