Zane flopped back onto the chair in his dorm, staring at the ceiling.
Nothing to do.
Which, for once, was somehow worse than chaos.
Asher was the first to break the silence. "You know… we could actually do quests."
Zane tilted his head slightly. "Explain."
"Monster hunting. Material gathering. Escort work," Asher said, ticking them off on his fingers. "We get paid and our grades go up."
Mira glanced over. "That… actually makes sense."
Zane sat up slowly.
Too slowly.
The kind of movement that meant he'd already decided something.
"Alright then," he said, standing.
Everyone looked at him.
Zane spread his arms just a little. "Since we're apparently forming a semi-functional unit, introductions seem necessary."
The lights dimmed.
Not all at once—just enough to make the shadows stretch unnaturally.
Zane's shadow peeled itself off the floor.
Then another.
Then several more.
They rose like living tendrils, curling around him, hovering in the air as if listening.
The room felt heavier.
Colder.
Luna gasped and immediately scurried behind Mira, clutching her sleeve. "Z-Zane—!"
He glanced back. "Oh. Sorry."
The shadows froze, then slowly sank back down, behaving as if nothing had happened.
"As you can see," Zane said casually, "shadow manipulation. Still figuring out the limits."
Asher clapped once. "Dramatic. Ten out of ten. My turn."
He stood up, dusted himself off, and snapped his fingers.
Space… shifted.
It wasn't flashy—no light, no sound—but suddenly Asher was closer to Luna.
Much closer.
Before anyone could react, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
The room exploded.
"HEY—!"
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
"UNCALLED FOR."
Luna froze.
Completely.
Her face turned red so fast it was almost impressive.
Asher leaned back, grinning. "Space manipulation. I move through warped space—portals are just the simplest application."
Zane stared at him. "You're going to die one day."
"Worth it."
Celeste stood up next, smoothing her uniform. "I can manipulate the mass and composition of non-living objects."
She picked up a mango from the desk.
In a blink, it reshaped itself into a soft pillow.
Then a chair.
"It depends on my understanding of both the original item and what I want it to become," she continued. "It doesn't work on living things. Not yet."
Zane nodded appreciatively. "Terrifying in the long run."
Then all eyes turned to Luna.
The living tomato.
"I—I can turn invisible," she said softly.
Zane grinned.
Her shadow twitched.
Then moved.
Luna yelped and jumped. "OKAY OKAY—!"
The shadow snapped back into place.
She took a breath. "I control light within a certain radius. Invisibility is just… letting light pass through me."
She raised her hand, forming a small orb of light, then flicked it toward Zane.
The shadows around him rippled.
For just a moment, his control slipped.
Luna's shadow returned to her feet.
Celeste laughed. "Looks like Luna's getting bold."
Everyone turned to Mira.
She crossed her arms. "I don't like talking about it. Leave me alone."
Zane smiled faintly.
Which, somehow, made her glare sharper.
"Fine," she muttered. "Daggers. Instinct. I don't miss."
Silence followed.
Then Zane nodded. "Yeah. That tracks."
The room settled.
A strange mix of power, potential, and very bad future decisions.
Zane leaned back, hands in his pockets. "Alright then."
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Let's go hunting."