The morning felt… different.
Not lighter. Not easier.
Just… less suffocating.
Maybe it was because for the first time since awakening aura, Aldred didn't immediately drag me to a training room to blast my core open like a cracked battery.
Or maybe it was because as soon as I walked into the courtyard, I heard—
"RAAAAIN!! GUESS WHAT—!!"
—followed by a blur of blonde barreling straight at me.
I barely stepped aside before Theon face-planted into the ground with enough force to make the dirt cry.
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"So this is my morning now…?"
Varein stood behind me, deadpan.
"You should've let him hit you."
"Why?"
"He needs to learn consequences."
Theon sprang back up, waving both hands like an excited squirrel.
"I FOUND A NEW TRAINING ROUTINE FOR US! IT'S CALLED—"
"No," I said immediately.
"You don't even know what it is!"
I don't need to.
If Theon is the source, it's either dangerous, stupid, or both.
But Theon puffed out his cheeks and stomped the ground.
"Kazen liked the idea!"
Kazen, sitting on a rock nearby, raised a hand weakly.
"I… didn't say I liked it. I said, 'hmm.' That's not agreement. That's confusion."
He sounded tired.
He always sounded tired.
Before I could reply, Aelira slipped behind me with the quiet grace of someone who was either born elegant or practiced it until perfection.
"Good morning, Rain," she said with a small smile.
I tensed without meaning to.
Aelira stepped back, confused.
"Did I… do something?"
"No. I'm just… not used to people getting close."
"Oh."
She paused, then nodded.
"I'll approach from the front next time."
…I didn't know how to respond to that.
Liraeth approached next, dragging her shield with a scraping sound that made my brain vibrate.
"Morning," she said. Simple. Calm. Surprisingly normal compared to everyone else.
Arion followed her, clutching his axe and looking like he wished he could turn invisible.
And then, the last one appeared.
Kai.
He strutted in like he owned the facility, hair bright red in the sunlight, katana resting on his shoulder.
He looked at me.
I looked at him.
He smirked.
I rolled my eyes.
Great.
Another day of this.
Seraphyne finally skipped into the group, bright pink hair bouncing.
"Okay everyone." she clapped. "Let's train!"
…And just like that, class 1-S descended into chaos.
Aldred had ordered us to train together today.
He said it would help my aura stabilize.
I didn't realize he meant I would be shoved into a battlefield of unhinged teenagers.
Kazen practiced archery in a corner far away from everyone. Probably out of self-preservation.
Aelira performed graceful lunges with her rapier, looking like she was in a ballet performance instead of a battlefield.
Liraeth casually swung her mace like she was stirring soup.
Arion chopped wood.
Not logs.
Actual wooden practice dummies.
They looked terrified.
Seraphyne darted between everyone, dual daggers glimmering, humming loudly like she was in her own world.
Theon kept trying to spar with Varein, who ignored him so flawlessly it was almost impressive.
Kai stood a few meters from me, arms crossed.
"Don't embarrass yourself today, Rain," he said.
"I wasn't planning to," I replied.
He clicked his tongue.
"Good."
Then turned away dramatically, like some tragic hero in a play.
I swear every time Kai speaks, a violin plays somewhere.
I focused on my breathing.
In…
Out…
Guide the flow…
Stabilize the core…
The faint hum in my chest vibrated, aura flickering around my hand like threads of pale light.
Good.
Good—
FWOOM.
My aura flared too hard, blasting dirt everywhere.
Kazen shielded his eyes.
"Can you warn us when you're about to explode?"
"I didn't mean to."
Kai scoffed.
"Of course you didn't. That's the problem."
I opened my mouth to reply, but Seraphyne threw her arms around me from behind.
"IT LOOKED COOL!"
"It looked like a firework malfunctioning," Varein said.
"Still cool.." Seraphyne insisted.
I groaned.
Why is this my life now?
But…
Even if it was annoying…
Something about it wasn't awful.
While I tried again, Varein walked over, tapping the shaft of his spear against my blade.
"You're gripping too hard," he said.
"I'm trying to keep it from shaking."
"You're strangling it," he corrected. "Relax."
"That's easy for you to say."
He raised a brow.
"Are you comparing yourself to me?"
"…Unfortunately."
For the first time today, Varein actually smiled.
"You don't need to. Just be Rain."
I stared at him for a second too long.
"That was weirdly encouraging," I muttered.
"I can be nice."
"No, you can't."
He hummed, then walked away.
Theon pointed at me suddenly.
"RAIN! ARM WRESTLE ME!"
"No."
"RAIN! RACE ME!"
"No."
"RAIN! LET ME PUNCH YOU JUST ONCE—"
"Absolutely not."
Seraphyne hopped in front of me.
"Rain! Let's see who can balance aura on their fingertips longer.." A challenge.
Before I could answer, her aura orb exploded and she fell on her back.
Aelira helped her up.
"That was… impressive failure."
"Thank you." Seraphyne said.
Kai sharpened his katana dramatically.
"I refuse to participate in stupidity."
Five minutes later…
"…Fine," Kai muttered as Theon chased him with a stick. "I'll participate a little."
Kazen didn't move from his rock.
"None of you are real."
During a short break, while everyone argued over whose fault the earlier explosion was, it was definitely Theon's.
I sat on the grass.
Aelira approached me quietly.
"You seem… different today," she said. "Lighter."
"…Do I?"
She nodded once.
"Everyone's watching you, Rain. They've been watching since the awakening. But today… you're letting people near you. That's good."
I looked away.
"I'm trying," I said quietly. "It's… not easy."
"Friendship rarely is."
Aelira sat beside me. "But worth it."
I didn't respond.
But I didn't push her away either.
Seraphyne suddenly shouted:
"GROUP TRAINING TIME!"
Aldred wasn't even here.
This was not official.
But somehow, the ten of us ended up practicing aura circulation together in a circle.
Theon couldn't sit still.
Kai kept glaring at me.
Arion was shaking.
Liraeth looked bored.
Aelira sat perfectly straight.
Varein looked mildly irritated.
Kazen meditated like a ghost.
Seraphyne hummed.
Liam—who had appeared at some point—looked like he regretted everything.
And me?
…For the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about expectations.
Or pressure.
Or titles.
Just—
Living.
Breathing.
And the warmth of people around me.
Friends.