— "So… where are we going now?" Vex asked as they crossed the central building's halls.
— "To the one thing that has united all of humanity since ancient times," Kaen replied, his tone unchanged."The cafeteria."
— "Exactly!" added Elois, spinning dramatically on his heel."And there, gentlemen… I, Elois Varnholt, shall lead you from the shadows of Terna to the gastronomic peak of this academy's elite!"
— "How exactly? Stealing trays from the Aether class?" Kaen asked.
— "It's a delicate process. Gradual. A strategic dance of charisma and presence."
— "Translation: he wants to flirt with the lunch staff."
— "Baseless accusations!"
They all laughed as they crossed the courtyard, following the aroma already wafting through the air.
The main dining hall was housed in a domed structure with a façade of dark marble that shifted tones depending on the light.But it was only when they stepped inside that they fell silent.
— "…wow."
The place was enormous.Vaulted ceilings, living columns covered in glowing runes.Floating tables organized by section, trays of food moving on their own, and a symphony of aromas ranging from exotic spices to impossible fruits.
— "This feels like a temple," Vex murmured.
— "This is heaven," Elois corrected.
They moved forward… until a magical voice echoed from a floating orb above the entrance.
"Attention. Terna-class students: your assigned area is the west sector.Thank you for maintaining hierarchical order."
The atmosphere froze for a moment.Kaen lowered his head.Elois turned slowly.
— "West… sector?"
They walked in silence toward the far end of the hall.
There, they found a more empty zone—unpolished wooden tables, and actual cutlery.No floating trays.No magical meals.No ambient music.
A single table already had plates set out.Soup, hard bread… and something Elois described as "gray substance with rice intentions."
— "Is this a punishment?" Vex whispered.
— "No, this is tragicomedy," Elois replied, sitting with melodramatic flair."The price of future greatness."
While they ate in relative silence, Vex glanced at Kaen.
— "Hey…"
— "Hm?"
— "Why did you talk to me back then? In the waiting room. We didn't know each other."
Kaen swallowed and shrugged.
— "You were the least weird person there."
— "Is that a compliment?"
— "Considering one guy was talking to himself, another claimed to be Zeus's descendant, and someone else tried to levitate by crossing his eyes… yes."
"And you, with ember-red eyes, serial killer calm, and zero emotion, were the normal one?"Vex thought, holding back a grin.
— "And the director?" he asked. "Who is he, exactly?"
— "I'm so glad you asked!" Elois exclaimed, springing upright like someone had triggered a trap."The great Aureon Tarsk… one of the Four Disciples of the Warrior of Truth, leader of the Eternal Valley campaign, master of—"
— "Officially classified by the United Nations of the New World as one of the top one hundred most powerful living humans," Kaen interrupted, still calm.
— "…seriously?"
— "So serious that if he blinks wrong, the weather resets."
Elois sighed.
— "Always ruining the narrative…"
After finishing their meal, they headed toward the exit.
That's when the crowd began to shift.
People clustered together. Whispering. All eyes locked in one direction.
A girl walked down the central aisle of the dining hall.Sword at her hip, robe flawless.Dark hair braided, gaze unwavering.
Saria.
She walked without looking at anyone, yet no one could look away.
— "Is that her…?" Vex asked, recognizing her.
— "Yeah," said Kaen.
— "The swordswoman," Elois added, smiling like he was watching a solar eclipse."The most beautiful girl in this academy—and probably the entire eastern hemisphere.Aether class.Direct descendant of Tomyris.And with a sword skill even the instructors can't match."
— "You like her," Kaen said flatly.
— "How could I not? Look at how she walks. That's not walking. That's defying gravity with—"
And Vex remembered her voice.Her stare.The contempt with which she'd said his name like it was an insult.
"Lugul… what?""I'm not here to make friends with randoms."Of course… how could I forget?
His stomach tightened. Not with anger.But with a deep sense of inferiority.
Kaen, without turning, spoke softly:
— "You know what I think of all those people with perfect bloodlines and golden surnames?"
Vex looked at him without answering.
— "That inheriting something… isn't the same as deserving it.And carrying a name… isn't the same as building one."
Vex lowered his gaze.
— "And if you don't have one?"
Kaen paused for a second. Then said:
— "Then you have something better:The freedom to make them remember you not for who you were…but for what you made the world never forget."