CHAPTER 568: GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER

After weaving through the quiet hallways, the group finally entered Sheila’s dorm. The moment the door swung open, a soft gasp rippled through nearly everyone. The room stretched far wider than any of them had expected, its high ceiling and warm lantern-lit walls giving the impression of a small private suite rather than a student dormitory. Plush seating lined one side, a crystal-framed window took up half the opposite wall, and a meticulously arranged shelf of scrolls and trinkets hinted at Sheila’s organized nature.

When Sheila had said spacious, they had assumed she meant spacious in the same way the newly assigned dorms were—comfortable, a bit wider than before, but ultimately modest. Seeing it now, it became clear her standard for space was entirely different. While it wasn’t extravagantly larger, the difference was unmistakable, enough to make Dylan whistle under his breath and Max spin in a slow circle with raised brows.

Once everyone settled onto cushions or the long sofa, their attention steadily drifted toward the one person who had promised to fill in the blanks that had haunted them for months. Liam sat with his usual still composure, elbows on his knees, hands loosely clasped. No one rushed him, but the quiet anticipation thickened the air.

Liam began with the truth threaded through carefully chosen words—he told them about discovering he was the son of the late Princess of Solara, the revelation hitting him not long after the war. He explained, just as he had with the Silverharts, that he had lived his entire life unaware of his parentage and that everything he knew now had only come to light recently. His tone remained even as he shared only the faintest outlines, painting a picture that felt complete yet was full of deliberate spaces.

His words flowed with just enough clarity that no one realized how skillfully vague he was being. He never stumbled, never allowed emotion to color the story beyond what was necessary, and by the end, they all nodded in acceptance—believing they’d been entrusted with more than they truly had.

When he finished, he calmly opened the floor, offering them the chance to ask whatever they wanted. The moment the invitation left his mouth, all restraint shattered. A barrage of questions hit him at once—so rapid, overlapping, and chaotic that Liam immediately regretted his generosity. Dylan’s voice blended with Max’s, Ariana’s with Sheila’s, Asher chiming in despite pretending he didn’t care, and Charlotte leaning forward with almost predatory eagerness.

Among the rainstorm of questions, one in particular stood out to all of them—the question they had been quietly circling since the moment he mentioned discovering his origins late in life.

Where had he been living all this time, if he’d never known any of this?

Liam answered with clipped honesty, revealing only the surface. He told them he had lived under the guidance of a family in Nystra City, a place he stayed before enrolling in the academy. He offered no names and no detailed memories. He left out Benbrok entirely—left out the weight of his grandfather’s death, the loneliness that clawed at him in the Dark Forest, the harsh survival that shaped the foundation of the boy they met a year ago.

But even with so little shared, they sensed something. The Liam they knew was still there—guarded, private, unwilling or simply not ready to open the darker corners of his past. Yet the fact that he had chosen to tell them even this, to peel back even one layer, felt like a small victory, one they appreciated more deeply than they admitted aloud.

From there, questions shifted to lighter, though still eager topics. Galen Magna’s relation to Liam stunned them into near silence for a moment, the idea of yet another powerful lineage emerging among their group hitting harder than expected. Then came the realization that the academy now housed heirs from all three different kingdoms—Sheila from Crescent, Chris from Tempest, and Liam from Solara.

Once Liam had weathered the storm of inquiries, Sheila suggested with gentle sincerity that the conversation shouldn’t be so one-sided. If anyone revealed anything, it shouldn’t only be him. They should share about themselves as well—balance the scale, ease the tension, make it feel like a true circle of trust rather than everyone staring at one person.

Her suggestion barely had time to settle before Dylan eagerly agreed, Max shrugged with immediate acceptance, Ariana brightened, Charlotte smirked, and even Asher offered no objection—just a begrudging nod. Liam watched their willingness with a quiet, unreadable expression, as though calculating whether he regretted opening this door or appreciated the gesture.

And so, one by one, they began. Max talked about his challenges growing up in Tempest’s mining district in Zone 12 before enrolling. Dylan spoke animatedly about his chaotic family and his troublemaking as a kid. Sheila shared stories about her journey as a princess struggling to live up to expectations. Ariana opened up about her insecurities with magic. Asher begrudgingly offered bits about his harsh training and constant competition with his older sibling. Charlotte revealed snippets of her noble life in the southern wilds of the kingdom, her jaguar form earning teasing remarks that she fired right back.

The dorm filled with laughter, teasing comments, dramatic reenactments, and the kind of warmth that felt strangely overdue. As they spoke, they discovered just how much of each other they had missed—how the lockdown, the war, and the chaos of the months before had kept them close yet unknowingly distant.

Even Liam, who stayed quiet the longest and contributed the least, found himself listening more intently than he intended. Their stories felt... grounding. Familiar. Human. They anchored him in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, pulling him away from the shadow of Aesmirius and reminding him, perhaps unwillingly, that he didn’t have to walk the same hollow road.

He didn’t smile—not outright—but something in him eased. A soft, quiet shift. A sense of... relief, maybe. Gratitude he would never say aloud. But it was there nonetheless, subtle as a heartbeat.

By the time their conversations faded into calmer murmurs, a gentle warmth lingered across the room—an unspoken understanding that afternoon had changed something between them all. Not drastically, not dramatically, but enough to make them feel closer, more connected, and far more certain that despite everything they had endured, they weren’t alone.

***

After what felt like hours of trading stories, mocking each other with familiar ease, and drifting between serious confessions and playful jabs, the sky outside Sheila’s tall window had shifted into a warm, dying gold. Eventually the sun dipped fully behind the academy walls, leaving the room dim and softly lit by the lanterns. That was all the cue Dylan needed.

He shot to his feet with the enthusiasm of someone who had been waiting all day for an excuse. "Alright, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving," he declared, already halfway to the door before anyone could stop him.

No one even bothered to argue. They rose with amused resignation and followed him out of the dorm, descending the stairs as the academy’s nocturnal hum settled in—the echo of footsteps, the faint chatter of other students drifting down the hallways, and the occasional clatter from the cafeteria ahead.

Just like earlier, when only Liam, Asher, and Dylan had stopped by for a quick meal, the cafeteria was overflowing again. Students gathered at every table, voices blending into a constant, murky buzz. But the moment Liam walked in with the group, that buzz wedged itself into hushed curious whispers. Heads turned, eyes lingered, and some students didn’t bother to hide their fascination.

Charlotte’s expression soured immediately. She glared at anyone whose gaze lingered too long on Liam, shoulders squared like a guard about to tackle someone across the room. She muttered something about "people forgetting how to mind their business." Her volume wasn’t low.

Asher wasn’t much better, though his anger took a different shape—more annoyance than protectiveness. He didn’t appreciate the attention directed at Liam, but he appreciated even less the occasional side-glances thrown his own way. Every time someone stared too long, he clicked his tongue in irritation.

The only person unaffected was the source of all the attention. Liam walked steadily, uninterested, almost bored by the entire spectacle. He didn’t so much as spare the crowd a glance. He just took his tray, collected his food, and moved toward the far side of the cafeteria. The others trailed behind him with varying degrees of indignation.

Eventually they found an empty table and sank into their seats. The tension vanished almost immediately as they resumed their usual dynamic. Dylan was loud, Max fired insults back at him, Asher snarked in between bites, Charlotte flirted shamelessly with half the table—especially Liam, who ignored her with practiced expertise—while Ariana chuckled softly. Their voices, laughter, and chaotic energy blended into something warm and familiar, something that made the stares around them fade into nothing.

By the time they finished eating, the hall had thinned out. Plates were emptied, drinks drained, and the steady drag of exhaustion was finally starting to catch up with them. They rose together and headed out, slipping into the cool evening air as they began the walk back toward the dorms. Instinctively, they paired off as they always did—Dylan with Max, Charlotte hovering near Asher, Ariana drifting comfortably between them.

The chatter didn’t stop. It flowed effortlessly, bouncing from one person to another as they strolled beneath the lantern-lit walkways. But then Sheila’s voice entered the mix, soft and hesitant.

"Um... Liam," she called gently as they walked.

Liam slowed his steps at the sound of his name. He turned his head just enough to look at her, his expression as neutral as always. "Yeah?" he murmured.

Sheila hesitated only a heartbeat before continuing, her fingers brushing nervously at the hem of her sleeve. "Do you think we could... talk? Just for a moment?"

Liam studied her quietly, his expression unreadable. ’Talk? Is this about that meeting with her father?’ The question flickered through his mind with mild suspicion, but nothing about her seemed tense—just earnest, maybe even slightly anxious.

After a short moment, he nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

Sheila’s eyes brightened in subtle relief, though she tried not to make it obvious. As she and Liam slowed their pace, drifting behind the rest of the group, she called out to the others in a calm, collected tone.

"You guys can go ahead. We’ll catch up soon."

Everyone paused mid-step and turned back to look at them, eyebrows raised almost in unison. Liam and Sheila took a different path—a small side route that looped around the academy gardens and led back to the dorms in a longer, quieter arc.

Dylan was the first to break the silence, lips spreading into a wide, taunting grin. "Well, would you look at that," he said with theatrical delight. "I knew something was going on with those two. Charlotte, looks like Liam really doesn’t have feelings for you after all."

Charlotte’s gaze followed the pair until they rounded the path’s bend. Instead of looking offended, she smirked, crossing her arms loosely. "Say whatever you want, Dylan," she replied with lazy confidence. "But I know my boo. He wants me. He’s just pretending he doesn’t. Playing hard to get." Her tone dipped into a velvety purr that made Max visibly cringe.

Max muttered something under his breath, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that..."

Charlotte’s eyes snapped to him instantly. "What was that, Maxie?" she said loudly.

"You heard me," Max shot back, refusing to back down.

And just like that, the group descended into another wave of bickering. Dylan eagerly stoked the flames, laughing at every jab. Asher silently walked along with an expression that hovered between boredom and secondhand embarrassment. Ariana, however, remained a few paces behind the others, her eyes lingering thoughtfully on the path Liam and Sheila had taken. She wondered, with quiet curiosity, what kind of conversation the two were about to have—and why Sheila had asked for it now.