There was too much tension for Azrael as he stood near the rest.Four of them standing close. Azrael, Selyne, Aria, and Silas.

Selyne had the only energy left for talking. She broke the silence with a nervous laugh. "So! It has been a while, Aria! You look taller?"

Aria turned her calm, violet-red eyes toward her old friend. A faint smile touched her lips. "And you still talk too much."

Selyne blinked. She was not sure if it was an insult or not. "That is probably true." She laughed weakly and rubbed the back of her neck.

Silas chuckled under his breath. The sound was low and mocking. "Still the same noisy girl from the nobles' gatherings, huh?"

Selyne's brow furrowed. "Noisy? Excuse me, I was the life of those parties!"

Azrael coughed quietly into his handkerchief. He muttered just loud enough for her to hear. "More like the chaos of those parties."

"What was that?" She glared and planted her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," he said innocently. His smirk showed even with half his face covered.

Silas leaned toward her a little. A teasing glint was in his piercing blue eyes. "So, Selyne, who is the masked guy hiding behind you like a criminal?"

Azrael froze for a second. He thought, great, the spotlight is on me. He lowered his handkerchief slightly. "Just someone trying to live a peaceful life."

"Peaceful?" Silas snorted. He looked him up and down with disdain. "You? You look like you attract trouble."

Selyne crossed her arms and nodded. "He does. He is like a trouble magnet. Everywhere he goes, something explodes. Either people or property."

"Hey!" Azrael protested. "That is not, okay, maybe sometimes and you havent added relation? should I tell them about last night."

Selyne went quiet signaling her fingers to say to him 'be quiet'.

Aria exhaled softly. A small curve tugged at her lips. She looked at Selyne. "Still the same. You find the loudest company possible."

That made Silas laugh for real. "And the most suspicious, apparently."

Before Azrael could reply, a new voice echoed from the stage. It was amplified by a faint spell.

"Attention, students. The orientation ceremony is now officially concluded."

The professor was a woman with long, silver-gray hair tied in a tight bun. Her tone was strict but also clear. "Classes will begin tomorrow morning. You may now collect your academic smart devices from the information terminals located near the main gates."

A low murmur spread through the hall as students began to stand.

"Until then," the professor continued. Her voice cut through the noise. "You are free to explore the academy grounds. Your classrooms, dorms, practice areas, or other facilities. You may also meet your seniors if you wish. However, certain areas remain restricted for new students, so please stay within the permitted zones. That will be all. Dismissed."

Then the magic projection faded. The noise of conversation of students filled the hall again.

Silas stretched and rolled his shoulders. "Finally. I thought I was going to die of boredom listening to all that."

Selyne nodded. "Same! My brain stopped paying attention after the word welcome."

Azrael smirked. "That is generous of you. Mine stopped when the speech started."

Aria's eyes flicked toward him briefly. Her expression was unimpressed. She turned back to Selyne. "Would you like to walk around together? It might be nice to catch up."

Selyne's eyes sparkled. "Yes! Let us go!"

Aria and Selyne walked side by side. Their quiet laughter changed the awkward silence from before. Silas followed behind them lazily. Azrael trailed a few steps back. No one noticed him.

Aria had not looked at him once since the introductions. It was as if he did not exist.

Azrael thought dryly, 'yep, totally invisible. I love this place already.'

They walked through the academy's main courtyard.

Students passed by in small groups. Their voices were full of excitement as they looked at the training grounds and gardens. The place was big. It had clean marble pathways and tall statues of past champions.

"Whoa," Selyne said. Her head turned everywhere. "This place is way bigger than I imagined!"

Silas smirked. His tone was arrogant. "Of course. This is the pride of Elarion. Not a playground for the weak." He was looking at Azrael saying so.

Azrael muttered just loud enough to be heard as his ego kicked in. "Then it is weird they let you in."

Silas stopped and turned. He looked at him with a calm smile that did not reach his eyes. "What did you say?"

Selyne stepped between them quickly. Her hands were up. "Stop! No fighting! It is the first day!"

Aria sighed softly. She did not turn around. "Do not bother, Selyne. They both look like they need to fight to feel normal."

That shut them up. But they kept glaring at each other.

After a while, they reached the edge of the practice field. Selyne pointed. "Oh, look over there!"

A girl sat under a large oak tree. She was alone and relaxed. She did not care about the students passing by. She had soft pink hair to her shoulders. Her cat-like ears twitched lazily. Her long legs stretched out. A curl of smoke rose from her lips.

She was smoking.

Her golden-yellow eyes glowed in the sunlight as she glanced at them. She looked uninterested. Then she looked back at the sky.

"She is smoking?" Selyne whispered. Her voice mixed shock and interest. "Can students do that here?"

Azrael blinked. He knew right away. Astrid Fal Orenis. The famous catgirl heroine. The prodigy from the Beast World.

Silas clicked his tongue in disgust. "Another weirdo. How many freaks will the academy let in this year? Standards are dropping."

Azrael kept his eyes on her. He did not move. His pulse got faster. This was a major character. The heroine He did not expect to see her so soon.

Silas saw his stare and smirked. "What? Do not tell me you like the weird ones?"

Azrael did not look away. His voice was calm. "That weird one could beat you in seconds."

Silas froze. "What?"

Azrael turned to him. His expression was hard to read behind his handkerchief. "You heard me. You would not last a minute against her."

Silas's eyes narrowed. His smile was gone. "You talk big for someone hiding behind cloth like a coward."

"Better that," Azrael replied. "Than being too stupid to see real danger."

The air between them got tense. Even Aria looked up. She was curious.

"That is enough," she said coolly. Her voice stopped the hostility. "Silas, stop provoking him."

Silas sighed. He ran a hand through his silver hair. "I am not provoking anyone. Just stating facts."

Aria looked at the catgirl again. "Still, he might be right about one thing." Her tone was curious. "Her aether feels faint. Almost nothing. Too weak for a fighter. And yet..."

Her brows furrowed. "She is here. That means something is hidden. Something we cannot sense."

For the first time, her gaze turned to Azrael. It was sharp. "You know about her, do you not?"

Her attention made him freeze. His heart jumped. He thought, shit. She noticed.

"Uh, yeah, of course," he said fast. He tried to sound casual. "Why would I not? She is the talk of her world. A prodigy from the Beast World. You can tell, right? She is not a noble. Not from Elarion. And she got in. That says a lot."

Aria tilted her head. She studied him with perceptive eyes. "You said that like you met her before."

He coughed nervously. "Did I? No, no. I meant stories from students. Rumors and stuff. Haha."

Selyne crossed her arms. She looked unimpressed. "Oh, I thought you were friends with her. Silly me for thinking a guy like you could have friends."

He glared at her. "You really do not stop, do you?"

"Not until you admit I am right," she said proudly.

Their arguing stopped when another student came up. He was tall and wore a Discipline Committee badge. His expression was sour as he looked at Astrid.

"Smoking is forbidden on academy grounds," he said sharply. His voice was full of importance. "Put that out."

Astrid did not move. She did not look at him. She exhaled another puff of smoke.

"Hey! I am talking to you!" The boy's face got red with anger. He reached to grab the cigarette.

But before his hand reached her, fssht!

She vanished.

A second later, only a faint shimmer was left where she sat.

Azrael's eyes widened. His Limitless Comprehension skill worked hard. His mind processed it. He saw it as a single shift in space. She moved faster than the eye. Faster than thought.

Silas's mouth hung open. Aria's calm face showed surprise. A small smile curled her lips.

Selyne blinked. "What, where did she go?"

Azrael stayed silent. His eyes narrowed. He thought, so that is her strength. A cold knot formed in his stomach. Speed like teleportation.

Then they heard laughter from students nearby. They pointed at the boy.

His shirt was sliced clean. The front was cut into a middle finger shape.

The boy looked down. His face turned deep red. The crowd laughed around him.

Selyne snorted. She covered her mouth to hide a giggle. "I think she is my new favorite person."

Azrael stared at the empty spot under the tree. Awe and worry showed in his eyes.

He thought, Astrid Fal Orenis. The quiet storm. The last person I wanted on my list of problems.

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