While the rest of the group was caught up in their casual conversation, Zayn—still standing near the main entrance—decided to pass the time by exploring the perimeter.
"Alright, thirty minutes left," he muttered, resting his chin in his hand as he calculated his next move. "What should I do until then?"
He began to wander through the vast courtyard surrounding the museum. Everywhere he looked, clusters of academy students were gathered, anxiously waiting for the grand doors to open.
"Hmm, it looks like the rumors were true,* " Zayn noted silently. "There really is a massive influx of academy students visiting from other cities for this event."
As his eyes swept through the dense crowd, something caught his attention—a figure that stood out as incredibly suspicious.
Positioned near the edge of the main thoroughfare was a lone girl with distinct blonde hair, dressed in a standard academy uniform.
Sensing an anomaly, Zayn stealthily navigated through the sea of students, closing the distance to get a clearer vantage point without drawing attention to himself.
Once he was close enough to confirm her appearance, his heart skipped a beat. *"I knew it,"* he whispered to himself. *"That's definitely the girl Diego warned me about."*
Remembering Diego's cryptic prophecy to remain highly vigilant around three specific girls, Zayn decided it was best not to push his luck. He slowly backed away, blending into the crowd before turning on his heel to head in the opposite direction.
As fate would have it, the blonde girl—Vera—was completely oblivious to Zayn's watchful eyes. In reality, she was trapped in a vortex of her own anxiety and confusion.
"Wait a minute... it's already been thirty minutes. Why haven't those two returned yet?" she worried silently, her fingers tightly gripping her uniform. "Don't tell me they got captured... or worse, what if they actually abandoned me out here all by myself?"
"Are you alright, Vera? You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
The cheerful, ringing voice cut through Vera's spiraling thoughts. Recognizing the voice instantly, she whipped around to see a girl with striking, long white hair styled into an intricate braid. Her bright, vivid orange eyes shone with life. Though she wore the same academy uniform as Vera, it had been heavily modified to mimic a classic sorceress attire, capped off with a large, pointed witch's hat resting proudly on her head.
Vera let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I'm fine, Eri. I'm just... waiting for Ellen and Roxanne." She then eyed her friend's eccentric outfit. "More importantly, what on earth are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to see the artifact!" Eri chirped enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling. "Who knows? Maybe there's a relic in there that can finally grant me the power to become a real witch!"
Vera stared at her for a deadpan second, before raising a hand and slapping her own forehead in exasperation. "Seriously? You're *still* going on about that?"
"Of course I am! It's my ultimate dream!" Eri declared, puffing out her chest proudly.
Vera let out a long, exhausted sigh, realizing that trying to talk sense into Eri was an exercise in futility. "Eri, you do realize you're an Esper, right?" she asked, completely bewildered.
Eri nodded vigorously without a hint of hesitation.
"So... why in the world do you want to be a witch?" Vera pressed on, throwing her hands up. "You know how incredibly tedious being a witch is, right? You have to study ancient magic texts, memorize complex incantations, perform exhausting rituals, and so much more. Why can't you just content yourself with being a regular Esper?"
Without missing a beat, Eri shot back with absolute confidence, "Because if I become a witch, I won't have to be bound by the Esper system of fate anymore!"
Vera groaned deeply, rubbing her temples. "You know it's fundamentally impossible to run away from a destiny like that, Eri."
"And you of all people should know that anything is possible in this world!" Eri countered playfully. "So what's the harm in trying? It's not like I have anything to lose!"
Vera could only slap her forehead a second time.
"Besides," Eri continued, tilting her head thoughtfully, "if Ellen can be a Mage and still manage to become an Esper, why can't an Esper like me learn to become a witch?"
Hearing that statement left Vera utterly speechless, her mind racing.
"How am I even supposed to explain that to her?" Vera thought frantically. "If I tell her that Ellen is a guy before, Eri will probably take it as absolute proof that anything is possible, and she'll be even more convinced!"
Seeking an escape from the endless loop of arguments, Vera activated her precognition, catching a glimpse of the timeline just a few minutes into the future. The vision showed her still locked in a exhausting, never-ending debate with Eri.
Deciding to take the path of least resistance, Vera threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, alright! I give up. Sure, you can totally become a witch."
Eri's face instantly lit up with a triumphant, beaming smile, thrilled that Vera had finally validated her dream. But her curiosity didn't stop there. "Awesome! So, tell me... how did Ellen manage to become an Esper in the first place?"
Vera's hand went straight back to her forehead as she mentally groaned. "It seems Espers truly can't escape their own exhausting fates."
However, as the thought echoed in her mind, a deeper, more profound realization began to take root.
"If an Esper is permanently bound by destiny... is it actually possible to alter the fundamental core of an Esper's power? Can an Esper Aspect truly be converted into an entirely different type of Aspect?"