A World Of Decree: And The Seven Laws

The feeling of danger lurking in the shadows restricted Atlas from his sleep. Even with the lights off, the faint echoes of students lurking outdoors kept him awake. Conversations could be heard from the dromhall, almost as if they were meant to be swallowed by silence and thin walls.

Atlas' eyes were adjusted to the darkness in his room by now, making it more visible for maneuvering through. He got up from his bed, glaring at the nightfall outside his window. He could see the stars placed firmly in the sky above, almost like freshly lain corn on turned ground.

As he stared above, a feeling of comfort replaced the danger hidden within the darkness. But knowing Osiris was somewhere out there brought that danger back into his sight. Although it was already 8pm, a late night stroll was the only thing he needed to clear his mind.

Atlas put on a pair of warm house shoes, a light cotton blanket over his green shirt, and strolled off towards the lounge.

He was surprised to see Faibel and Laena sitting together on the sofas. They both seemed to be talking, but Atlas couldn't hear them over the clicks and clacks of the fire before them. Now that it's beginning to get colder as the days get closer and closer to winter, the lounge fires gave light and warmth to those who seeked it during late hours of the night.

Atlas walked over to the fire, sitting across from them on a similar sofa. "Never thought I'd see you two this late." Atlas said while getting comfortable.

It took Laena and Faibel a second to realise what they're seeing, changing their expressions to fit their greeting more appropriately. "Wait? You're okay? Where have you been?!" Laena jumped out of her seat, holding her hands together by her c.h.e.s.t with a worried look.

Atlas sighed, "Let's just say it's been a long day."

Laena sat back down, "Do you want to… uhm, talk about it?" her shyness still remained cute and subtle in uncomfortable situations.

"To be completely honest. I don't." Atlas said with a concerned look, "But you deserve to know."

"Atlas?!" A familiar voice broke their conversation from the entrance to the lounge. Everyone looked over, seeing Rina as if she just got out of bed.

Her hair was flaky, clothes were too large to normally walk in, and flip flops seemed way to cheap to be worn around Princewood. However, she seemed even more beautiful than Atlas remembered her. The fire gave evermoving shadows to her face he's never noticed before. Her skin seemed so smooth and soft Atlas' feeling of comfort returned with no plans of leaving anytime soon. Her hair partially fell over her eyes like a blissful waterfall, glistering in the sparks of the fire.

She yawned, walking over and taking the seat next to Atlas on the sofa. "Where have you been? Cartuja said you missed a few classes today."

Atlas smiled, happy to be back with his friends. He thought about everything they've been through together, prepared to give the story of what happened, and the mistakes he made along the way.

Before he began, he could see the goosebumps forming on Rina's arm, despite them being nearly a few feet from the fire. He raised his hand with the blanket, inviting Rina into the warmth of the cotton sheet next to him.

She gave a friendly smirk in response, huddled a little closer, and shared the blanket with him. She could see his cheeks lighten a bit, as did hers in the warmth of the blanket.

Atlas hunched his shoulders, clasped his hands, and told them everything that's happened in the last 24 hours.

It didn't take long to tell, only about 10 minutes or so. Nevertheless, it was hard for Atlas to say it. Thinking of his mother and friends in danger awakened the danger in the shadows for him. Making him feel worried, lost, unsure of what to do.

Laena was was nearly shaking in her seat, sitting close to Faibel for comfort and warmth. Faibel on the other hand, sat sturdy, examining every detail Atlas gave, no matter how small it may be. "You mentioned Osiris say he has the Curse of Command. Right?" Faibel wanted to clarify his summary.

"I think so. Something like that at least." Atlas replied.

Faibel took off his glasses, placed them next to him, and rubbed his eyes. "There are three types of spells you can perform. Spells from Magic. Spells from Curses. And Spells from…" He paused, almost looking slightly confused. "Spells from…." He couldn't remember. The feeling of forgetting something so important dawned on him, getting him slightly frustrated in that moment.

He put his glasses back on, "I don't know the third. I've never met someone who uses the third type. I am almost certain we won't get taught this at Academy anyways. It's a forbidden form of magic. That's all I know." He looked back at the fire, waiting for someone else to speak.

"Do you think we should tell Calvin?" Rina said in a tired voice.

"Not now. Maybe Mooks, but not Calvin." Faibel got up. "We can tell the others tomorrow. For now, it's almost 9pm, I'm off to my room." He stuck his hand out for Laena to grab, gesturing to walk her to her room.

She grasped it firmly, letting go as they started walking towards the back end of the lounge.

The fire in the small metallic pit seemed to brighten a bit, getting louder with every passing second. Or perhaps the inner silence of the lounge stood still, only dying down with every second that follows. Either way, it was quite, but relaxing in a way. It was a sort of quite where one forgets everything they know, lying still to enjoy this wonderful moment of silence.

Atlas leaned back on the sofa, glaring at the fire as his eyes slowly began to close from exhaustion. He was pulled away from the moment, forgetting Rina was sitting right next to him underneath the blanket.

She could see his eyes closing as she leaned back, feeling sleep taking her in as well. She gently placed her head on his shoulder, and fell asleep to the sound of crackling fire and deep breaths of comfort.

It was only around 12:30am when the first outside noise was heard. The fire had lowered its intensity, and the lounge door opening woke Rina and Atlas from their slumber.

They both rubbed their eyes to clear their blurry vision, a small white figure approaching them at a moderate pace. Black lines began to form on the figure, followed by a pair of red pupils, and an unamused smirk.

"And what would you two be doing at this hour of the night?" His voice came out clear, sharp, and intimidating.

Their vision finally returned, making view for the white tiger standing a few meters away.

"Mooks?" Atlas rubbed his eyes once more.

Mooks didn't answer, continuing to stare until one of them answered his question.

"I think we must've fallen asleep.. Sorry-"

"Doesn't matter. Return to your dorms, and lock your doors." He shifted his gaze on Atlas, "Especially you. I'm well aware of what happened, Alastor filled me in."

Atlas had forgotten about Alstor until Mooks mentioned his name. However, Atlas still couldn't remember what happened to him, and why he wasn't there to help him.

"Right. We're sorry." Atlas said in a tired voice.

"Just go to bed. You can't sleep in the lounges. Only studying or homework." He walked off. Exiting the lounge through another exit.

Atlas and Rina shared one last smile, parting ways unwillingly.