The cafeteria doors closed behind them with a soft sound as Shadow and Claire stepped outside. The air felt cooler instantly, brushing lightly against the skin. Night had already taken over Velmora Academy, yet the place didn't feel asleep in the slightest.
The academy looked different at night.
Rows of tall street lamps stretched across the stone paths, each one glowing with a steady golden light that made the ground shine faintly. The buildings stood quiet and elegant, their windows glowing softly from within. Some students were still walking around in small groups, their voices low but lively. A few laughed, others argued about something trivial, while some simply walked in silence, clearly exhausted from the day.
The whole place felt… alive.
Not loud. Not chaotic. Just active in its own calm way.
Shadow glanced around, his eyes moving slowly across the paths, the buildings, the students.
'At least it's not dull,' he thought.
Claire stepped forward, breaking the quiet moment.
"Let's walk you to your room, it's not far from here."
Shadow followed without a word.
They walked along a wide path that curved slightly between buildings. The ground was clean, almost too clean, as if someone made sure no dust stayed there for long. Small patches of grass lined the sides, along with a few trees that swayed gently in the night breeze.
A few students passed by them, giving quick glances before moving on. Some recognized Claire and nodded respectfully. Others simply minded their own business.
After a short walk, they reached a large structure set slightly apart from the main flow of buildings.
It was clearly a dormitory.
The building wasn't flashy, but it had a solid and well-built look. Multiple floors stacked neatly on top of each other, with rows of identical windows. A soft light came from inside, making it look warm compared to the cool night outside. The entrance was wide, with simple designs carved into the stone around it, nothing too detailed but enough to show it wasn't ordinary construction.
"This is where first-year students stay," Claire said as she stepped inside.
Shadow followed her in.
The inside was quiet. A long hallway stretched ahead, with doors lined up on both sides at equal distance. The floor was polished, reflecting the light above faintly. It felt simple, but everything was placed exactly where it should be.
Claire led him down the hallway, her steps calm and steady, until she stopped in front of one of the doors.
She opened it and stepped aside slightly.
"This will be your room."
Shadow walked in.
The room was… decent.
Not big, not small. Just enough space to live without feeling cramped. Two separate beds were placed on opposite sides, each with its own small table next to it. A single larger table stood near the window, probably meant for studying or whatever they expected students to do there.
The window itself let in a faint glow from the outside lamps.
There was a door to the side that likely led to the bathroom. The walls were plain, the floor clean, and everything looked new enough.
Nothing fancy.
But nothing lacking either.
Claire stood by the door.
"Rest well. Tomorrow is a big day. You need to attend the orientation."
Shadow gave a small nod.
Claire waited for a second, as if expecting something else, then simply turned and left, closing the door behind her.
Silence filled the room.
Shadow looked around again, slower this time, taking in the details.
Two beds.
Two tables.
Two students.
He sighed lightly.
"They'll probably assign someone else to stay here…" he muttered. "What a headache."
He walked over to one of the beds and dropped himself onto it without much care. The mattress sank slightly under his weight, softer than he expected.
Shadow stared at the ceiling.
"…Alright. I forgive this place a little."
"Let's sleep for now," he said to no one in particular. "We'll deal with whatever nonsense comes tomorrow."
He shifted slightly, getting comfortable, and within moments, his eyes closed.
---
Morning came quietly.
Soft sunlight slipped through the window, spreading across the room and slowly climbing up the walls. The light reached Shadow's face, pulling him out of sleep without much resistance.
He opened his eyes.
The room looked different in daylight. Brighter, clearer. Less mysterious than it did at night.
For a moment, he just stared at the ceiling.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
Shadow blinked once, then sat up slowly.
He stared at the door.
"…If I stay quiet long enough, maybe they'll go away."
Another knock.
"…Unfortunate."
Another knock followed.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he got up and walked to the door.
He opened it.
Two people stood outside.
One was a girl around his age, with greenish hair that stood out immediately. The other—
Shadow narrowed his eyes slightly.
Lucian.
"This is your assigned room" the girl said to Lucian.
No one moved.
Not Shadow.
Not Lucian.
Not even the girl.
A quiet second passed.
Then another.
"Ah… you sure this is the right room?" Lucian asked, glancing at the girl while clearly noticing who opened the door.
The girl nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. Please go in."
A short silence followed.
Shadow and Lucian looked at each other.
Then both of them made the same kind of expression.
'Just my luck,' Shadow thought as he placed a hand on his face.
The girl tilted her head slightly, confused.
"Is there a problem I should know about?" she asked. "I'm the first-year student president. My name is Hulia. Please inform me if there is any issue."
Shadow looked at her for a moment before answering.
"Not really," he said casually. "I just thought it would be more convenient if a girl was assigned instead of two guys sharing a room."
Hulia blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"…In what world do you think that's possible?" she replied, her tone flat.
"Mine."
Hulia was taken aback by his response but, she soon realized he meant it as a joke
'Or not,' she thought.
She reached into a small pouch and handed him a folded set of clothes along with a small cube.
"This is your first-year uniform. Do not leave your room without wearing it."
Shadow took it.
Hulia then pointed at the cube. She injected a bit of mana into it, and instantly, a small holographic screen appeared above it, forming what looked like a floating book.
"This device contains all the rules of Velmora Academy, along with a full map of the facilities. You should familiarize yourself with it."
The hologram flickered slightly as pages shifted on their own.
Shadow leaned slightly closer to the floating book.
'…Does it come with a 'how to survive this place' section?'
He tapped the air once.
"No? Unfortunate."
"Is there a problem?" Hulia asked again after she saw him murmur to himself.
Shadow waved his hand indicating nothing to be concerned about.
"There will be an orientation in about an hour at the first-year training hall. Attendance is required."
"You say that you're the first-year student president but, i don't recall seeing you when we took the test" Shadow voiced out his curiosity.
"Since you passed the test, you must've seen the amount of participants that were eliminated, that's why, the academy has more than one batch of participants to take the tests besides, there are also other first-year students who failed from last year"
She paused for a second.
Shadow didn't say anything.
Lucian didn't either.
Hulia nodded once.
"Good."
Then she turned and left.
---
Silence returned again.
Lucian stepped inside slowly, looking around before awkwardly standing in the middle of the room.
Shadow glanced at him.
"Don't just stand there awkwardly" he said.
Lucian cleared his throat.
"Since we're going to be roommates… I think we should introduce ourselves properly."
He straightened slightly.
"I'm Lucian. B-rank earth mage."
Shadow looked at him for a couple of seconds.
"I'm Shadow."
That was it.
Lucian waited.
Nothing else came.
"…That's it?" he asked.
Shadow looked at him.
"…Do you want my life story too? I don't think we're there yet"
'He definitely hates me.' Lucian thought.
'…I don't even know what I did.'
He paused, then remembered his bombing incident during the first test.
"…Right," Lucian said.
Then he continued, trying to fill the silence.
"I see why you didn't mention your abilities. During the test, it was obvious anyway. Three elements… fire, water, and wind. That's… quite extraordinary."
Shadow looked at him.
A faint grin appeared on his face.
He didn't say anything.
Lucian shifted slightly.
'He's definitely enjoying that,' Lucian thought. 'But that smile… something's off.'
The silence stretched for a moment.
Then Shadow spoke.
"So," he said casually, "where did you spend the night? You didn't just stay lying there in that test hall, right? Though you did look pretty comfortable."
Lucian froze for a second.
His expression immediately turned awkward.
He rubbed his wrinkles slightly.
"…Can we not talk about that?" he said. "It's not exactly a good memory."
Shadow shrugged.
Lucian continued anyway.
"Most of us stayed in the infirmary. It was… bigger than I expected. Enough space for everyone."
"Of course it was," Shadow replied. "They seem experienced in breaking students. Probably not their first time."
Lucian didn't argue.
After a short pause—
"Since I got here first," Shadow said, already moving, "it's only natural I take the bath first."
He didn't wait for a reply.
He just walked in and closed the door behind him.
Lucian stood there.
"…I didn't even agree," he muttered.
---
A little while later, Shadow stepped out.
He looked refreshed, now wearing the academy uniform. Black and blue, simple but clean, fitting well enough.
He picked up the cube device and activated it briefly, glancing at the map.
"Training hall… got it."
He turned toward the door.
"Alright," he said, "let's get this over with."
"Wait," Lucian said quickly. "Don't go yet. I'll take a quick bath and we'll go together."
Shadow nodded.
Lucian rushed into the bathroom.
The sound of water followed shortly after.
A few minutes passed.
Lucian came out quickly, now dressed in the same uniform.
"Alright, I'm done. Let's g—"
He stopped.
The room was empty.
The door was slightly open.
Lucian looked at the door.
Then at the bathroom.
Then back at the door.
Shadow was already gone.
He stared at the door for a moment.
"…Of course he is."