One month later, I stood in front of the tall mirror in my dorm, taking in a reflection that still didn't quite feel like my own some mornings. The academy grounds hummed faintly outside, distant and ordinary against the quiet of my room. A full month of training — physical and magical both — had left its mark plainly enough: broader shoulders, better posture, muscle where there hadn't been much a season ago.
Is this really me, I thought, turning slightly to take it in. There was pride in it, but also something steadier underneath — proof, maybe, that the early mornings and aching arms had actually been worth something. "This is what the work looks like," I said quietly to the mirror. Still more to do before this trial's over, though.
A notification chimed in my thoughts.
[Exploration reached Level 98] [Assassin skill reached Level 95]
I grinned. "Finally, something new."
Two points from maxing Exploration entirely, I thought, a fresh surge of determination cutting through the morning's stiffness. Just a little further.
I dressed and headed out for my usual routine, the ten-minute jog easier now than it had ever been, my body settling into the rhythm without complaint. When I dropped down for push-ups, something felt different almost immediately — a hundred reps in, and the familiar burn simply hadn't shown up yet. My breath stayed even. My arms stayed steady.
Why aren't I tired? I pushed on regardless, curious now more than anything, until another notification confirmed what I'd started to suspect.
[Assassin skill reached Level 96]
From a distance, Krisha had been watching Kazu's mornings for weeks now, always careful to keep enough space between them that he wouldn't notice. Something about today felt different, though — a new intensity to the routine, a stamina that didn't quite make sense for someone his age.
He's changed a lot, this past month, she thought, something warm and a little unfamiliar settling in her chest as she watched him work. He doesn't carry himself like he used to. There's a confidence there now that wasn't, before.
Maybe I should join him some morning, she thought, surprising herself with the idea. Just to talk. Get to know him properly, instead of watching from the tree line like this.
Whatever this feeling was — she wasn't entirely sure yet, but she suspected, with a small, nervous smile she was glad no one else could see, that it wasn't nothing.
I caught sight of her watching from the tree line as I finished up, and looked away just as quickly, choosing not to make anything of it.
Probably just studying my routine, I thought, going back to my count. No harm in that.
A few minutes later I finished, stretched out the last of the stiffness, and headed back toward the dorms. "Alright — ready for the day." My thoughts drifted, unbidden, toward home. Wonder what Nozue's up to right now.
Back in Druzka, Nozue had kept the same routine going alone for a full month now — the same jog through the same streets, the same push-ups before lunch, the same construction quests after. Rosalia had noticed the change in him even if he hadn't said much about it himself.
She caught him at the door one morning. "Off jogging again?"
"Yes, Mom." Quiet, as always.
"Still so shy," she said, not unkindly, wiping her hands on her apron. "Heavy lifting quest again today?"
"It's not really shyness. I just don't talk to many people. Kazu's the one I actually talk to." He stepped out into the street, the thought following him the way it did most mornings now. We used to run this route together. A whole month now, doing it alone. When's he coming back?
He pushed the thought down and kept walking, though the absence of it — of him — sat heavier some days than he wanted to admit, even to himself.
Across the city, Kazike made his way toward the Guild with an A-rank hunting quest in mind, having decided, after the dungeon with Kazu, that keeping all his limbs attached for a while sounded like a reasonable goal.
He found Missy alone at the reception desk, looking uncharacteristically down. "What's with the long face?"
She sighed. "Kazu hasn't come by in weeks. I don't even know where he's gotten to."
"You didn't hear? He's up at the Magic Academy — enrolled as a scholarship candidate." Kazike grinned. "Don't look so glum. You could always just tell him how you feel, once he's back, before someone else up there beats you to it."
Missy's ears went pink instantly. "How do you even know about that?"
"Everyone knows, Missy. You go red every time his name comes up." He softened slightly. "He's still young, but that won't always be true. Better to say something eventually than let it sit forever."
"Maybe," she admitted, looking back down at her ledger. "When he's back. I didn't realize he'd actually gotten in as a scholar, though."
"Trial, more like — one seat, five applicants. Only the best of them stays on." He shrugged. "Should be decided in about a month, from what I hear. I hope it's him. Kid's got more raw talent than anyone deserves." He tipped a hand in farewell. "Off to my quest. Catch you later, old elf."
He left with something warmer than he usually let show — a strange mix of nostalgia and hope, thinking of a kid who'd become something close to a little brother to him whether either of them had planned on it.
Back at the academy, dressing for the day's classes, my thoughts drifted the same direction Kazike's had, a couple of cities away. Can't wait to see them all again. I miss them more than I expected to.
I shook the thought loose and turned my attention back to the day ahead. Focus on the training for now. Learn everything I can while these professors are actually willing to teach me.
Curious, I pulled up the details on a passive skill I'd picked up somewhere in the last few months of hauling logs and stone — Sword Play — and read through the description properly for the first time.
Allows the user to adapt muscle memory to any bladed weapon, wielding it with master-level ease.
I grinned, satisfied. So I could actually pick up a longsword now and know what I'm doing with it, instead of just swinging and hoping. Something worth testing, soon.