The trio's return to the orphanage was wholly uneventful. To avoid scaring the populace again, Al decided it would be best to alight from Garrud a few kilometres away from the village. Once they arrived at the orphanage, it was already evening and the sun was just dipping over the horizon. Although the trip ended with a mild high, overall it was a bit depressing and no one was in the mood to eat at this point.

Guy returned to his room and sat down by his floor-level desk. The delve into the Cloudstrider Sect's archive was eye-opening. The subsequent discussion with Markus during their flight back complemented his findings and established one key fact: that sects were just horrible!

If the Cloudstrider Sect was an exhibit of what a sect could be at its peak, Guy wanted none of it.

"Although I am left with no options but to start my own sect, it doesn't mean that I must conform to the existing norms," Guy concluded. Following the age-old adage 'if it ain't broke, why fix it?', people stuck to the current sect model because it worked well enough for them. And even though the threat of Academies did spur them to make some changes, the ones they implemented were negligible because, in the grand scheme of things, the group that sects catered to were often the weak and underprivileged who had no option but to enter servitude if they ever hoped to exit their station.

"Incidentally, the unfortunate and underprivileged are the market segment I will be catering to." He couldn't afford to rope members with significant financial, political or martial power bases. And honest, Guy didn't want to do it either, "That's just too much stress."

"Hold on," Guy stopped himself from thinking any further. He had subconsciously entered the future-planning mode. Before he could preoccupy himself with questions like, 'What will the name of my Sect be?' or 'What should my Sect layout be?', he had to tackle the most important question of them all.

"Where will the Sect even be?"

It all boiled down to real estate. Guy wasn't knowledgeable about the price of real estate in the Solar Empire. Heck, he didn't know how to go about it either! Was the land owned by the Emperor or the Feudal Clans that managed their designated region? Would he need to communicate with a broker of some sort? What about tax? Above all that, how much land or space would he even need for his Sect?

"Busy, busy, busy," Guy repeated as he scratched his head in frustration. "Nope! I can't procrastinate on this. I will hitch a ride to Radiant City first thing tomorrow morning. It will also allow me to check how much money I have accumulated in my account."

As Guy mentally laid out his plans for the following days, three equally-spaced and succinct knocks drew out his attention. He extended his mana sense and recognised that it was Grace.

"Come in," he called out.

The door opened slowly, and Grace's figure appeared through it. Guy observed her body language and expression and frowned. Unlike her usual firm and upbeat aura, a sense of defeat and sorrow hung over her. She was fidgeting while scratching at her elbows, she was avoiding Guy's gaze, she was biting her lips, and her shoulders were drooping.

"What's the matter? Sit, sit," Guy gestured as he tossed a cushion in front of his desk for her. Grace nodded and sat down before Guy.

"What's wrong?" Guy probed with a concerned gaze.

"I..." Grace spoke up with a nearly inaudible volume. "Markus just told me that you were thinking of starting your own Sect?"

Guy slapped his forehead, "Right! I almost forgot to tell you."

"You told everyone else, but me. Even Dora and Kano knew about it, and Kano only just arrived yesterday," Grace added with a dull tone.

"I... I'm sorry," Guy said sincerely.

"He said that you might be leaving the orphanage as well?" Grace asked.

"I'm sorry," Guy said as he pulled the corners of his lips into his cheeks submissively

"Why are you apologising?" Grace retorted.

"Because..." Guy didn't know how to answer that question. He was apologising for keeping Grace in the shadow. But why though? Truthfully, their relationship was similar to that of roommates sharing a home. Grace shouldn't feel so offended and dismayed over a small oversight such as Guy forgetting to reveal that he would move out sometime in the future. Yet why did Guy get the feeling that Grace was hurt?

Grace started chuckling. Her laughter started to grow in amplitude until it reached a manic pitch. Then Grace cupped her face and muffled her laughter. Eventually, her apparent mirth warped into a cry of deep sadness and shame. She was now weeping. Her shoulders that jumped with delight just a second back now did the same with each whimper she released.

"Grace?" Guy was alarmed at the sudden turnabout. The multiple shifts in the atmosphere within the span of a minute were so rapid that his thoughts were still buffering. He couldn't compute his next actions and was stuck staring at the weeping woman with his hands suspended in the air.

Grace pulled in a deep breath through her nose to clear her nasal canals and then used her cuffs to dab her falling tears.

"You are a horrible man, Guy Larks. Do you know that?" Grace said with a bitter smile.

"I shouldn't have let you stay here. I should have kicked you out the moment you arrived at our doorstep with Markus," Grace continued angrily.

"I'm sorry," Guy repeated.

"For what?" Grace retorted back. "Tell me, why are you sorry?"

Guy remained silent. The words that were at the tip of his tongue slithered back down his throat. He knew for a fact that his answer wasn't what Grace was looking for.

"If you leave, I will have nothing left Guy Larks!" Grace bellowed ragefully.

"What do you mean?" Guy blurted out in shock.

"You came into our life- my life and integrated yourself so seamlessly," Grace expounded. "Markus is your Disciple, he goes where you go. Marie is Mage Nara's Disciple, she goes where he goes, and as per Markus, he is bound to follow you wherever you plan to set up your Sect. Besides, that girl sees you as a father figure and someone to depend on - something I couldn't be for her. Dora and Kano, the only things those two ever talk about nowadays are all the interesting and mind-boggling things you've been teaching them. If you were to leave tomorrow, who do you think will remain in this orphanage?"

"Grace..."

"Just me!" Grace answered herself while gritting her teeth. "And do you want to hear something funny? When I heard that you might be leaving soon, do you know what saddened me the most? No! It wasn't the fact that I would be left by myself in this orphanage, but it was the fact that I wouldn't get to see you again!"

A heavy silence grasped the room as Grace finished the sentence with an incredulous pitch.

"Why do I feel this way, Guy? What did you do to me?" Grace asked with a manic gaze.

"I was just... there I guess," Guy muttered.

"Why are you leaving me, Guy?" Grace parroted with an increasingly detached tone, with a growing sense of hysteria in his voice. "Is it because I'm useless?"

Grace pulled her knees towards her chest and hugged it tightly. "I'm sorry. Please don't leave me..."

"Grace?" Guy approached the rocking woman carefully. "Relax. It's okay."

Right as his arms were about to hold her shaking shoulders, Grace screeched in fear, "Don't hurt me! Please! AAAH!"

Her voice was loud, and it echoed all across the orphanage, rousing Markus and Marie who rushed over immediately.

"Master?!" Markus was the first to arrive and was immediately followed by Marie.

"I-"

"It's okay Teacher Larks," Marie assuaged. "Please help me take her to her room."

____

"It's happened before, hasn't it?" Guy broke the silence inside Grace's room. He was with Marie, facing the now calm and unconscious body of Grace.

"A few times," Marie answered. "She would wake up in the middle of the night. Wailing fearfully, grasping her legs just like before and cowering in the corner of the room."historical

"Do you know why?" Guy asked.

"Everyone has their story," Marie replied. "Everyone here's suffered in one way or another."

"She didn't tell you?"

"I didn't ask," Marie shook her head.

"But this isn't healthy. She needs to work out whatever is eating away at her," Guy reasoned.

"Who can she talk to?" Marie retorted. "Not me. I'm just as broken as Matron Reva," she chuckled.

"Not Markus either. That boy doesn't understand women at all," Marie added. "The twins are just kids."

"You know, Teacher Larks," Marie pivoted. "In the years that I've known Matron Reva, I haven't seen her more emotive and relaxed than in the last year - after you came in."

"Anyways, I'm going back to bed," Marie said with a loud yawn. "See you tomorrow, Teacher Larks. Good night!"

Guy hummed in response but didn't leave Grace's bedside. His gaze alternated between affection and concern as he saw her tranquil face. In truth, her earlier outburst had alarmed him. While he respected her privacy before and avoided egging her to reveal her history, he was now completely invested and wanted to know more so that he could help her.

"Guy?" Grace murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Are you there?"

"I'm here."

Silence.

"You can build your Sect here," Grace said.

"I don't want to inconvenience you," Guy responded.

Silence.

"I know that you hate Mages," Guy redirected.

Silence.

"Do you want to know why?" Grace asked.

Guy hummed and shuffled closer.

"I'll tell you, but in the end I want you to promise me something. Can you do that?"

"Sure."

Grace raised her right hand and extended her pinky finger. Guy stared blankly at that action until it finally hit him. She was asking him to form a 'Pinky Swear'. It wasn't a gesture that originally existed in this world. Guy introduced it to his younger students and now most of the villagers did it. Funnily, they assumed that the swear was some kind of archaic mage ritual.

"Make the contract," Grace said. "Pinky swear that you will keep that promise."

Guy held in a chuckle and acquiesced by locking his own pinky around Grace's.

"I pinky swear!"