That night, Aediva continued with her research to find suitable ingredients for her mana potion creation. She stared at the notes with a distant gaze. She tapped her pen at the notes and idly flipped the pages of the book she borrowed from the library that afternoon.

After a while of not progressing anything with her research, she decided it was better to take a break. She let go of the pen in her hand and stood up from her chair, stretching her arms before grabbing the thick woolen sweater at the edge of the bed. Aediva looked at the sleeping monster.

As she walked down the stairs to go to the pantry for a drink, she kept thinking to herself.

How could she not have noticed such an odd thing? Maybe she was a bit too tired as well with a lot of the things happening the past few weeks. Her little private training of magic with “Blackhorns”, the mana spools that she had just finished last week. Or maybe because she was kicked out one too many times by Rachel herself.

Aediva do not know the whole reason but that woman was definitely having some sort of personal vendetta against her. Might be because she’s seen a weakling when it comes to magic. Nonetheless, it still managed to amazed her for someone to be so small-minded as a educator.

Aediva let out yet another sigh as she poured a clear water to a mug and flinched at the chilly sensation of the liquid when touching her lips.

“Ugh… Can’t I just get some room temperature water for once? How have I not lost my mind when every hot drink I touched quickly turned lukewarm in mere seconds” the girl groaned, downing the rest of the water before her body shivered as the rush of chill running down her gullet. She placed the mug down on the counter, pinching down at her forehead.

“... I’ve been brushing off that unsettling feeling since I thought it was just me getting cold feet…” she murmured to herself. She walked out of the pantry after washing the mug at the sink and blindly went past the living area until she backtracked her steps. She looked to the side, narrowing her eyes at the familiar figure at the couch that she mistook as one of the ghosts.

“... What the…” she muttered but the person on the couch a few meters away from the lit fireplace, simply flipped the pages on their hand. Aediva wordlessly went to the door, seeing the locks are still pretty much bolted in place. So, she returned back to the living area where the albino person whose gender she really can’t discern was sitting. She tilted her head, wearing a frown on her face.

“How did you get in?” she asked, her tone disbelieving as the person looked up from the book.

“Oh, you know~ Old people have their tricks,” the albino replied.

“???” Aediva looked at them dumbfounded.

“... Are you… going to introduce yourself…?” she asked.

“Oh, of course. Where are my manners? Marith Ciege Adnednelleycielle, little lady. I’m glad to see you’re in good health” the albino introduced themself. Marith, smiled - their fangs peeking from the crack of their lips.

“Adnebubu-- Wait a minute, are you related to Sleepy Bo--- Senior Aerelle?” Aediva was about to repeat the same thing from the day at the wand shop as well but immediately dropped it. She asked that person instead.

Marith beamed as Aediva stared at them googly-eyed.

A slender build and shapely hip with small waist. Yep, definitely not something you could discern as male or female in at first sight - especially when they still got that masculine feel around them. Their pure white hair reached to their back and sparkled under the dim light with various colours like diamond. Their eyes are like rubies and always languid and with a gentle look. Marith is one hell of a beauty or a very cool-looking. Wait, isn’t this the one she saw the night before?

“Umm…” Aediva is really not sure of what to say when confronted by someone she really doesn't know how to read. She had the feeling this one is really at the age befitting for their looks.

“Kufufu, you can call me Marith, young child” Marith said to Aediva.

“Of… course. So, uh… What brings you here…?” Aediva asked. Marith chuckled.

“Well, I was passing by the mansion and I thought I’d drop by and see how you’re doing. It’s been over a month since you’ve started enrolling as a student, right?” Marith said with their gentle voice that lulled Aediva to drop her guard down.

“Y-yes…?” Aediva replied. Marith chuckled, patting at the empty side of the couch they were sitting on. Aediva tilted her head but before she could piece two and two together, she found herself sitting at the stranger named Marith’s side. She looked at the boxes on the table.

“I brought a little food for a midnight snack. The children love to eat at night too. Fufu” Marith said. At that point, Aediva thought, ‘You know what, fuck it. Let’s eat’ when she has the content of the containers.

Her eyes literally shine bright at the first bite of the croquette. The juicy meat and the potato, felt heaven in her mouth. Without her realizing, everything that came after that was almost too fluidly for her to notice that she was practically talking to some stranger who had somehow gotten into the mansion.

But the food was delicious and Marith’s presence was incredibly soothing, she completely threw her guard and suspicions out of the window. She talked and talked with Marith as if it was the most natural thing to do in the world. It was until she eventually felt a little drowsy from feeling full after eating all of the food Marith brought. Her head feels light yet it was nothing like dizziness or any other painful headaches.

It must be the fatigue playing tricks on her. Not to mention the drowsiness. But is it truly? She shook off her head - trying to rid off the heavy-feeling off her head.

It hardly worked.

“Fufu. Looks like you’re getting sleepy. It is already late so you best head back to the bed, young one” Marith said when noticing Aediva starting to nod off in the middle of their conversation. Aediva blinked her eyes, letting out a tired sigh as she nodded her head to what Marith was saying.

“... Okay, I’ll go to sleep now. Thank you for the pleasant conversation, Marith…” Aediva said, standing up from the couch - or at least that’s what she remembered she did. When she opened her eyes after seemingly a restful sleep, it was because of the damn monster jumping on her abdomen. Again.

“Aediva! Wake up! We’re gonna be late to class!!!” panicked, the monster screamed - quickly causing Aediva to sit up on her bed and went flying to the dresser to get her shirt and skirt without bathing at all. No time to process what she recalled earlier was a dream or a reality even as they went past the empty lounge area downstairs.

The sound of hasty footsteps running down the stairs and Cath’s screaming broke the serene morning in Aval Dorm. It was really late. Way too late for her even if she sprints full speed to the class. That said, she would be smelly since she didn’t even take a bath before class. She slammed the door open, the sound echoed to the outside of the mansion as she panicked.

“FUck!Fuck!fuck!” she cussed like a chant. Despite the desperate hastiness, she still looked up to the sky when feeling a strong gust of wind passing overhead.

“Zielle!” she instinctively shouted when seeing the familiar green-haired maiden flying on a broom above her.

“Oh! You woke up late too!? Hop on! It’s faster with a broom!” Zielle said. Before she could even reach the ground that’s considered safe to get a passenger, Aediva already hopped on, clinging to her new friend like her life depended on it.

“I can’t balance. Hope you don’t mind” Aediva explained briefly but Zielle probably already knows by the way she clings to the broom and her body.

“Hold on tight!” Zielle warned.

The shriek of both Aediva and Cath that day was something to remember.

Fortunately, they reached their first class right on time before the lecturer entered the class. Unfortunately, it’s Ms. Rachel’s class of magical alchemy. Aediva was glad she kept the lab coat in her bag when she left in a jiffy or else, she’ll be kicked out from the class again. As soon as they crashed into the class through the open window, she quickly wore her lab coat and took a seat beside Zielle and Zayen - the boy glared at her as she settled down with a sigh.

“Zielle! Why are you late?! And why are you still with this… human?” Zayen asked, his voice hushed although still a little loud. Zielle hissed at her brother, annoyed.

“Silence. I’ll speak to you later” Zielle said to her sibling, instantly silencing him but his glare towards Aediva remains. Aediva let out a sigh of relief as Cath climbed down her head to her shoulder - most probably to whisper to her.

“Hey, are you going to do anything in this class?” he asked her.

Aediva’s finger that’s tapping on the book in front of her froze.

“... Arthur and Eden are not here…” in a sudden revelation, she murmured as she looked around. Efren Dorm students are only allowed to skip classes after lunch hours. Did something happen to the two?

“I’m sure they’re fine. The charms are not broken. Yet” Aediva whispered. She opened her notebook as Rachel started her lesson. After what Cath had said to her yesterday, she really cannot ignore the gut feeling anymore. Maybe she needs to go to Efren Dorm after all. But first, she needs to confirm something.

“Zielle,” when they were out of the class, Aediva quickly called out for the girl in the hallway. The glare from Zayen who is right beside Zielle did not go unnoticed. Zielle stopped for her, fully attention but then Zayen grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away.

“You’re going to be late for the next class. Let’s go already!” Zayen said, pulling his sister away before either Zielle or Aediva could speak to each other. That quickly left Aediva and Cath dumbfounded as they stood there - seeing the fraternal twins disappearing at the corner of the hallway.

Aediva let out a sigh.

“There goes someone to ask about stuff in the school…” she said.

“What’s up with that kid? He kept glaring at us like we’re some sort of bugs” Cath said. Aediva shrugged - letting out a sigh before walking to the next class. The rest of the classes felt odd.

It has been for the past week and it was probably because she was alone. In the row of seats in the lecture hall, she would always sit at the very back all on her own while the rest of her classmates gave her the pitiful condescending glances to her. It is just something when you get used to it?

In the end, she got out of class feeling a little under the weather. She tried, yet the thoughts that she had always kept at the back of her mind leaked through and broke the wall of ignorance that she had put up for over a month.

“... Maybe, I really should go there…” she murmured to herself. Cath’s ears perked up when she asked him to show her the way, a little confused himself. Nonetheless, it only took him an offer of canned tuna and bread for him to agree. The feline monster walked in front of the girl who would’ve been lost if she even tried to traverse unfamiliar places on her own.

It didn’t take them long to reach the Hall of the Black Mirror.