(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don't hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

Power stones people, Gimme it.

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Orion turned.

And the moment he saw the source of the voice, the faint tick mark on his forehead deepened.

Thaddeus.

The same lazy smile. The same bored expression. The same aura of someone who existed entirely for his own amusement.

"Oh," Orion said flatly. "It's you."

Thaddeus lifted a hand in a half-wave. "Yo."

Erevan blinked. Arlen tilted his head. Caelum narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Orion asked him. Not rude, not hostile—just tired of whatever chain reaction Thaddeus's presence was about to trigger.

Thaddeus shrugged. "Bored."

"Right," Orion replied.

Thaddeus stepped closer, hands in his pockets, posture loose. "So… where are we going?"

Arlen opened his mouth, but Caelum lightly stepped in front of him, silently communicating: Let Orion handle this.

The two boys locked eyes.

Orion turned to the others. "You all don't know him, right?"

"Not really," Erevan said. "We've seen him around the dorms."

"Name's Thaddeus," the boy announced himself. "I'm charming, brilliant, occasionally a nuisance. But mostly charming."

Caelum crossed his arms. "Orion, what exactly did he do?"

"Yeah," Erevan added. "You're acting like he stole your lunch or something."

Thaddeus draped an arm over Orion's shoulders.

"We're best friends," he declared confidently. "He's just grumpy."

Orion didn't even look at him. "Take your hand off me."

The words were soft. Not a threat.

Thaddeus withdrew immediately.

The others noticed.

Arlen mouthed to Galen, "Oh. He's scared of him."

Galen nodded vigorously.

Thaddeus cleared his throat. "Anyway. Where are we headed? Something fun?"

"We were going to explore," Erevan said simply. "Check out the outer magnums."

"Perfect!" Thaddeus brightened. "One of the guys I met in Magnum Three told me about some really interesting place. Says it's a hidden spot. He was gonna take me."

Orion's brow rose slightly.

"Interesting place?" he repeated, skeptical.

Thaddeus nodded, too cheerful. "Yeah. Real fun."

Galen stared at him like he was announcing a kidnapping. "I don't know… that sounds wrong."

"Relax," Erevan said, clapping him on the back. "We'll be fine."

"You don't even know the friend," Galen groaned.

Thaddeus pointed a lazy finger at him. "Relax I think he's cool."

Galen pinched his nose. "That's not exactly reassuring"

Arlen laughed.

Orion studied Thaddeus movement. His instincts didn't scream danger… but something about the boy's presence always gnawed at him.

It wasn't even his personality.

It was movement.

Orion's spatial senses functioned like a second set of eyes. He perceived distortions, vibrations, micro-shifts in mana and the world's fabric. Everything was observed in real time..

Thaddeus… didn't. Or he did, but inconsistently. Like a flickering candle in a windless room. He moved in ways Orion's senses couldn't fully grasp. That alone bothered him more than anything the boy had ever said.

It was like smelling or hearing someone directly beside you but not seeing the person. That's how much his spatial senses had been ingrained in him.

His frown deepened unconsciously.

"You don't want to go?" Erevan asked him quietly.

Orion paused.

He didn't trust Thaddeus's "interesting place." It was vague. Too vague. But curiosity was a strong pull—stronger than hesitation. He wanted to see what the outer magnums were really like, and avoiding it over gut discomfort wasn't his style.

He exhaled softly.

"No," he said. "I'll go."

"Great!" Thaddeus spun on his heel, already walking ahead. "Let's move!"

Arlen followed immediately. Caelum walked beside Orion, quiet but alert. Erevan shoved his hands behind his head and hummed something off-key.

Only Galen didn't move.

He shifted anxiously from one foot to the other. "I… think I'll head back."

Arlen looked back. "Seriously? Come on."

"I just—" Galen swallowed. "This feels like one of those things adults call a bad idea. And I'm not trying to get in trouble before the second day."

Caelum nodded to him once, respectfully.

Orion didn't blame him. It wasn't cowardice. Just preference. Not everyone wanted to dive into the unknown on day one.

"Go ahead," Orion told him. "We'll see you later."

Galen almost sagged in relief, muttered "Good luck," and hurried back the way they'd come, clutching his robe like a lifeline.

The remaining five continued on.

The deeper they moved into Magnum Two, the stronger the shift in atmosphere became. Magnum One was quiet, polished, controlled. Magnum Two was larger, more diverse—groups gathering on stairs, students running small food stands, others practicing beginner spells in open courtyards.

It was a city inside an academy.

And beyond it—Magnum Three.

The heart of the outer zone.

A place where the academy's vigilance thinned and student culture flourished wildly.

It was half freedom, half chaos.

Exactly what Erevan wanted.

Halfway through the second courtyard, Caelum slowed his pace.

"Hungry," he announced simply.

Arlen rubbed his stomach. "Actually… yeah."

"Same," Erevan said.

Thaddeus shrugged. "Food before fun."

Orion felt it too. A dull ache in his stomach. He hadn't eaten since lunchtime. With how much information he'd processed today, it was surprising he'd forgotten.

Caelum gestured toward a side street. "I scouted this area last week. There's a good restaurant around the corner. Popular with upperclassmen."

"Lead the way," Orion said.

The path narrowed into a lively lane lit by faint purple crystals overhead. Shops lined both sides—cafes, bakeries, gear stalls, game rooms, and places that looked decidedly not academy-approved.

Walking through it felt like stepping into a market town rather than a school.

They reached the restaurant just as a small group exited laughing loudly. Warm light spilled from inside, along with the faint smell of grilled meat and spices.

"Looks good," Erevan said.

"Perfect," Arlen chirped.

Orion pushed the door open.

They stepped inside—

—and immediately froze.

The dining area was filled, buzzing with conversations and clinking utensils. But at the center, near the middle row of tables, a commotion broke out.

Two girls were facing off.

Chairs pushed back. Students shifted away. Spilled drink on the floor. A floating napkin drifted down slowly.

One girl had her fist clenched, mana flickering faintly around her forearm. The other leaned forward, eyes sharp, lips curled in a challenge.

The tension was thick enough to cut.

"Well," Thaddeus murmured. "This looks promising."

Orion exhaled through his nose.

Of course their night would start like this.

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