previous chapter: lumine was able to remember the dream of her brother and his mysterious powers with the help of her geo-energy. during the group meeting, they uncovered signora's revenge plan, aether's shared identity with the missing champion, and how to deal with the island's domain. perilous agendas aside, they are still active students who must face the inevitable—finals.

It was a perfect day for the Beginner's Gliding final. Celestia Academy looked like a small toy from where I stood on the platform high in the sky. There were no clouds to block the bright sun or obscure any part of the gliding course. My only complaint was the air being colder up here, but as long as I didn't mess up, the final would be over in no time.

According to Venti, this was similar to what our midterm was supposed to be. We were starting at an elevation higher than ever before, but the concepts from our past lessons remained the same. Floating obstacles and wind currents were spaced along the gliding course that reached the beach. The objective was for students to collect as many Anemo particles along the way, but time was also a factor. Instead of simply gliding straight down, we had to take a spiraling path and cross three checkpoints—marked by a floating wreath of flowers to glide through.

Unlike our lessons, gliding into the forest would result in a penalty that lowered our overall score, so it was essential to avoid that at all costs. By this point, I didn't think there was anyone in our class who failed to stay in the air. Even Huffman had shown some promise recently.

The only thing I worried about was the ache in my muscles despite not being overly active recently. This was my first final of the week, but I somehow felt completely worn out already. Sleep wasn't an issue, though I wasn't able to dream of Aether again no matter how hard I tried.

"Group one, are you ready?" Venti's voice echoed from the gliding clearing.

Only a handful of us went first. This was to give the Anemo particles enough time to regenerate for students to collect. It's too bad Amber wasn't in my group—Venti had picked them at random.

"Hop off and have fun!" he yelled.

I squared my tired shoulders and jumped off the platform alongside my classmates. There was an immediate horizontal current that shot us through a series of curving wind hoops. The first Anemo particles were easy to spot and even easier to get. Upon contact, the glowing orbs whooshed through my body, light and familiar. I wasn't sure how Venti knew how many particles were collected by each student, but I kept a mental count.

Angling my body, I followed the downward spiral and added on to my total.

The academy at the top of the mountain was a lot closer now, and I noticed an increase in difficulty up ahead. A foggy-groggy here, a floating boulder there—even a misleading wind hoop that would have thrown me off course. I dodged around and focused on the Anemo particles, rerouting whenever someone grabbed one I had set my eyes on.

Then I saw the flower wreath.

It was a lot smaller than I expected—only wide enough for one person to drop through at a time. Craning my neck to look above, I saw two classmates close on my tail, and the others weren't very far behind, either. This wasn't a race, but I didn't want to risk missing the checkpoint just because we weren't able to fit through at the same time.

For the moment, I abandoned the Anemo particle route and went straight for the checkpoint. My arms burned with the constant strain of holding them out for support, but I let them quiver instead of finding a rest stop on one of the floating boulders. My stamina would have to last for a bit longer. Strange, I could normally glide for a lot longer before getting this tired.

The wreath was right below me now, but using my windglider to descend would take too long. Instead, I closed the windglider and let myself drop through. A buzz of energy ran over my skin as I fell through the ring of flowers, and I snapped the windglider back open. My body jerked with the force of gravity, and I nearly teetered off balance.

I needed to regain stamina.

With the first checkpoint cleared, I glided to the closest floating bolder and stumbled onto its surface. It was only after landing that I realized my breathing was heavy. Placing my hands on my hips, I wheezed.

"What is wrong with me?" I murmured and watched other students pass through the checkpoint with no issue.

Could it be that the air was thinner up here? Regardless of the circumstances, I couldn't fall behind just yet. There were still two checkpoints to clear, and I jumped off the boulder with Anemo particles on my mind.

Fifteen…sixteen…there were fewer spaced around now that people ahead of me had already taken them. A tricky detour littered with foggy-groggies had a cluster of untouched Anemo particles, and I didn't think twice before making the attempt. If I paused for breaks, I had to make up for it in particles.

I could avoid getting foggy-groggied as long as I tuned into the pattern of movement. Except, they had a mind of their own.

The first one smacked into me after I took a single second to roll out my shoulder. The dirt and dust flew into my eyes, causing me to cough and glide directly into another foggy-groggy. A few more coughs took over as I careened away from the danger zone and back to the main route.

No more risks. I needed to sort out my physical state before trying any fancy tricks, and now wasn't the time to test my limits. Thankfully, the second flower wreath appeared sooner than I thought.

Twenty-three…twenty-four…good. There was a steady supply of Anemo particles this time around thanks to the few students who dared to challenge the foggy-groggies ahead of me. A quick glance showed that I wasn't alone in unsuccessfully maneuvering them.

My stamina came close to being depleted two more times before the third checkpoint showed up, and I could feel sweat collecting on my forehead. The buzz of energy emitting from the final wreath did nothing to boost my morale, but at least I was close to the end.

At Anemo particle number thirty-two, I reached the beach and gladly let the wings of my windglider fold at my back the moment I landed. My knees buckled under the weight of my exhaustion, and the sand cushioned my fall.

Thank the Archons I didn't have another final right after this. I learned that finals week was broken up into two periods per day. Because my schedule began with Beginner's Gliding and lunch, I had the rest of the day to take off and recuperate.

"You okay there?"

One of my classmates jogged over and looked down at me with concern. I'd never had a conversation with him before, so it was nice of him to check in.

"Just a little winded." I laughed weakly. "No pun intended. Thanks for asking, Teppei."

"Those foggy-groggies were pretty tricky. I might need to deep clean my academy uniform after. I've gotta look sharp for my next final. Anyways, you look comfortable in the sand, so I'll leave you be."

I should have said something back, but my eyelids drooped closed. Faint chatter from my other classmates on the beach reached my ears. I didn't focus on any of it. Lying in the sand was more soothing than I thought it would be. The soft crashing of the waves was a nice touch, too.

I couldn't say the same for the squawking seagulls.

"Hey!"

Weird…the seagulls learned how to speak.

"Wake up, Lumine! It's time to glide back to the top."

Had I fallen asleep?

I slowly opened my eyes, squinting to prepare for sunlight, but a person's shadow hovered above me. It was Amber.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Venti's going to leave without us if we don't hurry soon." She pointed over to where he waved the class to gather in a large group. "Teppei told me you wanted some rest, so I waited until now to ruin your sleep."

"You didn't ruin it," I said and pushed myself up from the sand. "I can't lie here forever. That gliding course wiped out all of my energy for some reason. How do you think you did?

We walked over to the growing wind current that Venti created. The Academy probably gave him some sort of gadget to do so—no regular Anemo Vision could be so powerful.

"I didn't miss a single Anemo particle," Amber said proudly.

I wished I could say the same about my performance, but it was probably worse than it actually seemed. I still cleared all three checkpoints, collected particles, and didn't need to take an emergency landing in the forest. Though, even with the final over, now I had to glide all the way back up the mountain. How much more could my body handle?

With a resigned sigh, I adjusted the windglider on my back and prepared to glide into the air. A soft whoosh of wind disturbed the sand at our feet. To my surprise, I felt light—not in the sense that I was being lifted—but my muscles weren't tired anymore. The ache from before was gone, and my spirits perked up. The wonders of a power nap…

Gliding back was also easier because Venti took us straight there—no spiraling turns or pesky obstacles to deal with. I almost asked if I could redo the final with how great I was feeling now.

"I'm still processing everyone's performance," Venti said once we landed in the clearing. "So you'll know your grades at the end of finals week. If you have any questions, come swing by my office for a chat and a tune!"

Just like that, my first day of finals was already over.

Amber sighed as we removed our windgliders and collected our bags. "You're so lucky you don't have horticulture until the last day. I like surprises, but I don't like being completely in the dark. I don't get why Professor Baizhu has to be so tight-lipped all the time. It's not like the horticulture final is a national secret."

I listened to her complain with a smile. As much as she worried, I knew Amber would be fine.

"Hey, after all that extra studying we did with Xiangling in the library, I'd say we know enough about horticulture to write our own final."

"That's a great idea," she gasped. "I'll bring it up to him for the next time. Maybe then, we'll actually get to…"

The rest of Amber's words fell deaf on my ears when I noticed a certain someone picking through his bag. It's been over a week, and Huffman still hasn't told me when I can finally hand over that necklace to Amber.

"Huffman!" I waved at him.

He jolted, clearly spooked, and looked at me for one second before throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking away from us. My lips pressed together in displeasure, and I dropped my hand. He couldn't avoid it forever.

"What do you want with Huffman?" Amber asked.

"You'll find out sooner or later."

"Oh no, now you're being cryptic too," she sighed. "Can you give me a hint?"

"Do you really need a hint? If it has to do with Huffman…"

"Nevermind."

I laughed. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm going to catch up with him before he gets too far. Good luck with horticulture."

Huffman must have been nervous about having my attention. I watched him stumble over nearly every lump of dirt and stray rock as he tried to get away. His attempt was futile. I swiftly grabbed my own bag, reached in to make sure the gift box was still there, and secured it on my back. My energy levels may have been low during the final, but I now had more than enough to hunt Huffman down.

Or so I thought.

The moment the weight of my bag fully settled on my shoulders, that boost of energy dropped away. A yawn suddenly got to me, and my steps following Huffman slowed. He was almost out of sight now, but I wasn't too concerned about cornering him anymore.

Was the power nap not enough?

These energy fluctuations weren't normal.

Thank the Archons I had the rest of the day off. Instead of worrying about doing well in any other class, I could worry about what dish I should eat for lunch—definitely a recovery one. I'd help myself to seconds and thirds if I had to.

A hearty supply of pita pockets did the trick. I'd lost count of how many I swiped from the dining hall. Their addicting flavor was even more appealing than my need for energy. Now I was sleepy—the good kind of sleepy that came after a decent meal.

I exited the dining hall and thought of my next move. Should I nap now and train in physical combat later, or should I stop by the sparring circles to see how Xiangling and Bennett were doing? Huffman would be there too, so I could glare at him from the sidelines until he got the message…

I yawned again. The nap won.

Though the late morning air was cold, it was also crisp and refreshing. I breathed in deeply and caught the faintest floral scent coming from the greenhouse as I passed by. The vibrant grass on campus had faded as the season changed, and many of the trees around here had lost their leaves, but the greenhouse looked as lush as the first time I'd seen it.

It struck me now that I'd never been inside. What class did I need to take to have a look? I thought horticulture would give us access, but Professor Baizhu always had the plants brought to the lab room. Who else made use of all of those plants?

I was in no rush to go anywhere, and I slowed my pace even more as I contemplated the idea of sneaking a peak. The front door—much like the rest of the building—was made of all glass and didn't look heavily protected.

Right then, that same glass door swung open. I didn't have time to consider the possibility of getting caught. A well-dressed man with a clipboard in one arm walked out—Professor Kriedeprinz. I hadn't seen him since that day in the art gallery.

I watched as he stepped around one corner of the greenhouse and squatted down to look through the glass. After a moment, his pen moved across the clipboard and he walked to another spot to observe.

What was he doing?

"Does the cold not deter you from lingering outdoors?" His head turned to the side, and Professor Kriedeprinz was suddenly looking at me. "It doesn't seem very productive for the mind of a student like yourself to wander during finals week. Unless…to what conclusions have those wandering thoughts led you?"

I couldn't tell him that I was plotting a greenhouse tour for myself.

Instead, I asked, "What are you doing out here? Wouldn't it be better to look at the plants from inside the greenhouse?"

Professor Kriedeprinz rose from his squat and pointed to the glass with his pen. "I am observing the effect of the sun's ultraviolet rays on the window panes. We've installed a different set of windows for each column of this wall. After I record the effects of natural weathering, I can begin crafting a formula for a coating on the glass that will effectively prevent the most harmful rays from penetrating and deterring the optimal growth of the plant life dwelling inside."

I shouldn't have asked.

"Oh, that's very…"

"It's tedious work, but this will give an insight into how alchemy fits in everyday life," he said. "You seemed to be just as fascinated with my work as I am, Lumine. It's been quite some time since we last had the chance to speak. Have you recently gained an interest in this sort of matter?"

Not in the slightest.

"I was just thinking about how I've never been in the greenhouse before. Do you know if Professor Baizhu takes his students here in the second semester of horticulture?"

"Professor Baizhu…I'm sure he would like to if I gave permission. Unfortunately, there have been one too many incidents where my carefully planted specimens have gone missing under his care," Professor Kriedeprinz sighed. "I can understand being swept up by research, but I have to draw the line at sacrificing my work for pharmaceuticals."

Professor Baizhu stole his plants? It must be against some sort of code for that to happen, but when it came to gathering ingredients, he was always an opportunist. I didn't know Professor Kriedeprinz had this level of authority over an entire building, though. His research must be very important.

"If you want to take a look, I can show you the inside."

"Really?" I began to smile but paused. "Aren't you the alchemy professor? Why aren't you conducting a final right now with your students?"

"You don't need to worry about them. Alchemy takes up two periods of the day, so their final has been broken up into two parts. I've already given the instruction on the task they are to complete, and they have until the end of today to do so. Tomorrow is the judging round." Professor Kriedeprinz gestured to the greenhouse's door. "It's much warmer on the inside."

I took his offer and followed him to the front of the greenhouse. I didn't expect him to lift a glowing hand to the doorknob, and a clicking sound came from a locking mechanism that wasn't visible. Of course, there was security to prevent unwanted visitors and thieving professors from getting inside. My plan was doomed to fail from the very beginning.

Professor Kriedeprinz shut the door behind me, and I instantly felt like I had stepped into a different environment. The air wasn't just warmer, but there was more moisture to it. Plants—big and small—grew on the ceiling, walls, and in stationed tables on the floor of the building. I could name several of them off the tip of my tongue, but there were surprisingly a few others that were new to me. Professor Baizhu must have more to teach us, after all.

"So, what do you think?"

"I've never seen this many different plants growing together in one place," I said in awe. "It's impressive."

Professor Kriedeprinz lifted the petals of a blooming cecelia. "Thank you. I am not the only one who manages this greenhouse. I have a trusted assistant that keeps up with the watering schedules, but I stop in frequently to monitor the pH levels of the soil."

Still, this was a lot of work for just two people to take care of. I wove around the rows of tables that mostly contained potted flowers, but a few were bare patches of dirt. Something bright and red caught my eye, and I had to resist touching the petals of the dendrobium.

"Don't these grow in environments exposed to a lot of blood?" I asked warily. "How did you get so many to thrive in a place like this?"

Did he spill his own blood just to keep them alive? Was it someone else's blood he used instead? I couldn't imagine anyone would just volunteer for the task.

He nodded. "An authentic source of blood would be ideal. Are you offering?"

Was he serious? I backed away from the dendrobiums and shook my head firmly. "Nope."

"I was only joking." He laughed softly. "You are correct. Dendrobium seeds can only sprout in lands that have seen bloodshed, but it is hardly appropriate to practice that method on a regular basis. There are many plants here that require conditions that are not easily feasible, so I've concocted my own remedy for their demands. The ingredients need to be altered slightly for each species, but the general formula remains the same."

"Alchemy is pretty amazing," I said. "You're a genius for figuring that out."

"There are still more mysteries to unlock. Though some may view it as unrelenting work, I find the possibilities, contradictions, and exceptions of alchemy to be the most inspiring facet of our universe. Two things are certain in this world—the creation of life and the inevitability of death. In this simple greenhouse and in my lab, I am moving forward to revealing more of what we have yet to understand."

Now I knew why Alchemy was a course meant for upperclassmen. If Professor Kriedeprinz's lectures were anything like this casual conversation, I couldn't imagine the amount of information those students had to keep up with. It was daunting, but I still wanted to learn more—maybe not this second, though.

I walked over to a plot of windwheel asters.

"You even have normal plants."

The ones on campus had died a while ago when the cold rolled in, and I hated to see them go. Windwheel asters reminded me of when Thoma had taken me to the gazebo and surprised me with homemade almond tofu. There was a whole meadow of them, and I smiled at the memory.

"Each plant here is unique in its own right," Professor Kriedeprinz said. "There is no such thing as normal when it comes to life."

And there was no such thing as normal when it came to Celestia Academy. A wave of excitement filled my chest as I thought of how much more I could learn and discover in the next years of my education. As long as everything worked out with the Abyss Order, I could focus on so many different passions at this school.

"Thanks for showing me the greenhouse." I turned to face Professor Kriedeprinz. "I can't wait to learn more about…everything."

His lips lifted into the smallest of smiles. "There will be plenty of time for that. Now then, is there anything else you would like to know before I go back to my research?"

My mission to see the greenhouse was complete, and I didn't want to pull him from important work any longer. Just as I was about to show myself out, the windwheel asters caught my attention once more.

"Actually," I hesitated. "I know how you feel about people taking your specimens, but can I ask for a favor?"

There was one person who would appreciate seeing these flowers just as much as me.

i have decided to stop capitalizing the genshin words. Pita Pockets are pita pockets, Cecelias are cecelias, Dendrobiums are dendrobiums...it just doesn't make sense for them to be proper nouns ;-; idk why they're capitalized in-game, but it feels so wrong in my authorly heart to keep doing so! one of these days, i'll go back and de-capitalize everything that shouldn't be proper, but that day is far...far off