Classes resumed normally after the dungeon incident, but nothing truly felt normal for Eira after that. During practical lessons, he deliberately held himself back, moving just enough to pass but never enough to stand out.
His sword remained quiet, its light hidden, and his movements stayed controlled and unremarkable. Lara, however, continued to struggle. Her mana still surged and collapsed without warning, spells misfiring or failing, and each mistake drew laughter, whispers, and cruel remarks from noble students who expected perfection from someone of her status.
One afternoon during training, her spell fizzled completely, leaving her standing helpless while others completed their exercises with ease. The instructor sighed in disappointment, and the class moved on without her. Later, Eira found her behind the practice hall, sitting on the steps with her face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking as she tried not to cry.
He sat beside her without speaking at first, letting the silence do the work. When she finally looked up, her eyes were red and her voice tight with shame as she muttered that she was tired of being weak, tired of being watched, tired of being judged for something she could not control.
Eira told her simply that he understood, that not all power showed itself the same way, and that hiding pain did not make it disappear. Slowly, they agreed to help each other outside the academy's rigid structure, where mistakes would not be graded or mocked.
That night, they went to the edge of the nearby forest and entered a small E-rank dungeon together. It was nothing more than a shallow cave with minor monsters, but it was enough to begin. They returned the next night, and the night after that, moving slowly from E-rank to D-rank, then C-rank as Lara's control improved and Lara's confidence returned. They fought slimes, wolves, minor goblins, and finally larger creatures that required planning and teamwork. It was exhausting, dangerous, and illegal, but it worked. Lara's mana became steadier, her fear lessened, and Eira learned to control his strength without drawing attention.
Ryn quietly helped them, crafting small devices to keep them safe. He built a mana-based tracking charm so they could find each other in shifting dungeons, a simple flare crystal for emergencies, and small protective tokens that could absorb one direct hit before shattering. He never asked why they needed them, and Eira never told him.
Eventually, the student council noticed. Reports of two students leaving the dormitory late at night and returning before dawn reached the administration, and the task of investigating was given to Lily approached it with calm seriousness. She followed them one night, hiding her presence easily with subtle magic, and watched as they entered a C-rank dungeon well beyond what students were meant to face alone.
Neo noticed Eira sneaking out and followed as well, worried and determined not to be left behind.
Inside the dungeon, the layout shifted unexpectedly, merging corridors and collapsing pathways until the group was split apart. Eira found himself separated from the Lily, while Neo and Lara fell into a lower tunnel together. They tried to regroup, but the dungeon's structure warped and sealed paths behind them, forcing both pairs to move forward instead of back.
While fighting through a chamber of moving stone traps and aggressive creatures, Eira and the flower girl were caught in a sudden collapse. Stone scraped against her clothes, tearing part of her sleeve and side as she barely avoided being crushed. Annoyed, embarrassed, and irritated, she snapped at Eira for not warning her sooner.
He apologized and wordlessly offered his coat, which she accepted with a huff, wrapping it around herself and complaining that it smelled like dust and sweat. Their bickering lightened the tension even as danger surrounded them.
Using the tracking charm Ryn had made, they managed to locate Neo and Lara just as the dungeon threw its final challenge at them: a massive red goblin with iron skin and a flying hawk-like beast that rained sharp feathers from above. The battle was fierce, with Lara holding the goblin's attention, Neo providing support, and the flower girl attacking the hawk with precise magic while Eira drew both monsters into openings. They were hurt, tired, and pushed to their limits, but they won.
When they finally exited the dungeon at dawn, dirty, injured, and alive, the flower girl studied Eira in silence for a long moment before speaking. She told him she would not report what she had seen, not because she approved, but because she believed he was not doing this for power or pride. He smiled faintly and teased her that she owed him for lending her his coat, which earned him an irritated glare and a laugh despite herself.
They returned to the academy just as the sun rose, exhausted, closer than before, and more deeply tangled in something far larger than any of them yet understood.