Crossing paths with an identical bust of Grimwald for the umpteenth time, Thomas couldn't help but wonder if he'd taken the wrong turn somewhere. Or if there had even been a need to turn in the first place. With no one around to ask, there was no way of knowing. In hindsight, he should've requested a hand-drawn map of the place from the headmaster or at least some form of direction. For as long as he could remember, he'd always had trouble retracing his steps.

While drifting through myriad samey halls, Thomas stumbled upon a stone-tiled walkway, age-old brick arches stretching across its shadowed length; as he had nowhere else to go, he slunk down the dim cloister. Drawn to the dusk-soaked courtyard behind the colonnade beside him, however, the man came to a standstill. Sitting by the ornate fountain in the centre of the grassy quadrangle was a young elven girl staring off into space.

Most striking to Thomas were her silvery locks, which hung loosely to her chin and shimmered like moonlight. Tied together by a bowknot, charcoal robes mantled her chalky jumper and fair, lissome body—the distinct look of an academy student. As footfalls closed in on her, the girl looked up, her pointy ears twitching with each crunch she heard. And she cast a gaze at the man before her, her irises gleaming an intense violet.

"Um... hey, excuse me!" A friendly grin played on Thomas' face. "Are you a student here?"

A moment went by, and the corners of her thin lips curled ever so slightly. "Who's asking?"

It then dawned on the man how he could be perceived as dodgy. "Ah... I'm nobody suspicious if that's what you're thinking. Just a newly hired teacher who's lost his way through this building."

To a typical student, this statement would've been a cause for concern. Thankfully for Thomas, the adolescent girl merely rolled with it and simpered. "I see... a newly hired teacher."

"I technically don't start till next week, but yeah. By the way, what are you doing out here by yourself... if you don't mind me asking? Everyone's holed up in their rooms, aren't they?"

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Gracefully, the girl stepped away from the basin's ledge and clasped hands behind her back. "I was enjoying the sunset."

"The sunset? From here? The horizon isn't even visible..."

"True... but is it not enthralling to see the sunset's effects on this secluded courtyard? To witness it tinted by forces unseen? To us, the sun may not be visible, but its influence certainly is."

"When you put it like that, it does sound pretty cool. Enjoying the sunset without seeing it, huh?"

"Not too foreign a concept, if you think about it."

"No, no, I come from Linxuei, and this is definitely something a master would come up with!"

"A master, hm? I suppose I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should! It's not everyday my worldview gets shifted! You could even write a book about it!"

"You know, you act rather laidback for someone who's lost."

And Thomas came to recall the predicament he was in. "O-oh, that's right! Do you know the way out of here? I've been going in circles for who-knows-how-long!"

"Was it really that difficult navigating the place?"

"My sense of direction's a little rusty, is all..."

After a pause, the girl settled on guiding the man. "Then, if you're not opposed to it, I—"

"There you are, milord!" She was cut off by the goblin calling to Thomas from afar.

"Oh, Oscar!" He waved back at him and turned to the girl. "Looks like my escort is here."

"So it would seem."

"Well, it was good talking to you, kid! See you around!" The man bid her farewell and jogged over to his stressed companion. "Sorry, Oscar... I kinda forgot the way back and got lost..."

"Honestly, milord. You had me worried sick!"

"My bad, my bad... I won't let it happen again."

From afar, the girl observed the two men disappear behind the pillars. And as the gloom of nightfall took over the courtyard, she sat back down on the rim of the fountain. An enigmatic smile flickered across her beautiful visage. "What a strange man," she uttered softly to herself.