The fires started by Karnella spread out to the rest of the forest, setting the entire place ablaze.

The group stood in a distance as they observed the inferno. The injured Naylu leaned on Dariu, his arm around his shoulders.

"Do you think the library can withstand this?" Questioned Naylu.

Dariu, eyes focused ahead, remained silent.

Silas remarked, "It had better, or all of this will be for nothing," and then proceeded to walk away.

"We should get going too," said Naylu to Dariu, who remained fixated on the flames and didn't respond.

"Dariu? What's the matter?"

Dariu, immersed in disbelief, observed the unforeseen spectacle unfolding before him: amid the flames and falling trees stood Mika.

"Dariu... Help me," she pleaded.

"Mika..." He said as he slowly advanced into the flames.

"Please... I want to go home," she pleaded before giant fangs emerged above her, consuming her head and showering Dariu with a gruesome spray of blood. Terrified, he collapsed on his knees.

"Why didn't you save me?" Asked a headless Mika, blood pouring through her neck.

When he lift his gaze, he found that the scenary had changed, and this time he was facing the dim cave of the beast back at his village.

"I tried, I... I couldn't," tears started running down his cheeks.

"You were there when it happened."

"I am so sorry," his voice cracked.

"Sorry will not bring me back."

"I know."

"Arcadia will not bring me back."

"I know."

"Nothing will bring me back!" She yelled with a voice not of her own; a tone of demonic possession.

As his eyes snapped open, a gasp escaped Dariu's lips. It was a nightmare, one of many that preceded it ever since he joined Arcadia.

The room was dim, still nighttime. The only light present was the gentle shine of the moon permitted to enter through the window. It was not silent though, Dariu could hear loud snoring from his roommates who were sound asleep.

Sweaty and breathless, he raised his upper body and bent his knees. He then lowerd his head, and his mind immersed in deep thought.

"Another nightmare?" asked Naylu, who lay on the second bed next to Dariu's.

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Dariu glanced at him with tired eyes, "yes."

"You want to talk about it?"

"I rather not."

The sun emerged from its slumber, casting its light across the sky and marking the start of yet another day of classes.

The third section had a class on healing spells that day. Healing is considered the most complex aspect of Lojia, requiring a profound understanding of both human biology and medicine.

The class took place in a special room with stone walls and numerous long wooden tables. Wooden shelves adorned the walls, displaying jars containing foggy figures that seemed to be the remains of various creatures.

The students stood at the tables with their legs shackled, a scene familiar in these unusual classes. Resting on the table was a bizarre creature, resembling a hybrid of a worm and a dog. The black creature, reaching a meter in size, possessed a single elongated worm-like body without legs. Its dog-like head featured glowing red eyes, and a large knife wound marred its midsection. With deep and heavy breaths, the creature appeared to be dying.

"Well then, everyone. Today we will be attempting to save the poor Rapugrill with the simple spell of Herra," said Manella, the Healing teacher.

Manella was a gorgeous young woman with tall, black hair, large round green eyes, and fair, radiant skin. She wore a green dress with long white sleeves that gracefully widened at the ends.

In the grim environment of Arcadia, Manella stood out as an anomaly. Unlike the other gloomy and bizarre teachers, she was not only beautiful but also had a bright and cheerful personality. It was surprising to find such a positive presence in the midst of the challenging atmosphere of Arcadia.

"I do realize that you haven't mastered the spell yet, so don't worry if you fail! This is just to better familiarise yourself with the spell."

Almost every student struggled to cast the spell and heal the Rapugrill, and who could blame them? Despite Herra being the most basic healing spell, the process proved too intricate for mere students.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that you can work in pairs and take turns in the process!" She declared while passing through the tables to check with the students.

Hena was struggling with the spell, and soon started complaining, "ugh, this is nonsense!"

"Let me try," said Lana, her partner with a blond-haired girl with a ponytail and blue eyes.

Soon the Rapugrills started perish one after the other, and no one had yet managed to to perfect the spell.

"Herra," incantatied Noah.

It was his fourth attempt at the spell, and his Rapugrill still lived.

With his hands above the wound and a look of extreme concentration, a cyan glow emitted from his palms, and the wound started to gradually close.

"Everyone, we got our first saviour here!" Announced Manella.

"I'm starting to envy these Nayum adepts," commented Naylu as he stood at his table next to Dariu.

Dariu did not respond, and with a gloomy expression, he kept his hands above the Rapugrill in an attempt to heal it.

Glancing at the Rapugrill, Naylu could tell that it was already dead, yet Dariu didn't stop his efforts.

He was like that all day long. From the short period Naylu had known him, he could tell that Dariu wasn't being himself that day. He typically smiled and approached everything with focus, but on that particular day, he seemed to be out of sorts.

After classes, they both went to check on the library, being fearful of it getting burned to the ground along the forest.

"Well, it's still standing," remarked Dariu, as he looked at the unfazed building.

"Let's go back."

"Wait, there is something I want to show you," said Naylu, "follow me," he then proceeded to limp due to his injury.

The duo traversed the scorched landscape, surrounded by the remnants of burned trees and ashes. After a considerable journey, an unexpected sight unfolded before them – a vast filed of neon blue flowers, instantly recognizable to Dariu: Mika flowers, the same kind found in his village.

"You told me before that your village was filled to the brim with Mika flowers, so I thought this might cheer you up."

Dariu stood in awe as he gazed into the scene. A strange mixture of relief, nostalgia, and warmth filled his chest.

For a moment, he felt safe.

He felt at home.

"How is possible?"

"I'm not sure. It's supposed to grow only on the west side of the empire. A desolate wasteland in the east is the last place you'd expect to find it. Yet here we are."

With slow steps, Dariu walked amidst the field, carefully avoiding stepping on the flowers. He then crouched down and inhaled the sweet fragrance of a flower.

"You know, when I first came here I did it because... I wished death upon myself," said Naylu, "I thought I wanted it, I thought I was ready for it, but when it came to me, fear came as well."

Dariu remained silent as he listened to Naylu.

"And then you came. You gave me a second chance to live, and I honestly didn't know what to do with it. I had already decided to end it anyway, what would I do next? Well, I thought I might just stick with you and I might figure it out."

Dariu stood up and turned to Naylu.

"I'm telling you this because,well, with the way you are right now, I'm afraid you might meet your end before I can figure out my answer. I can't have that, you owe it to me, Dariu. So whatever is keeping you awake at night, you need to get rid of it, fast."

Dariu giggled, "is that how you're supposed to cheer someone up?"

"I'm doing my best."

Dariu let out a sigh, then, as if he was struggling to get something out of chest, he turned his head around.

"Three years ago, my village was invaded by an Elder Beast."

"Was it Basilisk?"

"Yes. For three years he kept feeding on the people of my village. And one of them was... A dear friend. And I... I witnessed it, I saw the beast as he devoured her before my very eyes, and I couldn't do a thing."

"I'm sorry."

"The guilt I felt from that day keeps haunting me to this very moment, Naylu. And yesterday I almost added to that guilt, I almost pulled you and Silas to your deaths without a second thought."

"No, Dariu, you didn't force us to go along with your plan. We chose to do it with our free will. Even if it killed us, it wouldn't be on you."

"You may say so, but—"

"But nothing. From now on, no matter what happens to me is my own responsibility. You just focus on staying alive until I find my resolve."

He then extended his hand for a handshake.

"Do we have a deal?"

Dariu giggled, then shook his hand.

"Deal."

Under the bright orange light of the setting sun, casting its warm glow over their intertwined hands, and with the wind gently caressing the Mika flowers around them, Dariu and Naylu finally solidified their comradeship.