12th of Sifdras - 2nd Velron

  This morning all my roommates from the 5th floor dormitories say goodbye to our communal living to move into our new room assignments. These are delivered to us by the same red-headed girl with the difficult accent from the day before. This time, though, she deigned not to speak when she finds me answering the door again. Instead, she just hands me a stack of letters and tips an imaginary hat in my direction before skipping off to the next room. Odd one, that.

  I hand them all out and I am so pleased to find out that Cira and I will still be roommates in the Vodalysa dormitories. Sigrid and Lytha will also be rooming together in Unio Luminae we come to find out. However, Vesa and Syffy will be meeting new roommates once they arrive in the Drakonys and Temporia dormitories. To be honest, I am disappointed to be leaving the rest of our roommates, but they all assure me that we will all see each other during the term. I smile at the thought as I have no reason to doubt them.

  With fond farewells and promises to get together again, Cira and I pack our things and move in to our new room in the Vodalysa dormitories. The common room is the first place we enter that I truly feel that I have stepped into another world entirely. The stone walls on the inside are a smooth marbled onyx, a direct contrast to the light gray on the outside of the building. The entrance is lined with runes in the archway of the dark stone that gives off a faint shimmer of mana in multiple hues.

  The temperature is comfortable but looks and feels as though I am in a cellar, and although I do spot several hearths around the room, only a few of them are lit. A low mist covers the swirling stone’s pattern on the ground in some places and looks to be emanating from a large pool of water in the direct center of the expansive room; complete with a fountain. The pool is also home to floating lilies of white and purple and back lit by a mystical blue luminescence. A similar glow is seen from the walls and sporadic sections of the ceiling where different colored runes have been activated to give the room a light good enough for reading, but an eerie ambiance.

  Other scribes fill the space, bustling here and there, lounging in the plush, dark purple couches and armchairs, or sitting around the many tables in groups, giving the room a din that while I am not used to, isn’t necessarily unwelcome. Cira and I move through the crowd with our trunks and cases and it isn’t long until a smiling drakari girl with blue and gray scales lining her cheek bones on an otherwise human face greets us, offering to help.

  We gladly accept and it doesn’t take long for the three of us to get all our things out of the common room and down the hallway marked “Ladies”. Thankfully, our room is located on the first floor and we thank Munsa, the drakari girl, for her help. She invites us to come chat with her and some of the other covenmates in the common room, which she calls the Sanctum. Once our luggage is more or less settled, Cira and I take her up on the offer, venturing out into the bustling Sanctum.

  It is then that I learn the formal name of our common room is the Abyssal Sanctum as explained to me by Munsa when we eventually meet up with her again. She points out the hallway on the opposite side of the hall as the boy’s side and I can see the sign posted as “Gentlemen”. Munsa then introduces us to a plethora of people and for the life of me I cannot recall any of their names.

  She points around the room to humans, elves, dwarves, shortfoots, infernai, and everything in between, spouting off names, or what sounds like names, as a means of introduction. Leading us to a table of a couple humans and a gnawborn, Munsa sits and gives real introductions this time. Cira follows suit and sits, chatting amicably, but I only join them silently, my head buzzing with half remembered names and faces. The group of them all start talking about classes to come on Ivora and I find an opportunity to slip away without interrupting their conversation.

  I exit the Sanctum with a relieved sigh and feel better already in the relative quiet of being on the other side of the large, onyx double doors. I begin walking down the aether filled corridors to clear my swimming head until I find myself outside in the crisp chill of the mountain campus. Without direction or purpose, I let myself be guided by the familar sensation I have come to know well. I have trusted this intuition many times before in the woods back home. It is perhaps because of this odd sense that I have never felt a panic at the thought of becoming lost and, in all honesty, it makes me feel comforted when alone. It always felt to me that I was following some invisible aether stream and this time was no different.

  I pass by a beautiful, circular stone fountain with a picturesque statue of four mermaids holding ewers. I can imagine that once the weather turns warmer, those ewers will be flowing with water into the fountain. Also on my walkabout, I pass by a large greenhouse, teaming with vibrant green foliage and make a note to tell Cira about it when I return. A large, circular building with massive stone pillars catches my eye then and I wander toward it, curiosity and that extra sense pushing me, almost urging me toward it.

  At the base I find a set of large double doors labeled “The Hall of Equity” under the awning of the next floor above it and I tilt my head up to try counting all the floors. There are at least five that I can see, all with an outside ledge like a hallway that winds around the building like a snake. I search for a stairwell to find the way up, which I find toward the back and head upwards.

  Now in the back of the building, I make my way to the front using the outside hallway, passing by several smaller doors which appear to be classrooms by the labels. I have gone most of the way around the circuit when I find a strange door painted a deep, navy blue. I find myself staring at the door with interest and bewilderment. Why was this door so special? I muse to myself as I find the label which reads "Void of Reflection". My head tilts with wonder about what could be inside when a dusky voice rings out from behind me.

  "Go ahead, little mouse." I turn to see a cloaked figure sitting, more like lounging, on the outside ledge, their back against one of those massive pillars. There is a book open on their lap but their hooded face is turned in my direction.

  I narrow my eyes at the figure and search around us, unsure if they are addressing me by this name. “Me?” I try not to squeak it.

  They shift their posture to face me squarely so their legs covered in soft brown boots and similarly toned cloth closely dangle over the stone hallway. The book in their lap shifts to the ledge while they remove their hood. “I don’t see any other small creatures around.”

  Without the hood of well-worn gray, orange, and red concealing his olive-toned face and messy, coal-dark hair, it is easy to recognize the delinquent staff member from yesterday. His mouth parts into an almost sadistic, yet lazy smile as his golden eyes glitter with what I can only guess is mischief. Even though he is sitting, I can tell he is taller than me by a good margin, but I’m not much pleased by this particular nickname.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Haha.” I start sarcastically, putting a flat tone in my voice. “And where would I be going then, lanky beast?” It does not seem like I could out run this boy, even though his smile tells me I should. After a heartbeat of deliberation, I choose to deal with him like I deal with one of my mishaps, staring into his golden eyes with not a small bit of defiance.

  “Beast?” He laughs in a pained way, pushing off his perch on the ledge to approach me, his tattered cloak covering his tall body past his waist. “That’s down right hurtful.” He doesn’t look or sound particularly hurt by my words. In fact, I’d say he is rather amused.

  I shoot him a flat stare, folding my arms across my chest.

  He rolls his eyes, a hand emerging from his cloak to gesture at the blue door behind me. "Why, the Void of Reflection, of course." His smile turns from amused to something more sinister, almost primal.

  I glance back at the door for a heartbeat, but when I turn back he is looming over me. He is every bit two hands taller than I am and despite myself I take a steep breath in, attempting to keep my knees from quaking as my heart starts to pound at my rib cage. From the corner of my eye, I glance at the room which he thinks I should enter. "What's in it?"

  He leans down to whisper in cool deep tones. "Only a reflection of you, little mouse."

  A shiver runs down my spine at his eerie explanation.

  Straightening, he crosses one arm, the other knuckling his chin in thought as he regards me. His golden eyes squinting makes me feel seen in all the wrong ways as they travel the length of my body. Then he sucks in a breath, while shaking his head, putting his hands in his pockets. "You won't do it, though. You like rules too much. Mice like you aren’t worth the price of salt."

  My nostrils flare at the implication of his words and I find that I no longer care what mixed signals my body is giving me; telling me to flee. As he turns to leave, I walk directly to the blue door, thrusting it open with all my strength, and stare defiantly back at him. There is a moment of calm on his face that I read as shock and I glare at him harder. Locked in this stare with him, I see the cool intensity in his golden eyes melt into something wicked as I stride into the midnight dark room. His devilish smile and that predatory gaze is the last thing I remember clearly.

  13th of Sifdras - 2nd Serrin

  I wake in a narrow bed and sit up immediately to assess where I am. Greeted harshly by the bright light of morning , I wince, shielding my eyes from the offensive sheen.

  “Dr. Featherspeaker,” A voice both guttural and lilting calls from beside me, “she’s awake now!”

  I tilt my head, still shielding my eyes and find a most peculiar croakin; female by the cute pink flowers on her dark blue, over-sized sweater. As I stare at her smooth green face with teacup sized, dark brown eyes protruding from her head, the rest of the room comes into focus.

  Partitions block off three sides, save for a large gap which serves as a doorway. The forth wall behind me is the real wall of the room and closes off this portion. This small, partitioned section of the room is complete with the narrow bed I’m in, a nightstand, side desk against a partition, and a high-backed chair, which the croakin girl sits in, next to my bedside.

  “Oh, good!” Another enthusiastic voice calls back and I tentatively look up to the doorway to find Dr. Featherspeaker there. “I was beginning to worry, even after Mistress Yevvena stopped by.” He enters the room with a sure gait, addressing the croakin. “Thank you for your diligence, Kishi. I’ll have to do something special for you and Professor Greenborrow at this rate.” Despite the implied debt, a placid smile engulfs the doctor’s face as he turns his attentions on me.

  “How are you feeling, Seretra?”

  I take a moment to assess. Other than the sensitivity to light and a slight ache in my neck, I feel just fine. Rubbing at the mark on my neck, I respond, “I feel fine, I guess. It’s real bright though.”

  The doctor looks out into the open hallway past the partitions through the doorway to the sunlight cascading in, reflecting off the polished tiled floor. “Hmm.” He intones thoughtfully, “while that is not totally unexpected, given the nature of the Void, that amount of sunlight should not bother you so much. Look this way for me?”

  I follow the instruction without thought and am blinded by a strong, blue light in my eye, his hand on my face to keep me from closing it. He does this to the other eye, too and even though it is only for a moment, the shock of it brings tears unbidden. He tells me to look up again and I do so, more reluctant this time. Thankfully, I am not blinded. He instead asks me to follow his index finger back and forth with only my eyes and I do so simply, without moving my head.

  “It doesn’t seem to be anything serious, but if it doesn’t improve by tomorrow, please come back to the clinic here and we can do a more thorough examination.” He puts his hands into the large pockets of a white lab coat over a brown suit and a yellow tie. A placid smile returns to his face as he regards me. “If you are feeling well enough, I will clear you for classes tomorrow.”

  If Ivora is tomorrow, that means I went into the that dark room yesterday. I feel the dismay on my face with the realization that I was unconscious for an entire day. “Yeah,” I start slowly, a sense of deja vu washing over me, “I’ll be fine.”

  Dr. Featherspeaker appears a bit reluctant at my phrasing, but doesn’t fight me on it. “As long as you are sure.” He says instead. “Kishi, do you mind helping Miss Crowfoot out of bed when she’s ready?”

  “No problem, Dr. Featherspeaker. Leave it to me.” She croaks enthusiastically an with that, the doctor takes his leave with a nod, leaving me with Kishi.

  “Kishi?” I test her name hesitantly and continue when she nods. “What exactly happened to me?”

  Her large eyes blink in confusion, half webbed fingers drumming softly on her lips. “From what I heard from Marcus, Professor Blackclaw had to carry you out of the Void of Reflection. Since you were, you know, unconscious and all.”

  I cover my face with my hands, mortified. “I was carried out by a professor?” I can’t keep the whine out of my voice.

  She gives a flat nasal sound that I take as a laugh. “Don’t feel too bad about it. You are definitely not the first one this has happened to. Which is why Calas was supposed to be watching it to prevent this kind of thing, but that guy is unreliable as ever.” She pauses to stand up and offers me both her long, green hands to help me out of bed. “Blackclaw gave him an earful about it, too. That I got to hear myself and makes helping you out all the sweeter.”

  Taking her hands I stand up with her help and a wave of vertigo crashes into me. I groan, rubbing my temples trying to ease the ache in my head, but all that comes to mind is the echoing sounds of soft feathered wings taking flight and a hum, like a chorus of melodious voices, whispering all at once. It makes no sense. There is only one thing I recall vividly before walking into the midnight blackness behind the blue door.

  “Who is Calas?” I ask, getting my barrings on two feet and notice that Kishi is actually slightly shorter than me.

  “Calas Duskwood.” She begins, retrieving my clothes from a sideboard I hadn’t noticed before.

  The realization dawns on me in this moment that I am clad in nothing but a thin white robe and my underclothes. I fight the heat that creeps onto my cheeks, thinking it stupid to be so modest now. Kishi’s voice brings me back to the present.

  “He’s in Vodalysa, too. Black hair, tanned skin, lots of tattoos.”

  “Tattoos?” I blurt and I bite my bottom lip, thinking that maybe I did see a tattoo on his neck at the Coven Ritual. I hadn’t seen anything this time though, and I was much closer to him yesterday. I swallow down the discomfort in my chest at the memory of him looming over me. “Gold eyes? Menacing smile?”

  “Yeah, that’s him.” Kishi confirms brightly and helps me to dress in the clothes I wore yesterday. She adds in a hushed tone, “I would steer clear of him if I were you.”

  I hesitate at the warning, asking in a similarly low volume, “I intend to, but why mention it?”

  I am not a good judge of croakin mannerisms, but something like unease passes on her face. “Since you fainted in the Void, he was saying to Blackclaw that you must be cursed.”

  I set my jaw as a spike of hatred flares inside me, burning in my chest for a much different reason than before. I find that I like this feeling much better than the previous ones I have had regarding Calas Duskwood. That fire inside me gives my head a clarity that I find refreshing and I am sure to thank Kishi for all her help before leaving the clinic on my own two feet.