On the Path of Eternal Strength.

Chapter 124: Chapter 122 The Room That Still Had No Name

Morning entered the mansion without announcing anything.

The light descended over the gardens, passed through the windows, and found on the ground floor the quiet remains of the sleepover: half-folded blankets, misplaced cushions, empty glasses, and a few wrappers that no one had bothered to pick up during the night.

The house began to wake little by little.

There were no startled reactions or questions. Only doors opening, steps that were still slow, and the low murmur of those recovering the habit of speaking after sleeping.

Óscar was the first to take possession of the kitchen.

He tied his hair into his usual bun, checked the available food, and began preparing breakfast with a natural ease that made it seem as though he had been living there for weeks. Sebastián remained beside him. He did not dispute control of the kitchen or try to correct every movement; he simply helped, cutting whatever Óscar indicated, handing him utensils, and taking care of the simplest tasks while he organized breakfast.

Óscar glanced at him out of the corner of his eye while watching a frying pan.

—I did not expect to find such an obedient assistant.

Sebastián finished cutting the food in front of him and placed the container beside him.

—You are preparing breakfast. I am only following your instructions.

Óscar kept his gaze on him for an instant.

—What a reasonable answer.

Sebastián did not reply.

—You also manage to make helping in a kitchen sound like a military operation —Óscar added.

—We are only preparing food.

—Exactly. That makes it worse.

A brief smile appeared on Óscar’s face before he turned his attention back to the frying pan. Sebastián continued helping him without responding to the provocation.

Upstairs, Zaira occupied the bathroom while Virka helped Valentina get ready to leave.

The girl talked as she dressed, jumping from one subject to another with the ease of someone who saw no reason to keep her thoughts in any order. Virka listened to her with her usual serenity. She adjusted part of her uniform, checked that she had everything she needed, and carefully moved aside a few strands of hair that had fallen over her face.

Narka waited near them in his compact form. When Valentina finished, she positioned herself beside him with the natural ease of a creature that had already turned that closeness into her usual place.

Zaira came downstairs shortly afterward.

She was wearing the Institute uniform, and her red hair still retained some moisture. Her posture remained firm, but the constant vigilance she had shown upon arriving at the mansion had diminished. She still observed her surroundings attentively, although she no longer seemed to expect a threat behind every everyday gesture.

Upon entering the dining room, she found Óscar finishing bringing breakfast to the table.

—How many people do you think live here? —she asked when she saw the amount of food.

Óscar placed the last plate in its place.

—I prepared a reasonable amount.

Zaira looked at the table.

—That would be enough to feed an entire other group.

—It is important to be prepared.

—Prepared for what?

Óscar took his seat.

—For Valentina to want seconds.

The girl, who had just entered beside Virka, raised her head when she heard her name.

—I do want seconds.

Óscar directed a triumphant look toward Zaira.

She did not reply. She only took her seat while a small smile appeared for an instant at one corner of her lips.

Breakfast brought them together around the table.

The conversation moved forward without any fixed direction. Valentina talked about the activities she hoped to do during the day and about something she wanted to show them when they returned. Óscar exaggerated the suffering represented by waking up early after a sleepover. Zaira reminded him that he had been one of the last to stop talking.

Óscar denied the accusation with a seriousness that fooled no one.

Virka ate in silence, intervening only when Valentina asked her something. Sebastián occupied his usual place and answered when someone addressed him, without mentioning the operation, the underground chamber, or the stone that now remained stored inside his dimensional ring.

For the others, the night had simply ended.

Sebastián allowed it to remain that way.

After breakfast, the morning continued through simple movements. They cleared the table, organized what had been used during the sleepover, and finished preparing their belongings. The blankets were set aside, the bags were closed, and the final adjustments to their uniforms signaled that the domestic time had ended.

Shortly afterward, they left the mansion.

The journey to the Institute passed without incident.

When they arrived, the entrances were already filled with students. Voices mixed beneath the morning light while small groups crossed the courtyards and spread out among the buildings. From some corridors, the sea could be seen stretching beyond the Institute’s structures, reflecting a cold brightness over the reinforced windows.

The separation occurred shortly after they crossed the entrance.

Valentina had to continue toward the primary school section. She stopped before moving away and looked at the group.

—See you later.

—I will accompany you to your classroom, Valentina —Narka whispered from inside the backpack.

Valentina nodded and waved goodbye.

Sebastián responded with a brief inclination of his head. Virka watched her move away until she blended in among the younger students.

Óscar and Zaira took the corridor that led toward the eleventh-grade classrooms. Both were in the same grade, although they belonged to different groups.

—Try not to get into trouble before recess —Óscar said, turning partially toward Sebastián and Virka.

—Worry about yourself —Virka replied calmly.

Óscar smiled.

—I try every day.

Zaira continued walking without stopping.

—And you fail every day.

Óscar caught up with her while Sebastián and Virka took the path toward Tenth Grade A.

They entered the classroom before the beginning of the first period and took their usual places. The other students arrived behind them, filling the space with conversations, the movement of chairs, and the sound of notebooks being placed on the desks.

The teacher entered shortly afterward.

The voices diminished, and the class began.

The morning once again took on the ordinary rhythm of the Institute.

The explanations continued in front of the board. The pages began to fill, and the classroom questions were answered with varying degrees of confidence. Virka kept her attention on the lesson, serene and silent.

Sebastián followed every development without difficulty.

His hand occasionally moved over the notebook, although much of what was being explained did not require his full concentration. Even so, he did not allow his attention to drift toward the spiritual gem, the House of Chains, or the events of the night.

That had ended.

Now he was in a classroom.

The light slowly changed over the desks. Outside, the corridors became almost empty while each class continued with its own schedule. The sound of pages, pens, and the teacher’s voice formed a stable routine that pushed back everything that had happened only a few hours earlier.

The first class was close to ending when the classroom speakers emitted a crackle.

The teacher stopped speaking, and several heads rose when an administrative voice passed through the classroom.

—The presence of the students Sebastián Solís, Virka Solís, and Óscar Smith is requested in the teachers’ room. I repeat: Sebastián Solís, Virka Solís, and Óscar Smith must report to the teachers’ room.

The announcement ended, and for an instant, the classroom remained silent.

Then the murmurs began.

Some students looked directly at Sebastián and Virka. Others exchanged questions in low voices, trying to determine what connection could exist between two Tenth Grade A students and one eleventh-grade student for all three to be summoned at the same time.

Some mentioned the Rakzar. Others thought of some sanction or special activity.

Sebastián closed his notebook, and Virka did the same.

The teacher observed them for a few seconds and then pointed toward the door.

—You may leave.

Both stood up.

The gazes followed them as they crossed the classroom. The comments continued, although neither of them paid attention. Sebastián opened the door, and Virka walked out behind him. When it closed again, the voices became muffled on the other side.

They walked through the corridor without hurrying.

The teachers’ room was located in another section of the building, beyond the intersection connecting the tenth- and eleventh-grade blocks. At that hour, the hallways were almost empty. Only a few teachers moved between the classrooms, and one student carried several books toward another room.

As they approached the main intersection, a side door opened, and Óscar emerged from the corridor corresponding to eleventh grade. Upon seeing them, he raised one hand.

—Good morning again.

Virka inclined her head slightly.

—Good morning.

Sebastián responded with a brief gesture.

Óscar positioned himself beside them without asking whether they knew the reason for the summons. From the absence of explanations, he understood that they were in the same situation.

The three continued forward.

None of them tried to guess aloud what awaited them. The sound of their footsteps traveled through the corridor until the door to the teachers’ room appeared at the end.

Sebastián stopped in front of it, with Virka to his right and Óscar on the opposite side. For a second, all three remained motionless before the closed door.

On the other side, someone was already waiting for them.

Sebastián opened the door and entered first. Virka moved beside him, and Óscar crossed behind both of them before carefully closing it.

The room was occupied by several teachers. Some reviewed documents; others spoke in low voices beside the desks or prepared materials for the following classes. None of them interrupted what they were doing because of the arrival of the three students.

Professor Luciana was standing near one of the desks at the back.

Her black hair fell neatly around her face, and her round glasses reflected for an instant the light entering through the windows. Upon recognizing them, she raised one hand in a small, almost restrained greeting, and then moved her fingers to indicate that they should come closer.

Sebastián walked toward her. Virka and Óscar accompanied him.

Luciana waited until all three were standing in front of the desk. She parted her lips, but the first word did not come immediately. Her fingers closed around a folder she held against her chest. She drew in a discreet breath and, after gathering the necessary firmness, spoke in that low voice that compelled others to listen without ever seeming weak.

—Before explaining why I called you, I wanted to apologize.

Óscar tilted his head slightly. Sebastián remained still, and Virka kept her gaze on the teacher.

—Yesterday I told you that I would try to finish the procedure that same day —Luciana continued—. I was unable to obtain all the authorizations within the time I had mentioned.

A slight tension appeared in her posture, as though she expected to have disappointed them over a delay that none of the three had considered serious.

—But they finished approving it this morning —she added—. The club application was accepted, and I also obtained provisional permission for you to use the room you requested.

Óscar smiled before the silence could make her uncomfortable.

—You do not have to apologize, Professor. You helped us and obtained the authorization. That is what matters.

Luciana directed her gaze toward him.

Sebastián spoke afterward.

—We agree. There is no problem.

—Thank you for taking care of the procedure —Virka added serenely.

Luciana’s shoulders lowered slightly.

The air she had been holding left her chest in a brief sigh. She did not lose her composure, but the rigidity in her hands diminished, and the folder was no longer pressed so tightly against her body.

—Thank you —she replied—. I was worried that I had created an expectation that I would later be unable to fulfill.

Óscar rested one hand on the edge of the desk without invading the teacher’s space.

—You can stop worrying about that now.

Luciana nodded.

She placed the folder on the desk and opened it. Inside were several forms held together by dividers, all completed and organized with a precision that revealed the time invested in them.

—To finish the documents, I needed to write a name —she explained—. Since you had not decided on one yet, I used “Continental Folklore Exploration and Documentation Club.”

She paused briefly before continuing.

—It is only a provisional name. You do not have to keep it. When you choose the club’s own name, I will submit the modification so that it is officially registered.

Óscar observed the title written on the first page.

—It is quite descriptive.

—I tried to make it match the activities you proposed —Luciana said—. It was easier to justify the approval if the name clearly showed the club’s academic purpose.

—It was an appropriate choice —Sebastián replied.

Luciana raised her gaze toward him.

—When you decide on the final one, we will also be able to prepare the application for the room’s official plaque. Until then, it would make no sense to place one with a name you might change.

Virka nodded.

—We will decide it among the four of us.

The mention included Valentina without needing to explain it. Luciana seemed to appreciate it; from the beginning, she had treated the girl as a real member of the club, not as a presence added out of tolerance.

She turned one of the pages and pointed to several sections of the forms.

—I also enabled the possibility of registering your own materials. You may bring equipment, objects, books, or any resources obtained by you, as long as they are related to the club’s activities and comply with the Institute’s rules.

Óscar observed the indicated lines.

—Then we are not required to depend solely on what the Institute can lend us.

—No —Luciana replied—. You may work with your own resources. If you need something that you cannot obtain directly, you may also request it through the merits accumulated by the club.

Her voice gained a little stability as she entered into an explanation she had already prepared.

—As I mentioned before, merits are not used only to request spaces. You may also use them to request materials, specialized equipment, or resources that allow you to carry out more complex activities. They are obtained through consistent work, academic results, research, and genuine contributions to the Institute.

She did not go into greater detail. The three of them already knew the basis of the system, and repeating every condition would have been unnecessary.

Luciana turned to another divider.

—For now, there are four members. That is enough to begin, but I would recommend considering more people when you find suitable students.

Óscar raised one eyebrow slightly.

—Because of some additional requirement?

—No. The club already meets the minimum —she clarified—. It is for performance. With more members, you could better distribute the research, outings, documentation, and preparation of reports. You would also have more opportunities to complete activities without all the work falling on the same four people.

—That makes sense —Virka said.

Sebastián did not reply immediately.

Adding members could increase the club’s capacity, but it also meant allowing more people to enter a space they still did not know. He did not reject the possibility. He merely kept it as something that would have to be decided after evaluating those who might approach them.

—We will keep it in mind —he finally said.

Luciana nodded again.

She had reached the part that seemed most difficult for her. Her fingers touched the edge of the folder and stopped there. For an instant, she looked at the documents, although she already knew what was written in them. Then she raised her gaze toward the three of them.

—There is another administrative condition.

Óscar waited.

—All clubs need a responsible teacher —Luciana explained—. It does not matter whether they are new or have been operating for years. Someone must supervise the activities, guide you when necessary, manage certain requests, and submit the corresponding reports.

Her voice remained clear, but the nervousness appeared again in the careful way she arranged each sentence.

—Since I submitted the documents and already know the proposal... I decided to register myself as the teacher in charge of the club.

The final part came out a little faster.

Luciana held their gaze despite the visible tension in her posture.

—I would take care of the guidance, management, and reports. Of course, only if you agree.

Óscar answered before the others.

—Of course we agree. It would be strange to reject the person who managed to get the club and the room approved.

There was no mockery in his voice. His lightness merely removed part of the weight Luciana had placed on the question.

Virka spoke afterward.

—We agree, Professor.

Sebastián looked at the open folder and then at Luciana.

She had done the work that none of them could carry out on their own within the Institute’s administrative structure. In addition, she had offered to assume a responsibility that would continue even after the approval.

—It is appropriate —he said—. Thank you for taking on that role.

Luciana blinked behind her round glasses.

The tension disappeared from her face, and a restrained smile formed on her lips. It was neither broad nor effusive, but it was clear enough to show how much she had hoped for that answer.

—Perfect —she said, now with a little more confidence—. Then I can complete the registration with the responsible teacher already confirmed.

Óscar smiled.

—It seems you had already resolved almost everything before calling us.

—Not everything.

Luciana leaned over the desk and picked up a second group of documents that she had kept beneath the folder. They were ten separate sheets, each with a different heading and several printed sections.

—I also prepared proposals so that you can begin the club’s activities and start accumulating merits.

She organized them before extending them toward them.

—I reviewed your schedules and took into account that the three of you participate in the Rakzar program together with another student. I tried to choose options that would not interfere with the training sessions or your other academic obligations.

Her gaze lowered for an instant toward the final sheet.

—I also looked for activities in which Valentina can truly participate, without requiring anything inappropriate for her age.

Virka observed the documents more attentively.

Luciana continued:

—You do not have to accept all of them. They are initial possibilities. Some focus on research within the Institute; others require gathering testimonies, organizing records, or documenting traditions from different regions. You can review them in the room and decide which one you wish to begin with.

She extended the ten sheets.

Sebastián received them.

Their weight was minimal, but they represented the first concrete work that the club would have to choose for itself. They already had a provisional room and a teacher in charge.

They also had a name that did not yet belong to them and that one day they would have to replace with one chosen among the four of them.

Now, resting in Sebastián’s hands, were the first opportunities to demonstrate what kind of club they intended to build.

Sebastián held the ten sheets for a few seconds. The headings remained visible one above another, each accompanied by a brief description, different requirements, and a determined amount of merits. He had not yet reviewed any proposal in depth, but the light weight of the paper was enough to confirm that the club had ceased to be merely an intention.

Now it had something to do.

He divided the sheets into two equal groups, handed five to Óscar, and kept the other five.

—You can review them during the day —he said—. Afterward, we will compare the options.

Óscar received the documents and quickly looked at the first one.

—All right. That way, we avoid all four of us having to read the same thing from the beginning.

Virka looked at both groups.

—At the end of the day, we can bring them together and decide which ones are worth considering.

Sebastián nodded.

Luciana closed the folder that still remained open on the desk. The calm that had appeared on her face did not completely eliminate her nervousness, but now her hands rested more naturally on the documents.

—You may use the room starting today —she reminded them—. When classes end, you will be able to open it with your student credentials.

Óscar arranged the five sheets against his notebook.

—Then we will see you there, Professor.

—I will probably stop by later to check that everything is in order —Luciana replied—, but I do not want to interrupt your first meeting.

Virka inclined her head slightly.

—Thank you for everything you did.

Sebastián kept his gaze on Luciana.

—We will inform you when we have chosen an activity.

The teacher nodded.

—I will be attentive.

The three said goodbye and left the teachers’ room.

Once in the corridor, Óscar checked the order of his sheets before placing them inside a folder. Sebastián did the same with his own, protecting them between the pages of his notebook to prevent them from bending.

They walked together to the intersection of the academic blocks. There, Óscar took the corridor that led toward eleventh grade.

—See you when classes end —he said.

—We will see each other in the room —Sebastián replied.

Óscar raised one hand before walking away.

Sebastián and Virka returned to Tenth Grade A.

When they entered, some gazes once again focused on them. The murmurs arose again, brief and restrained, but diminished when the teacher resumed the interrupted explanation. Sebastián and Virka took their places without offering answers to those trying to discover the reason for the summons.

The school day continued.

The classes advanced one after another, separated by changes of teacher, the sounds of bells, and corridors that filled for a few minutes before becoming empty again.

Sebastián reviewed the proposals only when he had free time. He did not try to study them all immediately. He read the headings, identified the main requirements, and memorized which ones seemed compatible with the group’s current capabilities. Some required gathering testimonies. Others proposed classifying old documents, researching regional traditions, or preparing a written record about little-studied cultural phenomena.

None could be chosen without consulting the others.

When recess arrived, Sebastián and Virka left the tenth-grade block and headed toward the place where they usually met Valentina.

The girl appeared shortly afterward. She carried the backpack on her back and, hidden inside it, Narka remained in his reduced form. From the outside, nothing more than a slight alteration in the shape of the bag could be seen when he adjusted his body among Valentina’s belongings.

Óscar arrived from the eleventh-grade section with the five sheets still stored away.

The four gathered to eat.

They did not use recess to formally organize the club. Valentina talked about what she had done during the morning and showed a small assignment completed in class. Virka observed it attentively. Óscar asked questions that led the girl to explain more than necessary, while Sebastián listened without interrupting her.

The backpack remained beside Valentina, and Narka did not come out of it.

The meal ended without any significant events. When the announcement marking the end of recess sounded, Óscar returned to eleventh grade, Sebastián and Virka went back to Tenth Grade A, and Valentina headed once again toward the primary school section with the backpack on her back.

The school afternoon continued with the same normality.

The Institute’s windows let in light that grew increasingly slanted. The shadows of the frames advanced across the floors and desks while the final subjects slowly consumed the remaining hours.

At certain moments, the previous night seemed to belong to another existence.

Sebastián answered questions, wrote what was necessary, and followed the explanations like any other student. None of his classmates could distinguish in his hands the same strength that, only a few hours earlier, had opened a reinforced floor and emptied the fortune of an entire organization.

At the Institute, that was of no importance.

There, he only had to complete the school day.

When the final announcement sounded, the classrooms began to empty. Conversations returned with greater force. Chairs moved, notebooks disappeared inside bags, and the corridors filled once again with students eager to leave the buildings or head toward their complementary activities.

Sebastián put away his five proposals. Virka finished organizing her belongings and left beside him.

Both headed toward the primary school section.

The difference between the buildings became evident as they advanced. The hallways were lower, the notices were placed at a shorter height, and children’s voices filled the space with an energy different from that of the higher grades.

Valentina was waiting for them near the exit of her group.

When she saw them, she raised one hand.

—Dad. Mom.

The backpack remained on her back. Narka stayed inside, reduced and hidden as he had been throughout the rest of the school day.

Virka approached first and checked that Valentina had all her things.

—Did you finish the day well?

—Yes. They also gave us an assignment, but it is small.

Sebastián took one of the objects the girl was carrying separately and placed it inside the backpack, taking care not to disturb Narka.

—Let us go to the club room.

Valentina raised her gaze.

—Can we enter already?

—Starting today —Virka replied.

The excitement immediately appeared on the girl’s face.

The three left the primary school section and walked toward the block where the assigned room was located. Óscar was waiting for them in the main corridor, leaning near one of the windows with the folder beneath his arm.

When he saw them approaching, he straightened.

—It seems we will be the first to officially inaugurate the place.

—We are the only members who were supposed to come —Sebastián said.

Óscar let out a smile.

—That also helps.

The four continued together.

The room was located in a quieter section of the Institute, away from the constant traffic of the main classrooms. The corridor ended near the exterior of the building, where the distant sound of the sea could be heard when the other voices diminished.

Sebastián stopped in front of the door.

There was still no plaque.

There was no official name, symbol, or mark indicating who used that space. The surface beside the entrance remained empty, waiting for an identity that none of them had chosen yet.

Sebastián brought his credential close to the reader. The mechanism emitted a low sound, and the lock opened.

They entered.

The room was clean and almost completely unoccupied. There were tables, a few chairs, and basic furniture distributed without any definitive organization. Nothing truly belonged to the club yet. There were no books of their own, research materials, or objects revealing what kind of work would be carried out there.

At the back, the large reinforced windows extended across the wall.

The sea occupied almost the entire view.

The afternoon descended over the water, covering the surface with long reflections that broke apart with every movement of the waves. From that height, the horizon seemed like an immobile line separating two spaces without allowing them to touch completely.

Valentina walked directly toward the window and stopped in front of the glass, observing the sea with her eyes wide from the impression. Virka positioned herself beside her.

Óscar moved toward one of the tables and placed his five sheets on the surface. Sebastián placed the other five beside them.

The ten proposals were gathered together once again.

For a few moments, none of them spoke.

The room still had no name of its own or a plaque distinguishing it from any other space in the Institute. There were only the four of them, the sea on the other side of the glass, and ten possible paths spread across an empty table.

The club had obtained a place.

Now it had to decide what to do inside it.

________________________________________

END OF Chapter 122 The path continues...

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