“So, are you done moping?”

“No, not really,” I answered, shaking my head. “But I can’t get any more of this slime off without an acid bath, so I figured I’d check and see what you two were up to.”

“Well, perfect timing,” Veronika spoke up from where she was currently sifting over some sort of vat, symbols carved into the glass. “Because I want you to take a look at something.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, Mr. ‘Unlocks ancient secrets like nothing,’ I need you to see if you can figure something out.”

Curious, I made my way toward Veronika, who was pointing at what appeared to be a strange glass plaque with several symbols displayed upon it.

“What… is it?”

“No idea,” Veronika said with a shrug. “I can only figure out a rough idea of what these symbols mean, given any time there has been an attempt at publishing a compendium of discovered translations for any sort of old text, it’s promptly bought out by the crown and… suggested that further publications be reconsidered.”

“Nice.” I sighed.

“So, with that said, all I can really make sense of here is that it’s currently locked out. Given you opened this lab in the first place, I wanted to see if you could do that again.”

“So, I should just…?”

“I don’t know, you’re the one with the magic.”

I shrugged before pressing the palm of my hand to the glass plaque. With only the barest of efforts, I sent a quick pulse of sage mana out, pushing it into the glass covered in strange symbols.

Instantly the symbols began to disappear, new ones replacing them, quickly appearing in lines of more and more characters.

“Oh,” Veronika said with a frown.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Veronika sighed. “I guess I was hoping for something more… exciting. These are number referential; they don’t seem to follow any specific order other than they seem to increase, so I’m assuming that these are nothing more than date logs.”

“And that isn’t exciting.”

“Not really,” Veronika answered. “Without a reference point to anchor these supposed dates, they mean anything. They could be from a thousand years ago or ten million.”

“I’m assuming you’re being hyperbolic?”

“I am,” Veronika confirmed. “I just wish that- wait.”

As if noticing something odd, Veronika’s face scrunched up, a final line of symbol text appearing.

“What, what is it?”

“Strange.” Veronika was still frowning. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“What doesn’t?”

“In fact, I’d almost-”

“Veronika!” I cut her off.

“Yes?” She turned to me, raising an eyebrow at my outburst.

“I can’t read that. Would you please explain what you’re thinking?”

“Oh, yeah. So, you know how I said I originally thought these were dates?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, that holds up, they seem to follow a sort of pattern that matches with a calendar system, but this final entry doesn’t.”

“And why is that?”

“Because it jumps forward roughly…. Three thousand units? Based on the context of the rest of these, I would assume it would be roughly three thousand years.”

I frowned as well, considering the discovery. Based on what was known of the place, it was the relic of some bygone era, a civilization lost to history thousands of years ago.

“Most speculate these ruins are around two to three thousand years old. The former entries would correspond with that same theory. If this was some highly advanced magi-tech lab, it was left in permanent stasis after their civilization’s collapse. But that last entry doesn’t make sense because otherwise, that would place the most recent log update within the last hundred years. It’s still impossible to say with certainty for anything more accurate than that without some referential date to base it upon.” Veronika was tapping her chin, thinking.

“Uh-” Scyla spoke up, making herself known. “Couldn’t it just be that someone else has been here recently? Maybe news just hasn’t circulated that someone finally gained entry.”

“Reasonable.” Veronika nodded before her frown returned. “Except for one issue.”

“Being?”

“The defense system was intact.”

“Those lizards?”

“Yes. I would assume they should have been triggered without knowing that such a system was in place.”

“Could it be like a dungeon?” Scyla snapped her fingers together, pointing at me. “I heard dungeons continuously spawn monsters and magical creatures formed through mana constructs utilizing data crystals stored within the dungeon.”

“You know that?”

“Duh, we have part of our businesses operating in your dungeon, after all. You think I wouldn’t learn as much as I could about dungeons if that were the case?”

“Fair,” I answered before shaking my head. “But no. The mana required to create those monsters and magical beasts is insane. They aren’t mere projections or familiars; they’re effectively the real thing. Sure, they don’t have a true mind, operating off whatever the original data crystal containing their information says about them. However, they may as well still be the real flesh and blood things. Even an Ornnax-level mage could not conjure one forward in that fashion. That’s how much mana it requires. For a dungeon, which is nigh-infinite amounts of mana, that’s fine, but this place isn’t a dungeon. It’s just a normal ruin.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning those Izheruk were natural, likely brought over from Varana at some point in the past, kept in some sort of stasis until the alarm was triggered.”

“So if someone else had come here-” Veronika picked up from where I left off. “There would have been obvious signs of conflict, or they would have been on the loose. Except they weren’t, meaning whoever would have been here before-”

“Had prior knowledge of the systems in place,” I said, the implication of it dawning upon me a second later. “We need to leave.”

“What?”

“We need to leave,” I said again, jerking a thumb backward.

“But, the historical implications, the things we could uncover!” Veronika protested.

“No.” I shook my head firmly. “Think of it like this, if there is someone who had prior knowledge of this place, and the security went off, then that means that-”

“There is a good chance they might know we are here,” Scyla said.

“Yes. So, as fun as this was, we need to be leaving.” I said once more.

My concern was genuine, but what wasn’t was the idea that I was clueless about just who that person may have been.

In fact, I might have been the only person alive who might know who it was.

She was here. The Sage Above All.

“Come on.” Veronika scowled as she spoke. “It isn’t as if they could appear here instantly.”

Well, about that.

I bit my tongue, holding my thoughts. Technically speaking, she was right. According to the relative understanding of magic, instant, freely usable teleportation was impossible through conventional means. The few times there had been bloodlines with Kin magic resembling teleportation, they had been quickly hunted down, the potential impact of such mages a factor too dangerous to leave on the table.

Much like, say, illusions so potent they could basically brainwash someone.

The point was that the idea of teleportation magic was nothing more than a fairy tale.

Except, the Sage Above All was that fairy tale. I’d seen her teleport with my own two eyes. So while Veronika felt confident we had some time, I wasn’t sure.

Unless.

There was always the chance that such an ability was limited even for a Great Sage. Why else would there be Ring Gates throughout the country if the Sages had no need for them and could teleport themselves?

It wasn’t something I felt comfortable betting on, but I slowly began to relax. Even if I was wrong, the Sage Above All, from the single short interaction I had with her and the stolen memory I had gained from the Leviathan of her apprentice and her, didn’t strictly come across as someone to who the words urgent ever applied.

Meaning we probably had at least a bit of time.

“Fine.” I finally sighed. “Half an hour. That’s all you get.”

“See, this is why you’re a good kid.” Veronika smiled, winking at me. “But since I’m on a time limit, I need your help.”

“With?”

“Stuff of magical nature. This lab is steeped in magical-related things, so I don’t want to call you over whenever I need you, which wastes time. So, make yourself useful, Junior Archaeologist Rook.”

“Wonderful. Can I put this on my qualifications and get a pay raise?” I snorted.

“Probably not.” Veronika laughed. “Now, hurry along. We have history to uncover.”

---------------------------------

For the next twenty minutes, we hurried between areas of interest within the lab, doing our best to decipher the ancient texts.

Or Veronika did her best. I was mostly there for moral support, only occasionally being called upon to examine the mana signature of a device or to see if I could activate something we were locked out of.

In that time, we discovered… well, nothing really.

“You’re kidding me.” Veronika finally sighed. “All this lost history, for what? A bunch of old text with little more than random babble? If only I had more time.” Veronika said, pointedly looking at me as she did.

“No.” I refused instantly. “I’m serious. There is a Ring Gate just outside of Akadia. It wouldn’t take long for something to make its way here.”

“But there is still the ocean. They’d have to catch a boat and then-”

“Veronika, what if they had a more direct line of reaching here once they got close? Looking at the evidence, I bet you can put two and two together after all. A Ring Gate in the middle of nowhere, yet this old lab is on its proverbial front door. You don’t think they are probably connected?”

“Fine.” Veronika sighed. “I just want you to know that-”

“Found something.” Interrupting us, Scyla suddenly spoke up from across the room, having wandered off alone.

“What?” Both Veronika and I said in unison.

“I said I found something.” She waved at us, smiling smugly as we walked across the room.

“How?”

“Oh c’mon, you think people are that abstract?” She said with a smirk. “People, our core natures don’t change. So, I figured, where would it likely be if I ran some old lab and had something worth hiding here?”

“And how did you conclude that something of worth was here?”

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“It’s an underground lab on a remote isle off the coast. What else but interesting things could be here?” She smirked at me, feeling victorious. “Anyway, I’m not the historical expert, not the magic expert as much as it pains me to say, so perhaps you two should look at this.”

Turning around to fully face us, she opened her hands which she had cupped together, revealing a….

Well, a something.

“What is that?” I said after a moment, confused.

“See, that’s what I wanted to know,” Scyla said, shrugging.

“It’s a phase dial,” Veronika said after several moments of contemplative silence. “I’ve seen something similar before, years ago. I was still a student then, and one of the kids I was mentoring, their father, showed me their collection of antiques and relics from around the world. One such relic was a sort of sundial from Eldentide, pre-volcanic activity dating back at least eight hundred years to the Asaya civilization that once dominated the region.”

“Okay, so it tells time?”

“Oh, no.” Veronika shook her head vigorously. “While it resembles a sundial, it isn’t a time-telling piece. Rather, it could be dialed into the celestial cycle phase, which could be used to estimate the mana fluctuations of the natural order, or so they assumed. Fat load of good it did warning them of the mana build up within their divine mountain which ended up raining fire on them and wiping them out.”

“So this is a copy of those?” Scyla asked.

“No,” Veronika answered. “Remember, the Asaya dated back only a few hundred years ago. This place is at least a thousand at the very youngest estimates.”

“So it’s the other way around,” I answered. “The Asaya likely tried emulating whatever this does, but obviously, they failed.”

“Or they misunderstood what it does.” Veronika offered, her eyes scanning the object over. “Most symbols here are beyond me, but from what I can decipher, it does at least seem to reference the archaic word for mana.”

“Meaning?” I questioned.

“Meaning you’re up to bat,” Veronika said.

“Right.” I closed my eyes, reaching out with my mana sense toward the object, concentrating as much as possible.

The device would have baffled me if I had not already been in an ancient lab filled with magical constructs that defied modern understanding of mana principles. It was constructed in such a way that the mana seemed to obey the whims of its creator, disavowing the natural order of what I assumed should be the case.

Which is a fancy way of saying I had effectively no idea how it worked.

“It’s beyond me.” I finally sighed, opening my eyes.

“Beyond you? The expert on mana and magic?”

“Comparatively an expert.” I corrected. “Haerasong is already magically stunted, what with the entire core mantra of ‘magic bad,’ but even taking a more worldly viewpoint, this is far more advanced in that magical field than is currently capable. The ancients had a far more absolute understanding of magic and mana. I’d probably be a little better than an apprentice had I lived back then.”

Which was true. Having obtained only four Sage Rings, I was little different than the Sage Above All’s apprentice. In fact, I was their inferior. The fact that I was an ‘expert’ in the modern world said everything that needed to be said on the subject.

“Okay, if that’s the case, why don’t you just try seeing what happens if you put mana through it?” Scyla questioned.

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow at her. “You want me to put mana through an unknown magical construct and hope nothing bad happens?”

Scyla, in response, simply shrugged.

“Fine,” I grumbled. “If I die, I’m haunting both of you.”

“Ghosts aren’t real.” Veronika waived the threat off with a laugh.

“Yeah, but Vestiges are,” I grumbled under my breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” I lied. “Alright, take a step back, just in case.”

Holding my arm outstretched, both Veronika and Scyla taking what they assumed was a safe distance away, I channeled sage mana through the device, one eye closed as I waited for the object to explode in my hand.

At the very least, if it didn’t kill me, my body would heal from just about any wound, even if I didn’t enjoy regrowing something like a hand.

My fears, though, were unfounded. Mana poured into the dial, and thankfully it didn’t explode. Instead, the raised groove upon it swung around, almost as if pointing somewhere.

No. Not ‘almost’ pointing.

It was pointing somewhere.

“It’s not a dial,” I said after a moment. “It’s a compass.”

“A… compass?” Scyla questioned.

“It’s pointing somewhere, leading to something.”

“Are you certain?” Veronika asked.

“I-” I paused before nodding, intuition telling me I was right. “Yeah. The only issue is, I don’t know what scale this thing operates on.”

“Meaning?” Scyla looked at me with questioning eyes.

“It could be as close as the other end of the island or worldwide,” Veronika answered for me, sighing. “Damnit.”

“Can I see it for a moment?” Scyla asked me, to which I wordlessly handed it over.

Closing her eyes, I saw Scyla concentrating until, nearly ten seconds later, she opened her eyes, confused.

“It’s not working for me, even when I channel my own mana through it.”

“I doubt it’s an attunement issue,” Veronika said before pointing at me. “If that were the case, I doubt he would have been able to use it either, given I bet it was tested at least once by someone in the past. Meaning it’s something that our mysterious magic user Rook here is only capable of. So, should I bother asking or-”

“Sorry.” I sighed. “But I can’t explain.”

“Course not.” Veronika bemoaned, but not without smirking for a moment first. “Can’t go giving away all the secrets, can you? Otherwise, you can’t impress Scyla here with all that mystery intrigue, right?”

I blushed, glancing away as Scyla rolled her eyes, half smiling.

“Alright, folks. If that’s the case, how about this, Rook, since only you can use it-”

“I take it?”

“What? No.” Veronika shook her head. “I was going to say I take it off your hands. Not like you can go galivanting on a trip across the world, can you? Rather, I’ll spend time researching it and see what I can uncover about the rest of what the device might be capable of or its intention.”

“But you can’t activate it either?” I raised the question to Veronika, but she shrugged it off.

“You’re thinking too straightforwardly. I’m a scholar, and this here is lost history, each one of these symbols that lack understanding a vast wealth of knowledge in itself, each symbol I decipher opening up that many more avenues for the future of archaeology and historical uncovering.”

“Careful,” Scyla said gently. “That sort of talk will get the crown on your tail quickly. Perhaps they don’t mind some curiosity, but you’re getting damn close to sacrilege in their eyes.”

“Yes, yes. I have enough years under my belt. In fact, I have more years under my belt than the two of you put together. I know the thin lie that must be tip-toed around.”

“So you just take it, and we…?”

“Enjoy the memories of the experience, yes.” Veronika nodded as if it were obvious. “It’s not like this was ever meant to be some sort of excursion to retrieve some ancient artifact or whatnot. Originally I intended to do nothing more than look over some dusty walls while Rook here ensured I didn’t end up in the belly of some beast.”

“True.” Scyla inclined her head before laughing. “Anyway, this outing proved more eventful than I hoped. I’m content.”

“Great,” I said. “Can we leave then?”

“Yes.” Veronika nodded. “I do suppose that is a good idea.”

Corralling the two women out from the shiny lab, we returned to the dusty halls of the underground ruins. Glancing back over my shoulder once, I frowned, thinking about what it was the Sage Above All, assuming it really was her who had been here, could have possibly wanted with the place.

Not my place.

Shaking my head vigorously, I dislodged the thought. It wasn’t my place to be trying to figure such things out. I wasn’t some sworn nemesis of the Sage Above All, nor was I even an adventurer anymore. I was nothing more than a schoolteacher, the life of excitement left behind for calmer days.

“Beware the quiet storm that arrives from the horizon.”

The words drifted through my mind as if of their own volition, spoken to me by the old man or the thing masquerading as an old man. I shivered, for a moment feeling very cold, the part of the warning sounding eerily similar to my current circumstances.

Beware the quiet storm that arrives from the horizon. Isn’t this island on the horizon from Akadia?

Could it be that by bringing back whatever the dial was used for, we would somehow be causing the warning to come true?

No, think clearly.

First, I had no idea who or what the old man was. Wandering fiends weren’t precisely impossible. Tales of them had existed since time immemorial of how they could either bring good luck or misfortune through acts of mischief. Second, if I grew paranoid of everything that may have matched the supposed warning, then in short notice, I would find myself shaking in fear, unwilling to ever leave my room.

Should I be taking it lightly?

No, obviously not, but it was foolish, in hindsight, to be worried about what the Sage Above All may or may not due. She was a Great Sage, a Ten Ringer, nearly a god of mortal making. If her fury were to be rained down upon us, nothing could be done. She would know if we came here, and I doubted she would care much about the semantics. What had been done couldn’t be taken back.

So may as well roll with it and hope for the best.

I relaxed my shoulders, finally releasing the cloud of tension from my mind. Pressing my hand against the doorway to the lab, I closed it back up after sending a quick pulse of mana through the construct.

“Is everything alright, Rook?”

“Yeah, fine,” I said, turning around to the faces of my companions. “Let’s just get going.”

------------------------------------------------

“You know, I was expecting something more…. exciting for the return trip.”

“What, another leviathan? Or perhaps you wanted more ruins to open with old secret labs?”

“No, I guess not,” I said with a quick amendment. “Just didn’t expect to have such smooth sailing back.”

“Well, be thankful since you mostly complained today,” Scyla said as we strolled through the streets at night, illuminated by streetlamps.

“I did, didn’t I?” I frowned as an old lady shuffled by. “I.. er… sorry.”

“You really need to learn to enjoy the small moments more,” Scyla said as she caught notice of my frown. “You have a tendency to get all tense and closed off.”

“Well, call it reflex,” I said. “When things have gone as badly as they have for me at times, you end up erring on the side of caution.”

“I get that, really, I do.” Scyla stopped, turning to face me directly. “But there is a difference between being cautious and what you sometimes do. It’s like you can’t ever take a moment away from that ‘caution,’ and it stretches into something beyond even that.”

“So, what do you suggest?” I raised an eyebrow at her as I let the question hang.

“First off, let yourself be part of the world.”

“Be part of the world?”

“Yes.” Scyla waved her hand all around, indicating everything at once. “You’re so closed off. It feels like you’re just passing through. Let me ask you this, what was your favorite part of the culture in Songhold?”

“Culture?”

“Exactly my point.” Scyla snapped her fingers as if waiting for me to say exactly what I had. “You lived there for nearly three years, yet you can’t tell me anything distinct about the place. You drift through places, maybe taking in a passing reflection of your surroundings, but you never let yourself let it in. If all you ever do is drift, of course, you’ll never open yourself up, always be eyeing things with suspicion and paranoia.”

Scyla reached out for a moment before pausing, glancing at me with a moment of hesitancy. Unsure of what she was up to but not wanting to shut her down, I gave her a quick nod of affirmation.

Seeing this, Scyla continued reaching out until her fingers brushed my own, intertwining.

A shiver of apprehension passed through me, my body reflexively recoiling at the touch. However, I stilled my breathing, trying to calm my nerves.

It’s okay.

Counting down slowly from ten in my head with my eyes closed, when I finally opened them once more, I saw Scyla watching me curiously.

“Is this okay?”

“Y-yeah.” I huffed. My heart was still beating hard, adrenaline pumping, but I had curbed the worst of my reflexes screaming at me to run or fight. “I… I appreciate the patience.”

“We all have problems, issues, whatever. It’s what makes us human.”

“What about you?” I raised an eyebrow at her again as we resumed walking down the brightly lit streets, now hand in hand. “You never show any signs of weakness. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone as resolute and unflappable as you. Even when we first met, you stared down my master like it was nothing.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Scyla laughed for a moment before going silent, mulling over her thoughts. “I… I have my own demons, my own issues. Do you know how long it took me to realize my family wasn’t normal? That unconditional love, removed from scheming or plays at power, is the norm? I’m fairly certain my siblings hate me. Hell, much of my family probably does. When I was young, I took an interest in magic because it was how I removed myself from that environment. I’d go to our library, hide in a corner, and read through the tomes, theories of magic, even the fairy tales.”

“Why would your family hate you?”

“Oh, not all of them.” Scyla waved the generalization off quickly. “But quite a few have issues with my ‘rising stardom’ within the family. I’m an upstart, all thanks to your former master. Built a coalition using the leverage he afforded me by giving me his signet ring. That wouldn’t have been enough by itself, but I proved capable. So, now I’m ostracized by most of the family, and those that aren’t are instead eyeing how to best use whatever relationships we may have to forge their own advantages.”

“That’s… tiring.”

“Tell me about it.” Scyla snorted. “When I got the chance to come to Akadia as the family head here, well, I was elated to be removed from the rest of my family, or the rest of the family that matters in that sense. Sure, I have some aids here who are branch family members or whatnot, but not the likes of aunts or uncles, cousins, or hell, even my siblings. You know, at times, I’m envious of you.”

“You’ve mentioned something like that before.”

“Well, I mean it.” Scyla reaffirmed. “Your family doesn’t seem to hate you.”

“Never actually met them.” I pointed out.

“And besides that, you got to live a life freer than any I’ve ever known. I’ve always been shackled to my responsibilities, duties, and expectations. Now, I won’t be some naïve little girl who thinks you had it rosy. I know some of what you’ve gone through, don’t get me wrong. I guess I just envy the romanticism of it. Be an adventurer, free, and study and learn as you wish. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like.”

“Hungry, a lot of the time.” I laughed. “When I was starting out as an adventurer, I’d just come off having the first traumatic experience of my life, my mother abandoning me, though at the time she thought she was doing what was best for me. Then I was taken under the wing of my master, the asshole that he was; he left me behind. Then I helped save a village that had been pillaged and brutalized to a degree I still hate to remember. I saw things I never wanted to see. Killed the mage behind it, found myself an adopted sister-”

“You have an adopted sister?”

“- And then I officially became an adventurer after that. But, to the point, until I rose higher in the ranks, I often was working small-time commissions. Sure, occasionally, something more major would come my way. Still, my day-to-day in those early days was scrounging up whatever money I had to buy a loaf of bread. By the time I hit silver, things had changed, but still.”

“What about the dungeon? You never really talk about it. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but-”

“But it’s your nature to be curious,” I said as Scyla shrugged sheepishly. “And it’s because the dungeon was… well, there’s no way to put it other than bad, like with a capital B. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many ‘veteran’ or ‘qualified’ people die in such abundance and with such brutal ends. Some were torn apart, others consumed by black sludge, etc. Then Iris betrayed me, pushed me to my death.”

“Except you didn’t die.” Scyla pointed out.

“No.” I agreed. “I did not. But that doesn’t mean the nightmares don’t still come. I find myself falling, falling through endless darkness as she watches me from above. Sure, it wasn’t really her fault. Her mind had begun crumbling due to the influence the dungeon had on her mind, fracturing her at her weak points she may not have even realized she had herself. Yet, even understanding that she haunts my dreams as both the specter of my demise and a representation of my sins. I killed her, Scyla; I’ve killed people. How do you really live with that on your mind?”

The dark clouds had begun to gather once more upon my mind, but with a sudden squeeze on my hand, I found myself dragged out from them as Scyla held my hand firmly.

“Stop it. Don’t drag yourself through the mud. We’ve all done bad things. I can’t pretend I haven’t been part of things a saint wouldn’t be; my family peddles valuable information to the highest bidder. More often than not, those bidders aren’t exactly looking for information about the nearest animal shelter. What matters is keeping an image of what you’re after affixed to the front of your mind. For me, that’s using my resources to create something better.”

“I thought you wanted to be the world’s greatest mage?”

“Well, yes.” Scyla flicked her hair as if that much was obvious. “But what’s the point if you don’t use it to change the world, prove there was a point to it all? Otherwise, it’s little better than a childish fixation.”

“Noble.” I chuckled. “I can’t say I have as lofty dreams as you, but for now, I’ll settle for being the best teacher I can be. I can figure the rest out from there.”

“Good.” Scyla beamed at me before releasing my hand after we’d found ourselves near the Parisian lodge. “Now, it’s time to turn in for the night. Veronika sure seemed ready to after we docked.”

“Well, you know what they say about old people.” I joked as Scyla thumped my shoulders.

“Rude.”

I stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure why something felt off. Not in a bad way necessarily, but I felt like I was supposed to do something. Watching Scyla, without thinking about it, I suddenly embraced her, acting before I could think it through.

“Woah.” Scyla murmured in surprise.

“Sorry.” I pulled away, but Scyla was smirking at me.

“Going a little fast, aren’t we, big guy?”

‘I, uh-”

“Relax, I was only teasing.” She laughed a strange sort of breathlessness to it. “Goodnight, Rook.”

“Goodnight, Scyla.”

Waving at me, she hailed a cab, and in short notice, she was gone. All that remained was the gently lingering scent of her hair.

“Is that… hazelnut?”

I sniffed once more, but unable to place the scent, I returned to the lodge.

And more importantly, to what I’d been putting off for the time, the issue that had been terrifying me.

“Time to figure out next week’s lesson plans.”