A couple of days after saving my sister from bullies, I found myself sitting in the cafeteria with the usual guys. Today, like any other day, we chowed down on our food, talked among each other, laughed, and enjoyed each other's company. However, one of the guys had his head hurried in his notebook.

"Theodore, my man!" Ari exclaimed with a playful smile, reaching over to put his arm around Theodore's shoulder. He tried to catch a glimpse of what had captured Theodore's attention. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just looking over some material for a project Professor Bee assigned," Theodore replied casually, closing the notebook in his hands before placing it inside his book bag.

Upon hearing Theodore's words, Ari's ears twitched. "Project?" he questioned, lowering his arm from Theodore's shoulder, his head tilting to the side in curiosity.

"Yes, she'll be assigning a project due at the end of the week," Theodore explained. Hearing this Ari remained quiet, letting out a puff of air, his agitation palpable, visible by the expression on his face and the way his ears twitched and tail waged. "Is there anything wrong with that," Theodore questioned, picking up on his behavior.

"Well, yeah!" Ari exclaimed, slamming his hands lightly onto the table. "School started just weeks ago and she's already assigning projects. No wonder she's named Miss Bee."

Professor Bee, an instructor in the department of history, is an elderly woman. She's patient, not strict in any way, and quite good at teaching. In fact, I have her next period with Selkie.

"I don't know why you're complaining, we've hardly done any work the past few weeks, all she does is tell us stories," I said, putting my spoon aside to better engage in conversation.

"That's true... but, I don't want to do a project!" Ari whined, his feet kicking up and down underneath the table. "It's too early for this."

***

After lunch ended, Selkie and I walked together to Miss Bee's class, and in my opinion, she is a very nice old lady. On the way, selkie and I engaged in friendly conversations, a habit that had become a part of our daily school life.

When we got to our destination, we entered the class, took our seats, and waited for instructions. After every student entered and settled the professor stood up from her desk and stood in front of the classroom so that all eyes rested on her.

"Good afternoon, class," she greeted, causing the student's chatter to die down. "This week we'll be doing something a little different. To start, why don't you all split yourselves into groups of four."

Following her words, the room fell into chaos as everyone gathered up group members. It seems Ari was right, we're doing a project this week. But wait? The professor said groups of four... and there are thirty students in this class... if all the students gather into groups of four there will be two students left over. Gotta get myself into a group quickly.

"Selkie!" I exclaimed, snapping my head to the side. Selkie and I sit side by side and if know someone that I can trust to be in a group with, someone that would never let me down, it's Selkie. However, my face quickly fell as I saw him already in a group beside three other girls.

"Oh? Arata? What's up?" he replied, immediately turning around at the mention of his name.

"N-Nothing," I replied, sounding disheartened. Traitor, was the only thought that came to mind as I let my head slump down on the desk.

I'm not a social butterfly, I don't know many people that I can just go up to and talk to. With that in mind, I just waited and wondered who the unfortunate other who would be left alone would be. Before long, everyone settled in groups of four.

Flare, my wolf companion, raised her upper body up and supported herself on the table, her snout pointing at a lone student sitting isolated on a distant seat. "Yup, that seems to be the person we're looking for," I said, bringing my hand up to pat Flare's head.

With dark flowing hair and long pointy ears sat a lonesome girl. By the way she sat. By the way she carried herself. Quiet and reserved, every action she took hinted at a preference for solitude, preventing any casual attempts at engagement. The girl sat alone, not batting an eye to the fuss that had just occurred. Her gaze remained fixed forward, her face stoic, revealing a detachment as if the commotion held little to no significance.

This girl is possibly more serious than Ada, I thought to myself as I stood up from my seat. I've never seen her talk to anyone and nobody that I know ever goes up to her. To my knowledge, she's a loner with no friends.

As I neared her seat, I stopped and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Katie, correct?" I said, addressing the elf girl before me. With a slow turn of her head, her dark eyes locked into mine. With her eyelids held low she regarded me like she did everything else as she waited for me to speak, "I don't suppose you're in a group."

Her eyes fluttered away from mine, expression perpetually serious, conveying no emotion. The absence of any discernible expression added an air of detachment to her demeanor. "No, I'm not," she replied, her voice a monotone murmur, flat and unvarying to the ear.

"Would you like to be in one with me?" I asked, half regretting the decision.

Hearing my words she took a moment before responding. Leaning forward on the table she stared forward at whatever it was she was staring at while fiddling with a necklace that hung around her neck. "I guess there's no other option..." she replied, her posture unchanging. "So yes."

"G-Great," I uttered, showing a small smile. "You don't mind if I sit here." Taking several steps forward I pulled the chair beside hers and took my seat. For a second there I thought she was going to refuse, I thought while letting out an air of relief.

"Now that everyone is in a group I'll be giving each group one of these papers," The professor began, catching everyone's attention. In her hands, she held a glass jar filled with folded papers that she shook around. "Written on them is a major event that occurred in the history of this continent," she continued, making her way around the classroom to give each group a random paper.

However, once she got to Katie and me, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes taking a long look at us before looking closely at the rest of the other students. "Ohh my, were you two left out?" she asked, somewhat shocked. In turn, both Katie and I nodded. "I thought for sure I had the numbers right... well, I'm sorry, never been much of a math person." Reaching her hand inside the jar, she pulled out a paper and handed it to Katie. "I guess you two are on your own... but don't worry, I'll be more lenient with your grade." With a smile, the teacher moved on to the next group.

My attention then settled on Katie as she unfolded the paper. Curious, I leaned in slightly to get a better look and saw that, written on the paper, we got The Great Division for the project.

"Now go to the library on your own time and do your own research. Your goal is to create a poster based on the event given," Miss Bee continued. "Each event has one key person tied to it. You have to give the name of the person. What they did. How they influenced history. Why they did it? Where it took place. And when in time did it happen," she explained, taking a brief pause to catch her breath. "I will be providing you with the posters and other supplies, you just have to do the research... take the rest of this class period to plan what you'll be doing and have the project ready by the end of this week. Good luck!" With that, the teacher moved to her desk.

"Uh?" bewildered, I turned to my sole companion and asked, "Did you catch all that?"

"Yes," she replied, setting down her pencil. "I wrote it all down, see." Raising her notebook, she turned my way and showed me. Seeing it I couldn't help but admire her rather neat handwriting.

"How about we meet up in the library after school," I proposed. Receiving a nod from her. "Is six o'clock okay?" Hearing my question, she then again only nodded. "Great I'll be waiting for you there." Was the last thing I said, only to receive another nod.

Not much of a talker I guess. I get the feeling that if I hadn't come to her, she would've just done the project all by herself. At fourteen, one would expect her to be immersed in a lively social circle, forging connections and creating lasting memories. However, her reserved demeanor hints at a different description, as if the concept of forming friendships is either inapproachable or purposely avoided.

After Miss Bee's class, I moved on to my next and went through the day without any notable incidents. Once six o'clock came around, I found myself walking toward the library under the afternoon sun. As I walked to my destination, I noticed several groups of students either walking around or hanging out. Seeing this, a sense of nostalgia rushed over me, and my mind painted a clear picture of my previous life when I took in a similar sight. With a smile on my face, I continued to walk ahead, blending in with the crowd of students.

"You really going to meet up with that girl?" Flare's voice came. Looking down, I saw her walking beside me, looking straight ahead. There were few people here, walking some distance away from us, hence the reason she chose to speak up.

"Yeah, I kinda have to. I asked her to meet up, plus, I wasn't about to do this project thing by myself," I replied, happy to engage in conversation with her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... I don't know, she's weird. I get the feeling she doesn't like you," Flare said, her tone conveying her inability to dive deeper into the meaning of her words. "She basically ignored you the whole time you were talking to her."

"Well, some people don't like to talk all that much, and that, I can understand," I said, trying to put myself in the position of someone like her. To some degree, I do understand, if there's a need for me to reach out and talk to others, I will, but if not, I'll sit back quietly. "But anyways, we're here."

"Yeah, here ten minutes early," Flare said. "Why didn't you come at six when you originally said?"

"In cases like this, it's considered courteous to arrive a bit earlier than the intended time. Remember that. Now, let's just relax and wait, plus there are people around," I told her. Bringing my hand up, I put my index finger over my lips, signaling for her to remain silent as we moved forward. "So hush!" In turn, she let out a low grumble and pointed her snout forward.

Looking ahead, I scanned the area. "Now... where should we," I began, looking for a place to sit. However, my words came to a stop as I spotted a lone elf girl sitting at a nearby bench. "It looks like I'm not the only one who arrived early," I said, giving Flare a soft nudge with my knee, and again, she only grumbled in response.

Without wasting any time, I walked up to her. As I closed the distance, she must've seen my approach from the corner of her eye as her head turned my way. "Oh? You... came..." she muttered, her eyes widening slightly as she took in my image.

"You thought I was just going to ditch you?" I replied, her slight change in facial expression igniting a spark of curiosity within me.

"Yes, I did," she replied immediately without a hint of hesitation in her voice.

She probably thought that, because I'm a child of some big noble family, I was going to show up late or not show up at all and have her do all the work. "I know I'm a noble but I'm not a complete jerk, or at least I don't think I am."

"Well, never mind all that," she continued, blinking away from me, her sudden rise from her sitting position signaling a shift in her focus. "We're both here now we should get going." With that, she began walking ahead.

"R-Right," I mumbled, turning my head down toward Flare. We both exchanged uncertain gazes before following behind Katie.

After entering the library, we settled on a spot and began our research on our assigned project. Since The Great Division was a major event in history it's not like we had to scour the library for dozens of books to find the information we needed, after asking one of the librarians for guidance we quickly found what we were looking for.

Within the book was a story recorded from a time long ago. Around four hundred years ago there were no mountains that separated the Canarivian lands from the rest of the Istretarian continent. Beasts ran rampant across the land attacking travelers, invading cities, and killing innocent people.

A little boy was born in a rural village of the Barengale region whose family traveled to the main capital to give him a better opportunity. On the way there they were attacked by monsters and the boy's father ended up sacrificing himself to save his family. Afterward, the boy developed a great hatred for monsters, and throughout his life, he trained himself and looked for ways to gain more power to punish the wild beasts.

Known as Gaius Larsen, a legendary hero who originated from the Berengale Kingdom. An earthen mage and a key figure in the history of this continent. He led armies, fought fiercely against the beasts, pushed them back into unexplored territories, and created a huge barrier that they could not even hope to pass through.

In him, he held so much power that, at his command, giant mountains erupted from the ground, separating the human region, and creating a monster land. These towering peaks were named The Galesen Ranges. At the center, he left an opening where beasts fled through on their own.

After years of his ongoing war with monsters, he felt it was time to end it and created another mountain. The biggest mountain of the Galesen Ranges, which is said that if you stand on top of it you're able to see every part of this continent, an obvious exaggeration. It was given the name of Mount Gale and was the place where Gaius made his home. From atop the mountain, he overlooked and protected the continent until his death.

After decades passed all the monsters in the human region eventually decreased to nothing. All making their home in the now-known Canarivian Plains region, or as people and adventurers dubbed it, Canavar. Over the centuries these adventurers, looking for challenges, exploits, and action clawed their way over the ranges through a few gaps. They traversed the land, killing monsters, and gaining strength while exploring dungeons and finding artifacts that were left behind by previous inhabitants.

"And that sums it all up, correct?" I spoke, leaning back in the library chair. With an audible breath, I stretched out my arms, allowing myself to relax after pages of reading.

"Yes," Katie breathed, closing her notebook and setting her pencil to the side. As for the library book, she placed it inside her book bag in case we needed a second look. "All we need to do now is write all this information down in a way that it fits on the tri-fold project board and neatly decorate it with some color. We can work on a small blueprint tomorrow."

"Sounds good." Was the only thing I said. Pushing myself off the table, I stood up from my chair and readied myself to leave.

"Is that, Katie?" Just then, the voice of a girl I did not recognize reached my ears along with the smell of perfume. Turning around, I came face to face with the mysterious girl. "With a friend? That's surprising." With short brown hair, the girl showed a smile, her curious light brown eyes swaying my way. "Wait! I know who you are!" she exclaimed, her face coming to light with recognition. With an energetic bounce in her step, her long pointy, elven ears swayed in accordance with her actions. "You're that Arathel kid the one that walks around with the white wolf!"

This girl knows Katie... that's surprising. I didn't think she had other friends. "And you are?" I asked, slightly taken aback by her behavior.

"My name is Aria Elwen," she introduced herself, showing a wide smile. Outstretching her other hand, she took a step toward me and said, "How very nice to meet you—" However, with that single step, she tripped over herself, and with a low grunt she landed on the ground.

"You... okay?" I asked, unsure of what she wanted or why she was so excited.

"S-Sorry..." she mumbled, her voice muffled due to her being face down on the ground. "I sometimes tend to be a bit clumsy." Raising her head she came face to face with Flare. "Oh? And you must be the white wolf."

Disregarding her for a moment, I turned to Katie, her expression somewhat troubled, and asked, "You know this girl?"

Before Katie could respond, Aria quickly stood up from the ground and put her arm around Katie's shoulder. "Well... we're well acquainted..." Was what Katie said, removing Aria's arm from her shoulder while casting a sideglance in her direction.

"Whaaat!" Aria let out, her face falling as she let out a long pronunciation of the word. With puppy dog eyes, she stood in front of Katie and, in a shaky tone, mumbled. "I thought we were besties."

"Fine!" Katie snapped, her figure going stiff as she raised her voice slightly. With a breath, she allowed herself to relax and returned to normal, her subtle change in expression taking both Aria and me slightly aback. "You're a... tolerable companion."

Slowly, both corners of Aria's lips curved up into a small smile. "Aw! That makes me so happy!" she exclaimed, running up to her and wrapping her arms around Katie.

That sounds horrible, why wouldn't it make her happy, I questioned as I looked on at their interaction. As Aria embraced Katie happily, the difference in their expressions palpable, they both fell to the floor due to Aria's clumsiness.

"S-Sorry..." Aria mumbled, her voice muffled. Raising her head she showed a sheepish smile, on the contrary, Katie's pained expression was slightly tainted with a hint of annoyance.

"Just, be more careful," said Katie. With a breath, she let herself relax, allowing her inner emotions to subside. Moving away from Aria, Katie stood up and dusted herself off.

"If you guys want, you can take your leave," I began, taking the opportunity to speak in the moment of silence that followed. "I mean, there is no other reason to linger here, our research for today is done."

"Yes, I understand..." replied Katie, lowering her head slightly in agreement. "We'll continue this project tomorrow, till then, goodbye." With that, she lowered her upper body into a small bow before gathering her things and walking away.

"Bye-bye, Arata. It was nice to meet you," said Aria, waving her hand in my direction while showing a wide happy smile before following behind Katie.

After the two girls disappeared from my sight I let out a small breath of air and pushed my chair back into its place. As I was about to leave, I heard a faint whisper, "Arata."

Turning around, I saw Flare standing still, her furry tail wagging behind her. "What?" I asked, recognizing Flare's voice within the whisper.

Lowering her snout, she pointed down to the ground, sniffing at what looked to be some sort of necklace. Slow and deliberate, I took a few steps forward and knelt down to get a closer look at it. Isn't that... I thought to myself, recognizing the design.

The centerpiece resembled the shape of a heart with an elongated body, adorned with intricate swirls that add to its fancy image. On each side of the pendant, there were horizontally stretched extensions that resembled the pointed ears of elves, showcasing the beauty of elven craftsmanship.

"It's Katie's!" I realized, my mind recalling the many times she fiddled with it. By the looks of it, the clasp holding the necklace around her neck became undone causing it to slip off, most likely due to her and Aria's fall. "Let's go, perhaps we can still catch up to them."