To a very special friend studying the magical arts. Enclosed you will find one of the earliest accounts of my adventures with my magic teachers as you requested. I hope you enjoy it, and that you can one day meet the Demalgo twins in person. I can't recall the exact date at the moment, but I remember that this incident occurred in the spring, and it had to be around the second week of Athalonious in 1868 AW.

Signed, Colin Renaud

I was sitting on a bench in the front yard of the Demalgo house early in the morning like I often do, particularly after long nights of magic study, and was attempting to put the finishing touches on some regular school assignments as I looked up and saw a girl around my age, give or take a year, walking in the direction of the house. She had short black hair, pale light brown skin, and was a few inches shorter than me. I figured that she was a human from a country in the Jagerfell region, or at least had ancestors from there. She was coming up the path leading to the front door and stopped as she passed by me.

"Excuse me. Is this the Demalgo residence?" she asked.

"It sure is." I replied. "Given the time of day, I'm guessing you're here for our services?" I of course knew the answer since it is rare for someone to show up who is not seeking our aid, but it never hurts to check first.

"Yes. I need some assistance in a certain matter." The girl replied.

"Then come with me." I said as I got up and held the front door open for the young woman before following her inside.

"Are you one of the Demalgo siblings?" the girl asked as I led her through the house. "If you are, I'm guessing that you're Scarlon if I'm using the current name?"

I laughed. "Nah. I'm Colin Renaud, one of their students. You do have his current name right, though. He seems to like that one. May I ask for yours?"

"Of course. I'm Akiyomi. Arizuno Akiyomi." The girl said, giving a light bow. "You're studying under them? But I've always heard that they're selective with their choice of students."

"Oh, they are. Their methods of teaching aren't for everyone either, but let's not get into that." I said. "Come to think of it I believe I've seen you at school a few times, Akiyomi. You're a year behind me if I'm not mistaken."

"That does sound about right. I remember seeing you a couple of times myself." She said. "So are the Demalgos home?"

"Yep. Scarlon is, at least. I'll mention your arrival to him and we'll go from there." As we walked through the main hall of the house, I remembered that I had heard the name Arizuno from my teachers before, and they also told be about the way names are structured in the Jagerfell regions with the surname usually being written first. "Your family name's Arizuno, right? Any connection to Arizuno Toyoshi?"

Akiyomi nodded. "He's my grandfather."

I nodded back in response, remembering that Arizuno Toyoshi was a student of the Demalgos once just like I am now, though he was a student long before I was born. "Ah. Did he told you to seek out the Demalgos if you ever need any help, especially with magical matters?" I asked.

"Something like that." She said. "He always talks about how our family had been friends with the Demalgo siblings for generations by the time he came along."

I chuckled. "Indeed they have. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting your grandfather yet, but they did say he'll have a few lessons for me eventually."

"That will be something to see." Akiyomi laughed. She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "You said your family name is Renaud. Any connection to the ancient House of Renaud, former dukes of Crolish?"

I grinned. "Sure is. My grandfather is Reginald Renaud, the current head of the house. Well, that branch, anyway. Since I asked about your family, I suppose that question is only fair." I said as we walked up to an old large door that leads to the main room of the house. "Anyway, we're here. Wait outside and I'll announce your arrival."

I went into the main room where all sorts of things were scattered all over the place, a sign that my teacher was in the middle of some research. It would take forever to describe everything in that room and the contents change all the time, but I will try to describe what is always there. There are a few couches and chairs in the center of the room surrounding a coffee table. This area is meant for guests and to go with that, a bookshelf sits on the wall closest to the couches with an assortment of books, movies, and music to entertain them since this is where his guests wait on non-research days. A staircase sits across from the coffee table at one end on the room with a large desk positioned in front of it, blocking access to the upper levels of the house. Nobody is ever allowed up there except for members of the Demalgo family. I'm only occasionally allowed up there myself, and the longest I have been up there is about ten minutes.

The desk in front of the stairs is often covered with all sorts of books, weapons, and a bunch of assorted objects that I did not recognize, and there are a few I still don't. Today was no different, though as stated before, the research materials were spread all over the room. Behind that desk is an armchair that, according to the Demalgos, once belonged to a king who ruled over three hundred years ago and was given to them as a gift. One of my teachers, Scarlon Demalgo, is usually seated there either with his arms folded and eyes closed as if quietly contemplating something, or he reading through one of the many books kept on his desk and/or examining some relic from the ever-growing collection kept in his desk. Behind the chair on a wall next to the stairs are a pair of hooks holding a sword, Scarlon's most treasured possession. There are also paintings all over the walls ranging from abstract art to finely detailed portraits of historical figures, most of whom once knew the Demalgos. Well, at least according to them. Not that I usually doubt them since the things they told me that I once thought to be the most insane and unlikely turned out to be true.

I quietly approached the desk where Scarlon was reading one of his many books on magic, knowing that my teacher has never liked being disturbed in this state unless there is a good reason.

"Someone from my school is here to see you, Scarlon." I began. "Shall I show her in?"

Things were silent for a moment, but he then nodded without breaking his concentration or looking up. "You may show her in."

I nodded before leaving the room and found Akiyomi sitting on one of the chairs just outside of it.

"Will he see me?" She asked as she saw me come out.

"Yes." I said. "Come with me."

She got up and followed me into the room, which had been cleaned of most of the materials in the few minutes that had passed. A trick of the Demalgos that they have yet to teach me. I turned a couple of the armchairs around to face the desk and sat down in one of them with Akiyomi sitting down in the other.

"Is that him really him? Scarlon Demalgo? That...boy?" Akiyomi asked, turning to me.

"Indeed it is." I replied, knowing that my teacher's appearance often confuses people since all they see is a red-haired youth in a suit looking only a few years older than me, well, at least at the time, and considerably younger than many of our visitors. He also has a habit of either reading or appearing to be resting at times. In this case it was the former. "Though it doesn't look like it," I began. "he is listening to everything we say. He's always cautious around new visitors and wishes to hear what they have to tell him before he responds. Now why exactly did you come to see us?"

"I suppose it's best to start from the beginning." Akiyomi said, clearing her throat before facing Scarlon. "My name is Arizuno Akiyomi of the Arizuno clan. Perhaps you remember us? You've helped my ancestors many times and they have done the same." Scarlon looked up from his book with smile and gave a slight nod. "Perfect. Anyway, it all started about a month ago. Some of my friends had checked out some rather strange old books on the occult in the school library and, to put it plainly, they have not acted the same since."

"In what way?" I asked.

"They've been skipping classes left right and center when they would hardly miss a thing before, and refuse to contact anyone. Even friends and family. I didn't think anything of it at first since I thought they were sick or something, not like it would be the first time, but I caught them in the woods the other morning when I tried to use them as a shortcut to get to school." She shook her head and hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I could almost swear that I heard them talking to someone in a language I had never heard before, and I've been all over the world. That's when I felt that something was terribly wrong."

"And you came to see us given the Demalgos' reputation as investigators of the supernatural?" I asked.

"Exactly."

Suddenly, then eyes of Scarlon Demalgo shot open and he looked directly at Akiyomi as he put his book down. Though he looks young, anyone looking in his eyes can see the wisdom of many centuries behind them.

"So a bunch of your friends found some old books and have been skipping classes to talk to something in the woods. Is that the gist of it?" Scarlon asked.

Akiyomi nodded.

My teacher remained silent for a moment before speaking once more. "This is a puzzling case, Miss Arizuno. Hearing voices like that is rarely a good thing, but there could also be any number of explanations ranging from nothing at all to a very serious matter. I will do what I can to help you out."

"Thank you very much, sir. How much do I owe you for your assistance?" She asked.

"For you, nothing. I owe your ancestors many favors and debts that will take several human lifetimes to even up, particularly with Toyoshi's father, and teaching him was part of that." Scarlon said. "Given your age and the fact that there aren't many existing branches of the family at this point, at least branches that bear the Arizuno name, I'm guessing that Toyoshi's your grandfather?"

Akiyomi nodded. "Indeed, sir. He's the one who told me about you, and thank you very much. Both for your assistance and doing it for free."

Don't thank me until we have sorted everything out with this matter." Scarlon began. "In order to get anywhere, both you and my pupil will have to assist me."

"In what way, Scarlon?" I asked as I looked up at him.

He looked at me and then at Akiyomi. "Miss Arizuno, can you take Colin to the part of the woods where you heard the voices?"

She nodded. "I can't remember the exact spot, but I think I can get him to an area that's close enough to where I was."

He grinned. "Perfect. Colin, I need you to take a few photos of what you see there and send them to me. It will start to give me an idea of what we're dealing with and what our next steps will be." He then looked at Akiyomi. "It would also help if you can find out exactly which books your friends checked out, if at all possible. I would join you myself, but I regret to say that I have some urgent business that requires my attention this morning."

Akiyomi nodded. "I see. I would prefer it if you came along for this, but I'll happily accept the aid of your student since I'm sure you're a busy man."

"Yes. I am today, at least. However, I will dedicate all of my attention to this matter starting this afternoon, no matter how long it takes. Be it hours, days, or weeks." Scarlon said.

"Thank you." Akiyomi replied. "The woods are one thing since it's not far from here, though I don't know about the books. I will visit the library and see what I can do, though."

"Excellent. Once I have at least the location, I can start piecing together what's going on. The books would be nice as well, but I'll understand if you can't get those records given how that school rarely shares them. But where are my manners?" He began as he got up and started heading for a door on the east side of the room that led to the dining room. "I'll treat you to a nice breakfast before you leave."

"Thank you, sir. Grandfather's told me much about your meals." Akiyomi said, giving a light bow as she got up. "By the way, don't you have a sister?"

Scarlon nodded. "I do, but she is away at the moment and I don't know when she'll be back."

"Yeah." I began. "She often disappears at random for days at a time and so does Scarlon occasionally, but there's always at least one Demalgo here even if Scarlon and his sister are out. If there isn't, you know there's trouble.

My teacher chuckled. "Indeed there is, but enough about that. Let's have some breakfast and then we can start figuring your problem out." With that, he led all of us into the dining room.

We had nice breakfast in the dining room, which is about the same size as the living room and has doors leading out to all corners of the house, including a second staircase leading upstairs. There are a few decorations on the wall along with a few small pictures, but the centerpiece of the room is the ornate and long table that takes up about half of the room. It was given to the Demalgos by a wealthy aristocrat in exchange for their services. Quite a fair trade since according to Scarlon, roughly fifteen generations of that aristocrat's family have come and gone since he first got it.

He looked at a clock on the wall as we finished breakfast, the clock being one of the few items in the house without much of a story attached to it. He simply spotted it in a market about a century ago and bought it because he liked it. "Since school starts in a bit, you should probably be on your way right about now if you want to get the photos I need." He said.

I nodded in agreement. "Good idea, Scarlon. Let's hope that we're successful."

"I have no doubt that you will, my student. Just be careful." He replied.

"We will, sir." Akiyomi said.

Scarlon gave a hearty chuckle. "Then be off with you. I'll expect to see something by the end of the day, even if it's just a report saying nothing was found. That alone will still give me something to work with."

"We won't disappoint you, sir." Akiyomi said. We bowed before backing out of the room and leaving the house.