Euris woke with a sharp inhale.
For a second, his body tensed like something was wrong—like he'd forgotten something important.
Then it hit him.
"…First day."
He shot up out of bed.
"Shit—!"
He scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping over the edge of the mattress as he rushed to get dressed. His uniform was already laid out from the night before, but that didn't stop him from fumbling with it like he was late—again.
His fingers moved quickly, fastening buttons, pulling everything into place before grabbing the military-issued watch from his bedside.
He strapped it on.
The screen flickered to life.
Level: 1
"…Still one, huh…"
Euris muttered, glancing at it for a moment before turning toward the door.
No time to think about that.
Food.
He needed food.
He stepped out into the hallway, already picking up his pace.
The dorm was quieter than he expected. Most of the other cadets had probably already left.
He glanced into Harry's side of the room as he passed.
Empty.
"…Wow…"
Euris raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…Guess he wakes up early."
He didn't waste any more time.
He headed straight for the cafeteria.
The place was already packed.
Voices overlapped, trays clattered, and the smell of food filled the air. Lines stretched out from every station, and cadets filled nearly every seat in the massive room.
"…Great…"
Euris muttered under his breath.
Still—
He got in line.
It didn't take long before he spotted a familiar face.
"Hey—Harry!"
He raised a hand and jogged forward, weaving past a few people to catch up.
Harry turned.
For a moment, he just… stared.
Like he wasn't used to someone calling out to him.
"…H-hey, Euris…"
He adjusted his glasses slightly, clearly caught off guard.
Euris grinned.
"Yeah, hey man."
It was small.
Simple.
But for both of them—
It meant something.
For a brief moment, things felt… normal.
Like they weren't surrounded by strangers.
Like they weren't at a place where strength decided everything.
Then—
Everything snapped back.
Someone slammed into Euris from the side.
"—!"
He stumbled forward, crashing into a table.
"Shit!"
The impact rattled through his body, and a familiar notification flashed in his vision.
HP: 9 / 10
"…Right…"
He muttered under his breath, gripping the edge of the table to steady himself before pushing back up.
His eyes snapped up.
"…What the hell, man?"
Standing in front of him was a guy around six feet tall.
Brown hair. Brown eyes.
Nothing special at first glance.
But his expression—
Said everything.
Cold.
Dismissive.
Like Euris didn't even belong in the same room.
"Watch your tone," the guy said, clicking his tongue. "You better learn who to stand down to… Level One."
Euris' gaze flicked down.
The guy's watch.
Level: 2
"…Of course…"
Euris thought bitterly.
Something in his chest tightened.
Anger.
Familiar.
Unwelcome.
He hated this.
People like him.
People who acted like strength gave them the right to treat others like trash.
People who looked down on him and Harry
His grip tightened.
His fists clenched so hard it felt like his palms might split.
He wanted to hit him.
Badly.
But he didn't.
Because he couldn't.
That was the worst part.
"…Sorry," Euris forced out, his voice tight. "Didn't mean to get in your way."
The guy smirked slightly.
Satisfied.
Then walked past him without another word—cutting ahead of a few more people in line like it was nothing.
Euris stood there for a second.
Silent.
Breathing slowly.
He glanced over.
Harry wasn't looking at him.
His gaze was fixed firmly on the floor.
Euris' jaw tightened.
He scared him too.
"…Tch…"
He turned back toward the line, running a hand through his hair.
"…Same shit…"
After a few minutes, they finally got their food.
Neither of them said much.
They turned toward the cafeteria and immediately understood something.
Groups.
Clusters of people sitting together. Organized. Not randomly.
"…Wow…"
Euris muttered.
"…Just like high school."
Harry nodded slightly.
"…Yeah…"
Strong people sat together. Confident. Loud. Relaxed.
And then there were the others. Quiet. Tired. Avoiding attention.
Euris exhaled slowly.
"…Guess we know where we're going."
He started walking.
Toward the back.
The farthest corner of the cafeteria.
It was darker there.
Quieter.
Filled with people who looked like they didn't belong anywhere else.
"…This is our stop, Harry."
"…Yeah…"
Harry sat down across from him, his voice a little lower than before.
They ate in silence for a while.
Euris glanced around occasionally.
No one bothered them.
No one even looked their way.
It was… safe.
In a way.
But it didn't feel good.
It felt like being invisible.
"…This sucks…"
Euris muttered under his breath.
Harry didn't respond.
Eventually, a bell rang out across the cafeteria.
"ALL CADETS REPORT TO YOUR FIRST CLASS."
Chairs scraped. Voices rose. Everyone started moving.
"…Well," Euris said, standing up and grabbing his tray. "Here goes nothing."
They dumped their trays and followed the flow of students out into the halls.
The academy was massive.
Hallways stretched endlessly, lined with reinforced walls and clean floors that reflected the overhead lights.
Signs directed students to different rooms.
Magic History – Room 214
"…That's us."
They entered the classroom.
Rows of desks filled the space, with a large board at the front. A few students were already seated, talking quietly among themselves.
Euris scanned the room briefly, then picked a seat.
He set his things down and sat.
After a moment, he glanced around.
"…Huh."
Harry wasn't next to him.
He looked toward the back.
There.
Harry had taken a seat farther away.
Euris paused for a second.
"…Guess he wants space…"
He shrugged slightly.
It didn't bother him.
Not really.
But…
He did wonder if Harry would be okay on his own.
"…Eh…"
Euris leaned back in his chair.
"…No point worrying about it now."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook and pen.
"Alright…"
He flipped it open.
"…Let's see what this place actually teaches."
He rested his chin lightly in his hand as he stared toward the front of the room.
"Let the learning begin."