"You didn't have to walk me to the dorm, you know?"
Wheeling along a cart with a few boxes on it, Heflin gave me a warm smile. "Well, this'll be the last time I get to see you for a while. It'd be a shame to not say goodbye."
I averted my gaze. "Sounds like you've grown attached, if you ask me."
"Is there something wrong with that?"
I fell silent. I wasn't sure how to respond. We continued walking towards the Argent Hall in silence, enjoying the vibes of the campus. As we passed by other first-years, I felt increasingly nervous at the thought that I would have to room with someone else for the next year. It was mandatory for your first year at Nineheart, and afterwards you need to apply in order to get your own personal room.
I found myself so lost in thought that I didn't notice two familiar faces just up ahead.
Sera, her expression as fierce as ever, looked like she was just about to pick a fight with Galliard, who seemed rather mellow in contrast to the ginger-haired adept. As the two of us approached, both of them turned towards us.
"Ilyin! How have you been? I was afraid I wouldn't get to see you today."
His friendliness was a little off-putting, but I played along. "I've been doing fine, Galliard. Just here to move into my dorm."
Sera's gaze made me feel nervous, even if it wasn't in that usual intimidating way of hers. I was afraid that she knew that I was Ascalon... but come to think of it, Galliard didn't tell her, right?
"Are they friends of yours?" asked Heflin in a happy tone.
"...Not exactly."
Galliard seemed a bit disappointed, but he didn't protest. "We're acquaintances from the practical exams."
"Don't know him," spoke Sera.
I quickly exchanged glances with Galliard, who seemed to understand my concerns. Although I didn't tell him that I had helped Sera while in disguise, he somehow looked like he already knew.
"Miss Sera was just asking me if I knew the identity of the person who went to help her, but unfortunately, I was too preoccupied with the other haginn to see."
Thank you, Galliard, I thought to myself.
His words made me curious, though.
"What happened against the haginn? Did you beat it yourself?"
He laughed, apparently amused by the question. "Of course not. I spent most of the fight trying to stall for help after I realized my arcane arts weren't enough to deliver a fatal blow. Or rather, the haginn wouldn't give me enough time to deal significant damage."
I recalled Galliard's magic that he used during the first exam, which allowed him to wipe out multiple targets at once after channeling for roughly 15 seconds. Considering the speed of the haginn, I was amazed he was able to hold it back at all.
"I've got places to be, so I'm leaving," interjected Sera. Without another word, she turned and walked off towards the dorms.
Galliard waved her goodbye before leaning in close to me.
"Is there a need to hide your identity from her?" he said in a voice low enough to prevent Heflin from hearing.
"Well, she threatened me, saying she'd make me pay once she figured out who I was."
He let out a hearty chuckle. "I'm sure she was joking."
I gave him a look of disbelief. "I don't think so."
Heflin suddenly tapped me on the back, drawing my attention. "I'll go on ahead and wait for you at the building."
"Wait, I'll come with-"
"I'll let you spend some time with your acquaintance. It's good to make connections while at Nineheart, especially if they're someone who can supposedly stand their ground against a haginn."
Galliard laughed while extending his hand towards him. "I'm not that impressive, sir, but I am much appreciative to enjoy Ilyin's company."
Heflin accepted his handshake and introduced himself.
"I'm Heflin, an agent from the Arbiter's Association."
Galliard's face lit up as his eyes darted between me and Heflin. "Really? Are you Ilyin's agent?"
"No, but I am his guardian of sorts."
"Hm. How interesting. Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself: I am Galliard, from the Solyrian family of my home continent, Est'artia."
I wonder if he uses that long-winded introduction every time.
"Oh? I think you might be more interesting than I. You've come quite far, haven't you, little sun of Solyria?"
"So you're aware of my family and our customs? I must say, Ilyin attracts the attention of some rather unique individuals."
"I'll say. It's ironic, given how anti-social he is."
"I'm right here, you know."
The both of them laughed in unison, but I wasn't exactly amused. I quickly tried to steer the subject away from me.
"What dorm are you assigned to?" I asked Galliard.
"Oh. I'm rooming in the Argent Hall, in room 212. I've already gone and unpacked my things, so I've been out and about trying to engage with campus. What about you?"
"Same dorm, but 316, so a floor above you."
"Looks like we'll have plenty of time to get acquainted, then. I do have something I must attend to, so I'll let you free for now. Ah, but before I go, I recommend checking out some of the clubs and circles on campus. While activities don't begin for a few weeks, there's still quite a few recruiting. Anyways, I'll be taking my leave."
He waved goodbye to me and Heflin before parting ways.
"You probably don't know this, but the Solyrian family is part of Artian nobility," remarked Heflin. "Without a doubt, he has considerable backing. Also, the Solyrians follow a set of precepts and moral standards, so they're generally good people to ally yourself with. I'd say you've done well in befriending him, but I already know that that wasn't your intent."
I shrugged. "These things happen," I said dismissively.
The rest of the walk to the dorm was uneventful. We arrived at two massive dorm buildings that were opposite to each other and surrounding a wide, open lawn. At the center of it all was a magnificent marble fountain, which I was inclined to believe was modeled after the Ark of Passion's Wellspring.
The Lionheart first-years are assigned to one of two dorms: the Argent Hall and the Aurum Hall. After entering their second year, they're delegated to a more permanent living space, which is likely where they'll spend the next three years. If I remember correctly, it was to try and weed out the weak in their first year through constant competitions between the Argent and Aurum students.
Argent Hall had several entrances with hallways that connected to several different facilities, such as study spaces or the mess hall. Heflin and I made our way to the elevators, which weren't as crowded as I'd expected. Still, it took a while before we could get into one, given that most people here were also carrying boxes or moving loaded carts.
After arriving on the third floor, we made our way to room 316. The anticipation of potentially meeting my roommate right now made me anxious as I pulled out my key, which was a thin black card. A click sounded, and I pulled open the door. However, the room was empty, and it seemed like I was the first to arrive.
From where I stood in the doorway, there was a single bathroom to my left and a closet to my right that contained a laundry machine and a dryer. Ahead, there were two twin-sized beds sitting parallel to each other, which were both accompanied by twin nightstands. There was another closet further down to the right, and I assumed there was another to the left around the corner of the bathroom. At the very end was a sliding glass door that opened up to the balcony, which looked over the courtyard between the two dorm buildings.
I didn't want to drag it out, so I quickly unloaded my boxes with Heflin, who seemed unusually solemn.
"Have any of your memories recovered yet?"
I paused, confused. I forgot that I only told him I had amnesia. In a sense, it's kind of true.
"A bit, I guess."
Ever since the Voice of Nihility awakened, I've experienced a few vague dreams of what I've assumed was the past. Every time I have one, I can only remember faint, unimportant details. It's probably because my synchronization rate has hardly increased, which was a little unexpected considering how much it jumped in the beginning.
"I promised a long time ago to not pry into your circumstances. Considering how you still haven't told me anything, I don't think I'm the right person who can help you out. But I'm sure that you'll eventually find someone who you can accept as your friend, even if you don't want to."
I nearly jammed my fingers while trying to close a drawer. I know I wasn't the best liar, but it was still a little shocking for him to poke at it out of the blue. And what he said, it was just...
"Sorry."
"It's fine," he said with a laugh. "I figure this is what it's like to have a teenage son. Oh, but don't get it twisted—I'm still young enough to be free and single, just that work is making me look a bit old and wrinkled."
"Sure, sure. And how young might that be?"
"Basically 20, really."
"Right."
I felt a bit of foreign warmth spread throughout my chest. It was odd to think that Heflin thought of me in that way despite having only known me for over a month, but I guess we spent more time together than most people do in a year. I've always thought it was part of the assignment that Gestalt gave him, but maybe he had his own personal reasons.
The warmth quickly dissipated into the void. I couldn't really tell if that was a good or bad thing. I didn't really want to know either.
We finished unpacking the rest of the boxes, organizing my stuff into the closet on the left. I would've discussed which side of the room I'd get if my roommate was here, but first come, first serve I guess.
"Well, it's certainly been a fun month or so. I look forward to hearing about your time here."
"Was it really all that enjoyable to you?" I suddenly blurted out.
Heflin looked a little distraught, but his usual smile quickly returned.
"Even if you're not exactly the most sociable arbiter around, watching over you has been interesting. Again, if I had a son, he'd probably act a bit like you. While you don't think of it that way, the way you act is a bit endearing to me."
"...I see."
"As long as you put in the same effort here you put in for the last month, school life will be a breeze. I won't be around to help you, but that's what friends and faculty are for. And if you really need it, you can give me a call."
"I'll try not to. Your schedule is turning your hair gray."
He laughed. "Agreed. The old man has been working me like a slave recently."
I wasn't exactly sure what his relationship was with Gestalt for him to be able to call him "the old man" so casually. Then again, I'm on a first-name basis with him, and I've only met him about twice since our first encounter outside the Ark of Passion.
"Anyways, I'll leave you to it."
"I'll walk you back to the car."
Heflin shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You'll just spend the whole time walking in awkward silence anyway. I don't need more of that before our goodbyes. And besides, I think it'll be a little hard to say it if we drag it on any longer."
"What?" I could barely hear the last part he whispered.
Heflin didn't respond; instead, he gave me a strange, melancholic expression. His eyes didn't feel like they were looking at me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It was like... there was someone else where I stood.
"Ilyin. I'll see you later. Try to get along with others."
"Yeah. I'll see you later."
There was a hint of expectation in his gaze, but he quickly averted his eyes away from me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, and perhaps it was too late to find out. Without further ado, he pulled the empty cart out of the room and shut the door behind him.
It was quiet. I was used to the silence of living alone, but somehow, this silence was incredibly discomforting.
We've spent over a month together, so the thought of not seeing him for a while feels strange. It doesn't feel sad, though. I don't... feel sad.
I quickly diverted my thoughts, trying to push away the Voice looming over me. I just had to accept it.
I walked over to my new bed and slumped over on top of it. I must've zoned out for quite a bit, because before I knew it, the sun was considerably lower than before. My attention was also called to the thumping of someone knocking on the door.
"Hey! Anyone in there? How do I use this key? There's no lock or anything!"
Unfortunately, it seemed that my new roommate was both loud and a bit slow. I got up from the bed and made my way to the door. Bracing myself, I quickly pulled open the door.
A big, toothy smile; short black hair; and a hulking build. A memory flashed through my mind from the day of the practicals.
Callen, the annoyingly friendly and talkative examinee.