Rev placed his spoon on the plate and wiped his hands on the cloth in his lap. He leaned back, took a deep breath, then stared at the ceiling for a moment, as if returning to the world after being so absorbed in his own affairs.
"Ah… finally full," he said half-jokingly.
The Atrium Lumen dining hall was still bustling. The sound of clattering plates, the shuffling of students, and overlapping conversations created a constant hum that filled the room. Daylight poured in from the tall windows, reflecting off the stone floor polished by time and footfall. The long tables were filled with students in similar uniforms, faces seemingly familiar to one another. Amidst all this, their table felt like a separate small space—not silent, but moving with its own rhythm.
Ivan sat upright in his chair. His hands rested in his lap, his fingers intertwined unconsciously. Since the meal began, he had been observing more than speaking. He noticed the way Rev leaned back casually, the way Mikhail waited before speaking, and the way Eric remained composed without much movement. To them, this togetherness seemed natural. To Ivan, every detail felt like an unwritten lesson.
Mikhail noticed the look. He didn't speak immediately, letting a few seconds pass, as if giving Ivan space to breathe more easily.
"Ivan," he finally said, his voice low but clear, "before you came here... did anyone explain anything to you?"
It was a simple question. But Ivan didn't answer immediately. He stared at the wooden table in front of him, recalling his first day at Atrium Lumen, journey that felt both short and long, filled with impressions that came too quickly to fully comprehend.
"No," he said finally. "I was simply told I would be studying here."
Rev looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Is that all?"
Ivan nodded.
There was a brief pause. Mikhail lowered his gaze to his empty plate, then looked back at Ivan, his expression remaining calm.
"Then," he said, "who was the first to greet you when you arrived?"
Ivan took a deep breath. "A man," he answered after a moment's hesitation. "He called himself by one name. I don't know what it means."
"What name?" Rev asked, this time without a joking tone.
"Magistri," Ivan said. "His name is Henry."
The word fell to the middle of the table like a foreign object that didn't belong there. For a moment, no one immediately responded.
"Magistri… what?" Rev repeated, almost laughing, but his laughter died before it could fully escape.
Eric, who had been mostly silent, shook his head slowly. "I've never heard that term before."
Ivan frowned. "He said it was just a title. I thought… maybe it's a common term here."
"No," Mikhail said. "We only know Luminar. Teacher."
He paused, then continued, "The others are usually called Keepers like gatekeepers, kitchens, cleaning. There are also Custos, overseers or coordinators."
Ivan nodded slowly, trying to organize the terms in his head. The names were beginning to form a rough outline of this place, who taught, who supervised, who made sure everything ran smoothly. But within that outline, there were gaps he couldn't fill.
"What about the one just now," Ivan asked, "that class?"
"It was Lumina," Mikhail replied. "That's the name for the daily class."
Ivan nodded again. This time more slowly, as if making sure he really remembered.
"He accompanied me to my room," Ivan continued, his voice slightly lower. "He told me to rest."
He paused for a moment, staring at the table.
"My food was brought to my room. I didn't see any other students. No one explained anything further."
"Including the Luminar in that class?" Rev. asked.
Ivan nodded. "He started teaching right away. He didn't introduce himself."
"That's unusual," Eric said, his voice even but firm.
"Why?" Mikhail turned his head.
"Because even the quietest Luminar would usually tell me who he is."
Ivan slid his fingers across the table. "I thought… that was how it was."
The sentence sounded more like a defense than a conviction.
He was silent for a moment, then raised his head, as if remembering something. "Speaking of which… about the Sun King Solvaris"
"Whoa, stop," Rev interrupted quickly, rubbing his temples. "Are you trying to make my head explode?"
He let out a short laugh. "Today's information is already too much. I've already forgotten the saints we studied, I hope Lady Lunareth doesn't punish me with nightmares."
The tension at the table eased slightly. Even Ivan smiled faintly, though the strange feeling in his chest hadn't completely disappeared. There was a feeling that this conversation shouldn't end here, but no one was quite ready to continue.
Rev stood up and stretched his shoulders.
"Oh yeah, after this, there's extra training," he said. He turned to Ivan. "Would you like to go archery with me?"
Ivan considered for a moment. "Okay."
"Finally," Rev chuckled. "You're free from your room prison."
He laughed heartily. "Should we celebrate?"
"I'll go to my room first," Ivan said.
"Okay," Rev replied casually. "I'll wait for you in the dormitory corridor."
They parted ways. Ivan and Rev's footsteps disappeared among the other students who began to leave the dining hall, leaving the table feeling much more empty.
Soon afterward, Mikhail and Eric also rose. They walked down the corridor toward the dormitory, leaving the hustle and bustle of the dining hall behind. The corridor was quieter, lit only by the daylight streaming in from the tall windows, casting long shadows on the stone floor.
"It's unusual for you not to go straight to the training grounds," Mikhail said, breaking the silence.
Eric walked leisurely beside him.
"You must be curious," he said. "About Henry."
"The Magistrate?" Mikhail asked.
Eric nodded. "Luminar David once said… you resemble Ivan."
Mikhail paused. "What do you mean?"
"He said you weren't given any further explanation when you first arrived here either."
Eric stared straight ahead. "The Magistrate might have something to do with you, too."
Mikhail didn't answer immediately. He continued walking, letting the words linger. The corridor felt longer than before, as if holding questions that hadn't found their place, questions about the different entrances, about things that weren't explained, and about a title that shouldn't have been known, but had already been uttered.