The three teenagers walked down the white halls of the large academy, heading toward the cafeteria. Vale kept a steady pace, saying little as he retreated into his thoughts. Korin, focused as always, was actively tracing the right path through the maze-like corridors. Nym, meanwhile, hummed a soft, wandering tune under her breath, the sound barely rising above the echo of their footsteps.
For a while, none of them spoke. The silence stretched just long enough to feel heavy before the cafeteria finally came into view at the end of the hall. Right before they reached the last turn, Nym gave in, unable to bear the quiet any longer.
"So, Vale, anything you're looking out for in the market?" she asked, her voice bright with curiosity.
Vale turned his head slightly, studying her for a moment. 'I guess I could really use a weapon… or some casual clothes,' he thought, glancing down at his worn outfit. With a shrug, he answered, noticeably indifferent. "I guess some clothes or a weapon."
Nym blinked, genuinely surprised. "Really? That's all?"
Vale frowned at her reaction. "Yeah?" he said, equally confused. The tall girl stared at him with those sharp green eyes of hers, so sharp they almost felt like they were cutting right through him. After a moment she sighed, shaking her head as she turned away.
"Well… that's fine, I guess."
Korin spoke up then, glancing over his shoulder. "We're almost there, by the way."
Vale nodded. "Alright. Is there anything good to eat today?" he asked, looking up at Korin as they continued forward.
Korin considered it. "Yeah, I suppose there is. Better than usual, at least."
Vale let out a quiet breath of relief. His stomach had been rumbling all morning; he hadn't eaten much the day before, and the lack of energy was beginning to catch up with him. With Evelyn planning to drag him off for what she enthusiastically called a shopping trip, he hoped he could at least get something satisfying in his system first.
A small smile crept onto his face as the first warm aromas drifted out to meet them, fresh bread, something savory, something sweet. The scents mingled together and wrapped around him like an invitation.
As they approached the door, Vale could hear the muffled thrum of voices and the rhythm of footsteps on the other side. They were quiet, far quieter than one would expect from a cafeteria at midday, yet he could still make them out clearly, almost too clearly. It was strange, but not unpleasant. Just another thing to think about later.
Korin pushed open the cafeteria doors with his usual precision. The moment the doors swung inward, several students near the entrance turned to look. Conversations faltered. A few voices died mid-sentence. Their expressions shifted, eyes widening, shoulders tensing, almost all of their gazes locking onto Vale.
He felt the weight of it immediately.
'They still recognize me from last night?' he thought. The incident involving Eskar had clearly left a mark on more than just the three of them. Some of the students looked genuinely shaken, whispering among themselves before falling silent as the group walked past. Vale couldn't blame them. He had beaten Nym in a sparring match, someone Eskar insisted was one of the strongest students in the academy, and moments later, Eskar had tried to kill him. It had been a disorienting experience for everyone present, Vale included.
Vale exhaled slowly, lowering his gaze as the memory surfaced. 'I feel bad for the guy,' he admitted to himself. The things Eskar had said before losing control still lingered in his mind, sharp and uncomfortable. In truth, Vale didn't believe Eskar had acted out of pure malice. He saw him more as a victim of his own circumstances, a product of something deeply unfortunate. But even with that understanding, the reality remained: Eskar had tried to kill him. Whatever consequences awaited Eskar now were beyond Vale's influence.
The three of them continued through the cafeteria with forced nonchalance, trying to ignore the barrage of stares. It didn't work. Nym eventually caved, muttering a quiet curse under her breath at the gawking students. Korin, usually composed, looked visibly uneasy as he straightened his posture and walked faster.
They finally reached the food line. Long rows of trays offered a wide variety of options, steamed vegetables, sliced fruits, lean meats, plant-based alternatives, and neatly labeled supplement packs designed to keep students at peak condition. Vale scanned the spread, momentarily forgetting the watching eyes. He hadn't expected such quality; the academy evidently spared no expense on nutrition.
But as soon as he turned back toward the room, the stares returned like a wave. Students scrambled to look away, pretending they hadn't been watching him at all. On his shoulder, Ember yawned lazily, completely unbothered by the attention. Vale allowed himself a brief, amused breath before returning to the trays.
The food was warm, almost surprisingly so, as if freshly prepared moments before. He gathered what he wanted, then followed Nym and Korin to an empty table tucked near the far wall. They sat. Silence followed, broken only by hushed murmurs around them. The gazes didn't fade.
Vale and Korin ate awkwardly, both of them trying to pretend nothing was happening. Nym, however, was far less subtle. She scoffed under her breath, muttering, "Seriously… can't they read the room? Nobody wants attention for that reason."
Vale had a good idea what she meant, Eskar. The whole academy was on edge, and even those pretending to be calm were obviously faking it. As cliché as it sounded, everyone was just trying to act normal.
There wasn't much they could do except endure it. Vale wasn't about to start a fight over people staring at him, and he doubted Korin or Nym would either. So they ate, slowly and tensely, until Vale reached the fruit on his tray.
That was when he heard it, soft footsteps approaching him from behind.
He ignored them at first, expecting the person to pass by, but the steps grew louder, stopping directly behind him. A small, anxious voice followed.
"Um… excuse me."
Vale turned around, trying to keep his expression neutral. A blond girl stood there, gray eyes wide and nervous, hands balled tightly into fists at her sides. She swallowed before speaking again.
"Y-you're Vale, right?"
He nodded once. "Yes?"
The girl met his eyes, hesitantly, as if bracing herself. The entire cafeteria seemed to hold its breath, their quiet stares pressing in on the two of them.
"I'm Nova," she said. She paused, gathering courage. "I wanted to… apologize. For what happened between Eskar and you. I knew him well. I talked to him often. I still can't imagine him doing the things he did but… he did. So I wanted to apologize in his stead."
Her jaw tightened. Despite her nerves, there was a clear, steady resolve in her expression.
Vale offered a faint, almost tired smile. "I see. Thank you." After a moment he added, "Do you think Eskar himself is sorry for what he did?"
The question clearly surprised her. Nove blinked, then closed her eyes briefly, thinking. When she opened them again, her voice was firm.
"I don't think he regrets what he did," she admitted. "But knowing him… I think he would regret that someone suffered because of it."
Vale tilted his head, taken aback by the complexity of her answer. But as he considered it, he understood. Eskar likely believed his outburst had been inevitable, an expression of something inside him he couldn't control. He wasn't remorseful for the action itself, but for the person affected by it.
Human impulsiveness in its rawest form.
Vale exhaled softly and offered Nove a more sincere smile. "I understand. Thank you."
She bowed her head quickly, almost too quickly, and hurried away with a nervous expression, clearly relieved to escape the spotlight.
He watched her go, then turned back to his meal, though the cafeteria still watched him, their quiet judgment lingering like a second atmosphere over the room.
As Vale turned back to his food, something caught his attention. Nym, who had been sitting to his right, suddenly cast an unusually large shadow across the floor, far larger than her frame should have allowed.
"Hey, Nym," Vale said quietly.
She glanced at him mid-bite, cheeks full of meat she had piled onto her plate earlier. He nodded toward the floor.
"Is your shadow supposed to be that big?"
Nym blinked, then twisted to look behind her. The moment her eyes landed on the sprawling darkness, a strange expression washed over her, half nervous, half excited, like she already knew what it meant.
Vale realized it too, and just as the thought formed in his mind, the "shadow" rose.
It wasn't a shadow at all.
A ripple of darkness pulled itself upright from the floor, stretching into a vaguely humanoid silhouette before sharpening into a more defined shape. Some of the nearby students gasped; others recoiled instinctively. Even Nym sat up straighter, her expression shifting to something like anticipation.
Vale watched the figure ascend, his eyes widening despite himself. He had known Evelyn could manipulate shadows, but he had never imagined she used them like this, emerging from them as if they were doorways only she could open.
The rising darkness solidified, forming the outline of a small woman. A moment later, Evelyn stepped fully into the light. Her black hair hung like ink around her pale face, and her dark eyes snapped open, fixing on Vale with a look that could cut steel. The annoyance in her expression was sharp and unmistakable.
Vale felt himself tense under her glare, a nervous prickle running up his spine.
For a moment, she said nothing. The cafeteria seemed to grow quieter, as if the whole room sensed her presence.
Then, in a voice cool and precise, she spoke.
"Let's go."
Vale swallowed, pushed his plate away, and stood up. Evelyn didn't look away from him once.