"All classes are canceled this afternoon. No student is allowed to leave the academy grounds. Prepare for the Council's assembly ceremony tomorrow morning."
No further explanation was given.
The hallway buzzed with whispers, fragments of rumor and speculation:
> "I heard something big is about to happen…"
"Someone's been caught practicing forbidden arts…"
"The north gate's been sealed since morning…"
But in one corner of the classroom, two students sat in silence.
Geal rested his chin on his hand, gazing out the window as clouds drifted lazily by.
Lyre sat with one leg slung over her chair, finishing a book she had started the day before, fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the page.
They were both thinking the same thing:
> "A free afternoon…"
…and no idea what to do with it.
---
By chance, they both ended up in the library.
The academy's library was as empty as ever. Tall walls cloaked in books, the scent of old paper mingled with sunlit dust filtering through stained glass.
There, at their usual corner table—Geal and Lyre met again.
That afternoon, the library was still as a pond.
As they settled in, Geal suddenly felt a gaze.
Not cold.
Not threatening.
Just… different. As if someone who didn't belong to this world had stumbled into it.
He turned his head, eyes drawn unconsciously to a shadowed row of shelves—far in the back, where no one usually went.
Someone was sitting there.
The light was dim, only enough to see a faint cloak of dull black, draped from head to toe. Long hair hung like smoke from burnt ash. Gloved hands turned the pages of a book with a strange tenderness—like handling something alive.
Geal squinted. The book had no clear cover, only faded black letters:
"The One Who Summons Demons Through Flame."
His heart skipped a beat.
Something felt wrong about that title. As if… he had seen it in a dream.
Lyre looked up, noticing his gaze.
> "What is it?" she whispered.
Geal startled, turned back, and shook his head.
> "Nothing… Thought it was someone I knew."
But when he glanced back again—the seat was empty.
The figure… was gone.
Only a cold trace in the air remained, like something had brushed past the nape of his neck.
---
Geal set a cup of hot tea down next to her book and cleared his throat:
> "Don't get the wrong idea. I just made too much."
Lyre blinked, then replied without looking at him:
> "I didn't say anything."
After a moment, she pulled a worn book from her coat pocket and slid it across the table to him:
> "Saw you eyeing this the other day. In the restricted section."
Geal raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He opened the book… then let out a soft chuckle—the first smile of his day.
They sat in silence, reading together, as the light through the windows bathed their hair in pale gold.
No one called it a date.
But both of them knew—they weren't alone this afternoon.
---
As the sunset cast its glow across the ancient walls, Lyre suddenly dragged Geal up to the rooftop—a place rarely visited, forbidden due to strong winds.
They sat on the edge of the grey stone tiles, quietly watching the sun sink behind the distant forest.
After a long silence, Geal finally spoke:
> "Do you think… we'll still be studying here much longer?"
Lyre didn't answer right away. The wind swept her hair across her face.
After a moment, she asked softly:
> "If we had to leave one day… would you remember today?"
The question settled like stone. They avoided each other's eyes—but both understood.
They weren't talking about the academy.
After a while, Lyre smiled and tilted her head:
> "You still owe me that one time in the kitchen, remember?"
Geal exhaled with a faint laugh.
> "Probably should do it soon. Just in case… everything disappears."
---
Their dorm room was the same cold, familiar space.
But tonight… everything felt quieter. Easier to breathe.
Geal laid out his blanket, not looking at Lyre, but said softly:
> "…If you feel cold, don't hesitate to say something."
Lyre was already lying down. She didn't reply.
Only when the light was turned off did her voice float through the dark:
> "…If there's a next time, I will."
Silence wrapped the room.
They lay back to back.
Neither of them slept.
The window trembled slightly from the night wind.
Moonlight spilled through the glass… gentle to the point of being frightening.
> "One last peaceful day."
"A long dream… about to end."