The academy halls were too quiet for a place built to train students for war. Outside, the Union's flag waved beneath The Academy's flag, under the morning sun. Inside, sunlight stretched through tall windows and settled across glistening stone floors. Stella's footsteps echoed down the empty hall. Five centuries of victories reduced to names and dates, each inscription preserving an outcome The Academy had already approved. Stella passed beneath them without slowing.
"This is their version of success," Stella said under her breath.
The papers slid from her grip and scattered across the floor. The sound carried, sharp in the empty hall. Stella crouched, gathered them, and aligned the corners. Her fingers lingered for a moment before she moved. The council room waited at the end of the hall.
As she approached, she noticed the doors were older than the walls around them. The handle was cold beneath her palm. She paused long enough for the silence to settle, then lowered her gaze.
Temporary Vice President.
The word stood alone on paper. A role The Academy had always maintained, now altered to include an expiration.
"Temporary," Stella muttered.
"No."
Stella straightened her posture, smoothed her expression into something neutral and calm, and turned the handle. The door swung open.
"Good morning!"
The voices of the council members hit her all at once. The council room was already full. The air felt warmer inside than in the halls, pleasantries continuing as she entered.
An orange-haired girl with an athletic, slender build sat sprawled casually across one of the chairs. Her boots crossed at the ankles, far too comfortable for someone who outranked the room in combat evaluations despite being the lowest-ranking member. She glanced up first, eyes sharp and immediately amused.
Beside her was a lean boy with bangs covering his eyes, hands in his pockets, expression relaxed.
Near the window was the final figure. A boy with his posture straight and hands folded behind his back, exactly where he was supposed to be.
"How was your morning?" The orange-haired girl said brightly, her tone just a little too sweet. Her green eyes closed as her lips formed a grin. "We were worried you overslept."
Yumi Lumiere.
The girl who became ranked one, even without noble blood.
The boy with bangs, Kai Claremont, chuckled. "Overslept? Her? Not a chance."
Stella was already aware he'd never once questioned whether he belonged here.
The most confident of the group inclined his head slightly. "You're right on time."
Cedric Pentaguarde.
The perfect student who leads this student council. He wasn't raised here and somehow fit better than anyone, as if the room adjusted to him.
Stella snapped out of her thoughts and nodded while forcing a small smile as she stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind her.
"Oh good," she said while taking tiny steps forward. "I stopped by the front desk for the reports."
She held the papers up like proof, immediately aware of how unnecessary it was.
Yumi's grin widened. "Always reliable, you make the rest of us look bad."
Kai didn't even look at her. "You do that on your own."
"Hey!" Yumi shot back, twisting in her chair. "That's not... okay, maybe a little."
Cedric laughed quietly as Kai instantly joined in. Yumi protested louder, half-serious, half-playing it up. Stella waited for the moment to pass so she could speak again. She was close enough to be included by proximity, but distant enough to feel like an interruption.
Just hold it together.