Noble looked up just as Instructor Rock turned the corner. "Right on time."
Rock smiled at her. "Did you expect anything less?"
"Of course not." The professor had never doubted that Rock would keep his word. "Is it done?"
"It is, I saw to it myself."
The three Sleepers looked between the staff, confused about what this exchange had to do with them.
"Saw to what?" Ray took Fleur's hand.
"Sleeper Keth has entered the Dream Realm. He is under heavy guard in a containment facility." Rock informed them.
"What will happen when he awakens?" Fleur furrowed her brow.
Rock frowned. "If he returns, he will be released to the company of his Clan. They have assured the government that he will be under house arrest in the Dream Realm until a suitable punishment can be arranged."
"The only suitable punishment is execution," Ray muttered.
"He won't come after me again," Tamar tilted up her chin, "and if he does, I will be ready for him."
"Just in case, we will have a guard stationed outside your room for the full duration of your slumber. No one will harm you while you are under the care of the Academy." Rock crossed his arms firmly.
He was as angry as anyone that there had been an attempted murder on Academy grounds. Keth had been very fortunate that he had been apprehended by campus security and not the battlemaster.
"I wanted you to know that we took every precaution to keep you protected before you left." Noble pressed her datapad to her chest.
Tamar's almost smile graced her face. "Thank you."
"I'll let you finish. I will be waiting at the end of the hall." Rock waved to the Sleepers. "Stay strong."
The professor watched him go before returning to her task. "Now that it's settled. Who would like to go next?"
The three Sleepers exchanged glances, an understanding passing between them.
"If it is all the same to you, professor, can we enter at the same time?" Fleur asked. "I would feel bad leaving them behind, and I also don't want to have to worry about them before my time comes."
"I can do that. Let me check your room assignments." Noble glanced down at the datapad and then pretended to examine the door numbers.
This gave the three Sleepers a moment of privacy.
Ray took the opportunity to pull Fleur into his arms.
"Come back to me," he whispered. He pressed his lips against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
The kiss lasted for several seconds, prompting Tamar to cough. "You two are the reason that pods don't share rooms..."
Fluer pulled away from her boyfriend with a wide grin. "W-was that a joke?"
The legacy crossed her arms. "I can make them, you know."
The redhead threw her arms around the ashen-haired warrior. "Oh, I am going to miss you!"
"Hey, she got a better hug than me!" Ray pouted.
Fluer pulled Ray into the embrace, and the three of them stood silently for a moment. Feeling their camaraderie, Noble couldn't help but be moved.
'May you protect each other for years to come,' the professor wished silently.
No, it was more than just a wish. It was a deep desire. Noble's Kingdom Crafter Attribute stirred inside her, and a subtle change occurred around her.
'Hm...' Circulating her essence, Noble funneled more energy into the conviction of her hope.
Her eyes went wide.
The world of emotions entered her vision. Noble now knew that she could see it due in part to her innate Ability [Window to the Soul]. The strange world wasn't just emotions, of course, but that was the part Noble could understand. The rest of the things to be seen were still too vast for her to comprehend even as a Saint, and so Noble let them pass without notice.
Her focus wasn't fixed on the vastness of the world around her. Instead, she was concerned with something quite small.
Mixed with all the hues of emotion, Noble could sense something new forming: an intangible connection between the three people before her. It wasn't binding or particularly strong, but Noble had no doubt that it was there.
'Did...did I do that?' The professor wasn't sure. Perhaps her desire had only shown her something that was already there.
"I am a little glad my paperwork never went through. Otherwise, I would have missed this moment with both of you." Fleur filled her two companions with rejuvenation.
"Hold on to that, Fleur!" Ray chided her. "You will need all your energy on the other side."
Noble showed them their rooms, which were conveniently huddled together at the end of the hall. Each sleeper put their hands on the door.
"Why do you want to find a gateway and return?" Noble asked the three. Tamar, Fleur, and Ray answered one after the other.
"To honor the Clan Sorrow."
"To see my loved ones again."
"To protect the ones I care about and provide a better life."
"And," Tamar added, "So I can whip these two into shape so they can be proper warriors."
"You won't be whipping me!" Ray objected.
"Where's your sense of adventure?" Fleur laughed. "I'm in."
"I'm in too, I guess." Ray shrugged, smiling despite himself.
"Hold on to your goals…even the strange ones." Noble couldn't help but smile slightly. "Recite them. Remember them. Stay strong and come home."
The three Sleepers gave resolute nods, entered their rooms, and shut the doors.
Even with the doors closed, Noble could sense the connection between the three students. It warmed her heart.
'May you go somewhere that will get you back safely.'
For the second time, the intangible world around her shifted subtly. Noble tried to locate the change, but all she could sense was that the trio's connection had shifted somehow, like it was being pulled.
'Strange.'
Noble flooded her body with essence as she had before, trying to make the picture clearer. However, it dissipated before she could grasp what she was viewing.
The connection was gone. The last Sleepers had entered the Dream Realm. The Solstice had begun.
Noble took a deep breath. With the exit of the Sleepers' souls, hundreds of emotional signatures vanished from Noble's view.
There was some relief in the waning tension that had built up in the building, but Noble couldn't help but feel a little loneliness as well.
Rock was waiting for her at the end of the hall. As he promised, two guards were standing with him. Noble pointed out the rooms of Tamar and her companions.
"Take good care of them."
She knew they would, but telling them made her feel like she had some semblance of control.
That, of course, was merely an illusion.
Rock fell in step with Noble as they moved down the hall. He regarded her out of the corner of his eye.
"How are you holding up?"
Noble tilted her head. "I could ask you the same question."
"I'm not the one with empathy off the charts." The instructor countered.
His companion gave a small smile. "You seem pretty empathetic to me."
"Years of practice to get this far," Rock shrugged. "How about your group? Did everything go smoothly?"
"I feel like I have no room to complain when you had to deal with Keth." Noble shook her head. That was one problem that she was very grateful was not in her hands.
"It's not a competition." The burly man waved his hand. "I am curious if you had any of my most frequent students. I know we aren't supposed to have favorites, but there are some that I hope got your send-off…"
Noble handed over her datapad for him to peruse the list.
"You had a decent group," Rock paused.
"What?" Noble noted the change in his expression as well as his emotional spike.
"Gisel was in your group. That couldn't have been easy." The Instructor shook his head. "She needed more time and training to manage things before the Solstice. It's a shame, really."
The professor furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't she tell you? It's her Flaw. Fear paralyzes her."