"So later, when we're older, we'll talk about this again."

"Absolutely."

She smiles.

"Okay. Good."

"Good luck with your studies."

"Thanks."

"Do let me know if you and your sister need anything while you're here," she says, in a tone of mild dismissal.

"We will."

Off she scampers.

"It go well?"

"I think so. She agreed we could wait on it for now and talk about it again when we're older."

"That's pretty good! And then we'll have talked to sensei and we'll just - know more."

"That's the idea."

"Maybe even figure out a compromise there?"

"Maybe! Professor Curtis will definitely have some ideas."

"Yeah! Let's go on and head back, then?"

"Sounds like a plan."

The front wall is missing - a mixture of rearranged by alchemy and simply blown out - when they return.

The entryway is strewn with rubble, and dust, and debris -

And blood.

In the back, there's a person-shaped figure, crumbled against the wall.

Oh no no no no no-

"Sensei!" Bellona screams, running blindly into the hall, jumping over a broken chair, over a fallen beam -

"Sensei no - "

The figure doesn't stir, even when Bellona kneels beside it - her - shaking her shoulder.

She can't- she can't be dead. They were only just starting.

El walks over more slowly, in a daze.

Bellona's now sobbing.

Their teacher's eyes are open and glassy, blood bubbled on her lips, her front covered in blood and her ribcage oddly shaped -

El numbly catalogs injuries and treatment options. Even though it's too late. She bends forward to check Professor Curtis's temperature.

Still above room temperature. Warm, has dipped a little. She's not in rigor mortis yet.

She's probably been dead less than two hours, if the forensic textbooks El has read can be trusted.

"This wasn't long ago. We should- we should see if anyone saw anything."

"We need to put her back and not tell anyone she was dead because then they'll know something's up - "

"Then- we need to hide the body and go back to Miss Dante and borrow the Philosopher's Stone."