Two weeks passed.
The Academy grounds felt calm again. The sky was clearer. The halls quieter. But underneath that stillness… something was different. Like the school itself was waiting.
Most students had gone home after the incident. Class Zero included.
But not all.
The dorm door creaked open slowly.
Reia stepped inside first. Her boots made soft taps against the tile. She looked around the common room, hands stuffed in her coat pockets.
"Still looks the same," she muttered.
Behind her, Silas came in, carrying a pack slung over one shoulder. He dropped it on the nearest couch with a grunt and glanced at the wall.
"The snacks are gone. So no, it doesn't."
Reia cracked a small smile.
They didn't go home like the others. Neither of them really had one to go back to. Not one that felt like home anyway. So they stayed. Rested. Trained a bit. Talked less. Thought more.
And now, the others were returning.
They heard the footsteps before they saw her.
