CHAPTER - 175
Leaving Elysia’s room and the girls’ dormitory, Dav walked silently through the academy’s corridors.
His footsteps echoed softly along the walls, accompanied by the distant sound of wind brushing against the windows.
He calmly climbed the final stairs of the professors’ dormitory, heading toward his room.
The night was quiet, and that silence wrapped around him like a familiar blanket.
On the top floor, a solitary figure caught his attention.
Leaning against the window, eyes lost in the night, stood Doctor Sofia Manfredi.
A cigarette between her slender fingers, the smoke rising upward like a fleeting thought.
Dav approached with a slow, relaxed, yet purposeful step.
"The smoke is bad for you.
You should know that, being a doctor, no? Sofia."
Sofia didn’t turn immediately.
She inhaled, then exhaled deeply, releasing the smoke with a long sigh.
The day’s weariness showed in her slightly slumped shoulders, but her voice remained elegant and composed.
"No one’s perfect like you, professor Dav.
The only pleasure I have left, I suppose."
Dav chuckled lightly, settling beside her.
He placed his hands on the window, feeling the cold marble, and let the wind lift his hair gently.
His red eyes fixed on the moon, high and bright in the sky.
"Perfect, huh?
There’s nothing more unsettling than perfection, in my opinion.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
It would be… inhuman."
Sofia half-closed her eyes, thoughtful, while the cigarette's ember slowly burned away.
"Maybe you’re right.
But it would be nice not to always have to be strong all the time."
"Yeah.."
he replied in a calm voice.
"You should go to sleep. Tomorrow will be another day..
good or bad, who knows."
Without answering immediately, Sofia stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray with a practiced gesture.
Then she spoke, a faint smile on her lips.
"To tell the truth.. I’m bored.
My student left earlier than usual today, and I was left alone in the infirmary.."
Dav listened to her complaint, resting his cheek on one hand, elbow propping up the weight of his head.
He watched her with a curiosity, the kind that arises between two people who respect one another,
but rarely allow themselves the luxury of shared time.
"And what would you like to do, so you can sleep better afterward?"
Sofia thought for a moment.
She brought a hand under her chin, slowly turning her head toward him.
"I don’t know, but… something different.
Maybe walking, seeing something.
Just.. not staying still thinking."
Dav looked at her for a few seconds, then with a more decisive tone and a half-smile, he said:
"If you want, I can join you.
Let’s take a walk outside.
The weather is nice, and the moon.. it’s really beautiful tonight."
Sofia didn’t hesitate.
She gave a theatrical little bow and replied:
"Sounds like a romantic invitation.
I accept."
The two left the dormitory together, leaving behind the artificial lights of the building.
They walked along the grounds outside the academy, their steps soft on the grass, immersed in peaceful silence.
Then they moved into the nearby woods, climbing along a path that led to the top of a small rise.
The trees whispered to the wind, the crickets sang, and now and then, the distant cry of an owl could be heard.
"It’s really very peaceful..."
Sofia said, her voice calm.
"With you, honestly, I feel safe.
It’s nice not having to watch my back.
Worst case, our hero will protect me, right?"
she added with a soft laugh.
Dav laughed too, brushing off the tiredness for a moment.
As they emerged from the thick of the forest, they found themselves on a rocky outcrop.
From there, they could see the academy below, like a slumbering figure wrapped in shadow, and beyond,
in the distance, the lights of the city.
"It’s all so... silent"
Sofia murmured.
"The sound of the crickets.. our steps. I like this kind of silence."
They sat together on the stone, side by side, letting the wind caress their faces.
The moon seemed closer from up there, giant and luminous in the night-blue sky.
"What do you think the moon looks like up close?"
she asked, raising a finger to point at it.
Dav followed her gesture with his gaze.
"Scientists say it’s white.
Or maybe yellow? One of the two, I think.."
She chuckled softly, closing her eyes for a moment.
"It would be nice to see it up close.
Just to know for sure.
But.. we’re only small humans."
Dav stood, his cloak slightly moved by the wind.
He reached out a hand to her, with a gentle yet resolute smile.
"Then let’s find out. What do you say?"
Sofia looked at him, surprised and amused.
Then she took his hand and stood as well, ready for the next nightly madness
alongside that professor who always seemed one step beyond reality.
END OF CHAPTER - 175
