The last thing Al wanted to do was go back to the university, but thanks to his new journalist companion, he found himself inside its halls for the second time today. Demonstrating magic to Elizabeth was slowly proving itself to be a horrible mistake. Had they been alone, he probably could've convinced Joshua to start working on the case tomorrow. That way, he'd be able to take a warm bath, smoke a little to relax himself, and have a good night's sleep before giving it his all the next day. Elizabeth had other plans for him. According to her, they needed to work on this as soon as possible and Joshua felt inclined to agree. Al wasn't sure if he did this to spite him, or if it was something Joshua truly believed. Either way it had the same effect on him. No bath, no weed, and no sleep, even after his horrible day.

This is what he got for trying to do something nice for his brother. Al didn't really care about the business stuff of their agency. He just did whatever work Margaret told them to, not worrying about money or things like that. He knew that Margaret wouldn't mind paying him some cash if he did some errands for her, so it's not like they were going to be broke. Still, Joshua cared a lot about the office and wanted to grow away from the landlady. Relying on her never made him feel comfortable, since she's technically a criminal.

That's why Al wanted to advertise on the news paper. To surprise him with some good news that could bring more people to their office. Joshua wasn't supposed to know about his failure there, but of course, Miss "I-Want-The-Truth!" had other plans for him. Why did he show her some magic? He didn't have a good reason to do it. Maybe he was too tired to think straight. Tired from his schoolwork. Tired from falling out of the train. Tired of being seen as a hoax. The neighborhood children that laughed at their office sign, that insufferable editor that called him a con-artist, and, finally, an annoying journalist that ratted him out to his brother. It was too much. The look on her face when he transformed Requiem was priceless, but it ended up being more costly than he could've imagined.

Now he was stuck with her, and he couldn't blame anyone but himself for it. He didn't even have his brother for company, since he ran like a madman towards the cafeteria as soon as they reached the university. Apparently, he hadn't eaten anything today. If this was part of his punishment, Al wouldn't even be mad at Joshua. His pale skin and his sluggish movements were very convincing, to the point where Al would be impressed if he was just acting the whole rain ride. Unfortunately, this meant he had to accompany Elizabeth alone. He didn't know what to talk about with her, so he just remained silent all the time. That didn't end up being the best move. It just turned what could've been a pleasant stroll into an awkward marathon that felt eternal. She walked a few steps ahead of him, since they were going to interview someone she had in mind, but even so, Al knew she wasn't comfortable with the situation. Every couple of minutes, the blonde would glance back at him with the corner of her eye, thinking that he wouldn't notice what she was doing.

"Umm… It's Al, right?" said Elizabeth. "Listen, I'm… I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For… I dunno, whatever has you angry at me. You seem to have a bone to pick with me. Like, from the moment you saw me you were scowling at my presence."

"That… Don't take it personally, okay? I've had a really shitty day. I almost died on my way back home, so I was a bit pissed when I entered the office. It's no big deal. We're cool."

Elizabeth stopped walking. She then turned around with a shocked expression on her face and said:

"What do you mean 'you almost died'? Why would you act so casually about that?"

Al shrugged. "I said it back in the office. Some mages attacked me, so I had to jump out of the monorail."

Elizabeth took a moment to process what she heard, squinting her eyes a little bit. "No you didn't! You just said you ran into them! Jumping out of the monorail? How are you even standing?"

"Magic." Al smiled. "And some luck. But mostly magic. Me and Joshua didn't really have… an ordinary childhood. We're used to stuff like this. It's pretty much par for the course, so we don't dwell on it much. If you value your sanity, I suggest you do the same."

Elizabeth took a deep breath, turned around, and started walking again. Her steps were a bit uncoordinated now, like she was having an argument with herself. She then mumbled some unintelligible stuff under her breath. Al ignored her the rest of the way to the courtyard. Given the unorthodox design of Xeistoria University, the young mage had plenty to distract himself with during the trek. Even though he had already been attending classes here for half a semester, every time he explored a new corridor he found himself entranced by its distinct appearance.

Brightly lit, clean halls could suddenly turn into darker, stone passages every other corner. Gargoyles and vaulted ceilings changed into white roofs and alumni statues as they passed different sections of the school. There really was no other place on the planet that could be compared to Xeistoria University. It was originally a noble mansion, most of its foundation made from uneven stone bricks. Over the centuries, as it grew and renovated its infrastructure, many halls and classrooms were added with modern materials, like cement and polished tiles. This ended up transforming what used to be a medieval fortress, with spires, arches, and indoor gardens, into a mixture of old and new architecture, a modernized castle. It even dug into the very mountain it stood on, with a multitude of tunnels burrowed beneath its buildings. Since at its base Mt. Artifex had a circumference of forty-five miles, this gave Xeistoria University the biggest campus in the world. It didn't really cover that much of the mountain, but that didn't stop faculty from promoting itself like it did.

Thankfully, the graduate research facility they headed to wasn't that deep into the campus. It was actually on the summit, with a wide garden courtyard in between the hallways leading to it. A small stone pathway ran through patches of grass, until reaching a cement square in the middle. Some students loafed around near bushes and under trees, while others talked to each other on the benches placed on the cement. At the end, elevated by fifteen cement steps, stood the building they were looking for. It's roof was triangular, with gargoyles decorating its corners. Definitely one of the old parts of the university. Elizabeth then ushered Al near a tree and said:

"Okay, so there's this person I want to talk to, Alex Duke. Professor Martin's number one assistant. A very gifted engineer that the victim worked closely with. He's inside this research lab. Every journalist back at The Post is dying for an interview with him, but no one's been able to talk to him after the professor died. Well, no one other than the police, but since we could be dealing with magic here…"

"They wouldn't know what to ask if a mage committed the act. The fact that he's closed off is very suspicious." Al nodded to himself. "Good thinking. Even if he didn't do it, talking to this guy might prove useful. Just knowing a few details could help narrow down what happened. I'm guessing there's a reason we can't just stroll inside, right?"

"You see those doors?" Elizabeth pointed at some thick glass panels at the entrance. "They're electronically locked. You need a keycard to get in. Only high ranking professors and graduate students have the clearance to enter the building."

"That's... a bit overboard, don't you think?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "This is the most advanced lab on campus. Government contracts and classified experiments, you know? I've heard some really crazy stuff goes down there. Mostly rumors, but the reality is that it's not easy to get inside. Like, the people who work there are very paranoid about losing their cards. If they find themselves missing one, they're required by protocol to report it. People have been known to have their careers ruined by this."

"So 'borrowing' one is out of the question. Why are we here, then?"

"Don't you have like, some dimension door spell? Or a teleport spell?"

Al sighed. "It doesn't work that way. I mean, I could make a seal for teleportation but, number one, it's a two-way thing that needs a crest on the other side as well, and number two, only inanimate objects can go through it."

"Oh, that's… disappointing."

Al narrowed his eyes with mild annoyance. "Well, what did you expect? Even if magic tampers with the fabric of reality, it still has limitations. I can't just wave my hands and solve everything, okay?" He leaned on the tree thoughtfully. "We need to get our hands on a key. It's the simplest way. What if we knock out a researcher and grab his key?"

"And sound an alarm as soon as he wakes up?" Elizabeth shook her head. "Plus, I uhh, I don't feel comfortable with assaulting people."

"No, we won't need to hit the guy." Al got out from a paper with an intricate crest on it. "Sleeping seal. Stick it on someone's forehead and they'll be out cold until I release it. They won't be able to report their key missing until we're finished."

"And when they wake up, they'll have their key on them!" Elizabeth perked up. "It's perfect!"

"One problem though…" Al pointed at the students walking around the courtyard. "We can't really jump on anyone in a public place like this. Too many witnesses."

"Yeah, it's not like we can lure someone into a secluded place without raising any questions… And we could get in trouble if the person remembers our faces… This sucks!" Elizabeth hunched forward with disappointment, until widening her eyes with a sly grin. "I think I have an idea."

[Break]

Randy was experiencing one of the happiest moments of his life. After procrastinating for months, banging his head against the wall this past week, and crying his eyes out last night, he was finally handing in his thesis on theoretical physics. Randy pulled back his sleeve, checking his wristwatch. A quarter to five. He was cutting it quite close, but he'll be able to submit it before the deadline. Fifteen minutes longer, and the professor would leave his lab. Mister Wayne wouldn't accept it a minute later. He expected punctually and responsibility from his graduate students, nothing less. No excuses would work on him. Randy once heard a rumor that he once denied a thesis from a student that was busy attending their mother's funeral. He was sure this was an exaggerated rumor, but like with every story out there, there was probably a grain of truth to it.

Randy gulped and shook his head. He didn't have to worry about this. He was homefree. Crossing the courtyard and going up the stairs, he stopped in front of the glass doors. Randy then searched his pockets, tensed his shoulders, and widened his eyes with fear. The keycard. He couldn't find it. Did he leave it back at his apartment? No! It couldn't be! He didn't have enough time to go back! His doctorate, ruined, all because he left a simple keycard behind. Randy patted himself frantically, pulling out his cellphone and keys. He sighed. It was on his back pocket. A wave of relief swelled on his chest, relaxing every muscle he tensed. He got out the keycard and approached the terminal, but just before he could swipe it, a hard object crashed into his skull. He yelped and rubbed his head, turning around to see what happened. He couldn't see who threw it. About a dozen students were in the courtyard, but they were all going about with their business.

Randy shrugged. Whatever. It's probably nothing important. He then looked downwards and crouched, inspecting what hit him with a closer look. It was a weird coin, made of a wooded center surrounded by metallic stars. Randy furrowed his brow. He didn't have time for this. He then picked up the coin and stood up, winding his arm backwards to throw it away. A sudden drowsiness then flooded his mind, his pupils dilated, and he forgot what he was about to do. This belonged to a paranormal investigator. It was his possession, and throwing it away wasn't right. He needed to return it as soon as possible.

[Break]

Inside the research building, Al and Elizabeth searched for Alex's lab. It wasn't really that hard. All they did was ask a researcher where Alex worked, and the guy was kind enough to point them in the right direction. It was weird, though. When they mentioned Alex's name, the guy's face dropped into a worried expression. Initially, they felt nervous about getting caught. They could face jail time if they got caught, for assault, for stealing property, and trespassing. At the very least, they would face expulsion from the university. To their surprise though, every researcher was too busy to care about them. Some just assumed they were new graduate students, never really questioning why Al and Elizabeth were there.

The interior of the facility was just as old as it seemed on the outside. Uneven slabs of oval stone covered the floor of the hallway. Every step they took felt dampened by their environment, like the sound refused to echo throughout the building. Maybe it was built this way to keep down any loud noises. Considering how delicate some of these experiments could be, it made sense that they would try to keep distractions to a minimum. Wooden doors with stained glasses lined the walls every few meters, each with a designated number depending on the level they were in. Alex seemed to work in a lab on the third floor, so they had to walk up two flights of a winding stairway. As they rose the steps, Al turned to Elizabeth and said:

"You know, I've had Requiem for five years now, and I never thought of using it as a Witch's Gift. That was pretty clever."

"A Witch's Gift?"

"Yeah, an enchanted object meant to trap enemies in a trance. Most mages are trained to resist weak hypnosis like my gun's, but a proper Witch's Gift can ensnare even the strongest of magic users. We were taught from an early age to never pick up suspicious objects because of that. Honestly, I'm so used to seeing Requiem like a weapon that I never imagined using it like that."

"Oh... " Elizabeth glanced downwards. "I'm a bit disappointed… I actually pumped myself up because I invented something new here. Thought I could get some mage cred going and stuff."

Al laughed with glee. "Keep dreaming! Pretty much everything's been invented by now. With the amount of insane and/or creative mages in history, original ideas are pretty much extinct." When they exited the staircase, Al stopped walking and pointed at a plate on a doorframe. "Lab 351. I think we're here. Let's not waste much time. The longer we stay here, the more likely it is we'll get caught."

As soon as he finished his words, a loud rumble echoed throughout the hall. Al and Elizabeth quickly tensed up, looking at each other with panic. A bunch of guys wearing labcoats rushed out of the lab, running past the pair with no regard for their presence. A high pitch sound then rung their ears. It was an alarm. An incredibly irritating one that reached every lab on the building. Did they just trigger security? But how? That guy they knocked out was well hidden. Even if he was found, it couldn't have been this fast. Regardless of this, Al and Elizabeth nodded at the same time. It didn't need to be said, it was an obvious, unspoken agreement. They needed to get out of there now.

"I'm working with a bunch of cowards!" shouted a woman from inside lab Three Fifty-One.

The alarm stopped blaring. Elizabeth blinked a couple of times, turning to Al for his take on the situation. He looked just about as confused as Elizabeth. A young woman, around their age, stepped out of the lab. Her curly brown hair spasmed vertically and horizontally as she searched high and low for her companions. Plastic safety goggles hung on her neck, their ashen contour detailed around her eyes. It was as if she had just witnessed an explosion. Her lab coat seemed stained with dark specks of dust. Since it wasn't buttoned up, the exposed part of her yellow t-shirt was also dirtied. Still, what drew Elizabeth's attention more than anything else was the fact that she was barefoot. Didn't it hurt to walk around like that? The young woman sighed when she couldn't find any researchers nearby. She then pouted and said:

"Pussies. All of them." She pointed at Elizabeth and Al. "You two!" The pair widened their eyes. "Any chance you're interested in engineering research? I think I have a couple of vacancies in my lab now."

Elizabeth relaxed and offered her a sympathetic smile. "We're not graduate students. Sorry."

"Oh, that's weird." The young woman gave them a curious look. "Why are you guys here, then?"

"Ah, well, you see…" Elizabeth avoided her eyes. "We uhh..."

"We got a special permit to conduct an interview" said Al. "We're looking for someone called Alex Duke. You know him?"

"Know him?" The woman smirked. "I am her."