The exam continued into the night, and then into the next day.
What had initially felt like a test of strength had slowly revealed itself to be something far more exhausting—mentally, emotionally, and physically. Teams entered the trial grounds one after another, but very few emerged victorious.
By the end of the first day, only five teams had passed.
Lily's team.
Olivia's team.
And three others.
Out of dozens.
The numbers alone spoke volumes.
Whatever this exam truly was, it was not meant to be easily conquered.
Yet despite passing—
Lily didn't feel accomplished.
She didn't feel relieved.
If anything, the unease only grew stronger.
Late at night, the dormitory sat in near silence.
A silence so complete it almost felt unnatural.
Lily sat on the edge of her bed, her hands resting loosely in her lap, her posture slightly slouched. Her eyes were fixed on the wall ahead, unmoving, unfocused.
To anyone else, it would have looked like she was simply staring into space.
But in her mind—
She was searching.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Fragments.
There had to be something.
A moment.
A sound.
A face.
Something that would explain the hollow gap in her memory.
But no matter how many times she tried to retrace her thoughts, she always reached the same dead end.
A blank.
A suffocating, impenetrable blank.
Her fingers twitched slightly.
Why?
Why couldn't she remember?
It wasn't natural.
It wasn't something that could just be brushed off.
Someone had done this.
Someone had taken something from her.
And the fact that she couldn't even begin to grasp what it was—
That was what made it unbearable.
"Still at it?"
Gina's voice broke the silence.
Lily didn't respond.
Gina sighed from her bed, where she was lying on her back with one arm draped over her face.
"You're going to fry your brain if you keep doing that," she muttered lazily. "I told you already, didn't I? Whoever cast that spell? Way out of our league."
A small flicker of light appeared above her fingertips, spinning slowly like a miniature star.
She flicked her wrist, and the light split into several smaller orbs, each drifting in different directions before fading.
"I mean, think about it," Gina continued. "We didn't even notice when it happened. That alone says enough."
Lily's jaw tightened slightly.
"I know," she said quietly.
But knowing didn't help.
Understanding the gap didn't fill it.
Gina peeked at her from beneath her arm.
"…You're really not letting this go, huh?"
No answer.
Gina clicked her tongue.
"Suit yourself."
She rolled onto her side, now fully focused on shaping another small spell. This time, threads of mana wove together into a delicate, glowing pattern—something abstract, meaningless, but calming in its repetition.
Unlike Lily, Gina had already accepted the situation.
There was no point fighting something they couldn't overcome.
No point obsessing over something they couldn't change.
Better to move forward.
Better to focus on what they could control.
Lily exhaled slowly.
Her gaze remained fixed on the wall, but her mind had long since drifted away from it.
Every attempt felt like scratching at a sealed door.
Every effort only reminded her of how powerless she was.
A pressure began to build in her chest.
Tight.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
"…This is pointless."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
In one motion, she stood.
Gina glanced over.
"Finally giving up?"
"For now."
Lily reached for her cloak—the one she had received during the entrance exam. The fabric felt cool against her fingers, grounding her in a way she couldn't explain.
She draped it over her shoulders.
"I need some air."
Gina hummed in acknowledgment, already returning her attention to her spellwork.
"Try not to overthink it," she added casually. "You'll figure it out eventually. Or you won't. Either way, stressing won't help."
Lily didn't respond.
She simply walked out.
The dormitory halls were empty.
Eerily so.
Most of the first years were still occupied with the exam, and the upperclassmen resided on entirely different floors. The result was a hollow quiet that made every footstep echo just a little too loudly.
Lily walked without stopping.
Down the corridor.
Down the stairs.
Out into the open air.
The night was cool.
A faint breeze drifted across the academy grounds, carrying with it the scent of stone and grass.
For a moment, Lily just stood there.
Breathing.
Letting the tension in her chest loosen, even if only slightly.
Then—
A sound.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Crack.
Lily's head turned instinctively.
Another sound followed.
And another.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
That direction—
The training grounds.
She began walking.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
As she drew closer, the sounds became clearer.
Explosions.
Impacts.
The unmistakable release of magic.
But at this hour…?
Who would—
Her steps slowed.
There, under the dim glow of the magical lamps—
A familiar figure.
"Kane…?"
He stood alone in the center of the training grounds, facing a row of battered dummies.
Spell after spell flew from his hands.
No pause.
No hesitation.
Just relentless casting.
Fire surged.
Wind tore through the air.
Raw mana burst outward in uncontrolled waves.
It wasn't like him.
Kane wasn't the type to train like this.
He preferred efficiency.
Cleverness.
Not… brute repetition.
But right now—
He looked like someone trying to outrun something.
"Kane," Lily called out.
No response.
Another spell slammed into a dummy, sending fragments scattering.
"Kane!"
Still nothing.
It was as if he hadn't heard her at all.
Lily frowned.
That wasn't normal.
Closing the distance, she stepped directly behind him and reached out.
Her fingers tapped his shoulder.
Kane froze.
Completely.
The spell he had been forming flickered out instantly.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't react.
Then—
Slowly—
He turned.
"…Lily?"
His voice was quiet.
Uncertain.
Like he wasn't sure she was real.
Lily blinked.
"Yes…?"
Something was wrong.
She could see it clearly now.
His eyes—
There was relief there.
But beneath it—
Something darker.
Fear.
Deep, lingering fear.
"Nothing," Kane said quickly, looking away. "It's nothing."
But his voice betrayed him.
A slight tremor ran through it, subtle but unmistakable.
Lily's expression softened, her confusion turning into concern.
"What's wrong?"
"Seriously, nothing."
He forced a grin.
Wide.
Careless.
Convincing—if you didn't look too closely.
But Lily did.
And she knew.
Still—
She didn't press further.
Not this time.
"…Alright."
She stepped past him.
"I'm going to train. I realized I'm still not strong enough."
The words carried more weight than she intended.
But they were true.
If she had been stronger—
Would things have been different?
Would she have noticed the spell?
Would she have stopped it?
Would she still have her memories?
She didn't get far.
A hand grabbed her arm.
"!"
Lily flinched, instinctively pulling back.
"W-What are you doing?"
Kane's eyes widened slightly, as if he had just realized what he'd done.
He let go immediately.
"S-Sorry."
He looked away, his movements suddenly stiff.
"I just…"
He hesitated.
"…Do you want to train together?"
Lily stared at him for a moment.
Then sighed.
"…Sure. But you didn't have to grab me like that."
Kane scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah… my bad."
They stood side by side.
For a brief moment, neither moved.
Then—
Lily raised her hand.
Mana surged.
A fireball formed.
But this time—
It wasn't restrained.
It wasn't controlled.
It was everything she had.
All the frustration.
All the anger.
All the helplessness.
Condensed into a single point.
The air warped around it, heat distorting the space.
Without hesitation—
She fired.
The explosion shook the training grounds.
Flames engulfed the dummy, tearing through its structure.
The impact echoed into the night.
And then—
Silence.
Lily swayed.
Her vision blurred slightly as exhaustion hit her all at once.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the ground.
"…Ah…"
She exhaled slowly, staring up at the sky.
"The frustration's gone."
Her voice was calm.
Light.
Empty.
Beside her, Kane watched.
Then raised his own hand.
Mana gathered.
Not wild.
Not explosive.
Controlled.
Precise.
He shaped it carefully.
Slowly.
A structure began to form.
Long.
Narrow.
Mechanical.
A rifle.
It flickered in places, unstable.
But it held.
Kane narrowed his eyes.
Then—
He fired.
A concentrated shot pierced through the dummy.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each shot struck with precision until—
The dummy collapsed completely.
Kane lowered his hand.
"…Still rough," he muttered.
But it worked.
Eventually, they both lay on the ground, side by side.
The dirt was cold beneath them.
Uncomfortable.
But neither of them moved.
They had no mana left.
No energy.
Only quiet.
They talked.
About nothing.
About everything.
Small things.
Random thoughts.
Occasional laughter breaking the silence.
For a while—
It felt normal.
But Kane wasn't at ease.
Not really.
His gaze shifted.
Slowly.
He looked at Lily.
At her expression.
At the way she laughed.
At how… normal she seemed.
As if nothing had happened.
As if nothing had been taken from her.
His chest tightened.
The memory surfaced.
Unwanted.
Unavoidable.
Lily—
Suffering.
Breaking.
Disappearing.
His hand clenched against the dirt.
No.
He forced it down.
Buried it.
Locked it away.
I won't let that happen again.
No matter what.
No matter the cost.
Kane turned his gaze back to the sky.
His expression relaxed.
Calm.
Carefree.
Like always.
"…Hey, Lily," he said lightly.
But beneath that voice—
The fear remained.