Loraine coughed. The sound of wolves howling continuously in a rhythmic pattern created a terrifying impression on the walls of the room.
She gave a faint movement as a gesture of acceptance, as if acknowledging the sound of the wolves. As time passed, the howls grew louder.
Restlessness is a common thing when something we perceive as 'fear' appears in our peaceful sleep and jolts us awake.
After dozens of wolf howls over the course of an hour, Loraine finally began to realize that the disturbing sound was indeed that of wolves.
She opened her eyes—her first sight being an illusion created by her brain, as the howls were what had awakened her.
When sleeping and just waking up, she did not fully realize this and began to open her eyes before finally rubbing them with her fist.
"Wolf howls? That's extremely rare—I've never even heard one during my time here."
What happened next was something that could not be predicted. If the howls didn't stop for a while, Loraine pulled her blanket tighter.
"This night feels long," was the first thought Loraine uttered in her mind as she tried to peek from behind the blanket.
But hesitation crept within her. She was scared, yet curious. Her curiosity won, and it made her peek; she exposed her eyes and looked out from behind the blanket.
The walls of the room were blood-red, and some translucent objects reflected the red light, making it look terrifying.
The Blood Moon still shone upon the academy, which meant the night Loraine spent sleeping had been rather short. She then rubbed her eyes again after letting go of the blanket she held.
"How long have I been asleep?" she muttered. Loraine disliked being woken in the middle of her comfortable sleep—but tonight's sleep hadn't been comfortable.
Loraine got off her bed. The curtains in her room always called to be closed, and that was the first thing she would do.
After closing the curtains and blocking the Blood Moon's light, Loraine walked toward her desk. During the walk, she realized that the sound that had awakened her had disappeared. At first, it made her feel at ease, but soon after, it raised several questions.
"How could there be wolves here?" First, there were no wolves—or even any species except for small animals—on the floating island of Aetheris. Second, the sound of wolves shouldn't be able to reach this far.
"This has never happened before. Should I ask someone?" Loraine questioned herself as she reached for the pocket watch she had placed on the desk.
After grabbing the watch, she lifted it to eye level and moved her finger toward the higher section, where a button was located.
She intended to call someone, but who would respond at this hour? The first person that came to mind was Wein Arcveil.
But then again, was Wein still awake at this hour? She wasn't sure about his sleeping schedule, but a few hours ago, Wein had just escorted her.
Still, there was no harm in trying. Loraine then considered another plan—this would certainly be picked up if she called Aria at this hour.
The wolf howls returned, startling her into pressing the button on instinct, despite her previous hesitation.
"Oh… no—no—no." Her voice trembled in panic, echoing through the silent corridor. Loraine clutched the hem of her clothes, worried that she had disturbed Wein's rest tonight. But it was too late now, wasn't it? What else could she do?
The watch emitted a steady ticking sound with every second, continuing until the call was answered—or until it timed out.
She hoped it would be picked up, but part of her hoped Wein wouldn't notice it at all. This contradiction arose from her fear of being considered a nuisance for calling him in the middle of the night.
The watch stopped making its faint sound, followed by a brief silence before a hoarse voice—like someone weary—answered, "Hello! What is it, Loraine?"
Loraine sighed in resignation. She then lowered the pocket watch to the lowest level, sat down on the floor, and responded to Wein Arcveil.
"Sorry! Were you sleeping?" she asked, making sure, and slightly lifted herself before exhaling again.
"…"
Phew. Wein breathed calmly before answering again, this time in resignation. "I haven't been able to sleep."
"What? You're having trouble sleeping? Do you know what's making it hard for you to fall asleep?" Loraine stood from the tiled floor, pulled out a chair, and finally sat on it while looking at the mirror.
She moved her hand toward the lamp to turn it on. The lamp clashed with the red light from the moon, illuminating half the room in a whitish-yellow hue.
"I'm not sure. Maybe I have too much on my mind—even though it shouldn't be." He chuckled, giving a reassuring response to Loraine as a sign that he was fine.
"So, why did you call me?"
"Well… did you hear any wolf howls a while ago?" she asked softly, nearly whispering. Her eyes glanced at the foggy window, while her fingers nervously intertwined. There was a subtle anxiety in her tone, as if she wasn't sure whether the sound was real—or just a fear-induced illusion.
"A little, faintly—but it's enough to keep me awake tonight." His voice was casual, followed by the sound of a bed creaking, as if someone was moving on it.
Not long after the sound of the bed—which startled Loraine—a raspy crow caw echoed before Wein groaned. "Hey, don't bite my finger, you idiot."
Loraine was surprised, then burst into laughter—albeit slightly strained, as the eerie feelings still lingered within her.
She kept glancing toward the window, then turned her gaze back to the watch she had placed on the table. Wein's voice returned, disturbed by his raven.
"Werewolves and vampires are roaming outside… so I guess that's what made the sound," Wein said while still struggling with his raven. Loraine initially giggled lightly before her eyes widened and her mouth opened.
"Wait a second," Wein said, suddenly pausing.
"Werewolves and vampires?" They both said it simultaneously—Wein, who realized it, and Loraine, who echoed the same words at the same moment.
"Do you think that's a light matter?" Loraine asked in a panic, her hands trembling as she lifted the watch closer to her mouth.
"No, I just didn't realize what I said… this raven is annoying," Wein winced. "That hurts, get off me, you ugly bird."
"Do you like this girl, master?" The raven spoke, causing a reaction anyone would have—Loraine was shocked.
"That raven… can talk?" Loraine blurted instinctively, almost unconsciously. Moments later, she covered her mouth with her hand—her eyes wide in disbelief, stunned by both her own words and the reality she just witnessed.
A muffled voice—like someone trying to speak while being restrained—emerged, until the raven's voice returned. "No, miss, I mean Gawk! Gawk! Gawk!" It tried to act like a regular raven again.
Loraine looked rather stunned. She tried to imagine what was going on in there. "Hey, is Wein okay?" she asked again, wanting to be sure.
Without further words, the raven quickly replied, "Gawk! Eh… I mean, your boyfriend is just fine, miss." It let out a hoarse laugh typical of a bird.
"What?"
"I'm not fine, you know. This is an emergency…" Wein paused. "You be quiet, master, I'm talking to your pretty girlfriend here." First, the raven could tease, and second—what did it mean by emergency?
"Let me go, you fool. Loraine, we're being…" The raven cut him off again. "First, this is an emergency, and my master likes you, miss."
"Wait, I never said that, you fool," Wein denied, then added a few more sounds before the raven shouted again.
"I can read your heart, you silly human." Its voice grew fainter as it went on, and Loraine could feel it deep within her chest.
Loraine's lips were stiff for a few seconds—still stunned by the effect the bird had on her. After a few moments, her mouth finally regained movement. "What's going on?"
"Forget that damn bird. The academy is now surrounded by vampires and some demon beasts," Wein shouted, with the raven's voice faintly in the background.
"What? Are you serious about this?"