And so ended Croy's first exciting day at the Academy.
He had seen the Emperor himself - long live the Emperor - nearly shat his pants when he met a girl who was a force to be reckoned with, was labeled a pervert by the entire class and even by the princess of the Kadutor Kingdom, befriended an eccentric pervert, followed a girl into the ladies' restroom to fight over the right to pet a magical dog, then had to search for a new magical dog to pet, almost ending up challenging the heir of one of the most powerful houses in the Empire.
All in all, a rather successful day.
'But why did almost everything have to be so creepy?'
Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. But he would need to have a serious talk with Fredrik in the future if he still wanted to call him a friend.
After Professor Burton's test, not much else happened. The students were given some general rules and then sent to their respective living quarters.
Croy's room was nothing special: a bed, a stove, a toilet with a shower, and a desk. It was extremely spartan, and Fredrik had told him that, with a generous donation to the Academy, one could get a larger room.
But Croy was more than satisfied with it - ironically, though, he wasn't in his room that evening but lying with his head on his suitcase in the middle of the central plaza in front of the Academy. The punishment for the fact that he and fifty other students hadn't passed Professor Burton's test.
And while some students had loudly complained about it and were still on the phone with their parents, crying about the unfair treatment, Croy thoroughly enjoyed the fresh evening air.
Even though they were in the Imperial Capital, the air was refreshingly pleasant. Apparently, he had some genius to thank for that - someone who, many decades ago, had saved both the climate and the air quality from disaster.
In the military, he had often slept out in the open - even if with one eye open. But it was nice. Here, you could even see the stars. It would be a calm and pleasant night.
He had since taken off his suit and changed into comfortable sweatpants and a sweater. Since it was autumn, it would get a bit chilly, but that didn't bother Croy much.
He was grateful not to be expelled from the Academy. Spending another night outdoors was hardly a punishment.
"Ah, what a day."
Even though it had been very exciting and thrilling, there were still things he needed to ponder.
Croy lay on the plaza, the stars above him, and drifted into thoughts about the past.
The news that the war was truly over still felt unreal. That the rebels were finally defeated was something he could never have imagined three years ago.
Back then, when Spider and Major Maddox had pulled him from the rubble of his parents' house, he had been just a thirteen-year-old boy - but becoming a soldier, a fighter against the rebels, was the only thing that had made sense to him.
He couldn't say whether the news really made him happy. Rather, he felt... empty, as if someone had cut out a piece of his identity.
What was he supposed to be if not a soldier? He knew he couldn't just stay in the military; Spider had made that clear. But without the life in uniform, without his comrades and the missions, everything felt strangely foreign.
The faces of his parents had long since faded into blurry shadows in his memory - a faint image that the battlefield had pushed out of his thoughts.
All he still remembered were his comrades and the shared experiences that made up all the hard and often absurd moments in the war. Spider, Cookoff, Bunny, and Sandman had caught him, given him support, and from those years, memories had accumulated that had become his life.
They had laughed together, stood by each other in dark moments, and the loss of Ace and Peanut had torn his heart apart. He hadn't been able to cry that day, but in the nights that followed, the tears just wouldn't stop.
Now all that was over. Or was it just different? He didn't know.
Today, he had almost killed a classmate, just because his reflexes had driven him to use the one spell that was as natural to him as breathing.
That's when he realized what he had become.
His body didn't lie to him - everything about him was trained to fight, to kill, not to hesitate.
Perhaps, he thought, Spider had sent him here so he could learn more about life than the constant readiness to take someone down. Here, he was supposed to grow again, to start a new chapter.
The thought of this possibility was overwhelming and at the same time exciting.
He had to smile.
The night was beautiful.
***
Croy found himself once again in the void. In a vast emptiness that was neither light nor darkness but a tranquility he had experienced before.
He had no body and felt nothing. And yet he sensed everything, was both here and not here.
He knew he was dreaming, and yet this place was more alive than reality had ever been. Before him stood two faceless figures, whom he recognized without a doubt as his parents.
But this time was different. He felt no cold. A warmth, long unfamiliar to him, filled the air, and his heart tightened as he realized that...
That this would be the last time he would see them.
They had come to say goodbye - for they were no longer part of his new chapter.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. What could he say? That he barely remembered them anymore? That the faces he had known so well as a child had faded to mere outlines, erased by all the years of war?
His gaze fell on the figure that was his father, and he felt the sadness of having lost his voice - the voice that had comforted him as a child when the world seemed too big and frightening.
But something in this silent, dreamlike void told him that his father knew this, that he was proud of him nonetheless. And that words weren't necessary.
His father gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and the weight of the touch made Croy tremble.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt a closeness he had missed for so long.
His mother stepped closer, and although her face had slipped from his memory, he felt the gentleness of her embrace as her arms wrapped around him.
Then something broke open inside him, and the tears flowed freely. Here, in the silence and security of their presence, every wall fell away, and he wept as he hadn't allowed himself to in all those years.
"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely, even though he knew they would understand without explanation.
They had given him everything, and he had sacrificed everything for them. They were the reason he had survived and also the reason for his quest for justice.
But now, in this quiet moment, everything was forgiven, and he felt only their unconditional love.
"I'm going to the Imperial Academy now... your son has become a real student, you know?"
His parents seemed to slowly withdraw from him.
"I'm... I'm not at war anymore! I've also made new friends. They're very nice and were worried about me."
The pain was overwhelming, and yet he felt a deep calm flowing through him, like a silent promise they gave him in their final moment.
"That boy is a bit odd but... even if he's a creep, he's a good person. He helped me even when he didn't have to."
Pride, gratitude, love - all of that was in this silent farewell.
"And the girl... even though we started off on the wrong foot, we've made up. She's incredibly kind too. You would have liked her... I think."
Croy raised a hand and waved to them, tears streaming down his face.
He would never completely forget them, and even if life had taken him away from them, they would always be a part of him.
"So... don't worry about me! Your son is doing well! I promise I'll make you proud!"
Their figures began to slowly dissolve, but the feeling of their presence remained within him, and it was as if they had left a part of their strength for his journey ahead.
Forever.
"Farewell. I... I love you."