Chương 47: A Heart to Heart

Despite the titles, despite the pomp and circumstance, the end of an assembly seemed to be a universal cultural phenomenon that transcended not just species, but entire universes. As immediately after the ensemble of musicians had played their final tune following the dean's parting words, and the curtains on-stage had drawn to a full close, chaos soon found itself erupting in the form of chatter and gossip within the audience.

A hundred different conversations started almost all at once, giving the EVI a run for its money as it began tirelessly isolating and sorting through each and every conversation as best as it could. Hundreds of lines of dialogue now dotted my HUD, each of them unique in their own right, but all of them trended towards three distinct topics. One being the library and the mystery-student responsible for slighting it. Two being Auris' magical ass-whooping at the hands of my library card.

And three being the library card itself, and by extension, me. It was this latter topic that all conversations seemed to eventually circle towards. Like the black hole of drama I was, it seemed as if I was trapping more and more of the undivided attention of an entire year group within my insatiable gravity well. What started out as a few scattered eyes occasionally glancing over towards our group, suddenly became an all out wave of a hundred different constant stares that seemed destined to swallow us whole.

This sentiment was more or less confirmed by Thacea, as her expressions said it all.

"Emma, it would be prudent if we made our departure post-haste." The princess whispered out, loud enough that I could note the undercurrents of concern present in her voice. And when it came to anything related to the nobility, I knew to trust Thacea's judgment; she'd spent her whole life dealing with their petty affairs after all. So I began scanning for exit routes in earnest. Or rather, I delegated the task to the EVI, who was definitely way more adept at this sort of thing. Especially when the seconds counted.

"EVI, exit routes."

"Affirmative, highlighting routes now." With only a handful of paths to choose from, I opted for the one with the least resistance. I instinctively took point with the rest of the gang following suit. Looking at one of my rear-view cameras, I noted how Thalmin was being particularly wary of Ilunor as he kept him close at hand. Quite literally in fact, with his hand never once deviating from the Vunerian's shoulder. This was definitely a step up from his wariness over Ilunor from before.

Which meant there was definitely something up. Something that I'd bring up with him when we got to the dorms. As we made our way out, a handful of students somehow managed to make their way through the crowd, having managed to blip forward by a good ten or so feet- ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 340% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS -cutting us off just short of the doors. ENTITY IFF CONFIRMED: A72 ETHOLIN ESILA - RONTALIS REALM [NEUTRAL]"Please, a moment of your time."

This small group was led by the short ferret who'd participated in the verbal matchup between Qiv and Auris from the previous night, and was the one to speak first. He stared up at me, though clearly intimidated by Thalmin's presence in addition to my stature.

"I would just like to request an audience with you, Earthrealmer, whenever you may have the chance to do so." He spoke out in a series of fast-paced chatters, his voice quite literally matching up with his small yet adorably proportioned form.

"Please let me know when would be most appropriate. Thank you." He scurried off soon after, back into the crowds, blending into the mass of students. In the time it took for Etholin to address me, the crowd had just about stopped a good five feet short of our group. The hundred or so voices blended into an incomprehensible mess at that point, as each student tried throwing question after question at me, resulting in little progress made for any individual question getting through.

Only a few stray students refused to join in, the most notable group of this being Qiv and his entourage, who seemed to study us from afar near the front row of the auditorium. The gorn-like lizard's eyes looked not too amused at the antics I was causing… or perhaps the attention I was inadvertently garnering, and the spotlight I was taking away from him.

Eventually, a single voice boomed from the crowd from one student that formed a sort of cone with their hands over their mouth, managing to overpower all others and causing the whole room to go silent for a few precious seconds. ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 120% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS"How did you get the library card, newrealmer?" This once more put me in a unique opportunity, as I had yet another chance to address the crowd.

This deceptively simple question demanded an equally simple answer that needed to work as my last word on the argument, to to stoke further interest, but more importantly, to further break down preconceptions on my newrealm status. This was one of those moments where less would be more.

"By the librarian offering me one, that's how." I answered a-matter-of-factly and with an unseen wink underneath my helmet, before turning around and dipping through those double doors, leaving a whole crowd in turmoil. Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Local Time: 1400 Hours. Emma Booker We arrived at the dorm without much in the way of fanfare. To be honest, I was at least expecting some of the buzz from the auditorium to follow us out of it.

Maybe even in the form of a vintage 21st century paparazzi chase. However, according to Thacea, that simply wasn't part of decorum. Apparently, it was more socially acceptable to put your foot in the door if everyone else was doing it, like the literal stampede back at the assembly hall. However, things were different when you were alone and lacked that social net to bank on.

We were still more or less outcasts in the greater scheme of the Academy's social hierarchy after all, so to have someone actively attempt to chase after us would've been seen as a bridge too far. It would've basically made them look really desperate. Which certainly wasn't a good look. This was despite the library card coming into play, given how the dust from that whole reveal just hadn't had enough time to settle yet.

Whatever the case was, and whatever the social intricacies entailed, I was glad we were finally back in the dorms. But that relief was sorely short-lived as Thalmin not-so-subtly tugged my arm, indicating he wanted to speak… in private. This meant leaving Ilunor and Thacea alone for a while, and whilst I wasn't worried about the pair existing in the same room, it just occurred to me how little I saw of their interactions so far.

Between Thalmin and myself, Ilunor more or less left Thacea alone, save for the odd tainted jab. Which still boiled my blood to no end but… I had to tolerate it for now, as I shuffled into Thalmin's room with only a knowing glance exchanged with the likes of Thacea. Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Ilunor and Thalmin's Bedroom. Local Time: 1405 Hours. Emma Booker"Emma, there is a matter we need to discuss." Thalmin began, his tone bordering between respectful, yet urgently paced.

"I'm all ears Thalmin." I replied without hesitation.

"I will make this brief. While I was in the process of procuring Ilunor's presence for the assembly, I arrived to find the room empty and bare. There was no trace of the Vunerian, nothing I could see with my eyes, and nothing I could sense in the manastreams." There it was again, the mana-streams… Wait… empty?

"Empty and bare? So did he run away or something? How'd you manage to track him down in time for the assembly?"

"No, he was here. Merely hidden within this domicile." Thalmin quickly corrected.

"Wait so, how did you figure out he was here then? Didn't you say he was completely hidden from sight?"

"Correct."

"And completely hidden from… mana-streams?" I waved my hands around, attempting to mimic the flow of 'mana' in the best way I could, ironically, using the exact gestures Ilunor had used a few days prior when he'd derided my inability to sense the ebb and flow of mana around me.

"That is also correct."

"Then how'd you manage to track him down?"

"I used my inherent investigative abilities." I cocked my head in response to that. To which Thalmin quickly clarified.

"I used the investigative abilities inherent to my species." I cocked my head the other way, which prompted Thalmin to sigh, huffing out a large, exasperated breath. Seeing as we were reaching a roadblock, I decided to broach the topic directly, in order to cut through the awkwardness of the situation.

"So… did you… erm, now I'm not sure if this is going to be offensive or anything but, did you like… sniff him out?" This resulted in nearly the opposite desired effect. The lupinor mercenary prince averted his gaze the moment I spoke that word out loud, and if he had cheeks to redden, I was sure he'd be all but blushing right now. His ears betrayed it all, lying flat on the well-groomed fur of his head.

His tail fared no better, having since shifted from a confident straight-edge angle, to a curved shape that bent more naturally towards one side of his leg, just short of curling up around it.

"I… This is a matter of great contest within my realm, Emma." Thalmin spoke through an audible growl, as he attempted to make up for the betrayal of his body's natural cues with a practiced, gravely tone of voice befitting of a mercenary prince.

"I really shouldn't have brought that up." I managed out awkwardly in response.

"I'm genuinely, really sorry, Thalmin. I didn't mean to cause any offense or overstep my boundaries. It's just that, I sort of assumed that since you have features that resemble…" I paused, not sure how I'd bring up dogs and wolves to what looked like their distant humanoid cousin.

"You see we have a species that uncannily resembles yours in our realm, and they're usually renowned and respected and lauded and well regarded in every sense of the word for their abilities to utilize their sense of smell and I just thought-""Stop." Thalmin halted my rambles with a sudden, guttural bark. Yet it wasn't aggressive. This bark wasn't the same one used on Ilunor. It was more of an inquisitive one, one made to get attention but without the intent to offend.

"You said your realm has beings with similar features, and you laud them for it. Do you not find such features on sapient beings to be in a similar vein… degrading or animal-like?" I cocked my head at that as if to emphasize my confusion at that question.

"Erm, no, why? The only reason I brought it up is because I thought it was a really cool, if not a downright tactically beneficial gift befitting of the martial traditions of your realm. Again, I apologize if that was in any way offensive, Thalmin, I just…"

"No, no." Thalmin interrupted once more. Except this time, he didn't shout, he didn't bark, he didn't do anything so much as raise his voice.

"Thank you, Emma." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Wait what?"

"Perhaps this is a matter best saved for another time, but I appreciate your candid nature." The lupinor smiled at me in appreciation..

"Suffice it to say, I am not offended in the slightest. And I am… grateful for your appreciation of this natural… as you say it, gift of my kind. I haven't yet heard anyone outside of my own kin that openly regards it as such." We exchanged a genuinely friendly look for a few moments, before Thalmin continued on with his discussions on Ilunor.

"On the topic of my inherent abilities." Thalmin seemed intent on using that phrasing, which I didn't mind nor wished to dwell on.

"I did not find him utilizing his scent. Moreover, the Vunerian was likewise absent from the scents of the room as well. The only reason why I was able to find him was because of this…" The lupinor walked over to what I could only describe as a pile of soft things, as the wolf rummaged around… only to find nothing.

"Wait." Thalmin barked out in confusion, as he began rummaging and practically throwing plush after plush out from the nesting pile.

"It was here. It was here when I arrived." He continued on his relentless assault on the poor defenseless plushies, until finally, the pile had been all but dispersed. Nothing was left, except for a small, charred-out piece of what was presumably at one point paper.

"It was larger when I first uncovered it… No matter." Thalmin muttered out, before pointing to it vehemently.

"When I arrived, I found two burnt letters by scent. This first piece I found underneath the Vunerian's nesting pile. Which is seemingly disappearing despite there being no more flames to consume it…" Thalmin observed curiously, before pointing towards a countertop with yet another burnt-out letter.

"The second was a letter sent to all dormitories announcing the emergency assembly. He burnt both using his breath, which meant he left a scent trail leading straight to where he hid." The lupinor traced out a path leading to the second floor loft, towards one of the closets.

"There, he inexplicably reappeared back into reality. His scent was restored, and so was his presence in the mana-field." With a steady breath, Thalmin prepared to lead into what seemed to be the natural conclusion to his observations.

"These inexplicable developments can only mean one thing. I believe that the Vunerian possesses-""-some sort of a magical artifact that hides him from everything? Sight, sound, smell, mana-field, and everything else in between?" I quickly interjected, my mind going towards the same conclusion which I couldn't help but to butt my way into. Thalmin's eyes narrowed at me curiously, as if he was shocked by my ability to piece this magical mystery together.

"Correct. I assume you came to the same conclusion from your experiences with the Vunerian in the armory?" I nodded.

"Yup, but I'm going to do you one better. I'm going to assume that during your altercation with him, he either dropped that blanket of his, or made an effort to take it with him to the assembly?" It was Thalmin's turn to nod now, as it was clear we were both on the same page.

"Correct, which leads me to assume that you are coming to a similar conclusion as I. That his… peculiar and uncharacteristically unstately obsession with that piece of fabric, was done out of practical necessity. For this legendary artifact granting him complete invisibility from all the senses is none other than this unassuming piece of cloth." It was at that point that we both nodded in mutual agreement, grinning proudly at our decidedly basic detective work.

"Which now leads us to even more questions." I pressed on, carrying forward the momentum of the conversation.

"Where did he get the blanket? How did he get the blanket? And more importantly, why did he feel the need to prep his blanket during the assembly?"

"I believe I may have an answer for that latter question, Emma." Thalmin offered, to which I nodded, giving him my go-ahead to continue.

"Prior to leaving, the Vunerian presented me with an ultimatum. He would only agree to attend the assembly under the condition that I guarantee his safety." My eyes couldn't help but to grow wide at that, as everything started coming together now.

"Now, given what we've learned from the assembly, I believe it isn't too hard to piece together just why he might have been hesitant to attend." Thalmin concluded.

"There were only two big announcements at the assembly. The explosion in town, which was more or less glossed over… and then the library situation." I paused, sighing as I attempted to pinch the bridge of my nose, bonking my helmet in the process.

"That must have been what he was up to at the library during our whole tango with the null. He must have done something to the library to cause this whole clusterfuck." I offered. To which Thalmin could only nod yet again in agreement.

"Getting a bit more common there with your word choice, Emma of Earthrealm, but your point certainly still stands." Thalmin responded with a hint of levity, which was definitely needed given the implications this whole thing was leading up to.

"And I'll continue to let things slip, at least within the confines of this dorm." I chuckled back, before heading seamlessly back into the deep end.

"Right, this leaves us with a hypothesis that Ilunor's responsible for whatever happened in the library, and a prime suspect for tomorrow's investigation. This also leaves us with several questions still unanswered. And while I'd be glad to sit here and theorize away with you, Thalmin, I think we should just cut to the chase by pressing for answers straight from the source." Thalmin's eyes couldn't have grown to a more agreeable state at my little proclamation.

"I'm going to redeem our little meeting token we agreed upon back in the armory. And I'm going to use it to get to the bottom of things." The mercenary prince walked up close to me, and with a hearty laugh, he slapped me hard right between where my shoulder blades should be.

"That's the spirit! If only more of the upper echelons had this sort of a go-getter attitude, we'd be in places by now. You certainly have Havenbrockian zeal in you, Emma. It's… honestly quite jarring to see, and not at all what I expected to find here in the Nexus of all places. But I'm happy that the fates that bind dictated that our paths cross like this." The wolf grinned out excitedly, which I reciprocated underneath my helmet, despite the prince being unable to see it.

"I have to ask, are all Earthrealmers like this?"

"Oh, some, not all. Let's just say they probably sent me here for my go-getter attitude, I guess." I offered, before turning my sights towards the door, and the blue thing that had a long question and answer session ahead of him. I hope you're ready, Ilunor… Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Living Room. Local Time: 1425 Hours. Emma Booker Ilunor was decidedly not ready.

As we found him splayed out on the couch in front of Thacea, having seemingly consumed an entire platter of breakfast themed sweets whilst the avinor looked on in polite horror. Both Thalmin and I immediately turned to Thacea for answers.

"Thacea?" The avinor, as usual, had all the answers we needed.

"Lord Rularia seems to have taken to overconsumption to alleviate the stresses plaguing him, Emma." She gestured to the mass of blue that now practically sank into the soft upholstery of the sofa.

"We were only talking for what…" I checked my HUD's chronograph, before continuing seamlessly.

"... twenty minutes?"

"Lord Rularia mentioned he was feeling particularly stressed, and was famished as a result." All three of our eyes landed on the incapacitated Vunerian, as I decided that enough was enough, and walked up right to him.

"Alright. Alright, that's enough silliness for one day, come on." I spoke sternly. And when that didn't work, I began poking him. This roused the small thing somewhat, enough that he began to stir, but not enough for him to wake up from his food coma.

"Ilunor."

"Ehgh…"

"Ilunor."

"Ehgghn."

"Ilunor, wake up!"

"AH!" The small thing jumped up, that sudden leap ending with him landing right on my shoulders as before, my exopack acting as a convenient seat for him, much to my chagrin.

"We need to talk, in private, now." I demanded, with little room for negotiations as I began taking the initiative by walking out of the living room and back towards the dorm, making sure that the Vunerian had little to no time to weasel his way out of this one. Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Ilunor and Thalmin's Bedroom. Local Time: 1430 Hours.

Emma Booker Taking a page out of Thalmin's book, and making sure to walk him forward with a hand secured around his shoulders, we entered his domicile without any issue.

"Ilunor." I began with a solid, stoic tone of voice. Shifting away hard from that colloquial and casual tone from my interactions with Thalmin.

"I believe now is as good of a time as any to resume where we left off that night. And considering the circumstances-" I momentarily shifted my attention to the burnt out letter in the corner of the room, hinting at the fact that I knew more than I was letting on.

"-I don't think there's going to be an opportunity to delay this any further. So, are you ready to talk?"

"Ready is a relative state of affairs, newrealmer." The Vunerian began, reaching one arm over to the other, clenching the fabric of his cloak tight between his fingers.

"A state of affairs as dynamic as the circumstances that seem oh so eager to evolve on the whims of fate. So yes, let us talk. Let us exchange all that there is to be exchanged before the inevitable conclusion to my story." I couldn't help but to be taken completely off guard by that latter statement… but pushed on regardless.

"Just… explain to me what is going on, Ilunor."

"You will have to be more specific with your line of questioning, newrealmer-""What exactly are you involved in?" I interjected.

"Last we chatted, I asked about the specifics of the stunt you pulled in the armory. Now, it seems like those questions pale in comparison to the extent of what's been happening behind our peer group's backs." I paused, readjusting my angle of attack to take into account Thacea's prior discussions about peer group dynamics, and the necessity of maintaining cohesion, to prevent a divide and conquer scenario from outside forces.

"So I'm asking you now, as a fellow member of our peer group, tell me what's been going on. If you want specifics? Sure. Tell me why you've been sneaking around. Tell me what was up with your whole stunt at the armory. Tell me how you got that invisibility cloak, and why you even have it to begin with. Tell me about the burned letters. Tell me about your hesitancy in going to the assembly today, or in leaving the room at all. Tell me-""Enough!"

Ilunor finally put his foot down with nostrils quite literally flaring, his typical tone of voice all but gone at that point, replaced with one coated with severity and devoid of most pretenses. It felt even more 'genuine' than that brief glimpse at a regular conversation following the debacle at the armory.

"You've made your point, newrealmer… You've made your point." Trails of smoke escaped from his maw as he composed himself. The Vunerian's voice carried with it an unhealthy mix of dread and anxiety. It took him a few seconds, but he eventually regained his composure before pointing to a pair of plush armchairs. No verbal prompting was needed as we both made our way towards them, Ilunor plopping himself atop of one, whilst I elected to stand just across from him for obvious reasons.

"There." ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 210% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS"Perhaps now you'll be able to sit." I had to do a double take at what I just witnessed. The Vunerian, for the very first time, actually offered me something; and a courtesy at that. Cautiously and with a great deal of suspicion, I decided to take it, sitting down on the magically reinforced chair.

"Now, if you'll excuse me for being so brazen… it's about time you noticed."

"What-""You'll be pleasantly surprised to know that all of this does not require an explanation befitting of the lengthy nothingness of the Expectant Decorum." He immediately went off, diving straight into a different tangent.

"In fact, there is a singular thread which weaves together all of these seemingly disconnected points on this tapestry of intrigue." He took a deep breath, staring at me, his eyes seemingly attempting to gain the same type of purchase on the pupils hidden behind my opaque lenses. He hesitated for a moment, as if considering his next words very carefully, before pressing on.

"Newrealmer… everything I did, every decision I made, every action I initiated was done because I was under contract. The extracurriculars? The debacle in the armory? All of it was of my doing, but none of it was of my choosing." It all started coming together. The strangeness, the seemingly nonsensical actions and aloofness, all of it now had a sense of direction. But before my mind could fully grapple with that revelation, a certain choice of words irked me enough to shift directions.

"You used the word was, past-tense. Did something change?"

"Hmmph." The blue thing grinned back, seemingly satisfied at my deductions.

"So you really are paying attention." He nodded.

"That is correct, newrealmer. Circumstances have, in fact, changed. For as it stands, I find myself a signatory to an unwanted agreement, beholden to a contract without a master. Which is why we are here, discussing this matter freely, without the stranglehold of contractual obligation preventing me from partaking in the privileges inherent to my station."

"So you're free from this mysterious 'benefactor'." I proclaimed.

"Precisely." Ilunor replied, or rather, hissed out not-too-gleefully.

"Yet you don't seem all too pleased about it." I observed out loud.

"How could I be, newrealmer? I understand that you may be lacking in experience in such social intricacies due to your realm's backwardness, so I will try my best to be brief in my explanations. Whilst the cessation of a contract means I am, by your own words, free; this 'freedom' travels in both directions. It is a freedom from, but also a freedom to. I am now both free from its controlling obligations, but by that same reasoning, I am also free to be judged for my actions without any of its protections."

Ilunor spoke darkly, his features a distinct mix of equal parts frustration and despair.

"And I'm assuming you need its protections because of what you did to the library." I responded without mincing any of my words, causing the Vunerian's expressions to rapidly darken.

"That's why you were so scared to leave the room today, right? That's also why you tried your best to hide from the assembly when it was announced. And that's also why you brought your little invisibility blanket to the assembly, just in case." I hit the Vunerian with accusation after accusation, leaving him no room to squirm.

"Am I wrong?"

"No… You are very much correct, newrealmer."

"So what exactly did you do? What exactly happened in the library?" … The Vunerian's maw began moving, yet nothing audible emerged. His lips trembled as he stopped to regain his bearings, his eyes squeezing shut as he held both armrests tight between his little hands.

"A burning." Ilunor managed meekly, practically whispering those words out. My eyes went wide at that revelation, and whilst this would've been bad enough if it happened at any regular old library, the fact this happened to the library of all places was enough to send shivers down my spine.

"Ilunor… what the fuck did you do?"

"I… I burned them. An entire section's worth. Using dragon's breath and ancient sorcery to ensure a permanent scar." He elaborated with a pained expression, eyes darting to shy away from my helmet's unchanging visage. A thousand and one questions flooded me, but only one out of all of them managed to come through.

"But why?"

"I was commanded to do so under contract." His retort was filled with a growing irritation.

"But why, who would… why would anyone want you to burn books in the library, it just doesn't make any sense-""Because of you, newrealmer!" Ilunor shot back with a seething, frustrated hiss.

"It was because of you."