It was early morning when Arios finally opened his eyes. The faint glow of sunlight filtered through the small dorm window, casting a weak but steady line across the wooden floorboards. He stretched slowly, hearing the faint groan of his shoulders as he sat up. The dorm was quiet except for the faint breathing of Lucy, who had somehow curled herself up at the foot of his bed like a cat. Her hair was messy and strands of it covered part of her face. Liza was not here this morning—she had mentioned yesterday that she would be heading out early for another round of academy field work. Arios rubbed his face, still half-drowsy, before glancing down at Lucy.

She stirred at the same time, rubbing her eyes clumsily. "You're up already?" she asked in a half-yawn.

"Yeah," Arios said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Couldn't sleep much after thinking last night."

Lucy tilted her head, still bleary-eyed. "Thinking about what? Tests again? Or about Amelia?"

Arios paused as he pulled on his jacket. He didn't answer immediately, but Lucy's sleepy gaze sharpened quickly as she sat up straighter. "It is about Amelia, isn't it?"

He finally nodded. "Yes. More specifically, about Garron."

Lucy blinked at the name, frowning. "Instructor Garron? What about him?"

Arios stood and crossed the room, splashing water on his face from the small basin near the wall before speaking. "I went back through the archives yesterday. I found something strange. His resume on the academy's official website lists a gap of almost five years. No mention of where he taught, no mention of what he did. Just a blank period."

Lucy frowned, brushing her hair back into place. "That's not unusual, is it? Maybe he just… took time off?"

Arios shook his head. "That's what I thought at first. But I found old newspapers in the library archives. Within that same five-year span, several different instructors at other academies with names starting with 'G' were dismissed. Different cities, but the same pattern. And each case was vague—reports of misconduct, inappropriate behavior, nothing clear. All of them erased quickly. I don't think it's a coincidence."

Lucy frowned harder, her lips pressing into a thin line. "You're saying Garron might not even be Garron?"

"I don't know," Arios admitted. "But I do know he's hiding something. And with the way he's been fueling the rumors about Amelia… I can't ignore it anymore."

The dorm door opened just then, and Liza entered, carrying a bag slung over her shoulder. Her short hair was slightly damp from morning air. "Talking about me already?" she said lightly, dropping the bag onto Arios's desk.

"No," Arios said, glancing over. "We were talking about Garron."

Liza raised a brow as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "What about him? Did he finally try to peep into the girls' baths like the rumors say?"

Lucy groaned. "Don't joke about that."

"I'm not joking," Liza replied, stretching out her legs. "The way he looks at girls in class is disgusting enough already. What did you find out, Arios?"

He repeated what he had told Lucy, step by step. Liza listened quietly, her usual teasing expression fading into something sharper. When he finished, she folded her arms. "So you think he's actually one of those guys who got sacked, and he just changed his name or identity?"

"It's possible," Arios said. "The timelines match. And if that's true, then Chase may have some leverage over him. That could explain why Garron is suddenly so cooperative with Chase's side, stirring things against Amelia."

Do you ever wonder why Garron even became an instructor? He doesn't seem to like teaching at all," Lucy said.

"Easy. He's lazy. Nothing's easier than lecturing kids and collecting pay," Liza replied.

"You're forgetting grading. He always looks miserable with those stacks of papers," Arios Said.

Liza, "Then maybe he's just bad at everything."

"That's not fair… but I kind of agree," Lucy said.

Lucy chewed her lip nervously. "But if this is just suspicion, we can't use it yet. If we accuse Garron without proof, we'll be the ones punished."

"I know," Arios said. "That's why we need to investigate quietly. No one can know we're digging into this yet."

Liza smirked faintly. "So you're pulling us into your little detective work now, huh?"

"You don't have to be involved if you don't want to," Arios said simply.

"Don't be stupid," Liza replied, poking his shoulder. "Of course I'm in. If Garron really is the trash you think he is, then I want to be the one to kick him down when the time comes."

Lucy sighed, looking between them. "I'll help too… but carefully. I don't want us to end up in front of the council for meddling."

Arios nodded. "That's fine. We'll take it slow. Step by step."

For a moment, the room went quiet. Liza leaned back against the wall and began digging through her bag, pulling out a small loaf of bread wrapped in cloth. She tore off a piece and tossed it to Lucy, then another to Arios.

"Breakfast," she said casually. "Don't think too much on an empty stomach."

Lucy caught her piece and puffed her cheeks. "You could have just handed it to me instead of throwing it."

"Where's the fun in that?" Liza shot back, smirking.

Arios bit into the bread without comment, his mind still turning over the details. The taste was plain but filling. The silence stretched for a while before Lucy finally spoke again.

"So… what do we do first? Do we follow him? Or try to dig more into his past?"

"Following him openly is too risky," Arios said. "We'll need to observe him at a distance first. See who he talks to, where he goes. Especially when he's not teaching."

"Sounds boring," Liza muttered, finishing her bread.

"Boring is safer," Arios replied.

The rest of the morning passed with light chatter, but the weight of the conversation never really left the room. Even as Liza teased Lucy about her messy hair, and Lucy whined about how much she hated the taste of the academy cafeteria's soup, Arios kept his thoughts on Garron.

By midday, they decided to head out toward the main courtyard. The air outside was cool, and students were scattered in groups, some laughing, some reading, others practicing magic in designated spots. Arios walked a few steps ahead while Lucy and Liza continued their bickering behind him.

"Stop pulling my sleeve!" Lucy snapped.

"Then stop walking so slow," Liza shot back. "We'll lose Arios if you keep dawdling."

"We won't lose him," Lucy muttered, cheeks puffed again. "He walks like a turtle."

"I heard that," Arios said flatly without turning.

Lucy blushed, while Liza grinned widely. "See? He pays more attention to you than to me."

"That's not true!" Lucy argued, her face redder.

Their voices carried across the courtyard, drawing a few glances from nearby students. Arios ignored them, though he felt a small, faint tug of amusement despite the seriousness of the day.

Later in the afternoon, Arios caught sight of Garron walking across the far side of the grounds. The instructor moved quickly, not toward the staff offices, but toward one of the smaller buildings that housed council members during their administrative hours. Arios slowed his pace, gesturing subtly for Lucy and Liza to stop their chatter.

"There," he said quietly.

Both girls followed his gaze. Garron disappeared into the side entrance of the building.

Lucy frowned. "That's… the council wing, isn't it? What business does he have there?"

"Exactly," Arios murmured. "He's not part of the council. Which means someone called him, or he's reporting something privately."

Liza scowled. "Bet it's Chase. That guy probably has him on a leash."

Arios's eyes narrowed, his suspicions tightening. "That's what I'm beginning to think."

They didn't approach the building—it would be reckless. Instead, they lingered in the courtyard, pretending to be busy with casual conversation, though Arios's eyes kept flicking back toward the council wing. After several minutes, Garron reappeared. He didn't look around much, but there was a stiffness in his stride that Arios noted carefully.

The instructor moved quickly across the grounds and vanished into another hallway leading back toward the classrooms.

Liza let out a low whistle. "He's definitely up to something."

Lucy glanced nervously at Arios. "What do we do now?"

"For now," Arios said, "we watch. But we're getting closer."

The three of them walked away together, blending back into the flow of students. Arios kept his face calm, but inside his mind, the pieces were starting to form a clearer picture. Garron's missing past, his current connection with Chase, and the council's interest in Amelia all tied together in a knot that had yet to be unraveled.

And Arios was determined to pull the string until the truth came out.

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