The next morning, Leo yawned his way into the academy—what they called the Aureate Hall. It looked like an ancient temple crossed with a Hogwarts cosplay event. Marble columns, scrolls flying around, and a vending machine that hissed like a cobra.
"Yo, Vellum!" Leo waved at his only half-friend.
Vellum, already buried in his magical notes, didn't even look up. "Don't distract me. I'm not trying to get yeeted into another world like you. One wrong spell and I'll be selling potatoes in the afterlife."
Leo plopped down beside him. "Rude. I came here to learn, not to haunt you."
After the class—where the professor basically droned about mana compression while Leo tried not to draw moustaches in his notes—Ari caught up with them.
She pointed at Vellum and said sternly, "Don't let him out of your sight. And don't let him touch any antiques. He has some kind of… anti-antique disorder."
Leo rolled his eyes. "I knocked over one old vase and suddenly I'm Indiana Jones on crack."
Ari glared. "One more incident and I'm putting a bell around your neck."
With that, she disappeared into the crowd, muttering about insurance paperwork.
---
Vellum gave Leo a mischief-loaded grin. "You wanted answers? Let's cause a tiny rule-breaking today."
Leo leaned in. "You've never looked more evil and more attractive."
Vellum smirked, flipping his hood on. "We're going to the Guild Archive."
"But it's restricted!" Leo whispered.
"That's the fun part," Vellum whispered back, already walking away like a Bollywood villain in slo-mo.
---
They sneaked into the Archive's side hallway, dodging floating brooms and a grumpy scroll-eating cat named Kya. Just before they reached the main entrance, a cranky receptionist stood guard.
"I got this," Vellum said, then walked over and started pretending to cry.
"I—I'm allergic to air without books in it," he sniffled. "I can't breathe, aunty!"
While the receptionist rolled her eyes hard enough to cause an earthquake, Leo slipped in through the side door like a true ninja—except his bag caught on the doorknob and he nearly faceplanted.
Inside, the Archive smelled like old pages and secrets.
Leo began his hunt.
Hours passed—or maybe just minutes, time was weird here—and finally, he stumbled upon a faded red file with a barely visible tag:
"Incident 144: Unauthorized Spell Chants — Bakery District"
He opened it.
Inside, the fragments told the story of a woman who sang forbidden magic into bread. Not just any woman—the same one the guild had "dealt with."
There was a mention of her husband. A high-ranking guild officer who left it all to open a bakery with her. They had a kid. A quiet life.
And then… fire. Silence. Guild-sanctioned cleansing.
But most of it was redacted. Words missing. Pages torn. As if someone didn't want the truth fully known.
Leo frowned. "Why hide this? What did she sing? And why did it feel familiar... like those whispers?"
Just then, Vellum peeked through the shelves. "Found anything?"
Leo closed the file quickly. "Just... shadows and secrets."
---