There wasn't a room. There wasn't even a doorway anymore. There was just rubble, dust, dirt, and even more rubble.

If I tried to take a step in, I'd just end standing on top of what remained of the ceiling. The painted walls now all looked like pieces to a puzzle the way they laid there amongst the ruins so strewn.

'Cept there won't be any assemblings happening here, putting everything back together again... just what do we think we are - magic?

Well, I asked around. No surprise I didn't find any magical construction workers hidden among our many talents, which now that I come to think of it, would actually be a particularly useful branch of magic to research.

Could certainly use a bit of that magic right about now.

There were a pair of hands scouring through the rubble somewhere on the righthand side. Balancing her footing against loose slopes and slants, brushing away the yellow curls constantly streaming over her wide-open eyes... admittedly it was an impressive sight, ten minutes straight, and Amanda wasn't hollering in pain from bruised knees.

Meanwhile, Irene all the way across was already on her fourth - I think fifth attempt? Kinda hard to keep track of how many times she's tried standing back up when you're constantly veering your eyes away from second-hand embarrassment.

Lesson learned. Uneven crumblings planes ain't no place for heels that narrow and high. She'll take that to heart, I'm sure.

I could have helped search too, I wanted to help them search, but it's like the soles of my shoes had somehow cemented itself onto the ground, and unfortunately, it was the quick-drying type too.

Don't think it'd have mattered anyway if I had offered a bit more manpower into the fray, cause dead-center at ground zero... Ash was more than enough elf-power for all of us - tossing and flinging huge chunks of concrete as if they were nothing more than tissue papers.

It was also her that eventually ended the search party's spree through the crumbled ruins. Clutch tightly within her hands were the unfortunate victims buried underneath all the heaps and mounds.

A dented bucket of paint spilling streams of liquid white, and a paintbrush snapped almost cleanly in half, held together by just a small bit of wood at the center.

That was all that could be salvaged.

Clearly Ash thought it wasn't even near enough... sadly, nothing could be done about it.

Waking up to find - this. I can only imagine what the hell must be going through her head at the moment. I mean I was awake for the entire thing and I was still reeling from it.

Her though? It went beyond a rude awakening. Could easily tell, Ash's face had no secrets to hide... from how her ears continue to slump, the way her gaze stuck to the ground.

It was as if her thoughts were speaking to me in the open air, and continuously they'd say, "Why wasn't I there?"

Why didn't I wake up? Why couldn't I have stopped him? Why did I let this happen?

I was reminded again by just how much Elf-Knights and failures just do mix well with each other, the resulting reaction did not make for a pretty sight.

She knew it wasn't her fault. But I guess that's just it, isn't it?

How you could do everything right, and yet things still unfolded the way they did anyway. That despite all your efforts, that in the end, they would all just amount up to nothing more than just rubbles in a heap.

I can understand that line of thinking. After all, we were probably all feeling the same thing, I included... perhaps even more so than anyone here.

Jay left us starting over from less than zero.

I still remember Irene's words spitting out like acid as we made our way back down here.

"That room was the only room in this entire building suitable for a summoning. It's gone now - gone! We can't even look for another - because we don't have the time to paint for another! Without those contrasting colors, we can forget trying to summon anybody... no room, no paint, no colors... tsk..."

She had a lot more to say apart from that, but everything else was either lost through the funnel of profanity or just a reiteration of what was just said or sometimes both - either way, she made her point loud and clear.

Sera Nas will remain in the realm of fiction indefinitely.

Nobody seemed to be in a speaking mood after that.

Not Ash, who offered only a slight bow my way before inclining herself against the wall across from mine, placing her findings off to the wayside. Irene definitely didn't want to talk - she was the first to leave, stamping her heels all the way down to the third floor, probably to be alone for the time being.

Amanda... y'know, Amanda seems to be the only one faring quite well considering current circumstances, which was really highly suspect of her.

I expected her to be the first one groaning and moaning at the slightest sight of trouble. It would pretty much fall in line with what I've seen so far.

Shrieked at riding shotgun with a vampire. Groaned at being made wall-painter for hours on end. Pouted at the fact that we were being awfully liberal with her car. I especially remembered personally seeing how down in the dumps she could fall upon learning her mother fell victim to the unending sleep.

So you'd think seeing the only hope of ending it be so swiftly dashed away from under our feet would have her voicing out even more visceral moans and groans, you'd think that... no.

Amanda elbowed me right outta my thoughts with nothing but just a slightly irked expression furrowing her brows.

"I painted that, you know?" Amanda said, moaning again. "I painted at least ninety-eight percent of all of that. Irene barely helped, oh she sucks at painting anything. She's far better dishing out instructions than she is following it on her own. So that's what she did, hours and hours.

Putting on a mocking high-pitch voice with a harsh tone so strongly familiar, she continued. "'Black here, white there! This one's too big! White here is too narrow, do it again! It's not black enough, I told you to make it blacker! Black it!' - seriously, your girlfriend's a damn demon."

Well, at least she lives up to what she is right?

"I'm going to have nightmares about painting rooms now, and it's all that detective's fault. Talk about police brutality..."

I tried to chuckle, but only managed a pathetic puff of air. "Happy you then, I guess. Your trauma room is now bits and chunks lying on the floor. Sucks but, guess that's your silver lining."

"Silver lining?" She had a frown to go with her slanting eyebrows. "You kidding? I'm pissed! I poured my heart out into that, I'm not just going to take that lying down. And that summoning circle you guys needed - augh - hold on, look at this, I can't believe this!"

I didn't know what 'this' was. I saw her pull something out of her pocket, she pushed it up so close to my face I nearly went cross-eyed, but honest to God I haven't a clue what the hell I was staring at.

It was small, slab-shaped, and very, very white all over.

"This is - WAS - my phone in case you can't tell."

Oh. Guess I know now.

"Was on the floor next to the paint bucket - why? Cause I was pulling up an image of the summoning circle so I could cross-reference it. Apparently, my elbows hit quite hard, did you know?"

"I just did," I muttered under my breath, still rubbing a bruised rib.

"Yeah," She sighed, stowing the white brick back from whence it came. "Dead now. And I'm pretty sure warranty doesn't cover a fresh coat of paint, so… I liked this phone. Mom gave it to me for my birthday this year - and I told her I'd take good care of it too."

I think I knew where this was going. Why her groans and moans weren't aligned with the atmosphere permeating all around.

"Now it might still be fixable, it might not be," She said, her eyes in a sideways glance. "But as sure as hell won't until I walk myself down a repair shop and give it a go right?"

Bingo. Nice allegory.

"Is this a pep talk?"

Amanda blinked a couple times. "I'm venting."

"Pepping, venting," I threw her a glance. "Same difference."

Suddenly her gaze turned dull and flat… tagging along was a flail of the arms. The jig was up.

"Alright, fine, I am trying to pep you!" Amanda confessed, throwing her hands all around. "I mean can you blame me - look at this! Everyone's acting like all hope is lost! Is it? I don't think it is."

"Neither do I," I replied.

"See! Even you think - !" Amanda stopped, blinking rapid blinks again. "What'd you say?"

"I said neither do I," I repeated, throwing her another glance… and I think this time she finally took a proper look, a proper listen to the tone coating my words. "If you're this pissed off over a couple of hours of effort wasted… then just how do you think I'm feeling over a couple of days' worth?"

Her pupils darted, and shifted… searching my stare all over, and just like that, she finally understood.

"You're furious…"

I shook my head. "Worse."

"What… what's worse?"

What's worse? Before, I couldn't even tell you myself - but now I can, cause I know. Worse was that I was welcoming the anger, worse was me welcoming ever grim thoughts that came tagging along with. Worst was that I wanted it.

The worst was that I didn't mind feeling worse.

"I'm feeling emotional."

Jay's lesson for me... perseverance, huh? Looks like I finally understood what he meant by that.

He wanted to see for himself what I can do, fine then, sure. I'll show him just that.

A little bit of paint, half a paintbrush still musty and damp. It'll have to do.

There was a glimmer of green.

Ash was staring at me all of a sudden, and the way her ears fluttered just then, guess she must have sensed something from me. Her stare towards mine was one of curiosity, but it was also one that immediately understood.

She finally lifted her head, finally perked her eyes back straight. "Master?"

"It's not done, we're not done yet," I said, turning to them both. "We're doing the summoning anway. Room or no room, paint or no paint."

"We are?" There was a huge amount of incredulity in Amanda's tone, she must have realized it too, I've never heard a faker cough in my life. "I mean - yeah, sure! Uh… where though? Don't really have a room to go to."

What's she saying? Course we do.

"Grab the brush. Ash take the paint, I'll meet you both back on the sixth floor. Start drawing the circle as soon as you can."

I was saying all this, I didn't realize I was already walking until I finished, and by then I was already a significant distance away.

"What, from memory?" Amanda said a little panicky. "You must be - !"

She didn't get to finish. Too busy trying to catch my phone I just toss with fumbling hands. Good thing she caught it. Barely though.

"Don't spill a drop on it!" I warned, already far, far away. "Now go!"

"Master, wait!" Ash took a step forward, both paint and brush already in tow like the diligent servant she was. "Wherever are you headed?"

By the time I made it to where I wanted to be, the loud echoing steps down every step I was taking already answered for them… nevertheless, I spoke out.

"I need a teacher, don't I? Bell's rung, and she's late for class, I'm going to go get her."