In front of the Carteia Archives, the dead of night brought a profound, ringing silence. Only the pale blue light of the Aetheria lamps dimly illuminated the stone corridors. [whispers] "...No one's here, right?" Dot whispered, their burning red slicked-back hair swaying as they glanced around nervously. Their golden eyes darted restlessly through the darkness. [whispers] "Lights-out was ages ago. The only people around would be patrolling teachers, I'm telling you." Finn spoke in a slightly pointed tone, repeatedly brushing back the light blue hair that fell to their shoulders. In their left hand, they clutched a meticulously folded piece of paper and a pair of pristine white gloves. [sad] "This makes my heart race... It feels like we're doing something bad." Lance was gripping their waist-length silver hair tightly in both hands. Their narrow, deep purple eyes glistened with anxiety. "It's not something bad. We're just going to do some research." Mash spoke in a flat voice, his large, round brown eyes half-closed as usual. As always, there was no mark on the back of his left hand. [angry] "How can you be so calm about this?! Normally, you'd be way more nervous in a situation like this!" "I think eating a cream puff would calm you down." [crying] "Where the hell did cream puffs come from in this conversation?!" Dot's shout echoed through the quiet corridor. —In that instant. [cold] "You're being too loud." All four of them froze solid. A woman stood at the entrance to the archives. Her black hair was tied up in a tight bun. Behind her silver-rimmed glasses, sharp gray eyes glinted coldly. With her arms crossed, she stood utterly motionless, as if she had known everything from the very beginning. Mina Hertz, the librarian of the Carteia Archives. The iron lady of the academy, who would never forgive anyone who defiled a book. [scared] "M-Ms. Mina...?!" Finn let out a strained voice. "What business do you have in the archives past lights-out? Depending on your answer, I will take appropriate measures." Mina's voice was flat, yet carried an undeniable, overwhelming pressure. [scared] "U-Um, well—!" Finn jumped a step forward and held out the paper and gloves with trembling hands. [scared] "We want to investigate the restricted book section! This is a written pledge! We absolutely won't dirty the books! We brought gloves! We won't fold a single page! We won't trace the text with our fingers! We won't even let any spit fly!" Finn's voice was desperate. Their droopy chartreuse eyes wavered, looking as if they were about to burst into tears at any moment. Mina glanced at the offered paper. "...Handwritten?" [crying] "Yes! I spent three hours writing it with all my heart! So, please...!" "Denied." It was a single, decisive blow. Finn's face instantly went pale. [angry] "No way...! We even wrote a pledge, why?!" Finn started to shout, then hurriedly clamped a hand over their mouth. [sad] "...Ah, no. I didn't mean to say it like that..." Their shoulders trembled slightly. [angry] "C-Come on, you don't have to be so rigid about it! Our friend is in serious trouble because of a curse, and we're just trying to—" "Rules are rules. Entering the restricted section requires a teacher's permission—" [sad] "If my face were back to normal, I'd come negotiate with you myself..." Lance murmured in a fading voice, clutching their silver hair tightly. [sad] "I ended up in this body, and I can't even talk properly... I used to be so much stronger... But now, all I do is cry..." A tear spilled from their purple eyes. Mina's eyebrow twitched slightly. But even so, she did not nod. "...It's the rules." Silence fell. Finn hung their head, Dot bit their lip, and Lance sobbed quietly. —It was then. "Ms. Mina." Mash pulled something out of his pocket. A small paper bag. When he opened it, a sweet fragrance wafted gently into the air. [gentle] "Working late into the night must be tough. Here, this is for you." It was a cream puff from Rieffe's bakery. Mina's movements stopped. Three seconds. Five seconds. "...You." "Cream puffs are delicious. When you eat one when you're tired, it helps your head work better." Mash continued in his usual flat voice, eyes half-closed. "Researching books must be one of those tiring things, I think. So, please have it." Mina stared intently at the cream puff. Then, she stared intently at Mash's face. "...Your objective is to research books. The cream puff is... a gift of support." "That's right." Mina let out a deep sigh. Then, her shoulders slumped as if all the strength had drained out of her. "...Very well." "Wha—?!" The three voices overlapped perfectly. "However, there are conditions." Mina removed a particularly old key from the key ring at her waist. "If you fold even a single page, you will all be expelled. On top of that, I will personally submit a formal report to the headmaster." Her eyes were not smiling. [scared] "W-We absolutely won't fold a single page!!" Finn waved both gloved hands frantically. [surprised] "Hey, Mash, you actually solved this with a cream puff?!" Dot looked at Mash with wide eyes. "Cream puffs are amazing." [crying] "What kind of logic is that?! More importantly, why did you even have one on you?!" "So I can eat one anytime." [sad] "My written pledge... I spent three hours handwriting it..." Finn stared at the pledge in their hand, their head drooping. [laughing] "Hehe... What even is that..." Lance let out a small laugh, their face still wet with tears. Watching the four of them with a cool gaze, Mina pushed open the heavy door to the restricted section. Creeeeak... The old hinges let out a grating noise. "Quietly. And follow my instructions." The four of them nodded rapidly. The restricted section was underground. With every step down the stone stairs, the air grew colder. There were few Aetheria lamps on the walls, leaving the floor dim and shadowy. Mina advanced through the bookshelves without hesitation. "Here. Literature concerning the ancient Orphan period is gathered in this area." Where Mina pointed, thick books with leather covers were packed tightly together. Unfamiliar ancient letters were carved into their spines. [serious] "Thank you very much, Ms. Mina." Finn bowed deeply, then gently picked up one of the books. Their white gloves touched the old leather. Only the sound of turning pages echoed in the quiet underground. Dot and Lance each picked up a book as well. Mash stood in front of the bookshelf, watching the four of them vacantly. [serious] "...This is it." After a while, Finn's voice trembled. "The Miasma Crest Curse... A forbidden spell created approximately 1,200 years ago, during the late ancient Orphan period. It acts upon all those who possess magic crests, designed with the purpose of disrupting their properties—" Finn's voice gradually grew quieter. "The sealing device lies dormant in the ruins beneath the academy. Designed to release miasma as a safety valve if left unattended without periodic magical energy replenishment—" [scared] "Which means..." [scared] "The device was either abandoned by someone, or... deliberately activated." The color drained from Finn's face. [scared] "If that's true, does that mean this wasn't an accident?" Lance unconsciously grabbed Mash's arm tightly. "So if we go underground, the device is there." Mash spoke in his usual leisurely tone. "I wonder if I can stop it with my muscles." [angry] "That's not the issue here!!" Dot shouted, their golden eyes flashing. "Your voice is too loud." Mina's cold voice flew at them from a distance. The four of them reflexively ducked their heads. At the exit of the archives, the four huddled close together. [serious] "The entrance to the underground ruins should be behind the Gravis training grounds." Finn traced a finger over a floor plan drawn on parchment. [angry] "Should we go now? While it's still night—" —Just then. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of a cane striking the floor came from deep within the corridor. Slowly, heavily. "...Who's there?" Emerging from the darkness was an old man with white hair. His back was ramrod straight, and his deeply wrinkled face showed no emotion whatsoever. He wore a black robe, and a large blue magic stone was embedded in the tip of the cane he held. Academy Supervisor, Candela Wayne. [cold] "What were you researching in the archives at this hour?" His voice was quiet, and heavy. [scared] "Professor Candela...! Um, this is—" Finn tried to step forward, clutching the ancient text to their chest. [cold] "Records of the Miasma Crest Curse, I see." Finn's movement stopped at Candela's words. [cold] "This is a matter for the entire academy. Skilled mages are already handling the situation underground. This is not a matter for students to stick their noses into." [angry] "But we're the ones suffering from it! Our friend is in this much pain—" Dot took a step forward. Their golden eyes burned with anger. Candela's eyes pierced through Dot. [cold] "Entry to the underground is forbidden. Violation will result in suspension." [angry] "Wha—!" "That is all." Leaving only those words, Candela turned his back sharply. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of the cane faded away. The four were left behind in the corridor. [sad] "...Professor Candela's eyes... looked like he already knew what was in the ancient text." Finn murmured in a trembling voice. [sad] "His eyes, how should I put it... it felt like he knew everything, but wasn't going to say it." "The look in his eyes didn't seem like something I could solve with muscles." [crying] "Were you actually trying to solve it that way?!" Dot slumped their shoulders in exhaustion. It was right after that. Rumble, rumble, rumble... The academy floor let out a low tremor. [scared] "W-What...?!" From the gaps in the stairs leading to the basement, a black haze slowly seeped out. Miasma. A second eruption. [crying] "Ugh... M-My head...!" Lance staggered, clutching their head. [scared] "Me too... My crest, it's burning...!" Finn also clutched the back of their left hand and fell to their knees. [crying] "Shut up, shut up...!" Lance's expression twisted violently. [crying] "I wasn't like this...! I wasn't such a crybaby...! I was stronger, I never lost to anyone—" Their purple eyes wavered with anguish. [crying] "So why, why is it only me... like this...!" Lance's right hand began to glow red. Their crest was shining, losing control. [angry] "Lance!! Stop, calm down!!" Dot's shout didn't reach them. Magical power swelled up. The corridor walls began to scorch from the heat. —The next instant. [angry] "Lance!!" Finn leaped in front of Lance. They spread both arms wide, standing as a shield. BOOM!! The shockwave of magical energy struck Finn's small body head-on. [crying] "Finn!!" Lance's scream echoed through the corridor. Finn's body was slammed against the wall. They slid down limply. [sad] "...Because if you couldn't turn back to normal, Lance... that would be a bigger problem than me getting hurt." Finn forced a smile, leaning against the wall. But the arm that wasn't wrapped in bandages trembled slightly. [crying] "I'm sorry... I'm sorry...!" Lance collapsed to their knees and gripped Finn's hand in both of theirs. Tears dripped onto the back of Finn's hand. [crying] "It's my fault... because I'm not holding it together...!" Mash silently lifted Finn up. "Hey... your shoulder, you're injured..." Dot choked on their words. "Finn has courage, not muscles." Mash's voice was as flat as ever. At those words, Finn bit their lip hard. [sad] "...That's... just a given..." Their voice was shaking. The next morning. After finishing Finn's treatment at the Seir Medical Ward, the four of them headed towards the Pane dining hall. T