The bell’s chime signaled the end of Ancient Curses class, and as the students filtered out of the room, you found yourself lingering for a moment. Mordain Grimm’s class had been surprisingly engaging, despite his intimidating presence. He had dismissed the students with nothing more than a curt nod, but as you, Rune, and Tsuki exited, the warmth of the chocolates he had given Rune still lingered between you.

Rune unwrapped one of the small, handcrafted pieces and popped it into his mouth, his tail curling in jelousy, knowing it’s no use to ask for one. With a pleased hum, he held out the bag to you and Tsuki. Fibble, not one to be left out, flapped onto your shoulder and peered down.

“If you don’t give me one, I will screech,” the owl threatened, his golden eyes narrowing.

Rune rolled his eyes but handed over a chocolate anyway.
“I’d like to see you screech with your mouth full.”

Fibble huffed but accepted the treat, nibbling with the exaggerated satisfaction of someone proving a point. Meanwhile, Tsuki hesitated before taking one himself, giving Rune a small, appreciative nod.

“I’m sorry, I should have stepped in earlier,” Tsuki admitted, his voice soft as he twirled the chocolate between his fingers. “I just… I know I’m not strong. I’m small, and I don’t exactly have an intimidating presence. I didn’t think I’d be able to do much.”

Rune, chewing thoughtfully, gave him a playful nudge.
“Small? I’ll have you know I’m the smallest here, and I still manage to cause problems.” He flashed a grin, though there was a flicker of something more serious beneath his humor. “We aren’t exactly known for our size. I might be taller than most, but in this school full of the other races, I’ll never be the biggest guy in the room.”

You watched as Tsuki’s expression remained troubled, his brows furrowing slightly as he mulled over Rune’s words. Before he could reply, you reached your next destination—Musical Resonance class.

Maestro Lino Minuet was unlike any teacher you had encountered before. He was delicate and graceful, his porcelain skin and long, white hair giving him an almost ethereal quality. His transparent, blue wings shimmered as he moved, catching the light in fleeting reflections. The natural lilt of his voice made everything he said sound like the beginning of a song, captivating his students with ease.

Rune leaned over you and whispered,
“Fairy faes always look like they walked out of a painting, all delicate and sweet. Doesn’t matter if they’re male or female—they’re all annoyingly pretty.”

The class itself was a surprisingly normal experience—no magic, no strange artifacts, just music. It was a welcome reprieve from the whirlwind of the past few hours. Lino’s enthusiasm was infectious, and even those uninterested in music found themselves swaying slightly as he guided them through their first lesson. By the time the class ended, the hour had passed in what felt like moments.

With Musical Resonance over, you found yourself with a free period. Deciding to use the time wisely, you, Rune, and Tsuki settled into the courtyard, spreading out books and parchment to begin your assignments. The sun hung high, casting dappled light through the leaves of an ancient oak that provided shade over the stone benches.

“I really don’t know much about goblins,” Tsuki admitted as he absentmindedly flipped through the pages of his textbook. “The Celestial Plains are far from Myrcadawn. I’ve only ever heard stories.”

Rune chuckled, though there was no bitterness in it. “Most of those stories are probably true,” he said. “Goblins have always been troublemakers. Raids, theft, pranks that could very well end someone’s life… We earned our reputation of messing up everyone else’s life. My clan is one of the few trying to change that.”

Tsuki frowned. “I don’t believe it was always like that.”

Rune raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Got a theory, moon-boy?”

Tsuki nodded. “There were two goblin Writers, weren’t there? The Grimm brothers. And Writers were supposed to record things as they truly were, not as legends distorted them.”

At your confused expression, Fibble let out a long-suffering sigh.
“Of course you wouldn’t know, human.” He fluffed his feathers before gesturing with a wing. “The Writers were the ones who recorded history. And by recorded, I mean quite literally. Their magic allowed them to see important events as they unfolded and document them with absolute accuracy. Every historical character is known and his life have no secret for us even after thousand of years. They’are the reasons why the Resonance exist.”

“The Writers’ magic kept them from interfering,” Rune added. “They were just observers. They wrote down everything so that future generations could learn from history.”

“Not just that,” Tsuki corrected. “They preserved knowledge that would have otherwise been lost. Their records became the foundation of this world’s understanding of magic, history, and even culture.” He glanced at you with quiet curiosity. “You really didn’t know?”

You shook your head, taking in the weight of their words. This world’s history was built upon the words of individuals with a power unlike anything you had ever heard of. If they truly existed, if they had recorded everything…
Then why did the book that had brought you here feel incomplete? How come thoses stories that were real for them, were mere fairytales for you? Did the Writers traveled in your world to share them? So there would be a way to go back? Though, you never heard of the Grimm brothers being goblins.

Rune hesitated before adding, “Some say the Grimms were only good because the Writers' magic kept them in line, stopping them from being like the rest of our kind.”

Tsuki shook his head, looking unconvinced. “That’s just what people say to justify why two goblins were different. But there’s no record proving the magic actually controlled them. Maybe they were just good people, naturally.”

Rune huffed but didn’t argue, though his tail wrapped around Tsuki to lay on his lap. Before anything more could be said, a faint chime echoed across the courtyard, signaling the start of the next class.

Rune stretched, his tail flicking against your shoulder. “Time to go. We’ve got Fairmagic next.”
Tsuki gathered his things neatly and offered a small smile. “Let’s walk together.”

As you and your friends made your way to the next class, Fibble gave an exaggerated yawn. “Let’s hope this one doesn’t involve singing. My ears can only take so much of Minuet’s dramatic flair.”
Rune snickered. “You just have no taste.”

Despite the teasing, you found yourself glancing back toward the courtyard, where the conversation about the Writers still lingered in your mind. There was something there, something important. But for now, you had another class to get to.

The mystery of the Writers would have to wait.