Black pooled like ink throughout the tight room, shaming the ebony nest on Káel's head as he leaned out of his covers with a stiff groan. Puff wasn't in his usual corner, the brilliant ball of white shirking his gaze completely, along with his nosy cat that had likely found it easier to slink through the blackened room with his charcoal coat.

          His throat wasn't as dry, but still smacked and rubbed with every swallow. He moved his tongue around, feeling the calcy stick lacing it with a sour tang and scrunching his nose as he cooked up the best place to find a cold glass of water.

          Truvius would probably know.

           His heart flattened when his eyes rested on the empty bed. Perfectly made and void of its typically snoring occupant.

          Káel slid out of the bed and parted the curtains left of his bedside. It was late, the only thing to light the sky being the massive brush stroked planet.

          Where's Truvius? Káel thought, looking around the empty room. He was nowhere to be found, and it had to be past curfew. Káel felt a twang of stupidity gnawing at his mind when he checked under the beds, but it quickly turned to worry when along with his strange roommate, Puff and Jeremiah weren't hiding under the mattresses. Even Phantom had disappeared, and he'd gotten so used to his company that the entire situation felt wrong now.

          He approached the door, and jumped when something snapped beneath his foot. A dry and bumpy stick with roughened scales of azure bark, now cracked in two to expose a pearly heart that seemed to carry its own glow. He lifted the mysterious object into the dim blue washing through his pulled curtain. It was definitely a stick, silver teardrop leaves and all.

          But then again, Phantom's pocket sized home had definitely been a rock.

          A breeze shifted his hair, caressing the nape of his neck with a cold and dried touch. It was nearly gentle enough to count for a playful stroke, the thought of which sent chills down his spine. Káel slowly turned in dumb silence, the pieces falling hard on his gaze when he found the source of the mysterious breeze. 

          The window was wide open, the faintest blur of fur slipping down its pane.

          "Puff?" Káel whispered, his heart pounding as he neared the bulging white curtains. 

          Would he be held accountable if the injured drake escaped and landed itself with another pack of sporting unicorns?

          The chill of Lumi's frigid nights sank into his hands, now curled over the polished wood while he leaned out to scan the roof. He knew he'd blame himself if Puff disappeared in his state. Knowing he could have left the dragon to freedom at its best, had he not been stupid enough to check if the window was unlocked.

          Káel frowned. 

          Had he not been stupid enough to think dragons couldn't open windows without thumbs would have landed more logically in his argument.

          "Puff?" he breathed, his whisper nearly drawn long enough to produce a rising song. 

          With a couple seconds of silence to follow, something small and furry skittered by in his peripheral.

           "Come on Puff, get back here, I'm not in the mood for this," Káel whispered, his voice hardening as he tried the forceful route. But his eyes were glowing with worry, banking on empty hope for a fluffy white dragon to come bounding back.

          Puff didn't show himself, leaving Káel with two options. Lo and behold, he took the less intelligent one.

          Carefully climbing out the window, he landed on the rough stone shingles plating every inch of the surrounding roofing with dull grey scales. It was a strange perspective that the night cast upon the building, one touch of daylight and the building would be a shimmer of rainbows, not the hollowed shadow of a sleeping castle. Káel angled his feet, tip toeing in the direction he'd seen the movement as the sharp grit of the shingles ripped at his socks. 

          "Puff? C'mere I promise to give you an extra bird."

          There was another skitter, unsettling him as his heart pounded harder and harder.

          "Fine, you can stay out all night," Káel growled, his voice faltering with a nervous crack. He wanted to find Puff just as much as he didn't want to stand exposed on the treacherous sea of silence. The breeze returned to whisper in his ear, distracting him for a moment as he swore the scraping air had uttered words, followed by a sharp snap that stopped his heart.

          The window.

          Káel ran to his sealed escape route, tugging on it with all his might, but it didn't budge. The slip of metal firmly nestled into it's cave. 

          An impressive feat for a gentle breeze.

          "Great," he sighed, looking around the large roof, then down at his socks. "Hey Puff! Get your furry butt back here!"

          Silence was the only thing to answer his calls, and Káel continued on his path, the warmth of irritation spurring his legs. He followed the last noise, leading up the shingled slant to a colony of peaking windows and decorative walls.

          Cautiously climbing the rough shingles, Káel pulled himself up to the second layer of roofing that covered their dorms. Another skitter sounded from his side, and he quickly ran to catch it, coming face to face with what he could describe as definitely not Puff.

          Granted, it was small and furry, but it wasn't a dragon. It was creamy yellow with three black stripes, and big black eyes. A living ball of fluff, with tiny paws that were mostly concealed under its ball of a body shape.

          The creature chittered at Káel's sigh, then rolled away, drawing his attention to a cloaked figure that scooped it into the black folds of their clothing.

          Káel jerked at the sight of a person, rigid with cautious fear as the two kept their safe handful of meters to inspect one another. It wasn't Truvius for sure, the stranger's body built to suit a soldier, with straight shoulders and a bush of soft white hair peeking past the black beak of his hood. A white emblem was flawlessly embroidered to the back of his cloak, a haunting twin to the black mark tainting the flawless surface of the ceptrum in Káel's pocket. 

          Káel took a step back. The stranger before him had something to do with the room, and quite possibly, something to do with Phantom. 

          His head turned a little more, the ghostly sheet of skin stretched across his face pulling to a grin. When he was sure of Káel's attention, his arm dipped into a pocket, coming clean with a flat brown rock pedestalled to the sky by his palm.

          Phantom's rock.

          "Hey... Wait a minute," Káel whispered, grabbing at his empty pockets. The rock would have returned to him after a few meters, and the space separating the two easily doubled it. "Who are you?" he called, reviving no response from the cloaked figure.

          The stranger shoved the rock in his pocket, and walked away.

          Great.

          With a spark of agitation he crept after the man. He didn't like the thought of provoking anything on this planet, let alone a creepy hooded guy, so he'd keep his distance until he worked out a rescue plan.

          The stranger gradually climbed down the roof, seeming to know the terrain quite well. Eerily waiting for Káel as he struggled to make jumps or climb down walls, but Káel, being too focused on not dying, didn't notice the kindly gesture.

          They finally made it to the ground after a couple soft scrapes and yelps, and the strange figure continued to walk across the lush green field. Káel checked his shoulder, the front entrance would be easy enough to sprint to if things went sour. 

          With a secretive smile he pulled his attention back to his target, a nip of dread tailing the sight of the towering black trees. 

          Were unicorns nocturnal?

          Káel swallowed, the fear dodging his pulled muscles and climbing into his mind. He was following a stranger to save a stranger, and now he was honestly doubting his logic as he came upon the side of the potentially dangerous person and flashed him a timid smile. "This might sound weird... But can I have that rock back?"

          The man remained silent, his violet eyes focused ahead with an ease of comfort. Káel wasn't even paid a glimpse as the man slowed his strides to match his, the grass only crunching under Káel's soft and soggy socks. Every step drew closer to the wall of rich green, a mass of emerald shadows filled with death for those who rarely trod it. Káel had already learned his lesson about crossing its threshold without permission, and didn't need seconds.

          His voice spiked with an involuntary crack. "Please, I know it might sound crazy, but my friend is in there. I need it back."

          The man finally stopped a foots-length from the first poking tree branch, the swaying grass around them unkempt and rugged. Cobalt seemed to have a few outskirt patches that the gardeners had abandoned, this one being one of the worst. 

          Káel could feel the dried hay stabbing into his feet, the itchy tickle covering his legs but barely holding his attention. He was more focused on the pair of amethyst eyes that had rested on him, slowly pulling at the colour in his face the longer their silence kept. 

          The man's arm shifted, forcing a flinch out of Káel as it slowly rose to point at the ground. He paid the thick tangle of dried grass and mud a smile, his gaze darting to Káel again with a warmth of pride. 

          As if that especially crappy patch of landscaping was his life's work, and Káel was particularly lucky to witness the natural wonder.

          Káel squinted at the rough patch of dead grass, irritation forcing its way through his tone. "yeah? it's grass."

          The man's expression dropped to disappointment, his regal posture dipping to a kneel as he pointed at the ground with a little more force. As if putting his finger closer to it would do anything.

          In order to humour the stranger and get Phantom's rock back, Káel dropped into a squat, pushing his face closer to the patch. It was the grassiest tangle of dead weeds and crumpled leaves he'd laid eyes upon. So incredibly normal he'd lost his fear of the stranger, now wondering if a dimwitted student had jumped through their own window and decided to torment him.

          He gave the stranger a side long glare. "You know, words would be nice."

          His face crinkled, immediately showing his age while he scowled at Káel, doing a shooing motion at the pile of grass.

            "You want me to dig?" Káel's eyebrows involuntarily rose. "Why don't you do it?"

          The boy smirked at his response, pulling Phantom's rock into view and shaking it tauntingly.

          Káel sighed, gripping a wad of the dried hairs and ripping them right out of the weak dirt. He was too tired to get in trouble for being out past curfew, too cold for the loose PJ's hugging him like useless rags, and too stressed to have dirt digger tagged as a new nickname. But Phantom got the best of him. He'd never pass an alien curriculum without the guy's helpful 'tips', and he'd never get Puff's cuff off to start the long journey in finding a zodraic battery.

          He ripped at the cold earth, snapping the netting of dead roots with fierce tugs and tossing the mounds in every direction like a dutiful dog on a beach. His fingers finally jammed into the hard skin of a rock, forcing him to dig around the obstacle until the crown of a large milky white stone met his gaze. Stained and eroded from thousands of years slumbering.

          "A Ceptrum?" Káel muttered, brushing the dirt off his hands and looking to the boy. "Can I have my rock back now?"

          Káel froze at the empty space beside him. The boy was gone like the wind, along with Phantom's rock, nowhere to be seen in the vast field cradling Cobalt. His heart stilled with an overwhelming blanket of betrayal, but he should have expected that by now. Following strangers had never landed him anywhere good.

          Káel fully twisted around, ready to walk back to Cobalt and hand himself in to Tia when a set of icy fingers gripped his shoulders, pinching into his bones as he was tugged backwards into a wall of laughing trees.

           The jolt of panic pulled away the dark shroud dragging him, stilled with a pierce of daylight painting his eyelids orange. He cracked his eyes open, rested in the thin white covers of his bed as the sky leaked a dim light of early morning. 

          A nightmare.

          "Phantom?" Káel whispered, looking around the room. "You here?"

          He sighed at the silence that answered, watching Puff roll over and disturb Jeremiah, receiving a sharp hiss from the jumpy cat that shoved him off the bedside. Truvius was still rolled up in his covers too, back facing his bed as he peacefully soaked in the weekend. A strange sight for Káel, who had been used to waking up to his unyielding enthusiasm.   

          Káel slid out of his covers, calling Phantom again without a due response. He sighed, tossing on a quick outfit and moving towards the door, when two red sleeved arms popped out of the wood, followed by a masked face fitting to a horror movie. 

          "Surprise!"

          Káel screamed, arms flying as he twisted away to bend over and recollected himself. The bewilderment was fresh in his eyes as he paced his pounding heart. He looked over his shoulder to ensure that Truvius hadn't been disturbed by the random scream, then looked at Phantom, and placed his finger over his mouth.

          "What? I didn't think you'd scream like a girl, at most I was expecting a jump... Or a-"

          Káel interrupted his statement with a loud shush, pointing at Truvius who had yet to even show the slightest sign of awakening.

          "He can't hear me Unicorn Boy," Phantom whispered tauntingly. "Watch. Hey Truvius, wake up!" he sang at the top of his lungs.

          Káel glared at Phantom, shoving open the door so it passed through him. "Whatever, let's go." He held the door for Puff to escape a growling Jeremiah, closing it with a soft click.

          In the spell of soft silence following their departure, all was quiet in the small room. But as the muffled steps grew to echoes by their distance, Truvius quickly turned over. He watched the door with dish eyes, utterly disturbed by his roommate's one sided conversation.

      —————      

          Káel stared at the librarian, a couple innocent blinks mere scratches upon her stern expression. He distracted his gaze with inspecting her braided nest of a bun, the brown curls poking from its base bouncing as she spoke.

          "That's the list hun?"

          Káel bit his cheek, his fingers still splayed across the black scratches of writing painting the crumpled paper. It was the list, a list of things he needed a little more information on.  But he wasn't thinking too well when he wrote zodraic batteries clear as day on it.

          "Yeah," Káel muttered, the last of his parched throat invading his words. "I was just looking for some books on why zodraic batteries are illegal." He handed the slip to her, the warm smile on her face allowing his voice to steady. "I was curious about their history."

          The librarians eyes darted down the list. "I understand, Novan technology is quite popular, especially after Runas." Her lips twitched with a somber smile, and she tucked the paper under the lip of a stack of books, fishing around the cluttered baskets and drawers teeming with numbered dividers and twine bound cards. "Although, I have a concern with another topic you've selected."

          Káel smiled, propping himself against the desk so he could peer at the busy woman. Her glossing over the zodraic battery had solved the only problem he had. "What's that?" 

          "Lockpicking." She lifted her head, four slips of paper wedged between her fingers as she cocked an eyebrow. "For what educational purposes will you be using this information?"

          "Tell her you're testing how fast a nomad will bite a lanky boy in half after he frees it," Phantom whispered, immediately receiving a swat that passed through his face.

          Telling the truth couldn't hurt with this one, Káel thought, scooping Puff up and resting the confused dragon on a clear patch of desk. The librarian scuttled back with a short yelp, pulling the attention of any nearby students browsing the material.

          She grasped her heart with a heavy sigh, picking up the sheets that had fluttered from her hand. "So you're the boy that outran that queen, aren't you?"

           Káel did a small nod, souring the air around him. Even the teachers gossiped.

          "Well," the librarian said, her voice a heavy wheeze while she fixed her hair. "I'll get your other books, but any instructional material that could lead to illicit behaviour has been prohibited for most students." She gave Puff a wary squint. "And this school isn't the place to be freeing nomads."

          Her voice lingered on nomad, the ghost of a disapproving squint folding her brow and pinching her eyes. Káel was silent as she wandered off, allowing Puff to climb into his arms with a saddened warble as he buried his tiny face into the crook of Káel's arm.

          An object dropped next to Káel with unnecessary force, the familiar girl smiling as she caught his attention with the stack of thick metal bound volumes. Alestra's eyes glittered with a mischievious shine, nearly on par with Vera's fiery gaze, and she tucked her messy brown hair behind her ears. "So, a zodraic battery, huh?"

            Káel looked around the quiet space, a couple student tossing them uninterested glances, with the librarian busily skimming the towering bookshelves for Káel's request. The only stare that lingered on him for an indecent spell of time was Horus', the student still donning his uniform to stick out from the casually dressed guests at his table, with the girl next to him too busy whispering to realise her volume on Mauran Equaam Species was upside down.

          "No need to look so suspicious," Alestra muttered, pulling the first book, Genstris' Encyclopedia of Ancient Healings and Forgotten Sciences away to reveal the only novel that didn't have an iron bound spine. "This book is the most you'll get for Zodraic Batteries, just a paragraph or two near the end." She nudged 'A Short History of Runas' at him, her lips curving as she threw her gaze left and right before leaning in for a dubious secret. "There's a locksmith in the town next to us, he can get the cuff off Puff."

          Káel paid her a grateful smile. "Thanks, about that conversation we-"

          "Hallway," she cut in, pointing to the exit and waving for Káel to follow her. 

      —————      

          They'd nestled into a small divet in the wall next to the library's grand entrance, Alestra resting against the polished pillar of silver crawling up the edge in vining loops. She paid Puff the first smile, scooping the purring dragon up in a gentle hug. "So what do you need a zodraic battery for?"

          Káel loosed a chuckle, awkwardly rubbing his head while he caught a slow shake from Phantom. "I'm actually just curious about them, they sound pretty cool. Why do you ask?"

          Alestra shrugged. "How's Puff been?"

          Káel squinted at the dodge, smiling before Alestra noticed the suspicion in his eyes. "He's great."

          Alestra didn't follow up the conversation, staring down at Puff while Káel aimlessly skimmed the floor. With every passing second the awkward atmosphere thickened, until any attempts at salvaging the silence lingered in their minds as an unreasonable move.

          "Didn't think I was stalking a corpse," Phantom huffed, his foot tapping until Káel glanced at him. "She's shifty, stop wasting time and interrogate her."

          Káel's cheeks burned with a sprinkle of embarrassment at Phantom's bold orders. Her words in the room had undoubtedly left hanging questions, but that single instance hardly held her under the suspicion of being shifty. 

          He quietly cleared his throat, gaze still clinging to the freshly polished tiles as he rubbed the frayed edge of the hallways central carpet. "In the room you said you were one too," Káel started, banking on a blunt approach to give him an answer. "I didn't really know what you meant..."

          Alestra quickly seized Káel's gaze, a scrutinizing set of daggers cutting through him, as if she doubted the very words coming out of his mouth. It didn't last long enough to be called out, her cold eyes tightening with fear, then dulling to a warm greet. "Oh." She cleared her own throat when she realised some of the ice was still controlling her tongue. "I faint when I use too much lumience as well." 

          Káel frowned, but didn't comment on the clear lie. The two of them ripped from their rigid conversation as a set of deliberately loud steps rounded the corner. 

          Horus stopped, perfectly set in the middle of the hall with his sparkling black boots angled ever so slightly towards the pair. His gaze wandered at a careless pace, finally falling on Káel with the smallest shade of faked surprise. A vain attempt at hiding his intentions to stalk the student since he entered the library.

          Horus propped his chin up, sizing up Alestra with the smallest grin. "Loitering?"

          "Leaving, actually," Alestra retorted, the clear bite of salt forcing Káel to turn his head so Horus didn't catch his grin. With a quick dip of her head she placed Puff on the floor, eyes drawn to the carpet as she swiftly departed.

          Horus didn't even wait for her to clear the boundary of being within earshot, closing in on Káel like a threatened peacock. "So, I was speaking with the librarian and she seemed quite troubled." He made sure Alestra was still close enough, her footsteps slowing the further away she got. "And now I've found you here, speaking rather secretively with a Rivean rat that's already landed herself three detentions for a clear disregard of the school code."

          Alestra momentarily stopped, her shoulders squeezing tight before she quickly rounded the nearest corner.

          "Let me guess, two detentions for loitering, and one for giving pretty boy a funny look," Phantom said, the exasperation lacing his voice strengthening the grin Káel was continuously fighting down.

          "Is something funny?" Horus said, taking another foot for himself so his chin raised even more to meet Káel's gaze. "Go ahead and share. I love jokes."

          "Then I bet you love your face," Káel muttered, hiding his chuckle with a short cough while Phantom cackled.   

          Horus hadn't the time for his muttering, his sneering smile drawn to the fluffy drake at Káel's feet. "Cobalt is no place to teach savages civility, nor release them on whim." He slowly clasped his hands together, the apologetic smile only rubbing on Káel's irritation. "Lady Samanthra will hear of your plans. And since you Mizer folks can't even get along with eachother, let alone respect other cultures, I'll educate you on how we deal with nomads."

          Káel smile died, hardened to hostility as he stepped in front of Puff. Fists balled in preparation for a potential scrap with short stack of ego.  

          The gesture only fed Horus' amusement. "Assaulting a breaker won't help your little friend any. I didn't even finish." Horus glanced at the ceiling. "Tia."

          Like a bored child, Tia's response was immediate. "Yes?"

          "What do we do with nomads?"

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