“Ya, finally! We're doing something else!”

Long since tired of daily practice, Elicia was brimming with excitement. And while even Urie found himself in earnest anticipation of the trip, Celeste was engrossed in her charred fish, indifferent to the news.

“Where are we going, headmaster?” Urie asked a curious question. The headmaster had instructed them the day before to pack a light bag with a few necessities, and to assemble here at the crack of dawn.

“It's a surprise, keheh! “ headmaster Arinndra teased while waving his little finger side to side.

—Ah, how troublesome. Best not to inquire further, I'll get nothing from this old man.

Urie turned away from the headmaster and sat down on a rock to start on his meal. He glanced furtively opposite of him, where a certain crimson-haired girl was seated.

Her eyes were squinting dazedly over the distance, reflecting the morning's radiance bouncing off of the serene lake. Her locks of long crimson approaching the ground as she sat, were a touch warmer under the filter of day. From her small lips nibbling on a skewer of fish, a puff of white would occasionally be released.

—Ah... It's been a year...

Urie reminisced about when this quiet girl first arrived. Celeste had opened up to his mother in a bout of tears; Urie being present in the parlor room, he had also listened carefully to her story—it was a rather peculiar tale.

A city of the same name as theirs; a demi-human race of magic creatures called elves; and a land covered perpetually in darkness. Urie felt giddy at the mystery of the unknown, and more than twice felt the urging jab of curiosity at his nape.

—Ah! Although there were so many things I wanted to ask!

The circumstances made it awkward for him to even attempt. His mother kept bawling and couldn't help but feel empathy for the young girl's predicament. Of course, Urie felt the same so he tried his best to keep his intrigue in check.

When Celeste's story neared its end, there was one thing that she couldn't expound on—how was it that she had mysteriously arrived under Erden's boundless blue sky?

—Why was Celeste at the northern wall? Does father have an idea?

A light discussion that Rivelle had with his grandfather who was eventually allowed inside the residence, revealed that Celeste, like Urie's father, Gideon, had formed a strong connection with the greater spirit of water. From that, they had surmised, that whatever it was that had occurred with Celeste, Undine had played a part.

From a recent exchange of letters, they were also told to pay close attention to Urie, who exhibited similar, if not more compelling signs of a connection to another greater spirit.

—The greater spirit of fire...

The intimidating spirit had spoken with him when he was awakened, so there was little doubt in Urie's mind that he was of the same calibur as Undine. But for the moment Urie had chosen not to share that fact. All he said was that what he had encountered was surely a spirit of fire, as even if he'd mentioned that it was a greater spirit, Urie did not even know what name to call it by.

—I introduced myself, but he never told me his name! Wasn't that rude?!

Moreover, another thing Urie had yet to mention was where he'd met the spirit.

—Previously, I had boasted to mother that I'd met the fire spirit in a dream. But now, I'm quite sure that for a brief amount of time, I had crossed over to the other Daerin; the one in Celeste's story.

Urie took a generous bite off of his charred fish and shifted his gaze towards the scruffy old man who—like a carefree child—was taking a nap after feeding his belly.

—Ah, the headmaster seemed to act like he knew a little about Celeste's circumstances. Maybe I should ask him about it?”

Urie thought about bringing it up multiple times with the headmaster but other than when the subject would be about their lessons, it was too difficult to even have a decent conversation with him. Almost as if purposely avoiding the topic, he would make up excuses, mundane excuses even. Like having a sweets break in his office; the elderly require frequent slumber; and many other silly frivolities.

“Cough! Cough!” A small bone that had gotten stuck in his throat brought Urie out of his musing—attentively, Celeste handed him a bowl of water to drink.

“Ya, that's what absentminded people get for not paying attention to your food,” Elicia grinned before breaking into an abrupt chuckle,”Ya, ahah! Celeste, what did you do!? Ahah— cough! You're lips are black! Cough!”

In friendly humor, she mocked—not knowing her lips were the same. The sound of her laughter soon became muffled as she choked a bit on her food, then was also handed a bowl of water to drink.

“Ah ha...” Urie smiled wryly, while taking a handkerchief to wipe Celeste's mouth. Over the past year, he had also gotten to know the boisterous girl.

Seeing Elicia with small tears in her eyes, Urie recalled how much of a handful she could be. A clumsy girl whose every thought showed on her face, as well as enjoys putting on a pretense of being haughty.

—I've gotten used to it, and I believe it's the same for Celeste.

Urie liked having the two get along. Elicia was having her face wiped in the same manner by Celeste when she noticed his gaze. She let slip a chuckle and a nudge at Celeste before they both expressed a stifled laugh. Urie's lips as well and up to his cheek—unbeknownst to him appeared a comical crescent black.

Breakfast continued with laughter and a roll of sweet bread Celeste had brought out her pack, and it ended with headmaster Arinndra waking up from his short nap with an envious glare.

Strapping their bags eagerly—they followed the scruffy old man outside of the academy, and up along a path they had all walked countless times before.