Mallory's Dreams: The Coven of Mystical Arts – Chapter Three
“Lory.” A faint whisper repeating her name woke Mallory in the middle of the night.
“Who is it?” Mallory came to her senses and propped herself up to see her surroundings, her vision barely adjusting to the dark.
“Hello?” Mallory repeated.
As she scanned the room, Mallory smelled a strange winter rot scent wafting around. There was a metallic odor mixed in it, too, something like rusting iron.
The rest of the dormitory was quiet, just like it had been before she fell asleep. Though she wanted to, Mallory had no way of checking the time now, as there was no clock in her room.
Instead, she found her notebook still open and sprawled on the bed right beside her pillow; her sketch of the siltscale and crystal hairpin remained unfinished. She closed her notebook and put it away carefully.
Mallory thought she must have misheard things, as it was deathly silent except for the sound of flowing water caused by the moving fish outside the dorm. She decided to get up and take her water bottle from the bedside table to have a drink before going back to sleep.
After she drank, she set the water bottle back down on the table and cozied herself up in her sheets.
“Wait, why isn’t there any soun—” She gasped and quickly clasped her hands to cover her mouth.
In that suffocating stillness, an unnerving silence pierced through Mallory’s eardrums, as if the rest of the world ceased to exist and all she could hear were her shallow breaths from the fear welling up inside her.
She wanted to yell for her friend in the next room but was afraid of whatever it was that was causing the silence.
“A nightmare, I wish this were all a nightmare.” Mallory closed her eyes and willed the scene to be nothing but a bad dream.
Then, she heard a sound outside again. It was water. She heard what sounded like a dog drinking water.
Mallory sighed a breath of relief. Perhaps it was just fatigue creeping in and making her overthink things.
She steadied her breathing and listened to the dog drinking water outside the dorm.
Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Mallory counted her breaths… “Hold on,” she thought. “How could there be a dog drinking from the pond when Mateo already locked up the place?”
“Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.” The sound of soft, wet inhalation mimicked Mallory’s breathing.
“Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.” A faint crack echoed against her ear, followed by a louder one, as if something was creeping close by, observing her.
Mallory did not dare open her eyes… until something sharp brushed against her eyelids: a pair of icy cold, wet, skeletal hands curled around her head, causing Mallory to open her eyes filled with tears; fear had consumed her.
“Lory.” It grinned as it called out her name.
Mallory’s eyes widened at the sight of a vicious creature that had plastered its face right in front of hers. Its sunken eyes were pitch black. Its cracked, dried lips parted to show a set of something akin to shark teeth.
Mallory cried silently as she was entrapped by a creature with a corpse-thin appearance, its limbs stretched longer than two meters, with bone protrusions piercing through what might be the rotting smell Mallory had noticed earlier: yellowed and parchment-like skin with torn, dangling flesh, its ribs exposed, showing a blood-red crystal sparkling inside.
“It’s not… a dream… Lory.” The creature opened its mouth fully, breaking its jaw, coming for Mallory’s face to rip it out.
Pitch black.
Mallory opened her eyes to find herself in the same spot as she did earlier, as if she just woke up. Nothing happened. “Was it a dream after all?” She thought.
Mallory jolted upright, but she could not move… and she could not breathe. Her eyes were wide open, but her body remained frozen. This was no longer a dream but real life, and now she’s more vulnerable than ever.
Her eyes darted around her room quickly to find the danger. Then, she heard a bone-cracking noise near her shopping bags in the opposite corner of her room; her red amulet, which had attracted the siltscale, glowed a bright, warm pink color and floated across the room towards her.
“Lory… is… a—” The creature’s monstrous voice and breathing sounded like it was suffocating.
Mallory’s amulet grew even brighter; at the same time, she felt her energy leave her body.
Inexplicable shrieking noises came from the shadows around her room and materialized into the creature she had seen in her dream.
Mallory felt like she was about to pass out from the lack of air. She forced her body to move so strongly that she began to feel her toes again. A couple more tries and she was able to partially get up, still without feeling in her arms and fingertips, breathless.
The creature inched closer to Mallory at an accelerating pace, and she stood up to run towards the door to get her friend, Achlys.
“Lory… run… and I… will break… your legs.” The creature snarled and started laughing maniacally, catching up to Mallory to push the door and close off her only escape.
With the creature creeping closer to her, Mallory forced herself to move. She felt her arms and fingertips again, air finally coming into her lungs in the smallest amounts, but even that was enough. With sheer desperation, Mallory called upon the plants from outside to break into her room and hold the creature down; strong vines extended to her room and heeded her call.
Glass from the window walls shattered loudly, and the creature got caught up in the vines that forcefully bound it.
“ACHLYS!” Mallory screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice quavering as she continued to fight while in tears.
Almost immediately, she heard loud footsteps running from outside. Then, her friend forced the door open, only to scream, frozen in place, completely shocked at the scene.
“WHAT IS THAT DOING IN HERE?!” She yelled and helped Mallory to stand upright.
“I don’t know! I… I was dreaming, and I saw it coming for me. Then I woke up and my amulet—” Mallory frantically filled her friend in, but they were interrupted as the creature pierced Mallory’s floating and glowing amulet with its long, sharp, skeletal arms, and it vanished without a trace.
In an instant, the creature broke through the vines, as if its original strength had returned. Similarly, Mallory felt she could breathe more easily and no longer felt her energy draining.
Before the monstrous creature could attack, Mallory quickly made the first move. She deftly wove a ton of water from the pond surrounding the dorm through the broken glass windows and shaped several thin and sharp circular blades. She moved the water as though they were her own limbs, froze them up, and sliced through the creature’s body, hitting part of its bloody red crystal in the center of its chest. It bellowed loudly in response.
“Achlys, burn it now!” Mallory yelled.
“I know, hold on!” Achlys fumbled around her ears and broke the pendants of her earrings, a catalyst she had bought earlier at the market. Achlys channeled her mystical energy into the catalyst, filled with a sense of protectiveness towards Mallory.
Then, dark red flames quickly spread from her earrings across her body, her red hair filled with flames and now levitating, but she was not burning. Rather, just like Mallory, she moved the flame according to her will and attacked the creature without giving it a chance to strike back.
The blazing flames devoured the creature, and it snarled in excruciating pain, holding its eerie gaze grudgingly at the girls. Mallory held her friend’s arm tightly for support, trying to shake off her fears and ensure that the creature was destroyed right in front of them.
A few more moments and the creature’s body had disintegrated into ash; Achlys’ deep red flame had fully consumed it and faded gradually as she willed.
Quiet filled the room once more, and the air was rid of the rotting, metallic scent of the creature.
Mallory hugged her best friend at once and allowed herself to cry to her heart’s content.
“Achlys, I was… so scared.” Mallory broke down and sobbed, gasping in between her words.
Achlys returned the hug and brushed her fingers through Mallory’s hair in gentle strokes to calm her down.
“You’re safe now, Lory. I’m here.” Achlys spoke in a low, calming tone of voice.
Her friend’s soft and gentle tone made Mallory tear up more due to the comfort she felt in finally allowing herself to be vulnerable again and not on guard.
“Achlys, it knew my name. It… it called me Lory.” Mallory continued sobbing on her friend’s shoulder and explained.
Then, several footsteps were heard running along the corridor towards their room, and Mateo’s voice echoed in the distance, calling out to Achlys and Mallory.
“Lory, quick! Put away the vines!” Achlys exclaimed.
“Right.” Mallory wiped her tears away and released the vines back outside as quickly as she could, almost having more difficulty controlling it now that she was calm.
The last of it crept back out the now shattered glass windows, and Mateo barely almost caught it as he turned up. Upon setting his eyes on the scene, however, his legs were frozen in place.
Such was not what he had expected to happen on their first night at the dormitory. In fact, none of them had expected it to happen at all, Mallory being the most shocked and overcome with fear. The girl could not stop her tears and refused to let go of her friend, still trembling.
“What… what happened here?” Mateo asked, barely able to process the scene.
“Nocere,” Achlys replied morosely.
Behind Mateo, the rest of the dorm residents had arrived at Mallory’s room, faces aghast at Achlys’ response and the sight of the wreckage.
“This will probably be a long story, but can we have some time alone to calm her down first, please?” Achlys added after she noticed that Mallory could not face the rest of the group and clung to her tightly.
“No. I don’t think you should be left alone after what was in here,” Bane asserted with a serious tone, quite unlike his earlier mood, which was more playful and silly.
“Mateo, you should stay with them. We’ll scout the area,” he added and motioned for his brother to join him outside.
Belial nodded and followed him out quietly, gently tapping Winter’s back before exiting the room.
“We’ll help you clean up.” Winter spoke in a soft tone, hoping to ease Mallory’s mind even just a little.
Craven followed him into the room, momentarily glancing at Mallory and Achlys.
“She’s wounded…” Craven pointed to a spot on his eyelid.
Achlys cupped Mallory’s face and studied it briefly before noticing a cut above her eyelid. “Ouch, that looks like it stings,” Achlys said with a scrunched-up face.
She guided Mallory outside her room and into the girls’ living room area. Mateo went after them silently. Achlys sat her friend down and faced her without letting go of her hands.
“Lory, I’m here. Can you try to tell me about how this happened?” Achlys asked gently, her voice low and melodic.
Now feeling much calmer, Mallory detailed what happened, leaving out how she fought back and hid it behind “I don’t remember what I did.” Both Achlys and Mateo calmly listened, Achlys silently understanding why Mallory left it out. Mateo also shared how surprised he was to be awoken in the middle of the night due to the loud noise of shattering glass.
“Mateo, would you mind getting a medical kit? I’ll disinfect and patch up Mallory’s wound. Both Winter and Craven are just across the room, anyway,” Achlys asked.
“Alright. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Mateo replied and quickly left the room.
Seeing Mateo’s back leave the room, Achlys turned towards Mallory, her face stern. “Lory,” she said in a serious tone. “Between the two of us, it’s best to reserve our confidence sparingly with the rest of the group,” Achlys whispered. Mallory nodded in response.
“Nocere are not creatures that pop up out of nowhere, and their victims do not have the same luck as you, Lory,” Achlys added.
“I don’t want to scare you, but you have to know this. Barely anyone has survived an encounter with Nocere awake and sane. This creature hollows out its victims and leaves them in a coma, and those left awake are incapable of responding, eventually dying due to malnutrition and lack of movement.” Achlys continued.
“Now…” Achlys lowered her voice to a soft whisper. “These things do not appear and hunt at random, Lory. It can only be summoned by lingering emotions of extreme resentment. And once they are summoned, either consciously or unconsciously, they will go for the person with the highest mystical energy and feed on them first,” Achlys explained.
“Someone in this dorm has a grudge, and possibly a huge one.” Achlys spoke even more quietly. “This means that there is someone in here that we cannot trust,” she added, looking at Mallory grimly.
By the time Achlys patched up Mallory, the twins had also come back in the room and told them that they found no other harmful creatures within the vicinity. However, Bane suggested for all the residents to stay in one area just in case. Mateo agreed and advised that they should stay in the main lounge downstairs.
Everyone unanimously agreed and went downstairs to get whatever rest they could before dawn. But just like Mallory, the rest of the group were not as enthusiastic about going back to sleep after what happened.
“Oh, this won’t do. I’ll call up one of our mentors. He’s not here yet, but he might be able to contact someone who can ensure our safety.” Achlys stood up to get the wispnote in her bag, a glowing, faintly sweet-smelling letter that delivers its message the moment the sender finishes writing to the receiver. Once the receiver finishes reading the message, it likewise disappears like fading light.
Achlys hurriedly wrote a message addressed to Martin L. Goswick. Meanwhile, Mallory put a bit of distance between her and the group. She went to the veranda to keep her mind off things, see the garden, and indulge in nature.
It offered a bit of tranquility and comfort to Mallory. The flooring was made of dark cedar wood, which had a balsamic scent. The veranda was slightly above ground, supported by wooden posts, and ran along the outer edges of the dorm, sheltered by the extended roof eaves. It was a liminal space that allowed her to dip into nature outside, but not entirely, still in the cover of indoors.
The other residents were busy whispering amongst each other. One of them was Craven, who spoke with Mateo regarding the incident.
“Isn’t it strange, then? If, based on everyone’s explanation about Nocere, how were the two able to get rid of it like that, a breaker-tier monster that even adults find hard to handle? Don’t you find that suspicious?” Craven said whisperingly.
“I understand your concern, but it’s not right to assume and suspect them in any way. They just went through something extremely traumatizing, especially Mallory, considering she was asleep and completely vulnerable when it happened,” Mateo replied sensibly.
“Maybe she just has innate abilities, and the adrenaline rush must have kicked in,” Winter added delicately in an effort to clear the tension and anxiety in the air, as he did not wish for the group to be in conflict.
Belial did not comment on the matter, and Bane gave a reassuring nod to the group before excusing himself to follow Mallory in the veranda.
Mallory had been spacing out for a while, distancing herself from the group’s conversation, not knowing she had been suspected by one of the residents. However, Mallory and Achlys did leave out some points about how the combat went.
“Lory.” Bane called out to her, disrupting her contemplation.
“Hey,” she replied, managing a faint smile.
“May I?” Bane asked as he brought his hand close to Mallory’s wound and said, “I can heal this.”
Mallory stared at him for a bit before nodding quietly. Bane gently placed his hands on top of her bandaged wound and recited an incantation unknown to Mallory. She felt as though his voice etched something cool and soothing on her skin. The energy felt familiar.
“Long day, huh?” Bane said in an attempt to comfort Mallory.
“Right,” she replied, though her mind replayed how strange the entire day had been.
After the long adventure, she had expected to finally get some restful sleep, but she was faced with the worst possible experience due to the abilities she had only come to know on the same day.
“You’re okay,” Bane reassured her. “You have one of the best and most loyal companions if she didn’t turn her back on you after seeing a breaker-tier monster,” Bane said, glancing over at Achlys, who currently displayed a lively demeanor while signing the letter she had written. “Recovers pretty fast, too,” he added.
Mallory giggled heartily in response; Bane was satisfied to see her more comfortable and at ease.
Mallory had her full trust in Achlys and vice versa. Their dynamic complements each other perfectly. Though Achlys easily made friends with others, she had a deeper and more meaningful connection with Mallory.
“I’m always grateful for her,” Mallory said, facing Achlys, who was surprised to have the letter flash a soft, blue glow before disappearing right in front of her.
The group eventually found themselves in a more lighthearted mood and shared conversations amongst each other. Mallory and Bane also joined them.
They learned that the twins and Winter were from affluent families, the twins having demi-human blood from unknown origins and Winter being fully human.
Achlys and Mallory shared that they were from middle-income families and grew up together as neighbors. She told them that she was of fairy blood and that Mallory was fully human, glancing at Mateo as she uttered her words.
It was a test. Achlys thought, why not see if they can safely trust Mateo? It wouldn’t hurt to have one more trusted friend in the group, especially for Mallory’s safety.
Mateo did not mention how Achlys had earlier mentioned that Mallory might also be a demi-human of some kind due to her special abilities and simply proceeded to share that he and Craven were also fully human.
“Oh, wow. Just the twins? I feel so left out, you guys. I don’t really want to be lumped in with them,” Achlys said in a joking manner, and the group burst into laughter. Even the quiet and unsociable Belial and Craven chuckled a bit.
Time flew by, and the group bonded with each other through several stories, the sun rising from the mountainside, bringing warmth into the room.
The conversation ended abruptly, however, when they heard the sound of the lock being opened in the garden gates. All attention was directed towards the gigantic figure coming towards them.
The man towered over everyone else, at about seven feet tall, dressed in loosely worn traditional silk robes. He had mid-length, deep sea green hair and glowing, red eyes. Scales, just like the color of his hair, were embedded on the nape of his neck, extending to his shoulders and back. He had a serious look on his face, but one that came from protective instinct.
“I received a wispnote from Martin. You kids were attacked?” He said, his voice raspy and deep.
Without waiting for a response, he stepped onto the veranda and started mouthing incantations, his hands placed on the wooden floor. All of a sudden, the air felt much cleaner and warmer, and the residents felt safer.
“I cast a simple protective veil over the place. You may rest easy now,” he added.
“Mallory and Achlys, a word, please.” He motioned for the two to speak with him.
However, seeing as the students were bound together with hesitation, he showed them his crystalline key pendant and a bondmark in his left chest, which signifies their pact to train primordials. It glowed faintly in response to the presence of the primordial students.
“I’m one of your mentors this year, Dmitri. Now that introductions are out of the way, give us a moment.” He went on to say before instructing the group to disperse so he can have a private conversation with the girls.
The boys looked at each other before excusing themselves, somewhat wary of leaving the girls behind, but Mateo nudged them back into the boys lounge near their rooms when their mentor appeared impatient.
“Now, tell me. Everything, without leaving a single detail behind, because I will know if you’re lying,” Dmitri stated bluntly.
The girls looked at each other and decided to tell the truth without twisting or leaving anything out. Dmitri listened intently and even had a brief look of positive surprise at the mention of Mallory’s abilities.
“Curious,” he commented with a knowing smile, his eyebrows raised. “I’ll be increasing the difficulty of my lessons with you, then, Evergreen. You are likewise welcome to take extra classes for our combat training in primordial tides, though you’ll have to take a few separate classes with Lyla, your mentor in primordial terrain,” he added, which Mallory had ingrained in her mind, with expectations of exploring her potential and where her powers possibly could have come from.
Mallory also shared about her glowing pendant and how she had trouble breathing, perhaps because of it, but that she came to after it was destroyed. However, Dmitri noted that he wasn’t specialized in the makings of these trinkets, so they’d better ask another mentor who was more familiar with it.
As the three of them continued discussing, the boys were spying outside to see what was going on, but they could not hear the conversation and hurriedly hid when Dmitri’s bright red eyes nearly caught them lurking in the hall.
“Both of you are to remain cautious around your peers, and I’ll be alerting the rest of your mentors as well. We’ll take turns keeping watch on you students in the dorms,” Dmitri noted. “I suggest you both take some time to go outside while I probe the rest for clues. I will call on another mentor as well to fix your room, Evergreen. You can ask him about your pendant as well,” he added with a softer tone in his voice.
The girls felt more secure with their mentor’s presence and quick response to the situation. It was a long night, and they were more than ready to spend a relaxing day in town to recover.
⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝
“Let’s start with a cup of coffee, Lory. I cannot go on without it.” Achlys pleaded, rubbing her temples, as they walked around bathed in warm sunlight, the breeze still cool.
“Sure, but I could use some tea to calm my nerves,” Mallory replied, rubbing her hands together before putting them in her coat pockets.
The girls went to visit the Moonpaw Bakery, as promised with Lenki. The lad was excited to greet them at the entrance, purring and marking his scent on them. They shared a warm meal over coffee, tea, and various options of freshly baked bread.
When the sun rose a bit higher, Lenki urged them to explore the town together, his main goal being to play and have fun with his new friends.
The girls were introduced to various locations. Lenki first took them to the village square, which had a view overlooking the lost port and foggy mountains.
They went around a few restaurants, pubs, coffee houses, and tea shops, but Lenki insisted that Moonpaw Bakery was the best in town, though his insistence wavered, considering the bounty of treats they’d collected from every shop they passed.
Mallory especially loved the steamed moonmilk buns: delicately sweet, with a pillowy softness and a hint of nutty depth that lingered pleasantly. Achlys, on the other hand, was intrigued by the colorful starfruit candies, which popped in her mouth like a tiny firecracker bursting with flavor.
Then, Lenki took them around Circe Avenue and told them that this area was where the shops relevant to their arcane studies were located. They were all unique and mystical, and the girls enjoyed seeing new things and even creatures out and about.
They visited a lot of places, starting with the Greenwick Apothecary, which was run by friendly gnomes who gave the girls a sample of their herbs and flowers, urging them to come back and visit for essentials they might need for school.
Across from the apothecary stood the Celestial Crystals, where the entire shop glimmered with bright and colorful lights. The mountain nymphs arranged the crystals as some shards floated around and hummed as though they were alive. Mallory asked them about certain pendants similar to what she had and what it could mean if it glowed pink or why it would float towards her when it was from afar, but the nymphs looked at each other in confusion and told her she must have seen it wrong. Uninterested in continuing the conversation, Mallory decided not to push it. Anyway, she was already feeling a bit queasy due to the strobing lights and noise, so they went out and moved on to the next location. Achlys agreed.
Stepping into the Ambrosia Bookshop, they met the retired terrain primordial who ran the shop, a kind old lady who wanted to share wisdom with the younger generations. Naughty carbuncles were running amok on the transparent ceiling, their tiny paws pattering like rain as they tried, but failed, to wreak havoc. They did, however, succeed in taunting Achlys with their little flames coming out of the glowing gemstone on its forehead.
Time flew quickly as they were exploring, and Achlys felt her stomach grumbling due to hunger, so they picked up the tour’s pace and simply passed by the rest of the other shops, such as the Mystic Blacksmith, where students could commission or forge mystically infused tools and weapons; the Enchanter’s Loom, where they can create robes and accessories with specific mystical effects; the Astrology Parlor for readings; and several guilds where they can take up a few quests, the most famous being the Cresthall Union and the most high-paying but with equally difficult jobs being the Gilded Quill.
“Once you register as an Arcana Seeker, you guys can start with smaller guilds such as The Oathborne Society or The Concordium since you’ll be starting with the lowest rank, and bigger guilds don’t offer minor jobs,” Lenki explained. “I went to the human world last time for a quest for The Oathborne Society,” he added.
After going around the shops and guilds, Lenki quickly took the girls back to the train station they had parted ways from yesterday before they were to have lunch. He pointed to the path going to the mountains, which was called the “Sun and Moon Grove,” where, Lenki says, some students would train with their mentors on occasion.
Lenki also explained that beyond that, much deeper into the woods, was the “Nullbloom Orchard,” where they could find rarer plants and herbs requested by several guilds, but Lenki advised them against going deeper into the mountains without a mentor or high-ranking Arcana Seekers with them due to dangers brought about by high-tier monsters.
Finally, they went back to the streets lined with restaurants and pubs, much to Achlys’ delight. Lenki had them choose between the two most famous restaurants in town for lunch: The Luminous Ladle or The Verdant Hearth. The former was a special restaurant with food that gives enhancements, while the latter offered more of the cozy and familiar taste of human world cooking with no boosts. The girls ended up choosing the latter to enjoy some of their favorite comfort meals back home, and the three had a relaxing lunch.
In the afternoon, Lenki brought them around more well-known shops in town, such as the general store, more commonly known as Wanderlust Wares; the restorative bathhouse, otherwise known as Waters of Solara; and the elemental teahouse, or Sage’s Teahouse, where the three stopped by to purchase tea.
Mallory chose the Duskleaf Oolong milk tea, which was known for grounding anxious minds and restoring balance. Achlys got the Icy Blue Rose milk tea, which was known for its soothing and cooling effects. Lenki got a Starlight Sugar Cream tea, which helps with spellwork and focus and is one of his personal favorites, as the boy had a great liking for sweet treats and drinks. It fizzed at the top where the cream was and left glittering stars on his tongue, which made Achlys and Mallory slightly giggle each time he opened his mouth to talk.
Before they ended the tour around town, they visited their final stop for the day, the Evergate, which was the portal connected to the Coven of Mystical Arts, Amber Thorne’s school for mystical beings, a floating island with waterfalls cascading down to the rivers and streams in the town. Only mentors with crystalline keys can access the portal, as well as students marked by their mentors.
By that time, Mallory was just about ready to go back to the dorms as her face grew pink from the cold. Achlys likewise agreed and wanted to get a good night’s sleep.
It was a day well spent. As the sun dipped into a sea of pink and purple, casting long shadows over the crowded and lively, cobbled streets, the girls bid Lenki farewell and returned to the dorm, tired but content.
⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝
Upon arriving, Mallory’s room had already been fixed. The twins went out to town for dinner, Craven was in his room, and Dmitri was silently reading his book while Mateo and Winter were hanging out in the main lounge and talking about this and that.
The girls met their other mentor, who was even taller and bulkier than Dmitri. He stood at about eight feet tall and had dark red hair with black horns protruding out of it. He exuded a cool and collected demeanor and shared that his lineage was part ogre and part dwarf, his ogre blood being more dominant, as evident in his size and build. He had beautiful dark violet skin with a grayish shade and tattoos all over his body, but the bondmark on his left shoulder stood out.
He was the mentor that Dmitri called on to help fix Mallory’s room, Riven. He teaches alchemy and psychokinesis, which were essential in restoring her room.
A couple of carefree and peaceful days passed by, much to the delight of the students. However, not everyone was keen on making an effort to get to know each other better. Craven, for instance, kept a wall against everyone except Mateo, and Mallory noticed that he was especially distancing himself from her.
Belial did not make any effort to talk much to anyone, but he was usually with Winter, who softened the atmosphere. Bane was the friendliest to everyone and even got to make Craven laugh from time to time. Mateo was more neutral, like an older brother to the rest.
Dmitri was the type of mentor who really felt like a professional educator, reliable but strict, and not someone they could play around with. However, Mallory did catch him one time feeding stray cats and playing with them near the Gilded Quill, which she kept to herself and only told Achlys. The students found it difficult to befriend Riven as well, since he is not very talkative, but he would often cook a meal for the students when he stayed at the dorm, which made the students like him slightly more than Dmitri. They found it quite amusing, too, how Riven needed to bring his own cookware, as his hands were too large to use the normal-sized ones.
Though it was easier for the students to talk amongst each other, there still exists fear of the unknown. Neither one could fully trust another, for there are secrets yet to be revealed when one is alone.
In the coming day, Mallory will once again be met with mysterious dreams: visions on January 7th, an ominous premonition.
As she drifted off to sleep, a faint shimmer in her window’s reflection went unnoticed, a pair of watchful, snake-like eyes set upon her. And Mallory’s glowing amulet that had once disappeared like dust emerged whole once more, as though it had never been destroyed.