Chapter 5 - Beyond the Barrier
By the time Amy caught up to Lyra outside the cafeteria, the afternoon sky had already darkened beneath heavy clouds.
"You walk too fast," Amy complained while trying to match her pace.
Lyra glanced at her briefly. "You caught up."
"So you knew I was following and still made me walk this far?" Amy looked personally betrayed.
Lyra looked ahead calmly. "In the end you did reach."
"That's not the point."
Amy exhaled dramatically before brightening again almost immediately.
"Anyway, come on. Let's go check the results."
"You seem unusually excited."
"Of course I'm excited." Amy looked genuinely offended by the question. "Do you know how humiliating it would be if I failed after all the drama this morning?"
"But as far as I remember, you weren't part of the drama."
"What do you mean I wasn't part of it?" Amy immediately protested. "I'm obviously the best friend of the dual-affinity student."
The proud smile on her face made Lyra slightly amused.
"How can someone be this shameless?"
Amy failed to notice the faint amusement hidden behind the comment.
"Anyway," she continued proudly, "the written section was terrible for me. What about you?"
"It was fine."
Before Lyra could say anything else, Amy grabbed her wrist and immediately started pulling her toward the central plaza.
The closer they got, the louder the academy became.
Students crowded around the massive crystal board near the fountain, some celebrating loudly while others looked seconds away from emotional collapse.
"I can't see anything," Amy complained while unsuccessfully trying to look over the crowd.
"That's because you're short."
Amy stopped walking immediately.
"I don't think that's something I should hear from you," she replied flatly. "We're practically the same height."
Lyra glanced toward several taller students nearby.
"...That sounds personal."
"It is personal."
Amy pushed through the crowd anyway.
Several students complained immediately.
Amy ignored every single one of them.
After several painful minutes involving unnecessary shoving and one almost-started argument, Amy suddenly froze near the front of the board.
Then immediately grabbed Lyra's sleeve again.
"We passed."
Lyra finally looked properly toward the glowing names.
AMY VALEN — Accepted
LYRA ASHBOURNE — Accepted
For a brief moment, Lyra felt quietly relieved seeing Amy's name there beside hers.
Then her eyes paused slightly on the surname.
Valen.
Something about it felt familiar.
But before she could think further, Amy looked toward her proudly.
"We survived."
"You say that very dramatically. It was just an exam"
"Because it wasdramatic."
For the first time that afternoon, Lyra almost smiled slightly.
Amy narrowed her eyes immediately.
"That was definitely a smile."
"No."
"Nothing will change even if you deny it, fortunately I saw it."
"You must be seeing things after getting too excited."
Around them, students excitedly discussed rankings, dorm assignments, and class divisions while academy staff attempted unsuccessfully to restore order.
The atmosphere felt different now.
Less like applicants.
More like students.
Amy suddenly looked energized again.
"Alright," she announced proudly, "since we officially belong here now, I'm giving you a campus tour."
"That sounds exhausting."
"That's because you hate exploring." Amy pointed accusingly at her. "Don't worry. I'll teach you the joy of unnecessary activities."
"I dislike unnecessary movement."
Amy ignored her completely.
The academy grounds stretched far beyond what Lyra originally expected.
Massive stone walkways connected towering buildings across multiple levels while crystal lamps illuminated the pathways beneath the darkening sky.
Training arenas, libraries, lecture halls, gardens, and observation towers spread throughout the enormous campus like an entire city hidden behind academy walls.
Students moved constantly through every corridor.
Some already wore academy uniforms while others still carried luggage through the courtyards.
Amy pointed toward nearly everything they passed.
"That building handles magical theory classes."
"That tower belongs to the alchemy division."
"That hallway is apparently cursed."
"You say that very casually."
"I heard someone exploded there last year."
"That doesn't improve the explanation."
Amy smiled proudly anyway.
Lyra quietly followed beside her, observing more than speaking.
For the first time since arriving at the academy, the unfamiliar atmosphere around her had started feeling slightly less distant.
Not comfortable.
Just quieter.
Eventually Amy guided her toward the western side of the campus.
The crowd slowly disappeared there.
The wind felt colder somehow.
Ahead of them, enormous silver barriers stretched across the outer borders of the academy grounds. Ancient barriers erected by countless magicians glowed faintly along the massive structures, forming a protective wall around the region.
And beyond it—
the forest began.
Dark.
Endless.
The Black Forest stretched across the horizon beneath heavy clouds, its towering trees swallowing light beneath twisted branches.
Amy's voice became quieter beside her.
"That's the western barrier," she explained. "Beyond that is monster territory."
Lyra's eyes remained fixed on the forest.
"The academy borders the outer regions directly," Amy continued. "There are safe zones near the edge for training missions, but deeper areas are completely restricted."
The wind shifted suddenly.
And something inside Lyra stilled.
At first, it looked like movement between the trees.
Then—
eyes.
Watching from deep within the darkness.
Several of them.
Quiet.
Patient.
Waiting.
A strange pressure crawled beneath Lyra's skin instantly.
Recognition.
The monsters beyond the barrier could sense her.
Even from here.
Her fingers straightened unconsciously beside her.
The forest almost felt alive.
"Lyra?"
Amy's voice suddenly broke through the silence.
Lyra blinked once.
The feeling disappeared immediately.
But Amy herself looked unsettled now, rubbing her arm slightly.
"...Did you feel something?" she asked quietly.
Lyra looked toward the forest one last time.
The eyes were gone.
"No," she answered calmly.
Amy frowned slightly but eventually nodded.
"Anyway," she muttered while forcing energy back into her voice, "before this place becomes even more terrifying, let me show you the dormitories."
The academy dorms were surprisingly modern compared to the older architecture surrounding the main campus.
Instead of massive shared halls, students lived in residential towers divided by year and class rankings. Wide common areas connected each floor while individual rooms remained separated in pairs.
Amy walked ahead confidently through the corridors.
"You're suspiciously familiar with this place already."
"I asked other students and seniors."
"That sounds exhausting."
"It's called social skills."
"I call it information gathering"
Amy looked deeply disappointed.
"You make friendship sound like some illegal business."
"It depends on the person."
Amy stared at her for a moment before speaking again, this time more quietly.
"Lyra... I think I should say this at some point."
Lyra looked toward her.
"The world might be scary," Amy said while continuing down the hallway, "but not all people are."
A brief pause followed.
"The world has an equal share of good and bad."
Something about the way she said it felt strangely practiced.
"That's what my brother used to say."
Eventually Amy stopped in front of a room near the upper floor.
Then smiled casually again, like the brief heaviness earlier never existed.
"Well," she announced lightly, "forget all the depressing life lessons. This is our room."
Lyra looked at the room number beside the door.
Then slowly toward Amy.
"...Ours?"
Amy nodded proudly. "Roommate assignments."
"You chose me."
"Obviously."
Lyra stayed quiet for a moment.
Out of all the people in the academy—
why her?
Amy was the kind of person who could naturally speak to anyone. She blended into places effortlessly, moved through conversations easily, smiled without hesitation.
Meanwhile Lyra spent most conversations trying to escape them.
The pairing made absolutely no sense.
But before she could question it further, Amy pushed the dorm door open dramatically.
"Congratulations," she announced proudly. "You're officially stuck with me now."
For some reason—
Lyra still wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.
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