Monika Argudsoon, the formidable Drakarian lady and our former prefect, now an intern with the Drakarian Royal Guard, turned her fiery gaze directly on me. Without a word of warning, she delivered a devastating punch to my gut, infused with her fire bind. A searing pain erupted, but I managed a small, strained smile.
"Gustav said hi," she stated, her voice as intense as her punch.
Yue, witnessing the painful exchange, leaned closer to me. "She was even scarier when she was my prefect," he whispered, casting a look at Thoden, who still seemed to be suffering from PTSD just from her presence. "Believe me, our training was easier than what we went through when Monika and others trained us." He addressed us first-years directly, "We had to climb a cliff every morning with ten kilograms strapped to their legs."
Jove, ever the dramatist, shuddered. "That was torture!" he exclaimed.
Yue just smirked. "So be grateful for our training." With that, the powerful seniors, having made their grand entrance and delivered their fiery welcome, finally took their seats around the dining hall table.
The powerful fourth-year seniors settled into their seats, and the "party" truly began, though it was clear this was a Dolorian-style celebration.
Monika leaned over and slapped Yue hard on the back, a resounding thwack that made him wince. "You're still good with your words, aren't you, little birdie?" she teased, though there was an edge of challenge in her tone.
Antoine Galeshard, the tall Aetherian, calmly spoke to Yue, taking a slow sip of his beer. "You should take an internship in Stormbringer, Yue. They always ask me about you."
Yue, ever the charmer, just smiled. "Maybe next year, when I go into fourth year." Antoine simply nodded, seemingly accepting the answer.
Then, Monika's fiery gaze swept over us first-years. "You trained them well, didn't you, Yue?" she questioned, her voice firm. We all instinctively straightened our backs, a sudden surge of adrenaline making us rigid. Her eyes landed on Jove. "Oh, another little birdie like you," she remarked.
Jove, visibly nervous, slowly stood up. Monika rose to meet him, and then, without hesitation, delivered a brutal punch to his gut, infused with her fire bind. The force of it sent Jove flying through the wall. We, the first-years, stared in absolute shock. The third-years and other fourth-years, however, seemed completely unfazed, as if this was an everyday occurrence.
A stream of water then flowed towards Jove; it was from Erika de la Bletilla, who calmly healed him, her actions as casual as if she were mending a torn shirt. Monika, meanwhile, strode over, grabbed Jove by his uniform, and effortlessly pulled him to his feet. "Welcome to Dolorian, little bird," she stated, a triumphant grin on her face.