Even as that uproar was unfolding above, a boy was wandering through the
paths of the labyrinth's first layer, humming to himself.
"~~ ~~~ ~~~ "
Yuri Leik, self-proclaimed transfer student. He now spent the bulk of his time
exploring the school and the labyrinth.
This often put him in danger, but that proved no impediment to his boundless
curiosity. There were things down there he'd never seen, never heard, never
smelled, never touched, never tasted—and a thirst for that unknown drove him
onward. Where that urge came from, even he himself didn't know.
"…Mm?"
Yuri came to a halt. There was a figure approaching him down the passage
dressed in baggy blue robes, like a philosopher. Yuri folded his arms, trying to
place the new arrival.
"Ummmmm… Oh, right! I remember! Instructor Demitrio. What a coincidence
seeing you here! What brings you—?"
But mid–friendly ramble, the man's hand clamped around the boy's face.
"Altum somnum."
With that incantation, Yuri's body jerked—and his hands went limp. Demitrio
kept his grip on the boy's face, closing his eyes and standing perfectly still. As if
siphoning something through the grip.
"..."
"Your soul split never fails to impress, Instructor Demitrio. No matter how
many times I see it."
A dapper voice echoed from above. A man with luxuriant ringlets stood
suspended from the ceiling: Kimberly's part-time lecturer Theodore McFarlane.
"You said you split your soul into two halves—'ignorance' and 'knowledge,'
was it? I would never have imagined that possible without seeing it with my
own eyes. An entirely new type of familiar."
Theodore hopped down from the ceiling, standing next to the astronomy
instructor. As he landed, Demitrio released Yuri, and the boy landed flat on his
back, unconscious. The ringlet instructor grinned down at the boy's comatose
face, innocent in slumber.
"Rather a cute splinter this time. Makes me wonder—were you ever like
this?"
"…The appearance is arbitrary, but the personality was once mine. He is me,
minus my accumulated knowledge and experience."
Demitrio's tone was flat. His eyes might be gazing upon a part of himself, but
they were possessed of that specific ennui that came from knowing too much.
"Knowledge is bondage. With it comes loss. There are things only the ignorant
can see, ask, or touch. This world is filled with such irony. And this fact holds
true even here at Kimberly," Demitrio intoned. "Thus, have I sought out
ignorance. I gained the knowledge that it brings as a step on the path to true
omniscience."
Theodore returned a nod of utmost respect. How best to approach the
problem—on that point, this philosopher's thoughts were unlike any other
mage's.
"These innocent eyes will soon discover the truth beyond Darius's and
Enrico's deaths. The true nature of our enemy."
After a slumber of indeterminate length, Yuri found himself lying on the hard
ground.
"…Hmm…?"
He scratched his head blearily, sitting up. Then he looked around and realized
he'd been asleep in the labyrinth. How had that happened? He had no memory
of it.
"…Huh. That's weird! What am I doing?"
Although the doubt crossed his mind, he didn't pursue it. He was soon
walking again—any notion that something was amiss instantly forgotten. His
mind was carefully tuned to do just that.
He was Demitrio's splinter, a product of a soul split—but he was no spy. Yuri
himself was unaware of his mission. His actions were unrestrained by any
knowledge, his views and perspectives available only in his ignorance. And with
that, he would solve the mysteries lurking within Kimberly's walls.
Yuri Leik, transfer student. The explorer with innocent eyes. His role: the
detective.