The grand hallways of Rhodeia College were livelier than ever. Morning sunlight poured through towering arched windows, casting soft, golden patterns along the marble floors. Conversations and hurried footsteps filled the air, a symphony of voices belonging to nobles, heirs, and prodigies of the empire.
Caelus walked among them, his pace steady and his hands tucked casually into his robe pockets. Despite the sheer magnificence of the college's interior, there was an unassuming humility to it. The kind of elegance that didn't need to flaunt itself.
A façade, much like its people.
As expected, the glares followed. Eyes flicked toward him the moment he passed, and whispered voices clung to the air like smoke.
"That's him, isn't it? The fallen noble of House Luvelaine."
"How did he survive the whole week in Erinel Forest?"
"He must've ridden off someone else's back."
Caelus pretended not to notice. He kept his gaze forward, his footsteps echoing in quiet defiance against the whispers. Still, no matter how often he ignored them, the words clung to the walls like webs, creeping into his ears whether he welcomed them or not.
He sighed, low and tired.
Suddenly, an arm draped lazily around Caelus's neck, followed by a cheerful, "Morning, Caelus!"
He didn't even need to turn.
"Kain," he muttered.
"Yeah? What's up?"
Caelus merely cast a glance at the arm still hanging from his shoulder. Kain noticed immediately and withdrew with an awkward chuckle.
"Ahaha! My bad, my bad."
With a sigh, Caelus brushed off his sleeve and resumed walking. His disinterest was as plain as daylight, but Kain trailed after him anyway, grinning like a fool who hadn't picked up a hint in his life.
"So, how'd you sleep?" Kain asked, hands clasped behind his head. "Bet a real bed was way better than leaning against some half-dead tree, right?"
"Mhm."
"Same here. Even though I had a tent out there, it was still grass underneath. Probably a hundred bugs crawled across my face while I slept. Ugh... but you know, nothing I can't handle!"
"Mhm."
Before it was time for their second orientation, Caelus figured he'd go to the library to find some potential clues. Maybe an old record or document that could lead him to his mother. But of course, the world would never allow the fallen to run free.
As he began reading off a textbook, a certain airheaded freak — at least, according to Caelus — popped up beside him. And that freak was staring at him with curious eyes and a wide grin.
Unable to continue like this, Caelus sighed and shut the book.
"Oh, are you done?" Kain asked.
Without answering, Caelus stood from the desk to leave. Once he was back in the bustling corridors, he couldn't help but notice an intense stare.
It wasn't someone hidden. It wasn't even the students who were silently judging his status. It was the weirdo who was walking not even a full step behind him.
"Hey, think we'll be in the same class? Probably, yeah? Headmistress Seren said something about us survivors being the top three percent of the whole year. Guess that means we'll be stuck with that witch too."
Caelus came to a halt, prompting Kain to stop as well. He glanced sideways, though the glint of his glasses obscured Kain's eyes. Not that it mattered, as his grin didn't falter.
"Kain," Caelus said blankly.
"Yeah?"
"We're not alone."
"Nope. We're not."
"There are eyes on us."
"Yup. Plenty."
"So you should probably leave me alone, lest they come to associate you with me."
Kain scoffed, waving a hand like it was the dumbest question he'd heard all morning.
"Why the hell would that matter to me? Let them talk. Fact is, they haven't seen the real you."
"And what's the real me?"
"A guy who swats away Incarnations of Strife like it's nothing!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up dramatically. "Poof! Gone in a puff of black dust."
Caelus stared a moment longer before letting out yet another sigh.
"If you're gonna follow me, don't slow me down. Any more of this madness, and we'll be late."
"As you command, sire!"
"Stop."
"Haha! Relax, I'm just messing around."
"Mess around on your own time."
The two made their way down the bustling corridors, weaving between clusters of students who either pretended not to notice them or made a show of whispering behind cupped hands. The vast stone hallway stretched endlessly ahead, its towering arched windows letting in pale morning light that glimmered against polished marble floors. Such grandeur was undeniable.
It would've impressed Caelus if he weren't already tired of the stares.
"Man," Kain sighed dramatically as another group of students passed them by. "Word travels fast around here, huh?"
Caelus didn't respond. He kept his eyes forward until Kain lightly nudged his elbow.
"Hey, don't look so sour. Soon as we get sorted into our classes, this stuff will blow over. Probably."
"I doubt that."
"Heh. Yeah, me too. Anyway, I wonder where that witch is. We haven't seen her since returning to the college."
"...You mean Rosalina?"
"Shh!" Kain's head twisted left and right. "We cannot say her name, lest we inadvertently summon her foul presence."
Then, without warning, the Orientation Hall was bathed in radiant light.
From the towering ceiling, a figure descended gracefully, riding the trails of light like a celestial being. Her icy-blonde hair shimmered, merging seamlessly with the glow, while the flowing tail of her dress seemed woven from strands of morning light itself. When her silvery eyes opened upon the hall, the room fell into an awed silence.
Headmistress Seren.
She landed upon the stage with the quiet elegance of a descending angel, the light receding behind her. Though she spoke no words, her mere presence was enough to hush the crowd and send a chill rippling through the air.
"Yeesh," Kain whispered. "I know she's the headmistress and all, but... she's freaking beautiful. Like... unmatched-by-even-the-empress kind of beautiful."
Caelus's gaze lingered on her for a moment. He felt no admiration. Only a rising tension in his chest.
The three stepped into the hall, finding a place among the gathering crowd as Seren finally raised her voice, soft yet clear.
"Welcome, students of Rhodeia College."
Her gaze swept across the vast hall, the flicker of silver in her eyes reflecting the light like moonlit glass.
"For many of you, today marks the first step in a journey that will shape the course of your lives — a path paved by knowledge, trials, and the bonds you forge along the way. You have been granted a rare honor. Walk the halls of this college, and see for yourself what burdens and expectations fall upon such an honor."
The students straightened, her words wrapping around them like an unseen mantle.
"To those who participated in the orientation trial at Erinel Forest..." she muttered as a visible shiver ran through the survivors scattered across the room. "You have my personal commendation. Whether by strength, wit, or will, you endured what many believed you would not. Let it be known that your names are etched into the annals of this college's history. Not as victims of misfortune, but as testaments to resilience."
A ripple of pride, and perhaps lingering trauma, passed through the gathered survivors.
"Henceforth, all who survived the Erinel trial shall be placed into the homeroom. You will serve as the representatives of Rhodeia College's first-year student body."
The hall stirred at that. Murmurs and glances exchanged between the students, some in awe, others in envy, a few in thinly veiled contempt.
Seren raised a slender hand, and the hall fell silent again.
"Your schedules have been prepared. Professors are stationed at the front of the hall. Approach them in an orderly fashion and receive your assignments. Starting now, your lives as students of Rhodeia begin in earnest."
A pause, then a slight smirk with neither warmth nor malice.
"May you endure what lies ahead."
With that, the headmistress gave a nod, and the light around her dimmed. The moment she stepped down from the platform, conversation returned in a torrent of hushed excitement, tension, and uncertainty.