By the next morning, Jupiter Academy had changed.
Not physically. The buildings were still the same, tall and proud, the training grounds still alive with noise and movement. But the feeling was different. Yesterday had been introduction. Today felt like reality.
Students moved faster now. Conversations were shorter. Nobody was trying to impress anymore. Everyone already knew where they stood… or at least, where they thought they stood.
Ethan walked through the corridor quietly, hands in his pockets, eyes forward. People still looked at him, but it wasn't the same kind of staring as before. It wasn't just curiosity anymore.
It was expectation.
Inside the Year 3 Junior building, the structure became clearer. Two classes. Same year, different spaces. Not everyone could be together.
Ethan stepped into his class.
Jeremy was already there, sitting by the window like always, looking like he didn't have a single problem in life.
"You like entering quietly," Jeremy said without looking at him.
Ethan sat down. "I just entered."
"Hmm," Jeremy replied, stretching a little. "Same thing."
That was it. No drama. No big conversation.
A few seats ahead, Kybei sat with his arms folded, eyes half-closed like he wasn't paying attention. But Ethan could tell. He was. People like Kybei didn't miss things.
Beside him—
An empty seat.
Ciara wasn't here yet.
Across the room, Elijah sat like someone who didn't want to be there. His expression was cold, distant, like everything around him was just… noise. Abel stood behind him, quiet as ever.
Ethan didn't look too long.
Class started not long after.
The teacher didn't waste time.
"You all understand what mana is," he said, walking slowly across the front. "So today, we start using it properly."
Nobody spoke.
"If your control is poor, your power means nothing. If your focus is weak, your magic will fail you."
He stopped.
"Out."
That was all.
The training grounds were louder today.
Not messy loud. Structured loud. You could tell people were being guided now. Groups formed, instructors moved around correcting mistakes, some students struggling, some clearly ahead.
Ethan stood at the edge for a moment.
He didn't rush in.
"…You're doing that thing again."
He turned.
Purity was walking toward him, small smile on her face like always. She looked the same as yesterday, but somehow more relaxed now.
"You always stand like you're thinking too much," she said.
"Maybe I am."
She laughed softly. "You've always been like that."
For a second, it felt normal. Like back then.
"Come," she said, turning slightly. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Ethan followed without asking questions.
They moved to a quieter part of the field. Less noise. Less showing off.
A boy stood there, just doing his thing.
Water floated around his hand, not in a flashy way, not like he was trying to impress anyone. It just… moved. Smooth. Easy. Like it belonged there.
"Zakura," Purity called.
He turned.
Calm face. No extra expression. Just looking.
"This is Ethan," she said.
Zakura nodded once. "I know."
Ethan looked at him for a moment. "You're good."
Zakura blinked slightly, like he wasn't expecting that. "…Thanks."
Silence entered for a bit, but it wasn't awkward.
Purity sat on a low stone nearby, watching both of them.
"You two are too quiet," she said, shaking her head a little.
Ethan glanced at her. "You talk enough."
She froze for a second.
Then her cheeks turned slightly red. "I don't talk that much…"
But she was smiling. Small, soft, but real.
Zakura noticed.
He didn't say anything.
He just looked away.
"…You're really good with your water magic," Ethan said, turning back to him.
Zakura shrugged lightly. "Just practicing."
Purity leaned forward a bit. "He's actually really good. Like… top in our class type good."
Ethan nodded. "I can see that."
That simple sentence did more than he expected.
Purity's blush deepened slightly. She looked down, trying to hide it.
Zakura's hand paused for a second.
Just a second.
Then the water around his fingers dropped.
He didn't pick it back up immediatjkely.
"…I need to fix something," he said quietly, already turning away a little.
"Oi."
The voice cut through the moment.
Reginald.
He walked toward them like he had been looking for this exact scene.
"So this is where you people are," he said, glancing between them.
Purity frowned slightly. "What do you want?"
Reginald ignored her.
His eyes stayed on Ethan.
"You just stand around all day or you actually plan to do something?" he asked.
Ethan didn't answer.
That small silence again.
It annoyed him.
Reginald smirked. "Thought so."
Zakura looked at him this time. Calm, but not friendly.
"…You talk too much," he said.
Reginald raised a brow. "And you are?"
"Someone that doesn't care," Zakura replied.
For a second, it felt like something could start.
But Reginald just laughed lightly.
"Relax. I'm not here for you," he said, stepping back slightly.
His eyes went back to Ethan.
"I'll deal with you later."
Not now.
But soon.
Then he walked off like nothing happened.
"…He's annoying," Purity said under her breath.
"Yeah," Ethan replied simply.
Zakura didn't say anything this time.
His focus had changed.
Not just on training anymore.
Something else had entered his mind.
From a distance, Elara watched everything.
Half-hidden behind a pillar, like she wasn't supposed to be there.
Her eyes moved slowly from one person to another.
Ethan.
Purity.
Zakura.
Reginald.
She didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Just watching.
Learning.
Understanding.
Back on the field, training continued.
But something had shifted.
Lines were starting to form.
Not clearly yet.
But enough.
Ethan stood there quietly, feeling it all.
The academy wasn't just teaching them.
It was setting them against each other.
Slowly.
Carefully.
And whether they realized it or not…
The first term had already started choosing sides.