"Dear Diary, I honestly don't know why I always start like this. Ahah... Mom, Floranis was as beautiful as always yesterday. You know? Even though Kaelis and I are constantly competing, I gave him the flower crown I made. If you had seen it, you definitely would have laughed at me. I wish you were here with me. We would make crowns together.
Dad was trying to look strong again, like always, and he succeeded. I keep telling myself that I'm fine too, but sometimes I can't manage it.
Sometimes I try to remember your voice. How can someone forget their own mother's voice? I think I remember it, then I'm not sure anymore. Can someone really forget a person's voice, their laugh? I guess they can. I'm sorry for that, Mom. But don't worry... I haven't forgotten your face. And I never will.
Maybe you'll come back tomorrow."
Elira gently placed her pen between the pages of her diary.
Her fingers stayed on the cover for a few seconds.
Then she took a deep breath and stood up.
She walked toward the door.
"Dad..."
A voice came from the kitchen.
"What is it now?"
There was a short silence in the kitchen.
Elira lowered her eyes.
Her father seemed to realize he couldn't take back what he had said and let out a deep breath.
"No... It's nothing."
He closed the door behind him and headed toward the stairs.
She started walking down slowly, lost in thought. When she reached the last step, her foot missed the edge.
"Ah!"
Her balance suddenly shifted forward, and she instinctively closed her eyes.
At that exact moment, her father, who had just come out of the kitchen, looked up.
"Elira!"
He quickly placed the plate in his hand on the counter and rushed toward her. Just before she fell, Elira grabbed onto her father's arm.
For a few seconds, they both stayed like that.
Her father let out a deep breath.
"I can't wait for the day you stop fighting with these stairs."
Elira shrugged with an embarrassed smile.
"I think I'll still fall from here even when I'm wearing a wedding dress."
Her father shook his head.
"Sweetheart..."
"Yes?"
"Why did you close your eyes?"
Elira frowned.
"What else was I supposed to do?"
"Maybe you wouldn't have fallen if you had looked where you were going."
Elira giggled.
"I didn't exactly have time to make a strategy while falling."
Her father smiled and walked back toward the kitchen.
"Come on. Breakfast will get cold."
A few flowers left from Floranis still added color to the academy's stone courtyard.
Elira had just stepped through the academy gates when she heard a familiar voice.
"Elira!"
She turned around.
Lyra was walking toward her while adjusting the books in her hands.
"Finally, you're here."
Elira smiled slightly.
"Am I late?"
"No. But when I didn't see you, I thought maybe you fell asleep again."
"I'm not that bad."
Lyra looked at her suspiciously.
"Are you sure?"
Elira laughed and nodded.
"Something small happened while leaving home."
"What kind of something?"
Elira sighed.
"I had a disagreement with the stairs."
Lyra stayed silent for a few seconds.
"You fell again?"
"Almost."
"Elira..."
"This time it really wasn't my fault."
"Of course, of course."
The two of them started laughing.
Just then, fast footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor.
"I finally found you!"
Kael arrived beside them, slightly out of breath.
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
Kael couldn't hide his excitement.
"I have something to show you."
Elira's curiosity immediately increased.
"What?"
The first class bell of the academy echoed through the corridors, and everyone fell silent without meaning to.
Kael took a deep breath.
"Perfect..."
"Tell us now." Lyra said.
Kael shook his head.
"No."
"Kael."
"After class."
"At least give us a tiny hint."
Kael smiled.
"No."
"Look, I won't leave you alone all day."
"I know."
"Kael."
"I promise, it will be worth the wait."
Lyra sighed helplessly.
"If it's not worth it, I'll throw you into Obyra Noct."
Kael laughed.
"You can't."
"Why?"
"Because I know how to swim."
Lyra rolled her eyes.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Nothing."
The second bell rang.
"Okay, okay!" Kael said. "We'll really be late."
The three of them unwillingly walked toward their classrooms.
☾✧☽
The lesson felt much longer than usual to Elira.
Most of what the teacher explained entered her ears, but nothing seemed to stay in her mind.
Without realizing it, she started drawing small flowers on the edge of her notebook while one question kept repeating in her mind.
What had Kael found?
Finally, the class bell rang.
Before the teacher had even left the classroom, Lyra stood up.
"Okay."
Elira grabbed her bag.
"Now he can't escape."
The two of them left the classroom almost at the same time.
As soon as they stepped into the corridor, they found Kael leaning against the wall, waiting for them.
The excitement on his face still hadn't disappeared.
"Finally."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"Now tell us."
Kael quickly looked around.
"Not here."
Elira frowned.
"Then where?"
Kael smiled slightly.
"Come with me."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"Where?"
"Just come."
"You still aren't going to tell us, are you?"
Kael only smiled.
"You said it would be worth the wait two minutes ago." Lyra complained.
"It will."
Elira and Nera looked at each other.
"I don't like that look." Nera said.
"Me neither."
Kael had already started walking.
"Hurry up."
The three of them followed him.
They went to the academy's side building. At the end of the corridor, Kael stopped in front of a door.
"This is it?" Lyra asked.
"Yes."
Elira looked through the glass of the door.
"Kael... This is a classroom."
"I know."
"Then?"
"Just look."
The three of them moved closer to the door.
At that moment, Kael lightly pushed Lyra forward.
"Hey!"
Lyra accidentally stepped through the doorway. Elira bumped into her and lost her balance, following her inside.
Nera tried to stop, but to avoid crashing into them, she also entered.
Click.
The door closed behind them.
All three turned around at the same time.
Kael was standing outside, looking at them through the door.
He wasn't even trying to hide the grin on his face.
The instructor, who had been teaching, stopped speaking.
Everyone in the classroom turned toward the newcomers.
"Since you're already here..." the instructor said calmly.
"You can take the empty seats."
Lyra took a deep breath.
"Kael..."
Kael only shrugged.
Then he turned around and walked away through the corridor.
And ran.
☾✧☽
The classroom door opened.
The moment Lyra stepped outside, she said only one word.
"Kael."
Kael was leaning against the wall.
He had a few wildflowers in his hand.
And he was eating corn.
"Yes?"
"Run."
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait, wait..."
"I'm not listening."
"Take this first."
He showed the flowers in his hand.
"A peace offering."
Lyra looked at him suspiciously.
"Really?"
"Really."
Lyra took a step forward.
Kael stopped for a moment.
Then he suddenly threw all the flowers in his hand toward Lyra's face.
"Catch!"
And he turned around and started running.
Lyra froze for a few seconds.
She picked up the flowers that had fallen from her face.
She took a deep breath.
"Kael!"
"I'm leaving!"
"Run!"
"I'm already running!"
Lyra immediately chased after him.
The corridor was filled with their voices within seconds.
Nera couldn't stop laughing, while Elira only shook her head.
"One day, I hope Lyra actually beats him."
"I won't just be happy. I'll say 'good, he deserved it' and leave."
The two of them started laughing.
Then Lyra's voice echoed from the other end of the corridor.
"KAEL!"
Elira and Nera looked at each other.
"I think she caught him."
"I hope so."
A few seconds later, Kael quickly appeared from around the corner.
When he saw Elira and Nera, he immediately headed toward them.
"Help me!"
Elira raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Lyra is going to kill me."
"Kael!"
Lyra's voice echoed again.
Kael looked behind him.
"Okay, we'll talk later."
Just as he was about to run, Elira grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
Kael stopped.
"What?"
"Where are we actually going now?"
The smile returned to Kael's face.
"I'm going to show you a place."
Lyra finally caught up with them.
"First, you are going to explain yourself for tricking me."
Kael raised his hands.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."
Lyra looked at him suspiciously.
"Really?"
"No."
Kael suddenly started running again.
"KAEL!"
Elira and Nera's laughter echoed through the corridor as they started chasing him again.
Kael ran ahead while Lyra followed behind him shouting.
"Kael! Stop!"
"If I stop, you'll catch me!"
"That's the point!"
Elira and Nera were running after them too.
"Where is this kid going?" Nera asked, out of breath.
"I have no idea."
Kael left through the academy's main gate.
Lyra suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Kael took a few more steps before turning around.
"What?"
"We're leaving the academy."
"Yes."
"You said you were going to show us somewhere inside the academy."
"No, I didn't."
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"Kael."
Kael grinned.
"Hurry up."
And he started running again.
"Kael!"
Elira and Nera looked at each other.
"Are we really following him?" Nera asked.
Elira shrugged.
"It's too late now."
The three of them continued following Kael.
As the stone paths around the academy disappeared behind them, the crowds became thinner. Kael left the main road and turned onto a narrow path that passed through tall grass.
Elira slowed down.
"I've never been here before."
"Me neither." Nera said.
Lyra shouted from behind.
"Kael! If you take us somewhere and disappear, I won't be able to find you!"
"I don't want you to find me anyway!"
"What?!"
"Nothing!"
Elira laughed and shook her head.
They continued walking for a while.
Finally, Kael stopped.
In front of them was an old structure hidden behind the hills.
From a distance, the building looked like an abandoned observation station.
Some parts of the walls were covered with moss. Most of the large glass windows were broken, leaving only the metal frames behind.
Nera's smile disappeared.
"What is here?"
Kael didn't answer this time.
He took a few steps toward the building.
Elira stayed where she was.
Something...
felt wrong.
Not the building itself.
It was as if she had seen this place before.
But where?
Kael turned around and looked at them.
"Here."
Lyra frowned.
"Here what?"
Kael pointed toward the old building.
"The thing I wanted to show you."
Elira couldn't take her eyes away from the structure.
A strange feeling formed inside her.
This place...
wasn't the place she had seen last night.
But somehow, it reminded her of it.
Lyra stared at the building for a few seconds.
"Why did we come here?"
Kael put his hands into his pockets.
"I wanted to show you."
"We understood that." Lyra said. "But why this place?"
Kael shrugged.
"Because I had never seen it before."
Nera frowned.
"That's not exactly a good reason to come here."
"I thought the same."
"And then?"
"Then I got curious."
Lyra sighed.
"Your curiosity is going to get us into trouble one day."
Kael smiled.
"Not today."
Elira was still looking at the building.
It was strange.
It wasn't very far from the academy, but it felt like no one had been here for years. The grass around the structure reached up to their knees, and thin branches grew between the stones.
Kael took a few more steps.
"I saw it while passing by this morning."
Lyra immediately turned toward him.
"This morning?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't tell us anything?"
"If I had told you, you wouldn't have come this far."
Lyra stopped.
"Wait."
Kael looked at her.
"What?"
"Did you do that whole classroom thing just to bring us here?"
Kael thought for a few seconds.
"No."
"Kael."
"Okay, maybe a little."
Nera started laughing.
Elira couldn't help but smile.
Kael walked toward the entrance of the building.
"Are you coming?"
Lyra placed her hands on her waist.
"I'm still angry at you."
"You can wait outside if you want."
"Absolutely not."
Kael grinned.
"I knew it."
Elira followed the others toward the building.
The closer they got, the more noticeable the silence around them became. They had only moved a few minutes away from the academy, but it felt much farther.
Dry branches cracked beneath their feet, and the wind moving through the tall grass created a soft rustling sound.
Lyra looked around for a while.
"You really have never been here before?"
Elira shook her head.
"I haven't."
Nera answered the same way.
"Me neither."
Lyra looked at Kael.
"You?"
Kael continued staring at the building.
"Me neither."
Lyra's expression changed.
"Wait."
Kael turned toward her.
"What?"
"If you had never been here before, why did you bring us?"
Kael was silent for a few seconds.
"I was curious."
Lyra rolled her eyes.
"Of course."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Kael turned back toward the entrance.
"I only saw it from outside. I don't know what's inside."
Elira stepped closer to the building.
Even from outside, it was obvious how old it was. Some parts of the walls had fallen apart, and most of the windows were broken. Tall grass grew between the stones near the entrance.
Elira's eyes moved across the building.
Then she stopped.
Something had caught her attention.
"Kael."
Kael stopped a few steps ahead.
"What?"
Elira pointed toward the upper part of the building.
"There is something there."
Everyone looked where she pointed.
Above the entrance was a rusted metal sign.
Most of the writing had disappeared with time.
Only a few letters remained.
Kael looked up.
"There really is something."
"What does it say?" Nera asked.
Kael moved closer.
"Wait."
Lyra stood beside him.
"Can you read it?"
"Part of it."
"What?"
Kael narrowed his eyes at the sign.
"I think..."
He stopped for a moment.
"There's a name written here."
Nera stepped closer.
"What name?"
Kael shook his head.
"I can't see all of it."
Elira continued looking at the sign.
The remaining letters...
felt familiar.
Like she was trying to remember a word, but it was just beyond her reach.
"Elira?"
Kael's voice made her look back.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
Kael looked at her for a few seconds.
Elira looked away from the sign.
"I was just curious what it said."
"Me too."
Kael walked toward the door.
"Should we go inside?"
Lyra immediately answered.
"You open it."
Kael turned around.
"Why?"
"Because you're the one who brought us here."
Kael thought for a moment.
"Fair."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"Finally, you said something logical."
Kael stepped in front of the door.
He reached for the rusty handle.
The door didn't open on his first try.
Kael pulled harder.
Still nothing.
"Great." Lyra said.
"What?"
"Now we're stuck here."
"We haven't even entered yet."
"With you, anything is possible."
Nera approached the door.
"Wait, let's try together."
Elira also came closer, but before helping, she looked around the outside of the building again.
There were no purple flowers.
No decorations.
Nothing colorful.
The entire building was covered with greenery.
The walls were covered with moss, and tall grass surrounded the area.
Even from outside, the building had a heavy atmosphere.
They all pulled the door together.
This time, it opened with a long, unpleasant creak.
In front of them was a staircase that split into two directions.
They looked at each other, then examined both sides.
On the other side, a long corridor covered with greenery stretched ahead.
At the end of the corridor, a single staircase led upward.
Parts of the ceiling had collapsed, and moss hung down from above.
When they went upstairs, Elira noticed something.
There was light coming from further down the corridor.
Elira stopped.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at her.
Elira stared toward the end of the corridor.
"Is there light on here?"
Kael stopped too.
There really was.
In this old building that clearly looked abandoned for years, the fact that a light was still on made no sense.
"How?" Nera whispered.
No one answered.
They looked at each other and continued walking through the corridor.
The long corridor was covered with green plants and leaves.
Light coming through several broken windows fell onto the plants growing across the floor.
After a while, they reached a floor where several doors were lined up.
Each of them stopped in front of a different door.
Without saying anything, Kael opened his door.
When Elira stepped inside, the first thing she saw was the others.
Kael.
Lyra.
Nera.
Cyra.
All three of them were looking at each other.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then they all looked toward the other side of the room at the same time.
They had entered through different doors.
But they had all ended up in the same place.
The same hall.
In the middle of the room, books were scattered everywhere.
Most of them were covered with mold, while some had almost fallen apart with time.
It looked like a library.
But it wasn't exactly a library.
Because among the books, there were also old devices whose purpose they couldn't understand.
Elira slowly looked around.
"What happened here?"
No one answered.
Kael turned one of the books on the floor with his foot.
"It looks like someone lived here."
"Lived here?" Lyra looked around. "This place is basically a ruin."
"That's what I mean."
Nera walked toward one of the tables.
When she ran her finger across it, a thick layer of dust covered her hand.
"No one has been here for a long time."
Cyra looked at one of the machines on the other side of the room.
"I don't understand what they were doing here."
Elira slowly looked around.
Books, tables, old devices...
Everything seemed mixed together.
"Maybe this was a school."
Lyra looked at her.
"A school?"
"Or maybe a research place."
Kael picked up one of the books from the floor.
"If we find what they were looking for here, we'll know."
Lyra immediately looked at him.
"Are you actually going to read a book?"
Kael turned the book in his hand.
"No."
"Good."
"Because I can't read it."
Nera laughed.
Cyra shook her head.
"How are you even useful?"
Kael placed the book back.
"That's a little harsh."
Elira smiled slightly.
"You brought us here without knowing what this place was."
Kael looked at her.
"And you found something without knowing what it was."
Elira narrowed her eyes.
"That's different."
"No, it's not."
Nera laughed.
"You two are exactly the same."
Kael walked toward the old devices on the other side of the room.
"There are a lot of things here."
"What are they used for?" Nera asked.
Kael picked up a metal piece.
"I don't know."
Lyra shook her head.
"You're really helpful."
Elira stayed a little away from the others, examining the old objects near the wall.
After a while, she bent down.
"Wait."
No one heard her.
Elira crouched beside something on the ground.
She reached through the dust and picked up a small metal piece.
She cleaned the dust from it with her hand.
For a moment, she only stared at it.
Then her eyes widened.
"I found something!"
This time, everyone turned toward her.
Kael put down what he was holding.
"What did you find?"
Elira lifted the metal piece.
"Look at this."
All five of them gathered around Elira.
Lyra leaned closer.
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
Kael immediately reacted.
"You just told us you found something and then said you don't know what it is?"
Elira looked at him.
"You found an entire building and you don't know what it is either."
Nera laughed.
"You're both in the same situation."
Cyra took the metal piece from Elira.
"It could be a part of some device."
Kael looked at it again.
"Maybe."
Elira took it back.
There was a small, strange symbol on it.
She rubbed her finger over the mark, cleaning away the dust.
For a while, she stared silently.
"What is that?" Lyra asked.
Elira looked up.
"I don't know."
Kael shrugged.
"Still looks interesting."
Elira turned the piece one more time in her hand.
Then she placed it back among the old objects.
"Forget it."
And she stood up.
☾✧☽
By the evening, they had all gathered again at a small café in the city center.
This time, it wasn't only Elira, Lyra, Nera, Cyra, and Kael sitting at the table.
Arven, Sorel, and Taren had joined them as well.
Kael was explaining the old building they had discovered during the day, while Lyra was still pretending to be angry with him.
"I still don't think this was a good idea."
Kael placed his glass on the table.
"Do you mean entering the building?"
"I mean following you."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"But you came."
"Because I was curious about what you were going to do."
"So you were curious."
"Don't change the subject."
Nera laughed and shook her head.
"Are you two going to continue like this all evening?"
"No." Lyra said.
At the same time, Kael answered:
"Yes."
Lyra gave him an annoyed look.
"Kael."
"What?"
Arven laughed.
"What happened to you today?"
"Kael tricked us into entering a classroom." Lyra said.
Taren looked at Kael in surprise.
"What?"
"I was joking." Kael said.
"Then we waited until the lesson ended." Nera added.
Sorel raised an eyebrow.
"And then?"
Lyra looked at Kael.
"Then he took us somewhere else."
Kael smiled.
"I didn't take them. They came by themselves."
"You walked ahead of us."
"That's not my fault."
Cyra interrupted.
"Anyway. After that, we found an old building."
The expression on Arven's face suddenly changed.
"An old building?"
Kael looked at him.
"Yes."
Sorel turned toward Arven.
"What happened?"
Arven thought for a few seconds.
"What kind of building?"
Lyra looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean what kind?"
"I'm asking where it was."
Kael placed his hands on the table.
"Not far from the academy. In the forest. From the outside, it looks abandoned."
Sorel frowned.
"Wait."
Kael stopped.
"You know it?"
Sorel didn't answer immediately.
Taren looked at him.
"You know it too?"
Sorel shook his head slightly.
"I know the building."
Everyone at the table turned toward him.
Lyra leaned forward.
"What do you mean?"
Sorel shrugged.
"I saw it a few times when I was a child."
Kael's interest increased.
"And why didn't you tell us before?"
"Because I never went inside."
Arven nodded.
"I know it too. But I don't remember ever entering."
Kael looked at the two of them in surprise.
"Wait. You both know this building, but neither of you has ever been inside?"
Taren laughed.
"What did we do wrong?"
"Nothing."
Kael leaned back in his chair.
"I entered it for the first time today."
Cyra looked down at her glass.
"We didn't know what was inside either."
"There were lots of books inside." Nera said.
"And old devices." Cyra added.
Lyra immediately joined in.
"And lights."
Arven's expression changed.
"Lights?"
Kael nodded.
"Yes. One of the corridors had lights on."
There was a moment of silence.
Sorel looked at Arven.
Arven didn't say anything for a few seconds.
Then Taren spoke.
"Maybe the power system still works."
Kael shrugged.
"That's what I thought too."
Lyra took a sip from her drink.
"But you said the building had been abandoned for years."
Sorel frowned.
"It has."
Nera looked at him.
"How do you know that?"
Sorel thought for a moment before answering.
"Because no one has gone there for years."
Kael smiled.
"Well, now someone does."
Lyra looked at him.
"Don't take me there again."
Kael shook his head.
"I can't promise that."
"Kael."
"Okay, okay."
Taren listened to Kael for a while before raising an eyebrow.
"Wait."
Kael looked at him.
"What?"
"What happened to the days when you used to hang out with us?"
Kael frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Taren pointed around the table.
"You used to hang out with Arven, Sorel, and me. You were always chasing after some mystery."
Arven nodded.
"That's true."
Sorel smiled.
"Now we need to make an appointment just to see Kael."
Kael leaned back dramatically.
"Wow."
Everyone looked at him.
Kael continued with a proud expression.
"So I'm that important? Everyone wants to meet with me now?"
Taren smirked.
"Since when did you start spending all your time with them?"
Lyra immediately interrupted.
"Them?"
Taren looked at her.
"Look, she even started defending them."
Lyra rolled her eyes.
"You three really talk too much."
Kael started laughing.
"Finally, someone said it."
Taren looked at him.
"You be quiet. You used to search for mysteries with us."
Kael shrugged.
"I still do."
"But you don't invite us anymore."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"You want me to invite you?"
Taren stayed silent for a few seconds.
"No."
"Then what's the problem?"
Arven laughed.
"Kael, his problem is that you don't invite him."
"But he doesn't want me to invite him."
Sorel shook his head.
"You are honestly impossible to understand."
Kael leaned back.
"I'm very easy to understand."
Taren rolled his eyes.
"One day we'll take you back."
Kael smiled.
"I'm waiting."
Everyone at the table started laughing again.