The afternoon sun lay across the academy like a gentle hand — warm, sprawling, and alive. Light spilled over the tiled rooftops and the silver-lined windows, glinting on distant towers. The air shimmered faintly from the heat of early summer, but a soft, playful wind wandered through the courtyards, carrying the faint scent of fresh flowers and baked bread from the cafeteria below the eastern wing.

Arios walked quietly beside Lucy and Liza along the central garden path — a meandering trail of white cobblestones that snaked past the training fields and down toward the student park. Around them, other students milled about, but their voices blurred into the hum of background life. For once, he didn't feel the usual tension clawing behind his eyes. There were no exams, no council hearings, no dungeon evaluations to survive.

It was simply… still.

A strange feeling for him.

"Hey," Liza said, breaking the silence as she swung her bag loosely over her shoulder. "You realize it's been three whole days since we almost died?"

Lucy shot her a look. "Don't say things like that out loud."

"What? It's true!" Liza spread her arms dramatically. "Three entire days without explosions, traps, or near-death screaming. I think that's a record for us."

Arios gave her a sidelong glance. "You're counting that as an accomplishment?"

"Yes," Liza said without hesitation. "And I'm going to celebrate it with cake later. You're both invited."

Lucy sighed but smiled slightly. "You'll find a way to turn anything into a celebration."

"That's a survival instinct." Liza pointed at her. "Learn from the best."

They passed under the shade of cherry-bloom trees, their branches whispering faintly in the breeze. Petals drifted down, catching the sunlight like soft sparks before landing on the cobblestones. Arios reached up absently, brushing one from his shoulder.

"You're quiet today," Lucy said, glancing at him. "More than usual, I mean."

Arios tilted his head slightly. "I'm trying to remember when I last saw this place without blood on the ground."

Liza blinked, then frowned. "That's dark."

"Accurate," Arios replied.

She gave him a playful punch in the arm. "You really have a gift for ruining peaceful moments, you know that?"

Lucy chuckled quietly. "It's his special talent."

The three of them reached the open lawns near the academy fountain — a broad, sunlit expanse of grass surrounded by marble benches and archways carved with ancient runes. A few students lounged under the trees or studied together in small groups. The sound of flowing water filled the space, calm and steady.

It felt… safe.

Arios sat on the edge of the fountain while Liza flopped dramatically onto the grass beside him. Lucy set her bag down neatly and sat opposite, her posture as precise as always.

Liza stretched her arms over her head and groaned contentedly. "Ahh, this is the life. No monsters, no traps, no teachers yelling about attendance. Just sunlight and oxygen. Beautiful."

Lucy adjusted her hairband, smirking faintly. "You sound like someone who's never studied a day in her life."

"I study survival," Liza said. "That's education."

Arios almost smiled. Almost.

His eyes wandered — the reflection of the sky danced in the fountain's surface, shimmering blue and white. It was the kind of sight he wouldn't have noticed before. For most of his time here, the academy had been a battlefield hidden beneath marble polish. Now, stripped of tension, it seemed softer.

Lucy leaned back slightly, her eyes half-closed. "You know," she said, "the academy feels… different lately."

"How so?" Arios asked.

"Quieter. Lighter." She paused, her voice gentler now. "After everything that happened with Instructor Garron, and the dungeon… it's like everyone's trying to breathe again."

Liza nodded slowly. "Yeah. Even the upperclassmen look less like they're about to kill us."

"That's because half of them got suspended," Lucy said, deadpan.

Liza gasped dramatically. "Scandalous!"

Arios chuckled under his breath — a low sound, almost foreign even to himself. Liza and Lucy both looked at him, momentarily surprised.

"…What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Liza said, grinning. "Just — wow. He laughs now. I was starting to think it was a myth."

Lucy smiled softly. "It suits you."

That made him pause for a moment longer than it should have. He turned his gaze away, pretending to focus on the fountain again.

The silence that followed wasn't heavy; it was easy, fluid. They let it linger.

Then Liza, unable to stand quiet for too long, sat up abruptly. "Okay, new rule! We're not allowed to leave until one of us makes Lucy laugh."

"What?" Lucy frowned. "Why me?"

"Because you're the hardest to crack."

"She's not wrong," Arios murmured.

Lucy turned to glare at him. "Excuse me?"

He only shrugged.

Liza rubbed her hands together like a cartoon villain. "All right, challenge accepted!"

The next few minutes were pure chaos. Liza mimicked their professors with absurd accuracy, especially the way Instructor Garron used to stomp around with his chest puffed out. "'Students of Class D, your incompetence offends the gods!'" she boomed, striding across the grass. "'I'll have you polishing the dorm floors with your tears!'"

Arios bit back a smirk. Lucy tried, valiantly, to remain composed — but her lips twitched.

"That doesn't count," she muttered, looking away.

"Oh, it counts," Liza said triumphantly.

But then Arios leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice. "You know, Lucy, if you lose, Liza might make you sing next time."

Lucy froze, color rushing to her cheeks. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would," Liza said gleefully. "I definitely would."

Arios smiled faintly — a rare, almost imperceptible curve of his lips.

Lucy looked between them, exasperated. "You two are the worst combination imaginable."

"Flattery," Liza said.

"I wasn't complimenting you."

"You said it, not me."

The laughter that followed was soft, but it filled the garden in a way no spell ever could.

As the sun dipped lower, painting the world in gold and amber, the three of them lay back in the grass. Arios felt the breeze tug gently at his hair, the warmth of the day slowly fading.

For the first time in what felt like ages, he allowed himself to close his eyes.

The dungeon floors, the council chambers, the politics — all of it felt distant now, like echoes from a life he'd already lived. He could hear Lucy humming faintly beside him, her voice carrying in the air like sunlight turned to sound. Liza was quiet for once, half-asleep perhaps.

It felt strange — this peace. Fragile, temporary. Yet… precious.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky was burning with streaks of pink and violet. Students began to gather their books, heading back toward the dorms.

Lucy sat up, brushing her hair back. "We should go. Curfew will start soon."

Liza yawned. "Five more minutes…"

"No," Lucy said, standing. "You'll sleep here, and then get yelled at again."

Liza groaned dramatically, rolling onto her side. "She's such a tyrant, isn't she, Arios?"

He rose to his feet, stretching slightly. "She's right."

"Traitor."

Lucy smiled faintly, turning toward the path. "Come on."

As they began walking, Lucy fell into step beside him again. Her voice softened, almost hesitant.

"You've changed," she said quietly.

Arios glanced at her. "Have I?"

"You don't look like someone who's always preparing for the next storm anymore." She smiled faintly. "You look like someone who's learning how to rest."

Liza's voice drifted from behind them. "He still broods, though."

Arios said nothing, but his lips curved faintly again.

The courtyard was nearly empty now, the last of the sunset fading into twilight. Fireflies began to flicker between the hedges, glowing softly in the dim.

When they reached the dormitory steps, Lucy paused. "Thank you… for today."

Arios blinked. "For what?"

"For being here," she said simply. "For once, it felt normal."

He looked at her for a long moment — at the quiet sincerity in her expression — and nodded. "Yeah."

Then, without another word, he turned toward the dorms. Liza trailed behind them, humming a random tune.

The night air was cool, almost cold now. Stars had begun to appear, scattered like silver dust across the darkening sky.

Somewhere far in the distance, the academy bell rang once — deep, resonant, final.

Arios glanced back at the garden, now shrouded in the soft glow of moonlight.

A memory already fading.

But even as the peace of the day slipped into the quiet of night, he found himself thinking — maybe, just maybe, this was what it meant to be alive outside of battle.

To laugh. To rest. To exist without a blade at his throat.

He closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and let the stillness take him.

For tonight, that was enough.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone, I just want to say thank you for reading and supporting this story. It truly means a lot. Unfortunately, the book will be coming to an end soon. It's been feeling stagnant lately and hasn't been doing as well as I hoped, so I'd rather end it properly than let it drag on.

Thank you again for sticking with me and the characters till now. I'll do my best to give it a meaningful conclusion.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.