Vale stood motionless in the bathroom doorway, small droplets of water still trailing down his skin and dripping from the ends of his half-dried hair. Loose strands clung to his face, obscuring his vision just enough to make the scene in front of him feel unreal.
For several seconds, he simply stared.
An uninvited guest stood in the middle of his room, calm, casual, entirely unbothered, idly interacting with Hurricane, who fluttered around her as though she belonged there. The raven hopped from her shoulder to the bedpost and back again, clearly at ease.
Vale, on the other hand, was not.
The silence stretched on. Vale remained frozen, shock rooting him in place as his mind struggled to catch up with reality. Eventually, instinct returned. He glanced down at himself.
Half-naked. Upper body completely exposed. Water still dripping.
From the corner of his vision, the shadow Evelyn had assigned to him trembled slightly against the floor, barely containing what was unmistakably laughter.
Vale exhaled deeply.
'A girl my age,' he thought flatly. 'In my room.'
Nym stood a few meters away, arms relaxed at her sides, openly observing him with a small, amused grin. Her eyes traced him without the slightest hint of shame or restraint. After a moment, she let out a low, appreciative whistle.
Vale immediately raised a hand to cover his eyes, then straightened his posture and swept his other hand through his hair, pushing it back and tying his composure together with the motion.
"Any particular reason you're here?" he asked, his tone edged with annoyance.
Nym didn't respond.
Instead, she began walking toward him.
Vale watched her approach with a puzzled frown as the distance between them closed, two meters, then one, until they stood face to face, less than a meter apart. She was tall, nearly eye level with him, and entirely unbothered by his growing discomfort.
She remained silent.
Vale met her gaze, waiting.
Finally, she spoke.
"You should shave," Nym said thoughtfully, tilting her head as if evaluating a sculpture.
Vale blinked.
"…That's it?" he asked.
Nym glanced downward briefly.
Then punched him square in the abdomen.
The impact was sharp and sudden. Vale stumbled back half a step, instinctively tightening his core just in time to absorb most of the blow. Still, the force was impressive.
Nym's eyes widened slightly.
"Nice abs," she said with a grin.
Vale looked down at himself, then back up at her.
"Really?" he asked, genuinely confused.
Nym closed her eyes and nodded proudly. "Yeah, really."
She seemed entirely unaware that this was not, in fact, the information Vale was seeking.
Vale sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"Can you get out?" he asked, voice calm but clearly strained.
Nym tilted her head, expression faintly disappointed. "Aww. That's no fun."
Vale raised his arm and pointed firmly toward the door.
"Out," he repeated. "Now."
For a brief moment, Nym looked surprised. Then she shrugged, turned around, and began walking away.
"Ugh," she muttered. "You're no fun."
She reached the door and paused, glancing back over her shoulder to take one last look at him. Vale met her gaze briefly before she noticed.
"Oh, right," she said casually. "Callum asked me to get you for combat lessons."
Her grin returned. "Bye-bye."
The door closed behind her.
Vale let out a long, tired sigh.
He looked down at Hurricane, who stared at the closed door with an unreadable expression before turning to Ember, who remained sprawled lazily on the bed.
"You just let her in like that?" Vale asked.
Ember cracked one eye open, flicked his tail dismissively, and closed it again, the wyvern equivalent of waving him off.
Vale shook his head.
"Alright," he muttered. "I'm putting on clothes and heading to the dojo. Do any of you want to come, or are you grabbing food first?"
Ember chirped lazily without moving. The ravens pecked at the surfaces they were perched on, desk, shelf, chair, each signaling the same conclusion.
Vale considered them for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright. Food it is."
He finished fastening the rest of his armor, pulling the loose sections into place. He gathered most of his long black hair and tied it into a neat bun, leaving a few strands free to fall across his face.
As he glanced toward his desk, Chrome emerged.
"Come on, Chrome," Vale said. "We're going to eat."
The small robot hurried to the edge of the desk, movements jittery with excitement. "Alright," Chrome replied.
Vale extended his right arm. Chrome liquefied instantly, flowing over the metallic surface and merging seamlessly with it.
Vale whistled once.
His companions responded immediately. The ravens and Ember surged forward as he opened the door, flying out into the vast halls of Sector Zero.
Vale closed the door behind him and began walking.
'So the classmates joining me in combat class will include Nym,' he thought.
A small smile crept onto his face.
At least it was someone he knew.
Her carefree attitude still struck him as odd, especially given how far above the rest of the class she seemed to be. He had expected someone disciplined, stoic, perhaps even rigid.
Instead, he got… that.
Vale chuckled quietly as he continued down the hall, the sound echoing faintly through the corridor.
Before long, Vale reached the large cafeteria.
He grabbed a plate out of habit, though he did not place a single piece of food on it for himself. Instead, he stood off to the side and allowed only Ember and the ravens to help themselves. The events of the previous day lingered heavily in his mind, dulling his appetite entirely. The memory of raw energy tearing through his hand, the pain, the fear, it all sat uneasily in his stomach.
Eating was the last thing on his mind.
Nothing of note occurred in the cafeteria beyond a few lingering glances cast in his direction. Vale noticed them, as he always did, but they no longer bothered him. Ever since he had found himself in this world, strange looks and quiet curiosity had become the norm. It wasn't surprising—he had arrived here barely days ago, at least as far as he could remember, and yet he already felt like an anomaly walking among people who belonged.
Vale let out a soft chuckle as a faint, gentle smile formed on his face.
His gaze shifted to Illu, who was perched on the edge of the table, happily dipping his beak into a small bowl of honey. Illu was unique in that regard; neither Hurricane nor August showed the slightest interest in anything sweet.
'Maybe it's linked to his plane,' Vale thought.
He had learned that a being's connection to a plane could subtly, or sometimes dramatically, alter their instincts, preferences, and even physical needs. Until now, he hadn't seen a clear example of that theory in practice.
Perhaps Illu was the first.
The other ravens tore into strips of meat alongside Ember. Vale watched them quietly. Ember, too, had grown, slower than the ravens, but unmistakably so. The small wyvern was now nearly twice the size of a fully grown raven, his wings broader, his body heavier, his presence more defined.
Growth here was… accelerated. Or perhaps something else was at work.
Once the creatures finished eating, Vale collected the plate and deposited it into the return container. With that done, he turned and headed toward the dojo where the combat lesson was scheduled to take place.
As he walked, his eyes drifted toward the massive glass wall that overlooked Alexandria's enclosure. Snow-covered trees stretched across the artificial landscape, bathed in cold, brilliant light. The scene was quiet, eerily so, and undeniably beautiful.
Vale regarded it with an indifferent expression and continued walking.
After a short while, the dojo came into view.
Vale slowed.
His eyes widened slightly.
The familiar entrance had been replaced by a wide sliding door, new, reinforced, and clearly designed for something far more intense than sparring practice. Ember landed beside him with a soft thud, claws clicking against the floor.
From behind the door, heavy footsteps echoed, fast, forceful, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of steel cutting through air.
"They probably started without me," Vale muttered, disappointment creeping into his voice as he dragged a hand down his face.
Ember let out a low sound, something between a growl and a chirp.
Vale raised a brow. Before he could respond, Ember took off again, rising to join the ravens as they circled above him.
Vale scoffed softly, a small grin tugging at his lips.
"Alright, alright."
He stepped forward and slid the door open.
"Sorry for being late," Vale said calmly. "I had to eat first."
The moment he spoke, he caught Nym's attention.
She was in the middle of deflecting Callum's strikes, her movements fluid, precise. Her eyes flicked toward Vale for just a fraction of a second.
That was all it took.
Callum pivoted sharply, shifting his weight and driving a powerful kick into Nym's side. The impact sent her flying, directly toward Vale.
There was no time to dodge.
Nym collided with him hard, the force knocking the breath from his lungs as both of them crashed to the ground in an ungraceful heap.