The next morning began unusually quietly.
No alarms.
No explosions.
No strange voices coming from the depths of Jezebeth's soul.
Just sunlight.
Jezebeth opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then he remembered where he was.
The academy.
He sat up.
"Right."
He reached for his phone.
7:32 AM.
His eyes widened.
"Again?"
He jumped out of bed.
Apparently, ten years of training had done absolutely nothing for his ability to wake up on time.
He quickly dressed and grabbed his bag.
By the time he reached the hallway, students were already making their way toward the classrooms.
Jezebeth walked through the crowd, still fixing his collar.
"Morning."
He looked up.
Leon was standing near the staircase.
"You look like you just woke up."
"I did."
Leon stared at him.
"You have class in twenty-eight minutes."
"I know."
"You also said that yesterday."
"And I survived."
Leon shook his head.
"You're impossible."
Jezebeth smiled.
"Good morning to you too."
They began walking together.
After a few seconds, Leon glanced behind them.
"Where's Seraphina?"
"How should I know?"
"You sit beside her."
"That doesn't mean I know where she is."
A calm voice came from behind them.
"You're both terrible at whispering."
They turned.
Seraphina stood a few steps away.
Her silver hair was neatly arranged as usual.
Jezebeth looked at her.
"Morning."
"Good morning."
Leon smiled.
"We were just talking about you."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow.
"I heard."
Jezebeth looked at Leon.
"You really need to learn how to whisper."
"I wasn't whispering."
"Exactly."
Seraphina walked beside them.
The three continued toward their classroom.
For some reason, it felt natural.
Jezebeth didn't know when it had happened.
Yesterday, Leon had just been the ordinary-looking student sitting beside him.
Seraphina had been Candidate Number Two.
Now they were simply...
Walking together.
---
Their morning classes passed without anything particularly interesting happening.
Jezebeth actually stayed awake this time.
Mostly.
During one lesson, Leon passed him a small piece of paper.
Are you going to sleep?
Jezebeth looked at him.
Then wrote underneath it.
Thinking about it.
Leon stared at the answer.
He wrote again.
Don't.
Jezebeth wrote:
Why?
Because she'll notice.
Jezebeth glanced at Seraphina.
She was reading her notes.
Without looking up, she spoke.
"You're both being distracting."
Leon froze.
Jezebeth smiled.
"See?"
"You started it."
"That's debatable."
Seraphina finally looked at them.
"You two behave like children."
Jezebeth leaned back.
"We're sixteen."
Seraphina paused.
"...Fair point."
Leon laughed.
For the first time, Jezebeth saw her smile.
It was small.
Barely noticeable.
But it was there.
He stared for a second longer than necessary.
Seraphina noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You were staring again."
"I was analyzing."
"You're always analyzing."
"Occupational hazard."
"You don't have an occupation."
"I'm working on it."
Leon laughed again.
Seraphina shook her head.
But she was still smiling.
---
Lunch arrived quickly.
The cafeteria was enormous.
Rows of tables stretched across the room, with hundreds of students filling the space.
Jezebeth carried his tray toward an empty table.
Leon followed.
Seraphina sat across from them.
Jezebeth looked at his food.
Then at Leon's.
Then at Seraphina's.
"You got the same thing."
Leon looked down.
"So?"
"Nothing."
Jezebeth took a bite.
A few seconds passed.
"This is actually good."
Leon looked surprised.
"You sound disappointed."
"I expected academy food to taste terrible."
"Why?"
"School food usually does."
Seraphina quietly ate her meal.
Jezebeth looked at her.
"You always this quiet?"
She looked up.
"Not really."
"You could've fooled me."
"You talk enough for three people."
Leon nodded.
"She's right."
Jezebeth pointed his fork at him.
"Nobody asked you."
Leon grinned.
Seraphina looked between them.
"You've known each other for two days."
"Feels longer," Leon said.
Jezebeth nodded.
"Unfortunately."
Leon kicked him lightly under the table.
Jezebeth laughed.
Seraphina watched them.
There was something strange about it.
She had expected the academy's Special Candidate Number One to be arrogant.
Instead, he was sitting in the cafeteria arguing over food with a completely ordinary student.
She found that...
Interesting.
"Jezebeth."
He looked at her.
"Hm?"
"Why did you choose this academy?"
The question caught him off guard.
He thought about it.
"My father."
Seraphina looked surprised.
"Your father?"
"He wanted me to experience something outside the mansion."
Jezebeth rested his chin on his hand.
"I've spent most of my life training. I figured I'd see what everyone else was doing."
Leon smiled.
"And?"
Jezebeth looked around the cafeteria.
"Not bad."
Seraphina looked at him.
"You don't seem very concerned about being Candidate Number One."
"I am."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I just don't think about it every five seconds."
"That's unusual."
"Why?"
"Most people would."
Jezebeth shrugged.
"I already know what I can do."
Seraphina was quiet.
There was confidence in his voice.
But not arrogance.
That distinction interested her.
---
Classes ended in the late afternoon.
Most students returned to their dormitories.
Jezebeth, Leon, and Seraphina wandered through the academy grounds.
They had no particular destination.
They simply walked.
The academy looked different in the afternoon.
The sunlight reflected off the marble buildings.
Students practiced in distant training areas.
Others sat beneath trees, talking among themselves.
Leon pointed toward a large building.
"What's that?"
Seraphina answered.
"The library."
Jezebeth looked at her.
"How do you know?"
"I checked the map."
"Of course you did."
"What does that mean?"
"You seem like the type."
"The type to read a map?"
"The type to read the map before arriving."
Seraphina looked away.
"...Maybe."
Leon laughed.
They continued walking.
Eventually, they reached a quiet hill overlooking the academy.
The sun was beginning to set.
Jezebeth stopped.
The sky had turned orange.
He looked across the academy grounds.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
No training.
No expectations.
No pressure.
Just three teenagers watching the sun disappear.
Leon sat down on the grass.
"Not bad."
Jezebeth sat beside him.
Seraphina remained standing for a moment before sitting down too.
The three stayed quiet.
Jezebeth looked at the horizon.
He hadn't realized how much he needed this.
For ten years, his life had been training.
Wake up.
Train.
Eat.
Train.
Sleep.
Repeat.
Now, for the first time, he had people around him who weren't teachers, servants, guards, or family.
People he could simply...
Hang out with.
Jezebeth glanced toward Seraphina.
She was looking at the sunset.
The light reflected softly in her silver hair.
She noticed him.
"What?"
Jezebeth looked away.
"Nothing."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"You really need a new answer."
"Still working on it."
Leon groaned.
"You two are exhausting."
Jezebeth laughed.
Seraphina smiled.
The sun disappeared beneath the horizon.
And for once...
Jezebeth didn't feel the need to rush toward whatever came next.
He was enjoying the moment.
---
Later that night, Jezebeth returned to his room.
He dropped his bag onto the floor.
Then collapsed onto his bed.
His body was tired.
But not from training.
Not from fighting.
Just from having a normal day.
He stared at the ceiling.
A small smile formed on his face.
"That was actually fun."
Deep inside him, Ryoma stirred.
A quiet laugh echoed through his mind.
Jezebeth closed his eyes.
"Don't start."
Ryoma said nothing.
Jezebeth smiled.
Tomorrow would bring another day.
Another class.
Another assessment.
More people.
More challenges.
But tonight...
He was simply happy.
His breathing slowed.
His eyes closed.
And eventually, he fell asleep.
For the first time since entering the academy...
He wasn't dreaming about power.
He was dreaming about the people he'd met.