After leaving Caelus and Alune behind, Silva continued her quiet walk through the campus courtyard. A faint breeze stirred the trees as the sky faded into a lazy orange. Tangles of fluffy clouds drifted across the sky, putting to sleep the drowsy sun. And from beyond the horizon, the twin moons began their silent rise.
A part of her regretted threatening Caelus, but it was a necessary course of action. He may be the son of her longtime friend, but she knew close to nothing about him. Where he stood, what he thought, and especially where he was for the last five years.
However, seeing as though that demon commander disguised as a feline was so quick to jump to his rescue, she had a solid guess, albeit an extremely absurd guess.
"An interesting evening, indeed," Silva murmured. "I could go for some wine right about now."
"Ah~ Silva!"
A sudden weight dropped onto her shoulders. An arm, heavy and familiar. She didn't flinch. That voice, warm and bubbling with energy, could only belong to one person.
"Goodness," she sighed, her tone dry but fond. "Someone's had a rather productive day."
She turned to meet the face beside her. A bright-eyed woman, just as tall, with pale blue hair parted at the center and tied into two ornate buns. The style was unlike anything native to the empire, but Lynn wore it like it belonged to her.
"Hehe~ You bet!" Lynn beamed. "My kids are adapting to the basics of the Zephyr Sword quite efficiently. It's starting to click."
Silva's lips curled into a rare smile.
"A worthy point of pride. That technique of yours was born through years of blood, sweat, and stubbornness. I imagine watching them wield it must be gratifying."
"It very much is. Though... I had to let a few students go. Some of them just weren't ready."
"How many are we talking?"
Lynn tapped her chin, gazing upward.
"Hmm… thirty, give or take?"
"Pfft~ So nothing's changed. You were always the harsh one, even back then. Poor Jakar. I still remember how you tore into him for being too stiff, and when he held the sword wrong, or when he swung without intent, or—"
"Alright, alright! I get it!" Lynn huffed, swatting her hand. Her cheeks puffed with playful frustration.
Silva chuckled, a genuine sound that rarely left her lips.
They had known each other for over two decades, ever since their time under the imperial banner. Their bond had grown naturally over shared battles, bad habits, and too many long nights drinking wine and arguing over nothing. To this day, Silva had opened up to no one more than her.
"We need to get out more," Silva said with a mock pout. "Since the start of this semester, you've barely had time for me. Not even a minute to entertain your poor, lonely friend."
"What?!" Lynn gasped. "That's not true! I've just been— I mean—"
Silva bumped her hip gently against Lynn's, flashing her a knowing look.
"I'm teasing, sweetheart."
Lynn blinked.
"Tch... You're the worst, Silva."
They continued their leisurely stroll through the empty courtyard.
A while later, it was time for curfew. At the window of the tallest building, a man watched as the students scurried back to the dormitories. He lifted a small glass of wine and took a sip.
"Oh dear," said a soft yet cold voice from behind. "Archeota Lancinox is consuming alcohol again? I never thought I'd live to see the day."
He turned around, casting his gaze upon a woman as she invited herself into his office. With every step, her golden hair swayed along with the skirt of her elegant dress. With every swing of her arm, the linen wraps on her shoulders followed closely behind.
The silvery glint of her gentle eyes made it difficult to tell what she was thinking, and her smile didn't make it any easier.
"Seren," Archeota murmured. "What brings you here, child?"
"Oh, come now," she sighed. "Our students have been kept busy while getting used to their schedule. A whole generation of prospecting swordsmen and mages is gathering right at our front gates. It is a time of new beginnings for the young ones... as well as us. So isn't it about time you stopped calling me a child?"
Archeota huffed with amusement.
"You are now the headmistress of Rhodeia, dear, even bearing the prestigious title of Grand Master. I couldn't be prouder. However, in my eyes, you will always be the young girl who tried to chew off much more than she could bite."
"No chance at negotiating?"
"None, I'm afraid."
Archeota lifted his glass for another sip before letting out a satisfied sigh.
"I forget how delicious a bit of alcohol can taste after a long day of work."
"Are the students finally getting under your skin?" Seren scoffed.
"Quite so. Every year, it's the same thing. Noble children from across the empire storm into Rhodeia in flocks. Some of them are tame, as all ideal humans should be. Some, however... were much like you when you were younger. Hot-headed, cocky, and overly reliant on their status to carry them through."
Seren placed a hand on her cheek with a soft giggle.
"Oh my. Was I that bad?"
"Heh. I'd argue you were far worse. Alas, times come and go. Eons pass like days. Despite the fresh scent of air brought about by each new year, I find myself still chained to the past."
"Goodness gracious... You're starting to sound like the true overgrown lizard you are."
One last sip, and Archeota placed the glass on the table.
"Live a life as long as mine..."
His sharp eyes gleamed, revealing a faint glow beneath a pair of vertical slit eyes.
"...and you'll see things you could never hope to imagine."
"Well, I suppose I'll get there eventually," Seren said with a smile that didn't quite match her eyes. "But for now... we should greet our esteemed guest. Why don't you come out from the shadows, dear?"
They turned toward the corner of the office where a patch of darkness clung to the walls more stubbornly than the rest. Perhaps the heavy curtains were to blame, but this void felt different. It was as if it was swallowing the light whole.
To anyone else, Seren might've looked foolish, addressing a pocket of nothingness, but she wasn't mistaken.
Click.
A single leg stepped out from the gloom, dressed in a sleek bodysuit and heeled boot. The sharp clack echoed across the wooden floor. Then came a voice — girlish, lilting, and full of venom disguised as honey.
"Hehe~ As perceptive as ever, Seren. You're over here talking about how old Archeota is, but let's not pretend you aren't pushing numbers yourself."
Even before her face was revealed, Seren's expression hardened.
That voice.
She knew it well, though it accompanied no fond memories.
From the shadow stepped a young woman with long, jet-black hair that draped down her back in silky ribbons. Her smile was refined, but it never reached her lavender eyes that seemed to dissect every inch of the room.
Her bodysuit was clean and stylish beneath a long cowl, but her leggings told another story. One side was pristine while the other was tattered.
Seren's voice dropped to a whisper, thick with resentment.
"...Celine de Luvelaine."
"Aw~ Why the hostility?" Celine pouted, resting a hand on her hip. "Don't tell me you've spent all these years without missing me... even a little bit?"
"Hardly."
"Ouch. You wound me, Seren. After I've been so kind to you."
"Attempting to assassinate me is your idea of being kind?"
"Oh, come on. That was one time, and you were being a total asshole. Definitely deserved it. Right, dragon?"
Archeota didn't reply. Like Seren, he glared at her with such malice it would've killed anyone else. But not Celine. She was far too accustomed to deathly stares.
"Quiet as ever," Celine scoffed. "Do you hate me that much?"
"Enough," Seren muttered. "Why have you come here, Celine? You must know that no one here would ever welcome you with open arms, especially since you reek of Strife's scent."
"Hmm... Spiteful, aren't you? But if you insist on moving on so quickly, then I guess I'll oblige."
With a sassy attitude unbefitting of a noble lady, Celine trudged over before plopping onto one of the couches. Her gesture for them to take a seat was oozing with mockery.
"Fortunately for you, I'm a rather easy woman," she mused. "I'm here for one reason and one reason only. You see, about a month ago, my brother disappeared without telling me. Being the caring sister that I am, I tracked him down. There is reason for me to believe that he is here at Rhodeia. So tell me..."
She leaned forward, her smile so obviously fake that it made them nervous.
"...where is he right now?"