We left the academy before sunrise.
No farewell ceremony. No speeches. No dramatic goodbyes. Just a quiet exit through a side gate most students didn't even know existed. My bag was light, like the prince said. Clothes. Notes. One book I pretended not to care about.
Elira walked ahead of me, cloak pulled tight, steps quick. She had that look again. Focused. Busy. Slightly guilty.
I decided not to comment on it. Not yet.
The carriage waited beyond the walls. Black wood. No crest. The kind of vehicle meant to disappear into traffic, not announce its importance.
As I stepped inside, I noticed something immediately.
There was already someone there.
Or something.
It was sitting on the seat, legs crossed, tail flicking lazily. Cat ears. Grey fur. Bright gold eyes. A small coat wrapped around its body like it was trying very hard to be taken seriously.
It looked up at me and sighed.
"Oh good," it said. "You're not bleeding or screaming. That's a solid start."
I froze.
The creature squinted. "You usually blink faster. Are you defective?"
I slowly turned to Elira.
She did not look surprised.
"Please tell me I'm hallucinating," I said.
"No," she replied. "That would be easier."
The prince cleared his throat from outside the carriage. "Ah. You've met."
Met.
The cat hopped off the seat and landed gracefully on the floor. It gave a small bow, one paw over its chest.
"Name's Virex," it said. "Archivist-class familiar. Semi-autonomous. Pocket-sized. Mildly sarcastic."
"Mildly?" I muttered.
Virex grinned. It had too many teeth for something that small.
"I'm here to help you," it said. "Explain things. Clarify nonsense. Prevent you from dying due to ignorance."
I stared at it.
"You're a cat."
"I am an institution," Virex corrected.
The prince leaned into the doorway. "You wanted context. We don't have time for years of briefings. Virex is… efficient."
"How does it work?" I asked.
Virex tapped the side of its head. "I know most things worth knowing. I can appear when summoned, vanish when inconvenient, and I do not require feeding. Emotionally or physically."
"That last part feels targeted," I said.
"It is," Virex replied cheerfully.
The prince smiled, clearly enjoying this far too much.
"You'll find Virex useful," he said. "Ask the right questions, and you'll survive longer."
Longer.
That word again.
He stepped back, the carriage door closing with a soft thud.
The wheels began to move.
Silence filled the space, broken only by the sound of the road beneath us.
I exhaled slowly.
"Okay," I said. "Let's establish boundaries."
Virex tilted its head. "Oh, this should be good."
"I don't like being followed," I continued. "I don't like being manipulated. And I really don't like being handed talking animals without warning."
Virex nodded. "Reasonable."
Elira shifted. "This wasn't my call."
"I know," I said. "That's the problem."
She looked at me, surprised. Then, quietly, "I'm trying to keep you alive."
"That also worries me," I replied.
Virex clapped its paws once. "Excellent. Emotional tension established. Shall I begin the overview?"
"No lore dumps," I said immediately.
"Rude," Virex replied. "But fair."
The carriage rocked slightly as the road changed. We were leaving the city now. I could feel it. The air was different. Less controlled.
I leaned back.
"Start small," I said. "Why me?"
Virex's expression softened. Just a little.
"Because you notice patterns before you believe them," it said. "And because you hesitate. People who hesitate tend to live longer in places where certainty gets you killed."
That landed harder than I expected.
I looked out the window.
"So," I said. "You're my guide."
"Yes."
"My translator."
"Occasionally."
"My leash?"
Virex smiled. "Absolutely not. I bite people who try that."
I snorted despite myself.
Elira relaxed a fraction. I noticed.
The carriage rolled onward, away from the academy, away from safety, toward something unnamed and unresolved.
And sitting across from me was a talking cat in a coat, holding more knowledge than I was comfortable with.
I had a bad feeling this was only the beginning.