“Something’s off about this.”
It’s the last thing I hear from Prince Zenon before I sense him moving away from me. The air shakes around him—perhaps he crouched. After a couple seconds, I hear his muffled voice. Did he happen to see one of those things? Things not of this world? I can sense he’s not feeling well.
“Your Highness, Your Highness? Are you okay?”
I say it in a husky voice, so I can’t be sure he hears it. What should I do...? I should’ve insisted he use the spell on me instead, even against his wishes. I really regret letting him do this.
“Everyone, make sure you’re back to class by lunch. We can’t go to the dining hall otherwise,” says Mr. Bordon, gathering class materials as everyone starts talking loudly and prepares to leave. “Miss Natolie, you may join them,” he adds with a smile.
Still focusing on the prince, I flash a smile so as not to raise any suspicion.
“It’s okay for me to go too?”
“You didn’t graduate from here, so please go take a look around so you don’t get lost in the future.”
Oh, right, part of our cover stories is that we’re not graduates of this school. There are several other schools in Doran, and we’re supposed to have graduated from the royal school right under the Royal Isle.
“The teachers from the other classes will probably join in, so you should go too.”
“Thank you, sir!”
It’s a perfect opportunity to get out of here and meet up with everyone. And I need to get the prince out first and foremost.
“This is my first time exploring!”
“Shall we start with the first floor, Miss Maris?”
“Why not?”
It’s adorable how happy the children appear when told to look around freely, with their natural adventurous spirit all stirred up. The boys run out of the classroom, their usual composure nowhere to be seen. This school building is as big as Castle Shuzelk, and is full of mysteries—no wonder they start to feel adventurous.
In the midst of all this, my younger self steps out of the classroom all on her own, obviously having made no friends yet. She looks lonely, but resolute too. Even from here I can see her eyes sparkling. She must be just as excited as the boys in her class.
I remember running about the school on that day. It was my first time in such a spacious building, so I went around opening every door in view and taking my time checking what was behind them.
Rockmann, in the meantime, accompanies the young Prince Zenon, and a group of girls surround the two of them, which is the state I see them all leave the classroom in. Oddly enough, even though the noble girls still surround them when Rockmann has the prince nearby, they grow quiet, rarely striking up conversations with him. They just stay at a distance and watch their backs, perhaps being considerate of the prince. It’s a sight that still puzzles me. Are they showing restraint to avoid provoking the prince’s fan club?
As for Treyse, I spot her walking behind Rockmann together with the other girls. The transient and meek impression she gives off conflicts with her vague determination. Just what is she planning?
Finally, Mr. Bordon heads for the staff room, leaving me alone in the classroom.
“You can reveal yourself now.”
“Right.”
After waiting for everyone else to leave, the prince snaps his fingers, dispelling his invisibility. As I thought, he was crouched. He has his hand on his forehead and sighs as he stares at the floor, looking anguished. I’ve never seen him like this before—it looks like he’s going through even more than I thought he was.
“Are you okay?” I ask again.
“I’m fine,” he replies, though he keeps staring at the floor.
I wish I would stop thinking about what Rockmann would do at times like these. What’s he got to do with it? I’m not him.
“Your Highness, take a look at my hand, please.” I crouch beside him, going low enough to drop below his gaze. “Pardon me for a moment.”
I cover his eyes with my right hand; then, after making sure there are no gaps through which he can see, speak an incantation.
“Sunlight reflecting on flowers, wind flowing along the plains, drops of morning dew, pulsation of leaf veins, odor of the whitebloom...” I concentrate on my palm. “Wings of a butterfly, murmuring of a stream, crystals of snow, twinkling of a shooting star...”
As I keep covering Prince Zenon’s eyes, I see his expression gradually going softer over time. His lips, previously tinged with blue, have returned to their healthy, reddish color. The prince places his hand over mine covering his eyes, slowly removes it, and smiles at me.
“That was a beautiful spell. You’re incredible,” says the prince in a quiet voice devoid of intonation, but a kind one nonetheless. He smiles at me.
The spell I cast on the prince is known as Solace. It’s technically not a healing spell, as it treats symptoms of mental illnesses and other conditions—the kind of stuff that your conventional healing spell is too brute-force or too literal to interface with. The target of the spell witnesses a beautiful scene one cannot find in this world, one that enfolds the full scope of human sensation. I’m told there’s a faint but enchanting aroma to it.
I’ve no idea what exactly the prince saw, but judging by how relieved he looks, it must’ve been something nice.
“Nanalie, Your Highness!”
As I finally relax, Nikeh appears at the door.
“Mr. Bevrio finally let us go. He really gives us guys a hard time,” says Satanás, appearing together with Benjamine behind Nikeh.
Apparently they were allowed to go look around the school as they pleased, just like Mr. Bordon said would happen.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So you’re saying the Treyse from this time might be possessed by someone other than the one from ours?” says Nikeh, quite agitated.
“That would certainly complicate things,” Prince Zenon adds calmly, shutting his eyes.
We’re “exploring” the hallways as a full group. Back in the day I used to worry I might cross paths with a ghost here, given how dim they are.
“Is the woman we’re dealing with really Treyse, or someone else taking her form? If it’s the latter, our shape-shifter is implausibly skilled. It’s eerie to remain in another’s form for so long, too,” theorizes the prince. “Was it really Treyse who asked the Time Keeper to send her here? I think that needs further investigation.”
“Hey, old man, answer his question and tell the truth,” presses Satanás.
I definitely see the prince’s point. Even with the help of his magic, he couldn’t see what exactly is possessing Treyse. Normally, one would be able to see it, and the fact he couldn’t would normally mean there’s no possessor. But he did see a black haze. So there was something. There’s no doubt that something’s possessing her.
The Time Keeper pops out of Benjamine’s cleavage, tilts his head in contemplation, and starts mumbling.
“Oh, please, you’re expecting too much of me. It was my first time in a long while sending a human into the past. Didn’t bother to check who it really was.”
“What the hell? So, what, you’re saying you’d send just anyone if they asked?”
“Hmph.”
The Time Keeper’s lips twist, his face taking on a sour expression. He looks away to escape from Satanás’s cold stare. This guy’s definitely guilty.