The Kantinian's gaze fell on a faint ray of light falling from a small window into a large, bright, interesting world outside... Her bag, unlike the shelves, can be moved closer to the window. And it will help her to find everything she needs there. If we're able to find anything at all here.

"You will. We've already found something. But it will be a lot easier if we find Milo first."

Right. I hope for some ease. We need some dopamine.Finding Milo will be a crucial achievement that will bring the other achievements in our way.

...Finian's book... the cured... the... noise? Have we found the noisy plate for them? Doesn't matter... We'll write it down when we find a damned stick...

The stick and the juice of the writing berries were there, a little dried up, but it was quite possible to crack it open and write something. The main thing was not to forget what you wanted to write while you were looking for it.

...Swamp squelches! We will find the documents. We might. But where would we find Rayleen?!

"On a second level."

But how will we know the difference?! We couldn't get a look at her face through the blindingly bright window in this hurry... What if there are many graceful blondes here?!

...a book, cured, a noise? Noise too... or not? Just write it down with a question mark...

- Lucy. - came from the window.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

Ami was scared again. But now she realised who they were talking to. And that hiding was useless.

- I'm... here instead. - Amelia replied in a shaking, nervous voice.

- Oh. You're not Lucy! - Someone outside had made a great discovery.

Splendid.

- That's right. - I agreed hoarsely. - But what am I supposed to be looking for? Let me finish writing down the previous cases I haven't found.

- Oh. You... didn't?

- No. - Ami confessed. - All I can do now is add to my list of failures. I am sorry. What shall I add?

- A list of items missing from Finnian's vault. - The other side reacted with embarrassment and sympathy.

Add... Horror, horror, horror, horror! One more person to fail!

"Easy. Even easier."

- They were just asked… by Rayleen... And we haven't found them. I was about to start to look for Lucy's journal instead. But it’s also hopeless.

- Look. Talla might actually have the cases by now. I'll look for them. 

- Oh, thank you so much!

- So. You ended up working here. I'm Davin, by the way. In case you don't remember.

As if to underline his words, the dark-haired, bearded truth officer rested his chin on the window visor, showing his face.

Ami was slightly taken aback by the approaching, menacing talking head that had suddenly appeared in the room, blocking out almost all the meagre remnants of light from the Hall.

- I... remember you! I destroyed your coffee. Good to see you. I'm also glad you need something I already couldn't find, not something new... Because as the number of things on my list increases, my panic level increases disproportionately.

- Don't! - the service man smiled. - You don't know anything about the place, your language is foreign. It's hard to adapt to working in a foreign department where everything is organised very differently from what you're used to. Don't be too hard on yourself.

“He’s so niiiice!”

- Yes, yes, yes! So true... And working outside my profession brings problems. 

"Just because he's nice doesn't mean he's interested in our complaints. Who's easy these lights?"

- You were a courier.

- I was also an operative.

- An operative? - the Templar was taken aback. - What a surprise. Our Lucy is now going to separate drunk people fighting with garden tools and look for traces of trampled fields?

He shook his shadowy head disapprovingly.

- More like counting sacks of orgama and getting a lot of blame because he can't tell the difference between that and ishitsa... If they put her in my place. The Kantine is a quiet place, you know. Sometimes too much. When I joined, I wanted chases, investigations and high-profile cases... Like the VST. But there was none of that. Most of the time. There was one unprecedented incident... but it kind of melted away quickly.

- Omill was pretty quiet too, you know... Until recently. It's so hectic now. And it feels like we are dealing with VST level stuff... None of us understand it. I don't envy those VST people. Personally, the level of stress I have here every light is enough for me.

- I think I'd rather have VST privileges than be here where my stress level is off the charts for nothing. The fights and chases I've had during my service couldn't have freaked me out as much as this little room with its seemingly endless amount of clay, where you desperately need to find something in the midst of this Aeonness. Sounds like the stuff of nightmares. PTSD guaranteed.

- Ask for time off for treatment afterwards.

- If I survive. Do you need anything else apart from what you have kindly decided to find for me?

- Yes. Find me the correspondence with Prime Royal Laboratories from the cycle before last. I need the blood test results.

- Oh, that's a real horror... I'll write it down...

Oh, no, the inkwell, don't fall! We don't need the black juice on the floor, we need it on our cloth. Damn darkness...

Ami went back to the shelves.

"Cycle before... You need to look higher up. And look for references to Prime on the labels." 

Now you're helping, aren't you?... Labels... Prime, Labs... Labs, Prime.

"Closer to the entrance are the reports, further from the curtain are the cases, in the middle are the correspondence..."

Thank you, prompting boggarts... Can you always be so cooperative?

Talking to friendly people really helps to work and feel better. Finding something to do without a panicky throat and blood pounding in your ears is much easier. Still hard though...

...Prime... Here. The dispatches from Prime... 

"Look. It's here. Here."

Fascinating... It really starts to work when it's quiet inside for a moment, doesn't it? Let's have a look...

She held the found tablet up to the light of the Hall window.

- This one?

- Yes, thank you.

- Splendid...

The Secretary smiled weakly as she wiped her sweaty palms on the clothes.

- It will be alright. You'll see. - Davin winked encouragingly and headed for the second level.

- I really hope so!

Ami sat back in her chair. 

"So. We won again?"

There's more to come, but yes. For now. There will be no end to them. And it will be forever.

"Half of the cycle."

She glanced at the plate that had recently caught her eye. They definitely should find a time to examine it before the nightmare is over.

"She would learn to work here and lose her operational skills at the same time. To settle down, unmoving in Kantine, just like her mother.”

No!

Amelia may be somewhat immobile now, but at least she's frozen in a new place. In a new pose, so to speak. How comfortable it is is another question. You have to make the best of it, one way or another. 

"Right. We've got treats."

Treats! That's much better. We should eat right away. 

Ami stood up, dug into her bag and pulled out some flatbread. She took a big bite and started to chew.

Mmm. That's the taste... It's not a good idea to nibble on problems in a hurry, but... there's no other tranquilliser at hand. So delicious. It's a kind of biscuit miracle... 

Where had we seen the strange tablet we had almost dropped?

"Strange signs on found scraps". Here it is. It was not difficult to find it. It always happened when she was interested in the results.

The Archivist quickly went to a small outer window and lifted the translucent document to eye level to see if she could see through it.

They were witch-burned recordings of evidence found during the search. Ami didn't know what the location was marked with. 

She took a closer look at the signs, turning the tablet slightly. Voluminous witchgraphs themselves had always fascinated her, not to mention images of some strange alien writing... So alien and so... familiar.

Hmm. I'll have to check mother's notes.

"Shall we look for a missing Finnian's stuff?"

Davin promised to find it.

"And if he won't?"

One moment... Let's have another spicy flatbread while we investigate. We're on a break.

“Oh, lovely.”

What are these signs… are so curious. So beautiful. Where had she seen them before? It wasn't just the notes. There was something else... Something... from her childhood. Strange feelings. Strange feelings. But what exactly?

What are they? Do they glow by themselves? Like ones with a little halos?

The Secretary turned the plate a little more in her hands. What an effect. It's probably just a Suns glow. It's hard to tell when you're standing with the transparent thingy against the window.

Ami stepped away and put the tablet on the desk, on top of the issues log. It's great to be in touch with something curious and with the light again. 

The windows here are so small. Just like a room itself. It's not clear if it's for the safety of the documents or just to annoy someone who works here.

She sat down, pulled the tablet closer and hovered over it for a moment. But the markings were no longer visible against the dark background. The illumination was also a temporary effect. 

An unpleasant chill was another temporary effect observed here, but it became a frequent guest. And now it was running down her neck and making the hair on her arms stand up. 

Instinctively, the Kantinian quickly checked her palm and neck. No, nothing stuck to her skin. Just nerves. Stress.

Amelia sprang to her feet. She should go out for some air. 

"And for some Milo for some light."

She went to the door curtain, but stopped suddenly to listen. Something wasn't right... The Templar had only noticed how quiet the hall had been for the last few moments... Abnormally, unnaturally quiet. 

Only some soft whispering and pomping of her heart could be heard. That... must have been the way the conversation going on outside was heard here.

...Something’s not right here anyway.

A shiver ran down her neck and down her legs again, making Ami jump out hastily. 

A dense and bright reality descended upon her, slightly deafening and blinding her for a while. This was despite the fact that the Hallway was the usual semi-darkness. There was no sound like that a whisper. And no people. There was no one.

...Enough of that.

The service woman walked quickly through the Hallway, feeling her fears diminish with each step. Milo had asked her not to leave the Archives for too long. Well, she wouldn't be for long. 

Besides, if she stood near the door, she could watch it. And workers and strangers could easily find her. Probably. It doesn't matter. She needs to have some rest.

It's so nice here... So quiet. Cosy seats, soft lights and the smell of coffee. Can we work from here? Or at least stay here for a while?

By the way, there are some sounds. The muffled voices of people talking in a corridor on the second level. And maybe Moki's office. The Chief's office was sealed with a privacy spell, the Archivist knew that.

She looked around and exhaled a sigh of relief.

The recent panic and fear felt so small and unimportant now. How many times had she chased them away. Countless. And she could do it again.

“Yeah. Don't make stuff up." 

"We look odd enough here. We don't want to be shunned again."

"Not here. Not by all these nice people."

We will. Sooner or later. You can't fool people's instincts. People can lie, but their instincts can't. If the mental illness is contagious it has a point.