The library was quiet. Too quiet. Just the way Freya liked it.

She slipped in through the arched wooden doors, unnoticed as always, her steps light and deliberate, the hem of her cloak whispering against the cool stone floor.

Morning light poured through the tall stained-glass windows, washing the aisles in soft hues of rose and sapphire. Shadows stretched across the ancient shelves, lending the room a sacred stillness.

Freya's eyes darted over the titles. She wasn't sure what she was searching for, only that she needed something that could help cure a curse.

"Anomalous Afflictions, Curses, and Sealed Incantations." Her gaze caught on the spine, and she plucked it from the shelf without hesitation. "This might help."

She grabbed a few others that looked just as promising, her arms quickly filling with weight and worry.

'Perfect.' Lowering her hood, she tucked a loose strand of golden hair behind her ear and slipped into a narrow aisle.

Her fingers skimmed the rows of aged leather spines until pausing on another one…"Warding Webs and Affinity-Based Curses." She pulled it free, flipping directly to a bookmarked page. Her eyes sharpened, scanning every word with careful urgency.

Freya paused, closing the book partway, her expression unreadable.

'He'll be fine… as long as I undo it in time. I just need to figure out how.' She exhaled slowly.

She didn't even know why she'd cast it in the first place. Instinct? A reflex?

Or maybe… maybe it was fear. No, she was trying to protect him.

A need to protect him? But what was she thinking, using a spell that dangerous, without his consent? And worse, she still hadn't told him the truth.

Not even now. Her thoughts were in shambles.

"Mana-rooted curses usually originate from a user's inner conflict or…"

Freya's voice trailed off as footsteps echoed behind her.

She froze as a familiar voice rang down the aisle, calm and clipped.

"You know, most students don't voluntarily walk into the curse section."

Freya looked up slowly, catching sight of Clarence as he approached, a thick scroll tucked beneath one arm. He wore that usual half-smile, pleasant on the surface, but his eyes were sharp, watchful. He hadn't just stumbled in.

'Did he follow me here?' She wondered.

"P… Principal," she greeted coolly, snapping the book shut and sliding it beneath her arm. "Didn't know you handled library patrol now."

"Routine inspection," Clarence replied, stepping fully into the aisle with that unnerving, cat-like grace of his. "Some restricted books have been moved recently. Figured I'd check in before heading back to my office."

Then, with a deliberate pause, he placed both hands on his hips and gave her a suspecting look like he already knew what she did.

"Plus," he added, his voice dropping ever so slightly, "I needed an excuse to stretch my legs, 8especially since a certain group of students decided the school library was the perfect place for mystery hunting."

Freya's stomach sank. She didn't need a name to know exactly what he was referring to.

The secret room. Where Jett broke into and found Mystra.

She schooled her features quickly, but not fast enough. A flicker of guilt flashed across her face before she forced a shaky smile, hoping he hadn't noticed.

Of course, Clarence noticed everything.

Clarence's gaze drifted to the book tucked under Freya's arm.

For a moment, just a flicker, something passed across his face.

"Curses, huh?" he said, arching a brow. "That's not usually your area."

Freya offered a light smile, brushing it off with practiced ease.

"Call it curiosity. I heard someone mentioned something interesting about it… figured it wouldn't hurt to learn more. I'm more interested in ways to dispel it."

Clarence gave a soft hum, low and thoughtful. Not quite disbelief—but definitely not full trust, either.

"The priestess of light studying curses?" he chuckled, tilting his head. "Now that's ironic."

He sounded amused… but also genuinely intrigued.

"Need a hand?"

Freya raised an eyebrow, her expression composed but unreadable.

"Help always show up when least expected."

Then, with a slight tilt of her head, she added, "I'm looking into whether any curses have ever been tied to the light attribute."

That made Clarence pause.

His eyes narrowed slightly, not in suspicion, but in thought.

"Hmm. That's new."

He leaned a bit closer. "Curses and the light attribute don't usually mix."

"Really?" Freya asked, a hint of disappointment slipping into her voice.

"None that I know of, at least, light attribute is one of the ways to dispel curse but not much is known since it's a are attribute." Clarence replied honestly. "But if anyone could dig up something like that, it'd be you. There are still mountains of knowledge even I haven't grasped yet."

He gave her a knowing look before adding with a smirk,

"Still… you'd have to be a complete sicko to create or even think of using a curse twisted out of something as pure as light."

Freya smiled faintly, but her mind was already elsewhere.

Freya hadn't meant to react, but her lips pushed into a faint pout before she caught herself but it was too late for that.

"A complete sicko," he'd jested. The words stung more than she expected.

Clarence didn't seem to notice… or maybe he did and chose not to say anything.

"A curse is still a curse, no matter the attribute," he continued, finally stepping back and adjusting the scroll under his arm. He handed her one of the others he'd been carrying.

"The fundamentals should hold. This might help. Just be careful what you're trying to study, curses are fickle things. Some of them… bite."

Freya accepted the scroll with a slight nod.

"Thank you. I'll be careful."

"Of course you will. I wouldn't let you if that weren't the case." He turned to go, already halfway down the aisle before tossing back,

"Good luck with your… curiosity. Make sure you undo what you broke."

That made her pause.

"Enjoy your paperwork," she called after him, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

But her thoughts shifted uneasily. 'Did he know? Did he realize I did something?'

Clarence gave a dramatic, mock bow without even glancing back.

"Someone's gotta run the Academy."

And just like that, he was gone. His presence melted back into the stillness of the library as if he'd never been there at all.

Freya didn't move. She stared down at the scroll now resting in her hands, her fingers tightening around the edges.

'This curse… I need to dismantle it. Soon. Before something bad happens.'

She turned sharply and made her way deeper into the archives, her pace quickening with every step.

She had work to do.

*

*

*

I wonder how she'll fix