The rest of Millie’s meeting with the Headmaster went…well, not exactly smooth, but she came out far richer in knowledge. A glimmer of hope dared to spark in her chest, even if her more pragmatic side insisted she was walking a fool’s path. But then—did she have a choice?

If she learned one thing with the Headmaster it was that if she tried to play it safe, her child’s life was all but forfeit. As she walked out of his office, through a portal, and back down into the temple-like entrance lobby, she plucked a card from her Tarot deck.

The upsidedown picture of the Heirophant greeted her. Strangely, she knew that was exactly the card she would draw. It had warned her in her fight with Strickland that adhering to rules, playing it safe, doing the smart thing wasn’t necessarily the only path forward. While there was much to be gained by listening to counselors and wise men, there came a time when one had to break with tradition. Forge their own path despite the advisement they received.

Now, more than ever, she felt she understood that.

Millie didn’t have to wait long for the others to rejoin her. It quickly became apparent that despite the fact that she hadn’t spent the full half M-hour with the Headmaster, that amount of time had passed outside their office. And after an M-minute, the first of her classmates came out. Every M-minute after, another joined them.

While she was excited to greet them and begin discussing what they’d talked about, the secretary-bot had shushed them almost immediately, even blanketing them in a privacy screen. It had caught Millie by surprise at first, until she noticed the small, but growing, crowd of students watching them. Many tried to approach them, to ask them how they’d seen the Headmaster when everyone else was kept out. And Millie wanted to tell them, but she didn’t. She couldn’t, in fact.

The last thing the Headmaster did before their meeting ended was bind her in a pact, ensuring that the information—which included the nature of consultations themselves—couldn’t be shared with those lacking awareness about the topics. The words wouldn’t come to her no matter how much she tried, and she knew trying to circumvent that would lead to ‘discipline.’ The Headmaster gleefully challenged her to find a way around it, but she had no doubt where that would lead.

Instead, Millie and her group stood to the side quietly. Thankfully, the servitor stepped in to explain how they couldn’t share this information and how curious students could ‘find the answers they seek in the Archives.’ The only bit of advice Millie could give to a few downcast students was this:

“Oh wow, isn’t it just such a great day to look into all of Magincia’s obscure rules? Just like, so neat how so many offices in the Admin district have rooms full of them! So cool. I know if I was a curious student I’d want to go there right away and read all about it.”

She mostly got weird looks, but at least a few students picked up on her not-so-subtle clues and thanked her before running off. Time would tell if any of them made something out of it.

Finally, Raj exited and the servitor offered them a private meeting room inside the building to have a discussion away from prying eyes. The group agreed to it, as it spared them the trip back to the dorm, but before they left the entrance Millie called for a halt.

There was someone missing in their group.

“Hey, where’s Liam?” She asked. While a part of her would’ve happily ignored his existence, her talk with Raj earlier had put her on edge when it came to the handsome boy.

“He was just after me, wasn’t he?” Isabella said.

“That’s right,” Katelyn confirmed. “Why isn’t he out yet? Weren’t you the last one Raj?”

“I was. One second,” Raj said, heading back to the secretary-bot. “Do you know where our tenth classmate is? Are they still in the meeting?”

The bot shook her head. “I apologize, but Initiate Cobb won’t be joining you.”

A quick wave of complex feelings, torn between dread and elation, washed over Millie before she stamped down on them and saddled up next to Raj.

“What do you mean?” She asked. “Did something happen?”

“Your fellow Classmate decided to split from your team. His consultation will remain private as a result, and none of you will be allowed to share your findings with him either.”

He what? “He…split? As in left the class?”

The secretary-bot shook her head. “I apologize Initiate McArthur, but I cannot go into great detail. However, I can assure you that Initiate Cobb remains a part of your class. He merely decided not to take part in the group consultation, and requested to be sent back to your shared dorm. So, there’s no need to wait for him!”

She smiled politely, but Millie ignored it to turn towards Raj.

“Did you think that he…betrayed us?” She asked.

“I don’t know,” Raj said, giving her a complicated look. “Let’s not discuss this here though.”

“That mother fucker!” Isabella shouted, slamming a hand against the large marble table.

“We don’t necessarily know he betrayed us,” Raj counseled. “All we know is that whatever he discovered, he decided it was worth foregoing the information we found so he could keep it private.”

Millie scowled from her spot at the table, resting on her elbows with crossed arms. “Yeah, but what would he learn that he felt he couldn’t share with us?”

“He seemed to know Thomas,” Katelyn threw in. “And he was really hesitant to talk about what he’d seen during the first day.”

“Hesitant?” Isabella said with a snort. “The asshole was jumping from one lie to another, only to clam up in the end like a coward. God, I want to punch him so bad.”

You and me both, sister.

“Do you think he just didn’t trust us with what he found?” Catherine asked.

“What do you mean sweetie?” CJ asked her softly.

The curvy girl furrowed her brow. “Well, maybe he discovered clues to his quest? Or a magic power that he thought the rest of us might fight him for?”

“But what’s the harm in us knowing any of that!” D’marco shouted. “None of us were going to fight him for his shit.”

“I-I don’t know!” Catherine squeaked, recoiling into her chair. “I was just making a suggestion!”

D’marco waved her off. “I wasn’t yelling at you, I’m just…ugh! This shit is so stupid man!”

“Agreed,” Raj said. The large muscled man was standing to the side of the room, combing through counters and tables, opening drawers, and searching through vases, containers, and anything that wasn’t nailed down. Eventually, he opened a cabinet and pulled out a bottle.

“Hmph. I think they offer complimentary wine in here,” he said, before setting the bottle next to CJ before gesturing back to the cabinet. He then proceeded to continue scouring the brightly lit room, occasionally glancing out the series of windows showing the city outside.

“Are we sure this is free?” CJ asked, even as he stood up to fetch glasses and additional bottles.

“That stupid robot didn’t say we had to pay for the meeting room,” Isabella stated. “Maybe it's all bundled in with the consultation?”

“It has to be,” Raj said, before closing another cabinet after having found nothing. Finished with his search of the room, he moved to stand at the head of the table. “From what I’ve learned if you’re going to be charged anything they make it damn clear upfront.”

“Are we sure it's safe though?” Katelyn asked as CJ took a corkscrew to one of the bottles. At her words, the scrawny boy froze and looked over at Raj.

The big man stared at the bottle before gesturing for it. CJ gingerly brought it to him, like he was holding a bomb, and Raj looked it over. He glanced back at the rack with a half dozen more, before looking back at the bottle in hand. Then, he took the corkscrew out, leaving the bottle still sealed.

“Well, there’s one way to find out. ‘Scuse me a moment,” he said, before walking to the door, opening it, and throwing the bottle out as he slammed the door shut. A second later, when no noise was heard, he opened the door, looked out into the hall, then closed it again with a nod.

“Looks safe,” he said, snuffling his mustache as he tossed the corkscrew back at CJ.

CJ groaned good-naturedly as he caught it, and a few others laughed. The scrawny boy got back to work on the next bottle as Raj took his spot back at the table, still standing.

“Thank you for saying something Katelyn,” he said, leaning against the marble. “It's easy to overlook, especially since we never found any indication in the rules of surprise events, random attacks, and the like, but we shouldn’t take anything for granted.”

The tall girl nodded. “Well, I feel a little silly now, but still. Better safe than sorry.”

“I could throw the others out if you’d prefer?” Raj said with a wry smile.

The girl gave him a flat look. “I’d prefer if you didn’t. I could really use another drink.”

“Fair,” Raj said, chuckling. “Let’s get back to the topic at hand then.”

“Right,” Millie said. “Do you think Liam’s making his move? Is there anything we should do to prepare?”

Raj looked at her, before sighing. “I don’t know. If he was, it was poorly timed. Passing on the opportunity to learn what we found is objectively stupid on his part.”

“You think it would have been better for him to hear us out and then try to leave? Would that have worked?” CJ asked, before popping the top off the first bottle and beginning to fill cups to hand out.

“Of course not!” Isabella snapped, hitting the table again. “If that asshole thought he could get our info and not share his, I’d have beat his damn skull in. It's one thing if he wants to be mister tall, dark, and brooding, but another when our fucking lives are on the line and he tries to play coy.”

Raj nodded in agreement. “It's entirely possible he thought of that. It might be one of the reasons why he opted to leave now, before we began to pressure him. After all, nothing compels us to share what we found, we just agreed to do so. It might have seemed too risky for him.”

“It's still…a betrayal,” Tanya said quietly. “He has to know we won’t work with him now.”

“Does he even need us?” Isabella retorted. “He’s got his damn crystal. Hell, the only thing he really accomplished was turning his back on Millie and their kid!”

The dark beauty seemed particularly incensed by the thought, more so than Millie thought their current relationship would’ve justified. Maybe it touched a nerve with her, she thought.

“I’m glad, actually,” Millie said. The rest of the room turned to her with mild confusion, and she lowered her head to stare at her belly as she chewed on her next words. “A part of me wondered if I could trust him. I wondered if his offer to help me was genuine. Now I know it wasn’t. So…I’m glad.”

She gave them a sad smile, one that was reflected on many faces as the silence dragged on.

Finally, Isabella sighed. “I’m…sorry, Millie. This shit’s—”

“It's fine,” Millie said. “I was expected something like it anyway. Do you think we can have him removed from our class?"

Raj straightened before shrugging. "I haven't had heard anything in that regard, but if I had to guess—"

"The answers you seek can be found in the Archives," members of the group chorused flatly.

Raj smiled bitterly. "Like everything in this place. Though, we shouldn't discount the possibility of answers being elsewhere if we look hard enough."

Like with my Tarot cards, Millie thought.

"What’s the plan moving forward?” She asked.

The muscled man crossed his arms as his eyes grew intense. “Same as before. We can’t rule out the possibility that Liam might harbor ill will, and there's the possibility he might try to set something up in the dorm. I don't think its likely given we can call our servitors to defend us there, but regardless, we should proceed to arm ourselves best we can, to protect against him or whoever else comes our way.”

“Should we start by sharing what we found?” Braylon said.

Millie turned to look at Braylon, who’d been awfully quiet during the meeting so far. To be fair, a lot of us are pretty loud, she thought. He might not have wanted to interrupt.

“Go ahead,” Raj said, taking his seat as he nodded to his friend.

Braylon cleared his throat and stood up. “Ah, well, I apologize if anyone was hoping for something specific with me. I kind of just wanted to get mine out of the way though.”

“It’s okay big guy,” CJ said kindly, sitting down after having finished passing out the drinks. “I got kind of distracted in my consultation too, so just tell us what you found.”

“Cool,” Braylon said smiling, though the expression was strained. “I learned that I’m, ah, not well suited to magic. I have a low viability? I guess this means magic will be harder for me. So, I got some clues on where to look for Attainments that are good for physically fighting. I was also told how to access the training yards in the Academy, because I guess they’re locked down unless you know how to open them? That’s, ah, all.”

He sat down, looking guilty.

“Training yards?” D’marco said. “Anything special about ‘em?”

Braylon shrugged. “The Headmaster didn’t go into detail, but even if it's just a track and field that’ll be useful. I hope.”

“It will,” Raj assured him. “Worst-case scenario we could have run through the streets, but if we can get private areas where we don’t have to worry about others potentially harassing us, that’s a good grab. CJ, you said you were a bit distracted in your talk?”

The scrawny boy jumped slightly in his seat. He’d been staring at Braylon sympathetically. “Yeah, I may have confronted the Headmaster about this place being kind of game-like.”

“Seriously?” Millie asked, fighting off a smile. Why am I not surprised?

CJ stood up, rubbing the back of his head as he grinned. “Well, I thought it was a valid topic! We’ve noticed all the quests, magic skills, and Attributes, so I brought it up. Turns out, I was kind of close.”

“You were?” Catherine said, eyes going wide.

CJ nodded. “Yeah, well, aside from the ten-minute-long lecture the alien gave me over my ‘presumptuousness’ of calling their hierarchical magical paradigm ‘game-like,’ the rest it admitted was a fair guess. You see, the Headmaster designed the curriculum, but it's still based on pre-existing systems that they kind of stole from other places. The fact that it seems game-like is simply because that's one of the easiest ways they have to approach complex topics. Why worry about a workout routine when you can just boost your magically created Strength Attribute, you know?”

Raj glanced at his muscles and frowned, while Braylon stifled a laugh.

“After that,” CJ continued, “I found out they went with a quest and competition system because that has a proven track record for whatever goal they have as teachers. I had some…feedback about that, but the Headmaster wouldn’t budge about this being the best method, for whatever reason. I did get them to confirm that hidden quests do actually exist though. It's also not random, it's been designed to at least attempt to cater to our expectations.”

“Wait, if it's supposed to be tailored to us, why not have, I don’t know, a quest log or something?” Millie said. She’d heard CJ talk enough about games that she knew that much at least. “We haven’t seen anything like that, and I know how much you’ve tinkered with your soul scroll.”

“Oho, yeah, I brought that up,” CJ said, smiling ruefully, “but the Headmaster thought the idea of getting a notification when you found a quest was practically heresy.”

“What the hell’s so wrong with a notification?” Isabella said with a scoff.

“Ah, I think I get it,” Raj said, and the group turned to look at him. “Think of it this way. A large part of the struggle this week is finding these hidden quests. If you walked up to a store and got a notification there was a quest with its details on how to finish it, then we wouldn’t have to put all the time and effort to study and verify our discoveries.”

“Ugh, that’s such a pain,” Millie said with a groan.

“I hear ya,” CJ said. “But Raj has the right of it. I think I may have been able to talk the alien into considering a log in the future, but students would only get a notification once they had enough information to prove they’d found a quest, and it would only track details they discovered. Hard to tell if the alien was seriously thinking about it though.”

“That’s fine,” Raj said. “Did you find anything else? Anything on Attainments?”

“Yeah, but it's all Alchemy stuff. It should still be pretty useful, but it’s kind of long-term. Sorry.”

“No worries, cutie,” Isabella said. “That’s still good stuff.”

“Thanks,” CJ said. “Umm, who’s next?”

“I can go,” Katelyn said, standing up as CJ took a seat. “So, mine’s pretty quick, I suppose. I mostly talked about healing magic and got clues on where to look.”

“Anything else?” Raj prompted.

“Well, technically yes, but it’s not helpful,” she admitted.

“Lay it on us,” CJ said.

The tall girl huffed slightly, before reaching down to pick up her wine glass and taking a drink. “I…found out the Headmaster’s gender.”

The group stared at her incredulously. She rolled her eyes before taking another drink.

“I told you it wasn’t helpful.”

“Well don’t leave us hanging,” Isabella said, grinning with a barely repressed chuckle.

Katelyn sighed dramatically. “It's not as interesting as you think. The Headmaster said their race’s biology is more akin to mollusks normally, and their females lay eggs and the males fertilize them. Apparently, however, the Headmaster may have…well, modified themselves extensively in a lot of cases. In this case, the alien’s a hermaphrodite.”

Isabella burst out laughing. “Holy shit, how did you even get Mr. Mommy to bring that up?”

The tall girl grew quiet as she stared at her nearly empty wine glass. “I asked him about reproductive health, and, well, we got to talking. It’s not important though.”

Catherine looked at her friend, concern written all over the curvy girl’s face.

“Anyway,” Katelyn said. “I promise you, outside of details you don’t want to hear, that’s all I’ve got.”

“It’s fine,” Raj said. “Thank you, Katelyn.”

The tall girl nodded and sat back down.

“Who’d like to go next, Catherine?”

The curvy girl jumped slightly in her chair, apparently having been lost in thought. She nearly poked herself in the eye, wincing when she remembered she didn’t have glasses to push up and then stood.

“Um, well, I figured it was best not to assume the Archives would operate with a dewy decimal system so I asked about how to navigate it. There's a spirit you can pray to which will grant advice, and I also got clues on where to look for information related to navigation, divination, and religion. I assume that will include Attainment scraps.”

“Religion?” Isabella asked.

Catherine looked sideways as she shuffled between her feet. “Y-yes. I wanted to know more about it, so I asked about it. That’s all.”

She sat down abruptly.

“Ah, alright,” Isabella said. “I guess I can go next then, unless anyone has a burning need?”

No one interrupted her, so after downing the rest of her wine, she stood up next. “I…may have inquired a bit into the Golden Girl, and spirits in general. Nothing really useful outside of Attainment clues for fighting them, but I did learn one interesting tidbit. Not all the Seed Quests are available yet. Several will unlock as the week goes on.”

“Seed Quests?” CJ asked.

The beauty nodded. “The conditional quests we’ve been looking into? Their official term is Seed Quest. I don’t know anything more than that though.”

She shrugged before sitting back down. After a moment, she then turned to her brother and gestured for him to go. D’marco rolled his eyes and stood up with a sigh.

“Hello, my name is D’marco, and I’m an alcoholic.”

The tall boy smiled at his joke, a few others getting it. Unexpectedly, however, Braylon paled, scratching at his cheek uncomfortably.

“Hello D’marco,” Raj said. “Thank you for sharing, but if you don’t mind?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the boy replied, waving him off. “I got a bit in common with cornrows over there, I guess. I’m not gonna be great at slinging spells, so I got told where to find stuff to fight with. Also, I guess I’ve got a good affinity with something called an Oni? Apparently, I’ll be able to get Attainments from or work with those types of spirits real well.”

“What’s an Oni?” Millie muttered.

“It's a Japanese Yōkai,” Catherine said offhandedly. “It's like a demon. The west usually considers it a type of troll, or ogre.”

“Wait, are you telling me the fucking Headmaster was calling me a troll!?” D’marco shouted. Catherine recoiled in fright.

“Hey if the shoe fits,” Millie said.

“Fuck you, Bloody Millie!”

“Fuck you, Oni-boy!”

The two of them glared at each other for a tense second before breaking into light laughter. Catherine looked dumbfounded by the exchange.

“Man, this shit’s just typical though,” D’marco griped. “Anyway, the only other thing I got told was that I should look into getting a tet-a-bo? Other than that, I’m done.”

He sat back down.

“Tet-a-bo?” CJ said, cocking his head. “Wait, do you mean a tetsubō?”

“Fuck if I know man.”

“And that would be…?” Millie asked.

CJ chuckled, waving a hand placatingly. “It's basically a giant club. Like a big ol’ baseball bat with iron studs or spikes on it.”

“Oh, of course he’d suggest you get a baseball bat,” Millie said, turning to face D’marco. “You do seem the delinquent type,” she teased him.

“I don’t know whatcha talkin’ about. I’m a fuckin’ model student,” he said, grinning.

His sister snorted, and didn’t comment.

“Tanya,” Raj said. “Would you mind sharing next?”

The short girl blinked awkwardly, before standing up.

“O-of course. Um, I initially tried to ask for information to help Millie, but…the Headmaster told me my consultation was only for me.”

Raj nodded knowingly. “I was told the same, don’t worry. What did you find?”

Tanya let out a sigh. “I didn’t know what to ask after that, so I just asked for the Headmaster’s general opinion. I got clues on where to find Attainments on travel, scouting, and long-range combat. It probably won’t surprise anyone to learn that I’m not well suited to in-your-face fighting.”

She smiled weakly, and Millie gave her a supportive smile.

“It's okay, Tanya,” Millie said. “None of us is the best at everything. Did you find out anything interesting though? Like the Headmaster’s shoe size?”

The group chuckled and Tanya gave her a grateful smile in return. “No, nothing important. Honestly…the Headmaster kind of just started lecturing me about not being…driven, enough I guess. I’m sorry I don’t have anything more.”

“It's okay,” Millie said again. “Every bit helps.”

The petite blond nodded, before sitting back down.

“Millie?” Raj said. She nodded and stood up.

“So, I’m sure you can all guess what I asked about,” she said, gesturing towards her belly as the group chuckled again. “At first, the Headmaster stonewalled me, insisting I just give up on my son. After I got past that nonsense, I learned that I’ll need two Attainments if I want to save him.”

“So you can save him?” Isabella prompted.

Millie hesitated, before nodding. “I can…if I can find a way to gain Attainments without taking the remedy first. No magic, no Attainments.”

Millie took a minute to fill the group in on the details that led to that part of her discussion with the alien.

“Hmm,” Raj said. “No accelerated growth, and no safe place to keep your son. How are we going to get you these Attainments?”

He seemed troubled, which Millie could definitely understand, but she gave them all a hopeful grin.

“Well, that isn’t all I learned.”

“Do you have a way then?” He asked.

Millie nodded. “It's…technically a long shot, not to mention highly taboo in Magincia. Though thankfully there's no one to call us on that, and the Headmaster won’t enforce city rules, only Academy ones.”

“What the hell did you find?” Isabella breathed out. “Some black market fix?”

“You’re not far off, actually,” Millie said, before pausing to look over at Tanya. “I was reminded of something recently, and it gave me an idea. When I brought it up, the Headmaster was equally intrigued and repulsed.”

“Enough with the theatrics, woman!” Isabella said. “What did you find?”

Millie smiled. “So the remedy heals people, right? The thing is, it's technically impossible to add or restore a layer to your soul, even with all the magic Magincia has available. So to put it bluntly, the remedy shouldn’t work, but it does by getting around that limitation. It spurs the body, and thus the soul, into creating that layer instead, kind of like somehow tricking the body into just growing back a missing limb.”

“And that’s just possible?” Katelyn said skeptically.

“It is if you were to throw in some reptile genes. Biologically, we’re capable of lots of things, most of which would never work in real life but with magic, they can. But, ah, reptiles aside, I asked the Headmaster if there were any alternative ways to spur the soul to generate that layer besides the remedy. And, well, I found one.”

Millie looked directly at Tanya again, giving the small girl an appreciative nod. “In some cases where something crucial is missing from someone, you can get donations from others to fill it in. Get enough, and your body can take it and use it to heal itself. In other words, what I need is…a bit of a soul transplant. With enough foreign soul bits, my soul will ‘heal’ itself, no remedy required.”

The room stared at her in shocked silence. It was interrupted almost immediately by the small blond shooting up from her seat.

“I volunteer!”

Millie had expected her to do that, but it still touched her deeply to see her offer.

“Thank you, Tanya. There is…a problem though. The amount I’d need from any one person would be crippling, if not outright deadly.”

“I don’t care,” Tanya replied. “If you need it, I’ll—”

“Tanya, please,” Millie said, gently interrupting her. The girl backed down, looking hurt, but Millie shook her head reassuringly. “The thing is, there are several steps involved that complicate things, but it turns out I can, in theory, have multiple donors.”

Raj stood up. “How many do you need?”

She looked at him gratefully. “Well, it's not really a question of how many. The more I can draw on the less it will…cost individually.”

The muscled man raised an eyebrow. “What's the cost?”

This was the part that made Millie anxious. Not that she doubted people would want to help her, but mostly that she hated knowing what it would take.

“Donating parts of your soul would cost you significant portions of your Spiritual Attributes. Up to ten people could donate though, which would lesson how much it would cost people individually, but—”

“If we all donated, how much are we looking at?” Isabella said, standing up.

Millie blinked at the beauty, before clearing her throat. “Ah, well, it would have been eight to ten points if it was everyone in the class. As it is, without Liam it’ll probably be fifteen to twenty.”

The group chewed on her words before CJ stood up.

“That’s fine with me. Hell, I’ll be pumping out stat-boosting pills before you know it!”

“Happy to help,” Braylon said, standing as well.

“You can count on us,” Katelyn said, standing as she gestured to Catherine to join her. The curvy girl hesitated, before grumbling as she stood up.

The room then turned to stare at D’marco who was still sitting down. He glared at Millie.

“You owe me a Tatabo. Got it?”

Millie smiled with trembling lips, before crossing her heart. “I’ll get you two, you little shit.” She was trying not to cry.

The boy shot her a cocky grin before standing with the rest of the group.

“Will we be enough then?” Raj asked her.

Millie nodded. “There's going to be some hurdles on the way. Getting someone to do the transplant, not to mention the cost of the procedure. I haven't got anything concrete on it yet, but its not like this place has health insurance. And the costs for magic goes up a lot the higher level you need."

"How will we even afford it?" Tanya asked. Millie didn't miss how the petite girl had said 'we' without even hesitating.

"I don't know yet. I have an idea of where to look, but until we have a means secured for the operation, finding the funds will have to wait."

"You said up to ten people can donate, right?" Katelyn asked. "Do you think we can find two more to help?"

Millie paused, before shaking her head. "I don't know. Everything I learned was part of the consultation, so I won't be able to talk to anyone other than all of you about it."

"It's alright," Raj said. "Whatever it takes—we'll make it work, Millie."

Millie looked up at the former marine. He smiled at her with such genuine warmth that her composure finally broke.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you guys,” Millie said, her voice trembling. “The moment I can cast magic, it's free Tarot readings for everyone!”

Millie was blinded by the wetness in her eyes, but before she knew it she was being hugged by several people. Her chest felt full to bursting with gratitude at the array of strangers who were quickly becoming something more.

People she knew could really rely on. Allies. Comrades.

Friends.

After a few minutes to steady herself, she brushed at her eyes and turned when a large hand gently rested on her shoulder. She smiled at Raj, before smacking his shoulder playfully.

“Hey, you didn’t tell us what you found, mister!” She said.

“True,” Raj said, holding up his hands placatingly as he laughed. “In the category of Attainments, I got clues about Necromancy. Apparently, that's an inherent affinity of mine, which confused the hell out of me. But the Headmaster told me that the practice may not align with our cultural expectations.”

“Really? Necromancy?” Isabella said, raising an eyebrow as her arm was slung around Millie’s shoulders.

Raj shrugged. “I’ll want to learn more before I commit to anything. I’m not keen on human sacrifice or the desecration of remains. Other than that, I confirmed a number of suspicions, all of which I’ve talked to you about. The last thing I learned, however, was something I think everyone is going to like.”

He snuffled his mustache at the group as he smiled knowingly.

“Ugh, enough of the long-drawn-out statements!” Isabella complained. “What is it?”

Raj untied the jacket around his waist and held it up.

“I found where we get our uniforms. Our real uniforms.”

The Halls of Hospitality were one of many offices in the Administration district. Unassuming, with an open design akin to a Roman villa, it seemed like as good a place as any to relax in the serene countryside of the district. A place to soak in the local culture and styles of Magincia.

It was also where the Student Registrars' office was.

“We have to register as students,” Millie said flatly. “I can’t believe we’ve been given shoddy clothing that doesn’t fit because we aren’t registered.”

Raj chuckled at her, as the group followed a servitor up some stairs towards the registrar.

“We were kidnapped and forced to be here,” he said, “but even the Governor can’t make us accept being students. Just everything up to it.”

Millie let out a number of choice curses, several of which were echoed by other members of the group.

On the second floor, they were led down the opulent halls and entered the office proper. A short while later, they were all officially, and painlessly, registered as Magincian Students. It would have been an empty gesture had it not been the requirement to requisition their actual uniforms. Which, naturally, they were directed elsewhere to procure.

It was, unsurprisingly, the same store Rebecca had received her ‘gift.’ Thankfully, the uniforms they were given were much less cursed, even if they had to go into the fitting room and get every inch of themselves measured. Millie complained to the servitor tailor, asking why the uniform didn’t just auto-adjust.

“There are a limit to the number of enchants that can go on equipment, Initiate,” the servitor told her. “In the case of your uniforms, there are simply more practical effects that can be woven into the fabric and we can see to the sizing on our own!”

The robot smiled warmly, which Millie only found noteworthy because in this particular servitor’s case the smile reached its eyes. It seemed to genuinely enjoy its job, though Millie kind of felt like the robot was…a bit handsy. Could robots be handsy?

Regardless, it didn’t take long for Millie to be standing in front of a full-length mirror, feeling…pretty good about things. Even if her new uniform was a bit strange.

The jacket wasn’t too different, though it was a bright white color. It was still wrapped around her chest, with twin rows of buttons, but it was thankfully nowhere near as tight anymore and was pretty comfortable. It also completely covered her belly! Silver epaulets sat on her shoulders like pauldrons, and a silver embroidered hood dangled behind her, resting between her shoulders.

Below her waist, however, was a white surcoat, the top of which was covered by her jacket. It billowed out reaching near her feet, split in the front to hang around her like a battle skirt. A silver belt wrapped around her waist, beneath her belly like before, but this time without any chafing issues.

Underneath the surcoat, she had silvery heeled boots with greaves reaching her knees, but above that, her thighs were exposed until they reached an actual skirt, silver in color, and there were shorts underneath that no one was likely to see given the modest length of the skirt.

Lifting up her arms, she looked again at the silver, metallic bracers that covered her uniform. White and silver seemed to be the theme all around, which was odd considering the old uniforms had been a dark blue with gold accents. Her new suit’s metals also had a delicate intricacy to them. Patterns, not unlike webbing. She didn’t think too much of it, however, until she left the changing room and the rest of her class gawked at her.

“Why is your uniform different?” Catherine asked, scowling.

Millie looked down at her uniform and then compared it to those nearby. There were distinct similarities between them, but striking differences. The other women had similar skirt/surcoat combos, and everyone seemed to sport more metal covering limbs and vital areas. But they were all still dark blue, and their accessories weren’t nearly as intricate.

“Ah, I don’t know?” Millie answered lamely. “This is just what they set me up with.”

“Seed Quest?” CJ said, looking over at Catherine.

The curvy girl huffed. “Yeah. Seed Quest.”

“Huh?” Millie cocked her head. “You think this is part of my hidden questline? Really?”

“Where’s your Tarot cards?” Raj asked, pointing to her belt which was conspicuously empty.

“Oh!” Millie said, brightening. “The uniform came with secret arm holsters.”

He raised an eyebrow. “It just so happened to be pre-equipped for your Tarot cards?”

“Okay, yeah I see your point,” Millie said, smiling sardonically. “But hey—check this out!”

Millie flicked her wrist and a card popped into her hand.

“Tada!” She waved the card, which turned out to be the Ace of Clubs. She’d gone for a random draw, and she found it mildly hilarious to have pulled an ace out of her sleeve, but then paused as she considered it. She’d studied her cards, and she knew what this one meant.

The chalice was golden, standing stories tall in the middle of a river splitting a chasm. The night sky was visible, despite the sun shining brightly above, as the moon formed a crescent shape, hanging beneath the bright star like a smile. Together, their light mixed, spinning in the heavens before pouring down into the cup.

She smiled sadly when she looked at it. The card, like all Tarot cards, could mean many things. But typically, it represented new beginnings. New loves, new happiness. New friendships. In many ways, it felt like it was telling her it was okay to let go. To say goodbye.

To finally accept that she could move on from Liam. The fact that he wasn’t here now, was further proof of that.

With a bright smile, Millie flicked her hand and the card disappeared.

“Hey, what’s the x man character with the cards?” She asked.

CJ face-palmed. “X-men, and you’re probably thinking of Gambit.”

“Yeah!” She shouted, before splaying an array of cards into both hands as she took a comical battle stance. “Hah! Prepare to have your fortunes read, monsters.”

The group laughed at her antics, only to shout with fear when Millie, who was making karate movements, shot a web the size of a Volkswagen at the wall.

They then all stood there in stunned silence, the servitor nearby sighing dramatically.

“Ah…I guess I’m spider woman instead?” She said, chuckling awkwardly. A second later, however, her mouth slammed shut and she glared at a nearby servitor. “Wait, is this why there’s bugs in my fucking food!?”

“Look,” CJ said exasperated. “I’m just saying that there are plenty of stories where divination is tied with fate reading and the like, and fate’s viewed as a giant tapestry or web. As such, it's not unusual for spiders to be associated with fate as a result.”

“Ugh,” Millie moaned. “But I hate spiders! Why is this part of my ultimate weapon nonsense? I swear to baby Jesus, if I get the power to summon spiders, I’m fucking out.”

The group chuckled around the private table where they were sharing a meal. Their next stop was the Archives, but as they’d just gone past the second M-hour of the day—meaning nearly six real hours had passed since they’d started their exploration mission—they’d opted to stop at one of the numerous restaurants outside it for a meal first.

“Oh yeah?” D’marco said tauntingly. “Do the thing.”

Millie glared at him, but the tall boy was unphased. Instead, he began to drum his hand against the table, shouting ‘Do the thing! Do the thing!’

Unfortunately, his sister joined him, and soon most of the group did as well. Only Catherine looked mildly put out, and Raj was too busy laughing like an old grandpa to join them.

“Fine. Fuck, I’m glad you thought to ask for private seating…” she mumbled, before mentally activating the uniform’s defenses.

Or as the others have taken to calling it…spider mode.

Instantly, her hood popped over her head, a silver veil covering her face from the nose down. The intricate metals of her accessories snaked across her body like webbing, in some places literally hanging down like silken strands, as her surcoat closed in the front, sealing into a full dress. Silver plates of metal expanded from her belt, helping to guard vital areas.

Millie crossed her arms petulantly. She’d wanted to call it tank mode, but the group had literally outvoted her! Then again, maybe I should just be grateful this didn’t come with a spirit to torment me, like what happened to the Golden Girl.

Thankfully the veil covered up her smile as the group cheered her.

“Ugh, I can’t keep this going long though,” she admitted, before sending a mental command to the uniform to return to its normal mode. She then rubbed at her head where a small headache was already forming.

“Too much magic?” Katelyn asked.

Millie nodded. “It’ll be fine once I get awakened, or whatever. But until then, no keeping the enchantments up constantly for me.”

Which isn’t an issue for the rest of them, she thought enviously. But hey, I’ve trusted them so far, so there's no reason I can't keep relying on them.

“It shouldn’t be an issue,” Raj reassured her. “These uniforms alone should keep most people off our back. And any that try anything will get a nasty surprise.”

He lifted an arm, a small thrum of energy filling the air as a protective, yet invisible, field sprung up just over his skin. CJ and Catherine had insisted this was ‘Mage Armor,’ though Millie knew it was clearly a force field.

“Agreed,” Isabella chimed in. “Though, let's get Millie her damn magic soon, all right? I want me a Seed Gift too. You think they all come with custom uniforms?”

“Probably,” CJ chuckled. “Hmm, maybe I should see if I can get an Alchemist set? You think there are customization options for the general uniforms?”

“There is for everything else,” Braylon answered him. “Though, even if there aren’t it's just nice to have something that fits!”

“Here, fucking, here!” Millie said, lifting her glass—sadly of water—towards the group. They answered her toast with a clink of their cups.

After that, they wrapped up their meal and left the restaurant. It was a short walk across the central plaza towards the Archives. Only a few people were out, and they were already drawing looks, but they ignored them for now.

Unfortunately for Millie, the mortal enemy of most pregnant women bared her path. Stairs. Raj offered to carry her, but her pride wouldn’t allow it. So it was, ten minutes later, huffing and puffing, that Millie joined the rest of the group inside the Archives.

That’s also where they found roughly half of the current students population.

The entrance floor to the Archives was incredibly spacious. With a massive open central area, filled with tables and writing desks, and a far wall lined in bookshelves interspersed with doors leading further in. Stained glass windows constituted the roof, and light poured in brightly to illuminate the room.

Which was currently in chaos. Absolute, utter chaos.

Tables were flipped over, smashed, stacked up, and in one case on fire. Books were strewn on the floor, on shelves, on people, or in pieces. One shelf was torn out of the fucking wall. Students were everywhere, with loud discussions, debates, and even an unsanctioned fight (there were no servitors anywhere) just happening in the background with no one doing anything to stop them! They also, nearly as one, turned to stare at Millie’s group when they arrived.

They were the only ones in real uniforms, after all. And it kind of stood out.

Raj wasted no time, however, stepping up to difuse the situation. “Just so everyone knows, you can register yourself as a student in the Halls of Hospitality located in the Admin district. You can find it on any of the maps, and that’ll let you get your real uniforms.”

He hefted his massive arm up showing off his golden bracer.

“Why is she different though?” A female student asked. She was sitting on the ground near them and had quietly been reading a book.

“Wait, that’s the broodmother!” Someone shouted.

“Bloody Millie?”

“The girl they made a gif of?”

Millie blanched. “Someone made a what of me?”

Several people looked at her, laughing, even as a mad rush began to exit the Archives. Many even shouted thanks to Raj and the group for letting them know about the uniforms. It was still weird that they were leaving so readily. Had they not been able to find what they wanted here?

“Oh, I guess there’s no harm in letting you know now. It'll save you time,” the girl on the ground said. She stood up, brushing back her ear-length black hair as she approached them. She was pale-skinned and looked to be of mixed European-Asian descent.

“This floor is primarily for recreation,” she said. “The city took a copy of all of our music and media and replicated most of it here. See those doors between the shelves?”

Millie nodded, along with the rest of her group.

“There are private areas where you can sing, watch movies, or relax. They also offer footage for important events, so you can re-watch any of the ceremonies or Trials, or in Miss Millie’s case, the First Duel. Students also found a way to make edited copies, so you’ve become very popular.”

Oh my fucking god, Millie thought with a groan as she tried very hard to ignore the mischievous gleam in Isabella’s eye.

“Lastly, you can pay the system to provide media in your room if you feel the need. Most haven’t.”

“But why is—” Raj began to say.

“This place a mess?” The female student replied, smiling solemnly. “Because the upstairs are locked and no one knows how to get in. And downstairs is nothing but traps and undead. People have been…protesting as a result.”

She gestured quietly towards the room.

Catherine gasped. “Oh, they probably just need to—urk.”

The curvy girl literally seized up.

“Ah, you okay there Catherine?” Millie asked.

The curvy girl breathed out, relaxing after a second. “Y-yeah, I think…um, I forgot I can’t talk about it.”

The dark-haired student in front of them cocked her head curiously, before shrugging.

“It's okay. Thank you for telling everyone about the uniforms. Not many are keen to share right now.”

She bowed politely towards the group.

“It's no problem,” Raj said, waving her off. “Though, you’re welcome to watch us if you want. Just keep your distance and don’t ask questions. We can’t really answer them you see.”

She looked at him curiously, before gazing across the group. “That’s kind of you. I suppose…I suppose I could. I’d just be waiting otherwise.”

“Waiting?” Isabella asked. “For what?”

The girl smiled softly, staring at the burning desk nearby.

“To die, of course.”