## CHAPTER 23: Treat Me Differently
The morning light struggled to penetrate the stained-glass windows of the main lecture hall, casting long, distorted shadows across the rows of mahogany desks. The atmosphere was charged with a mixture of excitement and underlying dread. Caspian Vane sat in his usual spot, his dark blue coloured hair catching a stray beam of light, while around him, the elite of Aethelgard checked their mana-reinforced gear. Even Alium Castamir was present, though he sat in a hunched, defensive posture, his eyes darting toward the Commoners section with a mixture of fear and simmering resentment.
Master Grey stood at the front of the hall, her silhouette sharp against the chalkboard. She wore a high-collared tactical robe that made her look more like a general than an instructor.
"For today's field practice," she began, her voice cutting through the murmurs like a whip, "you will be separated into groups of four. The plains have been designed by the school to test your, strength and expose your weaknesses."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the students, lingering for a fraction of a second on Caspian with that same unreadable, devilish glint he had seen in her office. "I hope you all have what you need. In the Sector, the academy's protection ends where the treeline begins."
"Yes, Sensei!" the class shouted in unison, though the pitch of their voices betrayed their nerves.
As soon as Master Grey gave the signal to form teams, the hall erupted into a chaotic dance of social politics. The high-born students scrambled to align themselves with the most powerful lineages, creating a frantic marketplace of alliances.
---
### The Burden of a Name
Lyra Valerius sat motionless at her desk, her back straight and her expression a mask of regal indifference. Beside her, Aisha was already busy acting as a gatekeeper.
"Lyra, can I join your team?" a dark-haired girl asked breathlessly, rushing to their row. Before Lyra could even blink, another girl pushed forward.
"Lyra, I would be the most suitable addition to your vanguard," the second girl said, her chin tilted with practiced arrogance.
The first girl snarled, turning on her rival. "Can't you see I was here first? My family's wind-casting is perfect for scouting!"
"Wind-casting is a commoner's trick," the second girl retorted. "You are not worthy of joining a Valerius."
Aisha watched the bickering with a smug, self-important smile. She crossed her arms, relishing the power of proximity. "I'm Lyra's closest confidante," Aisha declared, "so I get to decide who is worthy to be part of her team today."
The two girls immediately quieted, bowing their heads in a display of hollow respect for Aisha's position.
Lyra, however, wasn't listening. Her crimson eyes were fixed on the back of the room, specifically on the dark blue-haired boy who hadn't moved. She watched Caspian, her heart doing a strange, uncomfortable rhythm in her chest. She found herself waiting—waiting for him to turn around, waiting for him to invite her into his world, even though she knew her status made such a thing scandalous.
---
### An Unexpected Invitation
Caspian stood up, but he didn't look toward the front. He moved with a quiet, deliberate grace toward the corner where Elisa sat. She had pulled her oversized hoodie low, the fabric obscuring the upper portion of her face. She looked like a small, frightened bird trying to disappear into the woodwork.
"You seem like you haven't found a team yet," Caspian said softly as he reached her desk.
Elisa jumped slightly, her head snapping up. Her large, misty eyes met his. "I... I'm not sure if they would want someone like me," she whispered, her voice cute and trembling. "I'm just... me."
Caspian's expression turned stern, though his eyes remained kind. "Don't say that, Elisa." He kept his voice low, creating a small, private bubble in the middle of the noisy hall. "I would want to have you on my team more than anyone else in this room."
Elisa's face brightened instantly, a soft glow appearing in her eyes. "Really? You aren't just saying that ?"
"What is a team without Elisa?" Caspian whispered, leaning in closer.
A small, genuine smile broke across Elisa's face—a rare sight in the hallowed, judgmental halls of Aethelgard.
"Hope my spot hasn't been taken by some flashy noble!" Casel's voice boomed as he materialized out of the crowd, grinning ear to ear. He slung an arm around Caspian's shoulder, his energy infectious. "I've got the rations, the charm, and at least three jokes that will make the monsters die of laughter."
"Your spot was never in question, Casel," Caspian said, and the two shared a firm, rhythmic handshake.
"So," Elisa said, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. "Who's our fourth? We need a full set for the Master's requirements."
Caspian raised a hand to his chin, his gaze drifting over the sea of desperate faces in the hall. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I was hoping someone with a bit of spine might step forward."
Lyra watched the three of them from her distant perch. She saw Caspian whisper to Elisa; she saw the way they laughed and moved with an ease she had never experienced.
She looked back at Aisha, who was currently pointing at a girl in the line-up. "You? No. Too weak. You? We don't need you," Aisha snapped, dismissing a crying student with a wave of her hand. "We don't need weaklings in the high and mighty Valerius group!"
Lyra felt a sudden, sharp pang of disgust—not for the girls being rejected, but for the life she was leading. To everyone else, she was a statue, a name, a weapon of the Valerius family. They looked at her and saw a superior being who couldn't afford to mess up. Around them, she was always "extra," always perfect, always frightened that a single mistake would shatter the illusion of her divinity.
" But when I'm around them..."she thought, her gaze returning to Caspian.
She remembered the way Caspian looked at her—not as a Valerius, but as a person. With them, she felt like she could mess up a hundred or a thousand times and it wouldn't matter. They treated her differently. They treated her like she was human.
"I can't let this slip away," Lyra whispered to herself.
To the absolute shock of the entire classroom, Lyra Valerius stood up. She didn't look at Aisha. She didn't look at the girls begging for her favor. She walked with purposeful, clicking strides across the hall, the sea of students parting for her like she was a blade cutting through water.
She stopped in front of Caspian's desk.
"Have any open spots for me?" Lyra asked. Her voice was steady, but there was a flicker of vulnerability in her white eyes that only Caspian could see.
The hall went deathly silent. It was a scandal that would be whispered about for weeks: the pride of the High Families joining a group of "Ordinaries."
Caspian's smile widened, bright and welcoming. "For you? Always."
Aisha sat frozen at her desk, her mouth agape. The girls she had been recruiting slowly began to walk away, realizing that the center of power had just shifted. Aisha was left alone, surrounded by empty seats and the bitter taste of her own arrogance.
---
Master Grey watched the scene with narrowed, calm eyes.
"A touching display of unity," Grey's voice boomed, chilling the room.
She looked over at the other table where Zerav, Louisa, Edna, and Silas sat. They had naturally gravitated toward each other, a silent fortress of four.
"Zerav, Louisa, Edna, Silas," Grey called out, her devilish grin returning. "You four think you can hide in your own little bubble? Not today. I am separating you. You will each be placed in different groups ."
The four looked at each other, their expressions going cold.
"Go to your assigned stations," Grey commanded after successfully separating the 4. "The gate to the test ground opens in ten minutes. And remember... You are not alone."
As Caspian led Lyra, Elisa, and Casel toward the exit, he caught Silas's eye. A silent message passed between them.