Upon returning to their makeshift camp, Laurence ignored the shocked looks and confused questions of his colleagues, instead instructing them to prepare for their imminent departure. From there, he aided his fellows in packing up their provisions, the busywork serving to distract them from the chaos of the last few hours.

But as much as he would've liked to drown it out, his thoughts and eyes always returned to the lone surviving knight, who had almost instantly returned to Emil's lifeless body in order to kneel by his side. Lady Maria hadn't said a word since they left the chamber nor had anyone dared to go up to her, more so out of fear than respect.

"She's not going to forget this, you know." Laurence turned his head to find Lobsang now standing next to him, himself now looking at the grieving captain. "What are we to do with her?"

Laurence looked back at Lady Maria as he pondered his friend's question. "I do not know," he admitted. "She will return to Cainhurst, that much is certain. And I doubt any of us could stop her from doing so even if we wanted to."

"Not even Gehrman? It was he who defeated that beast, was it not?" Laurence turned back to his colleague for a moment, hesitating in answering for just a moment.

"Yes," he eventually confirmed. "But I imagine he will not be keen on turning his blade on her."

"No, I imagine not," Lobsang agreed. "If his intention was to save her, he must've done so for a reason. Especially if he only chose to reveal his true nature now."

Interestingly, Lobsang had not sounded the slightest bit shocked in saying this. Of course, Gehrman had not tried to hide his involvement in the battle upon his return, leaving his bloodstained weapon out for all to see. And despite not having witnessed his struggle with the beast, Laurence had no doubt that he was a powerful warrior indeed, more than enough to handle Lady Maria and in fact, her entire company if he so wished. And something told him that Master Willem had not wanted this fact to become known.

"Can we trust her?" Lobsang soon asked, as if reading his thoughts.

"No," said Laurence. "But we also cannot tell Queen Annalise that we lived when her knights did not. Protecting us was only ever secondary for them; nothing we can say is going to convince her that we survived without outside interference."

"Perhaps," his colleague acknowledged. "But how will she welcome a knight that has failed in her mission? And what would said knight do to ensure that her standing is upheld?"

To this, Laurence had no answer. Lobsang was right that for all intents and purposes, Lady Maria had failed in her mission: failed in protecting her men and failed in retrieving the strange substance that, unbeknownst to her, was now in his possession. Whatever it was, it must've been coveted by Queen Annalise, given what the knights had risked in order to acquire it. And yet…

"It's done!", Norbert suddenly proclaimed from the other side of the room. "We can leave now!"

"Go!" Laurence called back. "We'll be right behind you!"

Afterwards, he silently nodded to Lobsang, who soon went off to join the others at the altar, which would finally take them back to the surface. But rather than following him, Laurence instead turned back in the direction of Lady Maria, who had seemingly not taken note of Norbert's earlier announcement.

"My lady Maria!" he called out to her, seemingly getting her attention. "It's time."

He remained in his current spot until she finally rose to her feet – possibly when she herself realized that he wasn't going to leave. After spending a few more moments looking down at Emil's lifeless body, she turned to walk away, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead up until the point she reached him. Stopping just beside him, she turned her head to look at him, her messy blonde bangs doing little to hide her puffy, grief-stricken eyes. But as she looked at him then, there wasn't any anger or judgment in her eyes. But what he did see, he simply couldn't describe.

Countless seconds went by without a word being spoken until Lady Maria finally continued on her way, leaving Laurence to watch her go. He knew it must've been difficult for her to leave her men behind like this, but they simply didn't have the means to return their bodies to the surface, much less to offer them a proper burial service; it was a task that would need to be left to her. But beyond that, Laurence did not know what the future held in store for her. What would she do upon returning home? How would she frame the events of this expedition? And how would she be punished for her failure?

Placing a hand on his satchel, in which the vial that Matthias had given him still rested, Laurence took a deep breath and finally followed after her. He knew at once what he needed to do.

…

Maria's thoughts faded away into the ether, being replaced with a feeling of empty serenity. However, this lasted for a precious few moments until she found herself back in the Tomb of Oedon, allowing the stark realization to dawn on her once again. Looking around, she could see the scholars of Byrgenwerth gathered at the center of the Tomb…with her men nowhere in sight. And it was then that the faint hope she was merely awakening from a nightmare slipped away.

As her senses fully returned to her, Maria began to hear bits of conversation amongst the scholars, which ceased when they noticed her arrival. "Out of the way!", came an authoritative voice, prompting the others to part and reveal a tall, somewhat burly man, who she recognized as the one who promised to look after their horses. And upon seeing her, his brow furrowed in confusion and shock.

"You?", he questioned before turning to Micolash, who came to stand just beside him. "What is the meaning of this? Where is Laurence?"

"Where, indeed?" said Micolash, looking rather suspiciously at her.

Before she had a chance to properly explain herself, a circle of white light appeared on the ground just beside her, from which Professor Laurence soon emerged. Once he was fully materialized, he cast a glance in her direction, as if to confirm she was actually there. Though he hadn't said so outright, his actions had made it clear that he wasn't leaving without her, which was why she found herself here before him.

"Laurence! Oh, thank goodness," said the man. "But then, where are…" Stopping mid-sentence, he looked back to her, seemingly noticing both her injuries and the forlorn expression she wore. Despite Maria not saying a word, it appeared as though he was starting to understand the severity of what had transpired.

"What on Earth happened down there?", he asked Professor Laurence, who himself seemed reluctant to answer.

"There will be time enough to explain later," said the professor. "We must return to Byrgenwerth at once."

Despite his enduring confusion, the man nodded his understanding. "Yes, yes, of course," he replied before looking back towards Maria. "And what of her?"

Before the professor could speak, she finally decided to step forward. "Get me my horse. I will make for Cainhurst Castle at once."

"No, you won't."

Maria turned to Laurence in disbelief. "What did you say?" she demanded as she took a firm step toward him, though this seemingly did little to intimidate him.

"You are in no shape to make such a journey. And I still have business with you," said the professor. "So, until both matters are resolved, you are to remain with us."

"I don't take orders from you!" Maria snapped at him.

"I am merely offering you our help, Lady Maria. Despite what you may think, we aren't enemies nor do I wish for that to be the case. So, please, come with us."

Despite the professor's words, Maria knew that she had little choice in the matter, which was made even clearer when Gehrman stepped forward to make his presence known. Though he didn't say anything, he was clearly attempting to enforce her compliance with his master's words; if she attempted to leave, then he would be her main obstacle. And it was an obstacle she simply couldn't overcome. Not yet.

"Fine," she eventually conceded. "But if I even think that you're wasting my time…"

"I won't. I assure you," the professor replied.

As this happened, Micolash once again made his way to the forefront of the group. "And what of the chalice?", he asked.

Sensing his true intentions right away, Maria prepared to rebuke him, only to once again be stopped before she could speak. "Leave it be. There is still a use for it," said the lead professor, briefly glancing in her direction as he did, more than enough time to witness the shock that appeared on her face.

"And what would you have us do?," Micolash demanded, clearly frustrated. "You think it wise to simply leave it unattended?"

Professor Laurence seemed to give this some thought, which made Maria fear that he was reconsidering his earlier demand. But instead, he turned to a different member of his company – the outsider.

"Lobsang!" The scholar promptly stepped forward. "Yes, Laurence?" "May I ask that you watch over the chalice until Lady Maria's return? Make sure it is not removed until then."

Though he didn't respond to his leader's request right away, Maria couldn't say that he appeared particularly taken aback by it either. "Of course. Leave it to me," he answered, a clear sense of understanding in his words.

"Thank you," said the professor before turning to the rest of his followers. "The rest of you, come with me. We depart at once."

With that, Professor Laurence started walking forward, with the rest of the scholars promptly following suit. Soon, the only ones who remained near the chalice were Maria, Lobsang and Gehrman, the latter of whom stood with his arms crossed as he cast a stern look in her direction. Although she held his eyes for a while, she eventually balked and instead turned to Lobsang, who gave her an understanding nod. Left with little other choice, Maria started to follow the rest of the scholars, with Gehrman waiting for her to pass before following suit.

As they made their way back to the Great Bridge, Maria found herself all the more baffled by the professor's actions. Not only was he choosing to discard an artifact of incomprehensible value, but he was leaving it under the watchful eye of an outsider. It was clearly meant as a gesture of good-will, yet somehow, she still found herself suspicious of his true intentions.

Once they arrived at the bridge, Maria quickly scanned the surrounding area until she finally spotted Siegward dutifully standing near the front of the caravan. As she quickly made her way over, her horse turned his head in her direction and upon spotting her, nickered in greeting, moving his nose to nuzzle her as she got close.

"Oh, Siegward…" she whispered as she gently ran a hand along his neck, after which he rested his head on her shoulder. As Maria gently hugged his neck and patted his magnificent mane, her eyes soon settled on the group of horses behind them, all of whom were still awaiting the return of their masters. And not even the faint comfort of Siegward's embrace could fill the sheer…emptiness that she now felt.

"Ludwig! I need a horse!" she suddenly heard Gehrman call.

"Why? Where are you going?" Ludwig replied not far from her.

"If all goes well, nowhere," was his reply.

Despite this rather vague statement, there was no ambiguity in his words, at least not to Maria. And once Gehrman was granted his horse and the procession started moving, her suspicion was confirmed. They both silently rode along with the procession, with Maria leading the riderless horses along while Gehrman trailed behind her, just far enough for him to keep her in his line of sight and just close enough that he could catch up to her should she attempt to flee.

Every once in a while, she would glance back, tightly gripping Siegward's reins only to see that he was still following after her each-time. Even from a distance, she could tell that he had something he wanted to say - perhaps some hollow words of condolence or simply reiterating his master's promises, but whatever it was, he chose to keep it to himself. And that was for the best; as it was, Maria had nothing to say to him.

In time, the procession arrived back at Byrgenwerth's main lecture building, coming to a stop just outside its doors. The streets were almost completely barren, with the moon shining brilliantly in the night sky above, yet Maria found herself unsure of just how long they'd been gone. Reasonably, it couldn't have been more than a few days, yet it had felt like months had gone by. Some say that the labyrinths have come to exist outside time itself, something that she had trouble believing. But perhaps…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she started to make out pieces of what sounded like an argument coming from one of the carriages. Though Maria couldn't quite discern what was being said, the tension that came as a result was palpable.

"…the results will be catastrophic." "And the same can't be said for this? Think of the risk involved, Laurence." "I have and it is a risk worth taking. Say nothing to Master Willem."

Before Maria could even ponder what it was she had heard, the door to the relevant carriage opened, out of which stepped Professor Laurence, followed closely by his two associates Micolash and Caryll, both of whom looked after their leader with some apprehension. From atop her horse, she watched as the rest of the scholar gathered together before him.

"You have all done well," he opened by saying. "Your efforts have ensured a bright future for Byrgenwerth's research, but make no mistake. There is still much work to be done."

As he spoke, Gehrman suddenly appeared just beside her, himself still on horseback. "Come along, now, Lady Maria. Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."

Despite the calmness of his voice, there was no denying the underlying threat behind his words. Left with little other choice, Maria dismounted Siegward and took hold of his reigns as Gehrman continued to watch her like a hawk. Thankfully, it wasn't long until Professor Laurence concluded his brief address.

"You are all dismissed. Go and have yourselves a well-deserved rest knowing that a new dawn is upon us."

Very soon, the crowd of scholars started to disperse, with most of them going off in separate directions. Soon, only Micolash and Caryll remained from the initial crowd, whose apprehension towards their colleague seemed to have grown stronger. However, from the looks of things, Laurence was set on whatever course he'd chosen, something that his fellow scholars must've realized, for they eventually departed without another word.

Once they were far enough away, the professor turned towards Ludwig, who dropped down from the lead carriage once it seemed everyone else was gone. "Are you sure about this, Laurence?", he asked, no doubt having overheard his earlier debate with much greater clarity than she could.

"Yes," the professor replied before turning in her direction. "Stay here and look after the horses. We won't be long."

Although he didn't look as resolute, Ludwig eventually complied. "Very well," he said.

After nodding his thanks, Laurence fully turned his attention to her. "My apologies for the delay," he said before putting out his arm towards the hall. "Please, come inside."

Soon after the professor said this, Gehrman finally dropped down from his horse, silently handing the reins over to Ludwig. Against her better judgment, Maria once again left Siegward under his watch and followed after the professor, with Gehrman once again following close behind.

Swinging open the doors to the lecture hall, Professor Laurence led her inside the dimly lit building. Despite this, the impressive scale of the building was still apparent, with grand chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and countless shelves lining the walls, filled with various manuscripts and materials. During the day, it would have certainly been bustling with students, but now, it was completely empty, causing their footsteps to echo through the hall.

"This way," he said as they continued onwards to the very end of the building, after which they ascended up a spiraling staircase leading to the second floor. Not long after, they came before a door on the right-hand side, which Laurence promptly unlocked with a set of keys.

"Here we are." The professor said as he fully opened the door, allowing Maria to peer inside. From the looks of things, it was an office; an ornate desk stood at its center, with several bookshelves and cabinets surrounding it, all of which she assumed belonged to him.

"The two of you wait here for now," Professor Laurence soon said. "I will return momentarily."

Without elaborating further, he left Maria standing at the entrance of his office, going further down the hall before disappearing inside another room. Left with little else to do, she wandered inside his office in order to get a better look at its contents. It was a relatively confined room, with a few plain wooden chairs lined up on the right-hand side of the room and…was that a basket? What could that have been for?

Choosing not to dwell on this, she instead turned her attention to his desk, on which stood a typewriter, along with an assortment of manuscripts and papers, some more organized than others. Amidst this sizable collection, she managed to spot quite a number of sketches, depicting creatures beyond the realm of imagination. Or so it would seem to most.

These sketches were each accompanied with a name:

Shuma-Gorath

The Ogdru-Jahad

Amygdala

Formless Oedon

Mother Kos

"I wouldn't get too nosy if I were you," came Gehrman's voice from behind her. "You may come to regret it."

Despite staying quiet at first, Maria ended up turning her head back toward him. "And you would make sure of that?" she finally addressed him.

"I will do what has to be done," he replied. "What that'll be…well, that's up to you."

"How generous of you…" she uttered as she once again turned her gaze away from him, causing silence to settle over them again.

"Your men…Master Laurence tried to stop them, but they were not to be deterred." Gehrman said to her, which only caused her to grip the edges of the professor's desk.

"And because of that, they had to die?!" she snapped.

"That was never my desire!" "Then what was?!," Maria demanded, fully turning towards him. "You had countless chances to save them, yet you stood by and did nothing!"

"I know," said Gehrman. "And I'm sorry. But it was not my choice."

"Then clearly whatever vows you make are worthless!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Both Maria and Gehrman turned towards the door, where Professor Laurence now stood. "Gehrman, leave us," he ordered, lowering his tone significantly.

"Are you sure, young master?" Gehrman asked, evidentially concerned.

"Of course," the professor replied. "I will summon you if your presence is required, but I am sure that won't be necessary." As he said this, he turned his gaze towards her, as if in warning. At the same time, Gehrman also glanced back at her, seemingly conflicted, but eventually turned back towards his master.

"As you wish," he said, and with that, stepped outside the office, closing the door behind him and leaving the two of them alone.

"My apologies for the delay," the professor said after a brief silence, walking towards his desk and putting one of the spare chairs in front of it. "Please, have a seat."

Though she would've told him that she preferred to stand, Maria had by now realized that when the professor insisted on something, he would be sure to see it through. As such, she sat down in the rather ill-fitting chair while Professor Laurence went to take his place behind his desk.

"You'll have to excuse the clutter," he said as he started to clean up some of the lose documents, primarily the sketches she had spotted earlier. "As it was, I did not expect to return here tonight, especially under such…unfortunate circumstances."

"Save your pity," said Maria. "Tell me what it is it you want and be quick about it."

"I believe I already have," he replied, setting his documents off to the side. "I said that I would help you and I mean to do just that."

"And I said that I don't need your help," she said, not even trying to hide her frustration.

"I'm well aware," the professor acknowledged. "But I must ask that you heed me."

As he spoke, Professor Laurence reached into his satchel and took out a small vial, placing it on his desk. And the moment Maria realized what was inside, her eyes widened in shock. The Old Blood? But…how had he…?

"Before he went back to help you, Matthias passed this on to me. Perhaps for safe-keeping or perhaps for another purpose entirely," he explained, as if reading her thoughts.

Yet even so, her sense of astonishment remained. In this small vial, Matthias had acquired the means to ensure his eternal favor with Queen Annalise and that his name would be revered by all of Cainhurst. And he had just given it up – they all had. For her.

Despite her sorrow returning in full force, Maria forced herself to remain focused on the matter on hand. "I suppose you have terms you wish to propose?", she asked, seeing no other reason he'd reveal such a thing to her.

"No terms," he replied. "Only an offering. One that I hope you'll accept."

As he said this, he slightly moved the vial towards her, retracting his hand and leaving it at the center of his desk. Maria could only look down at it in bewilderment until some semblance of sense returned to her, which was when she lifted her gaze back to the professor, who was himself observing her expectantly.

"You do know what you're relinquishing here, don't you?"

"I know that this is what you've been seeking and no doubt what Her Majesty covets," the professor answered. "As for why that is, I haven't the faintest idea."

"And does that not intrigue you?" "Of course, it does. But that is not what's important here. You and your company risked everything in order to unearth this; it would be a shame if your efforts were for naught."

Maria could sense no ulterior message behind the professor's words, but this only served to make her all the more suspicious. But beyond that, it reminded her of the previous choice he had offered her – to leave Loran behind and ensure the survival of her company. But in doing so, she would've also ensured that they would be labelled as cowards and failures, leaving their reputations forever tarnished…or at least, that's what she thought at the time. Now, she would've given anything to change her decision.

"That hardly matters anymore," she said, slumping back in to her seat and lowering her gaze. "They're all gone now."

"That may be so," the professor replied. "But their sacrifice ensured that their captain – whose sworn duty it was to unearth this prized medium – would live. Tell me. Would they have wanted her to return home in disgrace?"

Maria raised her gaze to look at him, then once again lowered it to the vial before her. Whatever glory it could've offered clearly hadn't mattered to her men if it came at the cost of her life, nor did it matter to her now. It had never mattered. But perhaps…

After a lengthy silence, she finally reached forward and took the vial, holding it in her hand as she looked at the meager offering inside. To think that they were sent on such a perilous mission, suffered such heavy sacrifice… all for a few drops of blood. But despite her own feelings on the matter, Maria knew of its true importance and why Queen Annalise so desired it. If she left it behind – especially in the hands of those whose ambitions with it could not be predicted – it was certain that she would be punished.

And that her men would die in obscurity.

Tightly gripping the vial, she once again looked up at Professor Laurence, who gave her a small, but encouraging nod. A part of her was still unsure of whether his intentions were as pure as they seemed, but at the same time, he had given her little reason to doubt him thus far. He held all of the leverage in this situation and could've tried to compel her to do any number of things; beyond that, if he had so wished, he could've simply let her return to Cainhurst empty-handed, allowing him to keep the Old Blood for himself. And yet, he had done neither.

Perhaps she had misjudged him or perhaps that is exactly what he wanted her to think. But one thing was for certain; he did not wish for the two of them to become enemies. And neither did she.

"I..I must go," she soon said. "Queen Annalise will be expecting me."

"Then shall I see you off, my lady?", he asked her, suggesting that whatever "business" he had with her had been resolved. And as strange as it was for her to admit it, she was almost…disappointed by the fact.

"I suppose so."

...