Chapter 10 - Tomorrows Problem
The moment Lyra stepped out of the Black Crest meeting room, the door closed quietly behind her.
And immediately-
"There you are."
Amy leaned dramatically against the nearby wall with her arms crossed.
Lyra stared at her.
"...How long have you been standing there?"
Amy ignored the question completely.
Instead, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You were inside for a long time."
"There was a lot to discuss."
"With the Black Crest."
"Yes."
"With Kaelan."
"Yes."
"With Lucian also inside."
Lyra paused briefly.
"...Unfortunately. And he wasn't the only one."
Amy gasped softly.
"Don't tell me Erix was there too."
"The entire Black Crest was there."
"That's terrifyingly honest coming from you."
Lyra started walking down the corridor.
Amy immediately followed beside her.
"So?" she asked instantly. "What happened?"
"You sound overly invested in this."
"Of course I'm invested in anything involving my dear friend."
"I've been thinking about this for a while," Lyra said thoughtfully, "and I feel like you've been exploiting the word 'friend'."
Amy smiled like someone caught stealing.
"Tell me everything."
"There isn't much to tell."
"That's exactly what people say before revealing important information."
Lyra exhaled quietly before explaining the situation.
The schedule conflict.
The dual-affinity complications.
Kaelan's suggestion regarding second-year combat classes.
Amy listened surprisingly seriously through most of it.
Until-
"Wait."
She stopped walking entirely.
"So you're joining second-year combat classes?"
"...Temporarily."
"With seniors?"
"Yes."
Amy slowly looked toward the ceiling.
Then back toward Lyra.
Then dramatically grabbed both of Lyra's shoulders.
"This is the greatest academic decision anyone has ever made."
Lyra already looked tired.
"You're enjoying this too much."
"No, listen to me carefully," Amy continued with terrifying sincerity. "This is incredible."
"I strongly disagree."
"It sounds entertaining."
Lyra gave her a deeply judgmental look.
Amy started walking again beside her, looking genuinely excited now.
"You'll be training with actual second-years."
"Yes."
"And Black Crest members are part of the combat division."
"...Yes."
Amy looked moments away from celebrating.
Meanwhile, Lyra narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Why are you so excited?"
"I'm supporting you emotionally."
"You're waiting for something entertaining to happen."
Amy smiled innocently.
"Those things can coexist."
Lyra sighed.
There it was.
The real reason.
Amy absolutely intended to enjoy this situation as much as possible.
And somehow-
that realization felt disturbingly believable.
"But Lucian looked disappointed," Lyra added calmly.
Amy blinked.
"Why?"
"Well, you know he's a magic student"
A brief silence followed.
Then Amy slowly covered her face.
"Don't tell me..."
"What?"
"He's upset because he'll miss the drama."
"...Apparently."
"He probably wanted front-row seats."
"Isn't that exactly how you feel?"
Amy smiled immediately.
"Are you concerned about me missing the drama, or missing my presence?"
Lyra suddenly felt exhausted all over again.
Amy looked thoughtful afterward.
"You know," she said slowly, "Seren is definitely going to enjoy this."
"Yeah. He's in the combat division."
"No," Amy corrected. "Seren enjoys watching people emotionally suffer."
"That somehow reminds me of you."
"He claims it builds character."
"That sounds even worse."
Amy laughed quietly beside her.
For some reason, the tension from earlier had almost completely faded now.
The academy corridors were calmer compared to the afternoon chaos. Most students had already returned to dormitories or evening activities while crystal lights glowed softly along the walls beneath the darkening sky outside.
"You know," Amy said eventually, "I'll come with you tomorrow."
Lyra glanced toward her.
"But you don't even have class there."
"I know."
"You don't need to come."
Amy shrugged lightly.
"Well, otherwise you'll look like someone walking toward their execution."
"That's your imagination."
"But an accurate one though."
Lyra couldn't really deny it.
The thought of entering an unfamiliar second-year combat class alone honestly sounded a bit terrifying.
Amy noticed the silence immediately.
"See?" she said proudly. "You need emotional support."
"I think you just want to witness a potential gossip event personally."
Amy thought seriously for exactly two seconds.
"...I can multitask."
Lyra looked away slightly, though this time her expression softened faintly.
Strangely-
the offer still felt comforting.
Even if Amy's motivations were clearly corrupted by curiosity.
By the time they returned to the dormitory tower, night had already settled completely over Valmere.
The corridors were quieter now.
Distant conversations echoed occasionally from nearby rooms while soft golden lights illuminated the common areas beneath the massive tower windows.
Inside the room, Amy collapsed dramatically onto her bed almost immediately.
"So it's decided. I'm coming with you tomorrow."
Lyra quietly placed her bag beside the desk.
Amy pointed lazily toward her from beneath the blankets.
"You don't understand the severity of this situation."
"I understand enough."
"No, listen carefully." Amy sat up slightly. "You. Erix Valehart. Second-year combat training. Black Crest members watching everything-"
"Why do you sound like a dramatic professor?"
"Because it sounds cooler this way."
Lyra genuinely didn't understand how Amy reached these conclusions so quickly.
Nothing had even happened yet.
And somehow-
everyone around her already seemed convinced tomorrow would become chaotic.
Eventually the room quieted again.
Amy disappeared beneath the blankets while continuing to complain sleepily about academy schedules and early classes.
Meanwhile, Lyra sat silently near the dormitory window.
Outside, Valmere Academy glowed beneath the endless darkness beyond the barrier.
Somewhere far in the distance-
past the academy walls-
the Black Forest waited quietly beneath the night sky.
Her thoughts drifted slowly back toward earlier events.
The combat trial.
That strange moment of silence.
And Erix Valehart.
Lyra still didn't understand why that brief moment of eye contact had unsettled her so much.
It made absolutely no sense.
They had barely interacted.
In fact-
her first impression of him had been terrible.
Cold.
Arrogant.
Unnecessarily rude.
And yet-
something about that moment still lingered strangely in her thoughts.
Like something had instinctively pulled both of their attention toward each other.
As if, for one second-
the crowd around them had disappeared completely.
Lyra frowned slightly before leaning back against the chair.
"...Annoying," she muttered quietly.
From the nearby bed, Amy's sleepy voice immediately echoed through the darkness.
"You're thinking about him already?"
Lyra almost threw something at her.
"I hate your instincts."
Amy sounded deeply pleased with herself afterward.
Unfortunately-
that only made Lyra even more certain tomorrow was going to become a problem.
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