There was no light. Thick cloth covered the windows, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night. Damp air clung to his skin. Keefree sat slumped on the floor of a cheap inn. He hugged his knees, his back pressed against the wall. The cold stone mercilessly leeched the heat from his body through his thin shirt. (*How many days has it been?*) The thought drifted through a corner of his mind. Probably the third day. No — the fourth? He didn't know. On the desk sat a plate with a single untouched piece of bread. Its surface had dried and cracked. The water in the pitcher hadn't gone down either. His body, deprived of food and water, grew dizzy just from moving. But that was fine. If his body was heavy enough, he wouldn't have to think about unnecessary things. He closed his eyes. On the back of his eyelids, the scene from that morning rose up. The corridor of the Great Library. Knights in silver armor. At their center, Orugio turned around. His deep blue eyes looked straight at him — and then, he smiled quietly. As if to say, *it's all right*. As if to say, *don't worry*. (*No.*) Keefree bit his lip. The taste of iron spread across his tongue. It wasn't all right. Orugio was now in the underground prison of the Starspire Tower. Detained for researching forbidden arts. Awaiting judgment from the Seven-Pointed Council. In the worst case, the punishment of magical deprivation — his mana forcibly sealed, a social death sentence. (*It's my fault.*) Deep in his chest, something seemed to creak and groan. Because he had found the forbidden book on seal magic. Because he had wished to use magic. Orugio had only tried to make that wish come true. And yet, Orugio was the only one captured, while he sat here on the floor of an inn. "[whispers] ...Why?" His voice came out hoarse. After three days of barely speaking, his throat couldn't even form his own words properly. He stood up unsteadily. When he stood before the mirror, he almost laughed at the reflection staring back. Dark circles had formed black under his eyes. His cheeks were hollow, his lips dry and cracked. His hair was a mess, his shirt a mass of wrinkles. (*I look like a ghost.*) He truly thought so. --- The main gate of the Starspire Tower was as heavily guarded as ever. The white stone tower soared against the blue spring sky. Approximately 120 meters tall. The headquarters of the Seven-Pointed Council, the heart of magical administration. Two knights stood before the gate, watching passersby with cold eyes. Keefree approached the gate. "[cold] Halt." The knight on the right raised a hand. His silver armor glinted, reflecting the sunlight. "[serious] ...I'm here to see a researcher named Orugio." "[cold] Entry to the facilities of the Seven-Pointed Council is permitted only to council members or holders of the Pointed Cap Certification." The Pointed Cap Certification — proof of a recognized mage who had graduated from the Great Library. Keefree didn't have one. Because he couldn't use magic. He had only been employed as a teacher under a special exception, and now that his qualifications had been revoked, he held no title at all. "[serious] ...Please. Just a little time is all I need." "[cold] It's the rules. Go home." Keefree stood rooted to the spot. The tower walls were thick. Beyond them, Orugio was there. But his voice wouldn't reach him. He couldn't see his face. Without magic or status, all he could do was look up at the wall. (*Can I really do nothing?*) He clenched his fist. His nails bit into his palm. The second day, the same gatekeeper had turned him away. Today, the third day, a different knight called out to him. "[sarcastic] Aren't you the teacher who used to be at the Great Library?" Keefree looked up. "[cold] What's someone who's been stripped of their qualifications doing here? It's got nothing to do with you anymore, right?" Deep in his chest, something tightened sharply. (*Nothing to do with me.*) Those words stabbed into his heart like a blade. He couldn't say anything back. Because it was the truth. He was no longer a teacher at the Great Library. He wasn't even a mage. He had no right to see the lover inside that tower, and no power to save him. Silently, Keefree left the front of the gate. --- The underground prison of the Starspire Tower was a cold space of stone. Moisture seeping from the walls weighed down the air. Torchlight barely illuminated the narrow cell. Orugio knelt on the cold stone floor, both hands bound in iron shackles. His silver hair was disheveled, dried blood caked on his cheek. The star-shaped birthmark on his left cheek was faintly visible beneath the grime. "[cold] I'll ask you again." Councilman Drasven spoke, his corpulent body sunk into a chair. His cold, gleaming eyes looked down on Orugio. "[cold] Tell us the complete magical formulas for seal magic, and the method for compounding permanent ink. If you do, I might see fit to lighten your sentence." Orugio raised his head. His blue eyes wavered, reflecting the torchlight. "[gentle] ...I don't know." His voice was hoarse, but calm. Councilman Drasven signaled with his chin. A subordinate raised a whip. *CRACK!* Struck on the shoulder, Orugio's body pitched forward. Even through his shirt, he could clearly feel the sensation of his skin splitting. Hot. Blood slowly seeped out. "[cold] There's no way you don't know. Your family line has been researching seal magic for generations." "[gentle] ...That's a story from long ago." Blood trickled from the corner of his lip. Yet his voice remained gentle. (*Keefree.*) The only thing that rose in his mind was his face. Was he alone in that cheap inn, blaming himself? He might be sitting on the floor, not even eating. Just imagining it hurt his heart more than the pain of the whip. "[cold] Water." A subordinate lifted a bucket. Cold water was poured over Orugio's head. His lungs contracted. He couldn't breathe. Coughing violently, he collapsed face-down onto the stone floor. (*Even so.*) Orugio moved his fingers. On the stone floor, with thin, trembling fingers. (*The shape of that symbol.*) A part of the permanent seal etched onto Keefree's back. He traced that shape with his finger. It was the only way he could hold onto consciousness. "[cold] Stubbornness is useless. The military wants the seal technology. You'll talk eventually." Orugio didn't answer. He just kept moving his finger. Tracing the shape on Keefree's back, over and over, onto the stone. (*You will definitely come for me.*) Believing that was his last strength. --- The third night. Keefree was walking behind the Great Library. The streetlamps of the royal capital Glasphilia cast long shadows on the cobblestones. The spring night wind was cold, and Keefree shivered. (*Some kind of clue...*) There was no basis for it. But staying still felt like he would go insane. There was a secret room in the basement of the Great Library. Perhaps something had been left there. That thought turned his feet in that direction. Near the back gate, a figure moved. "[cold] ...Keefree, is that you?" It was Falk, a former colleague. A middle-aged male teacher who taught the basics of elemental magic. Back when he worked at the Great Library, their relationship had been limited to exchanging slight nods when they passed in the hallway. Keefree took a step closer. "[serious] Falk, please. Just a little, let me talk—" "[cold] You're not affiliated with this place anymore, so stay away from me." Falk grimaced and took a step back. "[cold] I don't want to get involved. If I'm connected to you, I'll fall under suspicion too." Saying only that, he walked away briskly. His back disappeared from the circle of the streetlamp's light into the darkness. Keefree stood there, frozen. Anger didn't well up. Instead, a deep exhaustion pressed down on him from the core of his body. (*I see.*) He had worked at the Great Library for years. Even though he couldn't use magic, he had contributed with his knowledge. But the moment he lost his title, this was the result. No one would help him. No one wanted anything to do with him. The loneliness he had once felt returned in a heavier form. He went back to the inn. When he closed the door, the strength drained from his body. He collapsed onto the floor. On his knees, on his hands, curling up just as he was. In that moment— His back grew faintly warm. (*Ah...*) Keefree's eyes widened. It was around the symbol Orugio had etched. Something pulsed beneath his skin. The ink radiated heat, spreading along his spine. (*You're still...*) Orugio was enduring. In that cold underground prison, believing in him. Keefree bit his lip. A faint sob escaped between his teeth. He killed his voice and cried. Tears fell onto the stone floor, forming small stains. How long had he been like that? *Rustle.* A white slip of paper was pushed through the gap in the door. Keefree raised his head. He crawled toward the door and picked up the paper. It was a folded memo. He opened it with trembling fingers. There, lined up in round, slightly childish handwriting, was Mirael's penmanship. *'Councilman Drasven is proceeding with a deal to sell the seal technology to the military. Mr. Orugio is being tortured because of it. Things turned out this way because of what I did. I'm sorry.'* Keefree clutched the memo. The paper crumpled with a rustle in his hand. Anger. Sorrow. And then — a faint relief that this wasn't the end. The fact that Mirael had come to deliver this memo was a tiny thread of information. But. (*It's not proof.*) Keefree sat down, leaning his back against the wall. The information that Councilman Drasven was dealing with the military. That was certainly important. But this memo alone couldn't set anything in motion. Who would believe it? The words of a man with no magic, no status, stripped of his teaching qualifications. The seal on his back was still warm. Orugio's feelings were alive beneath his skin. But he couldn't see the next move. He couldn't think of anything — how to save Orugio. Clutching the memo, Keefree leaned against the wall, alone in the dark room. The night's darkness seemed to seep in from outside the window, penetrating the room itself. Only the warmth on his back told him that he was still alive, and that Orugio was still alive too.