Elise and Luther followed Darius as he continued explaining the academy's key points. However, something caught Luther's attention: in the distance, he saw Borik walking alongside other members of Sir Aldric's group. Luther's face lit up, and he gave Elise a gentle nudge.
"It's Borik," he said enthusiastically, pointing toward the group.
"Your friend?" Elise asked, following his gaze.
Luther quickly nodded before turning to Darius. "We're splitting up here. I'm going with them."
Darius, unsurprised, smiled and raised a hand in farewell. "Suit yourself. Just try not to get into trouble... I'm still responsible for you."
Luther laughed and began walking toward Borik, who noticed him approaching and raised a hand with a wide grin.
"Kid!" Borik shouted with the same infectious energy that always defined him. When Luther arrived, Borik greeted him with a firm handshake. "Thought you weren't gonna make it. How's it going, buddy?"
"Same as always, surviving," Luther replied with a sly grin. However, his gaze drifted to Elise, who had stayed slightly behind him. Borik immediately noticed her presence and raised an eyebrow, curious.
"And who's this young lady?" Borik asked, tilting his head inquisitively.
Luther turned toward Elise. "This is Elise. A good friend I met during the exam. Elise, this is Borik—someone you definitely want on your team if you're ever in trouble."
Elise shyly smiled and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Ha! Never thought this guy could make friends besides me," Borik replied, shaking her hand with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Elise. If you're a friend of Luther, you're a friend of mine."
As they chatted, a familiar figure joined the group. It was Naomi, walking calmly with a faint smile on her face.
"And what's this gathering of misfits?" Naomi asked, crossing her arms.
Luther turned toward her and smirked. "Well, if it isn't the ice queen. Though now you're more like the fire queen, huh?"
"Still as funny as ever, huh?" she shot back, before shifting her gaze to Elise. "And who's this girl?"
"I'm Elise," Elise quickly replied with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Naomi said, returning the smile.
The group formed an impromptu circle and began swapping stories about their experiences during training. Borik and Naomi talked about how they'd reached Level 2 of their initial cores during their trials.
"Level 2?!" Elise exclaimed, clearly surprised. "We had to reach Level 3, or they wouldn't even let us pass."
Borik raised his hands in surrender. "Well, not all of us are prodigies, right? But not bad, considering what they put us through."
Luther chuckled, recalling the harsh training conditions, but his attention soon returned to Elise, who seemed to be enjoying the conversation. They chatted for quite a while until the sun began to set and the night started to blanket the academy.
"Time to go," Naomi said, stretching. "It's dark, and I don't wanna get into trouble on the first day of classes."
The group agreed and began to disperse. Elise approached Luther, her face reflecting slight sadness.
"I guess this will be our first night sleeping in separate rooms… after everything we've been through together," she said, with a smile that couldn't entirely hide her disappointment.
Luther looked at her for a moment, understanding her sentiment, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry... We'll see each other tomorrow, just like always."
Elise nodded, sighing. "Alright. Goodnight, Luther."
"Goodnight," he replied, watching Elise walk toward the girls' dormitories.
Luther headed to his own room, walking through hallways now partially lit by magical torches. When he reached the door, he let out a tired sigh and turned the knob. However, what he saw upon entering made all his exhaustion vanish in an instant.
There were Ithan and Kay, his old acquaintances, already settled in the room. Ithan was sitting on his bed, sharpening a knife with a smile that seemed more menacing than friendly. Kay, on the other hand, was reading a book but looked up as soon as Luther entered.
"Well, well, if it isn't our friend Luther," Ithan said in a sarcastic tone.
Luther froze, staring at both of them as a single thought crossed his mind with force and clarity: "Great. Just what I needed."
Luther tried to ignore what was happening, taking a deep breath to calm himself, and closed the door behind him. But as soon as he turned around, he found himself face-to-face with Ithan, now just a few steps away, wearing a wide grin that hinted at nothing good.
"Well, you're exactly the person I wanted to talk to," Ithan said, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he skillfully spun the knife in his hand.
Luther stared at him without flinching. Kay, still sitting on his bed, merely raised an eyebrow, watched the scene for a moment, then returned to his book as if nothing were happening.
Ithan stepped closer, leaning slightly toward Luther while maintaining his predator-like grin.
"I heard you had a little 'discussion' with Marcus," he said, his tone now lower but laden with intent. "Care to explain what happened? I've been looking for him, but… he seems to have vanished."
His face was so close to Luther's that he could almost feel his breath. But Luther didn't budge, standing his ground. He had learned not to let people like Ithan intimidate him, and just seeing him this close only annoyed him further. He decided he'd had enough.
With a quick, firm shove, Luther pushed Ithan away, causing him to stumble back a few steps, his face briefly showing surprise before regaining his twisted grin.
"Cut the crap, Ithan," Luther said, his voice deep and loaded with restrained anger. "Unless you want me to do to you what I did to Marcus."
The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. Ithan's grin vanished as if erased by a knife. His eyes narrowed, and his expression darkened considerably. He took a step forward, once again getting in Luther's face.
"Oh, yeah?" Ithan said, his voice now a dangerous whisper. "Then go ahead. Let's see if you've got the guts."
That was enough for Luther. Without a second thought, he grabbed Ithan by the shirt and lifted him forcefully, slamming him against the nearest bunk bed. The sound of the impact made Kay look up from his book, though he didn't intervene, watching the scene with a mix of indifference and curiosity.
Ithan, wasting no time, tried to stab Luther in the back with the knife he still held. But Luther reacted with impressive speed, letting him go just in time and dodging the attack with a swift sidestep. The knife passed dangerously close to his side but failed to make contact.
Ithan charged again, aiming a horizontal slash at Luther. Luther evaded the attack by spinning to the side, and before Ithan could recover, Luther tackled him with all his strength. The impact was brutal, sending Ithan flying backward. The knife flew out of his hand, landing somewhere in the room as he hit the floor heavily.
Luther leapt on top of him, his fist clenched and ready to crash into Ithan's face. But just as he was about to land the punch, a sudden sound stopped him.
Knock, knock… came from the door.