**Chapter 106 – The Second Day**
The second day at the Eternal Academy started earlier than the first.
The bell rang while the sky was still properly brightening. In Room 214, Harley groaned and buried her face in the pillow. Joker was already sitting on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his messy hair.
— Get up — he said, voice rough with sleep. — If you stay there, you'll miss the bad coffee and then blame me afterward.
Harley reached out without opening her eyes and lightly hit his arm.
— I hate you in the morning.
— I know.
Even while complaining, she got up.
In the girls' building the atmosphere was similar. Astrid was dragging Marina out of bed. Rina was already ready and impatient. Sylvara was helping Lirien tie her hair. Kuroe was the only one who seemed to have woken up on time without effort — she was already sitting on the edge of her own bed, ready, watching the others in silence.
They met in the courtyard, just like the day before. No one needed to arrange it. They simply started appearing until the group was complete again.
— Second day — Astrid commented, yawning. — Think someone will try to provoke us again today?
Harley smiled, still looking sleepy.
— Hope so. I need some fun.
Joker didn't answer. He just shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking toward the classroom building. The rest followed.
The first class of the day was Combat Theory.
The room was different from the history one: more open, with the center clear and desks pushed to the sides. The teacher was a middle-aged man with short gray hair and a posture far too rigid for someone who taught fighting. He introduced himself as Professor Caelum.
— Combat Theory is not about hitting harder — he said as soon as the class settled. — It's about understanding why you hit, when you hit, and what happens afterward. Strength without reading the field is just cheap violence.
He began drawing diagrams in the air with mana: positions, angles of attack, escape lines, points to break a formation.
Most of the students paid attention. Some took notes. Others were clearly just waiting for the practical part.
Darian Voss, of course, was in the front row. Every time the teacher asked a question, he was one of the first to answer — loud and confident. Some answers were correct. Others were just arrogance disguised as knowledge. Even so, he smiled as if he had aced the entire class.
Elowen was farther back, near the window. Just like the day before, she didn't draw attention. She simply followed the explanation in silence, occasionally tilting her head when something seemed to make sense to her.
At one point, the teacher asked for examples of breaking a guard.
Darian offered himself immediately and went to the center. He used a classmate as a demonstration and executed a technical, clean, but unnecessarily showy movement. When he finished, he looked around expecting recognition.
— Correct — Caelum said, without much enthusiasm. — But excessive. In a real fight you would have spent more energy than necessary.
Darian kept the smile, but the corner of his eye twitched slightly.
Then the teacher asked for another volunteer. No one moved right away. Then, to the surprise of a few, Elowen raised her hand.
She went to the center without hurry. The classmate who would face her was bigger and more confident. The demonstration lasted little. Elowen didn't do anything flashy. She simply entered at the right time, shifted the opponent's weight, and finished with him unbalanced, without using too much force. When she was done, she simply stepped back and waited.
Caelum observed for one extra second.
— Efficient. You may return.
As Elowen walked back to her place, her gaze briefly crossed with the orphanage group's. It wasn't a long look. Just a second. Then she sat down again, quiet as before.
Harley leaned toward Joker and whispered:
— She's good.
— She is — he answered. — And she doesn't feel the need to prove it.
Kuroe, sitting right in front of them, spoke without turning around:
— Different from the blond one.
No one disagreed.
The class continued with more theory and a few quick demonstrations. When the bell rang, the students began to disperse. Darian left talking loudly with the few who still followed him. Elowen left alone, at the same calm pace as always.
In the corridor, the group came together again.
— Today the day feels more… normal — Marina commented.
Astrid shrugged.
— Normal is good every once in a while.
Joker looked in the direction where Elowen had disappeared, thoughtful for a moment. Then he simply shoved his hands into his pockets again.
— Let's eat. There's still the rest of the day.
They walked together down the corridor, the familiar noise of the group's voices filling the space around them. Outside, the academy continued its rhythm. Students walked from one place to another. Teachers talked in low voices. The normal life of the institution went on.
And in the middle of it, the small private circus from the orphanage kept walking — still being watched, still being underestimated by some, and still exactly as it had always been.
Together.
**End of Chapter 106**