Rosaria and Celestia exchanged a long look. It was a silent conversation born from years of working together and dealing with special situations like these.

A unanimous decision was reached without a single word, and both nodded simultaneously.

Rosaria let out a soft sigh before she stood from her chair. "I should get the head of the History Institution. I'm sure he would want you to quickly write down what you saw now. Immediately."

Reinhard blinked when he saw Rosaria walking towards the door.

"Don't I need to meet Klaus?" Reinhard called after her, the planned meeting to explain what happened in Eastern Hesod surfacing through his daze of excitement.

Rosaria paused at the door, her hand on the knob, but did not turn around. "It's fine. Those four can handle it. You should focus on staying here with Celestia to finish hearing what she has to say and your check-up."

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving a sudden quiet in her wake.

Celestia giggled, the sound light and musical, breaking the tension. "That woman sure doesn't like being honest."

Reinhard furrowed his brows. "I figured the dream was shocking, but I didn't think she would allow me to skip out on Klaus."

"Well..." Celestia hummed thoughtfully, her smile widening into something knowing and mischievous. "The thing is, what you told us is probably worth over four hundred points."

Reinhard paused before blinking as he began processing the number and staring at Celestia. Then his eyes went wide, as the number was so far beyond his most hopeful calculations that it seemed ludicrous.

"Is it really!?" Reinhard quickly asked once more.

Celestia nodded before laughing and said. "Then combine it with what happened in Eastern Hesod, where you guys reached Forerunner's old capital, the revelations about the Dark Silence, ending the Dark Silence, and saving the continent."

Reinhard blinked as Celestia continued with a grin. "Congratulations, Reinhard. You will most likely be in first place on the rankings and get your desired Elixir of Life."

The words struck him speechless.

Reinhard trembled as his legs, which had held him through countless battles, gave out, and he swayed dangerously before sitting down hard in the chair. His eye lost its focus, staring blindly at the scuffed floor. Both hands rose to clasp together at his chest, fingers lacing so tightly the knuckles strained white against his skin.

The trembling intensified, not from weakness, but from an emotion too vast and long-suppressed to be contained.

Celestia's smile softened into something gentler. She moved to sit beside him, the fabric of her constellation-patterned dress sliding against the chair. One hand came up to rub slow, comforting circles on his back.

The other reached out, covering his clasped, trembling hands with her own.

Reinhard squeezed his hands together, as if trying to physically hold onto this reality. Then he felt joy and relief crashing through him in waves as the Elixir of Life. The object of his quest, the reason he joined the academy, and the goal that had driven him to risk his life again and again.

After everything, such as the visceral horror of Mensis Town, the constant fighting in Phane, the terror and terrible revelations in Eastern Hesod, the dreams that had shaken his very understanding of existence. All of these things he had experienced were worth it because he would finally get the Elixer.

The Dark Tide curse that had stolen two years of Klein's life and shackled him to a slow, bloody death could finally be broken.

The dam of memory burst open.

He recalled in the night Klein looking frail in bed as he screamed in the night. "Help me! Please, help me!"

The sound was followed by the wet, tearing coughs, the horrible gurgle, and his crying out for him. Reinhard recalled pressing against the cold wood of the door, hands clenched into useless fists, nails biting into his palms.

He always felt hatred for his inability to help, self-loathing for being useless, and disgust at his own powerlessness. He was the older brother who was supposed to protect and help them. But all he could do was listen, trapped by his own inadequacy.

He saw Anna in the grim light of morning. Her face displayed exhaustion with dark circles and bruising of the skin beneath her eyes. Her hands would tremble as she tried to serve breakfast, pretending everything was normal, but the anguish couldn't be concealed.

He remembered cleaning Klein's bloody room afterward. The scent of blood was everywhere, soaking the sheets, smeared on the floor, sometimes even speckling the walls.

Worst of all was Klein's embarrassment, the way he would hesitate to accept any invitation that required staying overnight.

The curse had caused much trouble for all three of them. It had stolen their sleep, peace, and the simple things that many took for granted. In their home, stealing sleep, peace, and the simple, unthinking safety of a normal life.

But now...

Reinhard squeezed his hands until a dull ache shot through his wrists. There would be no more screaming in the dark.

No more watching the life drain from his brother's face.

No more bloodstains to scrub away.

No more seeing the silent plea in the mirror that kept on asking. "Why can't you save him?"

Everything he'd endured had been worth it for this single moment.

A sound escaped him.

A choked, ragged noise that was half laugh, half sob, the release of something that held shut for years. His shoulders shook, not with grief, but with the sheer, overwhelming force of a hope realized.

Celestia's hand continued its gentle circles on his back. She didn't say anything because it would be empty to him, only touch to let him know she is here, and silence to let him let it all out.

Minutes passed, and gradually, the trembling in Reinhard's eased into occasional shivers. His breathing, which had been coming in ragged gasps, steadied. The tsunami of emotion receded, leaving behind a feeling of gratitude, relief, and the imagination of his brother being alright.

He would write down every detail of the dream, every sensation, every line of dialogue. He would ensure the History Institution had a record so vivid it was as if they had been there themselves.

He would claim that first-place ranking and obtain the Elixir.

And then Klein would be free.

Then his logical thought, momentarily swept away by the emotional tide, now returned. He paused, a new thought cutting through the relief.

He realized he had forgotten to ask Klaus or Rosaria a crucial detail. He didn't know how long he would have to wait before he could rush to Nuevo City?

"When would the rewards for the ranking be given?" Reinhard asked, directing the question to Celestia.

Celestia turned fully to face him, her dress swirling with a pattern of stars and nebulae. "At the end of the school year. So in three months."

Reinhard nodded, processing this. It did suck that he still had to wait, and Klein would have to suffer in the night.

But this was manageable, in three months he can rush towards Nuevo City. Then another, more pressing question occurred to him. "Is it awarded in a big ceremony, or can we get it privately?"

Celestia giggled. "You can get it privately, but a lot of people like the ceremony because it's a big party. A celebration of their achievements with all their peers and professors."

"Not that interested," Reinhard cut in, his voice flat. "I just want the Elixir and then run straight to Nuevo."

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