Wind blew with ominous purpose across the midnight sky of Tristain as the Twin Moons of Halkegenia drifted sedately over its skies. Animals, even those that would hunt during such a night as this, were unusually absent from the forests. There were no sounds, either from the creatures of night or the snapping of twigs; even the rustling trees seemed oddly muted, as if the world was holding its breath because of some unspeakable act. For all intents and purposes, this night, out of any other, was truly dead.

However, the Tristain Academy of Magic was most definitely not.

Torches of Fire and signs of obvious activity flitted across both its walls and courtyards. Men clad in armor and teachers with their wands drawn, patrolled alertly around the Academy's central tower and gate while curious students look out of their rooms to gaze upon the spectacle of destruction that the Academy's court had become.

Furrows of torn up ground and massive columns of earth polluted the Academy's inner walls as they lead an obvious trail of destruction beginning from the massive hole in the enchanted stone walls of the Academy, all the way to institute's central tower. From there, anyone who chose to look would see an earthen construct of colossal proportions, collapsed over onto its back, gradually crumbling as various academy faculty worked to remove it from the grounds; and, if any happened to be closer, an unsightly patch of discolored, dying grass that many of the faculty wearily avoided, especially the malevolent looking sword that impaled the ground at its center.

The sword worried many of the faculty, but none worse than Headmaster Osmond, who gazed from his office window in the central tower sedately as he smoked his pipe, tiredly trying to ignore the pacing vice-headmaster, Jean Colbert, as he thought; but such was a losing battle.

"You're going to wear a hole in that floor if you keep pacing on it" the headmaster said with his back turned to Jean, still staring out his office window towards the massive hole in his walls, "the stone isn't as strong as I had previously assumed, it seems."

Jean's pacing continued unhindered, though his steps were beginning to grow weary with exertion, "This is a disaster..." the balding man said as he actively rubbed his temples, utterly ignoring the old Headmasters words, "A Duke's daughter; dead in our own court. The midnight summons of said daughter; actively doing something most definitely malign in our fields, and a group of students; who just so happened to see the death of a fellow noble. No," he says, pausing as he turns to face Osmond, "I was wrong, this isn't a disaster; this is an utter catastrophe."

Osmond let out a long and drawn out sigh, smoke escaping the ends of his mouth as he partly turned towards his subordinate, "We couldn't have known, Jean" the old earth mage tiredly responds, "No one could have possibly predicted Miss Vallière's interference in this."

"I should have!" The balding professor loudly retorts, "I should have known that sword would be a problem the moment I laid eyes on it; the fact that it was a midnight summoning should have forced my hand entirely!" Wearily, Jean made his way over to the desk of the Academy's now dead secretary, and sat, "The testimony of Miss Zerbst and her friend is damning, what it's doing to the fields even more so; and we locked Miss Vallière in with it for two weeks!"

"Again, Jean, we couldn't have known." Osmond repeated with a sigh before turning back to face his office window, looking down at his destroyed courtyard below, "It will have to be dealt with soon, though. The Vallière family is already in a difficult position with the other nobility as it is; and after this event, the sharks will no doubt be out for blood. Tristain, and most definitely the princess, will be unable to afford that." Pausing briefly, the headmaster stroked his beard in grim thought, "You know as well as I do, Jean; the consequences if this Academy were to close. The plan to out 's – or Fouquet's – benefactor is, ironically, as dead as now." Osmond finishes with a grim chuckle, "but catastrophic as this most recent event may be, we can only work to pick up the fallen pieces."

From behind the old headmaster, Jean sat at his temporary desk, silent as he listened to the man speak, a harsh set of grim features beginning to show prominently on his face.

Despite the pervading silence at his back, Osmond continued to speak, "You know the Duchess best, I ask that you prepare the letter informing them of their daughter's death, as well as all it entails." Taking another puff of his pipe, the headmaster went on, "While you do that, I will get in touch with our Warding Professor, Guise, and tackle the problem on how to deal with the late Miss Vallière's midnight summon. I doubt the girl would want a Church inquisition brought down on her family, or us for that matter, living or dead."

With a heavy frown marring his face, Jean Colbert began to speak before finding himself unexpectedly trailing off, "Headmaster, I…" sighing, the balding professor shook his head, "Alright." He finally agreed.

Walking back to his temporary desk to begin a long and grueling letter, he was once again stopped by Osmond, "And Jean?" the old man asked, his tone apologetic, "I don't want any of our venturous students finding something they shouldn't in Miss Vallière's room, however unlikely such a scenario is. When you find the time, please remove anything that would paint us, our unfortunate student, or her family, in a bad light. I'll be sure to send one of the more…expendable servants up to help you."

Professor Colbert nodded tiredly towards Osmond, and steered away from his temporary desk and towards the office door. The letter would have to wait, it seemed; best to get the most time-limited task out of the way first.

On his way out, Jean ignored the Headmasters mutterings, "Now…where did I put that detestable man's letter of request…"

AN: Well, there you go. A short chapter, yes; but a minor arc is now complete. Is that you foreshadowing? Why, yes. Yes it is.