Narrator: The next morning, at the first light of dawn, Iris, trembling and with her face buried in Dav’s chest, had a nightmare in which he disappeared, never to return.

  When she opened her eyes, silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

  She looked at Dav, his slightly parted lips dry, following the rhythm of his breath.

  She slowly leaned in, giving him a long kiss, then fell asleep again, reassured by his presence.

  When Dav woke up, he let Iris and Valeria sleep a little longer, pulling the blanket up to cover them better.

  He left the room wearing a tight-fitting black long-sleeve shirt and pajama pants, heading to the cafeteria for a coffee.

  As he poured coffee from the pot into his cup, he sipped it while leaning against a pillar.

  He noticed the students' parents saying their tearful goodbyes before heading back home.

  The Director approached him with a cup of milk, and both, tired and disheveled in their pajamas, watched the scene in silence before exchanging a simple, “Good morning.”

  ~ Two minutes later ~

  Dav: (Watching the parents) Director, do we have anything planned today? Any events?

  Director: (Sipping his milk) Not that I know of.

  (Looking at him) Why?

  Dav: Do you mind if I take Iris and Valeria to the city for some shopping today?

  Director: (Giving him a funny look, smiling) Why would I mind you going out with my daughter and the academy’s cook?

  Dav: (Sighing) I’ll take that as a no, then.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Alright, I’ll go wake up the sleeping beauties.

  See you later, Director.

  Ah, almost forgot… Matteo says hi.

  Director: (Cheerful) I miss that kid.

  If I see him again, I’ll ask him to have a drink with us.

  (Amused) Have fun taking out your future wives, ahahah.

  Dav: (Walking away, waving) Sure, thanks a lot.

  (Thinking) Today, I'll spend some time with Ely, Fin, Gabriel, Leo, and Cedric, then head to the city after lunch.

  They’re probably still sleeping.

  Narrator: Walking through the hallways, he only saw a few professors chatting.

  Looking out the window, he noticed students gathered on the lawn.

  He thought, "I wonder who the top 10 in the tournament will be."

  When he reached Gabriel’s room, he found all of them sprawled across the bed and the floor, buried in food wrappers and bottles scattered everywhere.

  With a tired and unimpressed look, he simply closed the door, leaving them in their oasis of trash and stench.

  He went to check on his little Ely. When he opened the door, he found her still asleep, books in disarray, clothes and plushies scattered across the bed and floor.

  He folded her clothes and tidied up the desk, placing the plushies neatly on top.

  Setting a glass of water on the nightstand, he kissed her forehead.

  Just before he left, Ely barely opened one eye to see him, then drifted back to sleep.

  His last hope was Lucrezia, so he went to check on her next.

  When he arrived, he knocked. She used magic to open the door and greeted him with a smile.

  She was sitting on the floor, reading a book about a famous explorer on a quest for adventure.

  Dav sat very close to her, leaning against her shoulder, and they started reading together.

  At one point, sitting cross-legged, he watched as she got up, turned around, and rested her head on his lap to get more comfortable.

  Worried, she asked him:

  "Are you sure you want to go there? It seems like such a frightening place, and there isn’t much information about it."

  Dav lifted his head, looked at the ceiling, and said:

  "I just hope to meet other people and not just monsters along the way."

  Lucrezia sighed. She really worried about him, so much so that she asked him a rather silly question:

  "If I asked to go with you, would you accept me?"

  The question was direct, with no expectations, as she continued reading the book.

  He looked at her, touching her hair and face, and replied:

  "You just told me it’s dangerous and that we don’t have enough information, remember?"

  Lucrezia, blushing slightly, pressed her lips together at his words and answered:

  "I know… but what would your answer be?"

  When their eyes met, Lucrezia saw the light in his eyes and the effort in his smile, despite the scars marking his face.

  "I’d be honored."

  She didn’t say anything else and continued reading aloud, as if doing it on purpose to help him better understand what he was about to face.

  Dav kept running his fingers through her hair, absentmindedly, as if she were a doll.

  "Hey, Lucry, what do you want for Christmas?"

  Lucrezia stopped reading and, in a calm voice, simply said:

  "Isn't it obvious? Not to have you leave when the time comes."

  Dav chuckled softly, without opening his mouth, and repeated the same question:

  "Silly, what do you want?"

  Lucrezia, a little annoyed and with a funny expression, replied:

  "Something that will remind me of you."

  END OF CHAPTER - 70