A hand shot up from the row beside Shura.
"But teacher," the student said, adjusting his posture lazily, "what about the Ruins Exploration? You said we'd learn more about Viora there."
The class instantly erupted.
"Yes! Yes!" "You promised!" "Ruins training!"
Shura slowly turned his head.
"…Wait," he muttered. "There's someone sitting next to me?"
He had genuinely thought the boy was either asleep forever… or a preserved test subject.
The student grinned.
"Oh, by the way. My name's Adrian. I love everything. And I remember everything." He leaned slightly closer. "Shura, right? Just so you know… you'll never be better than me."
Shura blinked.
He opened his mouth to reply.
Then paused.
"…Nice to meet you."
Adrian froze.
Wait. He's not arguing?
Oh no.
Now I have to sit next to someone calm every day.
Around them, the chanting continued.
"Teacher!" "You said!" "Ruins!"
Lior folded his arms.
"Hm."
The entire class immediately changed expression.
Wide eyes. Innocent faces. Hands pressed together.
"Pleaaaase."
Lior stared at them.
"You do realize I am not going to melt because of coordinated acting."
Pause.
Inside his mind: …How exactly am I supposed to say no to that?
He exhaled.
"Fine. We'll see."
The room exploded.
"Yes!!"
Lior raised a hand.
"First, physical training section. Move."
He closed his eyes briefly and began walking toward the door.
At that exact moment—
The door opened from the other side.
Thud.
Lior collided directly into another instructor.
A woman with sharp silver eyes and dark uniform steadied herself instantly.
"Luna," Lior said smoothly, as if nothing happened. "Are you alright?"
The entire class went silent.
Then—
They stared.
Slowly.
Suspiciously.
Because Lior absolutely could have sensed her approach with resonance.
But he didn't move.
And no one could prove it.
Several students discreetly gave him a thumbs-up.
Shura bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.
Luna adjusted her sleeve, composed.
"I'm fine."
Her gaze swept the class.
"Before you run off to break something in training, all students will draft an article on the Odyssey."
The word alone shifted the room's atmosphere.
Even the playful energy dimmed.
"The best article," Luna continued, "will be published in the Kingdom's official paper."
Murmurs spread.
"Published?" "Seriously?" "That's huge…"
Shura felt something tighten in his chest.
Odyssey.
His mind flashed—
The graveyard. The silent rows. The weight of names carved in stone. The way some returned. And some did not.
His expression changed.
Adrian noticed.
"…You've seen them up close, haven't you?" he asked quietly.
Shura didn't answer.
Lior observed both of them.
"You may work in pairs," Luna added. "Submit before the end of class."
Chairs scraped against stone.
Adrian leaned back.
"Well, Brat," he said casually. "Let's write something unforgettable."
Shura looked at the blank page.
He didn't see ink.
He saw lantern light over graves.
He saw tired eyes returning from the Deep.
He saw silence where applause should have been.
"…Yeah," Shura said quietly.
"Let's write the truth."
Across the room, Yura glanced at him.
Calm.
Observing.
Because she knew—
When Shura stopped joking…
He was thinking about something heavy.
And in Ossuarium Academy,
Lior clapped his hands once.
"Before writing your article, leave the classroom for a while. Think. Clear your minds."
He turned toward the door.
"I'll be outside."
The class buzzed instantly.
Shura turned to Yura.
"So… what's your plan?"
"I'm not writing," she replied calmly.
Shura blinked. "Why?"
Yura simply looked ahead.
No explanation.
"…Okay," Shura said slowly. "Then let's go outside."
Beside him—
Adrian was already asleep again.
Shura stared at him.
"…Nope."
He grabbed Adrian by the collar and started dragging him up.
"You're coming too."
Adrian's eyes snapped open. "Hey! I'm not your friend! Don't act like this with me!"
Shura bent down slightly as Adrian resisted.
"This hurts—ahh—who cares." He kept pulling.
"Hey! Leave me, I said!"
Yura watched.
And smiled.
Adrian froze mid-struggle.
"…Yura. Did you just smile?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"So you know my name?"
Adrian straightened immediately.
"I know everyone's name. That's not the question." His eyes narrowed. "How did you meet Shura? You never talk to anyone. No friends. Just… a lost child."
Yura's gaze didn't waver.
"I'm not always like that."
Shura interrupted quickly.
"Let's just go outside."
The Academy Courtyard
They walked through the Academy corridors.
Adrian and Yura moved normally.
Calm. Familiar.
But Shura—
Shura kept stopping.
Looking up.
Turning slowly.
The arches aligned too precisely for age.
The mirrored windows reflected the courtyard—but never the sky-dome above.
The symmetry felt engineered, not architectural.
As if the Academy had been built around something invisible.
Adrian glanced sideways.
"Hey. You're making me uncomfortable."
Shura blinked. "What?"
"That behavior. The way you stare at everything." Adrian squinted. "You act like you came from another world."
Shura paused.
"…Yeah. Actually."
Adrian stared at him.
Then snorted. "Nice joke."
They stepped into a quieter section of the Academy grounds. Black stone benches. Beacon-light filtering softly across the courtyard.
Silence settled.
Adrian crossed his arms.
"So. Helionight, right?"
"Yes."
"Nah. Tell the truth."
Shura looked at him.
Adrian continued, sharper now.
"I've been watching you since morning. You were running around like you didn't even know basic rules. And you observe simple things like they're rare artifacts." He stepped closer. "So what's your excuse?"
Shura hesitated.
Then exhaled.
"…When I woke up, I had lost my memories."
Yura's eyes shifted slightly.
"I woke up near Zenkyou. Orin. Ren." Shura continued. "They taught me the basics. I've only been here for… a month."
Adrian frowned.
"A month? What's that word?"
Yura blinked.
She thought for a moment.
"I think he means one Orynth."
Shura looked at her. "Orynth?"
Adrian and Yura both started laughing.
Shura blinked, confused.
Adrian wiped his eye. "You don't even know what an Orynth is?"
Shura crossed his arms defensively. "No?"
Yura composed herself.
"There are twelve Orynths in a full cycle. Three sets of thirty Beacon cycles make one Orynth."
Shura froze.
Three times thirty cycles…
His mind calculated automatically.
One cycle is roughly eight hours of Beacon shift…
So that means—
He suddenly realized.
There was no weather.
No seasons.
No sun to divide time.
Of course there were no "months."
"Hey," Adrian said, waving a hand in front of his face. "Where did you disappear to?"
"Nowhere," Shura replied quickly.
Adrian studied him.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then Adrian suddenly stiffened.
Wait.
Why am I standing here with Shura?
Why is Yura here too?
Why am I… laughing?
He frowned slightly.
"…That's enough," Adrian said, regaining composure. "We should head back."
Yura nodded.
"Yes."
Shura gave the Academy one last look.
The symmetry didn't feel suffocating anymore.
It felt structured.
Measured.
Like it was testing them.
"Yeah," Shura said softly.
"Let's go."
And for the first time—
The three of them walked back together.
Not as friends.
Not yet.
But no longer strangers either.