Salem's eyes moved quickly. She took in each bit of information as quickly but thoroughly as possible. Each word added to her intellect, and there was no greater feeling than expanding her mind. The book detailed the history of summoning and glyphs, which she was already familiar with but wanted to know even more about. As silly as the others thought it was, her goal was to read every piece of literature in the library and archives that was not restricted. It meant thousands of books, scrolls, pamphlets, letters, and notes, but there was no hobby she enjoyed more.

"Salem!" a familiar voice called, accompanied by the sound of running footsteps. Salem sighed and smiled, but braced herself for the inevitable impact. She was quickly tackled from her seat to the ground, her attacker throwing her arms around Salem. Salem was so used to this that she did not even grunt or exclaim upon being slammed to the floor.

"You should have told us you were back! Why did you not tell us? You're a meanie!" her hugger said rapidly while squeezing Salem in her arms, her skin getting hotter and hotter with each syllable.

"Hello Summer," Salem grunted, almost smothered by the girl's arms.

"Oh geez," another voice said. "Sum, get off of Salem. You're going to crush her one of these days."

"I can't help it!" the hugger cried out. "I missed her so much!" Despite her excitement, she released Salem, letting her inhale again. The two rose off the floor and Salem saw her friends approaching.

"She's right, though," Spring said. "You should have told us you were back!"

Salem shrugged. "I just thought I would get some reading done until I saw you all again. Get a little closer to that goal."

Fall rolled her eyes and smiled. "Here's an idea. We'll read some and tell you what was in them, okay?"

Salem laughed. "That's not the same and you know it!"

Winter smiled as well. "Some reading might be good for us, though," she said softly.

Summer and Spring winced. "Why read about magic, though?" Summer complained. "Go out and play with it!"

Winter and Fall shook their heads, then Fall approached Salem. "So," she asked, "how was your trip?"

"It was amazing," Salem said. "I saw so many interesting things there. There were animals unlike any around here, and the magic was so… intriguing. I took as many notes as I could, but I'd have to go back to understand fully how it all worked." As she said this, she pulled a leather-bound notebook from a holster under her sash. She handed it to Fall, who opened it up to the pages marked with a leather strip. Inside she saw scribbled notes and drawings, such as of a large tree and an insect-like creature. Fastened to the opposite page was a large star-shaped leaf in a gradient of colors.

"Fascinating," Fall remarked.

"On the subject of notes," Winter said, "the new students arrived last week."

"Oh, I forgot," Salem responded as Fall returned her book. "Any exciting prospects?"

"There's a girl who can talk to animals, and one who can duplicate anything she touches!" Spring said.

"There's also one… odd case," Fall said. Salem looked at her inquisitively.

"Oh yeah, him," Summer interjected. "Get this, Salem. He doesn't have a Semblance!"

Salem glanced at Summer with a look of surprise. "Really? Nothing?"

"Nada," Summer replied. "But he's good at any of the magic he learns." She smiled mischievously and leaned into Salem, almost touching faces with her. "He's really cute, too."

"Summer, behave yourself," Fall reprimanded, albeit affably.

Salem heard a series of footsteps enter the library, and she and the other girls looked to see the students they had just been discussing enter.

"Good morning, madams!" a girl with lemur-like ears said to them, waving. The four Maidens waved back. Salem observed the others as they all split into groups chatting or went off by themselves, picking books and scrolls off of the shelves. As she watched, Summer nudged her. Salem glanced down at the girl, who shifted her head towards the back of the crowd, directing Salem's gaze. Salem obeyed and looked in the direction her friend was indicating. She saw a young man perusing the shelves closest to the entrance, about her age. He had styled hair so bright blond it was almost white, and wore a long dark shirt and matching pants. Salem had to admit he was a good-looking man, with dark eyes and a handsome face. However, she was intrigued by his alleged lack of Semblance.

As Salem observed the man, he glanced up from the shelf. He looked over at where Salem and the Maidens stood, and began walking in their direction.

"Hello," he said in a calm voice. "How are you all today?"

"Quite fine," Winter replied. She gestured towards Salem. "This is Salem. She's a friend of ours and another mentor. If you have any questions, she should be able to help you as well."

"Nice to meet you," the man said, extending his hand. Salem reached out and shook it.

"My name's Ozma," he said.

Salem inhaled deeply as her arms waved in the air in front of her, crossing in front of her chest. Her fingers flexed and she concentrated, then opened her mouth and exhaled as heard as she could. A plume of fire erupted from her mouth, striking the door and debris in front of her. She heard the wood crackle and pop as it burned, with the sound of the rainstorm and thunder outside. When she felt almost out of breath, she stopped the fire spell. Unwilling to take the precious time to do it again, Salem raised her foot and kicked the weakened wooden beams and furniture, smashing them. She then slammed the door with her shoulder. It creaked and splintered, but took another mighty heave to break down. Salem climbed over the mess, ash rubbing off on her hands and robe. She got over the pile, then sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her down the hall. She hoped she was not too late.

The windows to the outside revealed the torrent outside. Lighting flashed and illuminated the sky, as rain soaked the glass and thunder crackled though the air. A thunderclap shook the whole building, almost knocking Salem off her feet. She panted as she channeled magic into her legs, pushing them to move faster. She almost crashed into the door to the Maidens' chambers, slamming her hands against the wood and using al of her strength to push the heavy ornate doors open. As soon as they were ajar, she rushed in, but stopped in her tracks after only a few steps. She was too late.

"No," she said. "Ozma… what have you done?"