His long day was not in vain. Ethan finished his formalities with Dr. Aurelia as usual, then walked out, catching up with Mr. Isolde, who had been here shortly before his arrival. He had witnessed the moment when Ethan received his light medication before the two of them left together, most likely in conversation with Aurelia.
It was a safe bet that they'd run into Maid Chill on the way, as they always do. Dr. Aurelia bet on it too, but she didn't comment, just relaxed her beautiful, finally tired features, staring at the ceiling of her antique office, saturated with the smell of old medicinal roots and mold.
She lost herself in her thoughts, remembering her school years here, when they used to teach students primitive medicine. She looked out the window where she sat and saw the reflection of a beautiful sunset.
From where she sat, she had been hesitating for a while, but she finally managed to restrain herself. She reached out and pressed a series of small buttons on her table, and a drawer hidden inside another drawer opened. From it she extracted a blood-red serum, and inside the gleaming gold vial, its contents shimmered under the light. A small, innocent smile spread across her cheeks, but it didn't last long, as it was broken by the sound of a knock on the door, before it opened boldly.
It was Arthur. He greeted her from his position, then sat down in the chair across from her.
Aurelia was unable to put the serum back before Arthur sat down in front of her. She just placed it as an antique decorative item, hoping he wouldn't notice it.
Arthur got right to the point, it was about a previous shipment he had delivered to her, but she had only paid half the price the last time.
Aurelia and most of the professors had always relied on Arthur for dangerous tasks.
She explained in an annoyed accent, as he examined the bottle of bright gold serum, even fiddling with it between his fingers when he pulled it out in a moment of inattention.
She told him that his payment was complete and would be delivered to him on time, and as he knew, delivering a sum of one gold coin and four silvers is not easy. She set the appointment for later in the day, at nine o'clock, after her shift ended.
Arthur didn't argue with her much, and when he put the bottle back, he asked, in a somewhat provocative tone, if she had heard about the incident last night when someone broke into the restricted library on the top floor of Crescent Hall, inflicting deep wounds on the guards that night.
Aurelia indicated that she had, though it was known by almost everyone in the school.
Arthur stood up, showing off his height, before adding in a light tone:
"The reward for catching this thief has been raised. The book he stole is of no value... but it is of great value to the great witch Annie Azuria, First Lady of the Academy."
Aurelia knew that Arthur was coveting the prize. When he walked out, he didn't even say goodbye to her, as expected-he had always been known to be disrespectful.
Aurelia put the serum bottle back in its place, and was momentarily relieved when the door closed behind him.
As for Arthur, as soon as he came out, he was greeted by his little wolf, with silver fur, like a small puppy, standing waiting near the doorstep. He followed him silently, without Arthur needing to signal him.
Everything seemed normal to him, except for one thing... he didn't find Maid Chelle as before, when he ran into Ethan when he came in.
Inside the ancient dueling arena, Ethan and Frenith's wooden swords clashed repeatedly, dancing in unison in the style of young swordsmen, both no more than thirteen years old.
Ethan retreated with lumbering steps, fatigue clearly creeping up on him, unlike Frenith, who stood steadfastly, sword raised, advancing sharply toward his opponent who never bowed.
"Are you tired?" Frenith asked him.
Ethan did not deny it.
He sighed as he rose from the dirt floor, saying in a tired voice: "In recent days, the insomnia and hallucinations have increased..."
Over the past two days, he had a lot of things to accomplish for the festival. As Thalia's deputy, who showed no weakness during the implementation of the project, he fully realized that he should do the same.
Yesterday, he went to the Board of Supervising Professors to reserve a small space that had been neglected for a while. It was Thalia's idea to hold a festival with table-setting, food preparation, story sharing, swordplay, magic, and some competitive games. His role was to carry out these plans with her.
But the effect of his medication began to take its toll, and his concentration gradually declined. The symptoms of insomnia continued to haunt him from time to time, as if his body was living between two fluctuating states of cold and heat.
He felt an urgent need for sleep and rest. Tomorrow, the festival would begin, celebrating the appearance of the crimson moon in the sky. It would be a busy day, just like any other day.
Frenith gently placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "You should take some rest, and if you need help setting up the festival, it's okay to ask Mr. Leona's permission, I'll continue practicing with someone else." He hesitated a bit, but finally gave in, especially when Frenith stressed seriously: "I don't want to see your health deteriorate."
Ethan hesitated a bit, but eventually gave in, especially when Freneth emphasized seriously: "I don't want to see your health deteriorate. Over the past few days, I've felt your sword strokes getting weaker, for heaven's sake, I don't like it at all!"
Generous in his manners, Frenith apologized profusely for raising his voice, though he wasn't used to apologizing in this way. Ethan, in turn, tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere by apologizing as well, adding "You're right... I really need to rest so I can be at my best tomorrow during the festival."
Frenith was finally satisfied with Ethan's decision to leave, but noted his concern about being left alone in the training they had been going through as a duo.
It was here that Mistress Leona, an ancient fencing master from the ancient lands of Olympus, intervened. She suggested that Frenith train with the new students who had recently joined, and in particular with Morana, a twelve-year-old girl who, like Leona, hailed from Olympus, where they had developed a teacher-student relationship.
Morana has been a witness to Ethan and Frenith's skills throughout their time training together. Previously, she had lost out to the talent of Frenith, a golden-haired, bright-eyed man who excelled at swordsmanship, and Ethan, a tough-as-nails member of the Vermouth family.
When she arrived after being summoned by Mr. Leona, she greeted them in a polite and respectful manner, but her excitement was palpable. Her excitement increased when Leona told her that she would be practicing with Frenith, who had been left on his own after Ethan's sudden, though convincing, apology for the lessons.
Morana stood confidently by her teacher's side as Ethan finally bid them farewell. Before the training fight began, she admonished Frenith in a serious tone: "Don't underestimate me, even if it's just training!"
But Frenith was still thinking about Ethan, wondering if he would really be okay... He hoped so, before Morana's wooden sword slammed into his sword hard, forcing him back to his current reality.
Ethan procrastinated for a long time before heading to the young dormitory, sneaking into his luxurious room that he would never have chosen himself, but his sister had insisted, and he had never before, nor now, been able to contradict her.
He climbed the stone and terracotta stairs that bore the footprints of thousands of students over time. When he opened the door to his room, he was greeted by the tidy and spacious space, bearing the stamp of a young warrior student.
On the bench, the wooden and iron swords he had brought with him from his home when he came to ancient Azuria were lined up. Without resistance, Ethan surrendered to the warmth of his bed, feeling the weight of sleep slowly approaching... If it weren't for the little raspy voice that disturbed him as he entered the room.
A baby horned wolf jumped out at him, looking larger than it had in days past, with its shiny black fur and tiny horn that was growing surprisingly fast by the day.
Ethan had named him Nachtwolf ever since he brought him back from the cave trip, and he had clung to him ever since. Although Nachtwolf had another brother, Nachtwolf preferred to go with Arthur, and Ethan was not bothered by this and enjoyed the little wolf's company, along with Nila and Ovend, who used to visit him frequently.
Nachtwolf dug up a letter bearing the Vermouths' logo, it had arrived this morning, or maybe even yesterday, but he wasn't sure. He snatched it from the wolf's jaws, but decided not to open it just yet. There was no point in reading it if he wasn't sober, especially since it was signed by Eleanor III-his older sister, the long-tongued and annoyingly bossy one.
He didn't understand how Eleanor had all those sharp, masculine qualities, but his mother always said: "If Eleanor were a boy, she would be the one who most embodied the old Vermouth men, like your father, your uncle, and your grandfather."
Ethan sighed and put the envelope under his pillow, ignoring its contents, before finally falling asleep. Nachtwolf followed, lying beside him in complete surrender to sleep.
In the comfort of an early breakthrough and being in charge of their festival, there was little left to prepare, and he only had to wake up in the morning to finalize things.
But Ethan, as always, found himself wondering about his recurring hallucinations... Did he have to report them, or were they just dreams?
This woman or girl - of ancient ancestry - always appeared to him. With silvery-white hair and pale skin, she would sing a familiar old song... A song that Ethan described as the song of the old lumbermen of the Iron Dragon Mountains.
He didn't know why, but the dream kept recurring. He always stood at a distance from her, as she raised her hand towards him, greeting him with a faint salute, before asking him in a soft voice:
"Who are you?"