Imperatrix Fallen: Alith's Cradle

III

...Due to its proximity to the County of the Book, the free city of Frontier III boasts one of the most prestigious educational institutions, the Lustrus Institute. Dozens of heirs from the great ducal houses have completed their education within its halls... 

Excerpt from the "Educational Catalog of the Free Cities," Nineteenth Edition.

"Relax, Isaías!" Max shouted, rubbing his hands because of the morning chill. It was exam season for Max Tis, Isaías Sapt, Flora Rilerox, and Roy Phox, who anxiously waited in the resting plaza for the bell that would signal the start of activities. Four hours of lessons lay ahead, followed by another break, and then the exam, the first of the season. They were used to this routine by now, making the plaza of the Lustrus Institute their meeting point and moment of relaxation between classes.

Flora, a young girl, slender, with long red hair, as restless as ever, tried to snatch the newspaper Roy was reading, but failed, as he skillfully avoided her attempts.

"I need a coffee, damn it!" Isaías groaned, frowning, a bit irritated by Flora's antics.

Max, now ignoring his surroundings, gazed up at the icy sky, a shade of blue almost crystallized. The group often described him as calm and good-natured, always cheerful—perhaps it was his gentle eyes, or maybe his slight overweight that contributed to this impression.

He was searching for something in the sky, though he didn't know what, but he felt uneasy. He glanced back at his friends, hoping to find some comfort in their presence, only to meet Isaías's sharp, impatient gaze.

"What's wrong, Maxito? Has Isaías passed his exam jitters onto you?" Flora teased, sitting on the ground, apparently having given up on bothering Roy, who continued reading.

"I'm not nervous! Let's just go get a coffee already..." Isaías, increasingly impatient, now directed his frustration at Flora.

"Come on, Max, what's the matter? Don't pass it on to me now..." Flora added, genuinely concerned for her friend.

"Don't you feel it...? It's like the cold is different from yesterday, different from any other day. It's not that it's colder, it's just... different..."

"Different how? It feels the same to me."

"Hmm, maybe it's just my imagination..."

Only ten minutes remained before lessons began, and Isaías was already seeing his only chance for a coffee slipping away before entering the classroom.

"Come on, Roy, put down that paper, and let's go get something to drink. It'll help us wake up, help with the cold. The walk will help distract us..." Isaías insisted.

"I don't want to; I'm reading," Roy replied, not lifting his eyes from the newspaper.

"Fine, go fry yourselves! I'm going alone; see you in the classroom!" Isaías shouted, before striding away from the plaza towards the small shop just a few steps away.

"Wow, he really is pretty nervous, hahaha," Max commented, trying to reconnect with the context, to fit into an environment that felt so alien to him that day.

He continued to observe his surroundings: the green plaza, with its cross-shaped path and four benches in the middle, all facing a life-sized bronze bust of the Institute's founder, Laure Lustrus. Beyond the plaza, he noticed the street to the southeast and the fence that separated the street from the campus, which encircled it entirely. His gaze then moved to the shop where Isaías was, and further beyond, one of the buildings—the faculty building, where the professors had their personal studies. Finally, he looked at the building to his left, the old Library. It was an ancient and out-of-place structure compared to the others. It consisted of two parts: an old concrete mass that served as the entrance and where the books were stored, and attached to it, something that resembled a two-story greenhouse, adapted to serve as a reading room.

"Makia, hasn't he arrived yet?" Flora asked sadly.

"Makia..." Roy muttered, confused, looking at Flora in astonishment.

"Hi Roy, Max, Flora. What a chilly morning, isn't it?" Makia greeted them.

Everyone's attention turned to the newcomer. Makia appeared with his usual red backpack slung over his right shoulder. He looked sleep-deprived and was inadequately dressed for the cold, wearing only a white shirt.

"Come on, let's wait inside the classroom; at least it's heated in there," Makia suggested.

"Makia, I thought you wouldn't show up. Why did you miss yesterday? We were worried..." Flora said.

"We're already late, let's go, girl."

Max noticed the evasion but paid it no mind.

"Yes, let's catch up with Isaías. Roy, what are you waiting for with that dumb look on your face?" Max added, laughing, uninterested in what Roy's gaze was really trying to conceal.

Roy stood up, heading towards the group that was now moving slowly, his eyes fixed on what had disturbed him. Makia turned his head and smiled at him. It was something common for him; Roy always thought he did it to hide something, like when he wanted to calm Flora before exams, "They're just exams, in two hours they'll be nothing but memories," and he would add that smile, as if in that gesture of apparent empathy lay an infinite indifference... "But what am I thinking, what does any of this matter!? He's right there, in front of me!" Roy snapped out of it and quickened his pace, taking the opportunity to toss the crumpled newspaper, a product of the tension that had gripped him, into a trash bin along the way.

Inside the classroom, the entire group found seats that allowed them to exchange glances or make the occasional comment without the professor noticing. The class had begun.