The Night Before
The mansion had already fallen silent.
Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving only the dim lamps along the corridors.
But one room was still lit.
The study.
Kael stood near the window, looking out into the darkness.
A few moments later, the door opened.
Butler Ren stepped inside.
"You called for me, Young Master?"
Kael turned.
"Uncle Ren."
Ren stopped.
For a brief moment, surprise crossed his face.
Kael didn't usually call him that.
Most of the time, Kael treated him less like a servant and more like someone who had been beside him for years—someone he trusted enough to speak to without formalities.
But whenever Kael used Uncle Ren...
It usually meant he wanted something.
And usually, it was something important.
Ren immediately became cautious.
"Yes, Young Master Kael?"
Kael smiled faintly.
Then he took a moment before speaking.
"I want you to remove the private guards assigned to me."
Ren's expression changed.
"Young Master?"
"I have an assignment."
Kael turned back toward the window.
"I won't be alone. The academy has already provided us with safety badges. They'll monitor our location and allow us to communicate with our team."
He paused.
"If something happens, I'll send you a letter."
Ren stared at him.
Then slowly shook his head.
"No."
Kael glanced back.
Ren's voice remained respectful, but there was no hesitation in it.
"No matter how safe an assignment is supposed to be, approaching someone can be done in many ways."
His expression became serious.
"And harm doesn't always arrive with a warning."
Silence.
Ren lowered his gaze slightly.
"Last time..."
He didn't finish immediately.
But Kael understood.
"Last time was different."
Ren looked at him.
Kael's expression had become calm.
"I let my guard down."
He stepped away from the window.
"I won't make that mistake again."
He touched the badge attached to his uniform.
"And this time, we have academy protection. We can communicate with each other at any moment."
He smiled slightly.
"So don't worry."
Ren didn't look convinced.
"Young Master..."
Kael sighed.
Ren continued.
"At least let me send two guards with you."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Two?"
"They won't interfere."
Ren's voice softened.
"They won't approach you unless necessary. They won't make themselves noticeable."
He paused.
"But if something happens..."
His expression tightened.
"...at least two people will be there to keep me informed."
Kael remained silent.
Ren looked at him carefully.
"Then I can keep my mind at peace."
He took a small breath.
"Please."
A faint smile appeared on Kael's face.
"You really won't let this go, will you?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Kael almost laughed.
He looked toward the window again.
He thought about it for a moment.
There wasn't much left to argue.
Ren wasn't asking him to take an entire escort.
Only two discreet guards.
Finally, Kael nodded.
"Fine."
Ren's shoulders relaxed.
"Thank you, Young Master."
Kael shook his head.
"You always find a way."
Ren smiled.
"Someone has to."
Kael looked at him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Ren quietly added,
"Be careful."
Kael's expression softened.
"I will."
---
By morning, Ren had apparently decided that agreeing to send only two guards was not enough.
The mansion had become strangely busy.
Instructions were given.
Precautions were checked.
Supplies were inspected.
The guards received detailed orders.
And Ren somehow managed to remind Kael about everything at least twice.
"Don't forget your badge."
"I know."
"Keep your communication channel active."
"I know."
"If you notice anything suspicious—"
"Uncle Ren."
Ren stopped.
Kael looked at him.
"I know."
Ren stared at him for a moment.
Then sighed.
"I have to say it."
Kael smiled.
"You always do."
Ren adjusted Kael's coat one final time.
"Because you always give me reasons to."
Kael couldn't argue with that.
He stepped toward the entrance.
Behind him, Ren continued giving instructions to the guards.
Kael glanced back.
He had the strange feeling that Ren was preparing to send him into a battlefield rather than a thirteen-day academy assignment.
So much preparation...
For one assignment.
He shook his head.
But he didn't stop Ren.
If he refused again, the man would probably spend the entire journey worrying.
Better to let him have his way.
Kael stepped outside.
The morning air was cool.
The carriage waited beyond the gates.
Kael paused for a moment before getting inside.
He looked toward the mansion.
Ren stood at the entrance.
Still watching.
Still worried.
Kael gave him a small nod.
Then he entered the carriage.
The door closed.
The wheels began to move.
And as the mansion slowly disappeared behind him, Kael looked ahead.
He didn't know what awaited him.
He only knew that the assignment had begun.
And somewhere beyond the academy gates...
a mystery was already waiting.
"..."
The academy felt different that morning.
Nothing had physically changed.
The towers still stood beneath the pale morning sky. Students still crossed the familiar stone paths. The bells still rang at the same hour.
Yet the atmosphere carried something unfamiliar.
A feeling.
As if the entire academy knew that today was different.
Students arrived earlier than usual, their voices filling the courtyard with excitement and uncertainty.
Some held their case files tightly against their chests.
Others kept checking the badges attached to their uniforms.
A few were already discussing possible ways to approach their cases, even though none of them had seen the places they were supposed to visit.
Ten teams.
Ten cases.
Thirteen days.
And no second chance to choose differently.
Near the academy's main entrance, three professors stood waiting.
At the center was Professor Theron Ashford, the professor who had assigned the cases the previous day.
He stood with his hands behind his back, calmly observing the students gathering before him.
To his right stood Professor Valerian Crowe, whose stern expression made even the more confident students straighten their backs.
On Theron's left stood Professor Ronan Crest, who watched the students with a quieter, almost encouraging expression.
One by one, the ten teams assembled.
Team One.
Team Two.
Team Three.
All the way to Team Ten.
Kael stood among Team Ten, his eyes moving across the courtyard.
Elior stood beside him.
Aevrin casually looked toward the academy gates.
Elara remained quiet as usual.
Caelan held his file close to his chest.
Milo, somehow, looked far too cheerful for someone about to leave the academy for an unknown case.
"So..." Milo whispered.
"Does anyone else feel like we're being sent somewhere we probably shouldn't go?"
Caelan immediately looked at him.
"Why would you say that?"
Milo shrugged.
"Because look at Professor Crowe."
Caelan glanced toward the professor.
Professor Crowe's expression didn't change.
Caelan immediately looked away.
"...I take it back."
Aevrin chuckled.
Kael, however, remained silent.
His attention was fixed on Professor Ashford.
The professor stepped forward.
The conversations slowly faded.
Within moments, the courtyard became quiet.
"Today," Professor Ashford began, "your assignment officially begins."
His voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
Every student could hear him.
"Until yesterday, these cases were sealed files sitting inside the academy archives."
His gaze passed over the ten teams.
"From today onward, they are your responsibility."
A brief silence followed.
"You will leave the academy grounds."
"You will travel to unfamiliar places."
"You will encounter people you have never met."
"And you will be required to make decisions without a professor standing beside you."
The students listened carefully.
"This is why these assignments were given to you."
He paused.
"The academy can teach you knowledge."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"But experience..."
"That is something you must earn."
The courtyard remained silent.
Professor Crowe stepped forward.
His expression was considerably more serious.
"And while you earn that experience, remember something more important."
His eyes moved across every team.
"Your safety."
He pointed toward the badges attached to their uniforms.
"These are not decorations."
His tone hardened.
"Keep them active."
"Keep them with you."
"And if a situation exceeds what you can handle..."
He paused.
"Use them."
Several students nodded.
"Do not hesitate because you are afraid of losing credits."
"Do not hesitate because you want to prove that you are stronger than you are."
His gaze became colder.
"Returning safely is more important than completing a case."
The words settled heavily over the courtyard.
Then Professor Crest stepped forward.
His expression was much softer.
"You will make mistakes."
A few students looked at him.
"You will misunderstand clues."
"You may trust the wrong person."
"You may even reach a conclusion and later discover that you were completely wrong."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"That doesn't mean you have failed."
He looked toward the students.
"It means you have learned something."
His gaze passed over the ten teams.
"So trust your teammates."
"Listen to one another."
"And remember that every member of your team has a reason for being there."
For a moment, the three professors stood together.
Then Professor Ashford spoke again.
"Thirteen days."
The number immediately drew everyone's attention.
"That is the time you have to complete your assigned case."
He looked toward the academy gates.
"Once you leave those gates, your assignment begins."
The massive gates slowly began to open.
Light spilled through the widening gap.
Beyond them, ten different roads waited.
Professor Ashford stepped aside.
"Go."
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then the first team stepped forward.
Team One left.
Then Team Two.
Then Team Three.
One after another, the teams passed through the gates, each carrying a different case and heading toward a different destination.
Some looked excited.
Some looked nervous.
Some looked determined.
And some...
looked like they had already realized that the cases might be more complicated than they appeared.
Eventually, Team Ten began moving.
Elior looked back once.
The academy stood behind them exactly as it always had.
Yet somehow...
it no longer felt the same.
Kael noticed his glance.
"Don't look back."
Elior turned toward him.
"Why?"
Kael's eyes remained on the road ahead.
"Because we're supposed to find something ahead of us."
Elior smiled faintly.
Then he continued walking.
Behind them, the academy gates slowly closed.
The ten teams had left.
The assignment had begun.
---
Team One
Several miles away from the academy, a carriage moved along a quiet road.
Inside sat the members of Team One.
Their leader, Cassian Rowe, sat near the window.
The sealed case file rested on his lap.
He had barely spoken since they left.
One of his teammates finally leaned forward.
"Are you planning to stare at that file the entire journey?"
Cassian didn't look up.
"Maybe."
"Why?"
"Because it was sealed."
His teammate frowned.
"So?"
Cassian finally raised his eyes.
"Important things are usually sealed for a reason."
The carriage became quiet.
Another teammate looked toward the file.
"Do you think our case is dangerous?"
Cassian glanced outside.
The road stretched ahead through unfamiliar territory.
"I don't know."
His fingers rested on the seal.
"But we're about to find out."
He broke it.
The seal released with a faint crack.
Everyone leaned closer.
Cassian opened the file.
The first page contained only a few lines.
His eyes moved across them.
Then stopped.
His expression changed.
"What is it?" someone asked.
Cassian didn't answer immediately.
He read the page again.
Then slowly turned it toward the others.
At the top of the page were the words:
CASE NO. 91
THE EMPTY COFFIN
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then one of them gave an uncertain laugh.
"That's it?"
Cassian's eyes remained on the page.
"No."
He turned to the next line.
And his expression became serious.
"That's only what they want us to think."
The carriage continued moving.
None of them noticed the strange symbol printed at the bottom of the page.
Not yet.
—by Aurea; "The moment we stepped beyond those gates, the cases were no longer just mysteries waiting for answers. They became paths leading somewhere none of us could see.
Every journey begins with a first step. Ours began with ten cases—and none of us knew where they would lead."