Lira left Elion’s office with her heart still pounding, the Grandmaster’s words echoing inside her. The key felt heavy in her hand, yet it was no longer just a burden—it was a promise, a direction. She tucked it safely away and stepped into the familiar halls of the academy, her thoughts already drifting to the two people she trusted most.
She found Maelin and Patricia near the courtyard, the afternoon light spilling across the stones as they laughed softly together. For a mont, Lira simply watched them—her friends, her anchors in a world that seed to grow larger and more mysterious each day. Then she moved forward.
"Lira!" Patricia’s eyes lit up the instant she saw her. She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Lira without hesitation. Maelin followed, smiling, and the three of them soon found themselves in a tangle of arms and warmth, Fluffy weaving between their feet with a happy little w.
"I missed you," Lira whispered into Patricia’s shoulder, and Maelin’s laugh answered softly.
"You always disappear into impossible places," Maelin teased gently, though her eyes shone with relief. "But you always co back stronger."
Lira pulled back slightly, looking at both of them, her heart racing again—though this ti not with nerves, but with excitent. "There’s sothing I need to tell you," she began, lowering her voice. "I... I’ve found sothing. Sothing that could change everything. A hidden place beneath the library, knowledge about multielental users, about what ca before us."
Patricia’s mouth parted in surprise, while Maelin tilted her head, sharp curiosity glinting in her eyes.
"And I have a plan," Lira continued, her voice steadier now. "The Grandmaster believes in it too. If there are others like out there—others hiding, others lost—I want to find them. To help them. To give them a place where they’ll be safe." She paused, searching both their faces with earnest hope. "If you want... maybe you could go with . Together."
For a heartbeat, silence hung between them, the weight of her words sinking in. Then Maelin reached out, clasping her hand firmly.
"Of course," she said with a certainty that made Lira’s chest ache with gratitude.
Patricia’s smile blood, bright and unwavering. "You don’t even have to ask. Wherever you go, we’ll follow."
Fluffy gave another approving w, curling around Lira’s ankle as if sealing the promise.
Still holding each other close, the three girls slowly made their way through the academy corridors, laughter trailing faintly behind them. Fluffy trotted happily at their heels, tail flicking in contentnt as though he too sensed sothing important was beginning.
When they reached Lira’s room, Maelin flopped down onto the edge of the bed with an exaggerated sigh of relief. Patricia set herself down beside her, legs tucked neatly under her, while Lira leaned against the desk, folding her hands together for a mont as she searched for the right words.
Her heart thudded faster. This was the mont she’d been waiting for.
"I want to search for others like ," Lira said finally, her voice steady but soft. "Other multielent users. Sowhere, maybe hidden, maybe afraid... I know they exist. And if they’re alone, if they’ve been forced into silence or hiding, I want to bring them out. I want them to know they’re not alone anymore."
Patricia’s eyes widened, her lips curling into a grin almost instantly. "That’s incredible, Lira. You an... we could actually find more like you? People who can weave the elents together?" Her hands clasped together tightly, excitent radiating from her.
Maelin leaned back on her hands, eyes thoughtful but sparkling with interest. "It makes sense. If the knowledge was hidden under the library all this ti, then it must have been ant for soone to rediscover. And who better than you?" She tilted her head. "But that also ans... it might be dangerous. People hide because they’re hunted."
Lira nodded, her gaze earnest. "I know. That’s why I don’t want to do this alone." She stepped closer, sitting on the bed between them. "I want you both with . You’re my strength, my family. I was going to ask Elion if... if maybe he would let you join , if you want. He said he would support , and I think he’ll understand."
Patricia threw her arms around Lira again before she could say more, squeezing her tightly. "Of course I want to co! You don’t even have to ask ."
Maelin smirked, though her eyes softened. "Well, soone has to keep you from charging headfirst into every mystery without thinking. So I guess that has to be ." She nudged Lira’s shoulder gently. "Of course I’ll co too."
Lira laughed, relief and joy filling her chest in equal asure. She hugged them both at once, the three of them tangled together in warmth. Fluffy jumped onto the bed, kneading the blanket with tiny paws before curling up at their feet, purring as if sealing the promise.
Patricia pulled back just enough to et Lira’s eyes. "So when do we talk to the Grandmaster? Because if we’re going to do this, we need to prepare. Supplies, maps, maybe even a plan for where to start looking."
Maelin’s smirk deepened. "Listen to her—already planning before we’ve even asked permission."
Lira smiled, heart swelling with affection for them both. "Tomorrow morning. We’ll go together, all three of us. And then... we’ll see what cos next."
The room fell into a comfortable silence after that, the kind where no more words were needed. Just three friends, their futures tied together, with a world waiting beyond the academy walls.
The night was quiet when Lira slipped from the academy halls. A cool wind brushed against her face, carrying the faint scent of pine and earth from the forest beyond. After sharing her heart with Maelin and Patricia, her mind still humd with restless energy. She knew there were others she had to speak to before morning ca.
Her feet carried her toward the border of the academy grounds, where the forest lood tall and shadowed, the moonlight catching on its leaves in silver streaks. She knew she would find them there—Renkai and Thalanir, the two who had stood by her through countless monts of danger, each in their own way.
Sure enough, as she stepped beneath the arch of the outer gates, she saw them waiting. Renkai leaned casually against a tree trunk, arms crossed, his expression relaxed but his eyes sharp as always. Thalanir stood a little apart, his posture disciplined, hands clasped behind his back as though still a guardian on duty.
"You called," Renkai said with his crooked grin. "So here we are."
Thalanir inclined his head. " Speak, and we shall listen."
Lira smiled faintly, her heart ward by their certainty. She stepped closer, the grass soft beneath her boots, the forest shadows wrapping around them like a cocoon of secrecy.
"I found sothing," she began softly, her hand brushing against the satchel where the fused shard rested, though she did not yet reveal it. "Sothing hidden for centuries beneath the library. A place of knowledge, of multielental users like . They left their wisdom, their history—and I believe they left it for to discover."
Renkai’s eyes flickered with curiosity. "So it wasn’t just so shiny trinket hunt. Figures."
Thalanir’s brows furrowed, his tone serious. "Knowledge of that kind... it can change more than just your life, Lira. Entire kingdoms might fight for it if they knew."
"I know," Lira said, lifting her gaze to both of them. "Which is why I want to protect it. But more than that—I want to find others like . Other multielent users. If they survived, if they are hiding sowhere, they deserve to be brought back into the light. And I don’t want to do it alone. I want you both with ."
The words hung in the air for a long mont. Then, almost at the sa ti, both n stepped forward.
"I’ll go," Renkai said firmly, pushing off from the tree. "You’ll need soone who can keep you laughing when the world gets heavy—and soone who can punch his way through when words fail."
"No," Thalanir interjected, his voice steady, though a flicker of challenge burned in his eyes. "You’ll need discipline. A protector. Soone who doesn’t treat everything as a jest. I should go."
Renkai shot him a glare. "What, you think you’re more reliable than ? You wouldn’t even know how to have fun on a journey like this."
"At least I won’t abandon her in a fit of recklessness," Thalanir replied smoothly, though his jaw tightened.
Lira blinked at the sudden tension, caught between amusent and exasperation. The two of them—always circling each other, always so different yet bound by their loyalty to her.
Before she could speak, a shadow moved from the trees behind them. Serelyth stepped into the moonlight, her dark hair gleaming faintly, her eyes carrying that familiar depth of untold years. Her gaze flicked between Renkai and Thalanir with sothing like mild disdain before settling on Lira.
"And what about ?" Serelyth asked quietly, though her tone carried weight. "Am I to stand aside while you gather your companions?"
Lira didn’t hesitate. She crossed the short distance and threw her arms around Serelyth, holding her tightly. "Of course not. You’ve been my guide, my anchor, my strength through all of this. I couldn’t do this without you. I don’t even want to try."
For the first ti in the long night, Serelyth’s expression softened. She returned the embrace slowly, her usually controlled presence breaking just enough to show how much the words ant.
When Lira stepped back, she glanced at all three of them—Renkai still smirking despite his earlier tension, Thalanir standing tall and steadfast, Serelyth calm and unreadable at her side. Her heart swelled with gratitude.
"Then it’s decided," she said. " I’ll speak to Elion in the morning. I want to search for others like —and I want you with when I do."
The forest was silent around them, but Lira felt the weight of destiny pressing forward. Together, they would step into whatever future awaited.
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