“Elicia! You're safe?” The look on Merea’s face, Elicia thought would’ve been furious. Yet what she wore as she arrived was painted with worry. The academy uniform that had always been kept so neat and tidy was now in tatters; likewise, was her usual prim demeanor—not even adjusting the broken spectacle frame trying so desperately to cling on the bridge of her nose.

“Aunt Merea!” Elicia bawled, her head tilting back as she unraveled. Her aunt knelt down and took out a napkin—still neatly folded— and gently wiped the snot on her face.

“No tears, Elicia. Save them for when we get back to Daerin,” Merea soothed. Elicia sniffled once more before nodding, then softly shook her companion nestled on her thigh. Celeste raised her head, slowly revealing flushed cheeks and swollen eyes.

Elicia grinned, “Ya, Celeste, time to go home,” and stood up groggily as the blood flow had yet to return to her leg, before she helped Celeste up from the floor. “Aunt Merea? What about the rock drake outside?” she asked her aunt. The reason they found their way into this room in the first place was that they were running away from the mad creature.

Merea replied as she was dusting her linen gloves, “It’s safe now. I chased it away.”

“Chased it away?” Elicia mused. “The rock drake wasn’t some stray dog asking for food. How could she say that so casually?” The young girl only wondered but didn’t ask; her trust in her aunt was absolute. Still, as they exited the central pillar, the scenery that welcomed her chestnut-amber eyes answered her question; patches of soil were upheaved and bits and pieces of what looked like the rock drake were strewn about. It was an evident change to the landscape of the outside—a scene of carnage.

Elicia felt at ease. With her aunt around, although the trek back to Daerin would be tiring, it would become a lot safer than if they were by themselves. With that said, the way back was an entirely different experience than when they came…

“Ya, it’s the exit! We’re finally here Celeste!” Elicia rejoiced while waving Celeste’s arms in jubilation. Unlike this morning where there weren’t many critters to be seen, this time, there were a myriad of magic creatures that had crossed their path.

Creatures both big and small: a rare chalk pygmy, a common sylph fox, a briar stag, and even a lumbering earth bear—none of which showed any hostility as they could only flee or submit to Merea’s threatening aura. Curious however, was the scarce presence of the shadow wolves nor their howls.

“Celeste?” Elicia repeated. Her friend had been quiet the whole trip back, dazed and unresponsive. She could take a guess at why, but didn’t dare to mention it. The sky had become a blanket cast overhead, weaved with threads of the night and embroidered with stars—a welcome change to the bright interior of Erden’s Tower. That explained why no one was at the tower’s entrance; it was already well past the hours of the early evening.

Merea, seeing the girls halting, placed a hand on Elicia's shoulder, “Elicia, she’s tired. I’m sure you are as well. Student Celeste, let’s take you back to the Loeth Residence.”

“Alright...” Elicia nodded and started to coax Celeste,” Ya, Celeste, we're taking you home, unless you want to stay here?” The crimson-haired girl's hands were pressed to her stomach, as if carrying a bag of anxiety. She was always reserved, but this time she was fully silent.

Elicia began to drift into thought, “Was she shaken by what had happened? Or is she worried about Urie? Speaking of which, did that boy get back earlier than us? He’d better be sorry if he did, leaving us alone and heading back by himself…” Eventually, she shook her head and offered, “Do you want me to carry you? Are you not feeling well? Hmm?”

As she said this, she noticed people who were gathered earlier at the fountain approaching.

“Celeste, dear! Where were you? We were worried sick!” An elegant-looking lady with long blonde hair leapt over and smothered Celeste with her concern. The icy blue trait of her eyes immediately struck Elicia as familiar.

“Were you with Urie?” The lady asked, and Celeste nodded sheepishly in affirmation.

“Urie’s mother? Would that boy grow up as beautiful as her?” Elicia inwardly quipped, but had a sudden awareness of something. “Wait. Hasn't he gone home yet?”

“Merea, you haven't seen Urie?” The lady turned and asked her aunt. Merea shook her head resignedly in response, “I surveyed the area through an earth pulse just in case.”

It was at this moment that the blonde lady’s expression underwent a fierce change.

Releasing Celeste, she declared with whipping wind gathering around her gowned slender physique, “Celeste, stay with Patty. Merea, we’re going to the academy.” Then she burst into a sprint at the direction of the academy; Merea quickly following behind. The lady's shift in countenance frightened Elicia, more so than their encounter with the shadow wolf and the rock drake.

“What was at the academy?” Elicia murmured, before another young lady with tied up brown hair came up to them—Elicia recognized her as the maid from the Loeth residence—asking to take them home. Celeste vehemently refused, insisting on following Urie's mother to the academy.

Elicia was curious as well. "Why go to the academy this late at night?"

The hesitant maid could only follow along reluctantly as she couldn’t go against Celeste’s wishes. A few minutes later, they stood before the academy’s closed iron gates. The guards were off duty, and Merea and Urie’s mother were nowhere to be found.

Elicia checked the gates, “It's not locked!” and tried to push them open. She huffed and groaned, but realizing that even just the single panel was too heavy for her, she yelled,  “Ya, Celeste, and you too! Come and help me open this!”

With the three of them, they only managed to make an opening enough for them to squeeze tightly through. Wasn’t the maid an adult? Elicia mused, as Patty had only contributed a scant difference in strength.

“W-We shouldn't be doing this, young miss, let's go home,” the maid stuttered.

Elicia paid no attention to the pleas and continued to strut with Celeste towards the academy building.