The cafeteria buzzed with the familiar noise of students returning from their break, but Noel barely had time to step inside before a loud voice cut through the room.

"Noel! Over here!"

Marcus was waving both arms like he was trying to signal a rescue ship. Garron grinned from ear to ear, and Laziel gave a subtle nod — subtle for him, meaning only moderately annoyed-looking.

Noel walked over, weaving between tables. The moment he sat down, Marcus leaned forward with a relieved exhale.

"Man, it's been a while."

Garron nodded firmly. "Seriously. After everything that happened… it's good to see you in one piece again."

Laziel crossed his arms but didn't hide the relief in his eyes. "You vanished right after Tharvaldur. We knew you were alive, but still."

Noel gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. A lot happened. Needed… time. My family too."

Marcus let out a breath he'd been holding. "Well, whatever time you needed — you look better. Tired, but better."

Noel smirked. "That's just my face."

Garron burst out laughing, nearly choking on air.

Laziel rolled his eyes. "Nothing's changed. Good."

For a moment, tension eased. The weight of the last months — training, danger, Tharvaldur, the attack on his home — seemed to fade under the warmth of familiar banter.

Marcus clapped his hands once, leaning back. "Alright, come on then. Tell us everything. What happened out there?"

Noel exhaled, letting his shoulders relax. "Long story. But yeah… it's good to be back."

Marcus leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, his expression shifting from relaxed to serious. The cafeteria around them buzzed with background noise — clinking plates, scattered conversations — but their corner felt insulated, quieter, the air heavier with things left unsaid.

"But seriously," Marcus pressed, eyes narrowing slightly, "what happened out there? I know you said it was the 'usual enemies,' but… you don't look like you're talking about something small."

Noel let out a breath, slow and tired. "It wasn't small. Same bastards as always — the ones behind everything since the academy attack. They showed up again and… things got messy."

Garron groaned, slumping back in his seat. "Dude, they just don't quit. It looks like is almost every month it's something."

"Feels like every week," Laziel muttered, rubbing his temples. "Man, I'm so done with surprises. I just want one year — one — where something doesn't explode."

Marcus nodded with a grim smirk. "Since the academy attack, it's been back-to-back chaos. I can't even remember the last time we had a normal schedule."

Noel grinned tiredly. "Welcome to my life."

"Yeah, yeah," Marcus waved him off. "But your family… are they okay?"

Noel lifted a shoulder casually. "Yeah. They're alive. All of them."

His tone was calm, almost indifferent — the kind of indifference only someone who'd long made peace with not having a 'normal' family could manage.

Marcus nodded slowly. He and the others exchanged a glance; they all knew Noel didn't exactly have the warmest relationship with House Thorne.

No questions. No pity.

"As long as you're safe," Garron said, exhaling in relief. "I guess that's what matters."

"Yeah," Noel replied simply. "And I won't be going back there anytime soon. No need to."

There was no bitterness — just finality.

His home had survived. That was enough.

The conversation shifted, but the tension in their shoulders eased.

Then Marcus snapped his fingers.

"Hold on — speaking of people. Has anyone seen Roberto? He should've been back days ago."

Garron frowned. "You're right… he hasn't contacted us. He said he'd return after visiting home, but that was a while ago. And classes start any minute."

Noel blinked, sitting up straighter. "He's still not back?"

Laziel shook his head. "Nope. Nothing. And knowing him, he'd at least brag he was on his way."

A thin thread of unease coiled in Noel's stomach.

Noir's voice slipped into his mind, quiet but sharp. 'Dad… I don't like Roberto.'

Noel answered silently. 'This again? You growled at him last time. Why?'

'I don't know,' Noir replied. 'His scent… it doesn't feel right. Wrong. Dangerous.'

The subtle tension in her voice made Noel's fingers tighten around his cup.

Marcus kept talking, unaware of the shadow crossing Noel's face. "He'll show up. Probably just stayed longer with his family."

"Yeah," Noel said smoothly, forcing a relaxed tone. "Probably."

But the unease stayed — cold, stubborn, impossible to shake. Noir rarely got scared.

And when she did… it was never without a reason.

A server walked past their table, placing down a tray crowded with food — thick slices of toasted bread, butter still melting on top; a small basket of fruit; steaming cups of tea and coffee; and a pitcher of pale-orange juice.

"Finally," Garron said with a grin, immediately reaching for the toast. "I'm starving."

"You're always starving," Laziel muttered, but there was no bite in it.

Garron took a massive bite, flexing one arm in a slow, dramatic motion that caught the morning light. "Can't help it. Muscles like these need fuel. My girl says she likes them even more now—"

"Stop," Laziel said instantly, raising both hands. "Please. For the love of all things holy, can we not talk about your girlfriend's obsession with your biceps at breakfast?"

Marcus smirked behind his cup. "Someone sounds jealous."

"I'm not jealous," Laziel snapped. "I'm realistic. Some of us didn't get blessed with a relationship discount."

Garron took another exaggerated bite. "Sounds like jealousy to me."

Noel leaned back in his chair, hiding a small grin behind his cup. "Didn't you say you were this close with that girl you met in Tharvaldur?"

"NO," Laziel said immediately, glaring daggers. "We were not 'this close.' We were not even 'remotely close.' I misread signs — ONCE — and she laughed — ONCE — and now it's dead forever. END OF STORY."

Marcus wheezed into his tea.

"Bro, that was savage," Garron said, still eating.

"Yeah, so can we please not talk about everyone's perfect little romances?" Laziel muttered, stabbing his toast like it had personally wounded him.

Noel raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."

As they dug into the food, the casual atmosphere returned — warm and familiar. A rare peace.

But Noir's warning still whispered at the back of Noel's mind, a faint chill behind the laughter.

Noel pushed the thought aside, trying to focus on the moment — on the warmth of the tea in his hands, on Marcus arguing about toast quality, on Laziel trying and failing to defend his love life.

But the worry lingered beneath the surface.

Like the first crack in ice.

Marcus finished his toast, leaned back, and gave Noel a slow, wicked grin — the kind that promised absolutely nothing good.

"So…" he drawled, "speaking of romance."

Laziel's forehead hit the table with a thud. "Please. I'm begging you. Not again."

But Marcus didn't even glance at him. His eyes were locked on Noel with the precision of a sniper.

"You," he said, pointing dramatically, "are unbelievable."

Garron nodded solemnly. "Statistically unfair, actually."

Noel blinked. "…What?"

"Oh don't play dumb," Marcus continued. "Let's list them, shall we?"

He held up a finger.

"One — Selene. Literal genius. Scary as hell. Hotter than her own mana temperature."

Selene would have frozen him solid for that line, Noel thought.

Finger two.

"Elena. One of the most beautiful girls in the academy. Grace, elegance, top scores. Practically a walking halo."

Finger three.

"Elyra. Heir to the richest house in the entire continent. Danger level: catastrophic. Looks level: illegal."

Garron jumped in. "She could buy the whole academy, tear it down, rebuild it, and still have money left for dessert."

Marcus raised the fourth finger with a flourish.

"And finally — Charlotte. The Saint. The living symbol of the empire's faith. One of the most important people in the entire world."

Laziel lifted his head just enough to squint at Noel. "Saints, Noel… at this point you're collecting rare cards."

"I—" Noel opened his mouth, but Marcus had already leaned closer.

"And THEN," Marcus said, voice rising theatrically, "you show up today all relaxed and glowing and 'oh, we had a nice morning'—"

Garron slammed a hand down. "Tell me the secret! Do you bathe in mana? Do you eat blessings for breakfast?"

Laziel pointed at him accusingly. "You're the reason I'm single. Someone ate all the good luck before I was born!"

Noel ran a hand down his face. "We're not— it's not— look, it's complicated."

"Complicated?" Marcus echoed. "Bro, the next one is going to be Seraphina at this point. Just pick up the princess while you're at it!"

Noel glared. "She's just a friend."

"Uh-huh. That's what they all say," Garron said, narrowing his eyes dramatically.

Laziel groaned. "I'm leaving. I refuse to listen to this. I'll die."

But he didn't move an inch.

Noel finally dropped his spoon with a sigh. "…I hate all of you."

Laughter rippled through the table the moment Noel said it.

Marcus wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye. "You say that, but you'd be lost without us."

Garron nodded with exaggerated wisdom. "He'd probably starve. Or get stabbed. Or both."

Laziel lifted a finger from where his face was still planted against the table. "Definitely both."

Noel rolled his eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're all insufferable."

"Accurate," Marcus replied immediately. "But necessary."

The cafeteria around them buzzed with the usual morning noise — clinking cups, laughter from other tables, the occasional burst of mana sparks from some student being irresponsible. The familiar chaos wrapped around Noel like a warm blanket he didn't know he'd missed.

For a while, the conversation drifted to safer topics — upcoming classes, rumors about the new semester, Garron's latest gym routine, Laziel's tragic dating history.

Marcus groaned when Laziel recounted how a girl had once rejected him because he "looked too heroic."

"That's a compliment!" Marcus insisted.

"No, it's a trap," Laziel muttered. "I'm being typecast."

Noel snorted, sipping his tea. "Maybe she meant intimidating."

Laziel glared at him. "You're not helping."

Garron slapped him on the back so hard he nearly face-planted again. "Don't worry, buddy. One day you'll meet someone who appreciates your… uh… personality."

Laziel narrowed his eyes. "That was the least convincing pep talk I've ever heard."

"You're welcome," Garron said proudly.

Noel leaned back in his chair, letting the noise wash over him. For the first time since Thorne territory, since Noctis's revelations, since Nicolas's fading heartbeat — he felt something like peace.

Normalcy.

Even if it was temporary.

Marcus reached across the table, stealing Laziel's untouched toast.

"HEY!"

"What? Consider it a tax," Marcus said.

"Tax for WHAT?!"

"Being single."

"THAT MAKES NO— give it BACK!"

They wrestled for the toast like two feral animals while Garron tried to separate them, only making it worse.

Noel chuckled and shook his head.

This was what he'd been fighting for. Moments like these. People like these.

Even Noir's voice in his mind sounded softer. 'They make you happy, Dad.'

'Yeah,' Noel thought back, warmth blooming in his chest. 'They do.'

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