It was three in the morning, yet the house was buzzing with noisy commotion.
Why?
It was the first day of school for Niyar and me, and also the day we'd move into the dorms. We had to rise early so we could arrive at the residence before classes began.
"Mom, fix my tie, please—it won't stay in place!"
"Let your father do it, Niyar."
"Uncle is loading the luggage into the car. Let me handle it, Niyar."
"No, darling, I'll take care of it. Go to Rina—she's just finished adjusting your skirt."
My aunt fixed Niyar's tie while I headed upstairs to change.
And after all the adjustments, I looked… radiant.
A long crimson skirt, embroidered at the hem with two lines of traditional black stitching, paired with a white blouse edged in red embroidery, and over it a black jacket stitched with the same red—bearing the academy's emblem: the Phoenix.
A green tie marked us as first-year students.
Niyar's uniform was similar in design: the same shirt and jacket, with black trousers lined with red embroidery.
It was a tradition at the academy that all uniform embroidery be handcrafted. The women of the community spent the entire year stitching these garments with care.
I hope I get the chance to do that one day.
Every piece, every thread is laced with love, loyalty, and belonging—as if the garments were woven from the hearts of their makers.
4:30 a.m.
I was overcome with sleepiness. We still hadn't reached the dorms.
I hadn't let go of my phone the entire trip, though boredom was eating away at me.
Eventually, I gave in and set it aside.
I leaned against Niyar, who was teetering on the edge of sleep, his head resting on the window as he listened to something through his earbuds.
"What are you listening to, Niyar?"
He mumbled in a drowsy tone,
"A traditional lullaby."
If I was enchanted by embroidery and handcrafts, then Niyar was obsessed with heritage and literature.
I took one of his earbuds, knowing full well I'd fall asleep because of it.
"Don't you two dare fall asleep—we're almost at the dorms. Stay awake. We've already passed the academy gates!"
"You said that half an hour ago, Dad."
"And yet we still haven't arrived. Are we in a city or what? Why are there so many houses and shops, Uncle?"
"That's just how it is, Joyce. The academy is essentially a miniature capital village. Citizens live within its borders too. The idea is to create an environment that mirrors real life—to help students adjust, not feel like prisoners behind academy walls. Look! We're nearing the housing complexes."
"There are so many buildings… How many students attend this academy?"
"Two hundred dormitories, each housing sixteen students—that's around three thousand students living on campus. But that's not even half the total number. Some live with their families here, and others rent off-campus. The total student body may exceed ten thousand."
"Isn't that a bit… luxurious? I mean, these buildings look more like small houses. They could've saved space by building vertically."
"They're planning for you to stay at least seven years, assuming you continue your full education here. So they consider it an investment in your future. I envy you, really. Back in our day, the buildings were overcrowded."
"You forgot to say: 'Back in our day, we swam across oceans to get to school.'"
"Would've worked—if Livenasa had an ocean," he chuckled.
"And here we are. We've arrived."
As soon as he said that, I tapped Niyar's forehead to wake him up.
Naturally, he greeted me with a grumpy face.
We stepped out of the car, hauling our bags.
Niyar dragged his luggage toward a nearby building—our dorms were adjacent but separate.
I knocked on the door in front of me, and stole a glance at Uncle, still waiting in the car for me to enter before leaving.
Just then, the door opened.
I took a few steps back, startled.
Only now did I understand why Niyar always froze when I left my room late at night.
At the doorway stood a girl my age, wrapped in a blanket, her hair tousled as if she had just woken up.
And in her hand… a frying pan.
"You… are?" she asked in a sleepy voice.
Still dazed, I replied hesitantly,
"Joyce Arman… I'm—"
She interrupted, her tone shifting as if realization had just dawned,
"The newcomer!"
"Yes… that's me."
"Sorry for the awkward welcome. I literally just woke up."
"It's alright. It is dawn, after all."
"How rude of me to keep you standing outside! Come in, please."
I followed her in.
From the first glance, the place felt cozy, elegant, and spacious too.
"How many people live here, um…?"
"Lia. Lia Vulcan. Three of us live here now—including you and me. Just one more girl.
This dorm was the last to be filled since it's next to the boys' housing.
I'll show you your room first, so you can get settled before classes begin.
And maybe by then, I'll be fully awake enough to actually talk."