Chase didn't sleep that night.
How could he?
Yes, he lay in a soft bed, surrounded by the comforts of a cozy room. Yet, it was unfamiliar, and if anything made him quite uncomfortable.
He rested on his side, watching the fire dance in the small hearth.
His thoughts were empty; however, he was still restless.
It was late at night, and Chase obviously, did not know his way around the academy, so he stayed inside of his dorm room for the night.
But, there was still a small part of him that wanted to go out and explore the mighty castle.
He almost had multiple times throughout the night.
Chase feared the strange magic within the ancient halls. It was all too strange, and the things that the headmaster had said continued to give him a sense of dread.
One question preferably ate at him constantly...
'Why would the royal houses want me dead?'
Which of course led to an even bigger question.
'What was my father hiding before he died?'
Chase did not hold anything against his father, and knew that he had plenty of reasons to hide things from the young boy.
Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore.
Once a house loses its sigil, it would die out with the last of its remaining members.
Sigils were kind of like runic markings in a sense, instead of being engraved as an ancient language: sigils were usually burnt into the skin by your houses blacksmiths.
And last Chase checked, his sickly dad didn't have a blacksmith, let alone any servants or maids.
On another note, he had spent nearly the entire evening studying the terrifying Naga mask.
Chase sighed, as his eyes drifted to the wooden ceiling.
No matter how hard he tried to understand the demon-faced headgear, nothing came on it. It was truly on a another level of complicated.
All he was able to gather from it, was that it translated any ancient languages when it was equipped.
He sighed again.
Before Chase had left the headmaster's office, he had asked the old man how to find the library.
However, instead of giving him a response, the elderly bastard just grinned at him and then used his voodoo magic to teleport Chase into the main hall.
As he was internally cursing the headmaster, his thoughts finally began to drift away.
He slowly closed his eyes and embraced the peaceful release of sleep.
...
Chase woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed then ever.
As if all of his burdens had been lifted off of his faltering shoulders.
He sat up, stretched his arms, and yawned lazily.
The boy scanned his new room, noticing the bright rays in his windows that were casted by the mighty second sun.
Chase got up and walked to the bathroom- rubbing his eyes as he strolled across his room.
First he took a shower, as well as did his other morning routines, that he would have done if he still lived in Willowmere.
The thought made him frown.
He casually put on a long-sleeve leather shirt, and a baggy pair of sweat-pants.
'Screw it, I'm going for a walk.'
He sighed.
Chase opened his door, and stepped out.
The first thing that greeted him was a near death experience...
The moment he stepped out, a violent gust of wind rushed past him, stealing his breath away. His stomach lurched as his foot found only air, and sheer instinct forced his hands to grip the wooden doorframe.
Heart pounding, he yanked himself back inside, gasping for breath as he stared at the dizzying drop below.
Chase pulled himself back into his room- gasping for air, he reminded himself to never leave for a walk again.
He stood up and walked over to the exit once again- taking a look over the vast expanse.
This time, instead of a deathly fall: A stone staircase stood- leading down to the floor below his.
'Damn this freaky witchcraft.'
However, before Chase continued down the stairs, a silhouette in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
On one of the higher staircases, someone had been watching him.
He studied the grand stair hall, but no matter how hard he looked, he was the only person in the room.
Hesitantly, Chase went on his way.
...
Once he reached the first floor, he realized that someone had been watching him.
Above him, looking down from the second floor balcony, was a girl with ivory-white pigtails.
Chase wasn't the type to be distracted by looks, but something about her was… different. The way her crimson eyes seemed to look straight through him, the eerie stillness in her posture—it sent a strange chill down his spine.
Before he could process it, she turned and disappeared behind the doorway, leaving behind only questions.
Even after she disappeared, the weight of her gaze lingered, pressing down on him like an unspoken warning.
'So, I'm guessing everyone here is equally as weird as that "geezer."'
Chase shrugged off the strange interaction and made his way into the main hall of the academy dorms.
The place was truly grand, and he had definitely surpassed his expectations of it.
If this place was full of strange people, he'd have to get used to it. First things first—he needed to find that library.
'Now, where in the world would I find said library...'