Gray awoke to silence.
The morning light filtering through the curtains felt dimmer than usual. The usual rustle of footsteps, half-awake grumbling, and slamming of dorm doors was nowhere to be found. For a moment he thought he had overslept, but the faint bell echoing from the hall confirmed the time.
He dressed quickly and stepped into the corridor, boots thudding softly against the stone floor. The academy's air felt heavier today. He couldn't quite place why. As he made his way to the lunch hall, the familiar scent of bread and soup reached him, though fainter than before. He pushed open the doors and paused.
Only a handful of students were scattered across the tables. The long hall that usually echoed with conversation and clattering trays now seemed cavernous and hollow.
Renn sat alone near the back, hunched over a half-eaten plate, picking at it like the food had lost its taste. Gray approached and took the seat across from him.
"You look like you saw a ghost," Gray said.
Renn gave a short laugh but didn't meet his eyes. "No ghosts. Just… reality catching up."
Gray glanced around, then back at him. "Nervous?"
Renn scoffed and poked his spoon at a potato. "You? No. But yeah. A bit. Who wouldn't be? We leave today, and we still don't know where. Just 'the region'. And they haven't told us what's out there."
"We're you up studying?" Gray asked.
Renns expression faltered for a short moment.
"I... was. But I just couldn't find anything related to this Glacierfang area! And to make it worse they closed the library just when I thought I found something!"
Gray coughed "Rough."
"You're not alone in feeling scared. I feel it too." Gray reassured him.
They sat quietly for a moment. Gray's eyes drifted around the half-empty room, the long tables and high windows. The cracked flagstone near the corner he always avoided. The spot near the hearth where a student tripped on his first day and dumped stew on someone's robe. It was all so normal, so mundane. Yet something told him this might be the last time he saw it this way.
"You think any of us are coming back the same?" Renn asked suddenly.
Gray turned his eyes back to him. "No. But we'll come back. You and me both."
Renn gave a quiet chuckle. "That sounds like something a hero would say."
Gray stood and offered a hand. "Then let's act like ones."
Renn took it and pulled himself up.
Before they could leave, a voice echoed from the hall's entrance.
"All initiates, gather in the central corridor. Expedition grouping will begin immediately."
It was one of the instructors, robed in muted silver with a chain marked by the Academy's crest. A few students stood and began filing out.
Gray and Renn followed, stepping into the larger corridor outside. Students clustered in loose groups, murmuring and exchanging last words. Lira stood ahead, her arms crossed. She noticed Gray and walked toward him.
"You're with me," she said.
Gray blinked. "What about Renn?"
She hesitated. "Fine. He can join. I'm not dragging your half-dead body back alone."
Renn gave a sarcastic grin. "So kind."
They began moving toward the briefing chamber, but a voice cut in behind them.
"Wait."
Adel stood a few steps away, arms folded behind her. She wore the usual uniform, but something about the way she carried herself felt calmer. Her eyes were sharper.
"Can I join your group?"
Lira narrowed her eyes. "Is this a joke?"
Adel didn't flinch. "No."
Gray looked between them. "She's strong. You saw what she did during the trials."
Lira shifted her gaze from Adel to Gray, an eyebrow raised slightly. "Right. That why you're defending her?"
Gray blinked. "It's not like that."
"Hmm."
Adel smirked, stepping beside them. "Relax, Lira. I'm not trying to steal your Gray."
Gray sighed. "You're making this worse."
They were interrupted by heavy footsteps. Korr Vane approached, flanked by two older students. Both of them bore armbands marked with a red crescent and numbered tags. Rank Six and Seven.
Korr looked directly at Lira. "We're joining your group. Orders from above."
He walked right by her, ignoring any words that he thought were going to come out of his mouth.
However, to his surprise. Lira didn't argue. She simply nodded. "Then we're complete."
Behind them, Gray spotted Aurelle, already aligned with another squad. His dark black hair was tied neatly, his face as unreadable as ever. He watched Gray for a long time, his eyes shining blue. Eventually turning away, vanishing into the other crowd.
Gray looked down, mind quiet. Then he followed the others as they made their way into the chamber.
It was a long vault of metal and stone, forged like an underground armory. Weapons lined the walls in silver racks, some marked with crimson sigils. A few instructors stood at intervals, guiding initiates to choose appropriate gear.
Korr grabbed a war axe' and a plated gauntlet that sparked faintly when he squeezed it.
"This'll do just fine!" He smiled like a little child and his voice boomed in the armoury.
Lira shook her head and looked at the weapon rack.
After a while, she selected a long sword around the size of her. Despite its size she swung it about like it was weightless.
Adel chose two curved daggers. She slashed at the air using a reverse grip for a second. A small, hidden yet noticeable grin was plastered on her face.
Gray approached one of the instructors.
"No Affinity logged?" the instructor asked, checking a small stone tablet.
"None yet," Gray replied.
The man grunted. "Pick something balanced. You'll need reach and control."
Gray's hand hovered over a set of blades, but he moved past them and reached for a katana. Its handle was cold and had intricate etchings along the blade. Something about it felt right. Familiar.
He strapped it to his back and moved to the armor rack. Most were standard issue. Hardened cloth with layered plates. He picked a lightweight variant. Enough to move, not enough to slow.
Once the group was equipped, they gathered near the chamber's far end.
A massive set of doors loomed there, reinforced with layered mechanisms. A sigil glowed at their center. Above it, etched in silver, was a phrase.
"Through truth, trial."
A bell rang out. A final tone of departure.
The sigil flared.
The doors began to open.
Light poured in, harsh and bright. Not the warmth of sunlight, but the artificial radiance of mana crystals and mirrored glow. It lit the room in stark whites and shadows.
Wind poured in.
Beyond the threshold was a platform, and further still, the path downward into the outer regions of the academy grounds. Jagged hills, scattered ruins, and in the far distance. The place their expedition would begin.
Glacierfang.
A series of mountains which spanned endlessly. They were covered in ice and stabbed into the clouds far above.
He swallowed his saliva before stepping forward with the others.
No words were spoken.
As the wind hit his face, he clenched his fingers.
The journey had begun.
As the doors shut behind them they heard one last thing.
"Good luck!"