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We were seven. Though we knew each other before the quarantine began, we hadn't foreseen being this close, this… unbearably close. But was it really necessary?

Before answering that, let me introduce myself. My name is Arlt. I study Renaissance literature at the Hisar Institute. I'm an orphan, just like the others. We were chosen from the orphanage and brought here because of our talent for languages. In ten years, we learned five languages—Chinese, Arabic, English, Turkish, and Russian. Besides those, we already knew Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, and Japanese.

When the quarantine started, we had no idea where we would go. The Institute's officials insisted that all students, or rather, all students with homes, should return to them. But we had no homes. Where could we possibly go? In the end, we were granted permission to stay.

So we settled into the Suare Kairos dormitory, a four-story building beside the library, with the statue of Aeternolis standing guard at the entrance...