Aria walked down the corridor, the stomps of her boots filled the corridor.
The red carpet gleamed beneath her feet, lit by sunlight spilling through the open window.
The curtains swayed gently in the breeze, and the white-walled corridor glowed in the warmth of the light.
Her strawberry-blonde hair drifted in the wind.
With a weary exhale, she came to a stop, eyes drifting outside the window to the training center below.
Knights sparred under the sun, bystanders watching, half seated, half standing, their cheers echoing faintly up to her.
Gripping her hands tight, she resumed walking toward the door at the corridor's end, a dormitory side entrance.
Her expression tensed as she neared it. Her brows twitched. The corners of her lips stiffened.
She reached for the handle and pressed it down.
The door creaked open, revealing Luna curled beneath a red duvet lined with white.
Aria's expression instantly softened.
There she was, breathing steadily, hugging a pillow close to her chest.
Stepping through the doorway, Aria closed it gently behind her, letting it click shut without a sound.
Her heart raced. Her breaths came fast,
In.
Out.
She crept forward, as quietly as she could, until she reached the left side of the bed.
There Luna lay, still embracing the pillow.
Aria stood over her, looking down. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. A faint, tender smile followed.
She pulled the duvet higher and set one knee onto the sheets.
Carefully climbing onto the bed, she tucked the blanket over herself, her gaze never leaving Luna.
The more she stared, the more her eyes glimmered.
The more jealous she became, of the soft, white pillow Luna held so tightly.
She reached out, pinching the pillow by its corner, and gently tugged it away.
With her other hand, she took hold of Luna's upper arm, lifting it as she slid the pillow out and tossed it onto the floor.
Still holding her hand, Aria slipped into Luna's arms.
With her free hand, she reached under and took Luna's lower arm, folding it beneath her own neck as she nestled in close.
Then, placing the upper arm around her back, Aria wrapped herself fully around Luna, unnoticed.
Now tucked into her embrace, Aria let the silence settle.
Her hazel eyes welled up.
She pressed her face into Luna's chest, tears slipping down as she cried softly, her sniffling barely audible in the quiet room.
…
Inside the study room of Headmaster Vinn's office,
the doctor and Vinn spoke while sipping tea, comfortably leaning into the sofas they sat on.
"I have to say, Mr. Vinn, your office is really well-designed," said the doctor, putting down his cup.
Looking around, he saw countless books on shelves stretching to the ceiling.
A massive study table commanded the center, with a tall chair behind it, and behind that, an even taller red-stained glass window painted the light in a deep crimson hue.
Wooden panels tied everything together neatly, and near the door stood a hanger where coats hung in place.
"This place is beautiful. I'd pay a lot to have a room like this."
"Oh, thank you, come join our academy as a doctor, you'll get a similar one if you work hard enough." Vinn said with a chuckle.
"Hmm… I need to think about it, Headmaster," the doctor said, looking down into his tea.
Exhaling gently, Vinn continued,
"All right, young man, let's continue where we left off."
"Ah, yes, I'd love to."
Crossing his fingers, he leaned forward.
"Headmaster, have you found anything regarding her condition in the underground libraries?"
Mr. Vinn took a sip of his tea. Enjoying the taste, he placed the cup down and said,
"I've searched through the documents, yet there was only one mention of such a condition in the past."
"Of course, I've checked all the documents. But surprisingly enough there was only one mentioning this specific condition."
The doctor cut in, "Then is, oh, sorry, please continue. I won't cut you off again," he said in an apologetic voice.
"There's no need to apologize, young man. Then listen closely, there's a lot to be told."
"Mhm." The doctor's finger began to tap restlessly against his leg, over and over.
Vinn cleared his throat as he continued,
"There is one such case like young Lady Luna's."
Vinn, with a gentle voice, began retelling the story.
"988 years ago, during the establishment of the Empire, and the academy, there was one boy named Bers. He was in the army stationed here, at the academy. He loved to battle monsters… He enjoyed slaying them, but he got injured often."
"He was friends with the first headmaster of the academy."
"So, as the first headmaster recounted in the documents, he used to heal Bers at least once a day."
"He was always confused as to why Bers's body would begin rejecting healing after a while."
"So, with permission, he started experimenting on Bers, doing everything he could to help. Yet even after three years of tireless research, he couldn't find anything noteworthy."
"It saddened him, because he couldn't do anything for his friend. After a year of experimentation, Bers fell ill.
"His body began showing symptoms, which was unknown at the time, yet now we know it was the White Death."
Vinn paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. He lifted his tea, took a sip, and set the cup down with a quiet exhale before continuing.
"His body began turning black in one place, and the corruption spread. After two and a half years, lilies bloomed from the oldest blackened spots on his body."
"The pain, the documents stated, was excruciating. He began losing stamina, his health, and his intelligence, too. The disease reached his brain."
"The boy became bedridden, unable to move. His body began decomposing, falling apart."
"The first headmaster tried everything, anything, to stop the disease. But he was unsuccessful."
"The boy died after three years of research and suffering. The first headmaster was devastated. He fell into a deep sadness… That's all that was written about the rejection of healing."
"But I doubt it's connected to White Death, young man."
"I believe the young lady might simply have too much mana in her body, enough to reject the mana of others during healing."
"Although it's just a hypothesis. I need to research it further."
"Is that really all? After 1,988 years of recorded history?" the doctor asked, pausing his tapping, his voice tinged with curiosity, and a hint of helplessness.
"It is. That's all. It was such a rare thing that… I don't think there's more."
Vinn shrugged, exhaling deeply.
"I'll check again, for my hypothesis. But it's highly possible there's nothing more to find."
"As for the White Death, I'd bet my life, young man, that it has nothing to do with this."
Vinn reached for his tea and drank the rest.
"It was probably caused by him fighting monsters so often, getting injured again and again. That must've led to a disease like White Death."
The doctor reached for his tea, mirroring Mr. Vinn, and drank it all.
He set the cup down gently on the table.
"Mr. Vinn, after hearing your recollection of history, I've come to realise that I'd love to join the academy."
"Not as a healer, but as a fellow researcher… if that's all right with you."
Vinn was taken aback.
"Ho, ho, ho, young man! The history really piqued your intrigue, didn't it?" He grinned with a glint in his eye, like a grandfather catching a child sneaking sweets.
Chuckling, Vinn caressed his beard, excited.
"Then I'd love to hire you, young man."
Extending his frail, old hand toward the doctor, he said,
"If you don't mind, call me Vinn from now on."
The doctor, shaking his hand, said,
"Thank you, Vinn. Please call me Dan."
Vinn and Dan shook hands and erupted into laughter,
both amused by the ridiculousness of the situation.