[You have encountered "Whispers."]
Simply glancing at the delicate snuff bottle captivated Shade entirely. He had seen more exquisite items in his own world, yet something about this one made him feel a powerful urge to possess it. Fortunately, the woman's voice in his head pulled his thoughts back on track, and Schneider, noticing Shade's lapse, merely smiled.
"Even a relic of the Poet level can have an influence on ordinary people," the doctor explained. "That's why both the Church and the Academy go to such lengths to contain and control these relics. But I must say, you've recovered rather quickly… Once I open it, you'll fall into a dream. It will last precisely 7 minutes and 23 seconds, during which you'll learn about the Academy's past and present. This will help you understand the truth of what I've told you."
"That precise?" Shade asked, adjusting himself on the couch to settle in comfortably, as instructed by the doctor.
"Almost every correspondence Warlock who joins St. Byrence has to confirm their information through this relic. It's been used countless times, without a single error," Schneider said with a reassuring smile.
The phrase "never" only made Shade slightly more uneasy, but he chose not to voice his concerns and simply gestured for the doctor to begin.
"Alright, be ready," Schneider said, covering his mouth and nose with a damp cloth to avoid being affected himself. He took a step back. "Here we go."
The moment the lid was lifted, colorful smoke spilled out, and Shade immediately lost consciousness.
In the dream, Shade's soul drifted from his body, ascending high into the sky. He watched a vibrant, steam-powered city unfold beneath him, clouds of smoke rising from distant factories. Then, like a great gust carried him away, he soared northward—over cities, mountains, plains, and forests. He finally beheld the snow-covered peaks of distant mountains, where beyond lay the great northern ice cap.
Perhaps it was only a fleeting moment, or maybe hours or days passed. As the sky dimmed over the icy north, beneath the shimmering auroras, the silhouette of enormous buildings appeared behind the glacier.
It was a strange and magnificent dream. When Shade awoke, only fragments remained—vague impressions of walking through a sprawling academy, an ancient castle, gazing at the stars from a tower's peak. He wandered through lecture halls filled with rows of seats, searched for herbal formulas in underground rooms, and browsed lists of relics stored within the library.
Mystical, ancient, profound, and secretive—this was the St. Byrence Comprehensive Academy, a gathering place for the mysterious. It had stood behind the northern glacier since ages past.
As his vision slowly cleared, Shade saw Schneider fumbling to seal the snuff bottle, returning the Poet-level relic safely to its box.
"So," the doctor asked with a grin, "do you believe now that the Academy is real?"
Tucking away the relic, Schneider beamed at Shade, who sighed wistfully, missing the strange dreamworld.
"It's real. Everything you said is true," Shade admitted.
"Just as I thought," the doctor replied. "This relic's only side effect is a mild addiction."
Schneider's voice was soft, laced with an odd power that seemed to pull Shade further out of the dreamlike haze.
"Forget the dream for now, Shade Hamilton. But someday, you'll be a Warlock among us, and we'll ride steam trains to the far north, trek across the glaciers beneath the auroras, and huddle together to endure the long nights in the blizzards. One day, we'll scale the highest peaks of the ice mountains, and you'll enter the Academy. My dream is to ascend to a Ten-Ring Warlock within St. Byrence and secure a lifelong position there. Shade, if you like it, why not join us?"
The vivid dream, both real and surreal, took some time for Shade to fully shake off. But when the doctor again asked his opinion, this time Shade had no hesitation. He nodded.
"Yes, I want to join the Academy. I want to become a correspondence Warlock."
Schneider's face lit up with genuine joy.
"Then congratulations, Shade. Allow me to address you that way. You are now the fifth Warlock of our group. Oh, and just a moment, Dorothy Louisa was here earlier. She will assist me with your enrollment ceremony. I can introduce you. The ceremony requires at least two present from the group to ensure new members aren't misled."
Though the doctor had been enthusiastic since visiting St. Delan's Square earlier that morning, his energy now seemed even more exuberant.
"Oh, Dorothy is a fourth-year correspondence Warlock and a professional novelist. I realize you've only recently 'awakened' from ignorance, so you probably haven't read her work, but she's quite well-known. Her short stories The Snail's Dream and A Midsummer Night's Wish won the Kingdom's literary prize three years ago. She was even invited to meet His Majesty along with 35 other winners."
"You didn't need to mention the total number of awardees," came a voice from the door. It was the blonde woman from earlier, still in the same outfit but looking slightly irritated.
"Doctor, do you really need to list every irrelevant detail when introducing your friends?" she quipped.
It seemed that the atmosphere within Schneider's Warlock group was quite amicable. Shade was pleased to see this, though he couldn't shake the feeling that the blonde writer had been eavesdropping from the doorway the entire time.
"Of course, no one would be completely off guard," Shade mused, preparing to stand and greet her.
Schneider avoided answering her question directly and instead motioned for Miss Louisa to sit.
"Detective Hamilton has agreed to my invitation. Now our group finally has five Warlocks," the doctor declared proudly.
"Doctor, did you use some luck-draining relic again?" she teased, though she stepped inside and offered Shade her hand.
"Dorothy Louisa, novelist and part-time journalist."
Dorothy seemed efficient and to the point. Shade stood, shaking her hand briefly.
"Shade Hamilton, detective, I suppose."
"A fine profession," she remarked as they both sat back down.
The doctor cleared his throat, signaling it was time to get to the heart of the matter.
"Shade, if I may call you that, there's just one last thing before your official enrollment: we need to discuss the tuition fee."
Shade froze, the harsh reality quickly dampening his earlier excitement. He blinked.
"Tuition… right."
The doctor had conveniently omitted mentioning one significant downside to the Academy. After all, the Church wouldn't charge new members.
"The fees are based on your year level. Just give me a moment…" Schneider walked over to the bookshelf, retrieving a document. Meanwhile, Dorothy remained silent, watching them both with interest.
"This is the fee structure. Because we're correspondence students, we don't communicate with the Academy directly. These documents were created to ensure group leaders don't overcharge. Apparently, centuries ago, that used to be quite common."