Dean Acacia walks down the wide passage inside city hall that leads to the lonely office of his aunt, Caroline Acacia. He reaches the tall, wooden double doors with the Acacia family emblem of the acacia tree etched on the door knob and a few of the golden boarders on the door. He knocks and waits for permission to enter. When he hears her call, he enters.

"Aunt Ca-"

"Stand up straight, young man, and fix your uniform!" Caroline scolds him. He jumps and quickly buttons up his indigo blazer and then straightens up. Caroline takes long yet elegant strides towards Dean and starts to flatten down his spiky hair.

"Honestly, come more presentable when you come to see me! You must live up to the Acacia family name! Especially if you are attending the prestigious academy that my great grandfather established." She scolds him. Dean tries not to talk back or roll his eyes as his aunt gives up on his hair and goes back to her seat. Dean follows her and stands in front of her with her wooden desk in between them. He also ends up fixing his hair to its original state.

"Alright, what do you need to talk to me about?" Caroline questions her nephew, motioning him to sit. He sits down, sitting up properly as he looks at his aunt.

"Aunt Caroline, I want to know why Crowley is among the Five Elite if the Acacia family distrusts him and if you. . . if you know why Crowley is becoming close to Diana Green. My father recently started asking me about her after he found out I am trying to be her friend." Dean questions his aunt who doesn't give away anything with her body posture or her neutral expression.

"Tell me! I need to know if my father and you know something about Crowley and even Diana that they don't know! Aunt Caroline, please!" Dean pleads as he rises up and looks at her helplessly. Caroline's eyes snap open, and she looks at him with hard pastel green eyes. He tenses and sits back down.

"Dean, do not become involved with this. All I can tell you is that it is best that you do not become deeply involved with either Diana Green or Crowley. Those two, they are a dangerous pair that could be just as much of a threat as the impending war with the monsters, probably worse." Caroline tells him. Dean clenches his hands on his lap as he pictures a smiling Diana in his mind's eye. He can't imagine that Diana would ever be the kind of person Caroline is making her out to seem.

"I refuse to listen this time. Diana isn't like Crowley! The only thing she hides is her feelings because she lost faith in people after being alone and rejected for so long. I don't want her to feel the loneliness I felt when I was a child before I met Mary, Chelsea, and Lori. I won't walk away from her like so many people have." Dean says to her, looking at her with his own hard gaze. Now Caroline smacks her hands on her desk and glares down at him.

"She will be the death of you if you continue to get close to her! Dean, just like Crowley. . . she is not of Artemia. She is an outsider who came from beyond The Wall." She tells him, finding some composure. Dean's mismatching eyes widen as he looks at his aunt. He watches her sit and then looks out of her office window towards the fifth gate of The Wall.

"Diana isn't from Artemia? Th-then where are they from?" Dean questions her, but she shakes her head.

"I don't know, but even if I did, I would not tell you. I've already told you too much. Do not get involved in this, Dean. Just do as an adult tells you for once." Caroline tells him. Dean rises and heads over towards her door, opening one of them. He pauses at the entrance, not looking back at her. Dean knows that his aunt really won't tell him anything else. His questions will not be answered by her.

"Aunt Caroline, I am not a child anymore. I'm also an adult and can make my own decisions. And I choose Diana." He steps out and lets the door close behind him. He doesn't say his farewells like normal to the people in and about in City Hall. They can easily tell that something has greatly upset him as he walks out of City Hall but takes the opposite direction of Acacia Academy. He walks across the street to the public library.

Caroline lets out a long sigh as Dean leaves her. She sits back and looks to her cellphone. Her hand reaches over, and her fingers hover over the screen as she decides what to do. "Honestly..." Caroline picks up her cellphone and gets as far as she can to the contact screen of her phone. Her fingers hovers over the name of her elder brother, Chandler. She shakes her head and scrolls instead to her contact at the Artemia Public Library. For she knows her nephew all too well with all the years they've been mentor and student.

"Hello, Artemia Public Library. This is the head librarian's assistant, Karina Wood. Who may I ask is calling?" A young woman answers the phone on the head librarian's desk as she puts down a large stack of books.

"This is Caroline Acacia. My nephew is probably making his way to the library. I ask that you do not let him see the archives of Artemia from twenty years ago. Actually, don't let him see any archives. Do not tell him I called to tell you this. Understood?"

"O-oh! Lady Caroline! Y-yes, of course. . . I understand. Anything else?" Karina questions the intimidating woman.

"That's all, and when you talk with someone, do not stutter, young lady!"

"Yes, ma'am! Good day, ma'am!" Karina says helplessly. Caroline says her farewell and hangs up. She puts her hands to her cheeks to calm down and then goes to pick up her stack of books.

"Excuse me, miss?" The young woman jumps startled and looks back at the young blond man who looks at her with a smile. She realizes that he has a resemblance to Caroline due to the blonde hair and one of his eyes being a pastel green like hers.

"May I help you?" She questions him, knowing what he was about to ask.

"Where are the history books of Artemia?" Karina is taken off guard by his sudden question. She picks up the books and looks at him.

"I was heading there just now. I'll walk you there." Karina says to him. He takes her stack of books and grins.

"I can take them. Just tell me where the section is." Dean tells her. She is still trying to figure out what is going on. She thinks about the conversation and realizes that Caroline never forbade her from not letting him look at anything else except the archives. She tells him where to go and gives him her gratitude before watching him go up the stairs.

"I'm sure Aunt Caroline talked to her, so now I have to find the head librarian, hopefully." Dean thinks to himself as he stops on the second floor, two floors away from the history section. Just as Caroline knows him, he too knows her over cautious ways. He finds another worker and hands him the stack of books.

"Here you go, man! I found this stack and figured I'd give it to you! See ya!" Dean says, and the young man is caught off guard as he struggles to hold the books. Dean leaves him and goes down the elevator to the basement and finds the head librarian putting away books. He stops by her and greets her.

"Oh! Master Dean, it has been so long since I last saw you! Have you kept up reading?" The old woman questions him. She was one of his tutors when he was much younger, but she holds fond memories of that short time together.

"Yes, I have, Ms. Lady. By the way, is it possible for me to go into the archives and do some research? You know, I finally got into Acacia Academy and got into the Salix section of Vachellia Nilotica." Dean says, making conversation.

"Really?! Of course I'll let you in. Anything for a young man who will protect our country from those terrible monsters." Ms. Lady says as she takes out her key and leads him towards the archive room. She unlocks the door and hands him special gloves to properly touch the books. She gives him the usual instructions of what to do and what not to do. He nods his head in understanding, and he has her bring the archives from the beginning of the month to the end of the month of twenty years ago.

"Let's see what could seem suspicious?" Dean thinks to himself as he skims over news articles with births, deaths, elections, military changes, significant events, and monster attacks. He sighs heavily, feeling overwhelmed by many things he has no interest in. He reaches the month of December and slows down on December 5, XX96.

"Hey, this is an interview from Mary's dad. Let's see."

"On a cold December, as I was patrolling my spot outside of The Wall near the sixth gate, I saw something in the ocean beyond. It was still fairly dark, but among the silent night, I heard the cries of a baby. Without a second thought, I jumped into the lake, feeling like as if it was my own daughter that was out there and in trouble. But when I reached the floating boat, I saw two babies in a basket, pressed together in a heavy blanket. I grab onto the boat and quickly push it back to shore to check on their health." Reports Official Hale who rescues two human children who were abandoned by cruel parents and set to their death outside The Wall. He will forever be remembered as a hero.

Dean stops reading and looks up in surprise. "Two babies? I wonder... nah, that would be some freaky coincidence. " Dean looks back at the archives, but he sees a large gap of what happened after those events. The only other prevalent thing is that the two of the unnamed babies both arrived at two different orphanages as two year old toddlers. There was no other interesting information that concerned them, which frustrates Dean as he puts the archives away.

"Well, I suppose they wouldn't have too much information on these mystery kids who I suspect are Diana and Crowley. I mean, not just anyone can get in here, even if it is deemed "public." That would probably be more secret military files or government files. If this is Diana and Crowley. . . Would that mean..." Dean shakes his head, not wanting to assume anything. Maybe he is wrong in his assumptions after what his aunt said to him.

"I think they have the right to know about their pasts. . . where they come from." Dean thinks to himself as he walks mindlessly around Artemia, trying to clear his thoughts. He left the library after finding nothing useful other than more questions and the possible lead involving Mary's dad. Now he wishes he too could speak with him.

He freezes as his phone rings and quickly reaches for it. He's slightly disappointed to find that it wasn't Diana calling him.

"Hey, Lori. What's - "

"Dean! You need to come quickly to my dorm! I don't know how long she was out there, but now Diana is in my room with a high fever and an infection on the injuries on her knees! I already called for Professor Nikki. Hopefully, she makes it as soon as possible! Chelsea and I tried to help, but looks like it didn't make much of a difference."

Dean's eyes widen, and he quickly hangs up, running back towards Acacia Academy. Once he enters the gates, he rushes towards the Vachellia Nilotica female dormitory. He runs up the stairs to the second level and looks at the numbers on the doors before finding Lori's room. He knocks frantically, and Chelsea opens the door for him.

"How is she?!" Dean question Chelsea who moves aside and looks over towards the blackette who is being tended to by Nichole Sintek. Dean walks up to the bed and sees that her knees are black and blue, as well as bloody.

"Don't worry. I will fix this. I know it looks bad, but right now, I'm lowering her fever before I treat her wounds." Nichole tells Dean, who looks at Diana's sweat drenched face with worry. He jumps as Lori touches his shoulder gently before putting the cold rag on Diana's forehead.

"You know, she's been calling for you." Lori tells him, and Dean looks at her sadly before taking Diana's hand.

"I'm sorry I let you go off like that. I should have gone with you. I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry, Diana!" Dean says as he kneels down beside her bed and holds her hand with both of his. The group of women with him look at him sadly and then look towards Diana, who slowly opens her eyes.

"Dean. . ."

Dean jumps and looks up at her with a small smile. It disappears once he sees the tears building up in her eyes.

"Why? Why you. . . you of all people. . . Acacia?" Diana barely manages to question him. Dean's eyes widen a bit, and then he looks at her sadly, putting a hand to her cheek.

"Sorry, I can't change what family I come from. Although, I can assure you I'm nothing like them. At least I hope I'm not. To me, the Acacia family name is just that, a name. I'm still the same person you met." Dean tells her, watching her tears slip out of her eyes. He wipes one away and looks at her with a gentle smile. Diana falls unconscious again, and Dean pulls his hand back so Nichole can continue tending to her.

"You never told her you were an Acacia?!" Lori questions him, surprised. He looks over at her and nods his head.

"It never came up, and I didn't think it was important. I don't want people to treat me differently by finding out that I'm an Acacia. The same people. . ." Dean doesn't finish as Lori looks at him confused.

"The same people who are keeping Crowley and Diana from their true pasts. All this time, my own family has manipulated their lives, molding it to how they want, but it seems they're rebellious. Or they feel the call of their homeland outside of The Wall and wish to follow that call."

"Dean, are you okay? You look conflicted?" Chelsea questions her friend. Dean jumps a bit and looks up at her with a small smile.

"I'm okay. I'm just worried about Diana." Dean says and looks over at her and catches Nichole, staring at him with suspicious eyes for a moment before she turns away and starts to wrap up Diana's knees. Dean notices but doesn't question Nichole in front of his friends. They all take seats where they're available and wait for Nichole to tell them about Diana's condition.

"We will give her a half hour to see if her fever goes down, which it should. If the slim chance that it doesn't, we will take her to the hospital." The trio nods at Nichole's suggestion. "Maybe if you three have classes, you should go to those." None of them say anything to that. They don't want to move from where they are. Nichole sighs and sticks around to keep an eye on Diana's condition. 

                                                                            ~0~

"Ow, my legs really hurt, and my body feels really sluggish." Diana thinks to herself as she opens her eyes but puts a hand over them as the light of her room makes her eyes hurt. She hears some shifting around and sits up abruptly. She looks around to find Chelsea and Lori sitting on her floor with their heads leaning against the wall as they sleep. She then looks to her bedside and finds Dean with his head down on her bedside drawer, sleeping as well.

"They've been beside me all this time? I. . . I've never had anyone stay with me before. Then again, I've rarely been sick enough to stay in bed." Diana thinks to herself, looking between the trio in her room. She catches her breath and feels tears pool in her eyes. The feeling of warmth filling her chest makes the tears more prominent.

"Seriously, why did you guys have to appear in my life now?! Why?! Was I truly still waiting for someone to stop me from leaving?" Diana thinks to herself as she covers her face with her hands, trying to keep her sobbing under control. Although the more she holds in her sobs, the more her throat hurts, the more her nose starts to run.

"It's okay, Diana. You don't have to cry anymore." The blackette jumps started as gentle arms wrap around her. She peeks through her fingers and looks up at Dean. He smiles as he rubs her back gently. The blackette blushes and listens to Dean's steady breathing and his beating heart. She starts to calm down and wipes at her cheeks.

"Thank you." She whispers softly, her face becoming warmer as she feels him kiss the top of her head. Diana manages a small smile and lifts her head up to kiss his cheek before putting her head back down on his chest. She holds in her chuckle as she hears his heart rate increasing. She blushes as she feels her own heart pounding as hard as his, and then she pulls back and looks at her bandaged knees.

"Are they bothering you?" Dean questions her a little nervously. She shakes her head and looks at him.

"My knees hurt right now." She admits to him. He smiles and grabs painkillers and a glass of water before giving it to Diana. She takes it and waits for the pain in her knees to wear off.

"You'll probably need to stay in bed for the day. Do you have class tomorrow?" Dean questions her, and Diana shakes her head, remembering her schedule. Dean nods content and sits back, feeling unsure of what to say.

"Diana, listen. . . Only my name is Acacia, but I'm nothing like my family. I don't want you to see me as anyone else, but Dean, like how you did when we first met. Please, I don't want to lose you." Dean says to her, taking her hands in his. Diana blushes and looks at their hands. She bites her lower lip and then looks up at his mismatching eyes.

"It came as quite a surprise, but. . . but I don't want you out of my life either. It took a while, but I love the feeling of having real friends for the first time. Not just random acquaintances that only talk to me for a couple of months before we just take our separate paths, and I'm alone again." Diana tells him, feeling her heart pounding and her throat beginning to burn with the need to cry. She hates how she becomes sensitive when it comes to talking about herself.

Dean holds her face gently and looks into her shining gray eyes. He loses the smile as his eyes focus on her slightly parted lips. Diana notices and becomes nervous but doesn't move. She feels expectant of what could happen if she doesn't move, and Dean continues to stare at her lips. Both of them gulp and meet each other's eyes, looking for approval of the next step in their eyes.

Diana gets closer, and Dean begins to follow her movement as well. Their lips barely graze each other before they hear a gasp. They quickly pull back and look over towards Lori and Chelsea, who are looking at them with wide eyes. Diana covers her red face, and Dean avoids looking at them as they try to find a reason to explain the situation they just witnessed.

"We're sorry for interrupting you two. Should we go?" Lori says with a giggle.

"No! We weren't doing anything!" Diana and Dean both tell them defensively. Even Chelsea lets out a chuckle before she stands up and helps Lori up as well.

"Well, either way, Dean and I have to go to our houses. It's gotten pretty late into the night. I rushed out of my house and haven't had the chance to explain anything to my parents. We'll be back to see you tomorrow, Diana. Call us if you start feeling sick again, though." Chelsea says to her as Dean stands up. 

"Alright, I'll walk you home, Chelsea. Take care, Diana. I'll be back bright and early tomorrow." Diana nods her head and lets Lori see their friends off before going back to Diana.

"Sorry we interrupted your kiss." Lori says to Diana, who turns bright red again and covers her face. She smiles at Diana's behavior and sits next to her.

"You know you two shouldn't deny your feelings. It's obvious you two have a thing for each other, and well, you two have our support." Lori says to her as she pats her back gently.

"Yeah, but. . . but the problem is Mary. I'm not dense when it comes to this, so I can tell she has feelings for him... too." Diana says, and Lori puts her hand down and looks ahead. She nods her head, remembering her auburn haired friend.

"Right, I almost forgot about Mary. But the problem is that Dean doesn't have feelings for her in that sense, and she won't tell him how she feels since she too knows he has no feelings for her that go beyond friendship." Lori says to her, and Diana nods her head, looking at her knees.

"Which is why she doesn't like me. I really wanted to avoid at all costs to be hated by someone because the guy they like likes me. It's such an uncomfortable situation. I really hate confrontation." Diana says with a heavy sigh. The girls both sigh and then lie back on Diana's bed.

"I suppose this won't be fixed until Mary gets over Dean or whatever. What to do?" Lori says to her. Diana nods her head in agreement and puts her hands behind her head. Lori rests her hands on her stomach, and they stare at the dark ceiling. They close their eyes, and eventually, the silence makes them sleepy, and they give in to their sleepiness.

                                                                        ~0~

The Wall of Artemia was constructed a little over one hundred years ago. It is the youngest of the human containing islands. The Walls of Victoria, Xilian, and Luciana have been around at over a few centuries and separate the last few millions of humans from the growing monster population that had either killed or turned the rest of humanity during the time when the human population was in the billions.

The founding families of Artemia discovered this abandoned island by accident upon their marine travels. An attack of sirens of the boat that carried the found families was nearly capsized. With the powerful magic of the Dragul head, she safely got the founding families towards the island of what would be known as Artemia. 

The Artemia wall was constructed by the founders of Artemia, which consisted of members of the Acacia family, the Dragul family, and the Matthews family. Research of the monsters weaknesses and the discovery of magic hundreds of years ago allowed the unbreakable walls to only allow access to humans, but ever so rarely does a powerful monster or a human that is beginning to turn into a monster gain access into Artemia. Seventy years later, after Artemia's development, a law was passed to forbid any human from going outside of the walls unless they were specially trained soldiers. The law has remained in place, and no human has ever opposed it.

Fifty years after the founding of Artemia, a treaty was signed between the Acacia leader of Artemia and the Three Generals that had reigned over the monsters before the current Generals. There was peace until the three new Generals took over from the previous leaders. It seemed like they agreed in the destruction of humanity and practically made the treaty null and void.

Now, they are hoping to wage war and finally cause the extinction of humanity. A weak and useless species who has caused more harm than good during their existence as the one supreme species. They were their own downfall, and now they will fall into the hands of the greedy monsters who want to fight for supremacy. They will repeat the same mistakes as humans and most likely cause their own demise until the world is back to being a world of animals, plants, and water.

Dean closes his book on the history of The Wall of Artemia and sighs. It has some controversial opinions on it, so he had hoped that it would be of some use to figure out about any other islands near Artemia that could explain how the two babies came safely towards Artemia. He puts it back on his bookshelf and then plops back down on his bed. He grabs his pillow and puts his head on it.

"I shouldn't be surprised there's nothing useful here either. The only way to get the information I need is either to infiltrate Aunt Caroline's office or my dad's office in Acacia Academy. I want to know why they show so much concern over Diana and Crowley if they themselves do not know where they come from. In fact, Diana doesn't even know she is from outside of The Wall. I wonder if Crowley knows anything." Dean thinks to himself as he reaches towards his bedside drawer and turns off his lamp, letting his vision adjust to the darkness.

"Diana, there must be something I can do for you to ease you. I want to help you and protect you from my own family. When I have answers, I'll tell you. I don't want to give you information without proof." Dean thinks to himself as he closes his eyes and lets his fingers graze his lips as a flash of what almost happened crosses his mind. He smiles at the thought of it and lets his imagination finish the kiss. He, being a gentleman, makes sure not to go beyond a kiss as he slowly drifts off into a dreamless sleep.

                          ~0~

"Well, those were my observations to report of this past week for Diana Green." Nichole finishes her presentation to Chandler, Caroline, and Vincent. The group sits back pensively before Chandler chuckles a bit.

"It's as we suspected then that she continues to purposely hold back her abilities and true potential. It is as her professors previously have reported before: she knows the material well enough that she maintains below average grades on purpose. In the art of battle and magic, she could be a genius as well." Chandler explains to the group present. "Now, Vincent, anything new with Crowley?"

"Not really. He keeps his secrets close. He does his own thing in whatever faction he feels like, going where he's needed. He also continues to show compassion for the monsters that come and go from Artemia, namely the mermaids, sirens, and selkies. He's refused promotions to higher positions. He takes over courses for me on busy days, and that's about it." Vincent reports to them with a small smile. He doesn't bring up that he seems to be trying to approach Diana Green. No attempts in front of him have been successful.

"I see, so that's how it is then. We will continue to observe them and pass on the information we've gathered recently. The doctor says their yearly examinations are coming up, so we will see any physical changes to the two of them. We are at the point where the Three Generals are going to make their move soon. We have to speed up  our plans to bring together the Holy Weapons and our candidates with the proper mindset to wield them." The group nods, except Caroline. She appears lost in thought, which is unlike her.

"Caroline, will you update Imogen Dragul and Charon Matthews?" Chandler calls to her attention. Caroline blinks back in reality as her brother calls out to her. 

"Yes, I will update them. Just pass me your notes once we finish this meeting." Nichole and Vincent nod, using their tablets of notes to send them out to Caroline. She receives them and nods her head.

"That will be all for tonight then. I won't waste any more of your valuable time. Have a good night, Vincent, Nichole." Chandler says to the both of them. They both rise and put their right hands over their chests. 

"Goodnight, Headmaster Acacia, Lady Acacia." The two of them head out, chatting as they let the door close behind them.

"Caroline, you were very unfocused today. Usually, you're outspoken in these meetings." Chandler speaks up once the two Acacia siblings are alone.

"I made a mistake, brother. Dean came to see me this morning... I don't know why he brought it up, but he wished to know about Diana Green and Crowley. He made it sound like the two of them had finally made contact with each other. I made the mistake of telling him too much information. He now knows that the two of them are not of Artemia originally. Chandler, he is becoming too close to Diana Green, and that could be dangerous for Dean." Caroline briefly explains her interaction with Dean. Chandler hums to himself as he thinks about what Caroline just said.

"It's fine, Caroline. For our purposes, Dean is the best person to bring out the potential that Diana is hiding from us. You did not make a mistake. I believe you have made things go smoothly." Chandler smiles to himself as he leans back on his seat. Caroline frowns at that. In spite of her position, she is still Dean's aunt and has been close to him since he was a baby. She had been his mentor for many years until he decided to apply for Acacia Academy.

"Chandler... Dean is new to the world beyond our family. He does not yet understand what he is getting into with this impending war. He is talented. Yes, I won't take that away from him. He quickly learned the magic and battle skills I taught him. He has learned well the laws of Artemia and the enemies of our land. Yet he went against it all to become directly involved with this war by entering Acacia Academy. Why did you let him enroll? You could have rejected his enrollment." Caroline asks the question that has been nagging at her since Dean went to her home to let her know that he would be attending their family academy.

"Well, because I know you gave him all the necessary skills to be able to be a strong and successful soldier. We also both know that boy would not stop until he got in. Dean is passionate about protecting others and wants to change the world. He reminds me of our great grandfather. The original founders would admire him for sure. Caroline, he will be fine." He assures his sister.

Caroline sees that Chandler will not take into consideration his concerns. She will have to continue watching over Dean from her position as one of the leaders of Artemia. She stands up. "Very well, then I will go home now. I'll see you during the next meeting. Goodnight." Caroline walks over to the door.

"I'll see you, Caroline." She nods to her brother's response and heads out. Chandler also waits until she leaves before he, too, gathers his things and steps out of the meeting room of Acacia Academy staff offices. He lets the door lock behind him as he walks out of the building. He sighs and looks up at the tall building.

"He will be fine. Dean is going to be a great leader when he is ready. He just needs to prove that he can gain allies. This academy is the best place for him. He is the one who will have Diana Green on our side." Chandler looks around at the other buildings that are visible from where he stands. The staff offices are close to the military faction buildings where the Five Elite teaches the elite soldiers in training. 

"Hello, Crowley. Did you finish a late night lesson?" Chandler smiles as he faces the young man that walks down one of the paths to the meeting point of the single path that leads out to the rest of campus. Away from the elite courses. He slows down and stops in front of Chandler.

"Yeah... did I miss a meeting?" Crowley asks, though it doesn't actually matter to him. He finds them boring and hardly ever contributes to them. He has better things to do. 

"No, I just had some late work to catch up on myself. Things are so busy as incidents continue to increase. I have yet to receive your reports of the comings and goings of the merfolk and other sea folk." Crowley sighs, and from his satchel, he pulls out a folder, putting it in Chandler's hands once he puts them out. "Thank you for your hard work, Crowley."

Crowley only nods as he adjusts his things. "I'm off now. See you tomorrow, I guess." Crowley starts to walk on past Chandler.

"I noticed you were in a pleasant mood this morning. Did something good happen?" Chandler suddenly asks. Crowley doesn't look back as he stops walking. He glances back slightly.

"Really? Guess I got up on the right side of the bed this morning." Crowley doesn't confirm nor deny Chandler's observation before he continues on. 

"Goodnight." Crowley doesn't stop as Chandler says his farewell to him. He keeps walking, clenching and unclenching his jaw, feeling irritated with the older man. 

"That man sure knows how to ruin my good mood." He takes the route near the Vachellia Nilotica dorm path to head out from the academy. Crowley wants to try and check in on Diana after what happened with Flat-Topped Acacia and Captain Brown. 

Crowley stops in front of the girls' dorm building. He looks up to the second floor, recalling from the student portfolio, which is Diana's room. His eyes slowly close as he lets magic flow through him. As his vision returns, he begins to see himself outside of his body. Then he makes his way through the dorm door where he looks around the quiet dorm.

"Diana... hm?" Crowley's astral form hovers near Diana's bedroom entryway. She is sleeping peacefully, being snuggled up by Lori. He looks to her exposed knees that are wrapped up. She seems uncomfortable in her sleep. He hovers closer to look over her flushed face.

His hand starts to move towards Diana's forehead. His astral form would go through her if he attempted to make contact with her. So, his hand can only hover before it begins to glow. Lori grumbles and turns her back on Diana, continuing to remain asleep. Crowley only glances at the red head as he continues to work on Diana, helping her body heal. 

"Goodnight, Diana. Sleep well." Crowley whispers with a gentle smile as the light begins to fade as does his astral form. He returns abruptly to his body, stumbling a bit.

"Damn, that takes a lot out of me, combining such strong magic formulas at once." Crowley stables himself before he keeps walking out of the academy. 

Diana's furrowed brow relaxes, and in her sleeping state, she finally feels like she can turn to her side in a more comfortable position. She ends up throwing her arm over Lori as the two of them continue to sleep. Unaware of the presence that had been in the same room as them. A protective presence that will watch over Diana no matter what.