As the girls walked toward the bathroom, Alya smirked. "So, let me get this straight. You, Thera, have a crush on Deries the Conqueror?"
Thera huffed, crossing her arms. "It's not a crush, it's admiration. The man single-handedly led the Celestial War and brokered peace between realms. Plus, have you seen his battle records? The strategy, the endurance, the—**"
Alya cut in, laughing. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. But let's be real, you like dumb hot guys, don't you?"
Thera rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I still have a lot of books to read, so my love life can be put on hold."
Alya nodded in approval. "Fair. The boys we do know are barely surviving training, so I don't blame you."
With that, the girls disregarded the entire topic, focusing instead on getting cleaned up after watching the exhausting match. They disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the boys sprawled across the dorm floor like corpses.
Pete groaned. "So, I lost, but at least I went down swinging."
Leo, still lying on his back, smirked. "You call that swinging? I barely broke a sweat."
Gregor sighed, sitting up and stretching. "We should've made him fight both of us longer. I was just getting into it."
Pete threw a pillow at Gregor. "Shut up."
BAM. The pillow hit Gregor's face, but his shadow caught it instantly.
Gregor grinned. "Oh? You sure you wanna start something again, little bro?"
Pete immediately raised his hands. "Nope. Nope. I'm done."
Leo sat up, running a hand through his wild hair. "So, what now? We just wait for our mysterious squad duties to begin?"
Pete nodded. "Guess so. But if the headmaster put us together, it means he's got something insane planned."
The door to the bathroom creaked open, and Alya peeked out. "We heard that. If your 'insane plan' wrecks our dorm, we're all sleeping outside."
Thera's voice followed. "And I will make sure you suffer for it."
The boys groaned.
Tomorrow, Squad Lagrith's real journey would begin.
As the girls stepped out, Alya stretched, cracking her neck. "Alright, boys, bathroom's all yours."
She glanced at them sprawled out on the floor, grinning. "You guys reek of failure."
Leo smirked, pointing at Pete. "I think you mean him."
Pete shot up. "Yeah, yeah, I lost in a 2v1, but if we did a real 1v1, I'd have the upper hand."
Gregor rolled his eyes. "Shut up, lil' bro. I bet even Thera could wipe your ass up and down the arena."
Thera, walking toward her room, gave a sweet smile. "I can and would."
Pete shuddered. "…Noted."
With that, the girls disappeared into their private section, leaving the boys to finally wash up.
Pete stretched. "Alright, where's the bathroom?"
The moment he asked, the dorm reacted. The entire boys' section shifted, walls reshaping, furniture sliding aside on its own. Within seconds, a full men's bathroom materialized in front of them—showers, sinks, even enchanted mirrors that showed fitness stats.
Pete blinked. "Okay… that's kinda cool."
Leo whistled. "This place really is alive."
Gregor, already walking toward the showers, grinned. "Best part? We don't even have to clean up after ourselves. Magic does it for us."
Pete sighed. "This school is weird."
Leo patted his back. "And you love it. Now, move. I'm showering first."
Pete groaned. "Fine. But if this place tries to scrub me magically, I'm moving out."
The enchanted mirrors flickered—as if listening.
The boys were mid-way through getting ready for their showers when Pete suddenly felt a presence.
His instincts screamed at him, but before he could react—
Gregor's shadows flared up. "Caught you."
With a flick of his hand, he pulled Alya straight out of the doorway and into the bathroom.
Alya yelped. "Gah!—WAIT!"
But before she could say another word, Gregor instantly shadow-warped her back to the girls' section like tossing a rock into a pond.
POOF. Gone.
Gregor dusted off his hands. "Nice try."
Leo sighed. "Did she seriously just try to peep?"
Pete, still half-undressed, blinked. "Wait… why do I still feel like we're being watched?"
Meanwhile—
Alya reappeared in her section, stumbling slightly. "GOSH, he caught me!" She huffed. "I just wanted to check if—" She paused.
Then she turned, realizing something. "Wait… where's Thera?"
Thera was nowhere to be seen.
Back in the boys' bathroom—
A tiny sparkle of pixie dust floated silently near the showers.
Thera had made it in.
Being a fairy, she was naturally small enough to slip through unnoticed. Gregor's senses hadn't caught her.
And right now, she was hovering right in front of Pete.
She narrowed her eyes, studying him closely.
"There's something different about you," she whispered to herself. "Your light magic… it's not normal, is it?"
Pete, still shirtless and rubbing his hair dry, suddenly froze.
Something felt off.
Slowly, he turned—
And locked eyes with Thera, floating mid-air, staring right at him.
For a second, neither of them moved.
Then—
"…THERA?!?!" Pete shouted.
Chaos erupted.
Pete stumbled backward, nearly slipping on the wet floor. "THERA?! What the hell are you doing in here?!"
Thera, still hovering, gave an innocent smile. "Oh, you know… just making research."
Pete blinked. "Research?! On what—?"
Before he could finish, Leo—who had just turned around from adjusting the shower settings—noticed the tiny floating figure.
His eyes widened. "Wait a damn minute… what's this little thing?"
A mischievous grin crept onto his face. "Is this a bug? Let me squash it."
He lunged forward, hand outstretched.
Thera's eyes went wide. "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!"
POOF.
In an instant, she transformed back into her normal size, standing there in the middle of the bathroom, soaking in all the steam.
Gregor, stepping out of the shadows, sighed dramatically. "Well, well, well… if it isn't our little peeping fairy."
Pete, still flustered, grabbed a towel and threw it over himself. "Why are you even here?! This isn't a research lab!"
Thera, completely unfazed, folded her arms. "Listen, I wasn't here to peep. I just wanted to get a closer look at Pete's magic. There's something… odd about it."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And you thought the best time to investigate was when we were half-naked?"
Thera shrugged. "I saw an opportunity."
Gregor sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're unbelievable."
Pete took a deep breath. "Look, if you're really that curious about my magic, ask me like a normal person. Not while I'm showering."
Thera smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"
Leo chuckled. "Alright, enough talk. Gregor, escort our guest out before she accidentally sees something she shouldn't."
Gregor snapped his fingers, and Thera was instantly wrapped in a shadowy grip.
"WAIT—!" she yelped.
POOF.
She was teleported straight back into the girls' section, where Alya was dying of laughter.
As Thera landed back in the girls' section, she tapped her chin. "So, he did notice me…"
Alya, still grinning, leaned in. "What, surprised? You literally hovered in his face."
Thera shrugged. "It's not that. It's his magic. There's something weird about it."
Alya raised an eyebrow. "Because he's a light user?"
Thera shook her head. "No… it's more than that. When I got close, I could feel something… off. Like his magic isn't just his."
Alya tilted her head. "That's deep. But hey, we'll figure it out later."
Meanwhile, back in the bathroom—
Pete stood under the shower, lost in thought.
The water dripped down his face, but his mind was elsewhere.
That voice… the one he heard during the evaluation trials.
"My vessel."
What did it mean? Why did it sound like it was calling to him?
Before he could dwell too much—
BAM!
Gregor tackled him from the side.
"FOCUS, LIGHT BOY!"
Pete yelped as he was body-slammed straight onto the wet floor.
Leo laughed and immediately jumped in, grabbing Gregor in a headlock. "Bathroom wrestling match! Pete's the underdog!"
Pete groaned. "Oh, come on!"
For the next few minutes, the boys fought like wild animals, their laughter echoing through the steamy bathroom.
By the time they stepped out, they looked fresh, clean, and relaxed.
Alya, waiting outside, squinted at them. "Huh. Normal. Can't they be a little sexy?"
Thera smirked. "They were during their bath."
Alya gasped dramatically. "You mean you actually—?"
Thera winked and walked past her.
Pete, now dressed, paused mid-step. He felt like he was missing something.
His magic… that voice…
He shook his head. Later. Right now—
Alya clapped her hands together. "Alright, before we all crash, let's organize a little game!"
Leo grinned. "Oh? What kind of game?"
Thera smirked. "One that guarantees someone will embarrass themselves before bed."
Pete sighed. "I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?"
Gregor patted his back. "Absolutely."
Alya clapped her hands, eyes glinting with mischief. "Alright, everyone, gather up!"
Gregor flopped onto the couch. "This better not be something stupid."
Thera smirked. "Oh, it's definitely going to be stupid."
Pete sat cross-legged on the floor. "So what's the game?"
Alya grinned. "We're playing… Magic Roulette."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
Alya pulled out a small enchanted orb from her pocket. It glowed faintly, swirling with different colors.
"Each of us takes turns touching the orb. It will randomly trigger one of our magical abilities at full strength—but here's the catch. We have no idea which spell activates, and we can't control it."
Pete groaned. "This sounds like an awful idea."
Thera grinned. "That's what makes it fun."
Leo cracked his knuckles. "I'm in."
Gregor smirked. "If Pete gets blasted, I'm definitely in."
Pete scowled. "Fine, fine. Let's just get this over with."
Alya set the orb in the middle. "Who's first?"
Leo immediately grabbed it. "Me."
The orb flashed blue.
For a second, nothing happened—
Then, BOOM!
A massive gust of wind erupted from Leo's hand, sending everything in the room flying.
Alya screamed as she was launched into the air. Gregor barely held onto the couch. Pete slammed into a wall.
The wind stopped.
Alya groaned from the floor. "Okay… maybe we should've gone outside first."
Pete, hair a mess, coughed. "No kidding."
Leo grinned. "That was awesome. Who's next?"
Thera snatched the orb. "Me."
It flashed gold.
Then—POOF.
Thera vanished.
Alya blinked. "Uh… where'd she go?"
Pete pointed to the ceiling.
They all looked up—
Thera was stuck, upside down, floating.
She scowled. "I hate light magic."
Pete smirked. "Guess it's my turn."
He grabbed the orb.
It glowed pure white.
The room fell silent.
Then—
A giant beam of light shot out from Pete's chest, piercing the ceiling.
The entire dorm shook.
Outside, a giant pillar of light blasted into the sky.
Gregor stared. "Uh… Pete?"
Pete blinked. "…Oops?"
Leo snorted. "Yeah. We are so getting in trouble for that."
The squad scrambled into their beds, pulling their blankets over their heads as if that would somehow undo the massive hole in the ceiling.
Pete, still glowing faintly from his magic outburst, muttered, "Please, please, please fix itself…"
Gregor groaned. "You literally fired a giant light beam into the sky. We are so doomed."
Leo crossed his arms. "Nah, maybe no one noticed."
Then, a voice echoed through the room.
"You guys clearly want to destroy the school before dawn, don't you?"
They all froze.
The headmaster's deep, disappointed dad energy practically shook the walls.
"You energetic hoodlums. Sleep."
The second he said it—
A wave of magic washed over them.
Pete barely had time to mumble, "I—wait—" before his eyes slammed shut.
Thera, curled up in her bed, yawned mid-protest. "Hey, that's cheating…"
Gregor tried to fight it. Failed.
Leo was out before he even realized what happened.
Alya, half-conscious, mumbled, "We deserved that…" before snoring.
HEADMASTER OFFICE
The headmaster sighed heavily as he stared at the security reports.
The sky still faintly glowed from Pete's outburst.
He rubbed his temples.
"These kids…"
With a snap of his fingers, he closed the hole in their ceiling.
Another snap, and he sent a report to the professors:
"Keep an eye on Squad Lagrith. They're already giving me a headache."
Pete stretched as the morning sun hit his face.
He sat up.
Something felt… off.
Then he realized—
Everyone was staring at him.
Leo smirked. "Well, well, well. Looks like Light Boy is officially on the principal's watchlist."
Gregor chuckled. "First week in school, and you already blew a hole in our dorm."
Alya grinned. "We need to celebrate."
Thera smirked. "Agreed. Let's get breakfast before the headmaster assigns us 'special punishment' for last night."
Pete groaned. "Why do I feel like it's gonna be bad?"
Gregor patted his back. "Oh, it definitely will be."
"Let's rush to the cafeteria please " said Thera
Pete still sleepy "but I'm not ready "
"Seems like you are gonna use the last resort of letting the room clean your ass" said Gregor.
"Well I'm fast you know" said Pete
Immediately a portion of the room changed into a little bathroom for Pete to prepare.
Meanwhile the other s still putting on towels had to make the other part of the room change in to dressing room
Gregor smirked as Pete darted into the magically-formed bathroom. "See? The room knows you're slow."
Pete's muffled voice echoed from inside. "I am not slow! I'm just… strategic."
Leo chuckled as he and Gregor threw on their uniforms, the dressing room shifting around them to fit their needs.
Alya, now fully dressed, tapped her foot impatiently. "Boys, hurry up. Breakfast is getting cold."
Thera adjusted her cloak. "Alya, the cafeteria serves fresh food all morning."
Alya waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, but our food is getting cold in the time it takes for these guys to put on pants."
Pete burst out of the bathroom, fully dressed, hair still damp.
"Done!" he announced.
Gregor clapped. "Good job, little bro. You learned basic hygiene."
Pete glared. "I hate you."
Leo stretched. "Alright, Squad Lagrith, let's move."