When dawn began to break, Elwyn woke gently from his short, yet sufficient night, thanks to his great recovery ability, and quietly prepared for the day. He washed, brushed his teeth and got dressed, before finally tidying up his room for the night and leaving it.

  When he was in the hallway, he did not hear a single sound.

  "I must surely be the first to get up."

  Once he reached the stairs, the young boy could finally hear something in the distance, surely the kitchen preparing breakfast and perhaps even the midday meal. In any case, the good smell of food was present.

  It was by being as discreet as possible that Elwyn went down the stairs and temporarily left the establishment.

  Once the door was passed, he had to face Ezekiel, who had just moved from the right side of the building.

  The young boy, surprised by this morning encounter with the ill-tempered professor, immediately froze.

  — Uh… Good morning, Professor Ezekiel. Did you have a good night? he asked innocently.

  — Indeed, and as short as yours.

  Elwyn, taken aback by this unexpected answer, had nothing more to say to the professor.

  — Anyway, what do you pn to do at such an early hour? asked the professor, with a slightly inquisitive air.

  — I pnned to take a little walk in town and chase away the few Entities that hang around.

  Ezekiel slightly furrowed his brows.

  — I see… In that case, I will watch you from afar, but be careful, kid, you are forbidden to enter dwellings from the Ethereal Pne. Do you understand?

  This sudden prohibition surprised Elwyn immediately. However, after a short reflection on its purpose, he thought that it was to preserve a certain privacy for each inhabitant.

  "We do not enter people's homes as if we were at home..."

  — Understood, Professor Ezekiel, then replied Elwyn, before heading toward the port at a trot.

  The young boy had decided to tour the town starting from the western part and heading east, before finishing on Main Street and returning to the inn in mid-morning, to have his breakfast.

  Of course, this morning escapade served as exercise for him, as he was used to at home with Volden.

  Ezekiel, for his part, watched the young boy doing his morning exercise throughout Erana, from the rooftops and other heights that the port town offered him.

  Observing the young boy, he recalled his parents and especially his father, with whom he had cshed time and time again. As for his mother, he saw the omnipresence of her shadow looming just above him, with the weight of responsibilities that would soon fall on him.

  This frustrated him greatly.

  He was already frustrated to have learned of the disappearances of his friends, without being able to do anything for them. In addition, he had learned of the existence of their child barely a month ago. And to top it all off, the tter knows nothing about his parents, his origins, his history and the duty of being now the most powerful healer in the world.

  "This is nonsense! Why him? He is nothing but a toddler barely out of the cradle. He should not have to do or bear all this. Akeso and Tristian would never have agreed for him to lead such a life at his age. Hmmm… Great Creator, what is pnned for him?"

  _________________________

  Once they had swallowed their breakfast, Elwyn and Ezekiel greeted Lilsha before leaving the inn and heading to where they had met yesterday, at the Agnos administrative building.

  Once in front of the entrance, Ezekiel motioned for Elwyn to open the door and come in.

  — Aren't you coming?

  The professor did not answer and simply turned around.

  "That surely means no…"

  Elwyn then entered the building alone.

  Gling Gling

  The sound of a little bell resonated in the entrance of the building.

  Elwyn stopped at the entrance and observed this environment.

  The interior of the building is very simir to that of Estal with its many overflowing shelves and libraries and its schors scribbling things all over the room.

  "An impression of déjà vu…"

  The only changes are the presence of a square room at the back on the right, barely rger than a restroom, and a door in the center of the back wall.

  Elwyn then advanced with a confident step toward the reception, where a young elf with short bark-brown hair and almond-shaped pine-green eyes was located.

  — Oh! Greetings to you, young boy. What can I do for you? asked the young receptionist very politely.

  — Greetings to you too, I am here to join the Agnos Academy and it seems that this is where one can retrieve one’s uniform.

  The young boy then took out his document for joining the Agnos Academy from his belongings and handed it to the young elf.

  — I see, a new student and in a special css moreover. I will therefore get what you need for you.

  The receptionist immediately went to the back of the room and opened the door in the center, before disappearing into what appears to be a storeroom.

  After a few minutes of waiting, the elf returned with in his arms two complete uniforms, a new pair of shoes and a small wooden box.

  — Here I am again, sorry for the wait.

  — No worries.

  The receptionist then gave Elwyn a friendly smile, before kindly indicating the small room at the back on the right.

  — If you would follow me.

  And the young boy followed the elf toward that still unknown small room.

  — There, you can now change in this room. It will allow me to see if the uniform fits you well.

  Elwyn nodded, then took the clothes and went into the fitting room.

  Once dressed in the uniform, the young boy came out and showed the result to the receptionist, who was delighted to see that no adjustments were needed.

  From now on, Elwyn was dressed in a dark mauve jacket with golden trims and buttons, over a white shirt, and gray trousers.

  — Now, we only have the three final little touches left.

  The receptionist then approached Elwyn and delicately tied a blue striped tie around his neck, before pinning on his pel a small bronze brooch representing the Agnos symbol and finally pcing a white armband around his right arm.

  — And there you go, you are finally ready! excimed the elf joyfully.

  The young boy then took a moment to look at himself, while recalling how to tie a tie.

  — Thank you for your help.

  — You're welcome, I'm here for that, he replied simply.

  Following that, Elwyn's gaze stopped on the second uniform, which was still in the receptionist's arms.

  — Do we receive two uniforms directly?

  — Ah, that! It is your winter uniform. It is the same size as the other and I have already checked that it has no manufacturing defects. You can also take it, as well as the box to store your brooch.

  Elwyn took everything and put it in his bag.

  — Do I need anything else?

  — You now have everything you need. You just need to know that your brooch is extremely important within the academy, so do not lose it.

  — Understood.

  The receptionist then smiled at Elwyn and the tter greeted him one st time, before leaving the establishment and rejoining Ezekiel at the entrance.

  — Is it done, have you finished?

  — Yes, Professor, I have everything I need.

  — Perfect, in that case, let's go.

  The professor and the young boy then headed to Main Street and joined the north exit of Erana, where a coach seemed to be waiting for them.

  — Since you were busy with your uniform, I took the opportunity to get us a means of transport to reach the Academy.

  — You are very thoughtful.

  — It's mainly that I don't want to waste any more time here. Come on, get in.

  Elwyn complied and boarded the coach, followed by Ezekiel, and once everyone was on board, it departed in the direction of the Agnos Academy.

  _________________________

  After a few minutes of calm driving, Elwyn decided to break the silence of the cabin with his endless questions.

  — Professor, what can you tell me about my parents?

  Ezekiel, sitting right across from him, looked him in the eyes and began to think for several long seconds.

  — Your father was much less annoying than you. He was discreet, even too discreet according to some. He spent most of his time covered by his helmet, as he wanted to enjoy his tranquility once removed. As a result, few people knew his face; he was the unknown Guardian. Which is not so bad for you, since you look just like him, no one will be able to link you together…

  Elwyn did not expect such a superficial description concerning his father at all.

  — Who is aware of me at the Academy?

  — All the staff.

  — I see… Isn't it problematic that so many people are aware? I mean, the principle of secrecy is that few or no people know about it, so that it doesn't get out, right?

  — Indeed, that is why Ogme made a pact with those in the know so that they could not say anything, even by accident.

  — Caution is the mother of safety, is that right?

  Ezekiel shrugged in response, before the cabin gently fell back into silence, their gazes turned outside.

  — By the way, what about my mother?

  Ezekiel hesitated for a moment, before answering with a mencholic air, his gaze lost in the passing scenery.

  — She was admirable. She feared nothing and no one. She did not like war, because there were always too many unnecessary deaths, too many wasted lives, too many lost dreams… even if it was for a good cause, even if it was sometimes a necessity. Everyone appreciated her at her true value and she returned it well to everyone, for every being in this world had the same value in her eyes…

  A heavy silence fell when Ezekiel finished speaking, but it did not affect Elwyn much, who understood that he had to stop there on the subject.

  — Thank you, Professor. I know a little more about them now.

  — Hm…, muttered Ezekiel softly.

  — Ah! I just remembered something. I was told at the shop that the brooch was very important for the Academy. For what reason? asked the young boy in order to completely change the subject.

  Ezekiel then recovered from his mencholy and resumed looking Elwyn in the eyes.

  — To put it simply, Ogme created a barrier around the academy to detect any intrusion. So, to be able to enter without a problem, you must have one of the different access brooches.

  — There are several brooches?

  — There are three different colors. Bronze for students, silver for outsiders and gold for the staff.

  — So it is also a distinctive mark.

  — Indeed, like the tie or the ribbon for the level of study.

  Elwyn then recalled the students they had seen at the tavern the previous day. They also had a striped tie, but in mauve.

  — Blue is for the first year and mauve for the fourth. What about the second and the third?

  — They are green, then red.

  The hierarchy of the Academy then slowly formed in the young boy's mind, then his gaze turned to his white armband.

  — And what does that signify?

  — The armband indicates that you are in a special css.

  — What is so special about it?

  — It is for students who are ahead in several courses of the Academy program. They can then skip the csses they already master and do something else instead, like learning new things in the library.

  — Are there many of this kind?

  — No, it is rather rare. In general, these are Entities, like you, and people with an intelligence higher than average who are admitted.

  — So, why create this section if there are not many people?

  — There is a reason, but that is for Ogme to answer.

  — Ah… Alright…

  _________________________

  After a total of one hour of driving, Ezekiel, who knew the travel time perfectly, motioned for Elwyn to look out the window and see what y ahead.

  When Elwyn stuck his head out, he scanned the horizon. His gaze stopped on the majestic summit of a stone dome, which proudly sat atop a colossal conical tower. The tter was round and majestic, composed of six imposing blocks of floors of decreasing sizes, stacked with an elegance worthy of a wedding cake.

  It was the Great Library of Agnos.

  "Agnos, at st… What a building… simply fabulous."

  The young boy's gaze then descended from the library and stopped on a stone enclosure delimiting the academy.

  "We have arrived…"