[ 21st Lumiran 1749 | Eltar | 16:34 | The Academy Library ]

  The days bled into one another before Reina’s eyes, as fleeting and insubstantial as early morning mist. The academy lived its own life, and at first glance, she seemed to have fallen completely out of it. Thoughts of Nova spun relentlessly in her mind, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs as she climbed the stairs of the central building. She could not afford to fail. She moved with extreme caution, carefully avoiding the gaze of any passing classmates.

  She pushed open the heavy doors of the library and approached the librarian, Madame Bridget, who was, as usual, engrossed in an ancient historical tome that held absolutely no interest for Reina.

  Reina stretched a flawless, polite smile across her lips and addressed her: "Madame Bridget! Good afternoon!"

  "Good afternoon, Reina," the woman replied, not bothering to lift her eyes from the yellowed pages.

  "Do you happen to know if the first-year, Eloisa Garci, has come by recently?" Reina continued smoothly, knowing full well the librarian kept a perfect mental ledger of everyone who entered her domain.

  "She has not left yet," Madame Bridget answered drily.

  "Thank you! We were just supposed to discuss something regarding..." Reina scrambled to invent a plausible connection to Eloisa, finally blurting out, "...regarding extracurricular lessons in the needlework club."

  "If you make a racket, I will be forced to ask you to leave the library," the librarian warned strictly, still refusing to look up from her book.

  "Oh, you know me, I only make noise on holidays." Reina waved a dismissive hand and slipped into the main hall. Her eyes darted rapidly between the rows of bookshelves, scanning the scattered students in search of her prey.

  Eloisa Garci sat in the far corner of the library, right by a tall arched window. A book lay open before her, its pages turning at a slow, deliberate pace. It was not the novel Reina had given her, but at this stage, that hardly mattered.

  Reina glided over and slipped into the chair beside her, startling Eloisa out of her reverie.

  "Hi! What are you reading?" Reina asked in a hushed, enthusiastic whisper.

  A faint blush dusted Eloisa's cheeks, but she answered: "Griderich A. — Love as the Meaning of Life."

  "Oh, I've read that one too. An entertaining piece, though it's a pity the library doesn't stock anything genuinely romantic, don't you think?"

  Eloisa sighed, her hands quietly curling into fists on her lap. "Listen, Reina, I know Beatrice brought you one of those books. Could you... could you lend me another one? I'll return it, I promise!" Eloisa pleaded, sparks of desperate hope igniting in her brown eyes.

  Reina rested her arms on the table, leaning in close with a conspiratorial smile. "Of course. But first, tell me, what did you love most about The Lonely Flower? I actually have the second volume of that stunning novel, by the way. The one where Belle and Claudia finally grow close... in every sense of the word." Reina’s smile deepened.

  Eloisa’s face erupted in flames once more, and her hands relaxed. "Really?!" Eloisa gasped, her voice ringing out a fraction louder than library rules permitted.

  "Shh," Reina hushed her, pressing a delicate index finger to her lips. "You don't want us thrown out, do you? Now tell me, what did you like about the book? I genuinely want to know." Reina hunched her shoulders slightly, propping her chin on her hands in a picture of perfect, attentive innocence.

  "Umm..." Eloisa hesitated, searching for the right words. "I loved the relationship between the girls... It's so pure, so bright. And even though they can't be together, they are... so drawn to one another."

  Reina smiled. The seeds she had planted were already taking deep root in the first-year's mind.

  "Exactly, Eloisa," Reina murmured softly, her voice pouring like sweet syrup. "They fight for their feelings against all odds. That is where true beauty lies. In reality, people are far too cowardly to take a leap of faith for love. They hide behind academy rules, behind their parents' expectations... just like your ex-fiancé."

  Eloisa flinched violently at the sudden, surgical strike to her recent emotional wound. She dropped her gaze to the cover of the library book.

  "But you aren't like that, are you?" Reina gently placed her hand over Eloisa's. "You read these stories because your soul thirsts for something real. Something that will make your heart beat so fast it steals your breath away."

  "I... I don't know, Reina," the first-year whispered uncertainly. "In books, everything is so simple. But in life, I don't even know where to look for those kinds of emotions. Catherine told me I just needed to trust myself, but..."

  Reina’s lips twisted in a microscopic sneer at the mention of Catherine's name, but she instantly smoothed her expression back into the mask of the ideal, understanding confidante.

  "Catherine is a good girl, but she thinks far too... rationally. She is like a dry branch: structurally correct, but entirely incapable of blooming." Reina leaned in even closer, shrinking the space between their faces to a sliver. "But true romance demands courage. Do you know Belle and Claudia's greatest secret in the second volume?"

  Eloisa held her breath, her dark eyes wide with anticipation. "What?"

  "They didn't wait for fate to do the work for them. They created the moment themselves." Reina allowed a theatrical pause to hang in the air, casually tucking a lock of red hair behind her ear. "Tonight, at exactly eleven o'clock, after curfew, I will bring you the second volume. But not here, and not to your room. That would be far too dull for a story like this."

  "Then where?" Eloisa asked, fear warring visibly with burning curiosity.

  "In the Green Labyrinth..." Reina answered with a wicked smile. "Prohibitions exist to be broken, just like academy rules."

  "But... it's curfew! I could be expelled!" Eloisa protested.

  "They only expel those who lack the imagination to break the rules properly," Reina countered, tilting her head slightly. "You aren't one of them, are you?"

  Eloisa shook her head and abruptly pushed her chair back. "I'm sorry, Reina, I need to think... I really want to read the book, but I'm not ready to do something like that yet." Eloisa abandoned the table and practically fled toward the library exit.

  Watching her rapidly retreating figure, Reina bit her lip in mild frustration.

  Shaking her head, she whispered into the empty air: "It's fine. You will come back to me on your own, sweet Eloisa."

  Reina picked up the abandoned library book, flipped through a few pages, and snapped it shut with a satisfying thud.

  『 ?? 』━━━???━━━『 ? 』

  [ 23rd Lumiran 1749 | Zolir | 19:15 | Dormitory Room 231 ]

  Catherine meticulously wrapped the edge of the clean bandage around Arta's shoulder. Arta’s skin was naturally fair, but around the horrific gash, it had taken on a deathly, waxen pallor. Every time Catherine changed the dressings, her eyes falling upon the deep wound that reeked faintly of poppy and rot, her heart clenched in a vice of agonizing guilt.

  Even though Catherine had dragged in every available doctor at the academy, and despite their repeated assurances that Arta's arm was in no danger of being lost, she still scoured the library daily, desperately searching for any scrap of lore regarding the magic of dreams. But the knowledge was far too scarce, leaving her with nothing to do but pray to the Creator every night that Arta's flesh would mend quickly.

  Arta sat perfectly still. Her deep purple eyes, dusted with golden sparks, stared blankly at the wall, radiating an utter indifference, as if the gaping wound in her shoulder was the absolute last thing she cared about.

  "Does it hurt?" Catherine asked softly, finishing the final knot of the bandage.

  "No. Thank you, everything is fine," Arta replied coldly, her gaze never shifting.

  "Just bear with me a little longer, I'm almost done," Catherine muttered, speaking more to herself than to Arta. She didn't want the other girl to see how badly her fingers were trembling. It was the only way she knew to bleed off the suffocating pressure of her accumulated stress.

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

  When the dressing was secure, Catherine leaned back. "There, all done," she said, offering a sad, strained smile.

  "Thank you," Arta replied, the faintest ghost of warmth brushing the edges of her voice.

  Catherine sighed heavily. "Maybe you should lie down and rest for a bit..?" She desperately wanted to continue the conversation, to feel some connection, but a quiet, hesitant knock at their heavy oak door shattered the moment.

  Catherine scowled in deep irritation, wondering who on earth had decided to bother them at this hour. "Sorry, Arta, give me one second. Please, just lie back and rest."

  Pushing herself up from the chair, Catherine marched to the door and cracked it open just enough to peer into the hallway. Standing there was Eloisa Garci.

  "Eloisa? Did something happen?"

  "No, no... nothing, everything is fine!" Eloisa stammered nervously. "Could you... could you talk with me for a little while?"

  Catherine threw a glance over her shoulder at Arta, who had already settled back against the pillows. Artalis hadn't even blinked; she merely let out a shallow breath, already sinking back into the labyrinth of her own detached thoughts.

  "I'll be right back," Catherine promised the room, then sighed, stepped out into the corridor, and pulled the door shut behind her.

  Catherine and Eloisa walked over to a nearby window overlooking the academy's inner park and came to a halt. Eloisa cast a frantic, paranoid look up and down the hallway. Only after ensuring they were completely alone did she begin to speak, her voice thick with embarrassment:

  "Catherine... You know..." she started, awkwardly fumbling for words. "You've... been so kind to me lately. Thank you for that." Eloisa’s hand reached out, her fingers tentatively brushing against Catherine's sleeve.

  "Don't mention it," Catherine replied, her voice weighed down by bone-deep exhaustion. "I was happy to help you."

  "Yes, and I'm glad too... that you helped," Eloisa swallowed hard. "Listen, I've been thinking about this a lot... Would you mind if... No, what if we... spent more time together? We could join some clubs, or I could teach you how to play the violin!" Eloisa froze, awaiting Catherine's reaction, her fingers locking onto the fabric of Catherine's sleeve in a death grip.

  Catherine frowned. "Eloisa, I'm sorry, but I really have absolutely no time for any of that right now... Artalis was injured." Catherine gently but firmly pried Eloisa's hand off her arm. "I need to look after her. I don't have a spare second for walks or hanging out."

  A spike of raw panic flared in Eloisa’s eyes. "But... why? Are you bored with me? Did I do something wrong..? Maybe we could carve out just a little time? Just for the violin?"

  Catherine let out a long, weary sigh. "What does any of that have to do with this?" Catherine shook her head, her patience wearing dangerously thin. "Try to understand: there are responsibilities, and there is free time. And right now, my free time is non-existent."

  "But..." Eloisa stuttered once again. "Maybe next week?"

  Catherine shook her head a second time.

  "In... two weeks?" Eloisa pressed, refusing to yield.

  "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I won't have any time for socializing for the rest of this academic year," Catherine replied, straining to maintain a polite veneer.

  "This is all because of Arta, isn't it?" Eloisa asked, blinking back a sudden sheen of tears.

  "Yes. I owe Arta everything. I cannot abandon her when she is in this condition."

  Eloisa recoiled violently, as if she had just been struck by a bolt of lightning. "Reina was right..." Eloisa choked out a sob, pressing her hands to her chest. "You really are just a dry branch. You don't understand anything at all!" Her voice cracked and escalated into a near shout.

  "Don't understand what? What are you talking about?" A sickening realization suddenly pierced Catherine's mind. She recognized the symptom instantly: her friend had gorged herself on Reina's toxic novels and was now desperately trying to play the role of the tragic heroine.

  "Have you been reading Reina's novels?!" Catherine scowled darkly, planting her hands firmly on her hips.

  "You don't understand anything! You don't care about what I feel!"

  "What you feel?!" Catherine snapped, her irritation finally boiling over. "Have you lost your mind just like Reina?! Stop reading those idiotic books! Listen to me: there is real life, and then there is sugary, stupid fantasy! Throw that book in the trash and forget this ever happened like a bad dream! You are not the heroine of some cheap, absurd melodrama!"

  Eloisa's mouth fell open in shock at the sheer brutality of the verbal lashing.

  "You're a dry branch that will never bloom!" Denying Catherine any chance to retort, Eloisa spun on her heel and sprinted away. The frantic thud of her footsteps echoed hollowly down the corridor until she vanished around the corner leading to the stairs.

  Catherine remained standing by the window, exhaustedly massaging her temples.

  It's fine. She'll cry it out and come back to her senses. You can't live your life guided by the absolute nonsense Reina shoves down everyone's throats.

  Catherine lingered by the glass for a few moments longer, digesting the sheer absurdity of what her friend had just spouted. Then, drawing a heavy breath and feeling a faint, lingering sting of guilt, she returned to her room, where Arta was waiting for her in the silence.

  『 ?? 』━━━???━━━『 ? 』

  [ 23rd Lumiran 1749 | Zolir | 19:28 | Prestige Dormitory, Room 313 ]

  Tears streamed down Eloisa's cheeks one after another as she fled up the grand staircase of the prestige building. Catherine's cold, cruel words continued to ring in her ears, ruthlessly shattering her sincere, vulnerable impulse. To Eloisa, it felt as though the entire world had risen up against her. Suddenly, it seemed the only person in the entire academy who could help her, the only one who had spoken the truth, was Reina.

  Reaching the third floor, the breathless first-year stumbled to a halt before a heavy door bearing the brass plaque "313." She frantically scrubbed her wet cheeks with the back of her hand, struggling to quell the violent trembling in her fingers, and knocked timidly.

  "Come in, it's open," Reina's voice called from within.

  Eloisa cautiously pushed the door open, stepping squarely into the epicenter of a local drama. Reina sat cross-legged on her bed, thoughtfully turning the pages of a crimson-bound book. On the opposite side of the room, standing before an ornate mirror, was Isolde Veyne. She had been elegantly brushing out her long black hair, but the moment Eloisa crossed the threshold, Isolde's gaze snapped to her, and the hand holding the comb froze.

  Isolde swept her cold, slightly haughty gaze over the weeping first-year before adding with dripping disdain:

  "Fascinating," Isolde drawled, her voice oozing aristocratic venom. "I was under the impression, Reina, that your little club of low-grade drama aficionados met in the library. Or has this young lady come seeking a second serving of the illusions you so generously use to poison the minds of impressionable girls?"

  Reina shifted her gaze to Isolde, her jaw tightening visibly. "Save your biting wit for your tea parties with Brina and Maelys," Reina replied in a dangerously even tone, rising gracefully from her bed. "Can't you see the girl is in distress?"

  "Distress?" Isolde let out a short, utterly mirthless laugh. "She needs a healer of the mind if she's come seeking solace from you. It truly is astonishing how quickly your 'friends' invariably end up in tears. Though, considering your specific... hobbies, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised in the slightest."

  Isolde turned back to the mirror and resumed brushing her hair. She was likely entirely unaware that Nova Cross would not be kicking down the door to defend Reina's honor anytime soon. After running the comb through her raven locks a few more times, Isolde smoothed the impeccable pleats of her academy skirt and, shaking her head, glided toward the door.

  "I believe I will leave you two to it," Isolde tossed over her shoulder as she swept past Eloisa, who had plastered herself against the doorframe. "I fear this literary melancholy of yours might prove contagious. Do try to ensure your new little ward doesn't flood my half of the room with her tears, Reina."

  Isolde's sharp, commanding footsteps echoed down the half-empty evening corridor. Only when the sound finally faded did Eloisa fully enter the room and shut the door behind her.

  The tension instantly melted from Reina's face. Dropping every shield, she approached Eloisa with devastating softness.

  "My poor Eloisa..." Reina gently rested her hands on the girl's trembling shoulders. "What happened? Who hurt you so terribly?"

  Under the weight of that warm, profoundly empathetic tone, the dam inside Eloisa finally broke.

  "You... you were right!" she sobbed violently, burying her face into Reina's shoulder as if seeking a fortress against a cruel and unfeeling world. "She doesn't understand anything! She really is just a dry branch!"

  Reina affectionately stroked the girl's disheveled hair, expertly concealing a triumphant, predatory smile.

  "Catherine?" Reina murmured softly, lacing her voice with manufactured sorrow. "Did she reject your feelings?"

  "She didn't just reject them... She mocked them! She said I'd been reading your stupid novels! That I was hiding from real life!" Eloisa choked out through her tears, her fists twisting into the fabric of Reina's uniform blouse. "She doesn't see anything around her except her precious Arta! I tried to open my heart to her, and she just... she just swatted me away like a bothersome fly!"

  Reina let out a heavy, deeply dramatic sigh, gently pushing Eloisa back just enough to peer into her tear-drowned brown eyes.

  "Oh, sweetheart... I was so terrified she would break your heart." Reina's voice was tender and perfectly calibrated, wrapping the first-year's fractured mind in a cocoon of sweet consolation. "Catherine has spent far too much time around Artalis. She has been infected by her total lack of feeling. They are both nothing more than mechanisms, utterly incapable of grasping the beauty of true emotion. You saw Isolde just now, didn't you? This academy is teeming with cold, cruel people who will judge you and laugh at your heart."

  Eloisa pulled back slightly and gave a frantic nod, smearing the wetness across her cheeks with the back of her hand. The contrast between the arrogant Isolde, the brutal Catherine, and this endlessly gentle, understanding Reina was staggering.

  "But you and I are not like them, Eloisa," Reina said, delicately wiping a stray tear from the girl's cheek. "We know how to feel. We know that love is not a weakness, but the greatest power in the world. You simply had the misfortune of opening your soul to the wrong person."

  Reina took a step back, moving deliberately toward her desk. From the top drawer, she retrieved a book adorned with gold-embossed lettering: The Lonely Flower, Volume 2: The Road to Endless Happiness. She returned and gently pressed the crimson volume into the first-year's trembling hands.

  "Catherine is not worthy of your tears," Reina said firmly, yet with infinite affection. "Take this. Read it. Let it remind you that true, beautiful feelings do exist in this world, and that they are worth fighting for."

  Eloisa accepted the book from Reina's hands and clutched it fiercely to her chest.

  "Thank you... thank you so much, Reina!" the first-year gasped, desperately trying to rein in her sobs.

  "You are so very welcome, sweet Eloisa," Reina replied with a brilliant, comforting smile. "Once you finish reading it, promise you'll come find me. And then I will tell you exactly what it means to be part of a truly magnificent story."

  Eloisa sniffled. Her gaze dropped to the crimson cover of the book, then rose to meet Reina's eyes once more. There was no longer a shred of doubt in her dark eyes.

  "I will come. I promise," Eloisa whispered.

  Reina smiled. The stage for her grand performance was almost perfectly set. Her new leading lady had memorized the script, and now, all Reina had to do was exercise just a little more patience.

  Arbiter Visions installment, feel free to leave a comment with the character’s POV and the time period you’re interested in.