Nausea Engulfed

Hal and Eli jumped in surprise at the sudden loud banging of the library's doors.

"Hal, Ms. Claes! Noah has...!"

Their eyes widened in flummox as soon as they found Zeke carrying Noah by his shoulders. The blonde appeared to be limping and extremely enervated that he almost staggered when the young heir came barging in. His face was also drained out of color, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Eyes tightly shut and teeth clenched, he seemed to be suffering a whole lot.

"Eli, quick, get Calliope!" Hal exclaimed, immediately responding to the scene.

Eli instantly sprinted away and searched around the library for the mythical bird. The boys took Noah inside his office and laid him on the couch, but even then, he still looked as if he's about to collapse any minute. His frail frame had been trembling for a while now, hands freezing cold. Unable to find any wounds or external injuries, Hal concluded that it must be something from within.

"Let's have Calliope heal him. I'll try to relieve him from the outside with magic for now. While I do so, explain to me what happened, Ezekiel," Hal muttered before casting a spell, causing a magic circle to appear and hover above Noah. It glows a golden color and is surrounded by glittering dusts and splinters. The healing barrier seemed to calm his breathing for a bit, but he's still nowhere near from recuperating.

"He's actually late for class today and he'd been acting weird. I asked him, but he said it's just probably a fever or something. When he tried to go to the school gallery earlier, he finally snapped," Ezekiel explained with a concerned expression, which Hal only mirrored.

"I'll tell you what, Ezekiel. Noah getting sick only happens once in a blue moon, so when he said it's just a fever, it meant it's really terrible."

Zeke stiffened at this. More than what Hal said, however, he's taken aback by how stern and anxious his voice was. It only proved that this was indeed a serious situation. Then, for a while after that, unnerving quietude prevailed in their midst as Hal continued checking Noah's condition. Zeke remained silently disconcerted from the side, watching how Noah's face get paler and paler by the second.

"That's strange... There's something in his system," Hal blurted out after a brief pause, bewildered.

"Guys, I got Calliope!"

Then, out of nowhere, Eli came throwing the doors open. She then rushed inside the office with Calliope flying behind her, both looking ecstatic. The mistress and her familiar made quite an uproarious entrance that Hal and Zeke jolted in surprise, ruining the grave atmosphere around the room all the while. Still oblivious of how much she caught them off guard, she just kneeled before Noah and beckoned Calliope over.

"Uhh... Eli, why do you look excited?" Hal asked with an incredulous expression.

"I'm not! It's just that... I can finally use Calliope's healing magic to help someone," she replied, a bit flustered.

"Well, let's hope it works."

On Hal's mark, Eli proceeded to instruct the summoned creature to cure Noah. Since it's their first time witnessing how the legendary bird wields its healing magic from up close, they were all surprised upon hearing it sing a melodious tune, one that's different from when it tried to numb someone. It came out like a cradle song that seemed to soothe not only one's physical pain, but also their inner turmoils - a serenade so transcendental that it's beyond human comprehension.

As Calliope continued singing, Noah finally stopped stirring in his sleep. He then heaved a relieved sigh, making everyone do the same. With that, Hal also halted from casting his magic, making the scintillating circle vanish. The mythical bird soon finished its lullaby while the blonde stayed unconscious.

"What happened here, Ezekiel? Was it my tea from yesterday all along?" Eli started before shuddering at the thought she might've created a poison after all.

"No, Eli... It's not that. He isn't dead yet," Hal replied with a smirk, making her ponder and double take for a second.

"Hey, were you implying that my tea's that deadly?"

"So deadly it can kill us the instant we finished a whole cup."

With that, the two started bickering again, leaving Zeke stupefied and out of place. Watching his upperclassmen banter made him mull something over for a moment. Just a minute ago, Hal was acting somewhat scared out of his wits that his face contorted into a grim one, but now, he instantly turned back to his normal goofy self. It's as if nothing was troubling him at all, giving him the impression he's just probably faking it in front of Eli. Then again, it could just be that he finally settled down after Calliope healed Noah.

"Anyway, this is pretty serious. I have to check on Allen and the others..."

Hal then paused all of the sudden when Calliope started fidgeting in an agitated manner.

Everyone was taken aback when it suddenly flapped its opalescent wings, flailing them around carelessly. At this, the gears in Eli's head began turning until she eventually figured out what it's trying to say. She then ran towards the window and opened it, giving Calliope a way out. With that, the summoned creature flew away while Hal and Zeke only watched, dumbfounded.

"Remember when I got trapped inside a Realm? Calliope was the one who notified you guys, right? That gave me the idea that it could sense another summoned creature's presence even when it's inside the library. In other words, a radar with a wider range, I think?" Eli explained, surprising the two.

"Then again, animals have more enhanced features than humans. Just like dogs with their sense of smell and cats with their night vision, Calliope can detect a villain in a larger distance."

Astonished, Hal and Zeke only blinked at her while she tilted her head and waited for their response. Wondering why they're making such funny expressions, she then reminded them how she could understand her familiar's language somehow, which made it easier for her to come up with these ideas. All the while, the two just silently nodded at her yapping that continued for a while until she finally turned to look outside the window again.

Several feet away, Calliope was gliding through the air, repeatedly making a round above a certain location. Its wings were now gleaming in different iridescent colors that appear somewhat ostentatious with its flamboyant display. It's as if attracting attention on purpose. As soon as its actions registered in her head, Eli immediately swerved around and faced the two.

"There's a summoned creature at that part of the school. It's probably around the gallery," she voiced out, pointing at where Calliope's currently at.

"The gallery? It's where Noah was supposed to go to..." Zeke trailed off before looking at Hal who's now deep in thought.

"Eli, can I ask you to look after Noah and the library? Ezekiel and I will go there," Hal questioned to which she only nodded in reply.

"Leave it to me!"