The faint glow from a single crystal lamp casting shadows along the walls. The sll of old timber mixed with a faint trace of herbal tea lingering from earlier. Outside, muffled wind brushed against the shutters of different chambers in Arkenhall, but inside, the air was still.
Ren leaned back , brows furrowing as his gaze t Seroi's.
"Yes, they were right. But what does this have to do with the Origin Core?" he asked, voice low but edged with curiosity.
Seroi shifted, resting his forearms on the table between them... "Maybe the Origin Core is there. Maybe it's not a stone or a ball made of energy but could be a living being. After returning from there, I read stories of many travelers who had once reached there. They too had described this incident." He looked directly at Ren, his eyes narrowing slightly. "That's why I asked you if you have ever seen the Origin Core because that bird and your powers are similar."
Ren shook his head, his fingers lightly tapping against the table. "No, I haven't seen any such bird. Yes, I keep having dreams of scary creatures. But I have never seen a phoenix like this."
"Okay, but I think that bird and the Origin Core have sothing to do with it," Seroi replied, leaning back slightly. His tone was calm, but a faint tension lingered in his jaw. "Just think, according to their story and also according to what I have seen, if you look, then maybe there is or was sothing there. All the creatures there were as intelligent as humans. This was a strange thing. They were there when the animals of the whole world were not as intelligent as they are today."
Elara, who had been sitting quietly beside Seroi, tilted her head, eyes narrowing as if chasing a mory. Her hands, resting on her lap, clenched slightly before she spoke.
"Papa, this story seems to have been heard sowhere. Ohhh! Yes, I rember, is this the sa story you told one day?"
"Yes, this is the sa story." Seroi's voice softened for a mont, his gaze warming as he looked at her.
Ren straightened his body, crossing his arms loosely. "Yes, maybe it is possible. But this world is very big. The more we know, the more we sink into the quagmire of this illusion. This world has roots beyond our imagination. Maybe one of those roots is this origin core or the story of this bird is connected to it."
Seroi gave a small nod, his eyes reflecting the lamplight. "Yes, You are right. We still don't know anything about this world. Well, let's talk about the rest later. It's very late. And yes Ren, we haven't decided yet what we will do but we can do as Elara told you. By sending you to the capsule. Anyway, you also have the magic to increase soone's power. When you heal soone, their full potential cos out. That's why our plan was to send you to that capsule."
Ren rubbed the back of his neck, glancing toward the window as if the darkness outside could hold an answer. "Ohh, okay. But this won't be too much. I an, what if my power doesn't work at that ti or I am not able to boost you all. Who knows what powers and plans Vestiges has hidden. That's why it would be foolish to move forward by just trusting ."
"Yes, you are right." Seroi's voice was steady now, but his fingers drumd faintly against the table. "But it is important for you to stay here."
"Hmmm... But why?" Ren asked.
"Bcz if you will here, we will find solutions together." Seroi answered. Ren smiled like he rembered so mories.
"Anyway, we will talk about the rest later, now let's go to sleep. Anyway, you both must be tired. I am used to staying awake. But you both won't be."
"Yaah, sure but we will not able to talk tommorow." Ren said.
"Why?" Seroi asked.
"I will go that place to et my parents and Watson. After a longti this ti co." Ren answered.
"Ohh! Okk. Go there and et your parents. It's important than anything. You have to go there. Your decision is right. Than we will talk later." Seroi spoked.
The lamp's fla flickered as the wind outside shifted, shadows dancing briefly across their faces before settling again. Then...
Ren stood first. Elara moved also. They both greeted Seroi and told each other good night. Then they both stepped out from the room. Outside the room there was a corridor.
The corridor was softly lit by embedded crystal strips. The floor was smooth, its surface reflecting the faint glow. The muted sound of their footsteps on polished stone heard easily. The air carried a faint tallic scent from the mana flowing through the conduits. Ren and Elara's room was in opposite directions. They did handshake and told eachother good night. Then they stepped towards their rooms. Elara stepped towards the right and Ren stepped towards the Left. They both walked in that corridor. After that they reached infront of their rooms.
Ren stopped before a door on the left. His door. The sa one from when he had lived here as a student under Seroi's and his three master's guidance.
He stepped inside without lighting the wall crystal. The darkness felt familiar. The bed was where it had always been, pressed against the far wall. The shelves still stood, empty now, but he rembered them lined with spell manuals and scattered notes. He touched the desk. Cool and smooth beneath his palm. He could almost hear the scratching of quills, the shuffle of papers.
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Elara's room was at the end of the corridor. She paused before opening the door. The polished handle felt the sa in her grip unchanged, like it had been waiting for her.
The room greeted her with its soft, clean scent. The tall window still frad the view of the mountains and courtyard, though the moonlight spilling across the floor made it seem smaller than she rembered. She brushed her fingers along the windowsill. She used to sit there for hours, chin resting on her knees, watching the training grounds below.
Her gaze shifted to the corner table. She rembered leaning over it, trying to copy spell diagrams, her father's shadow sotis falling across the page as he corrected her mistakes. She rembered hiding half-finished sketches in the drawers.
She sat on the bed. The mattress gave the sa gentle dip, carrying with it the weight of years and the echo of the girl she used to be.
In their separate rooms, Ren and Elara lay in silence, the walls of Seroi's room holding the mories. After leaved of Elara and Ren. Seroi sat on the chair near the window and lost in thoughts about the future.
The night settled in around in sorrows and pain, hard to skip.
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