RESEARCH AND CONSEQUENCES

Marcus pushed through the heavy glass doors of the university library, his backpack stuffed with notebooks and a growing sense of urgency. Two days had passed since the evacuation order in Valdris, and he'd been thinking constantly about Sister Korra's mention of the capital's academies and resources.

But first, he needed answers to questions that had gnawed at him since the refugees' arrival. If he was going to meet scholars in Drakmoor, he wanted to be prepared with the right questions. Ones that might help him understand this strange world he'd been living in without knowing he could research it.

The library's main floor bustled with the usual mix of stressed students and caffeine-fueled academic desperation. Marcus found an empty table in the reference section and spread out his materials: notebooks, pens, and a carefully constructed list of questions he'd been developing.

At the top of his page, written in neat print: "Questions for Sister Korra."

Below that, a growing list that represented months of accumulated curiosity about Valdris:

*Astronomy - Do they know constellations? Is this the same sky?*

*Calendar systems - How do they measure time and seasons?*

*Geography - Are there maps? What do they know about distant lands?*

*History - How long have kingdoms like Drakmoor existed?*

*Magic - Is it recent? Ancient? How does it work?*

*Literacy - Who can read? What do they read?*

*Technology - Why no advancement? What prevents progress?*

*Agriculture - What techniques do they use? What could I teach?*

*Medicine - Do they understand disease? Sanitation?*

Marcus stared at his list, realizing how much he didn't know about the world he'd been living in part-time for years. He'd been so focused on immediate problems. Helping his family survive, improving their crops, dealing with daily life. That he'd never thought to ask bigger questions.

He pulled out his laptop and began searching for information that might help him understand what to expect from a medieval capital city. Academic databases, historical texts, anything that might give him insight into how knowledge was preserved and transmitted in pre-industrial societies.

"Medieval literacy rates," he typed, then paused. That wasn't quite right. "Knowledge preservation ancient world" brought up more useful results.

Marcus found himself deep in articles about the Library of Alexandria, monastic scriptoriums, the role of clergy in preserving knowledge during the Dark Ages. He took notes about how information was organized, how scholars communicated across distances, what kinds of questions would seem natural for someone from a farming village to ask.

A paper on "Astronomical Knowledge in Medieval Europe" caught his attention. He scanned through sections on celestial navigation, calendar systems, the preservation of Greek astronomical texts. If Valdris followed similar patterns, Sister Korra might know about star charts, seasonal calculations, maybe even basic navigation techniques.

"Scientific Innovation in Pre-Industrial Societies" led him down another research rabbit hole. Marcus read about agricultural innovations, early chemistry, the gradual development of metallurgy and engineering. Some of this could explain why Valdris seemed technologically stagnant. If magic provided solutions to problems that normally drove innovation, why would anyone bother developing alternatives?

But that raised another question: how long had magic existed in that world? Was it recent, like Malachar's rise? Or had it been shaping their society for centuries?

Marcus added more questions to his list:

*When did magic first appear in their world?*

*Do they have any written records of history without magic?*

*How does magic affect their understanding of natural phenomena?*

*Are there scholars who study magic systematically?*

He was deep in a fascinating article about the role of monasteries in preserving knowledge when a familiar voice interrupted his concentration.

"Marcus? What are you doing here?"

Marcus looked up to find Jake standing beside his table, carrying a stack of textbooks and wearing an expression of surprise mixed with suspicion.

"Research," Marcus said, quickly closing some of his browser tabs. "For a project."

Jake's eyes swept over Marcus's notebooks, laptop screen, and the scattered printouts of historical articles. "What kind of project? This looks like medieval history, not pre-med coursework."

"It's... interdisciplinary," Marcus said weakly. "Looking at historical approaches to medicine and agriculture."

"Uh huh." Jake set down his books and pulled out a chair, clearly settling in for a conversation Marcus didn't want to have. "Marcus, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"About the fact that you missed Dr. Peterson's lab yesterday. The one where we covered practical applications of organic synthesis. The one that's going to be on next week's exam."

Marcus felt his stomach drop. He'd completely forgotten about the lab. In Valdris, he'd been dealing with evacuation preparations, trying to help his family decide what to pack and what to leave behind. The idea of a chemistry lab had seemed impossibly distant.

"I was... sick," Marcus said, which wasn't entirely untrue. He had felt nauseous thinking about leaving the farm.

"Sick. Right." Jake's tone suggested he wasn't buying it. "The same way you were 'sick' when you missed Professor Williams' review session? And 'distracted by family issues' when you didn't show up for our study group?"

"Jake"

"Marcus, I'm worried about you." Jake leaned forward, his voice taking on the concerned tone of someone who'd decided to stage an intervention. "Your grades are slipping. You're missing important classes. And now I find you in the library researching medieval history instead of studying for exams."

"My grades aren't that bad."

"Dr. Peterson specifically asked me if I knew what was going on with you."

Marcus felt heat creep up his neck. "What did you tell him?"

"That you were dealing with some personal issues but that you're normally a dedicated student." Jake paused. "But Marcus, I can't keep covering for you if you're not going to help yourself."

They sat in silence for a moment, surrounded by the ambient noise of the library. Keyboards clicking, pages turning, the distant hum of the ventilation system. Marcus stared at his list of questions for Sister Korra and felt the familiar weight of living two lives.

"Look," Jake said finally, his tone gentler. "I don't know what's really going on with you. But whatever it is, you can't let it destroy your future. Your parents sacrificed everything to get you here."

"I know that."

"Do you? Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you're more interested in medieval research than modern medicine."

Marcus closed his notebook, covering his list of questions. "It's not that simple."

"Then explain it to me. Help me understand what's so important about..." Jake gestured at the scattered printouts, "astronomical knowledge in pre-industrial societies that it's worth failing chemistry over."

How could Marcus explain that understanding astronomical knowledge in pre-industrial societies might literally be a matter of life and death for his family in Valdris? How could he say that his medieval research was more urgent than his modern education because he was the only person who could help bridge the gap between worlds?

"I can't," Marcus said quietly. "I wish I could, but I can't explain it."

Jake studied him for a long moment, and Marcus could see the frustration and genuine concern warring in his roommate's expression.

"Okay," Jake said finally. "I don't understand, but okay. But Marcus? You have to make a choice. Either recommit to your education here, or accept that you're going to fail out of pre-med. There's no middle ground."

After Jake left, Marcus sat alone at his table, staring at his research materials. His list of questions for Sister Korra seemed somehow less important now, overshadowed by the weight of his friend's words.

Jake was right. Marcus's modern life was falling apart while he focused on medieval concerns. His chemistry grade was suffering. He was missing important classes. His best friend was losing faith in him.

But in two days, his Valdris family would begin a dangerous journey to an unknown city, fleeing from magical threats that could destroy everything he cared about in that world. How could he prioritize chemistry homework over their survival?

Marcus packed up his materials, carefully folding his list of questions for Sister Korra and tucking it into his notebook. The research could wait. Right now, he needed to figure out how to salvage his chemistry grade before it was too late.

But as he walked back to his dorm, Marcus couldn't shake the feeling that he was running out of time in both worlds. The evacuation in Valdris was imminent. His academic standing in Chicago was deteriorating rapidly.

And somehow, he had to find a way to succeed in both places. Failure in either world would mean letting down people who depended on him.

The weight of that responsibility felt heavier than all the textbooks in the library combined.