Eren walked toward his room, assuming everyone had already gone to bed. He tried to push the door open without knocking, hoping they hadn't locked it from the inside. He heaved a sigh of relief when the door opened. The soft glow of a lamp still illuminated the room. Moving silently, he placed his uniform near his bed and hunkered down to sleep.
Alaric noticed the door opening and saw Eren entering the room but didn't plan on starting a conversation. Instead, he remained in bed.
As Eren closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, he suddenly remembered that he had managed to manifest fire for a whole five seconds. Excitement surged within him, but he forced himself to calm down. After all, the experience had left him vomiting and nearly unconscious. Still, a sense of achievement lingered within him, and he couldn't wait to try again tomorrow.
Early in the morning, Eren could hear birds chirping outside as soft light streamed through the closed glass window. The distant sound of people talking reached his ears. With a lazy twist of his body, he shifted into a more comfortable position, sinking into the bed. It felt oddly more comfortable than ever before.
"Ahhhh…"
Eren bolted upright, looking around in confusion before realizing he was in the academy dormitory—not at home, where his mother would have let him sleep as much as he wanted. His drowsiness vanished in an instant. Glancing around, he noticed three people sitting at the study table.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, legs dangling, he wondered what they were reading. Since classes hadn't started yet, it was probably either a storybook or something related to their innate flames, he assumed.
"Good morning, Eren," Balthasar greeted, turning around.
"Good morning, Eren. Did you sleep well?" Alaric asked.
"Hey, guys. Good morning! Slept well," Eren replied, grinning gleefully.
Seeing that none of them had donned their uniforms yet, Eren relaxed a little. There was still time. He didn't even know when classes would begin since he had left the welcome ceremony early.
"If you're not studying, you can go ahead and use the bathhouse if you want," Balthasar suggested, glancing at Eren, who was still sitting idly on his bed.
"Okay."
Eren hadn't brought any books to read. Back home, he only had basic primers his mother used to teach him how to read and write—no storybooks. Besides, he was eager to try on the uniform he had collected last night.
Heading to the bathhouse attached to the dorm, he opened a window and was instantly stunned. A vast forest stretched near the dormitory, something he hadn't noticed before. He finally realized that the academy was located near a forest—probably because he hadn't entered through the main gate and had only seen towering buildings inside.
After taking in the view for a while, he finished his morning routine and stepped out of the bathhouse.
Without wasting time, Eren tried on his uniform, which he had kept under his cot. To his surprise, it fit perfectly around his scrawny frame. He wondered how they knew his exact measurements but didn't dwell on the thought for long.
The others went to the bathhouse one by one and changed into their uniforms. Meanwhile, Eren sat on his cot, waiting for them and wondering if he would end up in the same class as his friends. He also had to find the others, since he had abruptly left them yesterday.
An hour passed as the others finished getting ready. Eren glanced at the small clock near their cots—it was already 8 o'clock.
"Shall we go?" Alaric asked.
Eren nodded, and the four of them left the room.
"Let's grab breakfast quickly, then check the class assignments at the Magical Practice Hall. They should be posted by now," Alaric said as they walked toward the dining hall.
After a five-minute walk, they arrived at the dining hall building. To Eren's surprise, he remembered the path from last night—he must have memorized it without realizing it.
Students were entering and exiting the dining hall in a steady stream. As the four of them stepped inside, Eren took about ten steps before the hall suddenly fell silent. All eyes turned toward their group.
Eren didn't care. He was walking with a prince, so it was only natural for people to stare. Casually, he made his way toward the line to get food.
Once he received his meal, he noticed that jello wasn't on the morning menu, which left him feeling slightly disappointed for some reason. Scanning the vast hall for an empty table, he saw the others doing the same. Soon, they found a vacant table nearby, sat down, and started eating.
Eren's eyes wandered as he searched for his friends, but he didn't spot them. Maybe they had come earlier.
Occasionally, he noticed lingering stares from other tables, but he ignored them as usual. They quickly finished their meal and left the dining hall, heading toward the Magical Practice Hall to check their class assignments.
The same scene repeated—students entering and exiting the hall. The four of them lined up under the "Dormitory 7" section, waiting their turn. One by one, the others checked their classroom assignments and left the line. Eren came last. He found his name listed under Room 18, with Classroom 3 written beside it.
He didn't know how to feel—he hadn't expected anything specific.
Walking back to where the others stood, he said, "I got assigned to Classroom 3."
"Balthasar and I were assigned to Classroom 12," Alaric said.
"I'm in Classroom 10," Nikolaus added.
"Alright, let's head to the classroom section," Alaric said, leading the way.
Eren followed, along with the others. Around them, students were heading in the same direction.
After a five-minute walk, the three of them reached a large classroom building towering two stories high, designed to accommodate all first-year Awakeners.
"My classroom is on the ground floor. I'll see you guys later," Eren said, leaving the others and entering Classroom Three.
"Alright, take care. We'll meet at the entrance for lunch," Alaric replied before heading toward his own classroom.
Eren stepped into the room and was greeted by the sight of dozens of students sitting on benches in the spacious classroom, which could accommodate up to a hundred students—the maximum capacity for a single class. As he scanned the room for a suitable seat and tried to gauge which students wouldn't be troublemakers, an eerie silence fell over the classroom.
The moment Eren had stepped inside, every student turned their gaze toward the entrance. Confused, Eren instinctively turned around, expecting to see someone standing behind him. But to his surprise, no one was there.
They were all staring at him.
Ignoring the piercing gazes, Eren began walking forward. However, before he could reach an empty seat, a group of three students approached him, blocking his path.
"Hey, you're the guy who bravely declared at the welcome ceremony that you'd kill anyone who challenged you to a duel, right?" A bulky guy at the front of the group spoke with a stern face.
Eren frowned in confusion. When did I ever say that?
"That's not me. You've got the wrong person," he said, trying to step past them.
But before he could move, another student sitting nearby stood up, blocking his way again.
"I remember it clearly. You were the one who made that declaration. And I also heard that you haven't even awakened a Verse," the guy said loudly.
A murmur spread through the classroom as students began whispering among themselves.
"How can he be here without awakening a Verse?"
"That must be a rumor. The academy doesn't accept mundane people."
"I'm sure it's true. The kids from his village said the same thing."
As the commotion grew, Eren tried to move past the group, but suddenly—Thud!
A sharp kick from behind sent him crashing to the ground. Stunned, he looked back to see the same three guys standing over him, sneering.
Eren clenched his fists, controlling his emotions. He didn't know how to handle the situation. Without a word, he pushed himself up, only to be shoved down again—this time by a foot pressing against his back.
"You don't even have a Verse, yet you went around claiming you'd kill your opponents and hang their heads in your dorm? I've already registered my name to duel with you," the guy said with a dominant smirk. "If you refuse, we'll beat you up every single day."
"Me too."
"Don't forget me."
More students chimed in, laughing as they joined the challenge. Now that they thought he had no awakened Verse, they were eager to fight him.
Eren, still on the ground, felt utterly lost. He had no idea what they were talking about.
Slowly, he stood up and scanned the room, looking for a suitable place to sit. His eyes landed on a bench where a girl sat quietly, seemingly indifferent to the chaos around her. She hadn't participated in the commotion, which meant she likely wouldn't care if he sat near her.
She doesn't look like a noble either, Eren thought, making his way toward her. Without asking, he took a seat beside her.
Boom!
A loud thud echoed through the room, and the next thing Eren knew, he was on the floor, clutching his ribs in pain. A sharp kick had sent him flying from the chair.
Laughter erupted across the classroom.
"How can a guy like him think he can sit next to Helene?" one student sneered.
"Who is she? Why isn't anyone sitting near her?" a girl whispered.
"You don't know? She's the daughter of one of the Archdukes of Embercrest City."
Eren, groaning from the pain, looked up at the girl who had kicked him.
With a mocking smile, she scoffed, "Who do you think you are? And who gave you permission to sit next to me?"
Eren didn't know what to say. He simply stood up and looked around for another seat, but the other students smirked at him mockingly, making it clear they weren't going to let him sit beside them.
Not knowing what else to do, his gaze drifted toward the front of the room.
There, sitting at the first table, was a girl with long, elegant hair. She had a noble air about her, but unlike the others, she didn't seem to care about the commotion. She wasn't sitting at the edge of the bench like the other students who were deliberately preventing him from sitting.
Hesitant, Eren walked toward her, hoping she wouldn't react the same way Helene had.
As he stood beside the seat, he hesitated. But to his surprise, the girl didn't even acknowledge his presence—she acted as if he didn't exist.
Cautiously, Eren sat down.
To his relief, she didn't react.
He let out a quiet sigh, feeling as if he had finally escaped the hostility of the classroom. Keeping his head down, he avoided looking at the girl, though he couldn't help but notice—she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
His heart pounded so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
But despite the chaos from just moments ago, Eren sat there with an indifferent expression, as if nothing had happened.
Forgetting unpleasant things quickly—that was something he had always been good at.
Just as he was settling into his seat, an overwhelming pressure suddenly washed over the entire classroom.
The air grew heavy.
Conversations ceased in an instant. Students who had been laughing and whispering just moments ago fell into stunned silence, their faces paling as they turned toward the entrance.
A woman had stepped into the classroom.