6. Arcady: Echoes

Arcady dreams of pursuing Everen through Widow Girazin’s empty manor, the halls washed in red light. The chase turns intimate and confrontational, blending desire with anger over Everen’s deceptions. At the crescendo, Everen whispers that Arcady may only need to find him, implying survival, before vanishing.

Arcady wakes across the room with a bruised shin and a hand on the door, alarmed to discover new sleepwalking that could expose secrets to fellow students. Seeking steadiness, Arcady retrieves a hidden box containing scorched dream journals and a maire’s notebook of hedge magic, recalling family legacies and the single spell that secured a new identity.

Paging through childhood sketches of dragons and ominous symbols, Arcady shivers, then readies for the first day of classes. Determined to access restricted sources, Arcady selects a history course on the Schism and the Strikes, intermediate Kalsh waterweaving, and alchemy—despite being water-touched—relying on a lingering ember of fire magic.

Arcady reflects on the stone seal once over Barrow Eremia’s heart and now over Arcady’s, vowing to learn why Barrow—who mastered all five branches—was scapegoated by drakines. Running late for training, Arcady dresses carefully, steadies frayed nerves, and steps into the role and resolve of Arcady Dalca.