Asking for Questions

They left the old cabin where they were staying early in the morning. It was really cold at dawn, and most of the town was sleeping, except for some people on their way to work or to open their businesses.

Charlotte couldn’t stop yawning from sleepiness and kept her eyes half-closed. She shuffled along until they reached their destination. After climbing a couple of stairs, they arrived at a long building.

It was painted white and had several single windows all the way around. Inside, the place was modest. The floor was made of wood, and they were using candles for light instead of Magica.

Charlotte, now more awake, noticed many closed doors and huge paintings of great battles. The group was led by a very reserved maid who left them in a long dining room.

“Mister Paul will be with you soon.”

She left the room without saying another word.

After a few minutes, the count finally came out. He was a large man, wearing glasses and very elegant clothes.

“Welcome, Academy Blueroses’ representatives.”

“Count Paul, it’s an honor.”

Politely, he greeted everyone with a handshake.

“On the contrary, it’s an honor to have you here.”

With a hand sign, he asked for the maids to serve them food. In a second, they brought out tea and cookies. Charlotte and Leif started eating without hesitation.

“Have you had the opportunity to walk around the town?”

“No, we just arrived yesterday.”

“Well, I hope you find our home your home.”

“We appreciate it, but we need to cut straight to the point.”

The smile on the count’s face quickly faded away.

“I see.”

Suri took a sip of her tea. “What can you tell us about the former hero?”

“He’s a great young man… he has helped a lot—”

“I’m talking about now.”

The count lowered his head.

“You know why we're here, so please, we need some information.”

He sighed. “It's true… All the rumors are true…”

“So he is out of control?”

The count stood up, almost crying.

“But it’s not his fault! There must be something else…"

“We understand your feelings, but he’s dangerous. We can't let him hurt any more people.”

“He won’t. He’d never hurt his hometown or his people.”

The count ran from one end of the long table to the other, where Suri was sitting. He knelt in front of her.

“He is changed.”

“Everyone changes, Mister Paul, for good or for bad.”

“No, you don’t understand.”

The count leaned forward to her.

“When he returned, he didn’t seem like himself.”

“I believe that’s normal. He was fighting that tree for many years.”

The count simply nodded, while gasping for air.

“Something must have happened to him… He was the only one affected in his party.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to share?”

“His chest.”

Suri raised an eyebrow.

“Near his heart, it was covered in roots.”

Charlotte's pupils dilated, and then, for the first time in a long time, she felt a sharp pain in her left arm again.

“Yes, that’s how a corruption starts.”

“That’s not simple corruption. That tree… has changed. There has to be something else, and he is the proof.”

Before saying goodbye, the count knelt again, this time in front of the whole party. Tears ran down his face.

“Please, help my son.”


Before Suri could say anything, Charlotte knelt beside the count and gently hugged him with just one hand.

“I promise we’ll try everything to save him.”

As if he were a little kid, he cried his eyes out.


The building was made entirely of timber framing and rose three stories high. On the far right of the top floor, one of the windows was broken. Suri knocked three times until a nun opened the door a little.

“Can I help you?”

“Please excuse the inconvenience, but we wanted to inspect the place and ask you some questions.”

“The orphanage has temporarily moved to a different location, sorry.”

The nun tried to close the door, but Suri stopped her with no effort at all.

“We have Mister Paul's permission.”

Reluctantly, she opened the door and let the group inside. Before closing it, she looked both ways.

Inside, the place was also made entirely of wood. The candles were off, and a deafening silence reigned. Despite the many windows, only dim natural light lit the place.

The nun led them through the hallways. Charlotte, observant as always, noticed a room with many chairs and a slate blackboard, another with toys, and a third filled with books.

They reached the room at the far end of the place. It was full of bureaus, long writing desks, and document chests. A window in that room looked out onto a large, well-kept courtyard full of flowers.

“How can we help you?”

“We just wanted to ask about…” Suri paused for a second. “What happened to the former hero?”

“That’s classified information.”

“We come from the Blueroses Academy.”

The nun chuckled. “So, you’re with the kingdom?”

“Yes, more or less.”

Suri started walking around the room.

“What do you want to know?”

“About the incident.”

The nun let out a sigh. “The children love the former hero. They pretend to be him all the time.”

“It makes sense after everything he has done.”

“Outside, everyone respects him, right?”

“Yes, he’s really popular.”

The nun looked directly at a painting of the hero. In it, he raised his hand toward the sky, shining bright, like a divine figure.

“It’s a little different around here. He inspires us. If someone like him were born in an insignificant place like this and still able to do everything he did… maybe we could do it too.”

Charlotte also looked at the painting. She was captivated by the powerful image. That was her first impression of the hero.

“So, before leaving, he used to come to this orphanage all the time.”

“I see,” Suri simply said.

The nun wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

“That day, everything was fine. He was playing with the children and out of nowhere he started screaming in pain.”

“Did something change in him?”

She paused to think. “Some of the sisters said that the colors of his eyes changed. Others said that they saw a mark on his neck.”

“Then what happened?”

The nun turned away to avoid eye contact.

“Please, this is important.”

“H-he… kidnapped 5 children,” she cried. “There has been no word from him or the children since then.”

“Anything else?”

She just shook her head.

“Please, he would never do something like that.”

Charlotte stepped forward. “We’ll help him. We’ll find him and bring him back.”

“Oh, may the gods bless you.”

The nun, in tears, went to hug Charlotte.

“Please help those children and help him… please…”

Suddenly, the floor above began to creak. More and more, as if someone were walking freely through that supposedly abandoned place.

“Sister, you need to get out of here.”

“But—”

“Now!”

The creaking continued, but it was soft, almost gentle, as if whatever was above them was also watching over them.

“Stay here.”

“Wait, Miss Suri.”

Charlotte looked directly toward Zoe.

“We need protection cards.”

“I-I can't—”

“It’s alright.”

Without hesitation, Zoe pulled out her pocket watch and activated it, making the hands turn counterclockwise. After a few minutes, 7 cards were dispensed. Zoe tried to give one to each of them.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t take it.”

“Me neither.”

Alysia and Gerald flatly refused.

“I don’t really understand what happened, but I don't think you're pulling a trick on us.”

Leif took the card. “I can tell one apart when I see it.”

Suri also took one card without saying anything.

Prince Arthur hesitated. His hand was trembling.

“The foundation of a team is trust, right?” Charlotte said to him, with a soft smile.

Arthur couldn’t avoid letting out a chuckle.

“You’re right, Miss Charlotte.”

They both took Zoe's card.

“I’ll go first.”

Slowly, they began to climb the stairs. One of them was already very old, so it creaked quite loudly.

Suddenly, the footsteps from upstairs stopped for a few seconds. In an instant, they turned into footsteps that echoed throughout the room. They were no longer sure what it was.