Deep beneath the Forgotten Fortress, dim blue runes illuminated the command chamber. Basei stood before the central console, his arms crossed, gazing at the hovering map of the continent. A soft metallic footstep echoed behind him.
"Simni reporting," came the calm, mechanical yet distinctly feminine voice.
Basei turned. "You've read the latest reports?"
"Yes," she replied, her glowing blue eyes narrowing. "Milly's fluctuations have become more frequent. The Mistress's reports from the academy confirm it. I'm requesting permission to go undercover inside the academy."
Basei hesitated. "Undercover?"
Simni nodded. "If I stay near her, I can monitor her aura output, record emotional shifts, and potentially predict her next… surge."
He sighed beneath his mask, thinking for a moment. "You realize how risky that is. If she even senses who you are-"
"I'll handle it," she interrupted flatly.
Basei gave a slow nod. "Fine. But Simni, listen carefully."
His tone sharpened. "No one must know who you are. Not the teachers, not the headmistress… not even Milly herself. She must never find out."
Simni tilted her head slightly, the soft whir of her inner systems filling the pause. Then, after a short silence, she replied only two words:
"If possible."
And without waiting for further instructions, she turned and began walking toward the portal chamber.
Basei blinked behind his mask. "…If possible?" he muttered, scratching the side of his helmet. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The portal shimmered once, and she was gone.
Cuts to the Academy in the Afternoon
Milly stepped into the teacher's hallway, her hands still a little dusty from morning PE. "Good afternoon, everyone," she greeted with her usual bright smile.
"Afternoon, Miss Mila!" the other teachers chimed in cheerfully.
She waved back, still smiling-until she reached her office.
The moment she opened the door, she froze.
Stacks upon stacks of paperwork towered over her desk like miniature mountains, all stamped with the seal of urgent. Her eye twitched.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
One of the nearby teachers peeked from the hall. "End-of-term evaluations, Miss Mila. The headmistress said you volunteered to-"
"I what?!"
Before they could even finish, Milly dramatically dropped to her knees, arms limp at her sides, tears streaming down her cheeks in exaggerated despair.
"Nooooooo…" she groaned, falling onto her side like she'd been slain by invisible paperwork. "This is how I die…"
The other teachers just laughed softly as they passed by.
"Hang in there, Mila!"
"Easy for you to say…" she muttered into the floor. "You're not being buried alive…"