Section 1, Part 1: Dean's Office

It was the end of August.

Swan Park.

A warm, wistful summer breeze slipped through the poplar trees, gently lifting Lucrecia’s shiny brown hair. She walked hurriedly and excitedly through the middle of the park, gazing around as though captivated by the beauty of the place she was seeing for the first time.

“What a beautiful place,” she thought.

Distracted by the scenery, Lucrecia did not even notice the bicycle approaching her. She only realized what was happening when the sunlight reflected off the bicycle’s mirror and flashed into her eyes. She quickly threw herself to the side. At the last moment, a park bench stopped her from falling, but apparently, even that was not enough, and she fell onto the bench.

The book, notebook, and pens she had been holding in her arms scattered across the pavement. Confused by what had just happened, she remained frozen there for a moment. Then her eyes fell upon her belongings on the ground. She quickly pulled herself together, bent down, and began gathering the books and the papers that had spilled from between them.

Lucrecia’s hair was slightly disheveled, falling on both sides of her face. The sunlight shimmered through her hair, making its rich brown color appear even deeper. Yet behind those beautiful strands, a single tear slipped down Lucrecia’s cheek. Tears like tiny pearls rolled down her face and fell onto the warm paving stones of the park, disappearing almost instantly beneath the heat of the stone.

“Why do all the unfortunate things in the world happen to me?” she whispered to herself, continuing to gather the papers.

She stood up and wiped away her tears.

“No. I have to stay positive. Today is an important day, after all,” she said, trying to comfort herself, and began walking quickly.

She was already close to her destination.

At the end of the park, she turned right and gazed at the building rising before her. In awe, she shifted her gaze toward the inscription carved into the stone façade.

“A State University — Dean’s Office.”

The building had been constructed in the 1750s by a philanthropist named X. The university had originally operated here, but toward the end of the 1900s, it had moved to another location. The building was then converted into the university’s dean’s office.

Since its construction, the building had witnessed three major wars and suffered severe damage. Later, it was restored and returned to its former grandeur.

The brief history of the building flashed through Lucrecia’s mind. She had become so lost in her thoughts that she only realized at the last moment that the traffic light had turned green. However, the crowd that had gathered behind her while she was lost in thought moved much faster than she did. They nearly knocked her over.

She began moving quickly among the people. She only realized that she had reached the end of the crossing when the people around her began dispersing in different directions. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, then continued toward the magnificent building.

The area surrounding the building was crowded with university students, professors, and parents. Lucrecia’s attention was drawn to several professors dressed in robes.

At this university, every faculty had its own distinctive attire. The main features that distinguished the uniforms were their colors and the faculty logos embroidered over the chest. The golden silk embroidery on the garments stood out particularly brightly under the sunlight.

Lucrecia immediately recognized the uniform of the Faculty of History among them.

How could she not?

She had spent years working toward admission to this faculty and had learned everything there was to know about it.

And now, there she was, standing at the entrance of the dean’s office.

Lucrecia reached her small hand toward the long iron handle of the door. She was nervous. When she tried to open it, she realized that it was much heavier than she had expected. Forced to use both hands, the young girl finally managed to open the door with some difficulty.

She stepped inside with heavy footsteps. She tried to close the door quietly, but it did not work. The handle slipped from her sweaty hands, trembling with nervousness, and the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Startled by the sound, Lucrecia stood there with her head bowed. Her cheeks flushed red. She felt as though she could barely breathe.

At that moment, she felt the eyes of everyone around her upon her.

Embarrassed, she slowly raised her head and looked around.

She thought everyone was staring at her.

But they weren't.

Everyone in the hall was busy with their own affairs. Some were hurrying somewhere with books and documents in their hands, while others were engaged in conversation.

This calmed Lucrecia down.

She adjusted her hair and clothes, then looked around once more.

At that moment, the beauty of the building’s main hall captivated her.

The hall was remarkably spacious and bright. A large chandelier hung directly in the center of the ceiling. To its right and left were smaller chandeliers extending all the way toward the far end of the hall, illuminating the rest of the room.

Directly opposite the entrance stood a bust of the philanthropist who had financed the construction of the building. On either side of it, hanging on the walls, were portraits of the country’s founding leaders.

As Lucrecia looked around, she completely forgot why she had come there.

She had barely taken a few steps when a hand appeared in front of her.

“Hello, miss. What can I do for you?”

The man was the building’s security guard, Mr. Bruno Nelson, a tall, straight-backed, somewhat elderly gentleman.

Lucrecia hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I... I’ve just been admitted to this university. And I’ve come here to register for the dormitory.”

After finishing her sentence, she took a deep breath.

Mr. Nelson spoke calmly.

“Congratulations, miss. Welcome to our university. For dormitory registration, you need to go to Registration Office No. 8.”

After saying this, Mr. Nelson looked at the confused young girl. He suspected that she might not be able to find the room on her own.

In a gentle voice, he said:

“Miss, why don’t I escort you to the room? It would be best.”

Lucrecia’s cheeks turned red. She raised her head slightly and said:

“No... Sir, I wouldn’t want to trouble you.”

Mr. Nelson replied:

“It’s no trouble at all, young lady. It is my job, after all. Please, follow me.”

Mr. Nelson stepped ahead and began walking briskly. Lucrecia had perhaps been misled by the man’s age, because she was surprised by how quickly he moved.

Noticing that she was falling behind, Mr. Nelson turned around and addressed her.

“Miss, we need to hurry a little. My time is limited.”

Without another word, he continued walking at the same pace.

In a timid voice, Lucrecia said:

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Then she began running.

She caught up with Mr. Nelson in the middle of the hall.

When they reached the staircase leading to the upper floors, Mr. Nelson slowed down. Turning toward Lucrecia, he said:

“Now we need to go to the third floor. It would be better to use the elevator, but unfortunately, the elevators are out of order. So we will have to use the stairs.”

Lucrecia nodded in agreement, and they continued upward together.

This part of the building was hardly used. Perhaps that was why it was in much worse condition than the rest of the building. Several steps were damaged, and some of the light bulbs were no longer working.

Lucrecia tried to place her feet carefully, but the farther they climbed, the darker it became.

They had already reached the second floor when, on the final step, the heel of Lucrecia’s shoe caught in a hole in the staircase. She lost her balance.

If Mr. Nelson had not caught her at the last moment, she would have fallen down the stairs.

Mr. Nelson grabbed her by the arm.

“Miss, are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?”

Lucrecia was badly frightened. Her heart was pounding rapidly, and her hands were trembling slightly.

“No, sir,” she replied in a quiet, anxious voice. “I’m fine. Thank you very much.”

“Be a little more careful,” Mr. Nelson said.

He raised his head and pointed upward.

“We only have one more floor,” he said. “If you wish, you can hold on to my arm. It would be safer for you.”

Lucrecia hesitated for a moment, but her fear overcame her embarrassment, and she accepted his offer.

They finally reached the entrance to the third floor.

Mr. Nelson turned toward the girl and smiled gently.

“Miss, I’m afraid I won’t be able to accompany you any farther. To register for the Faculty of History dormitory, turn left at the end of the hall. Enter Room 223, three doors down.”

Lucrecia leaned forward slightly in gratitude.

Mr. Nelson returned the gesture, removing his hat and bowing his head.

“Good luck,” he said.

Then he disappeared down the staircase.

Lucrecia took a deep breath and turned toward the long, narrow hallway, with doors lining both sides.

As she began walking, she felt as though the end of the hallway would never come.

It was so silent that a ringing began in Lucrecia’s ears. Her heart started pounding violently, as though it might burst out of her chest.

Suddenly, she began coughing and choking.

Lucrecia understood what was happening.

She was having an asthma attack.

Why now?

With great difficulty, she lifted her head. Her eyes were watering from coughing, and she could barely see her surroundings. She rubbed her eyes with her hand.

Then she realized what was wrong.

There were no windows anywhere in the hallway.

The climb up the stairs had already left her breathless. On top of that, the dusty and humid air was making her condition even worse.

There was no time to think.

She quickly reached into her bag and began searching for her asthma inhaler.

Her coughing grew more violent.

Then her vision began to darken, and she collapsed onto her knees.

She could not find anything inside the bag.

Finally, she turned the bag upside down and shook it.

The belongings inside scattered across the floor.

The asthma inhaler fell out last.

It slid across the floor of the hallway and came to a stop after hitting the door through which she had entered moments earlier.