Avari,

It was good to hear from you. I’m glad you’re recovering well at the monastery. Are you taking long strolls along the beach? I hope the fresh air is doing you lots of good. Your letter was short but very warmly received. I’m very sorry, Avari. I’m very, very sorry.

You asked why no one told you that other Healers can’t heal themselves. I’m so sorry, Avari. It’s just that no one knows what to do with you. You’re younger than you should be. The Academy doesn’t know how to accommodate a Healer your age. No one is sure how to raise you. It’s a guessing game. Delphia seemed to have a plan for you, but she’s gone. I think you should be educated like other children your age, because all the Healers and Alchemists have gone through traditional education before joining the Academy, but others don’t agree. It’s all a guess. You’re a child. You should sit in class and know where the Low Midlands are. You should socialise with other children your age. We don’t know what to tell you, or what to do with you, and we don’t want you to feel isolated by knowing you’re the only one of You. You are like the other boys, I promise, just with a little extra specialness.

When you’re ready, please write to either Ivra or me so we can come visit you. We have much to talk about in person.

Your good friend,

Manon Cotillard.

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Avari,

Hey! Your guardian – the one with the blue and red eyes and blue and red hair – gave Wolfe and I an address so we can keep in contact. I’m not sure where the letters are going exactly, but I hope they’re being passed on to you.

We’ll keep it a secret between you and me, but that storm was so cool! The compound was unusable for days after that! Everyone’s talking about the ‘freak weather’, but I know what really happened. It’s like how you showed me at the forest, with the breathing and the pulse and the plants. If you ever come back, could you show me again? If you ever come back, do you think we could be friends again? Ulyses and his losers were nothing compared to me. I broke them all without even breaking a sweat! You have my word, and my vow, that no one will ever hurt you if I’m around. I’m not a coward. I fight all my fights. I’m not a coward. I’m a Stymphalia, and Stymphalians aren’t cowards. But you know that, right?

Please write back!

P.S. Wolfe might act like a devil but deep down he’s not so bad. You’ve just got to punch him a little and yell at him a little and shake him too, then he can actually act like a normal elf.

P.P.S. Sorry that I wrote this in French. My written Elven sucks. Sorry.

Laclan Stymphalia

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Avari,

This is Ivra. I hope you’re doing well. I hear you wrote to Manon to ask about what we tell you and what we don’t. Be rest assured, everything I do, I do it for the best interest of you, and the best interest of the Academy.

I’m also writing to inform you that, following her visit with you to the Military Academy, Misa Xhoies was summoned to the King’s Court. Apparently, she has been awarded a permanent Alchemist position. If she makes contact with you, please let me know.

Get well quickly, and return with the same speed.

Best regards

Ivra Vonglo.