The ss froze, their heads snapping toward the source of the voice. The bodyguard holding Hatsune’s arms faltered for just a moment, enough for her to use her agility to break free. But it wasn’t Hatsune’s escape that caught their attention — it was the figure emerging from the darkness.

  A small but formidable woman with sharp eyes and dressed as an assistant librarian appeared at the end of the aisle. She had a scroll in her hand, and though she seemed startled at the se before her, her posture did not waver. She clearly had seen enough of the s’s antics trouble when she saw it.

  “What’s going on here?” the assistant librarian asked again, her voice steady, unshaken.

  The ss with Chadwick exged uneasy ghe bodyguard that still stood hesitated, unsure whether to tihe fight or to flee. It didn’t take long for the decision to be made.

  With a sharp word from Chadwick, the group turo flee deeper into the Archive, the bodyguard who had held Hatsune only paused to grab his unscious rade off the floor. Soon only Krion and Hatsune were with the assistant librarian. As Chadwick retreated, Krion could just barely make out his voice calling out, full of venom: “This isn’t over, Bcksword! Mark my words!”

  Krion worked oing his breathing under trol, but the assistant librarian clearly had no sympathy.

  “Keep your flicts outside the tral Archive,” she said coldly, her gaze unwavering as she sized up the two of them. “We do not tolerate any disruption to the iy of this po matter how high ranking the s’s House.”

  Her words struck like a sp to Krion’s face. It wasn’t just the fact that she had dismissed their struggles as trivial — it was the certainty ione, as if nothing mattered beyond the order and sanctity of the Archive. The two of them, even in the middle of having been attacked, were nothing more than distras to her.

  Krion opened his mouth to protest, to expin that he wasn’t the one causing trouble, but she had already turned away, ued in his protests.

  “Your business here will remain academiot personal. Otherwise, you will be barred,” she added, her voice clipped, before disappearing ba the dire she had e from.

  He gred at the spot where the assistant librarian had vanished, frustration boiling in his chest. That wasn’t fair, what she said. He hadn’t been the one causing trouble. It was Chadwick — Chadwid his ies who had e to provoke him, to intimidate him, or worse. A, here he was, being treated by the librarian like the vilin for daring to defend himself.

  “You’re upset,” a soft voice broke through his thoughts, auro see Hatsuanding a few paces away, her arms crossed defensively. Her ears were ft against her head, and her usual calm demeanor had been repced by an unmistakable tension, and Krio wasn’t just the librarian’s words that were b her.

  “I’m fine,” Krion said, f a smile. “Just a little frustrated. But I’ll get over it.”

  Hatsune’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked him over, clearly skeptical of his reassurance. “You’re lying,” she said bluntly. “You’re upset, and I don’t bme you. You were right to defend yourself. But it’s not just about you.”

  She looked down, avoiding his gaze for a moment, her fiappilessly at her side. When she looked up again, her voice was quieter and filled with guilt. “I hesitated.”

  Krio a pang of at the words, and he almost reached out to her before deg to give her space. “What do you mean?”

  “I hesitated when that bodyguard grabbed me,” she admitted. “I was thrown off. It’s not like me. I should have reacted faster. I should have protected you. I didn’t.” Her ears twitched again, and her lips tightened in a way that made Krion’s heart ache. “I’m sorry. I’m supposed to be your protector, and I failed.”

  Krion took a step toward her, his expression softening. “Hatsune… You didn’t fail. You were caught off guard. This wasn’t your fault.”

  “But you weren’t. You demolished them,” she shook her head, a hard edge to her tone. “I should have seen it ing. I khe danger, but I still let myself hesitate. I’m supposed to keep you safe, and then I couldn’t even protect you from some sed-rate s’s bodyguard.”

  “No.” Krion reached out, pg a hand on her shoulder. She was being too hard on herself. “Don’t doubt yourself over this. I’ve dealt with worse than Chadwick before, Hell, I’ve had my share of fistfights, and I didn’t always e out , but that’s how we learn. That’s how we grow.”

  Hatsu his gaze, her expression softening ever so slightly. “I just—”

  “No,” Krion interrupted gently, squeezing her should reassuringly. “Nuilt. We’ll get stronger, and we will deal with Chadwi time. Together. But right now, we o focus on the Academy Assig. The fragment of Whispers of Bck Steel.”

  She took a deep breath, nodding. “Right. The fragment. I still ’t believe something like that is here.”

  Krion gave her a final, reassuring smile before turning back to the shelves. “Let’s find it, then.”

  With renewed determination, they set off again. The air grew cooler and more oppressive with each mihey walked. The Archive’s vast chambers seemed endless, filled with t shelves that groaned uhe weight of tless tomes and scrolls. This far away from the windows, flickering lights of some sort hanging from the ceiling cast eerier shadows across the aisles. Despite the quiet, Krion could practically feel the history pressing around them. The byrinthine rows of the Archive stretched ahead of them, but thankfully it wasn’t long before they found themselves in a sileion that gave Krion a good feeling. The bels oerior of the shelves mentioned swords and sword fighting.

  Hatsune walked slightly ahead, her ears shifting as she sed their surroundings. She had gently insisted on leading the artly to redeem herself Krion thought. Though she did not o. Krion followed closely, his eyes darting around not for threats, but searg for likely shelves to look over. After ten mihat initial good feeling was starting to shift into a growing frustration. The Archive was huge, and the idea of searg through endless aisles for a single mispced fragment of a book was beginning to feel more daunting, especially after everything that had just happened.

  “This pce is overwhelming,” Krion admitted, his voice low. “How does anyone find anything in here if they don’t have the help of a librarian?”

  Hatsune gnced over her shoulder, a small teasing smile on her lips. “Perhaps we don’t and it’s the Archive itself that decides what we will find.”

  “That’s f, I guess. Hopefully, it will decide to reward us for looking,” Krion said, pleased that the Leporine seemed to be moving beyond the guilt she had felt earlier.

  They tinued in silence for a while, the only sounds being their footsteps and the occasional rustle of part as they looked over the tents on the shelves. Finally, the aisle they entered was a bit narrower thahers, the shelves taller and more imposing. The air was thick with the st of aged paper and ink as pared to the lighter smell ba the dire they had e from. At the end of one shelf, Krion’s eyes paused on a staetal ptes secured together with a thin, bck . Seeing him hesitate, Hatsuepped over to take a look at what had caused him to pause in their search. She froze as soon as she saw what he was looking at.

  “That’s it,” Hatsune said in a whisper, her tone sure.

  Krion nodded, reag out to lift it free from the shelf. As his fingers brushed against the metal sheets, he could have sworn he felt the slightest bit of resistan the air before being able to grasp it. He turo Hatsune, haended for her to look. He didn’t need her firmation, for as soon as he picked it up, he had gotten firmation of what it was from his Academy Assig.

  Hatsune’s eyes widened as she stepped closer, her hands trembling slightly. “This is it,” she murmured. “Whispers of Bck Steel. I… I hought I’d see even so much as a fragment in my lifetime,” she looked up to Krion, tears in her eyes, “or that I would be a bodyguard to a s of the Treverorum Empire when I did.”

  Krion hahe fragment over, indig she could take it with an encing nod. “Well, we found it. Together. Why don’t you take a look.”

  She nodded in response, her expression a mixture of awe aermination. Carefully, she reached out to touch the fragment, her fingers brushing the metal of its surface. In respoo Hatsuouch, the metal pages and glowed slightly, almost causing Krion to drop it just as the Leporine gasped in shock. It was as if the fragment reized her, and aowledged her e to the swhting style it represented.

  As Hatsune examihe fragment, Krion couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of aplishment. The fragment was more than just an item he o find to plete his Academy Assig, but was a link to Hatsune’s heritage that she hadn’t even realized was here at the Imperial Academy. While she mustered the ce to open it, Krion sidered her words of a moment ago. Since she had referred to it as the Treverorum Empire rather than just the Empire, did that mean Hatsune’s inal homend was like his own, outside the territory of the Empire? He’d have to ask her about it ter.

  “We o get this back to a librarian,” Krion said, his voice gently pulling Hatsune from her iion of the fragment. “The sooner we do, the sooner we look over our copy.”

  Hatsuantly nodded, but she did hand it out for Krion to take again. They retraced their steps, the oppressive atmosphere of the Archive gradually lightening as they returhe way they came. For his part, Kiron noticed that Hatsu only seemed more fident but also excited. He felt a warm feeling at how the Leporine had been behaving sihey had found the fragment.

  Eventually, they came back to one of the weling desks he front of the tral Archive, behind whi assistant librarian was standing. She barely gheir way when they emerged from the shelves, but when it was clear they were ing to speak to her, she set aside whatever she had been w on to wait for Krion to speak.

  Krion handed her the fragment, “I’d like to turn this in to plete an Academy Assig.”

  The assistant librarian nodded curtly, iing the fragment of Whispers of Bck Steel with a practiced eye before pulling out a ledger. With her free hand, she scrawled something that Krion couldn’t make out, but he figured it out when his Academy Assig dated. She had been marking off the Academy Assig as pleted.

  Setting the ledger aside, her hands then moved toward the fragment. Her firaced intricate patterns in the air, and threads of golden light began to weave around the polished ptes of metal. Slowly, aical copy of the fragment materialized beside the inal, its details rendered with absolute precision. When the duplication process was plete, the librariahe inal fragment aside, aly handed into Krion’s outstretched hands the copy.

  “Here is your copy, please take care of it,” the librarian said. “You have also earned 15 Knowledge s for pleting this Assig. They have been added to your character sheet. Use them wisely. Knowledge is the greatest currency you wield.”

  gratutions! You have received:A copy of the Fragment of “Whispers of Bck Steel”Knowledge x 15

  Krion nodded his thanks, then indicated for Hatsuo follow him outside the tral Archive. He was surprised to see it was already te afternoohey emerged. Walking a few streets, Krioually spied ay ben a quiet er of the street they were walking down. Motioning for Hatsuo take a seat, he wordlessly ha over for her to take a look. She practically ya out of his hands.

  Sitting down, Krion looked over Hatsune’s shoulder as she began muttering under her breath as she looked through the various metal ptes. The intricate diagrams and poetic descriptions of the sword teiques captivated him. Each stroke and stance seemed to carry a sense of darkness and elegance, a harmony of brutality and grace. The way Hatsune was nodding along as she poured over it gave him some hope that it would be useful for her. Perhaps she would be willing to teach him as well.

  Hatsune was obvious to Krion’s sidering look, so focused was she on the illustrations. The sword style described in the book was unlike anything she had ever seen before — a, almost dance-like bat style that seemed to blend elements of precision with fluid movement. She traced the lines of the swordsman’s stances, intrigued by the unique flow of the teiques. Already she could see ways that even this fragment could improve her style of fighting.

  After a few minutes of watg her intensely study what she held, Krion spoke up, “This style… it’s all about fluidity, about anticipating your oppo’s movements before they even make them. Then brutally striking. Is that right? What do you think?”

  Hatsune’s ears twitched as she looked up, meeting his gaze. “It’s… different,” she said slowly, fingers still brushing the pages. “It’s not like anything I’ve trained in before, but it feels right. It’s a way of moving, or thinking. I think I adapt it to my own style.”

  Krion smiled. “Good. Then maybe you learn something from this. It’s yours.”

  Hatsune’s ears drooped slightly, her expression overe with emotion. “Lor— Krion, this… this means everything to me. The Whispers of Bck Steel is more than just a sword art. It’s a piey people’s heritage, a e to ere before the wars and the scattering of our s. I hought I’d be able to see even a fragment of it. Thank you.”

  The fragment ked softly against the bench as she set it down. Slowly, she reached out to pull him into a gentle hug. After a moment, Kriourhe hug, causing the Leporine woman to hold him that much tighter. When she pressed her fato his shoulder it grew a bit damp, but he didn’t notice over how pleasant her hair smelled. Like a forest of cheery blossoms in spring.

  When she seemed like she wasn’t about to release him, Krion shifted awkwardly, clearly unfortable with the weight of her gratitude. And other things pressing against him. Like the hilt of her sword pressing into his side. “It’s not a big deal,” he said, shrugging as best he could under her embrace. “I just thought it would be useful for you to have. Besides, I was hoping you might be willing to teach me some of it. If that’s okay, of course.”

  Hatsune’s ears twitched, tig his nose. She released her hug and pulled away, an expression of surprise and ption on her face. “Teach you?” she echoed. Her gaze flickered down to the fragment then back up to his face. “The Whispers of Bck Steel isn’t just a sword art. It’s… demanding. The teiques require not only physical skill but a deep uanding of baiming, and intuition. And they’re meant for those who… well, are beastkin like me.”

  “Sounds like you would be the perfee to teach me then, even if I ’t learhing.”

  Hatsuated, lifting the fragment to her chest like it was a sacred relic. “It’s not that I don’t want to,” she said carefully. “But this sword art is a responsibility. Teag it means passing on more than just teiques; it’s passing on a legacy. I o be sure you’re ready for that.”

  Krion’s expression softened, and he nodded. “I uand. I’m not asking for shortcuts or easy answers. I just… I want to learn.”

  Hatsune’s eyes glistened with uears, and she took a deep breath, steadying herself. “All right,” she said finally. “I’ll teach you. But there’s one dition: you’ll need a proper sword before we start. The teiques of the Whispers of Bck Steel aren’t meant for just any bde. They require band precision, a on that feels like aension of yourself.”

  Krion nodded, his excitement bubbling just beh the surface at the possibility of learning a sword art like Whispers of Bck Steel. “I’ll get one. Or make one. Whatever it takes.”

  Agreement reached, they tinued reading for a while longer, each of them focused on different aspects of the book. Krion absorbed the principles of the sword style, w through the mental exercises described in the book, trying to look for points of parison with what Rolfun had taught him. He could already feel a sense of uanding beginning to settle in his chest, but there was no way to be sure until he had done signifit training iyle. Still, he found it iing that the style was not just about physicality — it was about the mihe inner calm that would allow him to anticipate his oppo’s moves. It was truly an art.

  For Hatsune — or at least from what Krion could tell — she seemed more and more engrossed in the skill-building exercises id out iext. It was clear that the fragment wasn’t just showiheory; it was showing her how to grow, how to push herself to new heights.

  The sun began to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows dowreet around them. Hatsune showed no signs of letting up, so he gently pulled the fragment from her hands. Blinking rapidly, she focused on his face when he pulled it away.

  “It is getting te, we o head back. You tiomorrow.”

  Hatsune almost reached for the edge of the fragment, relut to let it go. But then she nodded, her expression softening into one of uanding. “You’re right,” she murmured. “I just… it feels like there’s so much to learn, and I don’t want to waste a moment.”

  “Weren’t you the one who asked why I didn’t just take a break earlier today?” he gently teased her. “Give yourself time to process it.”

  They began walking back to the Banor. As they walked, the rhythmic sound of their footsteps on cobblestones filled the fortable sileweehe streets were quieter now, with only a few other ss and their bodyguards lingering oreets. Likely most were headed for dinner or home.

  “You know,” Hatsune said after a while, her voice thoughtful, “this fragment… it’s more than just a guide. It’s like it’s speaking to me, like it’s unlog something I didn’t even know I had.”

  Krion g her, “What do you mean?”

  “It’s hard to expin,” she replied, her gaze fixed ahead. “But when I read it, it feels familiar, like I’m reeg with it in some way. I don’t know.”

  “Then we’ll make sure you have every aster it. I’ll help in any way I .”

  Hatsuuro him, her eyes bright with gratitude. “Thank you, Krion. That means more to me than I say.”

  They reached the frorance of the Banor just as the st rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon. As they stepped ihe warmth of the building enveloped them, and to Krion it did not feel quite as empty as yesterday. Hopefully it would feel even more full in the weeks and months ahead.

  I hope you ehe chapter! If you want to support me as an author, please sider sharing the story with others, leaving a review, or cheg out my Patreon.

  Note: Advanced chapters are avaible on my Patreoually 10+), and in addition, you will ultimately gain access to exclusive short stories tered on characters from the main story that provide additional insight about the Multiverse (which will only be on Patreon), as well as fun articles that will reveal more of the worldbuilding (also only on Patreon).