A wave of warm air washed into the room from the bathroom while Lucius sat upon his bed in his pyjamas. His hands fondling with his phone, Lucius was by all intents and purposes content. And yet, a certain someone was not.

A spirit of inquiry infiltrated the heart of Harux. Indeed, the excited elf could not help but ponder over their roommate's disappearance. And though he did not quite understand why, his instinct did.

Hand on his chin, Harux stared outside the window.

Why was Tommy missing? If he was indeed worried about Jaiga, then perhaps he went after her. Provided Tommy left in search of Jaiga, it could only mean that she was in danger, and danger warranted the presence of an enemy, and an enemy warranted....

Fighting!

“Lucius, Tommy went to fight a strong opponent!”

The mindlessness of his roommate's comment forced Lucius to facepalm.

“Quaint, I never would have guessed, Harux.” Partway through his sentence, Lucius propped himself down on his bed and faced the ceiling.

At his roommate's enthusiastic demeanour, Lucius could only roll over to the side and hope that his fervour would eventually subside. That hope being no more than a quixotic fantasy, Harux’s nagging turned into silence, then movement, then the sounds of frequent scurrying.

His expression was solemn, his conscious mind tried to ease itself into a state befitting of the quietness that was sleep, and yet his subconscious self held the opposite sentiment. He was so wanting of rest, of sleep, of the sweet state that was unconsciousness, and yet, why was it that he said nothing of the lights that shone from the ceiling? The commotion that came from every corner of the room?

Maybe just maybe, Lucius felt a hint of curiosity too.

This is annoying…

Lucius, his frame now turned to the opposing side, set his eyes on Harux.

Whatever his roommate was doing, he was doing it with his nose thrusted out like a pig.

Sniff. Sniff. Air entered through Harux’s nostrils as a variety of smells and scents, bordering on being anosmic, flooded his brain with information. Chrysanthemum, olive oil, bread, Lucius’ shampoo…

This continued until Harux eventually noticed one thing. One peculiar scent that remained distinctly different from the rest. A peculiar scent that could have been found circulating within his very own body…

Blood. That was it. Immediately, Harux shot forward, his nose leading the way, he stopped at what he thought was the source of the scent. Sniffing the desk all over, he then changed his mind. No, the smell was from the bin underneath it. In addition to the usual teabags, tissues, and the like, Harux’s eyes traced two peculiar objects atop the pile of rubbish: an opened antique envelope and a sheet of paper.

Picking up the two items, his nasally attributes led him to the small blank piece of paper.

Lucius, pleasantly surprised at his roommates' discovery, observed.

“Lucius, Lucius!” Harux called, as he brandished the paper in front of Lucius’s face. “I can smell blood on this paper.”

“Yes, and what of it?”

“Well, I can’t see any blood on it, so I thought it was wei-.”

Wait. Blood? Even Lucius thought something was odd about that. Immediately, something clicked inside his mind.

Focus. Synapses spurred into full gear, electric nerve impulses jolted back and forth through his brain. Blood, and lack of text. There was seemingly no relation, barely a proof of any greater scheme or idea, and yet, the very idea that the word ‘barely’ was in play, held the acknowledgement that as insignificant as it were, that there was a hint hidden somewhere.

First, in the bin. An opened envelope, an indication of the fact that Tommy was the recipient not the sender. This would thereby invalidate the theory that the letter was empty because Tommy had yet to write its contents, meaning that whatever was contained on that paper, was in fact present at the time, and yet missing now.

Invisible text, and the scent of blood.

This either constituted two possibilities, a compound such as ferrous sulfate developed by sodium carbonate or potassium ferricyanide, which would change color upon mixture with an acid or base, or the other more obscure option... Blood serum, giving off the same metallic smell, and yet arguably easier to handle as an invisible ink, with all that being needed the application of some heat...

All of this logical reasoning, formulated in the span of 0.9 seconds, led Lucius to conclude that he had stumbled upon a revelation.

“Harux, are you ready to witness the work of a miracle?”

His expression smug, it bore resemblance to the one he had when he had saved the students from a stray tree, or when some of the same students had bore witness to the fact that the video Professor Brick was showcasing was none other than one incorporating him truly.

In short, this was the expression he possessed when he felt like he had won.

To reveal the sacrilege that was the secrets written on the text, all that remained was the simple act of exposing the letter to the heater that was in the room.

With the expectation that the text would be revealed in a matter of minutes, all that remained was waiting… Their hearts raced with adrenaline. Sure enough, after a dozen or so minutes had passed, the bloody substance, having oxidized from the heat, revealed itself in the form of refined brown handwriting.

Upon closer inspection, Harux made out the brief but impactful words that were written on it.

‘Jaiga is currently located at 22 Umbra Street, your appointment will be at 10:00PM, do not be late.’

“So someone’s holding Jaiga hostage and Tommy went to find her on his own?” Harux deduced.

Lucius nodded to his affirming roommate. “That does seem to be rather characteristic of him, yes.”

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” Harux shouted. After all, if the mysterious being who wrote this letter had defeated Jaiga. That must have meant that he was pretty strong!

Seeing no other way around this, the two hurried to prepare their equipment.

“Mhm, that should be it.” Harux said, as he handled the scimitar in its sheath.

“Shall we depart then?” Lucius suggested, to which Harux nodded.

Avidity carrying each of their steps outside the perimeter, the two began to pace their way towards the outdoors and under the night.

Lucius shuffled through his pocket before pulling out his phone.

“Hello, Azama?” He spoke, as vapour emanated from his breath with each and every word.

“Would you be aware of some method in which we could reach Night City?”

Lucius’s face blank, he found himself nodding in brief intervals, as the call went on for another ten seconds before ending.

“He’ll meet us here in a couple of minutes.”

Fixated on the school’s exit, the two surveyed the surrounding area in search of the one who had been designated to drive them. Their eyes eventually settled on who they could have only assumed to be the one.

On closer examination, while it had been hard to make out his figure in the darkness, Lucius saw a man who could only have been described as impressively stylish. In equal part, physicality and aesthetic alike, he was tall, black-skinned, and wore an elegant velvet suit. To top it off, he even sported a pair of premium sunglasses, which given the time of day and lack of light, seemed to be strange and yet, given his overall demeanour, led one to not cast judgement in spite of it…

With a wave of his hand towards them, what small doubt the students had were cleared, as they began to approach the limousine with haste.

The door to the vehicle held open by the man, the duo adjusted themselves snugly inside the velvet accented room and waited for their driver to follow.

“I must say, this car was exquisitely furnished, might I ask if it was a product of your doing?”

Hearing those sweet flattering words, their driver’s attitude changed as he let out a hearty comforting laugh.

“Why, yes, indeed it is, sir. Many thanks for your flattery.” Resonant and low, his voice carried itself to the students.

“It’s said you can easily judge a man's quality by his embellishments, in that case, I hope your skills in driving are equally as formidable as your ones in aesthetics”

“My skills are magnificently developed, rest assured, trust me when I say that none of my offerings are anything short of splendiferous”.

“That I can tell”. Saying that, Lucius’s hand wrapped around one of the nearby bottles of wine.

Barsony Estate, Saint Estilon 2005…

“A 2005 vintage? A man after my own heart.”

“Ah, so it seems that you possess the cultured integrity of a designer and a sommelier.”

“As do you, this vineyard, while renowned within the upper echelons of society, remains even niche there, so to find such a bottle in a wayward occurrence in a car whatmore, is nothing short of astonishing.”

Unspoken, Harux’s eyes burned with craving, as his hands, occupied with the articles that were pieces of pastries, were now in the midst of stuffing his mouth full of food.

“Mhhhm,” he nodded in satisfaction, his cheeks puffed up like a squirrel.

“How fortunate the both of you are, to remain in the presence of a man who covets culinary refinement.”

“Indeed, it seems my companion is having the time of his life with your croissants.”

“Croissant? Is that what these are called?”

“Why, yes indeed, that is the name given to them, speaking of names, would you be so kind as to inform me of where you two gentlemen would like to go to?”

“22 Umbra Street,” Lucius confirmed.

Receiving corroboration that this was their intended destination, the driver pressed his foot down on the pedal, and via a mechanism, sent the car moving. Churning through the heavy snow that had blocked every crevice on their path, the limousine paved its way through the drudgery and forged a path devoid of the sound of stressed rubber.

“Not to be rude or succumb to business that does not pertain to me, but mind I inquire as to why two boys such as yourself wish to visit an abandoned hospital in the middle of the night no less?”

Lucius sighed, as he stared impassively into the vacant forestry, scrutinizing why precisely they were. As a matter of fact, this whole ordeal was the design of not cold rationale, but childish impulse, one that he had undoubtedly too late considered.

“.... Suppose I have to set the wrong thing right.”

His elvish companion answered more clearly.

“I’m going to fight a strong opponent!”

The driver, in some small instance of youthful reminiscence, let out a hoarse chuckle, in understanding of Harux’s words.

“What delightfully fine reasons.”

Muttering under his breath, his mind reached an instance of clarity that led him to realize a minor mistake on his behalf, one that having been undercut by all the congenial banter, had been held in abeyance.

“My apologies gentlemen, I seem to have forgotten how to conduct myself in a proper manner.”

Right hand off the wheel, he held what Lucius saw to be two business cards pressed between the gaps in his fingers, which with one sharp throw, landed themselves directly parallel to the two students.

“The name’s Jerome, Jerome the driver.”

The two of them, receiving the understanding that it was their turn for introductions, spoke in turn.

“Lucius Mortius.”

“And I’m Harux Y’saanith!”

“Harux and Lucius.” Jerome pondered. “Two fine names indeed.”

Like a pair of jovial intellectuals, the duo went back and forth as they exchanged opposing views regarding the circumstances of their life, situations, and wares. All the while, Harux avidly watched the flickering pieces of white snow, falling unhurriedly, and drifting in a rhythm in accordance to their own existence, the time spent in the car would carry on in said fashion.

Peace and repose rested on the boy’s conscious minds, the details of the grim reality lying ahead faded away, as youthful naivete held its place. Truly, it should have come as no surprise to them then, that it would have cost them.