When I returned to my room, I found Catherine in only her nightshirt. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, her right hand's fingers gently touching the cold metal of the prosthesis. However, as soon as I crossed the threshold, she immediately jumped out of bed and came to me.
"Well?" she asked, her voice trembling with excitement. "Did she agree?"
I locked the door and slowly turned to her. She now resembled a small child waiting for news. Her blue eyes were full of questions, and her fingers trembled noticeably, as if her entire future life depended on this decision.
"It was a difficult conversation, Catherine, more difficult than you can imagine," I sighed and, walking past her, went to the window.
Catherine followed me and stood slightly behind me, and then impatiently asked the question that, apparently, was bothering her the most, "She asked you about me, didn't she?"
I looked at her coldly and sighed, feigning a slight uncertainty to make her think that it was difficult for me to talk about all this.
"Yes, she asked about you and your prosthesis that my parents gave you." I turned away and looked again at the spires of the academy outside our window.
"I see…" Catherine moved away from me and sat on the edge of her bed. "You know, I have a lot of questions about this prosthesis too. It's not that I'm not grateful to you, Arta, but sometimes I feel like it's better than my real leg." Catherine sighed. "I've reread all the books in the library on prosthetics, and nowhere does it say that a prosthesis can restore sensitivity."
I looked at her intently. It was obvious that sooner or later I would have to tell her about the true nature of the prosthesis, at least a partial truth, otherwise there would never be complete trust between us.
Catherine, looking down, continued, "Besides, I noticed that my abilities for Light and Chaos magic have begun to deteriorate, and the sudden appearance of abilities for Order magic and a significant improvement in my Darkness magic—that's not a coincidence, is it?" she asked, looking me straight in the eye.
I sighed intentionally, as if it hurt me to talk about it. "May I sit next to you?" I asked politely, indicating the edge of her bed.
"Yes, of course, have a seat," Catherine replied calmly and moved to the head of the bed.
I sat carefully to her left and turned my head to look straight into her eyes, which were literally begging for the truth.
"Catherine…" I began slowly. "You know, I have to apologize to you. I lied to you about the prosthesis. I was afraid you would push me away. I…" I said in an intentionally slightly cracking voice, "understand… I just wanted to help."
Catherine bit her lower lip and clenched her fists.
"And what did you lie to me about, Arta?" she replied angrily. "Tell me the truth, or…" her voice cracked slightly, "don't expect me to continue communicating with you," she said with effort, as if something inside her was tearing her apart.
I nodded obediently, understanding that the moment had come. I could have easily continued to lie, inventing another tall tale, but the risk of losing my investment forced me to act sincerely, despite the potential threat from CL. Of course, I could have fabricated an even more believable lie, mixing in information about my mortal mother's cult, but for some reason, all of that seemed out of place, as if something very important depended on this conversation.
"Catherine…" I paused to observe every micro-movement of her body. "I created the prosthesis with my magic. It's literally imbued with my energy…" Catherine's eyes closed, and her hands clenched into fists. "I just…" I paused again, "I just wanted to help you…"
Hearing my answer, Catherine smiled, and tears began to stream from her eyes. She moved closer to me and hugged me tightly. Her grip was strong, as if she never wanted to let me go, and tears streamed from her eyes one after another. In an attempt to calm her, I decided to stroke her hair, but this only made her cry even more.
"Am I doing something wrong?" I asked, doubting the correctness of what I had just done.
"N-no…" she replied through her tears and continued to cry.
Understanding that she was under emotional stress, I continued to stroke her hair in the hope that she would come to her senses as soon as possible. However, I sat in her embrace for a long time, and even after the bell rang, signaling the start of the school day, she did not want to let me go.
***
In the evening of the same day, after finishing all the necessary activities for tomorrow's classes and conducting another sword training session with Catherine, who, it seemed to me, was doing everything today with a deep and careful enthusiasm, we went to the baths to put our bodies in order, and then I went to the library alone in the hope of making at least some progress in my main task.
The corridors of the central building were practically empty. It was obvious that most of the students were in their dormitory rooms at this hour, and only a few of them were engaged in additional activities to improve their skills in various disciplines.
Reaching the third floor, I saw a familiar student at the end of the corridor, standing at the library door, as if waiting for me to approach her. It was Olivia Briggs, and as soon as I took a few steps towards her, she seemed to come out of her state of anticipation and headed straight for me.
"Arta, hi!" she said enthusiastically.
"Hi," I replied dryly, looking her straight in the eye.
"Arta, listen, I want you to recommend a couple more books on the structure of Order magic," Olivia said cautiously.
"So you've already managed to read the books I mentioned earlier?" I asked with feigned interest.
I observed Olivia's enthusiasm with a sense of foreboding. A mortal's desire for what is denied to them is a corrupting force, one that often leads them to sacrifice the essential for the unattainable.
"No, of course not! What are you talking about!" she replied with a suspicious reaction. "I just want to delve deeper into the knowledge of magic. Is that a crime?"
"Of course not. The search for knowledge has never been a crime," I replied calmly. "Alright, read the treatise '10 Principles of Order Magic' by Adrian Cherandi. If you can find it, of course. It's not in our library."
"Not in the library?!" Olivia exclaimed.
"Yes, it's not in the library. He's an author from the Tarvarian Empire. I think you'll like it, since you're so into serious works of antiquity. It's a very useful treatise," I said, knowing that she not only wouldn't be able to find this book quickly, but if she did, she wouldn't read it quickly, as the knowledge in it would take an ordinary person more than one Veytra to comprehend.
"I see…" she muttered uncertainly. "In that case, I'll look for it in the city… Thanks, Arta!" And, waving to me, she went towards the stairs.
I just watched her go and, only after making sure she wouldn't turn around to cast a surreptitious glance at me, I opened the library door and went inside.
The library greeted me with its usual dusty stacks and a bored Madame Bridget, who was reading, probably light literature, by candlelight and didn't even pay attention to me until I approached her.
"Artalis Nox, you're late," she said casually, looking up from her book.
"I decided to read a couple of treatises before bed to sleep better," I lied as usual, as reading any books was pointless for me.
"Alright, go ahead, and remember, the library closes in exactly one hour," she said lazily and looked back at her book. "If you need help finding a book, you know where to find me," she said in a routine phrase and continued reading her book.
Walking into the reading room past dusty bookshelves at least three meters long, I picked up the first book on air magic that I came across. The human knowledge stored in libraries always repulsed me, because what could be more pathetic than storing knowledge in such an unreliable medium as paper? The limitation of knowledge was expressed in literally everything; even the banal inability to understand how to use precious minerals aroused in me only pity for such civilizations. Everything was always right under their noses, but they, even possessing magic, were unable to look around the next corner and instead wore priceless data repositories as jewelry.
There was no one in the reading room at this hour, except for Reina Morgan, who was sitting in the far part of the hall in the shadows and silently crying in front of a closed book. I walked towards her quickly and confidently, holding a thick volume on air magic. This was one of the rarest opportunities to talk to Reina face to face, and I couldn't pass it up.
"Excuse me, are you alright?" I asked, feigning concern, and stood beside her table.
Reina turned her head to me and looked at me with her tear-stained silver eyes, wiping away the remaining tears with her hand.
"You're the first-year student, Arta, right?" she asked in a slightly hoarse voice, although she probably knew very well who I was.
Instead of a direct answer, I just nodded, considering that this was enough in this situation.
"I've heard a little about you, and in general, to be completely honest, I'm here partly because of you," she said, making a claim against me with literally her second sentence.
There was no sincerity in her voice, as if she were playing a game known only to herself. Besides, from her gaze, one could understand that she had probably been able to gather some additional information about me in her free time, which, it seemed to me, should not have been part of the predictable algorithm of her behavior.
"Because of me…?" I asked with an intentionally puzzled pause and added, "Yes, my name is Artalis Feda Nox."
"Wow, so serious," she replied with a smile. "My name is Reina Grey Morgan, you can just call me Ren. I don't like formalities." She tilted her head to the side, and an invisible chaotic spark flashed around her. "Yes, I'm here because of you. Have a seat. I hope you don't mind silly girlish talk?"
Of course, I didn't want to engage in familiar conversations with her, let alone call her by the friendly short name accepted in human society, because she was the main target of the anomaly hanging over Illumora for me, but circumstances forced me to act differently, and from that moment on, I decided to make concessions to her and call her "Ren" from now on.
I pulled out a chair and sat down at the same table with her, placing the book on air magic in front of me.
"Alright, then I suppose you can call me Arta," I replied, although it was probably unnecessary for her, since she had originally addressed me by my short name. "So what am I guilty of? Did I offend you somehow?" I asked, trying to understand the true reason for her words.
Ren smiled, but there was no warmth in her smile, more like theatrical affectation.
"I suppose I can tell you a little about it, since you were the reason for my tears," Ren looked me in the eye and adjusted a strand of her fiery red hair.
"You talk as if I should understand what I'm guilty of… I don't remember doing anything wrong," I said, feigning slight bewilderment, hoping that such "sincerity" would help me get her to talk.
"Didn't you?!" Ren exclaimed indignantly. "Weren't you the one who almost got into a fight with Nova when you entered the academy?" she asked with irritation.
"Yes, that was me, but Nova was wrong too, wasn't she?" I asked, tilting my head slightly to the side to create an innocent image.
"Yeah…" Ren replied dryly. "But weren't you the one staring at us? So don't make excuses for yourself, northerner. I don't know what they think about such relationships where you're from, but in my home in Anix, it's normal."
"The academy charter forbids such things," I replied coldly, feigning slight irritation.
"Rules are made to be broken," Reina smiled predatorily. "Haven't you ever heard of that?"
I shook my head. Her claims against me were high, and I wasn't going to argue with her, because CL was probably watching her every move.
"What can you expect from a northerner…" Ren said with an ironic smirk. "But anyway, you're a first-year, and today, acting out of noble considerations, I tried to stand up for you in front of Nova, but I'm no longer sure I did the right thing," Reina replied with an ironic grimace.
I knew she was lying, but I had to make some concessions to her.
"Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you in any way."
She looked around, as if thinking someone was eavesdropping on her, and, concluding that no one was there, she continued to speak.
"Alright, Arta. I forgive you. After all, it's not your fault that you were raised in the north," she replied with a smile, as if nothing had happened. "But let's talk about something else, okay?" she said dryly, looking me straight in the eye. "Tell me, why did you agree to the role of mage-guardian?"
I had no doubt that Nova would tell her about this incident, but her curiosity probably came from the book from her past life, the plot of which she remembered perfectly.
"To be honest, I had no choice but to accept. Evelina offered it to me from a position of power, and I had no right to refuse her," I replied coldly. "Unfortunately, I can't disclose the other details; the conversation was confidential."
"I see…" she replied with a sly smile. "In that case, that explains a lot." She fell silent, as if remembering some details, and then continued. "Nova was furious today. She was literally ready to tear her whole room apart when she found out you had taken her place."
"Furious? I hope she didn't harm you?!" I replied, trying to play along with her acting.
Ren shook her head and then replied, "No, of course not. She just wanted to smear you on the wall by challenging you to a magical duel," she replied, as if speaking of an insignificant detail.
"A magical duel...?" I asked, feigning surprise.
"Well, yes, a public magical duel to prove to Evelina that you're not worth a drop of the rumors that are going around about you," Ren smiled again. "I tried to stand up for you, and we argued about it."
Such revelations from Ren were a little strange, and I understood that I would never get the real truth about the conversation with Nova from her, but I didn't like the idea of a public duel, as it would attract another unnecessary attention to me.
"I should thank you," I replied, intentionally putting my hand to my heart.
Ren smiled, seeing my reaction, obviously thinking that her game had achieved its goal.
"Don't thank me, but please be careful and don't be surprised if Nova challenges you to a duel tomorrow anyway. She's very stubborn," Ren shook her head, as if she wanted to get rid of that trait in Nova for good, but in the end, she smiled. "Alright, forgive me, Arta, but I have to go. It's almost curfew. It was nice talking to you, and yes, be careful. Nova is a strong mage." Ren smiled, got up from her chair, and, patting me on the shoulder, quickly left the reading room, leaving her book on the table.
Watching her go, I looked at the book she had left and reached for it to pick it up. The book was titled "Griederich A. — 'Love as the Meaning of Life.'" For me, this was predictable and indicated that Reina probably didn't read books related to her studies in the library in her free time.
Opening the book and flipping through it in search of possible bookmarks, I didn't notice the reading room door creak, and then steps sounded behind me—light and almost weightless. The next moment, someone I didn't expect to see at that moment appeared over my shoulder. I felt a light and soft touch of fingers adorned with a white glove on my shoulder, and this immediately made me tense up. I knew at once who it was, although I hadn't seen her face yet. It was the synthetic avatar of Chaotic Light. However, one question still remained open: what had brought her here? After all, I was sure that I had made no mistakes that could attract her attention.
"Knock, knock, knock! Who's hiding behind the book?" The girl froze, coming into my field of vision and tilting her head. Her eyes glowed with a soft white light. "Oh, hi, Arta… You look like a sculpture even in the shadows. Beautiful, but cold."
I slowly looked her in the eye, trying not to be scared. I knew that the appearance of Chaotic Light was supposed to attract, not repel, and I obediently played my role, because I couldn't give myself away. Before me stood a girl in an unnaturally casual pose and with a curiosity inherent only to her, looking at me with her glowing white eyes. Her pink strands playfully peeked out from under her hood, and in her hands, she was twirling a stalk of a moonflower—a plant that blooms only at midnight, though midnight was still hours away.
"Here. It doesn't bite… It only whispers secrets to those who listen," she laughed, and this laughter sounded both playful and alarming. "You know how to listen, right?"
"Sorry, but I don't take gifts from strangers. Introduce yourself first," I said, trying to put as much distrust and irritation into my voice as possible.
The girl sighed theatrically, pressing the flower to her chest. "How cruel you are! But you know…" She leaned closer, her breath smelling of mint and smoke. "You remind me of someone. Someone who also thought he could hide behind a mask of ice." Her smile became predatory. "It didn't work for him. It won't work for you either."
"You talk too much. Explain who you are and what you want," I replied coldly, in my usual role as the future High Priestess of the Cult of the Silent Star.
She moved away, taking a few smooth steps. Her cloak scattered sparks of white light, like snow.
"You know, I like you, cutie! But…" She laughed again. "I like to keep my little secrets! And for now… you're too quiet." Suddenly, her voice became serious. "But don't think it will last long. I always get what I want. Not today, not tomorrow… But I'll find a way."
With these words, she disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared, leaving behind only sparks and a melting moonflower. After she disappeared, a pattern remained on the stone floor, resembling a star map, where she'd slipped back into her "cosmic splendor". Forma sine substantia.
I stared for a long time at the place where she had disappeared, realizing that she had clearly felt something, but I couldn't find any obvious signs for myself, other than the memory correction of Evelina. Most likely, it was this memory correction that had caused slight fluctuations in reality and thus attracted Chaotic Light.
Realizing that it was pointless to stay here any longer, I took both books lying on the table and put them on the bookshelves, and then quickly left the library, understanding and accepting the fact that I would have to act even more cautiously.