Classes had begun.

The academy halls were full again.

Students hurried across the courtyards, gossiping, laughing, complaining about homework — everything looked exactly as it always had.

Life had returned to normal.

And yet… for Noel, nothing felt normal at all.

He lay on his bed in the Class S dorms, staring at the ceiling while the morning sunlight crept through the curtains. His room looked the same as always — books stacked like unstable towers, training gear tossed in a corner, a jacket thrown over his chair. But something was missing.

Something loud.

Something inevitable.

Something he had gotten used to, even if he hated admitting it.

The silence.

A soft ripple of shadow stirred beside him.

Noir crawled out of it, stretching her legs before climbing onto Noel's chest like she owned the place. Her fur brushed against his chin as she looked directly into his eyes.

'You've been holding that in all morning,' she said, her voice echoing in his mind—low, knowing, almost amused.

Noel exhaled through his nose. "Yeah. I needed a minute."

He placed a hand over his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment.

A full month — thirty days — had passed since the attack on House Thorne.

A full month without a mission.

Without a warning.

Without chaos trying to eat him alive.

Classes resumed.

Training resumed.

His friends acted like things were relatively normal again.

And still… the system stayed silent.

Noir tilted her head, tail tapping lightly against his ribs. 'You look bored, Dad.'

"That obvious?" Noel muttered.

'Mmh. You get twitchy when nothing tries to kill you for too long.'

Despite himself, he snorted. "That's… disturbingly accurate."

He pushed himself upright, Noir sliding easily into his lap like water. The faint morning noise of the academy drifted in from outside—students shouting across the courtyard, the distant clang of training weapons, laughter echoing near the dorms.

Everything seemed peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Noel rubbed the back of his neck, eyes narrowing slightly at the window. "I don't trust quiet. Not anymore."

Noir curled her tail around her paws. 'Then… what now?'

Noel leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and let out a slow breath.

"Now," he murmured, "I don't know yet."

The next days slid by with an almost uncomfortable smoothness.

Training sessions.

Lectures.

Lunch with Marcus and the others.

Study groups with Elena and Selene.

Elyra dragging him into council errands.

Charlotte stopping by his room after evening prayers.

Everything flowed exactly as life in the academy should.

And yet… Noel walked through it like someone waiting for a falling blade he couldn't see.

He sat on the railing outside the Class S dorms, watching the courtyard below. Students laughed, sparred, shoved each other around. The mana lamps flickered lazily in the afternoon breeze.

Normal. Perfectly normal.

Noel sighed.

"That's what bothers me," he muttered under his breath.

Noir lay draped across his shoulders like a scarf, tail swaying lazily. 'You've been saying that every day,' she pointed out.

"And I'll keep saying it until something happens."

'You want something to happen?' Noir asked, ears flicking in disbelief.

"I want information," Noel corrected. "There's no way the world suddenly decided to behave for thirty days straight."

Noir hummed thoughtfully. 'Charlotte said her letters to the Holy Capital still haven't been answered, right?'

"Yeah," Noel said, rubbing his jaw. "She sent them right after we got back. She said they were urgent. But Orthran hasn't responded yet."

'And Daemar hasn't called you in for anything either.'

Noel's eyes narrowed. "Exactly. Which is weird."

He had expected something.

A lead on the Second Pillar.

A rumor.

A trace.

A mission.

But for the first time since arriving in this world… nothing.

The quiet felt wrong. Like a held breath.

Noel leaned back against the column. "I don't like being blind."

Noir placed a paw gently atop his head. 'Then rest while you can. When the next thing comes… you'll have no time to breathe.'

Noel opened his mouth to respond—

—then stopped.

A faint feeling tugged at his chest. A whisper of mana that wasn't his. Familiar. Intrusive.

But it vanished just as quickly.

He exhaled sharply. "...I'm imagining things."

Noel didn't get long to wonder whether his senses were playing tricks on him.

Because the very next morning, as he was tying the laces of his boots, a knock sounded at his door — sharp, precise, the kind someone used only when they were carrying news.

Noir lifted her head from the pillow. 'That's not Marcus,' she noted.

"Yeah," Noel muttered, "Marcus would have kicked it open."

He opened the door.

A courier stood there — a young monk from the academy's message hall, breathless and sweating despite the cool morning air. In his hands, he held a sealed parchment embossed with an unmistakable sigil:

The Crest of the Holy Capital.

Orthran's personal seal.

Noel's stomach tightened.

"For Lady Charlotte," the courier said quickly, bowing. "Urgent response from His Holiness. Delivered to Class S quarters as instructed."

Charlotte, already walking down the corridor toward Noel's room, froze mid-step.

Her eyes widened the moment she saw the seal.

"It's from the Holy Capital," she breathed.

The courier nodded, bowed again, and hurried off.

Charlotte unfolded the parchment carefully, her fingers trembling just enough for Noel to notice. The seal was unmistakable — gold wax pressed with the insignia of the Holy Capital.

Noel leaned in slightly. "From Orthran?"

Charlotte nodded. "It arrived this morning. He wants me to return… immediately."

Her voice wavered. "He says it's urgent."

A soft rustle came from the bed as Noir sat up straighter, ears perked.

'Those are good news… right, Dad?' she asked, tail sweeping lightly across the sheets.

Noel exhaled through his nose, eyes fixed on the letter.

"Depends on what's written," he murmured. "So… not necessarily."

Charlotte swallowed, gaze lowering to the handwritten lines she hadn't fully processed yet. "The letter mentions the report I sent him… about the Thorne attack. And…"

She hesitated.

"…about Elarin."

Noel's expression sharpened. "So he knows."

Charlotte shook her head. "Not everything. Just that something grave happened. He wants me to tell him in person. He says the matter is too delicate for letters."

Noel leaned back slightly, tension settling into his shoulders. "Makes sense. The Holy Church panics easily."

Noir tilted her head. 'Are we going?'

Noel paused — just long enough for worry to flicker behind his eyes.

"We might have to," he said quietly. "But first… we need to know exactly what Orthran wants."

Charlotte folded the parchment again, clutching it close to her chest.

"I… I don't know what I'm supposed to tell him," she whispered. "Or how he'll react."

Noel stepped closer, placing a hand gently on her arm.

"We'll handle it," he said. "Together."

Charlotte's steps slowed as they reached the door to Noel's room — not because she hesitated, but because she could already sense the familiar presences waiting inside. Noir pushed the door open with her paw, and the faint warmth of mana crystals lit the space.

Selene sat on Noel's desk, legs crossed, flipping idly through one of his notebooks. Elena stood by the window, arms gently folded, her posture calm but attentive. Elyra leaned against Noel's wardrobe with the most obvious lack of patience imaginable.

All three looked up the moment Noel and Charlotte entered.

"Took you long enough," Elyra said, pushing herself off the wall. But her eyes softened the second they landed on Charlotte. "So. I'm guessing something happened."

Selene closed the notebook softly. "You don't usually look like someone stole your tea set."

Elena tilted her head, perceptive as always. "Charlotte… is everything alright?"

Charlotte didn't answer immediately — she simply unfolded the parchment and handed it to Noel so he could show them.

Noel lifted it for the others to see. "Orthran summoned her," he said quietly. "The letter came this morning."

Elena stepped closer, her voice gentle. "He must want to hear about the Thorne incident from you directly."

Charlotte nodded slowly. "He… deserves the truth. But I don't know how much of it I can give him."

Noir hopped onto the bed, tail swaying. 'Enough to keep him calm,' she said in their minds. 'Not enough to cause chaos.'

Selene let out a long breath. "So we're walking on glass again."

"Pretty much," Noel muttered.

Elyra crossed her arms. "Well, what do we tell him?"

"That's what we need to figure out," Noel said. "We can't mention Noctis. Or the loops. Or that Elarin's real form is…" He paused, glancing at Charlotte. "Yeah."

Charlotte looked down, clutching the parchment again. "He thinks I'm safe. Pure. Untouched by all this. I hate lying to him."

Elena stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "It's not lying. It's protecting."

Selene nodded. "Truth can wait. Survival can't."

Charlotte released a shaky breath. "So… we choose our words carefully."

"Yes," Noel said. "And when we know exactly what to say, we go to the Holy Capital."

Elyra smirked faintly. "Figures. Trouble finds you even when you're doing nothing."

Noir flicked her tail. 'That's Dad's specialty.'

Noel rolled his eyes lightly — but before he could respond, a sudden pulse hit his chest.

A faint chime.

A ripple of mana.

Cold, familiar — the kind that made the hairs on his arms rise.

His posture stiffened.

Selene noticed first. "Noel? What's wrong?"

Then the notification appeared — visible only to him.

A rectangle of blue light snapped into existence in front of his eyes.

[ New Mission Available ]

Do not let the Holy Church fall into despair.

Time Limit: 30 days.

Reward: ???

"Noel?" Elena stepped closer, brow furrowed. "You're staring at nothing."

Elyra waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Vaelterra to Noel?"

Noel blinked, the notification fading but burning itself into his mind. "Uh— yeah. Sorry. Just… something came up."

Noel blinked, the notification fading but burning itself into his mind. "Uh— yeah. Sorry. Just… something came up."

Charlotte's eyes widened slightly. "Is it the system?"

He nodded once.

Selene straightened. "What did it say?"

Noel took a slow breath. "The mission is tied to the church. Specifically… to preventing it from falling into despair."

Charlotte's expression fell, her fingers tightening around the parchment. "So Orthran really is in danger… emotionally or politically."

"It seems that way," Noel said quietly. "Whatever he learns, however he reacts — if things spiral, the church collapses with him."

Elyra cursed under her breath. "Perfect. Add 'save a religion' to our to-do list."

Elena frowned thoughtfully. "Thirty days…"

Charlotte looked up at Noel, worry and determination mixing in her eyes. "Then… we have to go. Soon. Before anything spreads."

Noel nodded. "Yeah. If the mission is starting now, we can't afford to wait."

Noir stepped onto his lap, tapping his stomach with a paw. 'Told you the quiet wouldn't last.'

Noel let out a long exhale. "Yeah. I know."

He looked at all of them — Charlotte's resolve, Elyra's confidence, Selene's calm, Elena's sharpness.

"Guess we're going to the Holy Capital," he said.

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