The next day, the base was unusually quiet.
No word from the Chief nor the Marshal, and every Dominor was left confused—yet quietly hopeful. Maybe this meant no training today. Maybe the duels were canceled. Maybe, just maybe, it would stay this peaceful.
Lucen, still following the orders given to him, kept a discreet eye on Cael, who was lying in the open field, napping beneath the gray-blue sky.
Lucen looked more like a bodyguard than anything else, silently stationed beside someone he didn't even know.
They hadn't spoken a full sentence to each other since day one.Maybe this is what happens when you put two introverts in the same space—silence, distance, and vague awareness of each other.
"Who awakened?" a voice suddenly asked.
Lucen blinked and turned to his left. Darain had appeared beside him out of nowhere and a melting popsicle lazily hanging from his hand.
His eyes weren't on Lucen, though—they were watching something far off in the distance.
"So, who?" Darain repeated, finally looking at Lucen, a sly smirk on his lips.
Lucen stared at him, more confused than cautious. Why was he here?
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucen replied flatly.
"Don't lie. Of course, you know." Darain waved his popsicle. "You're a Night Watcher, right?"
"…Yeah?"
"So tell me." Darain leaned in, their shoulders brushing. "Let's keep it a secret. I won't tell the Pillars you told me."
Lucen looked at him like he was a puzzle missing too many pieces. "Why do you want to know?"
Darain shrugged. "I don't know. Just... curious?"
Then he started talking faster, clearly thinking out loud. "But look—aren't you curious? The base went dead silent after that. Was someone strong awakened? Are they locking them up? Because if I remember right, that kind of power's unstable, right? Oooh—now I really want to know."
He tapped his chin dramatically, lost in thought.
"Can you talk somewhere else?" Cael muttered, now sitting up from the grass, brushing hair out of his eyes.
"Oh! You're alive," Darain said cheerfully, teasing him.
Cael furrowed his brows. "You know what—"
"I've been thinking," Darain cut in, flopping down beside him like he owned the grass. "Are you guys close? Or maybe—" he grinned, glancing between them, "you're exes. You dated, didn't you? Had a dramatic breakup?"
"What?!" Cael nearly gagged.
"Why? You two are so awkward around each other. I've never seen you speak. You've totally got love-quarrel energy."
Cael scoffed. "No. I don't even know why this guy keeps following me."
"It's an order," Lucen said simply, arms crossed, unbothered.
"Aww, so you're like… his babysitter," Darain said, grinning. "Wow. How I wish an A-rank Night Watcher would babysit me."
"Why are you even here?" Cael asked, desperate to change the subject.
Darain only shrugged and lay back on the grass. "Just felt like it."
Cael stared at him in disbelief. What is wrong with this guy? What did he even eat this morning? Why is he suddenly chatty?
He sighed. I hope this is the last time. He's draining me already.
"Anyway, guys… can you help me?" Darain asked, sitting up.
Lucen didn't even blink. He already knew what Darain meant.So did Cael.
Of course—this was why he was here.
"So yeah," Darain continued, trying to sound casual, "help me out. We're friends, right?"He forced a smile—awkward, way too wide to be convincing, but he tried.
Neither of them replied. Instead, both Lucen and Cael turned and began walking away. Silent. Expressionless. Just... leaving him behind.
"Bruh?! Seriously?" Darain said, still sitting on the grass, stunned.
He stared at their retreating backs, completely betrayed.
"Wow," he muttered, blinking. "Is this what I get for trying to be kind?"
He threw his hands in the air, completely done.
"Wow. What a life I live in."
Darain rose to his feet, brushing off the grass with dramatic flair.
"Sometimes… when you don't look for it, it shows up," he muttered to himself, trying to gaslight his own disappointment into something meaningful.
With a sigh, he turned around to head back to his dorm——and stopped.
There, just a few steps ahead, stood a girl.She had medium-length white hair, cut in a soft bob. Her small frame and wide, curious green eyes gave away her age—probably a new recruit. She was too busy looking around the buildings and scenery to notice him at first.
Darain's lips curled into a slow smile.
An idea.
He rushed toward her. "Hey!" he called out, his voice bright.
Startled, the girl turned, her green eyes locking with his.
"Help me," Darain said without hesitation.
The girl blinked, clearly confused—and a little afraid. She took a cautious step back, hand clutching at her chest.
"You're new, right? Great! You can help me," he continued, quickly spinning his story. "See, I've been searching for days. I lost a ring—my father gave it to me before he… left this world."
(That was a lie. His dad was very much alive and probably drinking expensive wine right now.)
Darain placed a dramatic hand on his chest. "I haven't eaten. Haven't slept. Haven't even showered," he added, sniffing himself discreetly.
(Another lie. He smelled like imported lemon soap.)
"It's just…" he looked away, trying to summon fake tears. "That ring… it means the world to me."
He sighed, wiping imaginary tears from his cheek.
The girl opened her mouth, hesitant. "I… I'm sorry," she said, glancing behind him. "I can't help."
Then she ran—fast.
Darain blinked, watching her retreating form. She dashed straight toward someone. A man. Tall. Dark. Stern. Familiar.
Darain squinted.
Davor?
The girl stopped beside the Marshal, and the two continued walking toward the clinic building.
"She's… his daughter?" he muttered, baffled. "She's pretty. Must be the mom's genes."
Darain tilted his head, noticing a tiny blue thing poking out from her hair. A stuffed toy?
Then, with a complete mood shift, he groaned and stomped his foot like a child throwing a tantrum.
"UGH! Why does no one wanna help me?!"
-
"Seren is waiting," Davor said calmly as he walked beside Anira.
His eyes briefly drifted toward the boy in the distance, throwing what looked suspiciously like a tantrum.
"How's the walk?" he asked, returning his focus to Anira.
"It's good," Anira said, smiling shyly. "I thought this wing would be scary… but it's not."Bluey, the small plush creature nestled in her hair, now crawled to her hand and nuzzled her palm.
"What did that guy say to you?"
"The red-haired boy?" she asked. He nodded. "He was asking for help."
"Oh?" Davor raised an eyebrow. "What kind of help?"
"About a ring," she explained, making Davor glance at the one he was wearing. "He said it was very precious. That… his late father gave it to him before he left this world."
Davor's steps slowed. "His late father?"He looked back at Darain—still sulking—and let out a snort, barely able to hold it in.
Anira blinked, puzzled. "I felt bad for him. He looked really sad when he said it."
"Did he…" Davor paused, voice shaking with suppressed laughter, "Did he cry?"
"Y-yeah," she replied, unsure.
And that did it.
Davor burst into laughter, clutching his stomach, shoulders shaking."Oh my lord—that child—" he said between wheezes.
Anira looked up at him, clearly confused. "Why are you laughing? Is his father… really that bad?"
"No, no," Davor said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Don't worry about it. Just forget him."
"But—"
"Forget him," he repeated gently, still smiling. "Come on, let's go. Your Lumen Trial is waiting at the clinic."
Anira glanced once more at the boy in the distance, still confused… but nodded.Bluey let out a soft "Nyuu" and nestled into her arm as they continued walking.
Davor held the clinic door open, gesturing for Anira to enter first. She stepped inside.
Already waiting were Garran, Ezren, and Seren, standing quietly near the glowing luminal scan at the center of the room. Rhosyn sat at her swivel chair, deliberately avoiding Davor's gaze, her hands busy shuffling through data sheets—still distant after yesterday's incident.
"You're finally here," Garran said, his voice steady but warm.
"Oh, I let her stroll a little," Davor replied, shrugging as he took a seat by the wall. "You never know—she might be living here in the future."
Seren gave a single nod. "Shall we begin?"His hand extended, gesturing to the glowing runes etched into the floor.
Anira approached the circle, stepping carefully into its center. The relic inlaid at the heart of the design pulsed once with recognition. As her essence touched it, the Luminal Shards stirred, rising gently into the air, dancing in quiet harmony. They aligned into a perfect geometric formation…
But then, nothing.
No sigil.
No shimmer of qi.
No trace of awakened power.
There was no shock. No sudden whispers.They had expected this.
And yet—deep within each of them—there had been a flicker of hope. That maybe… just maybe, she would have even a glimmer.
But there was none.
Anira glanced up at them. She didn't understand what had just happened. She couldn't read the meaning in their expressions. But what she did see were smiles.
Warm. Gentle. Reassuring.
So, she smiled back.
"Do you wanna join here?" Garran broke the silence.
All eyes turned to him.
Seren, who was quietly packing up the luminal scan, looked up sharply. "She's still too young to train," he said, glancing at Anira. "How old are you again?"
"Sixteen," Anira answered.
"See? She's still a minor," Seren insisted.
But Garran didn't look up. His eyes remained on the tablet in his hands. "She's better off staying here than going back to that school," he said. "Don't you feel safer here, Anira?" he asked, finally lifting his gaze to meet hers.
Anira hesitated, thinking. Davor shifted in his seat, his expression unreadable. He glanced at Ezren and Seren, waiting to see if either of them would intervene. This wasn't part of the plan. Garran was going off-script.
Then, unexpectedly, Rhosyn stood.
"School's not that important anymore," she said quietly.
Everyone turned to her, surprised. Rhosyn, of all people, had always stood firmly against letting anyone—especially minors—drop out of traditional education. Why the change?
"In this era," she continued, "what matters is having the knowledge and the strength to survive."
She walked over to Anira, her expression softer than usual. "And like the Chief said, you're safer here."
She placed a hand gently on Anira's shoulder.
"Your mother would want you here… not out there. Because the person who can protect you and take care of you…"
Her eyes flicked to Garran.
"…is here."
Without waiting for a response, Rhosyn turned toward the door.
"I'll prepare the weapons," she said over her shoulder as she left.
Silence fell again.
No one needed to say anything—Rhosyn's words had settled over them.
She was right.
"Nyuuu," Bluey cooed, rubbing its cheeks affectionately against Anira's.
"So tell us your decision," Garran said gently. "Do you want to join or not? We'll respect your choice, whatever it is."
All eyes were on her again.
Anira hesitated. Her fingers tightened around Bluey, who was rubbing its soft cheek against her palm. "Nyuuu," it cooed softly, sensing her unease.
She looked down at the small creature, her chest rising and falling with the weight of uncertainty. Everything was happening so fast.
I…" she started, voice barely above a whisper.
She looked up, meeting Garran's eyes. Then Seren's. Then Davor's. None of them pushed her. None rushed her.
"I don't know," she finally said, her voice trembling with honesty. "I don't know what to choose."