Fogotto padded through the misty corridors of the Forgotten Fortress, his low growl echoing faintly as he approached Basei's chamber. The heavy iron doors slid open with a mechanical hiss.
Basei turned from his holographic map. "Report, Fogotto."
The hound straightened, his flesh shimmering faintly with residual negative energy. "Still no trace of Milly's aura, Commander. However, I did detect a massive surge last night close to the city's eastern ruins. It vanished just as quickly as it appeared."
Basei's stone fingers tightened around the table's edge. "...I see. Keep searching. Don't engage if you find her not until we're certain she's stable."
Fogotto bowed, his crimson eyes flickering. "Understood." Then he turned and disappeared into the mist once again.
At the academy, morning sunlight slipped through the infirmary's window, casting soft golden beams across the floor. The air felt unusually heavy.
Milly sat slouched in a chair beside her bed, her long silver hair unkempt and her eyes dull. Faint black marks had formed beneath them signs of sleepless nights and mental strain.
Her Class F students quietly stepped into the room, each carrying small gifts of fruit and flowers. "Miss Mila…" one of them whispered, "are you okay?"
Milly didn't answer right away. Her gaze remained unfocused, fixed on the far wall. She looked as though she were awake and dreaming at the same time.
Another student knelt beside her. "You scared us… You've been gone for two days."
Slowly, Milly blinked and offered a fragile smile. "I'm sorry… I just needed… some rest."
Outside the room, a faint light leaked through the cracks of the door barely visible, pulsing like a heartbeat. Inside, the source came from Milly herself. A thin red glow rippled beneath her skin, quickly fading as she clenched her trembling hands and took a shaky breath.
The students exchanged worried glances but said nothing. Whatever was happening to their teacher they could feel it wasn't something they could understand.
One of them whispered as they left, "Miss Mila… please don't disappear again."
When the door closed, the glow beneath Milly's skin flickered once more, before vanishing into silence.