Darkness had yet to fade as countless lights began to rise in the distance, slowly advancing toward the forest's border, away from the Academy's grounds. Ethan had doubled back, choosing to leave the cover of this leafy canopy from the opposite direction before circling back undiscovered.

  He stopped momentarily, observing the slight tremor of the surrounding mana, resonating with the countless lights piercing through the darkness. He perked his ears; sure enough, many voices were piercing through the silence, slowly growing louder. While he couldn't make out the words, their intentions were clear.

  The explosion must have alerted the Academy's guards, who even requisitioned some light spirits to guide them.

  While using another individual's contracted spirits was frowned upon, the Academy reserved the right to do so in case of emergency. Still, such measures weren't taken lightly, as they proved to be an undue burden on both the spirit and its user.

  Their response was much too quick... Did they already anticipate something? What could it be?

  Lately, Ethan had spent most of his days within the Library, exploring the wonders of the path opened before him. As such, he wasn't aware of what befell the Empire, much less the Academy's response. He could only assume there was something that threatened the Capital, if not the Academy itself.

  Better make myself scarce, and fast...

  Ethan chose not to run. Instead, he carefully navigated the labyrinth of winding trees, pushing further within as he avoided leaving traces of his presence. He slowly faded into the darkness, leaving only a scorched tree and countless splinters littering the grassy ground.

  Soon after, countless lights hung above the clearing, drowning it in an endless glow. Four men stood over the remains of the severed tree, observing the aftermath of the explosion. They wore similar-looking military uniforms as those of the Empire's military, yet their colour was very distinct, representing the Academy's colours, namely a deep purple.

  They remained silent as they examined the charred remains, but also the lingering mana floating over it all. It behaved strangely, which couldn’t help but make the four men frown, showing concerned expressions.

  "No flame spirit did this," one man said confidently.

  The emblem prominently displayed on his chest showed his rank as corporal, yet it was the deep red jewel dangling from his ear that supported his conclusions.

  “I am inclined to agree," said another. "The surrounding mana remains disturbed, pointing to the work of a spirit, and yet, it feels strangely similar to my own but different simultaneously.

  Above his head was a fish swimming in the air. It was the size of his arm, yet it floated through the night as if swimming through water. Yet, this wasn't the most peculiar aspect of this spirit. Its scales were transparent, allowing an uninterrupted view of its innards. Except, the fish wasn't made of flesh and blood, but merely of light.

  The light flowed through its body before being refracted by the scales, forming colourful rainbows that dispersed into the night, fighting back the darkness. The fish swam back and forth through the surrounding mana before coming back to the man and caressing the skin of his cheek with its scales as it passed before him.

  The man patted it on the side as he would a dog before the fish began to rise, shining its light over the tree stump. The rainbow light struck the surrounding mana, prompting a part of it to resonate—the same part that remained unusually excited as they arrived here.

  Soon, the light receded to a dim level, allowing just enough light for the four men to see their surroundings. Soon after, the fish began its descent, stopping just a meter above ground.

  “What’s the verdict?” the corporal asked.

  "A light spirit did this," the man replied, yet his expression was one of confusion. In fact, all the other three men couldn't help but show the same.

  “How?” the corporal asked again. “I’ve never heard of a light spirit being able to cause such destruction. Most aren’t combat spirits... Unless it’s a high-grade one, but no one in the Academy’s registry is in possession of one. Could we have been infiltrated by a spy?”

  “There is one,” a much older man replied, yet his expression was distorted by something the other three men couldn’t comprehend. “Lady Lancaster just arrived a few days earlier. While I don’t know the details, I have heard rumours that the Lancaster have a long history with light spirits. It wouldn’t be strange for her to possess one strong enough to cause this destruction...”

  The four men remained silent, shocked by this discovery. While the Academy held full autonomy over its grounds, they were mere security guards, unable to contend against the blood of one of the Empire's few Magisters.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Still, the old guard's expression soon shifted, becoming more pensive. This didn't evade the attention of his three colleagues.

  “Sergeant, did you notice something?” the corporal asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I remember that Lady Lancaster isn’t the only Lancaster in the Academy, but I can’t quite seem to recall. It must be my old age creeping up on me.”

  “I know him!” the last man said before hesitating slightly. “Well, we’ve never met, but I heard the rumours. Apparently, he’s a sundered one, and in order to hide his shame, Lord Lancaster used his power to petition the Academy to employ him as a librarian.”

  “A sundered in the Endless Library?” the corporal exclaimed, clearly shocked. “What can he even do in that place? Isn’t he just a burden? I guess that’s nepotism for you...”

  "Quiet!" the old sergeant hissed, putting his palm over his corporal's mouth. "If you wish to be suicidal, that's fine, but don't involve me in your folly! I still hope to retire in peace!"

  “Bah!" the corporal said, pushing away the palm covering his mouth. "What can he even do about it. The Lord Magister already threw him away. I doubt he would be interested in him at this point."

  “Don't forget his sister is presently within the Academy," the man with the fish said as it slowly circled around him. "She may or may not care, but as long as she is here, she may do something, if only to protect her family's pride. So, it would be preferable to not make a big deal out of it. Besides, this is clearly not that man's work."

  He then went silent, locking eyes with his three colleagues. They all slowly nodded before he added, "We have two choices ahead of us. One. Claim this is the outcome of a natural phenomenon: just a lightning bolt striking a tree within the forest..."

  "On such a clear night? When the moon is shining bright overhead?" the oldest of the four said, unconvinced. "Saying it spontaneously combusted would make it more believable than this... What's the second option?"

  “Claim it was the work of an outside agent," the man continued. "As far as we know, there was no witness to this incident. So, there is no one to doubt our words. We just have to claim we rushed here only to see a shadow swiftly leave. We didn't see its features, but know that it was human. As for whether it was male or female, there was no way to tell. It happened much too fast."

  “Why not ask the earth's memory?" the youngest asked, only for the other three to turn his way. Oblivious to their stares, he added, "It hasn't been that long since it happened. We might be able to recreate the scene by using my earth spirit's resonance with the earth's mana. I think it's worth a shot, don't you think?"

  The three’s gaze grew complicated, reluctance evident in their eyes. Then, the man with the fish nodded, only for the other two to quickly realize the meaning. They swiftly took a step back and looked away, ignoring the situation.

  The young man looked at his colleagues, slightly confused, only for the man with the fish spirit to wrap his arm around his shoulder before leading him a short distance away. The young man grew slightly nervous but followed nonetheless.

  “How long have you been a guard at the Academy? Have you gotten used to it?" the older of the two asked.

  His tone was jovial, almost too much so, swiftly breaking the tension. After hesitating for a short moment, the young one finally replied.

  “Just under two months," he said, slightly nervously, before adding, "I graduated from one of the Academy's branches near the border and was fortunate enough to be hired as a guard through recommendation."

  “Impressive! Not many can claim as such," the man said, yet his expression didn't change much. "I, for one, am an alumnus of this place, as are our other two colleagues. So, as the one with more experience, let me tell you something...”

  The silence hung for a while, making the young man even more nervous. Unable to bear it anymore, he uttered an almost soundless "...Please do" before the other man finally resumed.

  "In all the years the Academy stood, not once has it been threatened through outside forces," he began. "But, sometimes, students become overly eager in their learning, leading to strange occurrences. Just as in this case. Do you follow me thus far?"

  Despite the contrary, the young man couldn’t help but nod silently.

  "Good," the man continued. "You should know that most students of the main branch have special... circumstances. Some of these shouldn't be revealed to the public as it could lead to embarrassing situations. You wouldn't want these future heroes of the Empire to be plagued with shame, now would you?"

  The young man nodded again, slowly following his superior's logic.

  "They all come from great upbringings and will one day shoulder the Empire's future. We wouldn't want something untoward to happen to them that might damage their image in people's minds. This would only weaken our Great Empire, wouldn't you agree? You wouldn't want to be the traitorous scum that might bring our Glorious Empire down, right?"

  The young man shook his head fervently, pride for his country shining in his eyes.

  “No, sir!” he exclaimed, slamming his fist against his chest as he stood straight.

  "Good, good," the other man replied with a slight smile. "With this over with, let’s go back to our post. There are still a few hours until morning.”

  The older man finally let go and began walking back toward the other two, only to be interrupted mid-step.

  "But, sir! We still need to report this, don't we? The dean will demand an explanation for the commotion."

  "Don't worry about it," the man chuckled dismissively. "Who do you think is more concerned with the politics of the Empire: you or the one at the head of this institution where most of the Empire's future resides? This is above our pay grade. Let someone else deal with this. We'll report things as they are: a light spirit used combat magic against an innocent tree, leaving no traces or witnesses behind. If they wish to investigate further, that's up to the people at the top. Us grunts should just do as we are told."

  "Understood, sir!" the young man saluted, his facial features slowly shifting into a large grin. Then, he followed the man back to the other two.

  After ensuring nothing could threaten the safety of the forest—namely, no fire—the four slowly returned to the Academy, resuming their patrols as if nothing had happened. After a few minutes, the countless lights darkened again, blanketing the night.

  Ethan was slowly trudging through the forest, unaware that the pursuit had already ended. He had already turned ninety degrees to the right, travelling in a large circle with the Academy at the centre. The more he walked, the more the circle shrank, and soon enough, he would emerge from the forest on the other side of the Academy's grounds, far away from where he had started.

  However, he heard a branch crack not far from him. He stopped abruptly, holding his breath, only to feel the wind on his cheek and then a thud originating from the tree behind him. He raised his hand to his cheek, only to feel something moist on his fingertips. He brought them to his eyes and saw them shine red under the moonlight.

  Blood.