The weekend sun glowed gently over the academy's outer fields. A rare calm had settled, giving students time to relax—something the Hunter Academy rarely allowed.
Zian, surprisingly, was found in the greenhouse, tending to a strange silver-flowered vine. She wasn't alone for long. Mira burst in, carrying a tray of desserts.
"You're skipping training to babysit plants?" Mira teased.
Zian shot her a sideways look. "It's called rest. You should try it sometime."
Meanwhile, in the academy's outer commons, Kaen sat at a long bench under a cherry tree with Tarek and Leon. Kyel leaned against the tree nearby, arms crossed, silently judging Kaen's "relaxation posture."
Alyss approached with a folded flyer. "There's an off-campus exhibition match next weekend. Students from second and third years form teams. You in?"
Kaen looked at the flyer, then at his half-eaten skewer of roasted meat. "Only if Zian joins."
"She will," said a voice behind him. Zian had arrived, her white hair tied up, face calmer than usual. "I'm done hiding."
Tarek raised an eyebrow. "Hiding what?"
Zian ignored the question. Mira, grinning, pulled out a camera crystal. "Let's take a photo. I never imagined you all hanging out like this."
They stood in an awkward row. Mira counted down.
Click. A frozen memory.
Later that evening, Kaen found himself alone near the training field, watching the sun dip below the academy walls. Lirien stepped out of the shadows. "You're bonding," she noted.
Kaen didn't look at her. "It's easier than expected."
She studied him. "You'll protect them, won't you?"
Kaen paused. "I won't let them fall. Not again."
Lirien didn't press further. "Good. Because the next arc? It won't be kind."
As the moon rose, casting long shadows, the wind carried distant echoes—of footsteps, of rivals sharpening blades.
The third years were watching.