Elora stood inside the dimly lit room as the door clicked shut behind her.
Before she could properly take in her surroundings, a voice broke the silence.
“Curious, aren’t you?” Startled, Elora turned toward the source of the voice and saw Professor Glynn emerging from the shadows between the shelves.
His calm smile did little to ease the faint unease curling in her chest.
Her thoughts were all over the place.
Something had drawn her here, almost like she’d been guided without realizing it.
And now, the very person the System had told her to find was standing right in front of her.
Was the System actually leading her?
Because this felt like more than just a coincidence.
“I…
didn’t mean to come in,” Elora said awkwardly.
“There’s no need to apologize,” Glynn replied smoothly.
“This section is for students who want to learn beyond what’s taught in class.
You’re not the first student to find your way in here.” Lyra laughed nervously beside her.
“We were honestly just exploring, Professor…
though this room definitely feels different.” “That’s because many of the objects here still contain residual mana,” Glynn explained.
His gaze shifted toward Elora.
“Some more unusual than others.” Elora could tell something she was carrying had caught his attention.
His gaze stayed on the necklace around her neck.
“…Just like what you have there.” So she was right.
Her fingers tightened instinctively around the pendant.
“Are you talking about my necklace, Professor?” “A relic with that kind of mana signature is difficult to ignore,” Glynn said thoughtfully.
“Especially one that doesn’t resemble any modern enchantment.” Lyra immediately leaned closer.
“Wait—you mean her necklace is actually special?” “I don’t know yet,” Glynn admitted.
“But I’d like to take a closer look, if you don’t mind.” Elora hesitated at first.
Part of her wanted to refuse immediately.
The necklace had always felt strangely personal.
Yet another part of her wanted answers just as badly.
Slowly, she unclasped the necklace and handed it over.
The crystal rested in Glynn’s gloved hand as he studied it beneath the dim light.
“Old,” Glynn murmured softly.
“Very old.
The enchantment is unlike anything used today.” He turned the pendant carefully, watching how faint traces of purple light shimmered beneath the cracks in the crystal.
“It belonged to my parents,” Elora said quietly.
“But they never explained where it came from.” Glynn gestured toward the deeper section of the room.
“Come with me.
I have more records in my office.” Lyra’s eyes lit up.
“See?
I told you your necklace looks magical.” Elora smiled, a little amused by her friend’s excitement.
They followed Glynn through several quiet corridors before arriving at his office.
The moment Elora stepped inside, the scent of old books filled the air.
It carried the dry, familiar smell of aged paper mixed with a faint hint of dust and ink, making the room feel as though it had been untouched for years.
The room looked less like an office and more like a private archive.
Tall bookshelves lined every wall, packed with dusty tomes, sealed scrolls, and strange artifacts resting behind protective barriers.
One look around was enough for Elora to figure out what kind of person Professor Glynn was.
He wasn’t just a professor—he was someone who had devoted his life to studying history, relics, and every mystery he could get his hands on.
Curious, Elora looked around the office, hoping to spot anything useful.
After all, she had no idea if she’d ever get another chance to be here, so she wasn’t about to waste it.
Her eyes soon landed on something that caught her attention.
Near the far wall floated a silver sphere surrounded by faint rings of light.
“The Astral Nexus Orb…” Lyra whispered in awe.
Glynn nodded absently while organizing several books across his desk.
“One of the academy’s oldest relics.” Elora leaned in for a closer look.
Her eyes widened when she realized the crack was gone.
“…Professor, wasn’t it cracked before?” Professor Glynn glanced at her briefly before looking back at the necklace.
“There was,” he said with a small nod.
“Not anymore.” “But…
how?” “The academy has ways of restoring damaged artifacts,” Glynn replied calmly.
“Though I hope this is the last time it needs to be restored.” His expression grew more serious.
“The next time…
we might not be able to.” Elora couldn’t help but feel relieved.
The legendary artifact looked completely fine now, and that made her feel a little less guilty.
Maybe the academy never blamed her in the first place.
They probably knew better than she did, anyway.
Elora’s gaze drifted toward another artifact nearby—a tall black mirror framed with ancient runes.
Unlike an ordinary reflection, the mirror’s surface shimmered like disturbed water.
Before she could ask, Glynn spoke.
“That one’s called the Shadowglass,” Glynn explained after noticing her attention.
“It reacts unpredictably to magical resonance.” “Unpredictably?” Lyra repeated, joining the conversation.
“Meaning sometimes it reveals things people would rather keep hidden.” Reveal hidden things?
That didn’t sound safe at all.
Elora quickly looked away from the mirror.
For some reason, just being near it made her uneasy.
What if it revealed the secrets she’d been trying so hard to hide?
“Are you afraid, Miss Elora?
It might reveal your hidden magic?” Lyra teased lightly, trying to ease the tension on her face.
Elora gave her a weak smile.
“You really love that idea.
Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Lyra, but I’m not that special.
There’s nothing to hide.” The two of them giggled quietly, doing their best not to interrupt Professor Glynn as he searched through the records.
“Now then,” Glynn said, clearing a space on the desk.
“Let’s see if we can identify your necklace.” Glynn carefully placed the crystal on the table.
For the next several minutes, he searched through multiple artifact records while Lyra hovered nearby, asking endless questions.
Elora noticed the change in Professor Glynn’s expression, but she couldn’t tell whether it was a good sign or a bad one.