“Liz, maybe now would be a good time to rest up. You’ve been wandering around the area for the last two hours. Not to mention the only info we’ve managed to obtain was a small tip about a secret back route to slip into the Augur’s Quarter. But we don’t know where or how to get to it yet.”

“Gray- I mean, Memorio, I understand what you’re saying but we don’t have any more time to waste. If the Goldstein’s are truly in danger, then I can’t sit around and do nothing!”

“Liz, might I remind you of the severity of your own condition right now? Your powers are still far too weak and the city’s guards have all been dispatched from Walter. He doesn’t know it’s you who has infiltrated the city. But they know that an unknown source of magic has been detected and possibly here to disrupt the peace.”

“You’re damn right I am. If that’s what it’ll take to save them, then I’ll flip this whole place upside down.”

“How will you do that, might I ask? You’ll run out of energy and completely exhaust yourself after a wave or two of oncoming guards. Believe me, I understand how much you want to save them, but throwing yourself to exhaustion isn’t going to help anyone. Not you and especially not the Goldsteins. So please, just hang tight for a little bit longer, we’ll figure something out. Until then how about resting at a nearby dining area? Yusnaan is full of them; one place in particular, the Banquet of the Lords, is based on the Patrons who are running Yusnaan.”

Cracking a small smile, Liz couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. “Really? A banquet dedicated to them? I wonder which one of them came up with that idea.”

“None of them actually. It was the people who suggested it. I mentioned it before didn’t I? The people here worship the Goldsteins as if they were truly royalty.”

“Well, not too much has changed in that regard, has it?”

Memorio laughed. “I suppose not. Anyways, let me send you the coordinates to the place. Ironically enough, it’s not too far from the station. Once there, we can discuss our next moves, so be ready.”

“Got it.”

The minute Liz arrived at the area, her jaw dropped slightly. It looked as if some small castle had been plopped right smack on the side of the now slightly busy streets. Everything about it was extravagant. From the marble pillars to the intricately crafted glass-stained windows. There was even a lush, and quite expensive looking, red carpet with gold accents that led to the entrance and even up the side of the stairs that allowed customers to dine with a beautiful view. Not wishing to take chances in the crowded inside, she made her way up the stairs, only to find that a few people were dining there at the moment. 

With a small sigh of relief, she made her way to one of the tables at the farthest corner which overlooked the streets. The sound of glasses clinking and silverware coming into contact with plates filled the air as a waiter came over to ask for an order. Liz knew there was no way she’d be able to afford anything with the small amount of funds she had in her name at the moment. But asked for a glass of water, explaining that she would need some time for looking. Around that time, Memorio came on the line.

“Liz, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear.”

“Good. I see you’ve made it to the banquet?”

“I have and almost had a heart attack in the process. Everything here is so expensive. Not that I’m surprised but…”

“Right...you don’t have much Lune do you?”

“Alright, allow me to grab some more coordinates then.”

“Why?” 

“Liz, you haven’t had anything filling to eat in almost an entire day. Things here are much different than in places like Luxerion and the Wildlands. But we can’t exactly keep travelling by the monorail every time we need to grab any supplies.”

“Right…”

“Excuse me?”

“Hm?”

Liz looked over to the sound of someone’s voice at her side. To her surprise, there was a dazzling dressed person. Her words got stuck in her throat, causing them to let out a laugh. 

“Forgive me for interrupting, but is this seat taken?”

“Huh…? Oh, no. In fact I was just about to leave.”

“I know. That’s why I came here, hoping to propose an offer. Oh, forgive me for prying miss, but it pains me to hear that you haven’t had a proper meal, especially in our wonderful city here. If you say yes, I’d be honored share this table so that we might dine together. Truth be told I haven’t anything to eat all day yet.” 

They quickly chuckled but quickly gained their composure. 

“Forgive me once more, I realized that through my babbling I’ve yet to introduce myself, you may call me Phoenix, although I do wish to keep that name between us for right now, if you don’t mind?”

“Oh I...no, I don’t mind at all!”

Phoenix laughed. “May I ask what your name is?”

“Liz. Liz Hart.”

“What a lovely name, Miss Hart. Or would you rather I address you by your first name?”

“First name is fine.”

“Well then, Liz. What do you say to having some lunch together?”

“I’d say that’s wonderful but...I don’t have much Lune to offer to you in return.”

“Payment is not needed my dear, just having company is more than enough.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, completely.” Phoenix smiled. “But I can tell by the look on your face you feel guilty right? So how about this. I haven’t seen your face here before, so I assume you’re new to Yusnaan?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then allow me to be your personal tour guide for the day.” 

“Oh I…”

“Liz.” Memorio cleared his throat. “I think you should take up on their offer, after all they might know something about the back route.”

“Right.”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Oh, I said yes! I’d love it if you could show me around the city.”

“Well alright then! Now, let’s order whatever we want. After all we’re going to need all the energy we can get. We’ll be walking a lot!” 

Liz took her glass and pressed it to her lips, the liquid gold getting downed rather quickly as she felt a warm sensation in the back of her throat, slowly spreading. Her eyes strained among the bright lights and sounds of drunken patrons engaging in their midnight revelry around the city. Just as she was about to leave her seat, static filled her ear, followed by Memorio’s somewhat panicked voice.

“Liz? Liz, can you hear me?”

Liz gently pressed against her earring, which was used as a communicator between the both of them before answering. “Memorio, I’m here, what’s wrong?”

“Oh thank goodness, there was some interference so all form of communication was cut off. Is everything fine on your end?”

“Yes, everything is fine here. Though I must say…” Liz glanced around once more, noticing that more and more people were pouring into the city’s streets. “It’s a bit strange.”

“Strange? How so?”

“Well, the world is dying and has been for a while now, yet the people here seem blissfully unaware of just how bad things are getting.”

Memorio chuckled. “That’s Yusnaan for ya. But things weren’t always like that.”

“Really? That seems kind of hard to believe.”

“It may seem that way, but really it was. In the beginning the residents here in Yusnaan were more closed off then the people in even Luxerion. It wasn’t until the Goldsteins took over and built the place into what it is today.”

“Wait, Goldsteins? You mean Klaus, Elias and Alfonse? They’re here?!”

“That’s correct. You see, they all moved somewhere else for a change of scenery, but ended up becoming more than just residents.”

“Where are they? I haven’t seen them at all.”

“Unfortunately, you might not get the chance unless you find a way to sneak into the Augur’s Quarter.”

“The Augur what now?”

“The Augur’s Quarter. It’s the place where only the rich and elite have access to. It’s also where they put on their famous play here almost every night.”

“That definitely makes things a lot harder on us.” Liz sighed.

“Well not all hope is lost, according to some conversations in the city, there seems to be talk of a hidden route which can lead into the place.”

“I see you’ve stooped to eavesdropping huh?”

“H-Hey, it’s not like that, I’m doing this specifically for the mission at hand. Besides, if we don’t do this then it might...it might be too late.”

“What do you mean ‘too late’” 

Memorio hesitated. “Well...there’s something I found on the scanners the moment you walked off the train at the station. A massive anomaly was detected, it’s definitely related to the Umbral Vise and unfortunately it’s located at the palace; where the Goldstein’s reside. Liz...I don’t want to alarm you, but one or even more of them have definitely been tainted with the darkness.”

“What?” Liz practically jumped out her seat. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“Because even I wasn’t sure what it was at first. Time itself has created many unexplained anomalies, but most are harmless. After some more research though, I’ve come down to the conclusion that the Umbral Vise is at play here.”

“No…” Liz slammed her hand down on her table before taking her leave from the area. “Memorio, I want you to send any data you to the holographic communicator. This also means that you need to include a map and layout of the area.”

“L-Liz, wait hang on a second, are you sure you want to go now? I’m checking your current state right now on vitals and you’re showing signs of exhaustion.”

“I don’t care. Maps, now.”

“You’re really hellbent on saving them, aren’t you?”

“The Goldstein family has helped me more time than I can count. I can’t let them suffer like this. I don’t care if my body fails me, I have to save them, so please!”

Memorio sighed. “Alright, alright, I’m sending a layout right now. Get to a safe place and we’ll discuss to next phases there.”

Liz swept a lock of her back behind her ear as a cool breeze blew by. “So this is the Dead Dunes, huh?”

“Looks that way. I can see where it gets its name from.”

“No kidding. I’ve been walking for at least ten minutes now and there’s nothing but sand, well that a few bloodthirsty monsters looking for the next meal.”

“Yes and it looks like those are the least of your worries right now.”

“Do you mean the whole heat exhaustion?”

“Well yes and no. We’re lucky to have arrived around the time that we did. The sun should be going down soon and that means a cooler environment for you to work with. Plus your vitals are rather perfect at the moment.”

“So then what’s the issue?”

“Well for starters, you’re most likely going to be here for a few days, which means shelter is going to be a much needed necessity. Which is where not only heat exhaustion comes into play, but you may encounter some unwanted visitors. By that I mean...bandits.”

“Bandits huh? Hey, didn’t that guy by the station mention something about bandits being here?”

“Yes, in fact the only people living out here in this place are bandits.”

“Really? All of them?” Liz asked while beginning to walk once more.

“Seems so. Which leads to me to my next piece of info. It appears I’ve located a settlement that’s not too far from where you are now. With it I can also detect a water source, most likely a small oasis given by its size. If my theory is correct, you’ll most likely find food there as well.”

“Sounds like a win, but there’s obviously a catch isn’t there.”

“Correct. Hang on, I’m picking something up on the screen. Oh dear…”

“Oh well clearly that’s a bad sign.”

“Yes, it very well is. I’ve detected movement within the area and it looks like it might have to do with the bandits mentioned earlier.”

“I guess that cancels our evening plans huh?”

“Well...no, not quite. There’s always the chance the bandits might be willing to-”

“I’m going to stop you right there. I highly doubt that a group of bandits are going to just casually let us waltz right into their settlement and use it for a few days.”

Memorio sighed. “Yes I suppose you’re right…”

“However...:”

“Liz?”

“Memorio, I want you to send the coordinates to my wrist communicator.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to do what I think you’re going to do!”

I opened my mouth to say something, anything...and yet, no words came out. Rather, I found myself frozen in place, perhaps from the shock of seeing Memorio, or perhaps it was because of the sound of claws scraping at the ground, drawing closer to where we stood.

“How bothersome…” Memorio said before taking my hand.

“H-Hey!”

“Try to stay quiet, I’m taking us somewhere safe where we can talk.”

Although I was still confused by what was going on, I decided that I had no choice but to put my trust in him and follow his lead. We had climbed up another flight of stairs before coming to a stop in front of an antique looking bookshelf. That’s when Memorio let go of my hand and reached out towards the shelf, the palm of his hand glowing as he did. The shelf gave a rattle before sliding to the side, revealing a staircase that led down instead of up and although I was hesitant to go down, I knew that if I didn’t then I would come face to face with a troublesome beast. 

The bookshelf closed behind us the moment we began to descend, leaving us in nothing but total darkness. I had to rely on Memorio, who seemed to not be fazed by the whole situation in the slightest. We walked for what seemed like forever before a faint light appeared in my vision. Though the room was dimly lit, I still had to shield my eyes a little bit after being in the darkness for a little while. 

Memorio had finally let go of my hand and once he did, he quickly headed over to a nearby sofa, plopping down and sighing.

“Welcome to my room!”

“Huh? Your room…?”

When I looked around, I noticed just how big the room was. There was a bed, a few chairs, a couple of sofas and a fireplace. There were even a few shelves in different parts of the room, some with books and some with vials with sparkling liquid. All in all, the room was rather cozy and gave off a serene atmosphere. Despite the situation I was in, I was beginning to feel pretty relaxed. 

“Hey, you don’t have to stand there the whole time. There’s plenty of seating here.” Memorio smiled and lazily gestured about.

I took a seat in a nearby armchair not knowing what to do or say next. I was still in a daze about meeting Memorio, the last time we had an encounter was a brief one, with him only staying for a few seconds before he disappeared within the crowd. But seeing him here just a mere few feet away...it just...seemed unreal.

“Hm? Is there something on my face?”

“Wha? Oh n-no, forgive me, I’m just a little confused is all.”

“Oh? How come?” 

Memorio shifted his position on the couch and was now sitting upright, almost elegantly as he began to stare directly at me.

“Well, I just never expected this,”

“The room?”

“Well...yes and no. I-I mean well...I mean you, Memorio.”

“What about me?”

“You just aren’t what I expected.”

“What, did you expect a ghost?”

I could feel my face and ears begin to burn with embarrassment. “W-Well, yes actually. I mean, sort of. I was told you were like a ghost and I just...um...”

“A ghost huh? I’m not really surprised by that statement.” Memorio chuckled. “But I’m neither ghost nor fully human. I suppose… I'm merely just a vessel used for recording memories.”

His voice had trailed off during the last part of his statement, turning into nothing more than a hushed inaudible whisper. But, I didn’t even need to hear it to know that something was off. Because when he looked at me, I could see a deep sadness hidden in his golden eyes. I looked away and held the bottom of my skirt tightly not knowing how to respond to the silence and now somewhat awkward atmosphere. Thankfully, Memorio broke the silence.

“Hey, so you’re stuck here, right? You must be getting tired.”

“Yes, maybe a little, but I’ll be alright.”  

“If you say so. But hey, don’t go and push yourself too hard, okay?” 

I nodded softly and smiled. “I won’t.” 

I was determined to stay awake, there were still things that I wanted to ask, but much to my dismay, exhaustion had taken over my body rather quickly and before I knew it, I was being spiraled into nothing but darkness, unaware of what was going on around me.

********************

“Huh? Wait, is she already asleep?!” 

I shifted my gaze over to where she was and found that she was quietly snoring away. I chuckled to myself at such a sight before standing up and stretching before making my way to where she was resting. I knew that the sleeping position she was in, would lead to a sore awakening, so, I scooped her up in my arms and gently put her down on the bed when I had made it over there. It would have been rude to have just left here where she was I thought, besides, she was an honored guest here, I wanted to make sure her stay, no matter how short, would be an enjoyable one.

Once I was sure she would be comfortable, I left and went back over to the sofa that I had previously been sitting on, but not before grabbing a book off a nearby shelf. I let out a sigh as I lied down and opened up the book, every so often I would pause my reading and glanced over at her, making sure she was alright. I did this a few more times before I got lost in my book and soon, lost in my own slumber.

******************** 

I groaned a little as I stirred awake. My eyes fluttered open a few times, as I tried to wake up fully. By some miracle, I finally mustered up the strength to finally sit upright, I rubbed my eyes a little, trying to clear my blurry vision. After I had, I looked around at my surroundings, realizing that I wasn’t in my dorm room, but rather, Memorio’s room. I also realized that I was no longer in the armchair from earlier. My mind was still groggy from waking up, but slowly I was beginning to put the pieces together. Which….resulted in myself becoming rather flustered. I just slept in a guys bedroom! I began to scream out to myself internally before groaning.

“Awake already?”

“O-oh uh, yes! Yes, I am!” I quickly scrambled off the bed and straightened my school uniform.

“Well that’s good.” Memorio smiled. “Hey, I bet you’re pretty famished though, right? I mean, it is rather late in the afternoon.”

“It is? Have I really slept that long?! Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Well for starters, you looked rather peaceful when sleeping, disturbing you from your slumber would have been rude. Secondly, I...may have fallen asleep as well.” Memorio admitted nonchalantly.  

“I see…” 

“So, about the food?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit hungry.”

“That’s great then! I finally get to test something out!” 

I watched as Memorio practically jumped in the air from the sofa, both the smile on his face and his eyes were lit up with excitement. I watched as he began shuffling through drawers and shelves until finally, he came running back to me with an object in his hand. 

“Alright, so I want you to take this into your hand alright?”

“O-Okay.”

I gently took the object from Memorio’s hand and held it in my own.

“Okay, now come and sit over here!” 

Memorio quickly wasted no time in taking my free hand and pulling me over to a nearby desk where he let go of my hand and pulled the chair out, urging me to sit. Once I had, he filled my line of vision by standing on the opposite side of the desk.

“Alright, now, think back to a memory of a dish that brings you great joy.”

“A dish that brings me great joy…”

I closed my eyes and began to dwell into memories of my past, one such memory, sent a surge of warmth through my body and although it gave me happiness, it also pained me. When I opened my eyes, I saw a plate and a cup of tea beside it, the food the tool had conjured up, had been one that my mother had made when I was little, right around the time of her passing, to be exact. It reminded me of happy days, it reminded me of her smile….

“Liz?”

“Huh?”

“Is this the food you wanted?”

I smiled and nodded my head. “It is.”

“So then…” Memorio placed his hand on his chin before shouting with a smile. “It worked! My first ever magical tool worked! This is amazing! Think of how much this tool could help people, especially those in the Forgotten City. My vision can reach to areas such as that town, I’ve seen the suffering of those people. So maybe I can help them out with this tool.”

“This is amazing, Memorio! I think that’d be a wonderful idea too, I know you’d be able to pull it off.”

 I smiled and watched as Memorio’s cheeks began to turn a soft hue of pink. 

“Thank you..” He shyly murmured. “But sadly, I can’t really leave this area long enough to really do any good. My projection magic is rather limited.”

“So...you’re saying you’re doomed to wander this tower?”

“Well...when you put it that way.”

“Ah, forgive me that’s not what I…”

I looked away and bit my lip.

“It’s fine, you’re actually not wrong. But I wouldn’t call it being ‘doomed’, the Guardian said my purpose is to be here and help those from afar by recording memories that can help aid for the future.”

“He...said that to you?”

“Pretty much.”

“Say...Memorio?”

“Yes?”

“How do you and the Guardian know each other?”

“Well..he’s sort of like my own personal guardian. You see, I don’t really remember how I came here to this tower or what my life was like before I came here. But Valdis told me that I came here to help him protect. Even though we rarely get along, I do have respect for him and I suppose that’s why the bond we share is such a unique one.”

“I’m a little confused, Valdis is the Guardian’s name?”

“Yes. He told me it a long time ago.”

“Hmm, and if what you’re saying is true, then I can see why the Guardi- I mean, Valdis, gets so upset when people trespass here.”

“Yep.”

I was trying to process and put the pieces together. Memorio claims he wasn’t doomed to the tower and was actually brought here for a purpose. Then there’s Valdis, who I still don’t know much about, other than he and Memorio shared a bond. There was one thing that bugged me, however, and that was the fact that Memorio was still unable to leave. He seemed so happy when he talked about going into town and helping people within Gedonelune and in other regions. I wanted to ask more about it, but I didn’t feel like now was the best time. Instead, Memorio and I engaged in some small talk as I began to eat the food that had been summoned.

In the process, I got to know a lot more about Memorio, I learned of some of his dreams and wishes. Even though we had met hours ago, I somehow felt like I had known Memorio for longer than that. It sent a warm feeling straight to my heart and I wished that our time together could have lasted a little bit longer, but...I knew that it couldn’t.

“Night will be falling soon, which means the exit will open up shortly.”

“Right. Then we better get a move on huh...:”

I hadn’t meant to say it in such a sad tone, but...I really did wish our time could have lasted. 

“Hey, don’t be getting all sad on me. You can come by and see me again.” 

Memorio wore a rather mature smile as he looked at me and for some reason, I felt a pounding in my chest. How strange….

“I may take up on that offer sometime.”

“Please do.” He chuckled. “Here, I’ll lead you back upstairs.”

I smiled graciously and followed behind him as he led the way back up. The walk was brief, but it sure felt like forever, but I suppose that was due to the silence that had fallen upon us, only the sound of our footsteps filled our ears, well that and the sound of the bookshelf creaking as it moved to let us out.

“Do you think he’s out here?”

“Valdis?”

“Yes.”

“No, he’s usually patrolling the upper levels at this hour, it’s like he runs on a schedule. But, that works in our favor, considering that you need to get out of here before something does happen.”

“Right.”

“Just then, the entrance/exit sounded out with a click before slowly beginning to open up. On the other side, I could hear Elias’s voice call out my name and I quickly ran over to the door, telling him that I was alright.

“Oh, hey, Memorio, would you like to-” 

 I turned around to ask Memorio something, but when I did, there was no one there. There was no trace of him at all, it was almost like he was never there to begin with. 

“Liz! Hurry up out of there!” Elias called out to me.

The moment the door opened all the way, I quickly ran out to greet everyone.

“Thank god you’re alright.”

“Yes, you had us worried like crazy!”

“Don’t do something that stupid ever again.”

“Hey! It wasn’t my fault that we lost track of time!”

“Liz, hey Liz, are you listening?”

I could hear a voice faintly calling out to me. It was one I was unfamiliar with, but the owner of the voice seemed to know who I was...

“Liz, come find me. You’re the only one who can…”

Find you? But….I don’t even know who this person is….

“Hurry!”

I gasped as my eyes shot wide open. I had, at some point, broken into a cold sweat and when I lifted my head, I noticed that I had been resting on a stack of unfinished paperwork. I smoothed back my now messy hair and tried to recollect myself from the recent dream. I wasn’t sure if it was a nightmare or not, but I do know I felt a great sense of Dejavu coming from it. The voice I heard was both unrecognizable and yet….it felt like I knew it from somewhere, I just couldn’t pinpoint where though.

A knock suddenly came from the door to the prefect’s office, followed by Elias’s voice as he slowly opened the door, before stepping in.

“Sorry to bother you at a busy time of the day, but I’d like a word with you.”

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

“Right.” Closing the door behind him, Elias made his way over to the desk, glancing at the unfinished work. “Don’t tell me you were sleeping on the job again.”

“I...don’t even remember falling asleep this time…”

Elias let out a sigh before taking out an envelope from his pocket. The seal on the envelope was the house of Goldstein crest and the writing on the front was none other than Klaus’s.

“What is this?”

“Just open it and find out for yourself.”

I did as he said and opened it up before beginning to read the contents, what I read...surprised me. 

“They’re putting me on a solo case?”

“Well, not completely solo. A few of us have also received a letter and we’ve been given instructions to help aid in this new case.”

“I see. So you’re helping out as well, Elias?”

“Of course. My brother said my aid in this was important. In other words…”

“He knew he could count on you.” I smiled and watched Elias smile back.

“It would appear so.”

“I’m happy that I’ll be working with you again, Elias. But…”

“But what?”

“I kind of wish there was a break in between all of these missions. I mean, we really haven’t had a lot of time to teach and focus on our studies.”

“Yes, I know what you mean and it appears that these missions are not only becoming more frequent but also a bit more challenging.”

“I know…”

I looked down and began to play around with a nearby pen for a few seconds before dropping it completely and pushing out my chair, allowing myself to get up.

“I suppose we should go meet up with the others who got the letter too and discuss what our next moves are.”

“That would be the best course of action, but perhaps finishing these papers should be the first task to complete before beginning another.”

I let out a small groan and plopped back down in the chair, Elias could see my distaste for it and chuckled. 

“Your magic had improved greatly, but your distaste for doing work hasn’t changed.”

“Hey!” 

I began to laugh with him before starting on the stack of papers in front of me. It didn’t take long to do, in fact, halfway through, Elias pitched in so we could get done quickly and meet up with the others to begin the discussion. We had sent out magic notes to each person and decided to meet up in the Archives, however, just when it was about to hit around the meeting time, Elias and I had received a magic note from Schuyler, telling us to hurry to the headmaster’s office for an important meeting.

“Sorry, we’re a little late.”

I quickly apologized as I entered the room with Elias in tow. When we arrived, I noticed that everyone on the mission was here as well, including Klaus.

“Klaus? What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m the one who requested everyone’s presence. Of course, Schuyler was the one who wrote the note, but planning this meeting was on me.”

“So what’s this about?”

Elias took a step forward before speaking up.

“I’m sure you can guess, can’t you? You four have been given the task of aiding me in a special mission.”

“Just us?”

“Yes, I would have asked Hiro and Lucious to come, but…”

“They have their own tasks to deal with.”

“Precisely.”

“By task, you mean Zeus?” Elias asked

“Yes. Although, this does not mean they are exempt from this mission.”

“So why us then?”

“I think it’s about time that you three.” Klaus gestured to Elias, Yukiya and I. “and your deputy prefects take on this mission. Each of you possesses skills needed for this and I know how hardworking you all are, so this shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Right. So then why is Luca here?”

“Oh, ouch, right in the feels Prince.” Luca chuckled before slinging an arm around Elias’s shoulder. Only for Elias to promptly shake him off with a glare.

“Luca is actually the one who provided us with some intel regarding the matter at hand. Despite his lack of effort, he does prove useful in many ways. Thus, making him a valuable member of the team.” Klaus then cleared his throat. “Now then. About the mission which I’m sure you’re wondering about. There have been more pranks happening around the Academy.”

“Again?!”

“Yes. But something is off this time. People are saying that they can feel an oddity to the magic being used to pull the pranks. I’ve investigated into the matter a little bit and my findings have come out as this; the magic used for the pranks has the same properties as the magic used in the Tower of Memories.”

“Wait...you’re saying that someone has the same kind of magic used in the tower?”

“That, or…”

“Or?”

“Well, it could be that someone inside the tower is casting the spells from there.”

“Is that even possible though?”

“That’s exactly why we’ve put you on this case, so that we can get the answers we need.”

“So that’s it? You just need us to investigate?”

“Yes and record your findings and send them to the Ministry so that we may close this case as soon as possible.”

We all glanced at one another before we each gave a slight nod.

“We’ll get right on it, brother.”

“I knew I could count on you. Now, I’ll be taking my leave here and head back to the Ministry.”

Saying that, Klaus spun on his heel and promptly left the headmaster’s office, leaving only us and Schuyler remaining.

“Due to the circumstances, I’m giving you all the permission to access the Tower of Memories, however, if I hear about any goofing around, then I’ll report that to Klaus personally.”

“Running to the Emperor to rat on us? Tsk tsk, I thought you were more professional.”

Luca chuckled but was immediately silenced by the bone-chilling glare that Schuyler was giving. 

“Uh...haha, so um, we’ll be going now!” 

I quickly grabbed Luca by the arm and pulled him out of the headmaster’s office, where we all gathered up in the hallway.

“Luca, what the hell was that about?!”

Elias was the first to speak after leaving. 

“What do you mean?”

“That little outburst in there.”

“Yeah, Luca, we need to take this seriously.”

“Is serious even in that guy's vocabulary?” Joel asked

“As a matter of fact-”

“Let’s drop it. We were given a task, so let’s get it done before bickering...please…”

Yukiya, who had been quiet for the most part, had now spoken up.

“Yukiya’s right guys. Now is not the time for bickering. Klaus and the Ministry have put their trust in us to carry out this mission.”

It was a bit of rough start already and we hadn’t even begun the investigation, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen as time progressed, but by the time we headed to the rooftop, everything seemed to be going smoothly, there wasn’t even a sign of any bickering whatsoever.

Opening the entrance was going to be easy, but timing everything correctly, including our exit, was going to be the challenging part. A staircase ascending upwards appeared before us, it was a sight I was rather familiar with, so I wasted no time in taking the lead inside.

“There’s something you guys need to know before we continue any further.”

I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face the rest of the group.

“There’s a beast, well rather, a guardian who resides here. It’s gone berserk before and I fear that once it knows that we’re in its presence, it’ll go berserk again. So I want everyone on guard and ready to fight should the need arise.” 

After finishing my statement, I reached into a pocket in my cloak and brought out my wand, holding it tightly against my chest.

“Look at you. You sure have grown a lot these last couple of years.”

“I had to. I wanted to show my true potential. But this isn’t the time for this. Let’s keep moving.”

I had an unsettling feeling wash over me as we continued progressing through the tower. For some reason, we had yet to encounter the Guardian that guarded the memory vials. Elias seemed to notice that something was off and leaned over to whisper in my ear.

“I was sure we’d see him by now.”

“I know...I don’t understand why.”

“Do you think something has happened?”

“I’m...not sure. What I do know though, is that we can’t let our guard down, despite not having encountered him yet.”

“Precisely. He could be watching our every move, waiting for the perfect opportunity to come in strike.”

I nodded and continued, but no matter how much we travelled or looked around, there was no sign of anyone. Hours must have gone by because I found myself leaning up against the wall for some support. I was certain that if I took another step, I would collapse from exhaustion, however, I knew that I would have to get back to moving soon, I was sure it was getting late by now. We were close to the exit, but even so, if we didn’t time it correctly, then we would be forced to be locked in the tower until it turned night again.

“Hey, Elias? What time is it?”

Elias took out his pocket watch and stared at it with widened eyes.

“It’s just about to be sunrise.”

“Wait s-seriously?!”

I quickly mustered up the strength to walk over and look at the pocket watch. Elias was right, we were running out of time. 

“Guys! We have to hurry up and get out of here or we’ll be trapped!” 

All of us began sprinting towards where the exit was, by the time we got there, the exit was already becoming smaller and smaller, I failed to realize just how small the exit was until it was my turn to leave. But…

It was no use, I couldn’t even fit my hand through the exit, all I could do was bang my fists against the door, while listening to the frantic voices of the others on the outside. I heard Elias call out to me, telling me not to worry and that he’d be back for me, but I knew that there was no way of getting out any sooner. I would just have to wait for it to become night once more.

But, I’d be lying to myself if I said that I wasn’t even a little bit scared, especially when I could feel the presence of someone behind me. I gulped before slowly turning around, preparing myself for the worst outcome; the Guardian. But what met my eyes, was something completely different.

It was a silver-colored short-haired man, clad in a Night-Class uniform. His yellow eyes were sparked with curiosity and he had a hand placed on his hip as he stared at me. I found myself breathless to the point where I was unable to speak, but when I did….

“Memorio…”

The name fell from my lips and I watched as the man’s lips curved into a smile.