Reinhard also spent considerable ti with Marie and Joseph during those months of catching up.
The three of them fell into comfortable routines of visiting various cafes scattered across the Academy grounds.
Then sparring in the arena until sweat soaked through their uniforms, and sharing their Beast Spirit dreams in quiet corners where they wouldn’t be overheard.
One afternoon, they were at a cafe near the western courtyard. Rain pattered against tall windows, creating a soothing backdrop as they sat around a small table.
Steam rose from cups of tea and coffee, carrying scents of bergamot and roasted beans. Marie had claid the seat by the window, her platinum hair catching the gray light filtering through rain-streaked glass.
Joseph sat across from her, his short blond hair still slightly damp from their earlier sparring session.
Reinhard occupied the third chair, his black and white gloves resting on the table as he wrapped both hands around a warm mug.
"So." Marie said, leaning forward with obvious curiosity sparkling in her light-gold eyes. "You were having dreams during our ti in Eastern Hesod? Tell us everything! I am so curious."
Reinhard nodded, taking a sip of tea before beginning, and he described what he saw in Odin’s mories. Marie and Joseph listened with absolute focus.
Marie’s eyes never left his face as her expression shone in delight and awe from the story being painted. Joseph leaned forward, elbows on the table, and was completely absorbed.
When Reinhard finished, silence held for a mont.
Then Marie sat back with a soft exhale. "It’s incredible what you saw! To think that’s how the Frost Giants ca to be and how a world was created."
"I admit it was amazing when I saw and felt it... But now, it’s your turn." Reinhard chuckled before nodding and asking. "What about your Seraphim dreams?"
Marie’s entire deanor brightened. Her hands ca up, gesturing as she spoke with characteristic enthusiasm. "I’ve been viewing a world of light lately! Everything is gold and white and so bright it should hurt, but doesn’t." Her voice took on a dreamy quality. "There are golden clouds that stretch forever in all directions. And sotis..."
She paused, searching for words. "Sotis I am the light. Not viewing it but actually being it. It felt amazing to be the golden light or maybe a star racing through outer space."
She continued, her words painting pictures in the air between them. "I pass by different types of suns. It was amazing to see these massive spheres of fire that dwarf anything I can imagine close by. And then planets that look wrong, that have colors that shouldn’t exist. Purple skies, orange oceans, land masses that float without ground beneath them. Stars in formations that create patterns I don’t recognize."
Joseph smiled, clearly captivated by Marie’s description. "That sounds beautiful. Almost peaceful."
"It’s." Reinhard nodded and said. "I wonder if those planets would be the ones hko Research would have gone with the dinsion traveling."
"Maybe." Marie humd before saying. "Still, the dreams are completely different from what you guys describe. Less about conflict and more about... Existence? Purpose? I’m not sure how to explain it."
"We can understand." Joseph says with a chuckle, leading Marie to giggle.
"What about you, Joseph?" Reinhard asked.
Joseph scratched the back of his head, his green eyes growing distant as he recalled his own dreams. "Mine are more active. Combat-focused, I guess." He took a breath, organizing his thoughts. "There’s this recurring dream where I’m as Lancelot is clashing with a blurry figure while fighting on top of a lake."
He gestured with his hands, mimicking sword movents. "The water and air elents are there, but they’re not just present. They’re cheering like actual spectators at a tournant, except they’re forces of nature rather than people. Every ti our blades et, the water ripples in patterns and the air creates these musical sounds."
Marie leaned forward, fascinated. "That’s so different from your usual reserved personality. Very dramatic."
Joseph chuckled. "Yeah. There’s another dream where I’m hacking and slashing through a massive golden dragon." His eyes shone with the mory. "It’s an enormous creature that blots out the sky while soaring through the air, and Lancelot is on its back, slashing down with his sword over and over. Each strike leaves behind a terrible wound with blood splashed through the air."
"A golden dragon?" Reinhard raised an eyebrow. "That’s amazing... It must have been fun to ride on it even though it was a battle."
"Right?" Joseph nodded eagerly. "And then there’s a gentler dream where Lancelot is just sleeping while the elents play and dance around him. The water elents are blue spheres, air is green and wispy, fire burns red, lightning crackles in purple, and earth forms brown geotric shapes. They move around him like children playing near a sleeping parent."
Then Joseph continued talking about another dream, which made Marie and Reinhard pause.
Then sothing clicks in their minds simultaneously.
Marie’s eyes lit up like stars suddenly appearing in a dark sky. "Wait! Joseph, so of these dreams... Don’t they seem to have a lot of things related to Calot?"
Joseph blinked, and he nodded slowly. "You’re right. I hadn’t connected it, but..."
"The lake combat, the golden dragon, even the elents treating Lancelot with such familiarity," Reinhard added, working through the logic. "Those all tie back to Calot mythology. The dragon, especially there are stories about Calot knights fighting dragons."
Joseph fell silent, processing this revelation. "Midas ntioned sothing similar to before," he admitted quietly. "But there isn’t much to go on. We have so little concrete information about historical Calot, and most of what exists is mixed with legend and myth."
The conversation shifted after that.
But the observation about Calot lingered in the air between them, another piece of a puzzle they were slowly assembling.
...
Another day, the three of them were heading to the Monster Institution.
A building dedicated to cataloging and studying Phantasm Beasts from various Monster Zones across the continents. The structure was imposing, built from dark stone that seed to absorb rather than reflect light.
Inside, the air slled of preserved specins, old paper, and the faint chemical tang of preservation solutions.
They navigated through corridors lined with glass cases containing stuffed Phantasm Beasts creatures frozen in attacking poses. Their eyes were replaced with glass replicas that sohow still managed to convey nace.
So were small enough to fit in a hand. Others towered over them, massive forms that required reinforced displays.
Finally, they reached the Colin Forest section with shelves packed with books, journals, and research papers. About the Monster Zone they’d visited before and would likely return to for hunting.
Reinhard, Marie, and Joseph pulled relevant volus from the shelves.
Their arms quickly filled with thick tos, field guides with detailed illustrations, research papers bound in leather covers. They made multiple trips, building stacks on a large study table positioned beneath a window.
The books landed with satisfying thumps, raising small clouds of dust.
Joseph pulled out his personal journal, a leather-bound book he used for mission planning and notes.
He flipped to a clean page, pen in hand, and began writing at the top.
Reviews
All reviews (0)