“It’s those times that we are lost, that we tend to have the greatest adventures.” – an adventurous philosopher

Alex considers trying to return to the cafeteria, and after a few moments, decides against it.

‘I have the chance to explore a bit, so I definitely should, especially if I’m going to be staying here for any extended period of time.’

Light dazzles through the windows, creating lattice patterns on the floor as Alex keeps walking.

‘It’s not as if I would know the way back, which is kind of worrying…’

Alex stops as if noticing something and walks up to the wall before examining it.

‘…’

Alex looks closer.

‘I didn’t notice it before, but aren’t the walls flowing like water… this is really weird.’

Alex averts his gaze and then continues walking along.

‘It probably has something to do with why my sense of direction is messed up if I keep walking though I should find someone to show me around, or show me where the rooms are, or where Reynold is if not that.’

Laid back, Alex walks along and starts whistling a tune.

‘Though I’m most definitely lost right now, I feel more comfortable than I have in a long time. Maybe it’s because Reynold is here?’

Alex continues to think.

‘…’

Alex sighs.

‘I’ve been ignoring it up until now, but I really need to figure out my current capabilities and differences. Ever since I became a ‘lesser kin,’ a lot of strange stuff has been happening.

Alex thinks back to his many resets.

‘Though to be honest, it’s still rather tame.’

Alex walks, light dancing on the stage of his alien features.

‘That’s one point for trying to talk to Bernhart, though there is the genuine possibility he’ll lock me up and experiment on me.’

Alex’s arms curl around his chest, and he shivers, before calming himself down.

‘I don’t think Reynold would let that happen, he’s been kind so far after all.’

Alex’s face then turns grim.

‘Though there’s no guarantee that’s going to last. Our relationship before was contractual, and the help he has given me so far, thoroughly appreciated as it is, is not guaranteed to continue.’

Alex lets his head hang as he continues his tread.

‘And what’s with him trying to teach me magic now of all times? It would have been seriously appreciated before now. Still, with what he told me before, it should almost be impossible for me with my constitution, unless… Did something change due to the efforts of that rogue mage and magic beast?’

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Alex walks a bit more before stopping.

‘This hallway has been going on for a while now, and I haven’t really seen anyone…’

Alex waits for a few moments before nodding.

‘Enough adventuring for today, let’s go back the way we came.’

Alex then turns around and starts walking.

After a good 10 minutes, at least three times longer than he had walked before turning back, Alex stops again.

‘It seems something is fishy here.’

Alex starts to pay more attention to his surroundings.

‘This goes beyond the realm of being lost or having a bad sense of direction. Well, there goes that feeling of security.’

Alex then looks at the wall closely once again. He traces a finger along the windowsill to the floor to the opposite wall. The then continues walking merely, but with his finger still tracing the wall.

‘The walls seem to be moving somewhere, it might be the key to getting out, or figuring out what’s going on here.’

Alex pauses for a moment.

‘Or it could be a terrible idea.’

Alex keeps walking.

‘If worst comes to worst, I’m sure Reynold will save me, plus Jeffrey did tell me to explore a bit.’

Alex continues walking, sometimes randomly switching directions, tracing his finger on almost all the surfaces available by the end of an hour or so.

‘This is probably really unsanitary.’

About ready to give it a break and take a rest, Alex comes upon something different than what he has been experiencing for the past hour.

A dark metal door greets him.

‘It does not fit the aesthetics of the rest of the school and looks kind of gloomy.’

Alex knocks, the resounding noise echoing in the hallway around him.

Alex waits for a few moments, which turn into what feels like minutes.

Alex knocks again for good measure, but no one answers.

‘I guess nobody’s home?’

Alex then tries opening the door, which resists for a couple of moments, before sliding open.

‘Well, I could try to follow the flows in the opposite direction, but…’

Alex looks at them.

‘I probably should have done it earlier, now the mess is so tangled I’m not sure I would be able to do it.’

Alex looks back to the doorway and raises his hand.

‘In the spirit of adventure, I guess?’

Alex starts walking into the darkness, the door sliding shut behind him.

…

‘It closed, and now everything is that monotone color again.’

Alex takes a few moments to try to discern the space around him before taking a few tentative steps forward. Alex, though, misses his footing and falls down a flight of steps, landing on something soft.

Alex takes a few moments to recover from the pain before patting the ground.

‘I’m glad this was here; Otherwise, that fall could have been a lot worse.’

Alex notices some light streaming from a door ahead, which only brightens by the second until Alex notices the half-desiccated eyeball looking back at him. That is when a light flickers on, and the room comes into full focus to Alex. What he sees are plants growing in dirt, which must have been what cushioned his fall.

‘So that eyeball must have been a trick of the dark.’

Alex’s eyes unnervingly trace to where he saw it, and there the eyeball sits. Looking closer, he can see the desiccated, sporadic body parts poking through the soil with green plants growing above them. This causes Alex to start feeling nauseous.

‘I’ve seen worse, I’ve experienced worse, this is nothing.’

For the next minute or so, trying to fight a mix of memory, trauma, and sheer revulsion, Alex continues to repeats that mantra. That is when he sees that some of the plants are bearing fruits.

‘Wait, is that the same food that Jeffrey was referencing is used in the cafeteria.’

The world starts spinning, and Alex takes the closest out. Instead of walking back up the stairs and away from the mess, he steps forward and pulls the door open, closing it swiftly behind him. Alex breathes deeply in and out for a few moments.

‘It’s okay.’

Repeating a mantra may not make it true, but it can convince oneself that it is. Unluckily for Alex, he is doesn’t have the time to convince himself, as his ears pick up a noise that he really didn’t want to hear at the moment.

“I wonder how you got past the wards or the door for that matter. The wards can be explained away because of your beast-sight, and maybe the door recognized you as a non-magical gardener. We really need to get them updated. Anyways, I’m glad we have the chance to converse; to be honest, I never thought you would come to me, not after how violent you were while running away.”

Alex slowly raises his head to see a certain someone beside a counter, holding a flask.

‘Bernhart’