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He sat there, tossing the smallest of the balls back and forth before placing it back in its holder.

“You're not the only one breaking the rules here,” he continued, looking directly at her. “Larissa and I dared to defy the Nicolaj Canon. He's going to demand our heads on a pike.”

A smirk escaped my lips, which Miles noticed.

“No, seriously.” His grin intensified. Then, his smile faded a little before he directed his gaze back to Emely. “Bastien is going to put us through the wringer. And Julie is apparently under special supervision because of this silly prophecy.”

“Can someone finally explain to me what this prophecy is all about?” Larissa asked, annoyed. “I mean, yes, someone is going to have a baby that will kill all the other species. I get it.” I saw Julie’s eyes widen. “But why do people believe in this ridiculous shit? And can I read about it somewhere?”

Larissa looked directly at Julie and realized what her words had done. “Sorry, I didn't mean to...”

Julie shook her head. “No, it's okay.”

She looked at the floor.

I knew that nothing was okay, and I wanted to kick Larissa in the shin like she always did to me. My sense of humor was usually darker than hers and I used to be much more direct than she was. However, I had noticed that Julie sometimes took humor and exaggerations literally, so I was usually more careful with macabre expressions around her.

Added to that was the fact that she was one of those people who had cat scratches on her body, which always made me even more hesitant about how I spoke to her.

“I'll bring the prophecy, and then you all can read it,” Julie said, focused on the void.

“I don't plan on meeting with you again,” Emely announced with determination, and Miles shook his head with raised eyebrows.

“Then we'll just meet without the director's know-it-all niece.”

Emely didn't seem satisfied, neither with Miles nor with her own words, and she began pacing nervously again.

I wondered what was going through her mind.

“We'll meet here again, won't we?” Julie asked, and I nodded quickly, along with Larissa, whereupon Emely raised her arms with an I-can't-believe-it look.

She certainly wasn't going to stop me from turning this room upside down if it meant I could get information.

My attention drifted back to the painting on the wall. To the woman who had the same eyes as me.

Could it be a coincidence, or was she actually one of my ancestors? My grandmother had died early, but now that I thought about it... Mum had never said a word about her... What if...?

The thought was far too bizarre. Just like the fact that I had managed to gather two Ruisangors, a Quatura, and a Senseque to break into the university director's office for the third time. Not to mention that said university director happened to belong to a secret society in which two people had died.

“We need more information. Keep reading,” this time came from Julie, who was leaning back with her legs crossed.

October 17, 1997

Entry 3

The members begin two parallel projects. The library research is dedicated to the origin of the prophecy, while the scientific research has decided to investigate the rules of genetic inheritance. More detailed plans for the latter still need to be worked out. Silver Snake and Seeking Lens do not rule out possibly necessary access to the university laboratories in the DLSC, even though Inkbird and Shadow Eye express doubts.

Hysteresis

Angus MacRae

Julie seemed pensive, staring at the book in Larissa's hands.

“What are the rules of genetic inheritance?” Emely asked, returning to the couch with her arms crossed.

Larissa looked up curiously at Julie, as if she knew the answer. And she did.

“One of the many reasons why the species don't coexist peacefully,” she replied quietly but with a firm voice.