Two weeks later, most field training students started to return to the academy. Fortunately for Daniel, Madame Liana decided to postpone the ceremony until more students had returned. Knowing she couldn't hold a separate ceremony for each returning student, she opted to conduct them in groups, which worked well for Daniel and Cordelia.
During this time, Cordelia found solace in the library. She pored over texts on dragon lore, ancient rituals, and the history of celestial beings, hoping to uncover any clues about Milasadris' past. Summoning dragons on school grounds without supervision was strictly prohibited, so research was her only option until she could actually speak with Milasadris again.
Daniel was already up and about. Although he had completely rid his system of the poison, the wound on his shoulder still caused numbness in his left hand, which he decided to overcome by training more. He spent hours hitting training dummies until some feeling returned to his left hand.
At dusk, the two of them would often spend time at their favorite bakery in Wyvernhill Village. Cordelia decided to keep her research a secret for now, although lugging giant books everywhere didn't exactly help her keep a low profile. Thankfully, Daniel's interest in pies was greater than his curiosity about the books she carried around. Even though she brought the books with the intention of studying, their time at the bakery always ended up being unproductive as they inevitably fell into conversation.
Days later, as Cordelia was leaving the library once again, wrapped in her fur cloak over her tunic and burdened with giant books, she noticed the weather shifting. Autumn's lukewarm days were giving way to the cold, and the Blazing Mountains, contrary to its name, was beginning its cold and windy season almost immediately. The once vibrant hues of the leaves clinging to the trees were surrendering to shades of brown and gold, swirling down in playful gusts that danced across the academy grounds. As she walked through the dimly lit corridors towards the courtyard, a pair of strong arms suddenly grabbed her from behind, lifting her off the ground with surprising ease. Instinctively, Cordelia reacted with lightning speed. Her leg shot out, hooking behind her unseen assailant's knee. A grunt of surprise erupted behind her, followed by a muffled yelp as she used her hip to throw the figure off balance. Before they could react further, she twisted, landing behind them with agility, her grip tight on their ankle.
"Ow ow! Alright, alright, I surrender!" a familiar voice yelped. Cordelia whipped around, her heart hammering in her chest. Relief washed over her as she saw Sebastian sprawled on the cold stone floor, clutching his ankle with a comical grimace on his face.
"Sebastian! Oh Gods above, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, rushing to his side and releasing her hold.
"Damn it, I just wanted to surprise you," he groaned, clutching his ankle. Cordelia's face went pale with concern and immediately helped him get back to his feet.
"I told you it wasn't the best idea," another familiar voice spoke from behind Sebastian. Cordelia's heart leaped into her throat as she spun around. There stood Theodore, a hint of amusement battling with concern in his eyes. His presence sent a jolt through her, a mix of nervousness and excitement bubbling in her stomach. Daniel followed close behind, crossing his arms as he watched his friends.
Relief and joy flooded Cordelia. "You both are back!" she squealed, launching herself at Sebastian in a tight hug. He chuckled, rubbing his abused ankle with one hand as he embraced her with the other.
Releasing Sebastian, Cordelia turned to Theodore, her heart skipping a beat. As they embraced, she caught a whiff of his familiar scent – a clean, refreshing mix of lily of the valley and roses. The hug lingered a beat longer than necessary, and Cordelia felt a pang of guilt as she finally pulled away, her cheeks burning. Had she held on for too long? Finally, she stepped back, a self-conscious smile playing on her lips.
“When did you come back?” Cordelia asked.
"Just a few hours ago," Sebastian replied, his voice tinged with exhaustion. "Commander Stez got wounded pretty badly. We were on patrol in the southern foothills when we were ambushed. Then, to top it all off, a full-blown chimera emerged from the woods. Took everything we had to take it down."
Theodore nodded grimly. "We haven't seen that many Azhar grouped together before. And a chimera so far south… something doesn't feel right."
Daniel sighed, “We might have an answer for that, actually.”
Theodore raised an eyebrow curiously, but Cordelia interjected, “We can tell you more, but it can wait until we’re somewhere warmer.”
“Agreed,” Sebastian said, wincing slightly as he tested his weight on his sore ankle. “How about we head to the dining hall? We can catch up over some food.”
Cordelia nodded eagerly. “That sounds perfect.”
***
When the quartet reached the dining hall, they chose seats right in front of the fireplace. The place was noticeably fuller compared to a few weeks ago, buzzing with returning students from field training and a few new faces that had recently arrived at the academy. The warmth of the fire seeped into their bones, a welcome contrast to the chilly air outside. The dining hall hummed with activity, the clatter of cutlery and the murmur of conversations creating a comforting backdrop.
Sebastian and Daniel instantly dived into the food, while Theodore sipped his tea. As they ate, Cordelia recounted everything she and Daniel had been through, down to the tiniest detail.
Theodore and Sebastian listened intently, until Theodore broke the silence, “So they turned them, just like that?” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
“Could explain why it felt like they never ran out of Azhar, even after we killed so many,” Sebastian said, finishing his soup. “They even tried to gang up on the dragons.”
Theodore sighed with a grim expression. “Yeah, they almost tore my dragon's wing to pieces. It was really scary.”
Sebastian nodded in agreement. “Yeah. We barely made it out.”
Daniel frowned curiously. “How did Commander Stez get wounded?”
Theodore shook his head, a shadow passing over his face. “That chimera we mentioned? It came out of nowhere and clawed Commander Stez deeply. If I hadn't healed him immediately, he probably would've lost an arm.”
Daniel sighed, his hand instinctively touching his own shoulder. “Sounds brutal.”
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Sebastian gave Daniel a pat on the back. “Heard you got wounded too. Glad you survived, mate.”
Daniel smiled softly. “Thanks.”
Theodore raised an eyebrow, turning to Cordelia. “But Commander Talia and Henric went back, huh?”
Cordelia nodded. “Yeah. With backup this time, too.”
Theodore thoughtfully took another sip of his tea. “I wonder what they'll find. We're going through some very interesting times.”
Cordelia nodded with a distant gaze. “Yeah…”
The conversation lulled for a moment as they each retreated into their thoughts, the flickering fire casting shadows on their faces. Despite the warmth of the reunion, an unspoken tension hung in the air. They all knew this was the calm before the storm. Cordelia's thoughts drifted to Commander Talia and Henric, a deep worry settling in her chest.
Eventually, the boys shifted the conversation to lighter topics, discussing recent academy events and the upcoming knighting ceremony. Cordelia silently listened with a soft smile on her face as she took in their banter, enjoying the comfort of their company.
***
A few weeks later, more and more students returned, and… some didn’t. Rumors of missing students and commanders spread through the Academy like creeping moss, filling every corner with dread. Madame Liana rushed from one office to another, dispatching more troops each day to search for the missing. The sense of unease was like a heavy fog of fear that clung to everyone.
Cordelia felt more and more worried for Commander Henric and Talia. With no word from them, she couldn't shake the gnawing fear that they had met the same fate as the others. The entire Academy seemed to sense the shift; from the youngest students to the oldest knights, everyone felt the weight of an impending change. Whispers filled the hallways, hushed conversations about what might be happening. Cordelia overheard snippets of these talks as she moved through the corridors, each one adding to her anxiety. Even the once comforting routines of daily life now felt overshadowed by the unknown.
Days later, Cordelia walked through the halls as usual, heading towards the library, until she noticed the unusual crowd of students. Curiosity prickled through her, drawing her closer. The students clustered around the notice board, where a caretaker was nailing a proclamation. He descended from his wooden step ladder and stepped aside, allowing the students to read the notice.
Cordelia tiptoed to get a better view with a growing anticipation. One of her recently returned classmates turned towards her and a few others.
“Madame Liana is calling the Field Training returnees to the dining hall this evening,” he announced. “She is not allowing anybody else.”
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. This was most likely about the ceremony, but the ceremony usually included everyone. Madame Liana restricting access to others was certainly suspicious.
"Did they say what time?" One of the other returnees in the crowd asked.
"Six o'clock sharp," the classmate replied. "It's odd. Usually, such announcements are more descriptive." he said, crossing his arms.
Cordelia nodded, a sense of unease creeping in. She wondered what was going on.
As the crowd began to disperse, she glanced at the notice board again. The academy's atmosphere had been growing tense already, and this secretive meeting only added to the unsettling feeling that something was wrong.
Since there was still time until the meeting at the dining hall, Cordelia continued her way to the library. Daniel had to get his shoulder checked one last time, and Sebastian and Theodore had joined him to also pay a visit to Commander Stez. This left her alone for the day, giving her ample time to think.
The library's familiar scent of aged parchment and leather-bound books greeted her as she entered which was a comforting contrast to the distress outside. She found her usual spot and settled in, but her mind kept drifting back to the proclamation. Nearly every returnee had similar stories, ambushed by hordes of Azhar and narrowly escaping death. As she reflected on their experiences, Cordelia realized they had actually gotten off easier than most. Poison, broken bones, lost limbs… The injuries became more severe with each returning group. She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. She couldn’t shake the image of the brutally murdered elves and the dead bodies strewn across the battlefield. Ever since she returned, she had been plagued by restless nights, haunted by those horrific scenes.
Her fingers traced the edges of a dusty tome, but the words on the pages blurred as her thoughts wandered.
Lord Aiden… She was still curious about him too. She kept replaying the day of their return nearly every day inside her head, which was another reason for her sleepless nights.
"My lady, you do know there is a way for them to do that."
"No way. They need to be Knights to wield such power, or at least have some connection to the Void. They don’t have the ability."
"Well… maybe this Lord Aiden does."
Cordelia shook her head, sighed, and opened her tome but remained still, thoughtfully gazing into the emptiness. Even if she didn’t want to believe it, she had a nagging feeling that Madame Liana knew more than she let on. And whatever she knew, it was costing her people.
Cordelia finally focused on her book, though her mind still buzzed with anxiety. Her research regarding Milasadris was getting nowhere at this point. Most ancient dragon myths revolved around Zhoriah’s fall and Ariadne’s war against the Oblivion. No First Born dragons were ever mentioned by name, leaving her with more questions than answers. The other books she found were mostly about how to make dragons obey, which wasn’t Cordelia’s main goal. Despite how aloof and stubborn Milasadris was, she never disobeyed Cordelia in any of their training sessions, even when they were first bonded. Cordelia’s real issue was summoning Milasadris without the risk of dying, which seemed like a problem that was unique to her at the moment.
Frustration gnawed at Cordelia as she skimmed through yet another ancient text. The language was archaic, and deciphering the translations often took more time than understanding the text itself. She needed to speak with Milasadris, but current circumstances made that impossible. Even if she did manage to summon her dragon, the process was taxing. Cordelia had barely recovered from the last attempt, and she couldn't afford to push herself to the brink again.
She sighed deeply, closing the heavy tome with a thud. Her father's words echoed in her mind: "If you feel like you’re staring at a tree for too long, take a step back and look at the forest instead."
Leaning back, she thoughtfully tapped on the book. She needed a new angle, a fresh perspective, but finding that angle was the real challenge.
Cordelia stood up and moved to another section of the library where the mythology books were stored. She pulled out volumes of religious texts, disappearing behind mountains of books as she settled back into her seat. If she could somehow find clues among the religious depictions, she hoped it would lead her to other valuable texts.
Minutes turned to hours as she became deeply engrossed in her research. The once-bright light streaming through the library windows gradually dimmed, giving way to the soft, golden hues of late afternoon. The shifting shadows on the floor grew longer and darker, transforming the library’s warm light into a more subdued, amber glow. Occasionally, she glanced up from her book, noting the slow transition of daylight.
Cordelia rubbed her tired eyes and shifted in her chair. The library's quiet ambiance seemed more pronounced now, as if the space itself was preparing for evening.
The sound of the clock striking the hour jolted her back to reality, snapping her out of her reverie. She closed her book with a soft thud. Realizing it was time to leave, Cordelia gathered her things and took one last look around the library.