Urgent Call

A stack of books surrounded me, and that scenery had become a constant. Days passed as I kept to the same routine, and that corner of the library had become a space just for us, where we would gather and pass the time.

But today was not a normal day, as everyone was too busy. So only I remained in that place, in my cage. The dust hadn't completely settled yet, and there were a few days left until the next fight, whose result would bring new subjects of gossip, and then I could walk around more freely.

Until then, I still had to stay as I was, studying the books in the library, avoiding crowded places, and training late at night. I was still keeping up with the study of summoning magic even though there wasn't much material available in the library on the subject.

And, besides the scarcity of information, there was the fact that summoning magic made absolutely no sense.

All the other magics in this world were easily decipherable when I thought of the threads the same way I thought of chemistry and physics, molecules and atoms. I used analogies and knowledge from the other world to create things. Fire was nothing more than accelerated oxidation. Water, the manipulation of hydrogen bonds between molecules. That was what the threads were, the rearrangement of the molecular structures of matter. It was complex, but there was an internal logic that I could, sometimes with effort, grasp.

But summoning was like a blank page. Each book said things differently and abstractly, such as "tearing the veil between planes," or "tuning the essence beyond space." The more I read about it, the more I started to think that summoning was just a type of philosophy. And nothing more.

They were just metaphysical concepts that didn't translate into any practical principle. How do you measure the distance between dimensions? How do you locate a spiritual signature? I tried to visualize all of this as a kind of formula or equation, but failed miserably.

In the end, I wasn't making progress, I was just doing the same thing every day, going around in circles and banging my head against things I couldn't understand at all.

I closed the book, putting my hands over my face. The hope of finding my sister, which had seemed so close after the first fight, now felt distant. What if the grimoire was useless? What if I never understood?

Suddenly, interrupting my thoughts, someone familiar appeared. I could sense the approaching presence by the faint sweet scent of her perfume. Nina then showed up beside the table, holding a paper package in her arms. She wasn't smiling, she never did that voluntarily, so her expression was as neutral as possible.

"You look exhausted."

"I am," I said, forcing a smile to hide my fatigue. "I just wish this made sense."

She sat down opposite to me and placed the package on the table. Inside were two slices of strawberry cake and two cups of Light-Herb tea.

"I only brought this because there was a 'buy one, get one' promotion."

She never lost her charm when trying to hide her true intentions.

I thanked her and took a sip of the tea. It was as if the warmth spreading through my chest was able to break my feeling of defeat. I then explained to Nina the reason for my blockage, how summoning was a mystery to me.

"You always complicate everything," she said, taking a slice of cake. "To weave the threads, we don't always use just what's here." She touched her temple. "We need to listen to what's here too." Then, she placed her hand on her chest, over her heart.

While nibbling on the cake, I began to reflect on her words. Listen to the heart? It still sounded too vague to me, almost naive for the way I thought, accustomed to logic. But, looking at Nina, who had manipulated magic through the threads and its philosophy all her life, with an intuition I would never have, I realized that maybe I was trying to solve something the wrong way. Perhaps it really was better to stop complicating things and just... feel for a moment.

The sweetness of the cake contrasted with the frustration I still felt. And as I watched Nina, my thoughts returned to everything that had happened. About what she said that day she lost her hood. About how she had gotten involved that day, and the risk she ran by almost revealing her hidden secret.

"Nina... I... haven't properly thanked you yet. For what you did that day. For helping me."

Despite everything, I was grateful to her. I understood the risk she took, the secret that could be exposed at any moment, and even if the focus was protecting her own identity, she had still helped me.

She avoided direct eye contact, focusing on the slice of cake in front of her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do," I insisted, even though I didn't know if I should. "Your secret. You revealed it and kept me here. Regardless, I owe you one. Seriously."

Now she turned her gaze to me, with an annoyed look, but one that couldn't completely hide her embarrassment.

"Don't be dramatic. I didn't do it exactly for you. But it would be a waste to have you expelled after all the time I dedicated to helping you. Besides, your attitude would have ended up attracting attention anyway."

I couldn't help but smile. It was the same old Nina, and knowing her, I could recognize her many layers.

"I get it. Still... thank you."

"Hmph," she said, turning her face away, but unable to hide the blush. "Just don't make me regret it. And stop talking about owing me. It's annoying."

I agreed. Even knowing that that debt, rejected by her, would stand for me. She had given me another chance. I couldn't let her regret it. I had to ensure that from now on, I would do everything possible to guarantee a victory in the upcoming duels in the tournament.

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, almost whispering.

"And you're one of the only ones who knows... And I hope it stays that way. A secret..."

"It's safe with me," I said without hesitation.

The atmosphere had calmed down. The sea of worry I had always seemed to dry up when I talked to Nina, as if her simple presence made all my bad thoughts disappear.

But then rapid footsteps came from the corridor, making us stand up in surprise. It was a breathless student with a pale face.

"Are you Haru? Professor Arven... in his room. He's calling you. Now! It's urgent!"

The recently relaxed atmosphere instantly broke. My heart felt like it was trying to jump out of my chest.

I exchanged a look with Nina. Her indifference had turned into alert, just like mine. The professor wouldn't be looking for me for something trivial. Only one thing could make him call me like this.

And it was related to my sister.