Muffled klaxon alarms croaked through the steel doors of a concealed bunker as the moon's forlorn gaze cast pale light on the surrounding forest. The faint sounds of gunfire and screams made it through the steel door, until they just stopped. Something struck the door from inside, denting it outwards with a resounding toll. More strikes followed, and the gate groaned and creaked until a fist covered in white bone plating broke through the steel. It grabbed the edge of the breach and ripped the metal back, until it was large enough for a person to get through. A young, teen-sized person stepped through, clad entirely in the bone plates. The plates were cracked, and smoke wafted up from his seared flesh underneath. His left arm appeared to be missing, with a child sized bulge protruded from that side of his chest. He looked up as the fields were illuminated with flames. His gaze met that of a slender woman on fire, her burning eyes taking in the sight before her. She raised her hands towards him, and flames erupted outwards.

"Nikky!"

Nick was abruptly ripped from the dream to see a little girl on the edge of the bed, her hands on his shoulder. He let out a breath, smiled, and propped himself up. "'Morning, Ash."

Ashley looked up at him, her eyes questioning, but she instead hopped off of the bed. "Good morning."

Nick looked over to the window in his room and noticed the sun had yet to rise. He turned his eyes back to Ashley. "Alright, get ready. I'll make breakfast in a bit."

She nodded and left the room. Nick let out a breath and ran a hand through his long, raven black hair. He slowly got out of the bed and turned on the lights. They shone down on his heavily marred skin, his torso scarred with a variety of brands and symbols as he put on a sharp Marcellus Academy uniform. He left his room just as Ashley ran past him and down the stairs. He paused as he saw the fourth bedroom door was open a crack. He walked over and peeked inside; the woman from his dream lay on the floor, her pants around her ankles. He entered and got the pants off her ankles, and quietly lifted her onto the bed. As he pulled the blanket over her, she stirred and looked up at him.

"Sorry, Eterna," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She took in a slow breath and smiled. "Thank you for always taking care of things." She yawned. "You've become quite the young man. Sorry I can't see you off on your first day."

Nick smiled and gently patted her shoulder. "It's alright. Get some rest."

She slowly nodded and quickly fell asleep as Nick stood up and left the room. He walked down the stairs to find Ashley already waiting for him by the kitchen. He went in and opened up the fridge.

"The usual?"

"Yes!"

"Yes..?" Nick asked.

"Yes please," Ashley said a little quieter.

With a smile, Nick pulled out a pair of crimson, scaled eggs and a few slices of blue meat. He went and prepared them as one would eggs and bacon, Ashley watching intently. "Can I try?"

"When we get home today," Nick said. "Why the sudden interest?"

Ashley looked away, her hands clasped behind her back. "No reason."

Nick raised an eyebrow, but let it go. He finished cooking the food and put it on the table for her. She was about to dig in, but she stopped and glanced at Nick as he cleaned up. She muttered quietly, then started to eat. The sound of the front door to the small two story house opened, and Nick looked around the corner to see a massive man wearing a suit in the entryway.

"Hey Payter," Nick said.

He looked up at Nick from untying his shoes. He bore a stony expression; in fact, his whole body looked to be chiselled. "Good morning, Nick." His gravelly voice reverberated through the room, as monotone as ever. "Nervous?"

Nick shrugged. "New academy, new start."

Payter finished taking off his shoes and walked into the room.

"Eterna's asleep," Nick said. "Could you give her another hour?"

Payter stared at Nick for a moment, then nodded once. He approached the table, placed a hand on a chair across from Ashley, and looked down at her. "May I?"

Ashley nodded, and he took a seat. "You'll be starting school soon yourself. Are you excited?"

She was quiet for a time, then: "I don't know."

Nick looked at the clock, then dried his hands. "Ashley, how do you want your hair done today?"

"A big braid!" She exclaimed. "Please."

Nick started braiding her hair and looked up at Payter. "Eterna usually gets home late, but she hasn't been home in almost a month."

He nodded. "Last night was our first break."

Nick sighed. "That would do it..."

"We're getting close, though," Payter said. "I think we'll have taken care of the organization before you finish your first semester."

Nick slowly nodded as he braided Ashley's hair.

"Maybe then you'll stop looking more tired than me."

Nick paused for a moment, then continued to work on Ashley's hair.

"You're a terraia, Payter," Nick replied. "That'll be kind of hard."

A ghost of a smile touched Payter's face, and it was gone as quick as it appeared. Nick finished braiding, and before he could walk away she grabbed his arm.

"What's up?" He asked as he crouched down.

"I want to match."

Nick smiled. "Alright." He copied the hairstyle on himself, Payter watching the situation as Ashley happily bounced on the spot. Nick finished, stood up, and grabbed a pair of bags, one white, one red. He placed the red one on Ashley's shoulders and the pair went to put on their shoes.

"Have a good day," Payter said. "And make sure you say hi to Mr. Evander for me."

"If I meet him today, I will," Nick said. He slipped on his shoes, and left the house with Ashley. They walked down the street, the layout and structures almost the same as any other in a modern city. They had left early enough that there was no one else around, and the crystals in the streetlights still shone. He turned his violet eyes to the sky, and saw a man with wings and wearing the uniform of the police fly past. Then his gaze turned past the man to the bright blue orb in the sky. Ashley looked up as well, her sapphire eyes taking it in. "The earth is pretty."

Nick smiled. "Yeah, it is."

They continued down the street until they reached a set of tracks. They stopped at the crossing, looked both ways, then continued on. As they went, lights started coming on in houses and apartments as the city came alive. Sunlight peeked over the mountains in the distance, casting its soft warmth over the city. Soon enough, they reached a two story high wall, its gate already open. A young man and woman stood on either side of the door, wearing uniforms similar to Nick's, but they had blue armbands with the letters 'DC' emblazoned in white. Purple banners hung on either side of the gate, the letters 'MA' sewn in gold medieval font. Both students looked at him, and the man spoke.

"A little early, isn't it?"

Nick smiled. "She's got her own clock."

The man looked down at Ashley, curious, and the woman stepped forward and crouched in front of her. "Your hair is so pretty!"

Ashley stared blankly up at her for a moment, then smiled as she grabbed Nick's pant leg. "Thanks. Nikky did it for me."

"Oh?" She looked up at him. "You wanted to match, right?"

Ashley nodded.

"That's so cute!" She exclaimed. "I wish I had a little sister I could do that with." She stood up and looked over Nick. "First year, right?"

Nick nodded as she turned and pointed. "There's a billboard in front of the main building. It'll tell you what your homeroom is. There's also a campus map in the area. It has a scan code on it, so you can download it to your phone."

Nick nodded. "Thank you very much."

"No problem," she said. "Welcome to Marcellus Academy."

Nick walked through with Ashley and they both looked up at the massive structure in front of them. It was like an ancient roman estate that had been renovated into a modern mansion. By the front doors they found the billboard. Nick looked it over until he found his name. "Alright... 1-D..." He turned to see a campus map and checked it. "Third floor... East wing... Okay. And the daycare is..." He sighed. "First floor, main building, edge of the Marcellus Courtyard."

Ashley grabbed his pant leg again and tugged lightly.

"Don't wanna."

Nick knelt beside her. "I know. I don't want to have to leave you there either, but I need to go to classes. If I don't..."

He thought back on Eterna's words from a few months back. You almost got kicked out of highschool. If you get kicked out of the academy, there will be consequences.

"We need me to." He smiled, letting out a short breath through his nose. "How about this? You can join me for the first half of the day. But, at lunch, I'm dropping you off at the daycare, and I'll come pick you up at the end of the day."

She nodded, and spoke quietly. "Okay."

"Okay," Nick said. "Now let's try to find my homeroom, shall we."

They entered the building, and Nick read the signs that had been placed about. He followed them through until he reached the stairs. They climbed the first flight, then he noticed Ashley was struggling.

Just when I thought she was starting to express herself. He thought.

He picked her up in one arm and continued until they'd reached the third floor. He looked out the window to see the main hall and west wing, with a large open ended courtyard that stretched out to a massive field of grass. Further on was a forest, and Nick could see animals and birds skittering through the branches and on the forest floor. He continued down the hallway until he reached a room with a sign that hung off the wall reading 1-D. He opened the door and entered, and looked over the two person desks that were set up through the room. He took a rear one near the window, and set Ashley down. She quickly pulled out a colouring book and started to draw. He watched for a moment as she coloured in a griffin, then opened up a sketchbook of his own. He looked around the class, then started to draw it out. Soon enough, other students started to file in in groups, laughing and chatting amongst one another. A fair few cast furtive glances in his direction, but none approached.

"Who's that?" One girl whispered. "He's cute."

"He's got his sister with him," one whispered back. "He has the same hairstyle; that's too adorable."

"Should we talk to him?"

"I couldn't," her friend replied. "We should just leave him be. He's wrapped up in his drawing anyways."

"What do you think he's drawing?"

Every now and again, Nick would glance up and look around, then continue his work.

"What're you drawing?"

Nick blinked, then looked up to see an androgynous looking person in front of him. Their grey eyes looked at him with an intense curiosity, and they smiled warmly at him.

"The classroom," Nick replied after a moment. He continued to draw, and they leaned forward to look at it.

"You're pretty good!" They said.

"I'd say I'm middling," Nick replied. "It's just for fun."

"Hoh?" She asked. "Right, I'm Nayeli."

"Nick," he replied. He looked at them for a moment. "You're a cupid, right?"

"Yes I am," they said. Nayeli leaned in and whispered. "If you ever need any dating advice, you'd be better going to my parents than me, though."

Nick smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

Ashley grabbed Nick's sleeve, and he leaned over. She whispered into his ear, her sapphire eyes glancing at Nayeli every now and again.

Nick finally smiled, and nodded. Ashley turned her book around and held it up to Nayeli.

"You're coloring in a griffin?" Nayeli asked with an infectious enthusiasm.

Ashley quickly nodded. "Yeah! I want to draw like Nikky."

"Coloring's a great start," Nayeli said. "Why, with practice and hard work, you could get even better than Nikky."

Ashley's eyes lit up, and she looked up at Nick in excitement. "Really?"

Nick nodded as he picked up his pencil and continued drawing. "If that's what you want to do, give it your all, and you'll shoot right past me."

Ashley quickly set back to her book with more enthusiasm, and Nayeli looked closer at it. "These are hand drawn."

"They are," Nick said. He gently nudged Ashley. "By the way, you forgot something."

Ashley paused, then looked at Nayeli for a while. A light seemed to come on, and she extended her little hand. "My name's Ashley. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Nayeli shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you too." Nayeli looked back at Nick. "Want to exchange numbers?"

"Sure.”

Nayeli pulled out their phone, and when Nick did the same they paused. "That's an old phone!"

"It calls and texts," Nick said. "That's all I really need it to do."

"But what about pictures, or scan codes, or-" Nayeli stopped, then navigated to their contacts and handed him the phone as he handed over his. They put in the info, and traded back. Nayeli looked over the info, then their eyes widened. "You-"

"Alright!"

The class turned and looked ahead to see a slender woman at the door to the class. Her snake eyes scanned the group for a moment, then took her place at the head of the room.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Mrs. Wenlow." She wrote her name up on the board at the front of the class, then turned back to them. "I'll be handling most of your normal courses." She placed a few piles of paper at the front desk. "Take one and pass it back. This is the course plan."

She looked over the students, then her eyes locked on Nick and Ashley. "I didn't realize I had such a young student."

The class looked back at him, and Nick smiled. "First day jitters." She raised an eyebrow, and Ashley suddenly became aware of Mrs. Wenlow's stare. Nick lightly ruffled Ashley's hair. "First day's way too hard without my biggest cheerleader."

Mrs. Wenlow's expression cracked, and she smiled. "Alright, Mr...?"

"Nikolaos Bren," Nick said. "But I prefer Nick."

Mrs. Wenlow paused for a moment, then she took in a breath. "Nick. Many of the classes won't be safe or appropriate for someone so young, so I trust this isn't going to be a normal occurrence."

"Just till lunch," Nick replied.

"Good." She set down a clipboard. "I'd like you all to introduce yourselves. We've started with Nick, so we'll go from there."

As students introduced themselves, Nick could feel eyes on him. He glanced about, and noticed a man the size of Payter almost glaring at him. He had four heavily muscled arms, and looked as chiselled as Payter as well. The man suddenly looked at Mrs. Wenlow and stood up.

"Magnus Evander," he said, his voice deep. Mrs. Wenlow returned his stony expression with a smile. As they continued, Magnus again glared at Nick.

If he's a terraia, maybe he just can't properly express himself. Wait, Evander? Maybe he's related to Mr. Evander.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The hour and a half seemed to go by quite quickly as Mrs. Wenlow went through the course work, then the expectations of students.

"As for duels," Mrs. Wenlow said. "As first years, please refrain from entering into any until you've gone through the power exams and are ranked. Student deaths reflect poorly on the academy."

A few chuckles rose from the students.

"Additionally, impromptu fights between yourself and students of other academies need to happen off academy property, with self defense being the only exception. If there is a disciplinary committee member or teacher present, please leave the issue to them, if at all possible."

"What are the duel rules?" Magnus asked.

"They'll be covered at the power exam," Mrs. Wenlow said. "Which will be next week. This week is solely for orientation and familiarization with the grounds and facilities."

The rest of the time until lunch passed quite quickly, and once that time had come he and Ashley packed up.

"Headed to the daycare?" Nayeli asked.

Nick nodded. "Yeah. I'll be back for the next class."

"See ya."

Nick and Ashley walked to the hallway, but seeing the mass of students, Nick picked her up and carried her through to the daycare. The daycare door opened into an entry area, and Nick took off his shoes with Ashley. They opened the next door to see utter chaos. Four children ran around the room as a single man sat in the middle on his knees. His eyes were closed, and he didn't open them as they entered. He had four arms: the upper ones quite muscular, and the lower ones slender. The four children suddenly turned and ran at him. Just as they got within reach each arm snapped out and grabbed a kid.

"Aw!" One boy exclaimed. "How?!"

"I have super powers," the man declared.

"My mommy says we all have powers," a girl said.

"Yeah, but mine are super," he replied. He let go of the kids. "Now, since you lost, you have to eat your entire lunch, and take a nap afterwards."

"Aw..." Came the collective disapproval of the children.

"Promises are promises," the man said. He stood up and approached Nick and Ashley, and he finally opened his eyes, though Ashley turned and hid in Nick's shoulder.

"I thought I was missing one," he said as he smiled warmly. He looked at Nick. "First day jitters?"

"Yeah," Nick said.

"Happens to me all the time," he said as he turned to Ashley. "You must be... Alicia, right?"

She shook her head.

"Amelia?"

"No!" Ashley exclaimed, suddenly drawn out from Nick's shoulder.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the man said as he rubbed the back of his head with one big hand, his eyes closed. He suddenly opened them a crack. "I know! It's Annabelle!"

"Ashley!" She declared.

The man took a step back, as if struck. "Ashley? Such a beautiful name." He paused and leaned forward, one skeptical hand on his chin. "Are you sure?"

She nodded quickly.

"Well, I'm so sorry for getting it wrong, Ashley," he said. "Will you forgive me?"

She nodded.

"Thank you very much. My name is Wyn." He looked back at the kids as they opened up their lunches. "Troop! Introduce yourselves to the newcomers."

"Sasha Wenlow," the loud boy declared, his snake eyes watching them with mild interest. He was clearly still upset about having to eat his whole lunch.

"Ellia Vinre," the girl with blonde hair said politely.

"Brentran Carson," a small terraia boy said.

"Jati Halle," the final boy said.

Ashley looked at Nick who smiled and put her down. She faced the kids. "Ashley Bren."

Sasha came forward and grabbed her hand. "Come eat with us!"

Nick sat down, his back against the wall and watched.

"You're going to stick around?"

"Yeah," Nick said. "I haven't got anywhere else to be."

Wyn raised an eyebrow as he got out a lunch of his own. He sat beside Nick. "Will this be a normal thing?"

Nick nodded. "As long as she's in here, and I don't have classes or-" he paused. "After classes on Wednesdays, I've got meetings with a counselor. They're supposed to be forty five minutes long. Will that cause any problems for you?"

"Not at all," Wyn replied. He started to eat his sandwich. "These kid's parents are all teachers here, so I'm usually here till later anyways."

"That's a relief," Nick said.

"So, what kind of experience do you have with kids?"

Nick shifted into a more comfortable position. "I had a little brother I raised till he was four."

Wyn glanced at him on the word 'had'.

"After that, Ashley came along, and I've raised her every step of the way."

"Strange," Wyn muttered.

"What is?"

"I don't mean to offend," Wyn said. "But, I would have thought a family like the Brens would have an inhouse caretaker like me if her mother and father can't be around."

"Oh," Nick said. "I'm adopted."

Wyn let out a slight sigh of relief, though his confusion remained. "So I don't have to worry about her spontaneously combusting, then."

"Not yet," Nick said.

Nick pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down his phone number on it. "I'll give you this, in case there's any trouble."

Wyn quickly put the number into his phone. "I'll call if there's ever an issue... So, food likes and dislikes, allergies, fears, stresses?"

"Ah," Nick said. "She hates fish and spicy things. Almost everything else she'll eat. We haven't found anything she's allergic to yet. She's... She's shy, and scares quietly: her fight or flight response is a little too equaled out. She's scared by many of the same things as normal kids: anything bigger than them, surprises, that kind of thing. As for stress..." He shook his head. "She's been having a hard time learning to manage it, so I've been singing to her. But her stress point is pretty easy to predict, so for those days I'll stay home with her."

"Singing?" Wyn asked.

"I usually sing her to sleep at night," Nick said. "It seems to take away her stress."

"Hmm..." Wyn muttered. "Well, if you're going to be here for naptime anyways, then would you mind singing for the kids? It may help them too."

"Sure," Nick said. He looked over at the kids, listening to the incoherent attempt at a conversation from Sasha to Ashley, and the other kids gathering around her and battering her with questions. Ashley kept turning, trying to answer, but she finally looked back at Nick, completely overwhelmed.

"Y'all better have finished your lunch!" Wyn warned.

The kids fell silent and quickly ate through their food, and Wyn winked at Nick, who nodded back his appreciation.

"Anything else I should know?"

"She's content doing things on her own, or with others," Nick said. "Pretty low maintenance, overall."

"Maybe she'll be a calming presence, then," Wyn said as he finished eating. He wiped off his hands, then clapped them together. "Alright, it's quiet time."

Some of the kids protested, but were swiftly, yet gently put down. "We've got something special today."

The kids looked up at him, expectant.

"What is it?" Sasha asked.

"Ashley's brother, Nick, is going to sing for you guys," Wyn said.

"I'm not gonna sleep!" Sasha exclaimed. Jati echoed his sentiments, but was already showing signs of meal fatigue.

"You don't have to," Wyn said. "Just listen. If you guys like it, he may keep doing it for you."

The children turned their eyes to Nick, and he tensed up from the sudden attention. He moved to his knees, and cleared his throat. But as soon as he saw Ashley's excited eyes, he settled.

"Alright. This one's called 'Down in the Valley'."

Earlier in the day, the student council and disciplinary committee met in the student president's office. Sera looked up from the papers on her desk to the people gathered in her office. Her wolf ears were alert, and she was careful with her tail as she rose to her feet. Standing over a head taller than most of the other people there, some of those gathered seemed to shrink back from her sapphire gaze.

"So, another year has begun." Her voice was smooth and measured; direct. "While I know the election's only a few months away, we are going to do everything in our power to uphold our standards right to the end. Now, reports."

She fixed some of her long, straight, golden brown hair as a young man with bat ears and wings spoke.

"The annex is two weeks behind schedule, and ten percent over budget."

"What's the problem, Xavier?" Sera asked.

"The student builders are too inexperienced," he lamented. "They've ended up wasting a lot of material, and of course take longer to do everything. Maybe Killian-"

"Feel free to ask him," Sera interrupted. "You have his contact info. Do not offer anything not within our budgets, nor outside of what you can personally offer."

Xavier's jaw tightened, and he nodded and left the room.

She looked to the rest. "What's next?"

"The clubs are champing at the bit to get the first years," a snake girl said. "They want to bump up the timetable for the Harvest."

"Tell them that's too bad," Sera said. "The timetable is in place to allow the students to acclimatize. There will be no active recruiting by the clubs until the designated week at the end of the month."

"Understood," she said nonchalantly as she slithered out of the room. Sera looked at the final two people at the table.

"All's calm on the teacher front," an older man said. "Well, as calm as it can be. I'll inform you if we need you to fill in anywhere."

"Thank you, Mr. Harlan."

Mr. Harlan stood up. "Well then, I need to get to my class. If you'll excuse me."

Sera watched him go, then looked to the last person. They bore the armband of the disciplinary committee.

"What have you got for me, Orenon?"

"I've got the list of stressors.” He slid it across the table to her. "We've already flagged most of them at the entryway. Our biggest concern, though, seems to be this guy."

He tapped on a spot on the page.

"What makes him so special?" Sera asked as she read over the file.

"He's a patient man," Orenon said. "So when he snaps, he usually goes pretty hard, and over seemingly benign things. Three students were sent to the hospital for broken bones, internal damage... It was bad, but all three refused to say he was the one that did it, and since no one else was willing to come forward, he got away with it. There are also rumors of gang involvement, intimidation of faculty and students alike. People who were his friends all seemed to have distanced themselves from him around the time the gang affiliations came to light. Also not a very big deal compared to the rest, but he had a lot of absences that nobody was willing to call him out on."

"Which gang?"

"Sons of Nyx."

Sera furrowed her brow. "Didn't they go relatively straight?"

Orenon nodded. "Yeah. Around that time they got a new leader, suspected to be this guy."

Sera narrowed her eyes as she stared at the page. "He doesn't look like the leader of a gang."

"I'm only reporting the info passed on by his high school administration and law enforcement," Orenon said. "But considering he's a greater noble, it would explain why he hasn't been arrested."

"Or because he's good at hiding his tracks," Sera mused. "Either way, he's got mandatory counselling sessions." She smiled. "And we have one of the best counselors in the city in charge of that department."

"He's also got a relative in his charge that's in the daycare."

She dropped the folder, and walked over to her desk. "I'm going to finish up some work. Keep an eye on-"

The door suddenly opened, and a small woman with wings came running in. "Sera, there's a letter here for you!"

"Put it on the pile with the rest," Sera said.

"But..." She trailed off and shifted nervously.

"But what?" Sera asked.

The harpy held up the letter: it had been sealed with wax, and held an intricate seal. Sera's eyes widened.

"I'll take it now, then."

The harpy handed it to her and swiftly left the room. Sera cracked it open and started to read.

‘Dear younger me. I would ask how things are, but I remember feeling really down.’

Sera blinked, and flipped the letter over to see it was addressed to herself, from herself. She flipped it back over and continued to read.

'The annex is behind schedule and over budget, and the clubs are rearing their heads again, not to mention our search for what happened between mom and dad. I know you're feeling incredibly overwhelmed, and for me, it only got worse. The regrets only piled up, until I had a mountain before me, and I couldn't find the answers to anything. I think that today could have been the turning point, which is why I'm writing you this Letter of Regret. Today, September fifth, is the day I received word of a troublesome student. I allowed my own stress and frustrations to lead me to think I should bait him into taking actions that would get him kicked out of the academy. I told myself it was best for everyone. I'm sure you're thinking the same thing, but I'll tell you now, it isn't.'

Sera's hands started to shake.

'All of this to say, I want you to live without the regret I carry. To start, whatever you do, don't let anyone else handle Nick. Handle him yourself, and go to the daycare at twelve ten, on the dot. I promise that you won't regret it. After you've done that, read the next page.'

"Ma'am?" Orenon asked. "What does the royal family want?"

Sera let out a breath. "Don't let anyone know I have this letter. Tell Chio the same on your way out."

"And what of Mr. Bren?" Orenon asked.

She thought for a moment as she folded up the papers and locked them in her desk. "I'll handle him myself, for now. I'll head out at lunch."

"As you say," Orenon replied. He picked up his binder of folders and left the room. Sera immediately set to the high pile of paperwork that had been left on the desk. She swiftly read through each one and used one of two stamps on them. She was halfway through when the bell for lunch tolled.

"Alright," she murmured to herself. "Let's go see this Nick Bren." She left her office on the third floor of the main wing and walked through the academy. Students parted for her, and she couldn't help but hear their whispers.

"Who's that?"

"She's the student president."

"She's hot."

"Should we say hi?"

"I heard she's a hardass. It's probably best to just smile and move on."

"I heard she can kick the ass of anyone in the academy."

Sera's jaw tensed slightly, but she continued to make her way to the secluded part of the academy where the daycare was. She saw a few disciplinary committee members doing their jobs along the way, and each one snapped a quick salute to her as she passed. Once she'd reached the hall to the daycare, she looked at her phone: she was a few minutes early. She closed her eyes. Her ears twitched, and she sniffed the air. Satisfied, she let out a sigh and growled lightly to herself.

"What am I doing?" She furiously scratched her head. "Why do I keep doing this to myself? Hey, be an idol. Hey, be student president and head up the disciplinary committee. What could go wrong? Oh, I dunno: not have any time to take any classes? Lose out on any kind of social life?"

She paused as a voice caught her ears. She followed it down the hall until she was in front of the daycare.

"Down in the valley, valley so low,

Hang your head over, hear the wind blow,

Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow,

Hang your head over, hear the wind blow."

A peace eased its way through her stress and worries, gently taking them with it on its way through.

"Your friends are many, your family's few,

Angels in heaven know I love you,

Know I love you, dear, know I love you

Angels in heaven, know I love you."

Sera placed a hand against the doorframe and looked through to the other room. A young man with long raven black hair knelt in front of the children, his back to her.

"Writing this letter, containing three lines

"Know dear my love till the end of time."

"You know my love dear, will outlive time."

"Know dear my love till the end of time."

She finally just closed her eyes and listened, the sound of his voice washing over her.

"Down in the valley, valley so low,

Hang your head over, hear the wind blow,

Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow,

Hang your head over, hear the wind blow."

Sera watched Nick lean down and kiss the forehead of one of the children, and as he stood up she turned around and walked away. He turned and looked at the doorway, concern etched on his face. After a moment, he shook his head and left as well.

Later, as Sera was working on the stack of paper in her office, Orenon entered.

"Ma'am?"

"Hmm?" She said.

"You were humming."

She blinked. "I was?"

He nodded. "Yes. A tune I haven't heard before. Did you come up with it?"

She looked down at the papers on her desk. "No, I heard it earlier today."

"How did it go with Mr. Bren?"

"I-" she paused. "I don't know, yet. Today I only observed. We'll have to see what happens."

"Understood," Orenon said. "As for the rest of the stressors, we had only one incident, but it was handled swiftly." She didn't respond, and he raised an eyebrow. "Ma'am?"

She suddenly snapped her eyes up to him. "Oh, good, good. The first day sets the tone for the year. Be sure to tell everyone they're doing great for me."

He stayed standing there, his eyes analyzing her. She stared right back, and finally spoke. "You're dismissed, Orenon."

He gave a single nod, then left.

"Does she seem different?" Orenon asked the secretary, Chio. "Like, distant?"

Chio smiled as she rifled through files. "She seems... Pleasantly confused. Like a weight has been lifted, and she doesn't know why."

"Hmm..." Orenon muttered. "Perhaps I should observe this Nikolaos Bren myself."

"I wouldn't step on her toes, if I were you," Chio warned.

"But he had such an effect on her."

"We don't even know if it was him that did it," Chio replied. "And, even if it was, I trust her. So should you."

Orenon's eye twitched. "You are right, of course. But please watch her carefully. If she's been compromised..."

"Then I will report it to you," Chio said. "Of course."

"Thanks.”

Meanwhile, Sera waited a few more moments before she unlocked her drawer and pulled out the envelope. She took out the papers, and read the next page.

'If you're reading this, then I hope you got to experience what I did. I, however, experienced it much later. Too late. If you do believe me now, then the following pages contain dates, times, and information that I want you to use. Now, some of it, maybe eventually most of it, will lose its value as you change things, except what I've written just about Nick. Please be careful with this: if he thinks you know too much too soon, it may turn him against you, and things for you will be worse off than they are for me. One last note in this preface: someone will come looking for you so long as you have this letter. When they come for you, which should be soon, tell them it’s for Nick, and give them the envelope enclosed. I cannot stress it enough: do not read the contents of that envelope. It is not for you. Good luck.

Sincerely, soon to not be future you.'

Sera's ears drooped, and she suddenly noticed her breath was fogging up in front of her. She looked around the room: frost had taken the walls and windows, and ice had started to form on the ceiling. She watched as one icicle grew down from the ceiling until it was a pillar, and suddenly a woman covered in armour made of ice stepped out of it.

She stared at Sera for a moment, her eyes glowing icy blue. "Seraphina Aala."

The woman's voice was distorted, and she approached her.

Sera rose to her feet and quickly reached for the smaller envelope. "It-It's-"

She was on her in a moment, her hand on her shoulder. Sera gasped as the heat drained from her body.

"For..." She managed to utter. "Nick."

The woman blinked, then pulled back her hand. Sera felt warmth return to her, but only slightly.

"What did you say?"

Sera shivered violently as she held herself. She reached for the envelope and pulled out the smaller one. The face of it read 'To whom it may concern'.

"It-t-t's f-for... Nick," she stuttered through her chattering teeth as she held out the smaller envelope to the woman. She looked down at it, then took it. She opened it, and found a note and a couple of pictures within. The woman read the note, then looked over the pictures. She finally turned her icy gaze to Sera.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I-I d-don't kn-know," she said. "Hard t-to think."

She felt her normal warmth return to her body, and slowly stopped shivering. She let out a breath, then looked at her. "I mean... He's intriguing."

"Intriguing?" The woman asked. She carefully folded the note, and put it and the pictures into her envelope.

"I'm curious about him."

"Curious..." She intoned.

"I haven't even met him yet!" Sera exclaimed. "What else am I supposed to say or feel about him?"

The woman let out a breath. "Then I will check in on you in the future. If you decide you won't follow through with that letter, then I will destroy it, and your memories of it." She turned around to reenter the ice, but Sera's voice gave her pause.

"What is a Letter of Regret?"

She didn't look back as she spoke. "It's treason, and grounds for war. To follow the advice of that letter is not a decision to make lightly. Do not tell anybody what that letter is, nor allow anybody to read it."

"But it has the royal seal on it," she said.

"Which is why it's grounds for war," The woman replied. "We shall meet again, Seraphina Aala. I'll be watching."

With those words left in the air, the woman entered the ice.

"Wait!" Sera exclaimed, but the ice started to evaporate away. "Who are you?" There was no response, and soon, the room had returned to normal. Sera dropped back into her chair, her hands shaking slightly as she touched the letter.