Water hit stone in uneven rhythms, echoing softly through the bathing area built just beyond the training grounds. Steam drifted low, curling along the floor and blurring the edges of everything.Lucas leaned back against the wall, arms resting on the rim of the shallow pool. His muscles protested the moment he stopped moving. It settled in slowly, a deep ache that made even breathing feel like effort.Rodrick sank into the water beside him with a satisfied sigh."Yeah, this is the part I actually like,"Gerald dropped in on the other side, sending a small splash outward."You didn’t do anything, what are you recovering from,"Rodrick didn’t even open his eyes."Mental exhaustion,"Lucas let out a short laugh."You were entertained, not exhausted,"Gerald stretched his arms out along the edge."Watching you suffer takes energy,"Lucas turned his head slightly."I’m glad I could contribute to your development,"Kael stood off to the side, not entering the water. He rinsed his hands slo

The academy changed at night.Not quieter. Just different.People still moved around, but it felt more deliberate. Conversations stayed low, footsteps sharper, like everyone had somewhere to be and didn’t want to get stopped on the way.Lucas leaned against the wall outside the strategy room, arms folded.Rodrick stood nearby, tapping his foot against the stone."You sure I can’t come in," he said.Lucas didn’t look at him."She said no,""Yeah, but she also said you could come, and you’re not even on the team,"Lucas shrugged."Life’s unfair,"Rodrick snorted."You’re enjoying this,"Lucas pushed off the wall just as the door opened.Elara stood there."You’re late,"Lucas raised an eyebrow."I’ve been here the whole time,""I know,"Her eyes flicked to Rodrick."He’s not coming in,"Rodrick put a hand to his chest."I’m wounded, honestly,""You’ll recover,"Lucas walked past her."Try not to start a fight while I’m gone,"Rodrick smirked."No promises,"The door shut.The room felt

No one moved for a few seconds after Lucas said it.The noise of the training grounds carried on like nothing had changed. Steel clashed somewhere to the left. A group shouted in rhythm further out. Someone laughed too loudly.But around them, the space tightened.Rodrick glanced over his shoulder again."I still don’t see anything,""You won’t," Lily said, her voice lower now, more focused. "If it’s what I think it is,"Gerald frowned."And what exactly do you think it is,"Lily didn’t answer immediately.Lucas shifted his stance slightly, not enough to draw attention, but enough to be ready.The feeling didn’t spike.It didn’t grow.It just stayed there, quiet and wrong, like something sitting just outside his reach.Elara’s eyes moved across the field slowly, calculating."If it was a direct threat, we would know,"Kael nodded once."Agreed,"Rodrick let out a breath."So we’re just going to stand here pretending everything’s fine,"Lucas finally looked away from the distance."No,

The garden stayed quiet.Not silent, because silence didn’t really exist inside the academy. Somewhere beyond the walls students were still shouting, steel still clashing, instructors still correcting mistakes. The sound reached them faintly, like echoes carried through layers of stone and trees.But inside the meditation garden, the noise felt distant.Muted.Lucas kept his eyes closed.His breathing slowed little by little.In.Out.In.Out.At first nothing changed.Just darkness behind his eyelids and the steady rhythm of his lungs.Rodrick shifted beside him."My leg is definitely dead now," he whispered.Gerald snorted quietly."You’ve been sitting for three minutes,""Exactly,"Lucas chuckled without opening his eyes."You two are hopeless,"Rodrick sighed dramatically."I’m trying, alright,"Elara’s voice came calmly from the center platform."Stop focusing on discomfort,"Rodrick groaned."Easy for you to say,"Lily opened one eye."She’s been doing this longer than you,"Rod

The corridor lights flickered once as the group stepped inside the academy building.Lucas walked at the front with his hands in his pockets. The folded letter rested there, the paper pressing lightly against his thigh with each step.Rodrick stayed unusually close behind him.Not subtly close.Just close.Lucas glanced over his shoulder."You’re walking like a bodyguard."Rodrick shrugged."I said I’d keep an eye on you.""You also said your legs were stolen earlier.""They were. This is my heroic recovery."Gerald walked on Lucas’s other side, looking relaxed but watching the hallway ahead. Students passed them in small groups, voices bouncing softly against the stone walls.Some of them slowed when they noticed Lucas.A few whispered.Lily noticed it first.She tilted her head slightly as another pair of students stared a little too long."See that?"Lucas sighed quietly."I preferred when nobody cared."Rodrick snorted."You beat Lily in front of half the academy. That was never g