Chapter 38 - The Little Things
The academy had a strange way of moving on.
Yesterday's arguments became today's whispers.
Today's whispers became tomorrow's forgotten conversations.
Classes continued.
Assignments piled up.
The world refused to stop.
...
Amy sat alone beneath one of the covered walkways connecting the academy buildings.
The afternoon breeze drifted through the open arches.
Students walked past in small groups.
Some laughed.
Some hurried toward their next lecture.
Amy simply watched them.
Her thoughts wandered.
She kept hearing her own voice from yesterday.
"You don't know her."
She hadn't planned to say any of it.
The words had simply... come out.
"...Was I really that angry?"
She wasn't sure.
Or perhaps...
She had been angry for a long time.
Just not at the people she thought.
"...Amy?"
She looked up.
A girl stood a few steps away, nervously clutching a stack of books against her chest.
Dark skin.
Short, curly black hair framed her face.
She shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.
"...Um..."
Amy offered a small smile.
"Hi."
The girl immediately looked flustered.
"S-Sorry."
"I didn't mean to interrupt."
"You looked like you were thinking."
Amy glanced around the empty walkway.
"I guess I was."
"...Oh."
Another awkward silence followed.
The girl fidgeted with the edge of one of her books.
"...Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
She took a deep breath.
"...Do you remember me?"
Amy blinked.
"...Should I?"
The girl's eyes widened.
"Oh!"
"No!"
"I didn't mean—"
She covered her face with one hand.
"That sounded really strange."
Amy couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped.
"...It's okay."
The girl lowered her hand little by little.
"...I'm Nora."
"We met a few weeks ago."
Amy searched her memory.
"I'm sorry..."
"I don't think..."
Nora hurriedly shook her head.
"...I'm the girl who thought you and Lyra were..."
She hesitated.
"...Dating."
Silence.
Then...
The memory came rushing back.
Lyra losing her balance.
The two of them collapsing into an awkward heap.
Nora opening the door at exactly the wrong moment.
The horrified look on her face.
And her immediate retreat before either of them could explain.
Amy burst into laughter.
Not a polite chuckle.
A genuine laugh.
The first in what felt like forever.
Nora blinked.
"...You remembered."
Amy tried to answer.
Instead...
She laughed even harder.
"I..."
"I can't believe..."
"...That actually happened."
Nora let out the biggest sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness."
"I've been thinking about that almost every day."
Amy wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"You ran away so fast."
"I panicked!"
"I didn't know where to look!"
"And then I spent the next week avoiding both of you."
That only made Amy laugh again.
For a few precious moments...
Nothing else mattered.
No rumors.
No misunderstandings.
Just...
An embarrassingly funny memory.
Nora smiled shyly.
"...You laughed like that back then too."
Amy's smile softened.
"...Did I?"
Nora nodded.
"You and Lyra..."
"You always looked like you were having fun."
Amy's eyes drifted toward the academy courtyard.
"...She laughed more back then too."
The words slipped out quietly.
Nora followed her gaze.
"...You two were really close."
Amy didn't answer.
Instead...
Memories quietly surfaced one after another.
Late-night conversations that somehow always lasted until sunrise.
Arguing over whose turn it was to clean the dorm room.
Lyra silently sliding the last dessert onto Amy's tray while pretending she wasn't hungry.
Amy complaining every morning when Lyra opened the curtains before class.
Shopping together in Asteron.
Getting lost because neither of them wanted to admit they had forgotten the way back.
And...
A certain first-year running away after misunderstanding everything.
Amy smiled to herself.
Back then...
Those moments had seemed ordinary.
Now...
She realized they had been precious.
"...Yeah."
"We were."
Nora hugged her books a little tighter.
"...It looked nice."
Amy looked at her.
Nora quickly lowered her eyes.
"I mean..."
"...Having someone you could be that comfortable with."
She immediately shook her head.
"S-Sorry."
"I talk too much when I'm nervous."
Amy chuckled softly.
"...No."
"I think you talk just enough."
Nora looked up in surprise.
Then smiled.
A small, embarrassed smile.
"I should go before I embarrass myself again."
Amy laughed.
"I think that ship sailed a long time ago."
Nora groaned quietly.
"...Please don't remind me."
She hurried off down the walkway.
Halfway there...
She nearly tripped over a loose stone.
She caught herself at the last second.
Looked around to make sure no one had noticed.
Then hurried away even faster.
Amy watched her disappear.
Still smiling.
The breeze gently rustled the trees nearby.
Slowly...
Her smile faded.
Almost absentmindedly, she reached into her bag.
Her fingers brushed against two cafeteria meal coupons.
She pulled them out.
Every afternoon...
She and Lyra had walked to the cafeteria together.
One coupon for each of them.
Today...
She only needed one.
Amy quietly stared at the second coupon resting in her palm.
Her fingers slowly closed around it.
"...I really miss her."
The words were barely louder than the breeze.
There was no anger left in them.
Only longing.
Not for answers.
Not for explanations.
Simply...
For her friend.
The training hall was nearly empty.
The steady rhythm of wooden swords echoed through the vast room.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
Lyra lowered her practice sword and exhaled slowly.
Again.
She adjusted her footing.
Raised the blade.
Stepped forward.
The sword cut cleanly through the air.
Again.
And again.
Each movement was deliberate.
Patient.
There was no frustration in her swings anymore.
Only quiet persistence.
Sweat dampened the strands of dark auburn hair that had escaped around her face.
Fresh bandages covered the blisters on her hands.
She barely noticed the sting.
"...Your shoulders."
Lyra immediately stopped.
She turned toward the entrance.
Mrs. Bradmore stood with her arms folded, watching from the doorway.
"...Professor."
"I thought you'd already gone back to the dormitory."
"I was."
Lyra glanced at the practice sword in her hand.
"...I just wanted a few more rounds."
Bradmore nodded, as though she'd expected exactly that answer.
She picked up a wooden sword from the rack.
"...Show me."
The two stepped into position.
Neither spoke.
Bradmore simply waited.
Lyra understood.
She moved first.
The wooden swords met with a sharp crack.
Bradmore redirected the strike effortlessly.
Lyra adjusted.
Attacked again.
Then again.
The exchange continued for several minutes.
Not a duel.
A lesson.
Finally...
Bradmore lowered her sword.
"...Enough."
Lyra immediately stepped back.
"...Was something wrong?"
Bradmore looked at her for a long moment.
"When we first met..."
"You never looked at your opponent."
Lyra blinked.
"...Professor?"
"You watched the ground."
"My hands."
"My feet."
"But never my face."
Lyra frowned slightly.
She hadn't realized it.
Bradmore smiled faintly.
"Today..."
"You've been watching my eyes."
Silence settled between them.
"You've stopped fighting the memories in your head."
Her voice was quiet.
"...You're finally fighting the person standing in front of you."
Lyra instinctively tightened her grip on the practice sword.
She thought back to their first lesson.
Every movement.
Every hesitation.
Every instinct to look away.
Without realizing it...
Something had changed.
Bradmore returned the wooden sword to the rack.
"The academy hasn't been kind to you these past few days."
She turned toward the exit.
"But don't let it decide the person you'll become."
Lyra lowered her head.
"...I'll try."
Bradmore paused.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"...I know you will."
Then she walked out.
Lyra quietly returned the practice sword to its place.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead before picking up her bag.
Without another thought...
She left the training hall.
Bradmore remained standing outside.
Watching her disappear down the corridor.
Only after Lyra had turned the corner...
Did she notice.
The hood rested against Lyra's back.
She had forgotten to pull it over her head.
Bradmore smiled to herself.
"...Good."
It was only a tiny change.
One Lyra herself hadn't even noticed.
But sometimes...
The smallest steps were the hardest to take.
The evening classes had just ended.
Students filled the stone walkways connecting the academy buildings.
Lyra walked among them with her usual quiet pace.
Conversations drifted through the courtyard.
A pair of first-year students glanced toward her.
One opened his mouth as if to say something.
His friend gave him a light nudge.
"...Leave it."
The boy hesitated.
Then nodded.
The conversation changed to something else.
Further ahead...
Another group looked in Lyra's direction.
For a brief moment...
Their voices lowered.
Then they continued walking.
Lyra noticed the small moments.
Not because the whispers had disappeared.
They hadn't.
But...
Something was different.
The certainty behind them was gone.
People no longer spoke as though they already knew the truth.
She wasn't sure why.
She wasn't even sure she cared.
She simply continued walking beneath the golden afternoon sun.
The breeze brushed gently across her face.
Cool.
Unobstructed.
Lyra instinctively lifted a hand toward her head.
Her fingers stopped halfway.
She looked up in quiet confusion.
The hood...
Was still resting behind her shoulders.
She stared at it for a brief moment.
Then...
Without thinking any further...
She lowered her hand.
And kept walking.
Meanwhile...
The academy gates slowly opened.
A transport carriage rolled through.
Students passing by instinctively slowed.
"...The subjugation team's back."
The carriage came to a stop.
Riven climbed down first with a groan.
"...I swear..."
"...I'm never volunteering again."
Kaelan laughed.
"You've said that after every mission."
"And one day I'll mean it."
The others chuckled.
The atmosphere was light.
Until Erix stepped down.
His eyes swept across the academy.
Something felt...
Different.
Not wrong.
Just...
Different.
Students glanced toward them.
Then quickly looked away.
Small conversations stopped the moment he passed.
He frowned slightly.
"...Did something happen?"
Before anyone answered...
A familiar voice called out.
"...Welcome back."
Seren approached with one hand tucked into his pocket.
His usual grin was there.
But...
It didn't quite reach his eyes.
Erix noticed immediately.
"...You've been unusually quiet."
Seren laughed.
"...Have I?"
"You have."
A brief silence settled between them.
Then Erix asked,
"...What happened while we were gone?"
Seren looked toward Lucian, who had just arrived.
The two exchanged a glance.
Neither seemed eager to answer.
Lucian sighed.
"...It's... a long story."
Erix's expression became serious.
"...Is everyone safe?"
"They are."
Lucian answered.
"...No one got hurt."
He paused.
"...Physically."
That single word hung in the air.
Erix's brows knitted together.
For the first time...
He felt genuinely uneasy.
Lucian folded his arms.
"...You should report to the Headmaster first."
"...After that..."
"...We'll explain everything."
Erix studied both of them.
Neither looked like they were exaggerating.
Whatever had happened...
It had affected more than one person.
He gave a slow nod.
"...Alright."
The three of them walked toward the administration building.
Behind them...
The evening sun bathed the academy in golden light.
Far across the academy...
The last echoes of wooden swords faded from the training hall.
Lyra had already left.
Neither she...
Nor Erix...
Realized they had crossed the same campus only minutes apart.
Author's Note
Welcome back, Erix. While he was away, a lot changed at the academy especially for Lyra. Now that everyone's paths are crossing again... things are about to get interesting.