[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/saJefsm.png[/img]
[h2][color=ab0000]C[/color]armillia [color=ab0000]C[/color]arbonneau[/h2][/center]

Orientation at Ersand'Enise was surprisingly mundane. The new students spent the entirety of the day being brought around campus. She had identified several targets worth befriending but she refrained from action. Opportunities would show themselves if she waited, it served her no purpose if she came off as eager. 

As a result, the day itself had been rather uneventful for her.

Her Zeno did not seem content in letting that remain the case. Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight had finally made her appearance when they were in the midst of her dinner in her townhome. Carmillia had been waiting for her arrival. Illanaq’s disappearance still weighed on her mind and while she doubted her Zeno would reveal any information to her Biros, Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight was never one for rules. It was a possibility she would leak useful information. Alas, she revealed nothing other than the fact Illanaq was still missing; something that Carmillia was already expecting.

As if to make up for it, Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight proceeded with an extraordinary display of the Gift. Even Jomurr was flabbergasted. Indeed, her magical prowess was astounding. To top it all off, Carmillia was unable to detect where the source of the energy she was drawing from came. It likely was related to her momentary phase out of reality. [color=ab0000][i]Greyborn,[/i][/color] thought Carmillia. It was included in the profile Bernhard had procured for her. She had only sparse knowledge of viral mana type and none of it explained what the Zeno was doing.

[color=800080]"W-where!?"How? Where did all of that energy come from? How are you maintaining it?"[/color]

Although she refused to display such uncouth behavior, Carmillia understood his reaction. 

Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight seemed to take pleasure in their shock. As she materialized three stools for each of the Biros, she revealed she had just used dark magic 

Dark magic… was something that Carmillia considered to be nothing more than a rumor. Little to nothing was known about it and whatever was known of it was unreliable due to stories always being embellished. And yet, her Zeno had just casually revealed herself as that white whale.

Desire welled up within Carmillia. All her life, she had lacked talent in the Gift. Her accomplishments were a result of her making do with the shitty cards that life had dealt her. If she could achieve this much with her limited magical capacity, the possibilities with dark magic were endless.

Carmillia contemplated her Zeno’s thought process. All the Biros were hand picked by their Zenos. 
She had figured the four of them were picked haphazardly given their Zeno’s personality but this changed everything. Jomurr was a prodigy. Leon was rumored to be sunblessed. Illanaq had appeared to be relatively mundane but recent events have linked her to the Traveler. Carmillia was no ordinary person as well but only her merchant influence was publicly known. Perhaps there was more to their Zeno that she had given her credit for.

[color=ab0000][i]Calm down,[/i][/color] she thought. There was a golden opportunity in front of her and she would be damned if she did not seize it. But first, she needed information.

[color=ab0000]“Forgive me for my impudence if I’m too direct, Zeno,”[/color] she said politely as she took her seat on one of the materialized stools. [color=ab0000]“You clearly aren’t talking about our studies when referring to our ignorance. Telling us all these things. Displaying the elusive school of dark magic. What exactly do you have in store for us?[/color]