At that moment, she heard muffled voices from a corner of the hall. She recognized Professor Emberfell and Professor Veilford, who were engaged in a quiet but intense discussion. About her.
"...never seen anything like it," she heard Professor Veilford say. "The way she manipulated the Esse...
2025-01-02 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View Post"Spit it out peasant girl," Faustus Boarfend snarled. He broke away from the group and stood in front of Valentina, his face contorted into a condescending expression. "How exactly are you cheating?"
Valentina felt her stomach tighten. She had hoped to avoid this confrontation. "I've worked...
2024-12-31 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostValentina blinked, still dazed from sleep, as the realization hit her: Today was the day. The first round of the Greystone Competition was coming up.
She sat up with a soft groan, her body protesting against the abrupt movement. The last few weeks of intensive preparation had left their mar...
2024-12-29 18:12:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day, after the lectures, Valentina returned to the library. The excitement of her newfound ability tingled in her fingertips as she went to her secluded spot. The slight headache from the day before had given way to nervous anticipation.
With trembling hands, she unpacked her books...
2024-12-26 18:12:30 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Valentina awoke, she opened her eyes slowly and stretched carefully. Her body felt heavy, as if she was carrying an invisible burden on her shoulders.
Two days had passed since her encounter with Barnaby, and yet it seemed like an eternity. The initial shame that had enveloped her like...
2024-12-24 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostAs Valentina walked around the counter, she entered a completely different world to the chaotic but reasonably tidy front part of the store.
Stacks of books, boxes and crates were everywhere. A thick layer of dust covered every free spot. In one corner stood an old bed with stained sheets, ...
2024-12-22 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostValentina awoke with a soft groan, her body cramped under the thin blanket that offered little protection against the first winter cold that crept through the thin walls of her tiny attic room. Her eyes opened reluctantly, still hazy from sleep but immediately filled with the gnawing fear that ha...
2024-12-19 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostDawn crept slowly through Valentina's small attic window as she awoke from a restless sleep. Her head throbbed and the worries of the previous day still weighed heavily on her.
"Good morning, little Weaver," Vyxara's voice purred in her head. "Did you sleep well? Have you thoug...
2024-12-17 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the afternoon lectures, Valentina retreated to a quiet corner of the library and settled down at a secluded table, surrounded by tall bookshelves that shielded her from prying eyes. She spread out her notes and pulled out a thin, leather-bound book – a treatise on advanced Leb-Essence man...
2024-12-15 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe first light of the morning fell directly on her face. With a soft groan, Valentina turned over in her narrow bed, her body still comfortably relaxed from the after-effects of the previous night. A feeling of euphoria flowed through her, mixed with a gnawing sense of guilt that settled in her ...
2024-12-12 18:12:02 +0000 UTC View PostDear Diary,
As night comes, I find myself at my desk again, surrounded by flitting candlelight. In those most quiet hours, when everyone else is asleep, my thoughts inevitably stray to her, to Valentina.
Oh, Valentina. Just her name makes my heart beat faster. How can one person...
2024-12-11 18:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostValentina took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders before knocking on the heavy oak door of the Decanate. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she felt her palms grow damp.
"Easy, little Weaver," Vyxara whispered in her head. "You have nothing to fear."
"...
2024-12-10 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostAs she walked down the corridor, on her way to her next class, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her. She turned and saw Crispin coming towards her, his face a mixture of nervousness and determination.
"Valentina," he called, slightly out of breath. "Can I have a word with you?" 2024-12-08 18:12:01 +0000 UTC View Post
The dining room was already bustling with activity when Valentina walked in through the heavy oak doors. The familiar smell of freshly baked bread and fried bacon filled the air, but something was different this morning. There was an unusual tension in the atmosphere, which Valentina noticed imme...
2024-12-05 18:12:00 +0000 UTC View PostLunch was drawing to a close, and the dining room of Bridgewater was beginning to empty. Valentina and Innogen sat for a moment longer. Their plates were already empty, but they were reluctant to part ways.
"I have to go," Innogen finally said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Professor Vei...
2024-12-03 21:40:28 +0000 UTC View PostBirds chirped outside Valentina's small skylight and gently woke her up. She felt refreshed and relaxed, she had slept better than she had for a long time.
Then she began to remember.
"Good morning, little Weaver," Vyxara's voice purred in her head, her voice full of inn...
2024-12-03 21:38:32 +0000 UTC View PostThe next few days flew by, a whirlwind of lectures, exercises and clandestine Essence practices. Valentina found herself in a strange balance with Vyxara, the demon's constant presence in her mind becoming almost normal.
In Professor Veilford's lecture on advanced planar geometry, Valentina...
2024-12-03 21:37:18 +0000 UTC View PostValentina stood in front of the small tarnished mirror in her room, the strands of her hair still lying disorderly over her shoulders. Distant laughter drifted up to her from the lower floors, where some students were having a good time. But tonight there was only one place she wanted to be – I...
2024-12-03 21:36:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe days flew by, and Valentina found herself in a strange rhythm with Vyxara. Every morning she woke up with the demon in her head, whose comments on everything and everyone she almost expected by now.
"Ah, another bright day in Bridgewater," Vyxara remarked sarcastically as Valen...
2024-12-03 21:33:56 +0000 UTC View PostThe first rays of the morning sun filtered through the small skylight into Valentina's room and danced across her face. She slowly opened her eyes, blinked against the bright light and stretched with pleasure. For a brief, blissful moment, everything was as it had always been.
Then the real...
2024-12-03 21:30:34 +0000 UTC View Post