Chapter 95: The Key

*Date: 33,480 Second Quarter - Chalice Theocracy*

"Dismissed. Go to your duels," Rathvoss's barking woke Aris from his thoughts. He came to his senses, scattered thoughts about how to bring back Lyra dissolving. Students were leaving the class, their conversations a dull roar.

Aris, because of the injury, had missed his last five matches. All that grinding wasted. He was now ranked 44. The number burned in his mind.

"Aris, stay. I wanted to talk to you," Rathvoss said.

Aris looked at Fox waiting to enter the class. He waved him off to wait. He approached his foul-tempered teacher, boots scuffing on stone.

"How is your arm?" Rathvoss asked.

"It healed properly. These nanites... I mean, Keyra's magical healing is superb," Aris said in a laughing way, trying to lighten the mood.

Rathvoss frowned for a second and continued. "It's good you're cheerful. But with latest misses, you're what, forty-fifth?"

"Forty-fourth."

"Doesn't matter. Top thirty seems hard. Start the search."

Aris gulped, thinking about the search for Lyra's memories. "What search?"

"Team, you idiot. Some already formed their party. If you didn't burn bridges with everyone, I maybe could've convinced Kaelan to take you into his party."

Aris was surprised. His hardass, crazy Templar teacher actually caring enough for Aris to form a strong party to survive. The concern was genuine.

"Thanks for your concern, sir, but I'm still aiming for top thirty. And if not, I think Orric would take me into his party."

"That's... less than ideal, but it's good you have a backup plan. Also plan a team if you make it into top thirty. You'll probably have to pick last, but it is what it is."

"I didn't understand. What do you mean, last?"

"First pick will be rank one. If you make it to top thirty, probably by the time you pick, top fifty will be taken. When your pick comes back around again, you'll have to pick from rank above eighty-five. Whoever's left."

"Then entering top thirty isn't the best?" Aris asked, confusion clear.

"Your choice. But those who pull through with their low-ranked teams are regarded highly. More than those who calculate and strategically stay out of top thirty."

"I don't want to strategize. I want to show my power. Test my limits."

"Your choice. Just make sure to arrange backup plans."

"Understood. Thanks, sir."

When Aris turned to leave, Rathvoss spoke again.

"Hey, Aris. You're a bookworm. Were you close to the librarian? The one interrogated?"

Aris gulped. Here comes another probing for information. His heart hammered.

"Other than book recommendations, not so much. Why?"

Rathvoss's expression shifted, something almost human breaking through. "It's just that I witnessed some of Kurgodan's... you know... works. And he is a bit extreme. Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning your loyalty to Chalice. But she might be shaken. Help her, alright? Even if she is fae." He said the shocking things and forced a smile.

"Once again, thanks, sir."

Aris left the class. Fox joined him in the corridor, padding silently beside him.

"What did he say?" Fox asked.

"Just... form a good party and... help Lyra."

"What?"

"Yeah, it surprised me too. Anyway, let's head to duels."

That day, Aris had three duels. He won two, solid victories using his combination techniques. And lost to a fae boy with a frozen spear that moved like liquid ice. The cold burned where it touched.

After duels, Aris used his healing spells to patch up his wounds. Healing light flowed from his palms, knitting bruises and cuts. "I could have won that last match, but drinking too many potions wore off by the last game."

"You should use them strategically," Fox advised.

Orric approached when his matches finished, tail wagging slightly. "I'm stuck at eight."

"At least you're eight. I'm stuck in the forties now."

"I'm sure you can make it up in remaining matches. Want to spar after dinner?"

"I... I have work to do. Maybe tomorrow."

Aris and Fox left the duel area and headed to the alchemy room.

"Aris, we should be seeking the relic. Why are we here?" Fox asked.

"I tried some sneaking potions yesterday. Let me start new batches. I think we'll need more in upcoming days."

"Where do we search? Library?"

Aris started concocting new sneaking potions, hands moving with practiced precision. "Library, secret section, her chambers. Everywhere she's been."

"You know, you've come a long way. Start of the semester, you were gonna pee your pants standing in the hall waiting for Lyra."

Aris nodded, a faint smile crossing his face. And made some more potions. He'd given a rest to blood potions now that he had twelve of each at tier two. For tier three, trying and experiments would have to wait. He had to find ways to bring Lyra back first.

At midnight, Aris downed a sneak potion. The liquid tasted like shadows and smoke. He gave a vial to Fox and headed out to the library. When they arrived at the empty corridor, candles flickered, casting dancing shadows.

Aris walked up to the door. It was locked, the handle unyielding.

"Dammit, I don't know how to lockpick."

"Step aside. I can open locks," Fox said.

"What?"

"You're not the only one with skills. I think they created me as a sneak and open locks pet. And here we... are." Click. The door opened with Fox's claws manipulating the mechanism.

"You didn't think I was just a wise companion, right? I have skills," Fox said, whispering smugly.

Aris and Fox started looking through every corner of the library. Shelves upon shelves of books. Desks meticulously organized. But there was nothing out of place. Fox opened the locked desk drawers. There were just orders and lists, mundane administrative work.

Finally, they headed to the forbidden section. Forbidden section contained mostly tier three spells and blood-related enhancements. "Books are for later," Aris thought. After looking for two hours, they couldn't find any hidden thing or section. No loose floorboards. No false walls.

On the way out, Aris sighed. "There is nothing. Even if there was anything, Kurgodan and his men should have taken it already."

"Tomorrow we should look at her chambers. But we can only enter when she's out. Maybe I can look alone at noon?"

"Maybe. I'm gonna look at the high sections before we go." When he went to the railed ladder for climbing, he noticed one ladder step was jiggling. Loose. He stopped.

"Wait. Didn't Lyra make this? This is jiggling." He started unscrewing the step. It revealed a stuffed paper inside the hollow rung. "I found something."

He took the paper, carefully screwed the ladder step back into place. Fox hissed, "Come on, drop the step. Who cares?"

"Kurgodan cares," Aris whispered back.

They left the library silently, sneaking through shadows. Once back in their room, Aris unfolded the paper with trembling hands.

The handwriting was unmistakably Lyra's. Sharp, precise, sarcastic even in written form.

*"Hey twin idiots. If you reached this, maybe you're not that idiotic. Anyway, Kurgodan is highly suspicious. If that Lex De Souza didn't attack at the Covenant summit, there would be no reason to go after me. But I probably was the only suspect going in and out of the palace. Anyway, I am transferring my memories of us, the infiltration, me being an Engineer to a memory stone. But unfortunately, my relic you call it is actually called a 'Key,' and without 'the Lock,' I can't use that alone to remember. Sooo... leave me here. Don't try to hit my head to remember. I'm sure Kurgodan will do that many times. In fact, run from here and live your lives. I will use the Key to extract my memories at the building in the Academy Cemetery. When I wake, I will only remember my job, so I'll probably leave them there. Go pick those up, but be careful. Don't get caught. Also, I am pointing out one more time: leave me here and run. I love you guys."*

*P.S. "The Lock is like an ashtray that the Key sits on top of. Just so if you find it."*

Below she'd sketched "the Lock." A square device with intricate grooves, in the middle where sphere can sit.

Aris stared at the paper for a long moment. His hands trembled. "She knew. She knew everything that would happen."

Fox's voice was quiet. "And she still chose to protect us."

"The Academy Cemetery," Aris whispered. "That's where her memories are."

"That's also where they bury the dangerous dead. The ones they don't want walking again."

"Then we go tomorrow night."

"Aris..."

"I'm not leaving her like this, Fox. She didn't leave us."

Fox sighed, but nodded. "Fine. But we do this smart. No rushing in."

Aris folded the paper carefully and tucked it into his tunic. Tomorrow night. They would find the Lock. They would restore Lyra.

Or die trying.