Alexandria's Keeper - Lord of the Mysteries

She stumbled back, losing her balance as her feet failed to find the ground at the first step.

Oh, you've got to be kidding me.

Just then, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her upright with surprising strength. Not even a second later, she was yanked forward and lost her footing again, falling to her knees. Irina groaned, muttering under her breath, "I guess this is better than tumbling down the stairs."

A loud scoff came from above her. It was only then she realized her savior was still holding her.

"You could've said that louder," came the familiar voice. "Who stands in front of a door without entering?"

Ohhh, I know that voice.

Irina, thoroughly done with the entire day, looked up at the poet. "I was admiring the intricate design of the frame— Obviously I just got here! I was going to enter. Just who the hell opens a door with such force?!"

Leonard looked down with a slight smirk. "And now you're yelling at your savior? Truly unladylike, Irina."

Oh. He wants to play? Let's play.

"What can I say?" Irina shot back. "I take after my coworkers, especially the ones I've worked with most recently."

Leonard opened his mouth to respond, but Irina wasn't done. "And wouldn't you know, not long after starting with the Nighthawks, I almost fell down the stairs. I hear it's a common occurrence. You would know, right?"

Leonard's smirk vanished. "Hey!"

Without another word, he helped her to her feet, and they both entered the company building.

"By the way," Leonard added, glancing at her, "Why are you covered in bloody bandages? I assume that board you're carrying is related to your mission?"

Irina, her exhaustion evident, groaned loudly and looked at the ceiling. "It's a long story. Right now, I just want to drop this thing off, go home, take a shower, change bandages, and maybe take a month off. The only reason I'm still standing is that the painkillers haven't worn off, yet."

Leonard let out a low whistle at her annoyed tone. "Sounds like you've had quite the day, but you haven't even been out that long—"

"In those 'not many hours,'" Irina cut him off sharply, "I almost died multiple times. Thank you very much. You have an enhanced body; I got lucky I didn't die when I fell from the third floor—or get crushed by a chandelier!"

At that, both Leonard and Rozanne, who had been secretly listening from her desk, whipped their heads around in shock.

"WHAT?!"

Irina glanced between them before letting out a heavy sigh. She turned toward the corridor, heading to the only office she cared to visit at the moment, Dunn's.

"I'd rather be home with more painkillers," she waved a hand dismissively, "But if I don't deal with this board, I'll just keep running into more of these accidents."

Neither of them stopped her as she walked away. They simply exchanged bewildered looks, and Leonard, after a moment, left the reception area to return to the Nighthawks' lounge.

Irina forcefully pushed open the door to the captain's office, uncaring of the noise. Scanning the room, she was surprised to find Old Neil there.

Dunn immediately stood from his chair, his expression serious, but before he could ask anything, Irina launched into a brief explanation. "Sorry to interrupt your romantic chat, but I've got quite The Problem on my hands. I can feel the seal I placed slipping more and more by the second. This board is the source of all the weird stuff happening at the university, and it's trying to kill people. Specifically, me. I won't survive another fall from the third floor, and I'd be more than happy to throw this thing in someone else's hands."

Old Neil stood up as well, and both men approached her. Dunn was the first to speak. "Understood. Let's get it behind Chanis Gate for now. There are special seals for dangerous objects like this. Can you manage it until we get there?"

Without hesitation, Irina replied, "I can hold it until the Gate, but someone better catch me when I fall down the stairs."

Old Neil stepped past her and opened the door. "That won't be a problem. Frye is already waiting below, we're prepared."

She stepped through the doorway, curiosity piqued. "Prepared? How could you possibly be prepared?"

Loud footsteps echoed down the hallway, and suddenly, someone slammed into her with full force. Her face was smeared with some sort of cream, and something metallic pressed hard against her chest. Pain flared in both her shoulders as she instinctively pushed the person away. "Oh, my Goddess! I'm so sorry—your shoulder!"

Fu**!

Irina tried to wipe her face, but in her distracted state, she failed to notice she had taken several steps back. Her back collided with the corner of a small decorative table, and for the hundredth time that day, she lost her footing. Scrambling to grab hold of something to steady herself, the vase on the table toppled over, shattering upon impact. Instead of finding the wall, she grasped at a large painting instead.

Please, not again. If there's a God up there, please!

The screw holding the painting snapped, and it fell, the bulky, intricate frame hitting the top of Irina's head. She crumpled to the ground in pain, her hands and knees pressing against the shards.

My head...

Just before her situation could worsen, a hand seized her forearm, tugging her upright and a few steps away. Once they were clear of the glass, Irina inelegantly sank to the floor. Sitting on the ground, she tried to tug off her burning-hot jacket from her right side. But as she reached to her left, a hand gripped her shoulder, halting her movements and sending a fresh wave of pain shooting through her. "Let's just remove it for now."

Confused, Irina let out a sound of protest, but before she could say anything, pain flared in her shoulder again. She heard liquid drip onto the floor and caught a strong whiff of iron.

Meanwhile, someone had wiped her face clean, and as she looked up, she saw Dunn holding a bloody knife and Old Neil with a dirty cloth smeared with cake. Leonard, Royale, and Rozanne were just behind them, their faces filled with concern.

As she calmed down, Irina realized the pain wasn't as intense as before. To think those painkillers are still working. "This is exactly what I meant when I said that board causes accidents."

Great, just GREAT. This day couldn't possibly get any better!

Dunn sighed, replying, "I figured as much with what happened, but I didn't need an example to believe you. A report would have sufficed. Change of plan: Leonard, hold the board and take it behind Chanis Gate, I'll accompany you. Royale, go with Old Neil and grab some potions to heal her injuries. Rozanne, you'll stay here with Irina but don't move from this spot. Everyone, be extra careful, we still don't know who it will target."

This is just absolutely wonderful.

Everyone quickly dispersed to complete their tasks. Rozanne, looking very guilty, sat on the floor, staring at the ground.

Ahh... Look at her. She's the one who crashed into me, right? She's holding a tray with a kettle and—

Suddenly, Rozanne shouted, "I'M SO SORRY! I didn't mean to! I just wanted to share this cake with the others over some tea and— I didn't see you! I shouldn't have run in the hallways... That knife! I just don't understand how it happened! It's made for cakes; it shouldn't be sharp enough to injure someone! It's all my fault..."

I see. So that's what happened. I ended up with cake in my face, hot tea on one shoulder, and a knife in the other. Sweet. Not to mention the heavy wooden frame hitting my head and me falling onto porcelain shards. Just sweet. Motherfu***** board.

Irina peeled off her slightly damp shirt and tossed it aside. Left with only her bra, she looked over at Rozanne and asked in an exhausted tone, "Can you lend me your jacket? I can't keep wearing these burning hot clothes."

Rozanne glanced over and blushed at the sight. "Of course! Here, you can use it to cover yourself! It's just a light jacket, it's mainly decorative anyway."

Irina gratefully donned the jacket, replying, "Thank you. And please, stop worrying about what happened. It's not your fault. That board has extremely negative effects. Normally, nothing like this would occur, so please just forget about it... Though, I do recommend not running in the hallways in the future."

Sh**. I sound just like my old, annoying school teachers.

A couple of hours later, Irina lay in her bathtub, completely still. All her minor injuries had healed thanks to the potion, while the larger ones were still red. However, Old Neil reassured her that they wouldn't leave any scars, which made her feel a bit better.

Now, though, she felt numb. The day had been exhausting, and she was genuinely bone-tired. All she wanted was to bury herself under her blankets and not get out for a while.

Hugging her knees, she sank deeper into the water. A window. A chandelier. The carriage trip. The door. The knife, cake, and tea. The frame and shards.

Once Old Neil returned with the potion, he told me he used a pendant to divine my mission. He said it had been a while since I left and that he was curious about it...

A couple of hours earlier, in the armory, Old Neil sat with a bored expression, leisurely sipping his tea.

I wonder how Irina's first mission is going. It's not every day we get a new member outside the Sleepless or Corpse Collector pathways.

He brought a hand to his chin, massaging it through his thick beard. Hmm… Let's see what the divination reveals.

Less than ten minutes later, a distressed-looking Neil was deep in conversation with Dunn in his office. "I understand. The result of your divination indicated that her mission could be life-threatening, and she carries grave danger with her."

Old Neil, noticing Dunn deep in thought, relaxed slightly. "That is correct. I also divined that she would be back shortly."

Dunn called for Rozanne and instructed her to find Leonard and Frye and send them to his office. She complied, and soon the poet and corpse collector stood before him, awaiting orders. "Frye, head down and prepare yourself. Irina will return with 'grave danger,' but we still don't know what form it will take. Leonard, head out and wait for her at the entrance of the building. Be quick, she'll be back soon."

Both nighthawks responded quickly, "Yes, Captain."

They swiftly left to carry out their tasks, while Old Neil remained behind, attempting to divine more about the situation. What neither of them realized was that Irina would be back much sooner than expected.

Hours later, in a now-cold bathtub, Irina was still soaking.

To think he'd be curious about my mission and end up indirectly helping me...

Irina exhaled a puff of air. I should get him a gift when I return.

The Captain gave me the whole day off tomorrow. That means I can stay home, in my current state, I'm not in the mood to go out. Not even to the library... If only I had one at home...

Suddenly, her head shot up. After a brief moment of silence, she smacked her forehead and muttered, Wait. I do have a library at home. Oh, my Goddess, I'm so exhausted... I can't even remember simple things!

Carefully, Irina stood up, stepped out of the bathtub, and drained the cold water. As she dried herself, her gaze fell upon the pocket mirror and brush sitting on the edge of the sink.

Maybe I should finally start searching for something related to that. It caused Leonard to act strangely, so it's definitely categorized as a sealed artifact. I wonder what else it can do.

With renewed energy, Irina left the bathroom and headed to her bedroom, eager to throw herself into bed, taking the brush along with her.

I can't wait to uncover something about it!