Chapter 12:

[Don’t Look Away] by ArufaBeta and Astral – Scarlet System

Honey-chan's Winter Resort


There was once a rumor spread by students of a prestigious academy— that one night a year, when the moon filled the autumn sky, a doorway would appear in the high tower, open only to those pure of heart. And Ari Veltara, the school’s soon-to-be valedictorian, wasn’t one to let a rumor lay to rest.

What if there’s treasure? Or a spell more powerful than a thunderbolt straight from the gods? she pondered to herself. Nighttime was drawing near, and the velvety lavender sunset gave her the chills. Would tonight really change everything?

She hurried down the tiled hallways in her long, white robes, their colorful hems fluttering behind her. She clutched her wooden staff as she ran. What if I’m too late? What if it’s not even real?

A thought occurred to her, and she slowed to a halt. “I need a witness,” she said to herself. Yes, of course— if no one was there to see it, how could she ever prove its existence? She needed someone for her testimony, and her options were running low.

There was only one person she could convince to follow her this late at night. She course-corrected to the school’s dining hall, hoping he was there like always.

Sure enough, Ari rounded the bend and found him— Bryce Gaute, the most cowardly warrior she’d ever met. He was still gorging himself on leftovers when she grabbed him by the collar and stood him up.

“Aw, c’mon, Ari…” he complained.

“Hush! You don’t even know what it is this time.”

“Huwahhh…” Bryce stretched and looked over at Ari. “You’re giving me the look again.”

Ari blinked. “What look?”

“You’re waiting for me to ask what it is.”

“Well, if you've gone and figured out my secret, you’d do well to respect it.”

Bryce stared at Ari, and her back at him. This sort of encounter was not at all rare for the two of them. “…Alright, what is it this time?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” She twirled her staff through her silvery hair. “We’re about to find that bloody doorway! You’ll be my witness. Now come on already!”

Before Bryce had time to reject her ludicrous idea, she was already off to the races. This was only marginally worse than the time she’d dragged him off to fight a red dragon. He let out a defeated sigh and trudged after her, following her from one side of the academy to the other in the last glimmerings of sunlight.

Before he knew it, they’d made it to the guard tower, the tallest structure in the school. The sun had all but disappeared, leaving only the full moon rising from the east— Ari could see its deep yellow shine through every window, as if it were devouring the sky.

“Any minute now,” Ari said, “and the doorway will miraculously appear before our eyes!”

Bryce took the initiative to look around the tower. One stone brick wall was entirely caved in— the wall from which they’d entered— and the rest were shrouded in darkness, save for the moonlight streaming in through the glass. If there were any sort of doorway here, they might not even see it.

“Give me a drumroll, Bryce!”

“Ari, I don’t think…”

“Come on, don’t be such a prick. Drumroll!”

“Ari, we ought to go back. We’re both knackered, aren’t we? Besides, what if we get caught? You’ll lose valedictorian, I’ll get expelled, and–”

Ari started quickly patting her thighs. “If you won’t do it, I will! Hidden doorway… reveal yourself!”

…Ari felt a sting. Deep down, she’d known it wasn’t true. Of course not— students make up stupid rumors all the time. But she still felt betrayed. Not by the students, or by the rumors, but by the doorway itself. Perhaps she just wasn’t as pure of heart as she’d thought.

She turned to Bryce and nodded sadly. “You’re right. We ought to book it. I can’t allow this to…”

The moonlight illuminated a pair of golden door handles, gleaming in the dark. Ari trailed off and turned back.

She felt so many emotions all at once— exhilaration, worry, relief. It felt natural to step up to the handles on those pitch-black doors and turn them, the very same way it felt to return home after a long vacation. Something she’d longed for, after all these years…

That’s why she was speechless when she saw what was inside.

It was… unextraordinary.

There was no hoard of gold, no root of the World Tree, and no Seventh Heaven in front of her…instead, there was just a small, dusty room, the walls of cobblestone overgrown with moss, with an oil lamp burning on a wooden desk in the corner.

“What… is this place?” Bryce asked.

“Not worth the trouble,” Ari spat. “All the rumors were true, and for what? A dirty monk’s shack?!”

Bryce groaned. That was Ari— always setting her standards too high, never settling for less. It made her a wonderful student, but a terrible adventurer. “At least be glad we found it.”

“Being glad would be a lot easier if it weren’t a mangy old hut! What kind of hidden room is this?” Ari stomped in and took it all in again. “Ugh…”

As she pouted, she noticed something. She approached the desk and picked it up— a book, moderate in size, bound in red vellum. Its cover had only one single word, written in gold:

ETERNITY

It didn’t look at all like the books she liked to lose herself in at the school library, but it could act as a keepsake of sorts. A reminder of the dull reality of this world… She held it in her hands, running a delicate finger down the book’s spine.

Might as well see what’s inside, she thought, placing a thumb in the book’s center and opening it near the middle.

What she began to read was a history like none she had ever known.  The accounts of the wars were so detailed, so beautifully written, that it felt like she was there herself.  There were all sorts of facts she’d never heard in any class nor story— the names of obscure players, the thoughts and fears of commanders— it was like a god had written this, not a human.

In the back of her mind, Ari knew she should take the book with her, but she couldn’t stop herself from turning page after page.

She had to know.

“Ari…?” Bryce spoke up. “I’m worried… you’ve been reading that book for an hour now.”

Without breaking her laser-focused gaze on the book’s pages, Ari simply replied, “I’ll be done soon. Just give me a few more minutes.”

Before Bryce could reply, a creeping darkness surrounded him, completely shrouding his vision. When he came to, he was sitting alone in the guard tower, moonlight shining from above.



The imposing castle-like structure lay in ruin, outlined by the harsh light of the harvest moon as the two men approached it. Hundreds of years ago, this place had been a school for mages, their father had told them once, but they were not visiting the ruins for tourism.  Rather, they were treasure hunters.

It was said that the late Inquisitor Gaute had buried some sort of fantastic treasure in the place where he once studied as a boy— one that could only be found by a mage who matched his power. The two brothers did not know if their magic was anywhere close to the Inquisitor’s, because it was forbidden to use it under penalty of law, but their minds raced with the thought of what this treasure might be.  Perhaps it would be enough to set themselves and their father up for the rest of their lives.

Macon, the older of the two, held his hands together and let white energy flow into the cracked tiles below him. “What’re you planning on doing once we nab this treasure?”

“I’ll give half of it to pops, of course!” Gaelio, the younger sibling, replied. “And then a quarter to you!”

“That’s not fair,” Macon chuckled. “We can split it into thirds.”

Gaelio hmphed. “You better be nice, else it’ll be finders keepers!”

All of Macon’s radiant energy returned to him, seeping out of the cracks and into his hands. “I can’t detect anything super strong. Might be gold.”

Macon looked up to the constellations. Maybe the treasure was nothing but a rumor after all. Even so, he and his brother had to look. It was a bad idea to lose hope at such an hour— not after they’d come so far. 

As the two entered the courtyard of the ruins, Gaelio began to tense up.  The place was undoubtedly unnerving.  All the gray stone ruins loomed large in their field of view, casting dark shadows over everything.

Out of the corner of his eye, Macon saw something glinting, and he stopped for a second. Was it a beast? He couldn’t tell. Clutching a hand to the handle of his dagger, he carefully stepped forward to investigate.

As he approached the faint gleam, a set of wooden doors, black as the night sky with golden handles, emerged from the darkness.  There was no building behind them— they were standing in the open.

Macon’s heart leaped as he felt the magical energy pulsating from the doors.  This must be the Inquisitor’s treasure, he thought to himself.

As he approached the door, Gaelio appeared beside him.  “Big Brother, is that…”

Macon put a hand on each of the golden handles, closing his eyes.  When he opened them, the two young men found a small, dreary cobblestone room, the only source of light an oil lamp sitting on a small desk.

The treasure hunter sighed.  The Inquisitor had tricked both of them.  Of course his treasure wouldn’t be so easy to find.

There must be a clue here or something. His chainmail clinking, Macon hesitantly approached the desk, the only other thing in the room besides the water-stained stones.

As he got closer, he noticed something sitting on the desk, deep blood-red.  It was a book of average size, and the cover bore the name of no author.  Instead, there was a single word embossed in gold.

ETERNITY

Perhaps this was the clue the two brothers so desperately needed.  It was better than nothing.

As he picked the book up and turned around, he noticed a stainless white robe, edged with a colorful pattern, draped over the chair beside him. On the floor sat a twisted wooden staff. It was like someone had been here just before them…

If there was a clue in the book, Macon needed to find it quickly, before whoever lived in this small room returned. He knew he should have left the room with it, but something was urging him to open it right there.

He thumbed open the book to a random page, glancing it over in search of clues. Immediately, he found something— a story of two mages entering this very room, hundreds of years ago…

Bryce Gaute was one of them.

He began to turn pages faster and faster.  The place Gaute hid his treasure must be in here somewhere! He couldn’t put the book down— the feeling of victory was so close.

He had to know.

Gaelio stood in front of him, looking up at him with concern. “Big Brother, are you alright?”

Macon didn’t look up.

“I’ll be done soon. Just give me a few more minutes.”