"Maybe... maybe you misread the map? It's not here!?" asked the sister, with her voice trembling from the agitation.
"No way I misread the map." replied the brother as he took the map from his backpack "No... it should be here, right in front of us..."
The siblings observed the scene before them, and yet they couldn't comprehend why there was no Academia in front of them. Maybe a mistake from the map? Perhaps they took a wrong path? Did the Academia move? Was that the Academia? All sorts of bizarre questions were floating in their minds.
"Maybe it's beyond the forest? Beyond the trees?" she then asked.
"But just from here they seem so many... I think it's just a forest. I don't think it's beyond. It should be visible from here..." even the boy was full of nothing but doubts.
The panic was getting louder in their heads, only a week before the Academia closed its doors and they just felt lost.
Then, the brother took a deep breath...
"Let's calm down... Anyhow, we should rest, and replenish our food. We can ask the people in that little village over there if they know anything. Maybe there is a tavern or a inn where can we rent a place for the night. And then we can think straight. The night brings counsel... It makes no sense for the Academia to send us a map that lies about its whereabouts. Alright?"
The sister's breathing paced down and she relaxed herself. It was in moments like these that she was grateful for having a cool head like his by her side.
"Alright... let's go and see if we can get anything useful from those folks. I doubt you misread the map, you're not that idiot." she said, jokingly, while patting the shoulder of the brother.
The boy smiled and both of them started heading to the village. He wanted to reply to that joke with another joke, but his mind wasn't clear enough for that.
When they arrived to the village, what from afar looked like little houses made of logs were, indeed, little houses made of logs.
An old man saw them approaching to his house, as it was the first one that they encountered once the downhill ended.
"Hi, excuse us. We're travelers from afar and would like to ask some questions." started the boy.
The brother had time to calm his mind while reaching for the village, and the map was getting suspicious. He wanted to clear his doubts.
"Do you know what lies beyond that forest?"
The old man, to this question, had no response. He explained that he traveled here too, with his family, in order to escape conflict that barbarians had caused in his, once, village. Thus, he knew nothing outside of this little place in the world where he was living now.
"Do many travelers come here?"
Apparently the ones that came here, tended to stay, seeking a peaceful life and a retreat from their past. A little place forgotten by many.
The brother then asked for information about the place, seeking on where they could find food and a place to spend the night. Fortunately, this village had a little tavern where they could rent a room and locals willingly to sell their crops. So, at least these concerns, were solved.
The siblings then proceeded to the tavern, where they could find more people to seek for an answer to what lies beyond the forest. But, even there, nobody knew.
It was now late evening, they bought dinner at the tavern and decided on what to do for the next day.
"It doesn't make any sense... By now we should have reached the Academia!" said the sister.
"Let's not think about that for now. Tomorrow, I'll go and check the forest. There's something about it that makes me feel uneasy. Nobody knows what's after that? Really?" the brother complained.
"Well, it looks vast... Anyway, tomorrow, while you explore the forest, I'll go check the remaining houses to see if I can find anything useful. I think it's better if we split."
"Yes, alright."
The next day, the sister knocked on the brother's door.
"I'm going to the village! Let me know if you find something at the forest!" she shouted from outside the door, waking up the boy.
Six days were now left before the Academia closed its doors.
