My Demon Professors Are All Gorgeous Girls
Chapter 99: Valmira’s Future

Chapter 99: Valmira’s Future

The Archive Vault lay beneath the Academy’s western wing in a maze of iron corridors that once stored forbidden grimoires and collapsed flags. Now it held a different secret. Flickering torches cast quivering light on the vaulted ceiling as Valmira led me through the narrow passages, her steps as quiet as a scholar’s whisper. Her usual calm had given way to something more urgent. She clutched her Codex tightly as though it might slip away.

"We seldom venture here," she said, voice soft. "Because knowledge can be... heavy."

I glanced around at the aging shelves, each door sealed with silver runes. Some barrels of clay still held fragments of broken spells. The air smelled of parchment, dust, and faint ozone from recent magical activity. I touched one of the seals and felt a thrill of power humming beneath my fingertips.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Valmira paused at a double door carved with the image of an open eye. The runes glowed at her approach. "To the Chamber of Futures," she replied. "A section of the Archive rarely opened. It contains prophecies and recordings of possible worlds—versions of Arcadia that never came to be."

I frowned. "We’re venturing into prophecy?"

She nodded. "It is not prophecy if you help write it. We must understand the futures we face, so that we can choose what comes next."

With a soft whoosh the doors parted, revealing a circular room lined with glass vials, scrolls, and crystalline orbs. In the center stood a tall pedastal supporting a single open book restrained by silver chains. Above, mirrors of polished steel reflected the faint starlight that filtered in from hidden alcoves.

"This is the Future Codex," Valmira said. "It writes itself, recording every potential outcome of major choices made in this academy and beyond."

I approached the pedestal, careful not to disturb the chains. Valmira stood beside me, eyes glittering with anticipation and apprehension.

"Look," she whispered.

On the open page, glowing script scrolled slowly. Words I read:If the Architect wields the First Flame without memory, the world fractures into endless loops.If the Duchess returns to the Frostbound Courts with a rerooted crown, alliances endure.If the Lightning Tower harnesses the Halo’s pulse fully, magic revives across all realms.If Valmira chooses knowledge over fear, the Codex becomes a living bridge between worlds.

Her finger traced the final line. "That one," she said, voice trembling. "It’s named after me."

I stared at the phrase: If Valmira chooses knowledge over fear, the Codex becomes a living bridge between worlds. Beneath it, subtext scrawled in her own handwriting: My choice, my future.

"You wrote that?" I asked, astonished.

She shook her head. "I did not. The Future Codex records possibilities based on intent. If I overcome my fear of the unknown, this academy’s knowledge could unite realms beyond ours."

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "You will choose knowledge over fear."

Valmira closed her eyes and took a steady breath. "But that means stepping into truths I may not wish to face."

"Knowledge demands courage," I reminded her. "And I will be with you."

She opened the Future Codex’s page and gently laid her palm on the glowing script. The lines shimmered and rearranged, forming a new passage:Valmira Nocturne: Custodian of Memory. Guides seekers through the unknown toward understanding.

I felt a pulse of power, warm and steady. The Future Codex’s chains fell away, as though acknowledging her new role.

Valmira looked at me, tears shining. "It is a promise," she said. "Not fate."

Mapping the Unknown

Over the next week, Valmira and I ventured deeper into the Archive. We cataloged relics of impossible lore: a compass that pointed toward lost memories, quills that wrote stories based on a reader’s heart, crystal orbs that visualized emotions as living creatures. Together, we tested spells that translated fleeting thoughts into stable runes. We watched as the Future Codex expanded, each page glowing with fresh possibilities once I wielded the First Flame’s memory and Seraphina offered her compassion.

Valmira recorded everything in her own hand, her quill dancing through the Codex’s margins:Discovered mirror that shows one’s past and future simultaneouslyUnearthed rune that can heal or shatter with intentInterviewed spirits who once carved the foundation runes beneath the Academy

Each entry was a testament to her growing confidence and purpose. She no longer trembled when faced with arcane uncertainties. Instead, she approached each new text with curiosity, her eyes alight with wonder.

One evening, deep within a circular chamber lined with memory orbs, Valmira paused before an empty pedestal. The inscription at its base read: "The Mirror of Reflection: Know thyself and other worlds shall know you." A faint echo of others’ voices drifted from the glass.

Valmira turned, breathing unevenly. "I need to face it," she said. "My future is not complete until I understand who I am beneath this mask of runes."

I nodded. "I’ll be right here."

She stepped before the glass. It rippled like water, then stilled. Her reflection appeared—silver-haired Valmira, gaze soft, lips curved in a gentle smile. Then the image shifted: a younger Valmira clutching a forbidden book, eyes wide with wonder. The next shift showed her as an elder, hand wrinkled but firm, guiding future scholars. Each vision flowed into the next: scholar, seeker, teacher, guardian.

Tears fell as she watched. Each version of herself echoed Lilith’s wisdom: choice, unity, sacrifice, memory. She pressed a hand to the glass. "I remember who I was, and who I can become."

The orb’s glow brightened, showering the chamber in violet light. Valmira’s reflection solidified back into the present. She turned to me, smile hopeful. "I choose knowledge over fear."

I embraced her as the Mirror of Reflection shimmered and dissolved, its purpose fulfilled.

A New Codex Entry

Back in the Grand Assembly Hall, Valmira stood before the Codex and recited her promise:

I, Valmira Nocturne, take up the mantle of Custodian of Memory. I shall guide seekers through the Archive’s depths, guard the stories of our world, and illuminate paths yet uncharted. Knowledge shall be our bridge; fear shall be our challenge.

Students and professors cheered. Lilith’s First Flame hologram—etched into the vaulted ceiling—flickered in approval at the promise.

Later, Seraphina rested a hand on Valmira’s shoulder. "You have become the bridge."

Valmira’s quill hovered over the Codex. "And this is only the beginning."

Embers of Tomorrow

That night, we convened in the courtyard under the Origin Halo. The ring of light glowed like a beacon, and the wards hummed with stability. Seraphina, Yuria, Astraea, Zephira, and I formed a protective circle around Valmira as she held the Codex aloft.

"We honor your choice," I said. "And commit to carrying your knowledge forward."

Yuria raised her gauntleted fist. "To knowledge over fear!"

Zephira’s sword tip pressed to the ground. "To the Mirror of Reflection and all it reveals!"

Astraea lifted Eclipse. "To the custodian of memory and the stories yet to be written!"

Seraphina placed her frost sigil on Valmira’s quill. "To unity and empathy, guided by understanding!"

Valmira took a breath—and then unrolled her own small parchment:

"To all who find this moment, know that knowledge is both shield and sword. It will protect you when wielded with care, and guide you through darkness when hope falters. Choose to learn, even when fear beckons. Your future depends on the truth you dare to discover."

She etched that final sentence into the Codex’s heart.

And under the watchful light of the Halo, we sealed her promise not with wax or blood, but with our shared intention.