The night was far shorter than it had any right to be. It was shortly after midnight by the time Lysette finished cleaning up the room and made her way back to the dormitory on the opposite side of campus. Thankfully, with her invisibility cloak’s efficacy enhanced under the cover of darkness, marred though it was by the waxing gibbous moon, Lysette could move virtually undetected even at nearly a full sprint. Only the rushing gale she left in her wake would give her position away, though, with the campus commons virtually empty and a brisk wind blowing through the grassy space, even that would have been difficult to pick out.

Lysette dissolved herself right as she made her way through the main door of the dormitory. She quickly passed by the registration desk, slipping through a crack in the door leading up to the stairwell, and slid her way up to the sixth floor as quickly as her shadowy form would allow, making for her bed with all the celerity she could muster.

On the one hand, it didn’t much matter how quickly she got back— Lysette wouldn’t be able to sleep even if she wanted to. But on the other hand, especially with everything that had continued to go downhill the last few days, her bed was one of the few places she could truly unwind and have some semblance of her long-lost normalcy.

She didn’t have to be Lyse Barret, Cultivator extraordinaire, the new prodigy that all of Domark seemed to be rapidly warping around. And she didn’t have to be Zarielle’s Godslayer, nor Aimarion’s Demigoddess of Reciprocity. She could just be, for however brief a time, Lysette Barenete, the young herbalist from Osstia who didn’t have any cares about arrogant young masters or noble overlords or monsters roaming the lands. And who certainly didn’t have to worry about whatever asinine antics were going on in the Celestial Realm as gods warred over supremacy while humans paid the price.

Lysette suppressed a sigh as she lay face-first on her bed, trying her hardest not to wake her sleeping roommate across the room. Ever since the night of her would-be death and subsequent rebirth, the one constant in her life had been the powerful using their power and influence and wealth to lord over those without. And now, though she had framed and even intended for her offer to be a voluntary exchange of mutual benefit, she couldn’t help but feel like shit over the whole situation. That she was, in some way, taking advantage of the power she’d been lent to play exactly the same games as the people she’d come to detest so.

She hated it, and the feeling gnawed at her throughout the night, distracting her to the point where she couldn’t even Cultivate properly. These conflicting emotions had never been a problem before— being able to operate on multiple consciousnesses had been even more of a boon than Lysette realized at first, allowing her to sequester unpleasant thoughts or emotions on one track while allowing the others to focus on her Cultivation trances. But now that she was taking the first concrete steps to not just building her own individual power, but forming a faction of hopefully like-minded individuals, her previously unflappable confidence and resolve wavered until the morning light pierced through the half-open window.

Lysette turned to Danitha, who was already moaning and stretching about her bed, muttering something about not wanting to go to class, and an idea struck.

“Hey Dani,” Lysette said. “Do you want to cut class with me today?”

Danitha moaned something unintelligible before sitting up and turning to face her. “I mean, the idea of spending some time with you does sound nice, but I can’t really neglect my studies. I didn’t come here just to end up some delinquent like you.”

“Delinquent?” Lysette shook her head. “I suppose that’s not wrong. Though, I was planning to go to the surface, and I could use your help.”

“Need to get away from everyone trying to pick a fight with you?” Are we on three or four fights since classes started?”

Lysette sighed. “Three. Although, I was hoping to make it four today.”

“Maybe I should accompany you then. Someone needs to keep you out of trouble, seeing how good you are at getting yourself into it.”

Lysette chose not to point out that it was Danitha’s slap that was the catalyst for everything that had happened. Sooner or later, something would have happened to set a similar sequence of events into motion. Mirae had said so; Serrena too. And Nightshade had confirmed. The Spark of divinity within Lysette would have eventually drawn the reverence and ire alike of those around her like bees to a nectar-filled grove.

“I would like that. The part about accompanying me, that is. I was going to see about the Hunter’s Guild with a friend, maybe sign up and take a mission. And I’d like you to join us. Think of it as a… field trip of sorts. A chance to test our strength on the battlefield, and maybe earn a little money while we do so.”

“But, Lyse, won’t that be dangerous?”

“It will, Dani.” Lysette smiled. “But a life of danger is what all of us signed up for when we arrived at the Academy. We chose to develop and then hone our bodies and minds alike, to become more than who we were when we arrived. We all seek different things. For some of us, it’s wealth. For others it’s status or power or longevity, but being a Cultivator inevitably means a life filled with danger.”

“That’s pretty deep. You sure you’re all okay in the head this morning?”

Lysette let out a chuckle. “I didn’t sleep much last night. Had a lot on my mind since I got back around midnight. Shall we get going? Made a new friend last night, and I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Well, that settles it. Let’s you and me hurry up and get going. I don’t want my friend going off to get herself killed!”

“Not going to try to stop me, then?”

Danitha laughed. “As if! I don’t know everything going on up in that thick head of yours and something tells me I don’t want to know, but I do know that once you decide you’re going to do something, you’re going to do it even if it’s the dumbest thing imaginable on all of Kraciell!”

I guess you’re right.

The two roommates readied themselves with haste and made their way to the carriage station on the northern edge of Domark, stopping only long enough to pick up a couple of bagels to eat along the way. As they reached the northern outskirts of campus, Mirae stood waiting, a soft smile on their face.

“Oh good, Lyse. You finally made it!” Mirae said. “I was beginning to worry about you.”

“Sorry about the delay. Oh, and before we get started. Mirae, this is Danitha, my roommate. She’s going to be joining us today. And Dani, this is Mirae, the student I was telling you about.”

Danitha broke into a full smile. “A pleasure to meet you!”

“Likewise.” Mirae gave a small bow. “I look forward to working with both of you.”

“No need to be so formal, Mirae! It’s always great to meet new friends!”

“I– I guess?” Mirae glanced over to Lysette, as though they were looking for permission. Lysette nodded and smiled.

As Mirae stood befuddled, trying to regain their composure, Nightshade flew down and perched on Lysette’s shoulders.

“And this is Nightshade. She’s my familiar.”

“She is very lovely,” Mirae said. “May I pet her?”

“She may, Lady Lysette.”

“She says it’s okay. Also, there’s a certain spot right there at the base of her wing where she really likes to be scratched. And don’t worry, you won’t hurt her.”

Mirae did as instructed, and Nightshade lowered her head and began to coo.

“Ah, that feels quite lovely,” she messaged Lysette through their link. “Thank you both. By the way, Lady Lysette, I sense you will be departing Domark soon? Shall I accompany you?”

“No, we may be gone for a couple of days. I think it would serve us best if you remained here, to keep some eyes and ears out for any potential threats or opportunities that might come our way.”

“By your leave, Lady Lysette. May you find swift success in your endeavors.”

Nightshade flew off and the three departed soon after. Danitha took the lead, guiding Lysette and Mirae along to the station, whistling some tune Lysette didn’t recognize, and which Mirae seemed equally dumbfounded about. The morning was otherwise quiet; it was still early enough that the bustle of the day hadn’t fully set in, and as they walked along the outskirts of the city, a chill wind blew in from the north, one of the less pleasant ones they’d experienced since arriving on campus. Danitha broke out into a shiver, though Mirae, true to their nature as an Ice Cultivator, seemed to relish the sensation, spreading their arms out and allowing the bluster to buffet them through their flimsy tunic and three-quarter length pants.

But despite the relative quiet of the morning, the station down to the surface was still littered with people. And though it wasn’t packed, the line moved that much slower to compensate, the workers and carriages yet again seeming to adjust their pace to ensure that the wait was always the same amount of time, no matter how long or short the queue was.

The carriage itself was as jam packed as it was the last time, and it took a lot of willpower not to partially dissolve herself for that small bit of extra comfort for her and her friends. But for the sake of not drawing yet more attention to herself and the peace that came with relative anonymity, Lysette endured the ride, the end of which did not come soon enough. But it did, and before long, the three of them disembarked and made their way toward the guild headquarters on the far northern outskirts of the capital.

“Achoo!” Danitha sneezed. “It’s too cold!”

Lysette pulled her cloak out and wrapped it around her. “Is that any better?”

“It is– Wait, why can’t I see my hands anymore?”

“It’s an invisibility cloak.”

“Where’d you come up with something like this? Did you steal it? Lyse! I expect an answer!”

“N– No!” Lysette raised her hands in the air as Danitha’s hand emerged from within the cloak, a single wagging finger pointed toward her. “I Created it. That’s why I’ve been cutting class and haven’t been around much these last couple of days.”

“You’re kidding?” Danitha said.

“You truly are amazing, Lyse,” Mirae said. “I am glad I chose to come with you today.”

“And I’m grateful for both of you,” Lysette said. “Are you two ready?”

“Both?” a familiar voice added. “I don’t suppose you have room for one more in the party?”

Lysette turned around to see Serrena standing a few paces behind, arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

“You really got me good, you know. Can’t believe it took three days before I was patched up enough for that Nurse Macara not to physically block me from leaving my room. Did you know she can shoot purple lightning out of her fingers? Bet she could have been one hell of a soldier if she pursued that path. Though, with that electric personality, maybe it’s a good thing she didn’t. Didn’t seem like the type that was willing to take any order she didn’t feel like doing herself.”

“Oh, Miss Serrena,” Mirae said. “It’s an honor to see you again.” They bowed their head.

“You haven’t changed one bit. I guess other than that you’re fawning over Lyse now instead of me.” Serrena chuckled as she walked up and past. “That’s fine by me. Not really interested in having to look after a bunch of underlings.”

Mirae, Serrena, and Lysette all took a long look at each other, each staring back, none making a sound until, after a far too long and far too awkward silence, Danitha stood in the middle of the stare-off and shook her head.

“It’s a good thing I came after all, Lyse. As I said, someone needs to look after you. And apparently, Serrena too.”

“And just what is that supposed to mean, Danitha? I can take care of myself quite fine.” Serrena harrumphed and blew a puff of smoke into the air to accentuate her apparent displeasure.

“I mean– Ugh, nevermind. Let’s just get going.”

Lysette shook her head, taking the rear as the whole party walked toward the edge of town. I really hope this ends up working out.