The cafeteria was packed that morning with Zephyrus students. The sound of creaking chairs and boisterous chatter mingled with the aroma of warm toast and soup steaming from the kitchen table. In a corner by the window, Damian sat with Rin, Tessa, and Liam. They enjoyed a simple breakfast while making small talk.
Elric appeared with a tray in his hands. A stack of sweet bread towered high, almost covering his face. Several students turned and shook their heads in disbelief; such a sight was all too familiar to Elric. He sat down with a thud, his bread nearly falling over.
The cafeteria door opened again. Kaien stepped in, tying his orange hair back. His movements were casual, but the eyes of the other students followed him automatically. Rumors about yesterday's afternoon practice were still rife; many were staring at him with a mixture of awe and suspicion. Kaien paused for a moment, then walked over to Damian and his friends' table.
"Are there any chairs left?" he asked lightly.
Elric glanced over, pretending to examine the floor. "Hmm... full." He shifted his chair slightly, then smiled broadly. "But this chair is magical; it can move on its own."
Rin chuckled, covering her mouth. "Just sit down, Kaien."
Tessa nodded curtly. "Just don't bring a dragon in here."
Kaien simply smiled faintly before sitting down. "Morning, everyone."
The conversation continued. They discussed the piling homework, rumors about the small cafeteria festival next week, and the professor who often lost focus in the middle of class. Elric was busy opening one of his sandwiches, and his expression immediately changed. "Hey! It's empty. It's a scam!"
Kaien then replied, "I got the filled one, Elric."
"HEYYY!" Elric protested loudly, his voice causing several students to turn their heads to hold back laughter. Liam even patted him on the shoulder, trying hard not to laugh too. Damian smiled slightly, enjoying the warm, simple atmosphere.
At the head of the table, Nero sat at the very edge. He ate quietly, his spoon moving slowly. He didn't say much, only occasionally glancing at them before returning his attention to his plate. His presence was palpable, but he maintained a distance.
The bell finally rang, echoing throughout the building. Liam immediately stood up, his face turning serious. "Come on, class is starting."
They dispersed neatly, taking the rest of their laughter with them. Damian glanced at Kaien before leaving. It was only for a moment, but enough for a brief nod. Kaien returned the gesture with a faint smile.
The afternoon sun filled Zephyrus Central Park. Students sat in groups under trees or on wooden benches around the park, enjoying their break with laughter and light conversation.
Beneath one of the large trees, Damian and his friends formed a small circle. Rin and Tessa sat close together, occasionally sharing small stories and chuckling softly. Liam sat upright beside Damian, his face as calm as ever, while Kaien seemed comfortable leaning against the tree trunk. Elric, of course, couldn't stay still. He was already half-lying on the grass, ready to roll over.
From the direction of the library, Lucien appeared with a thin book in his hand. His gaze was level when he saw Elric almost lying down. "Elric, don't make a scene here," he said expressionlessly.
Elric immediately sat up straight, feigning seriousness. "I'm just testing the quality of our school uniforms."
Tessa looked up at the sky, her voice flat but laced with sarcasm. "Careful of tearing them, Elric."
Rin covered her mouth, chuckling softly. Damian only shook his head softly, but he was enjoying the moment. His eyes swept across their small circle: the ever-loyal Liam, the close-knit Rin and Tessa, Elric and Kaien, who somehow bonded quickly despite their shared stubbornness. There was something warm in the simple scene. This is what it's like to have a team, he thought.
Lucien closed his book briefly and stood up. "This afternoon, practice on the school training field. Focus on technique, timing, and distance. Don't be late."
"Yes, Commander," Elric replied, giving a casual salute.
Kaien raised two fingers casually. "I'll definitely come."
Nero simply nodded briefly, sitting a little away but still in the circle.
Liam turned to Damian. "As long as Master Damian is present, I'll be there too."
Suddenly, Tessa spoke, this time seriously. "Rin and I are coming. We've been feeling like you've been training hard to get stronger lately, while we've been keeping quiet. So we want to join the night training too. We want to get stronger."
Lucien hesitated, his eyebrows raised. "But... the professor will—"
Damian quickly interrupted. "It's okay. If someone wants to train harder, why can't we let them? The professor will understand."
Rin nodded enthusiastically. "Yes….We'll train as hard as we can to get stronger."
The circle fell silent again for a moment, but this time it wasn't awkward. Instead, there was a renewed sense of energy—a mix of determination and togetherness.
The afternoon sun shone softly, as if witnessing the growing bond between them.
The Zephyrus training ground was still filled with orange sunlight that afternoon. A gentle breeze blew, but the tranquility was shattered when Professor Limbert's voice echoed loudly throughout the arena.
"Damian Kade!"
Damian, who was polishing his sword, jumped in surprise, nearly dropping it. "Y-yes, Professor?" he stammered.
Limbert's brow furrowed sharply, his gaze piercing. "You think this is a playground? You think you can just bring other students to special training? You idiot!"
Damian gaped, his face stiff. "B-but Professor... they want to train too. Don't they—"
"No buts!" Limbert snapped, his voice firm. His cane pointed hard at the ground. "The punishment is fifty push-ups. NOW."
Damian took a deep breath, then dropped to the ground. "One... two..." his voice was low, filled with agony.
Loud laughter erupted behind him. Elric slapped his knees as he bent down. "HAHA! The genius Master Damian was able to anger Professor Limbert enough to make him do push-ups! He finally got it!"
Kaien grinned casually, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "What a rare sight. Someone should paint this as a souvenir."
Damian hissed, still struggling on the floor. "I can hear you, you know."
Limbert suddenly turned around. His gaze pierced Elric and Kaien. "You two… are so funny, aren't you?"
Elric froze, his smile stiff. "Uh… I just mean… uh…"
Kaien was still trying to hold back his laughter. "We were just offering moral support, Professor."
"What morals?!" Limbert snapped again. "Both of you down! Push-ups too. FIFTY."
"WHAT?!" Elric and Kaien shouted in unison.
Damian, though exhausted, grinned with satisfaction. "Welcome to the club, guys."
Elric grunted as he slumped to the ground. "This is all your fault, Damian!"
Kaien patted the ground resignedly. "Sigh… at least we're being punished together."
Lucien simply sighed, scribbling something in his notebook. "The dumbest team in history," he muttered.
Rin and Tessa, on the sidelines, covered their mouths, holding back laughter until their faces turned red. Liam stood still, watching with a mix of pity and amusement.
The field was filled with the sounds of lazy push-ups, Elric's incessant protests, and Limbert's increasingly fierce reprimands. Practice hadn't even begun, but their warm-up had already turned into a comedy full of drama.
The afternoon practice finally began. Professor Limbert stood tall in the center of the field, his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze swept sternly over the students.
"Cooperation training," he said loudly. "Not a contest of strength. The goal: rhythm." He paused for a moment, then shot Elric a piercing glance. "And don't start a fight."
Elric chuckled, but didn't reply.
The formations were quickly divided.
Rin and Tessa were first. They stood side by side, their faces equally serious. Rin raised his hand, and a thin gust of wind formed, forming a straight path through the air. Tessa drew a small flame from her palm and channeled it along the path. The flame turned into a thin thread that shot toward the straw target. It briefly widened once, but Rin quickly closed the gap with his wind. Tessa took a deep breath and tried again. This time, the flame flew perfectly—the straw target split cleanly without any excessive explosion.
Damian, Kaien, and Liam moved to the other side of the field. Damian lowered his sword, freezing a thin path of ice on the ground. Kaien summoned a small fire wolf, which ran across the ice without faltering. Just as the wolf crossed in front of the wooden target, Liam raised his revolver. A magic bullet shot out, colliding with the wolf's heat aura—red and blue sparks flashed, and the wood split cleanly.
Kaien let out a short whistle; his eyes narrowed in admiration. "Neat."
Damian smiled slightly. "You make this all so much easier."
Liam merely patted his revolver, his face satisfied but still wary.
Lucien and Elric, as usual, were the loudest pair.
"Don't move before I move," Lucien said flatly.
"Your shield is heavy; it makes you slow. My fist is faster," Elric retorted, already punching the air.
Despite the two sentences, their rhythm finally clicked. Lucien's shield was angled, deflecting the stone golem's blow. Elric twisted his waist, hitting its weak point with a hard punch. The golem collapsed instantly.
Lucien wrote something in a small notebook. "I didn't expect it to work."
Elric grinned broadly. "Because I'm a genius."
Meanwhile, Nero remained on the edge of the field. His shadow stretched thin, soundlessly slashing the wooden dummy. Damian waved a hand. "A little sparring?" he asked. Nero stared, remained silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Next time." His tone was flat, not rejecting the group—more like maintaining his own distance.
The training ended. Professor Limbert considered for a moment, then said curtly, "You've gotten stronger. Good."
To them, that was the equivalent of praise.
They sat around the water bottle, breathing heavily. Rin and Tessa tapped each other's palms with satisfied smiles. Lucien resumed scribbling something in his notebook. Elric was busy forcing Kaien to give him a high-five; Kaien first tapped his forehead before giving a low high-five. Damian sat a little behind, his eyes scanning each other.
Slowly, but surely… the team was starting to come together.
That night, the dormitory's backyard was quiet. Moonlight filtered through the trees, while the wind carried the sound of gently rustling leaves. Damian walked out into the backyard, accompanied by only one other person: Kaien.
"Just a quick test," Damian said, his voice low but firm. He raised his hand, forming a waist-high pillar of ice. The pillar was as thin as glass, reflecting the moonlight.
Kaien clapped his palms together, summoning a small fire wolf. The flames that formed the creature's body glowed orange, burning quietly in the air. "If our rhythm is right," Damian said, his eyes remaining focused on the ice pillar, "it won't break the pillar."
Kaien grinned slightly. "If it's not right?"
"The sound of it breaking will be heard throughout the dormitory," Damian replied evenly.
They began. Their breaths drew in together, then released in the same rhythm. The fire wolf slid swiftly across the pillar. The ice crackled softly—but it didn't break—only a thin, clear line formed within the pillar, like a faintly glowing vein.
Kaien stared at the result, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "Just right."
Damian nodded, relieved and satisfied. "Tomorrow, we'll try the three-person formation with Lucien."
Before Kaien could answer, a shadow moved at the edge of the garden. Nero stood there, his body half-covered in darkness. He didn't approach. He just stood there for a moment, staring at them expressionlessly, then turned away.
Kaien glanced at Damian. "Is he always like that?"
Damian watched Nero's back slowly disappear into the darkness. "Always."
Kaien didn't ask any more questions. He simply nodded slowly. "Okay. See you tomorrow, Captain."
"Don't call me Captain," Damian replied.
Kaien turned, his smile playful. "Ready, Captain." He walked away with a chuckle.
Damian stood alone, staring at the pillar of ice reflecting the light of the night sky. The thin lines within it glinted, as if symbolizing the beginning of a rhythm that was forming between them. This team… is starting to be complete, he thought.
But far beyond the school grounds, atop one of the trees in the forest, someone lurked. They didn't move, simply staring silently and patiently. Just a shadow waiting to emerge from the darkness.