The Escape?

"Thank you, but I'll manage," Alika answered as she tried to keep her composure. The mage refused to let any more of her emotions spill out.

"Are you done convincing the poor soul you spare her to live today to murder some time later? I sure hope you are! My feet are already killing me..." Alika heard Silvesta say, knocking on the door.

"It's your fault for wearing the torture shoes in the first place," Wolfred commented from behind the door with a deep belly laugh.

"Well, since you don't seem to have any further questions, come meet me at the Regal Dragon Inn once you do. Good luck!" Remien told Alika. And just like that, the guy was gone. The door shut behind him with a soft click.

After the door closed behind "the monster", Alika turned to her side on the bed. Her body was limp, her head sluggish. She tried to pull her thoughts together. First, she had to grasp the meaning of what had just transpired and how to live with it. But instead of helping the mage focus, her thoughts jumped from one event to the next. They never paused, not letting her evaluate any of them in particular.

'Remien… How did you find me? What will happen to me now? What an outrageous, straightforward style! Why did it have to be me?' All these questions swarmed in her head, making her dizzy.

However, it was probably better to address the last question to the divine beings rather than the man of the hour. It became quiet, too fast not to cause suspicion. That eerie silence was an anomaly. When was the academy dorm ever so silent? Alika came to her senses. She needed to get out of here. She didn't want to give Belissma and the others the chance to tear her to bits.

"Damn it… To top it off, Remien even took my best friend away! What's next? And what else can await me at the end of this slippery path apart from a tragic death?" Alika muttered as she stood up. A slight weakness in her knees was still there, but there was no time to waste.

Alika grabbed her bag and hurried to leave the building. The sooner she did so, the better. The contenders for the monster's partnership could pounce on her all at once at any moment now. The very thought gave her the chills. Whatever Remien did to keep them away was unlikely to have a permanent effect.

As Alika turned the key in the door lock, she heard voices and footsteps getting closer. With a sinking heart, she recognized her roommate's voice as the loudest, angriest, and the most emotionally hurt among them all.

"Alika! That traitor! How could she?!" Bellissma screamed at the top of her lungs.

The screams were later followed by heartbreaking sobs and some more hysterical outbursts. The other girls tried to comfort her as much as they could, despite being on the verge of tears themselves.

"Damn you, Alika!" her former best friend yelled again.

Alika realized that the best course of action for the both of them now would be to avoid meeting altogether. Even if Belissma thought otherwise. Alika made a dash for it, rushing down the corridor towards the service stairs that were seldom used because of their poor state. The academy sometimes lacked financial support to keep everything in perfect condition and shape.

This time Alika got lucky. She somehow evaded facing her fellow graduates, if only by a hair. Just the dormitory supervisor was granted the honor of bidding her farewell.

Alika needed some time to rest and think everything through. That's why she headed for the teahouse. It wasn't too well-known, but the place was dear to her heart. The Fairytale Dream was a small tea shop that offered a unique cozy atmosphere and had its own cafe. It was situated somewhere in between the student and merchant districts of Alicole.

The teahouse was in a semi-basement room with an entrance from the courtyard, hidden away from plain sight. A random passerby stood little to no chance of finding it since it was more of a private place. Alika herself was introduced to the establishment a few years ago by Kirena. This was one of her few friends in the city, the only one Alika had befriended outside the academy walls.

The teahouse was also a special meeting spot for the Magical Leaf Club. That was what the owner of the place called a group of her regular guests. She considered them children in need of guidance despite already being grown-up adults.

Deep in her heart, Alika wanted to meet her friend Kirena and talk to her now, too. However, it was not meant to happen. There was nobody else in the teahouse except for the owner and herself. This didn't come as much of a surprise. It was still quite early.

The room greeted her with a familiar bouquet of fragrances. It contained the scents of herbs, spices, and last but not least, the magical aroma of tea. Alika was a certified mage now. She could say with complete assurance that the masters here knew how to make the tea magical without using spells. No words were good enough to describe the flavor when they actually enchanted the drink.

The owner could always tell what needed to be brewed in her homely teapot. And that was even before the visitor walked through the door. It was always something different for each occasion. No doubt the woman owed it to that keen sixth sense of hers. Alika simply called her Aunt Agnha.

As usual, Alika handed Aunt Agnha a coin. The woman knew what kind of tea to pour her, like so many times before. Soon, the mage received a wooden cup with a delicate dragon shape carved into the handle.

Alika took a deep breath and inhaled the rich aroma. She tasted the drink. At that moment, the mage ceased shivering. She hadn't even noticed that her body was trembling like that at all. It must have started when she was running down the dormitory stairs. Her thoughts stopped their wild gallop inside her conscience and now held more resemblance to lost kittens. Those kittens looked at the confusing world in bewilderment with large innocent eyes.