Evening, Academy Back Garden
Afternoon practice had just ended. The sun was slanting westward, and the sky was beginning to turn a golden red. Damian decided to sit for a while in the academy's back garden, a place usually quiet after practice. A gentle afternoon breeze blew, carrying the scent of grass still damp with the midday dew.
Footsteps were heard approaching. Damian turned and saw Kaien emerging from the school hallway, walking toward him. In his hand was a small bag containing bread.
"You here?" Kaien asked flatly, as if it were more of a statement than a question.
"This place is quiet," Damian replied. "Sometimes I come to think."
Kaien walked over and sat down on the bench next to him. He placed the bag of bread between them and pushed it slightly toward Damian. "Want some?"
Damian took a slice and nodded curtly. "Thank you."
They ate in silence for a while. Only the sound of birds in the trees filled the silence, accompanied by the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind.
Damian finally spoke. "That training earlier… your summoning power was amazing. That creature moved like… a part of you."
Kaien glanced briefly, then looked forward again. "Maybe it's because I've been with him since I was little," he said simply.
Damian nodded, trying to accept the answer. But his curiosity remained. He turned his head, looking at Kaien more seriously. "During that training…you were very calm. Even when the doll nearly slashed you from behind, you didn't panic at all. It was the reaction of someone who had been through many battles."
Kaien didn't answer immediately. His eyes stared at the evening sky, which was turning redder. After a few seconds, he smiled faintly. "Perhaps we'll talk about it… at the right time."
Damian fell silent, staring at Kaien for a moment longer. He knew there was something he was hiding, something that might be closely related to him and his friends. But for now, he chose not to probe further.
The afternoon dragged on in silence, the two figures sitting side by side on a park bench, as the twilight slowly faded.
Cafeteria, Night
The cafeteria was already bustling when Damian entered with Kaien. A warm atmosphere filled the room, the sound of plates and glasses clinking, mixed with the laughter of the students who had remained at the academy.
At a table near the window, Liam, Rin, Tessa, Elric, Nero, and Lucien were already gathered.
Elric immediately waved as soon as he saw them. "Look who's here," he said jokingly. "The new student is starting to settle in here."
Kaien pulled up a chair and sat down next to Damian. Before he could pick up a spoon, Rin asked a question. "Kaien, the people in the western region are really strong, aren't they? Do you train at home as often as you do at Zephyrus?"
Kaien glanced up briefly, then began pouring soup into his bowl. "Less often," he replied calmly. "But when I do train, I do train very hard. I have goals I must achieve in this world, and one of them is coming to this school."
That sentence brought a sudden silence to the table.
Damian fell silent, his eyes fixed on Kaien more seriously. Elric, who was usually quick to respond, was speechless, his brow furrowed. Lucien stopped playing with his spoon, his expression changing. Even Nero, usually stoic and indifferent, glanced over briefly, his gaze more intense than usual.
They didn't speak, but the feeling in their chests was the same. Could it be that Kaien was one of them, too?
The silence was finally broken when Tessa leaned forward, her eyes widening as she stared at Kaien. "Sounds... tough training, huh? Hehehe..."
Kaien simply nodded curtly. "That's life in the west."
Then, to dispel any suspicions about what had just happened,
Elric leaned back in his chair, glancing between Damian and Kaien. "You two seem to be getting along well now, huh?"
Damian shrugged casually. "We were just chatting in the park because we accidentally met."
Lucien immediately nudged Elric with his elbow, a mischievous smile appearing. "That's the sign that they're dati... ouch."
Lucien dodged Damian's spoon thrown at him. "What was that? please continue it..." Damian said, staring deathly at Lucien.
The table was immediately filled with laughter. The previously serious atmosphere relaxed again, as if Kaien's presence was slowly blending into the group.
Cafeteria Balcony, Night
The night breeze blew gently. Damian, Elric, Lucien, and Nero stood on the cafeteria balcony.
Elric rested his chin lazily. "You guys don't find it strange at all? You heard earlier, right? He said one of his goals in this world was to come to this school. That's… strange."
Lucien shrugged. "Yeah. That purpose sounds similar to all of ours, right? Because that entity required us all to come to this school when the time came."
Damian paused for a moment. Then his voice came out soft, more serious. "I was thinking about something. What if… he's just like us, our friend? All of us hadn't gathered at this school yet. There were six of us when the accident happened that day."
Lucien then replied, confused. "But if he's one of us, why is he so late? Uh… wait."
Elric immediately cut Lucien off. "DAMNNNN, I know who this guy is. He's been a latecomer since forever, and he's still late now... HAHAHAHAHAHA."
Nero, who had been leaning against the balcony railing, finally spoke up. "If it's true, we can confirm it with one thing. Take him to that ancient painting, or we'll have him practice on the training field at night, where it's quiet and no one will know."
Elric immediately turned around. "Seriously? Are we going to do that now?"
Lucien chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Okay, just think of it as... a trial run for the gang."
Damian shook his head slowly. "No. We don't have much evidence yet, and we can't just use the painting as we please. We have to plan this carefully, and if possible, we can't let the school, especially Professor Limbert, find out about this."
Nero replied seriously. "Yes, I agree with Damian, because if we use the painting as we please, there's a chance people will become suspicious of us. And Damian is right, we also have to gather evidence first that Kaien is indeed that powerful, and that the way he acts, speaks, etc., is indeed similar to the person we have in mind."
Lucien replied, holding the back of his head with both hands. "That's true, so all we can do now is befriend and keep an eye on Kaien, right? While gathering evidence?"
"Yes, and you all know who's best at that, right? It's none other than me, hehehe…" Elric replied with a cocky smile and then a laugh.
"Yes, that's true, but we all still have to befriend him. There's a chance he's an old friend of ours. That's normal friendship," Damian said seriously.
Then they all said, "Agreed."
After that, they all went back into the cafeteria.
Damian Dorm Room, That Night
Damian sat on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His mind hadn't calmed down since his fight in Blackmist. Damian knew he wasn't as strong as he'd hoped.
"I have so much to protect; I need to be much stronger than I was back then. So much has happened now, and there's a chance that Kaien is an old friend of mine. And also what that entity meant, that we have a destiny to change the world. Ahhhhhh….this is all making me dizzy," Damian said quietly.
The door to his room creaked softly as Liam entered, carrying a stack of papers in his arms. "Master Damian, it's time for bed," he said lightly. "We have a lot of work tomorrow."
Damian glanced over, then smiled faintly. "Yes, Liam, I'm going to bed."
Liam just nodded, then busied himself with his papers. Damian lay back down, his eyes slowly closing as he rested.
"Maybe I will face many things in the future, and I have to be stronger to be able to solve those problems, so that I can protect the people I love," Damian said to himself.