At the end of the day, Finn and his friends were taken to their hostels. The male hostel was different from the female's so Finn and Ryan had to part ways with Emma, at least for that moment.
Emma was shown to her room, although she had a roommate, she didn't like the idea because she was not good at associating with people. She has been a shy person from birth and the only friends she made were Finn and Ryan, and that happened due to an incident. It is safe to say the friendship was never meant to happen in the first place but since it did, no one regretted it. Theirs was the kind of friendship anyone would love to emulate.
Even if the boys later decides to make new friends in this place, Emma would find it difficult to do the same because to her, her friends were very important. She loved them and wouldn't want a third party in their midst.
Standing before her roommate, she had a frown on her face.
"Hello, my name is Clara and I am your roommate. I am also in the same class with you and your friends," the girl politely greeted.
Emma was known to be straightforward so she could not hide her true feelings from Clara. "Just stay away from me, please."
Clara was taken aback by Emma's response but she wasn't angry. She watched as she walked over to her bed and laid down.
"I'll be going out soon. If you need something, don't forget to let me know," she said but Emma didn't respond. With a sigh, she turned around and left the room.
After Clara had left, Emma began to gaze at the door.
"Was I been too rude to her?" She mumbled in a low tone. 'No! I don't want to make any friends here!'
Meanwhile, Finn and Ryan were shown to their own dorms and upon getting to the place, they met another boy standing by the door of their room. He seemed to be waiting for them.
"Hi, my name is Tim," the boy said to them. He stretched out his hand wanting to shake them but they ignored him. "You guys are new here, as such you are expected to throw away your arrogant behaviors and learn to be polite to people. That is if you wish to survive in this place."
'I hate to admit it but damn, he is right!' Finn after concluding, brought out his hand to shake the boy but the latter retracted.
"That's for the insult," he said to them and the two boys glanced at each other in disbelief. "Smart, ain't I?" He asked them.
"More like stupid," Ryan spat and the boy laughed.
"Well, let me show you guys our room!" Tim said and led them inside the room.
It was a sizeable place with three large beds, a table set for each person, and also a wardrobe for each person; they were placed beside each person's corner. "That's my corner over there," he gestured to the corner at the left. "You take the one on the right while he takes the one at the middle."
Finn walked to his own corner which was on the right side. He touched the bed, table and wardrobe, they were not bad.
"Do you like it?" Tim asked them.
"We can manage it," Ryan replied but in truth, they liked it. It was spacious enough and they had it all to themselves, though there was a second party among them, they weren't bothered much by it.
"Tsk!" Tim clicked his tongue, he knew they were lying.
"Come on, Ryan. We need to find Emma," Finn said to Ryan who nodded and was about to leave with him when Tim stopped them.
"Hey, can I join you guys?" He asked them and they both glanced at each other. "You see, the truth is that I don't really have much friends because no one wants to be close to me."
Finn narrowed his eyes. "And why?"
"Because I was cursed by an old witch that I will never have real friends," Tim replied and once again, they glanced at each other.
"What does this curse of yours have to do with us?" Ryan asked him.
"I believe you are very close to each other so I was thinking if perhaps I can be accepted to join you guys," he replied. "I believe that my curse will be lifted soon."
"What makes you think that it will be possible if you become friends with us?" Finn asked him. "Besides, we didn't tell you that we are recruiting more people into our group."
"He is right. We are fine just the way we are," Ryan chipped in.
"I just know that it will work, please," Tim replied.
"Sorry but the answer is no! We don't need anyone to join us!" Finn stated and left with Ryan. They left Tim heartbroken and sad.
"What is wrong with that kid?" Ryan asked Finn outside the room.
"I don't know and I don't wish to know," Finn replied. "If he wants his curse broken, he should go find a prophet to do that or better still die, that way he will no longer be affected by the damn curse."
"Aren't you being harsh?" Ryan asked Finn. "I think he just wants us to be friends with him, it's no big deal."
"That's easy for you to say," Finn said with a frown. "Even if we decided to take him in, have you considered Emma's feelings? Or did you forget what she told us before?"
"I haven't," Ryan replied with a defeated look on his face. He remembered Emma telling them that she wouldn't want them to have any more friends, and that word had kept them from keeping friends outside their friendship.
"Let us meet up with her so we can go to the library together," Finn said and he nodded, and they left.
As they arrived at the entrance female dorm, they saw Emma already waiting for them.
"Hope we didn't keep you waiting for long?" Finn asked her and she shook her head. She came down seconds before they arrived.
"Ready to dive into beast taming?" She asked them, her eyes sparkling.
Ryan nodded. "We need to learn more about resonance and contract binding."
Finn grinned. "Library's the place to start."
Together, they walked to the library, a grand structure filled with ancient tomes and scrolls.
Upon entering, they were greeted by the librarian, an elderly woman with wispy hair.
"Welcome, young tamers! I'm Librarian Elara. How may I assist you?"
Emma explained their goal. "We're researching beast taming, specifically resonance and contract binding."
Librarian Elara nodded. "Section three, shelves nine through twelve. You'll find comprehensive guides and ancient texts."
As they browsed the shelves, Finn stumbled upon an intriguing book.
"The Art of Resonance: A Tamer's Guide," he read out.
"I also discovered a scroll," Ryan said, waving the scroll. "It says Contract Binding Rituals and Incantations."
"What about you Emma? Did you find any?" Finn asked Emma who was still going through the shelves.
After a while, she pulled out a leather-bound tome. "Found one... It says 'Beast Psychology and Behavior'."
"Very well."
The three friends settled at a nearby table, immersing themselves in their research.
As they studied, they discussed their findings.
"I think I understand resonance better," Finn said. "It's all about harmonizing our energy."
Ryan nodded. "And contract binding requires a deep connection between the tamer and his beast."
Emma added, "Beast psychology is key. We need to understand their thoughts."
As darkness fell upon them, Finn's group realized they'd made significant progress.
"I think we should call it a day," Finn said to his friends.