Vaners Academy: The Master's Final Hour
The sun had long since set over the Academy, leaving the corridors in a ghostly twilight. Master Kara, the head of the Potion and Alchemy department, was finishing his final reports for the day. He sighed, rubbing his weary eyes. The recent scandal with Ren and the disappearance of Mina had aged him ten years in a single week.
He opened his heavy oak office door, expecting to find an empty hallway. Instead, he found Kimo leaning against the opposite wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Kimo?" Kara said, a small smile of relief touching his lips. "What brings you here at this hour? Looking for a tonic for your nerves? Or maybe something to help you sleep?"
Kimo didn't smile back. He pushed off the wall and walked into Kara's office, gesturing for the Master to follow. In his right hand, Kimo held an expensive-looking glass bottle filled with a dark, amber liquid.
"I brought something better than a potion, old friend," Kimo said, his voice unusually smooth.
They sat down at the small table near the window. Kimo pulled two crystal glasses from the cabinet and poured the liquid. The aroma was rich—oaky and sweet.
"A new vintage," Kimo remarked, pushing a glass toward Kara. "It's supposed to be the finest in the southern provinces. Check it out. I think you'll appreciate the complexity."
Kara, trusting a man he had called a brother for decades, picked up the glass. "To better days, then," he said, clinking his glass against Kimo's.
Kara drained the glass in one go. He set it back on the table with a satisfied exhale. But as he went to speak, his words died in his throat.
Suddenly, Kara's vision began to distort. The edges of the room blurred and swirled into a chaotic mess of shadows. A sharp, burning sensation ignited in his chest, spreading like wildfire through his veins. He tried to stand, but his legs gave out, and he slumped back into his chair.
Cough!
A spray of dark, thick blood erupted from Kara's mouth, staining his white beard and the documents on his desk. He looked at Kimo, his eyes filled with a desperate, agonizing confusion.
Kimo didn't move to help him. Instead, a cold, predatory smile spread across his face. He leaned forward, watching the life drain out of his friend's eyes.
"Master Kara," Kimo whispered, his tone devoid of any mercy. "You were always too honest for this world. People like you... you're a liability now. You don't fit into the new Athelgard."
Kara tried to reach for a neutralizing agent on his shelf, but his hand fell limp.
"Don't bother," Kimo said, standing up and smoothing out his jacket. "It's a specialized toxin. No potion in this room can stop it. To be honest, I didn't want it to end this way, but Miss Hima made me an offer I couldn't refuse. One hundred thousand Golden Coins, Kara. Can you imagine that? With that money, my family's future is set."
He walked around the desk, looking down at the dying man. "Miss Hima wants someone more... 'loyal' to run this department. Someone who won't ask questions about the ingredients we need for the next phase. You've lived a long life, Kara. You've had your time. Why cling to a world that has already moved past you?"
Kimo reached out and gently closed Kara's staring eyes. He picked up the bottle and the glasses, wiping any fingerprints with a silk handkerchief. As he walked toward the door, he didn't look back at the corpse of the man who had taught him the secrets of the Vane.
"Goodbye, Kara," Kimo muttered as he stepped out into the night. "The Academy belongs to the shadows now."