Back to the present.

"Hm? What are you guys doing here?"

Azhriel turned his head slowly, his tired eyes widening just a little when he saw who stood behind him.

He had been expecting Elizabeth, maybe even Alaric—but the rest of them? The entire group from the banquet hall, gathered here at the top of the tower?

That was surey unexpected.

"Haa… That's what we should be asking you, dude," Raymond said with a weary sigh, his tone halfway between exasperation and exhaustion.

He walked over and dropped down beside Azhriel without ceremony.

His suit was torn in several places, dark patches of dried blood staining the fabric. Cuts crisscrossed his arms and shoulders, and the scent of battle still clung to him.

Azhriel leaned back, resting against the cold wall behind him, and tilted his head slightly.

"Me?" he said, as if the answer was obvious. "The banquet chatter was just too much for me. So I came here to get some fresh air."

"This far out, just for fresh air?" Samuel asked, crouching down in front of him, one eyebrow raised.

Azhriel's gaze shifted to the sprawling city below. The lights glittered like fallen stars in the distance, and a soft night wind brushed past them.

"This place is just that good," he said quietly, his voice softer than before.

Then his eyes moved to Elizabeth. A faint smile appeared on his lips, not mocking, not playful—just a quiet, tired smile.

"Also… sorry, Eli. I made you worry again, didn't I?" he said. "Though, you know, you don't need to worry about me that much. I appreciate it, but I can handle myself. I'm… not the same as before. You know that, right?"

For a moment, the world seemed to quiet around them as his sapphire eyes met hers, steady and calm, with a faint trace of something warmer hidden deep within.

Something that neither of them had quite known yet.

And then, like a sudden gust scattering fallen leaves, the moment shattered.

Elizabeth crossed her arms, turning her face sharply to the side, her cheeks faintly flushed in the pale moonlight.

"Hmph! Who said I was worried, idiot?" she said, her voice sharp and firm, though the tips of her ears betrayed her.

Azhriel blinked slowly.

'Ah, yes. My tsundere childhood friend,' he thought, a faint laugh almost escaping him.

But before he could say anything, a voice beside Elizabeth joined in with playful cruelty.

"Grandpa, Grandpa! I can't find Azhri—" Chloe's voice rose in an overly dramatic, singsong tone as she mimicked Elizabeth's panic from earlier, she

even clasped her hands together as if to pray.

Though she never got to finish.

Elizabeth's hand shot out like lightning, clamping over Chloe's mouth with a grip so tight the poor girl's breathing almost stopped.

"Mmph—! Mmmphhh!" Chloe squirmed, slapping at Elizabeth's wrist, her muffled protests sounding like a trapped animal.

Everyone else froze for a heartbeat, then Azhriel chuckled slightly. It was good seeing the girl who has always been cold to others gaining friends.

Raymond looked away, shoulders trembling, doing a poor job of hiding his grin. While Kevin laughed audibly earning a glare from Elizabeth.

Even Sydelle, who had been leaning casually against the railing, covered her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to stifle her laugh.

Elizabeth, however, was merciless, refusing to loosen her grip as she hissed between clenched teeth, "Not. Another. Word."

Chloe, face red and eyes watering, could only nod frantically.

It was a rare moment of peace—ridiculous, human, and fleeting—against the backdrop of the chaos that had just passed.

The night wind whistled softly around the clock tower, carrying with it the faint scent of the city below.

Azhriel's eyes lingered on them for a moment longer before he exhaled slowly.

"Now then," he said at last, voice even, calm but without a hint of jest this time. "What are you all doing here? And you two—" his gaze shifted to Raymond and Samuel, both of them looking as if they had been run over by a stampede, "—why do you look like you just wrestled a berserk bull?"

Kevin threw up his hands. "Man, you couldn't even begin to guess what happened."

Azhriel tilted his head slightly, one brow lifting. "What? You fought a demon or something?"

There was a trace of sarcasm in his tone, so casual it almost sounded like mocking them.

Kevin blinked at him. Deadpan.

"Dude… you a psychic or something?"

That made Azhriel pause. His expression didn't shift, but his eyes did—sharpening, focusing.

Slowly, his head turned toward Alaric, who had been standing there all this time, silent like a shadow, watching.

"Old man," Azhriel said plainly, "is it true?"

The group froze.

'The fuck—' Raymond cursed internally, nearly biting his tongue.

'Holy—' Kevin couldn't even complete his thought, staring wide-eyed.

Around them, mouths fell slightly open. Samuel. Chloe. Nyverra. Everyone except Elizabeth and Caelyn looked like statues.

Did he just…?

'Dude, what the hell are you doing calling an Archon "old man"? Do you have a death wish?' Kevin thought, shooting a glance at Alaric, half-expecting lightning to fall from the sky.

But instead of fury, Alaric's expression barely shifted.

The Archon didn't react to the words. His calm eyes regarded Azhriel steadily, and when he finally spoke, his voice carried neither anger nor rebuke.

"Yes, boy," Alaric said, with a long, regretful sigh. "It's true. The academy was attacked."

The words hung in the air like a hammer blow.

Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled the hour, but no one said anything.

"How?" Azhriel asked simply, his tone even.

Kevin immediately stepped forward, eager to explain.

With animated gestures and far too much pride, he went over everything that had happened in the hall—the demonic outbreak, David losing control, the panic that followed.

And of course, he made sure to add his own exaggerated details, including how he supposedly scared one demon off just by glaring at it.

"…and that, my friend, is how you do it," Kevin said, finishing with a smirk. Azhriel ignored Kevin's boasting.

Azhriel brushed a hand through his hair, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Well… that was quite unexpected," he murmured, his voice calm and level, as if this whole event was just an inconvenient surprise rather than something shocking.

Alaric's sharp eyes studied him. "You seem… much calmer than I would have expected, hearing about demons," the Archon said slowly, his words deliberate.

There was something in his tone, a hidden question that only Azhriel seemed to catch.

The others glanced between the two, sensing there was more to this than what was being said aloud.

Azhriel tilted his head slightly, the faintest of smiles appearing on his lips.

"Hm. Do you expect me to throw a tantrum, or go on a rage spree, just at the mention of demons?"

The smile didn't reach his eyes.

Elizabeth's sharp gaze caught it instantly.

A mask.

A fake smile.

But she said nothing. She somehow knew there was a story behind that expression, one that he wasn't ready to tell.

Alaric chuckled softly, the sound warm despite the tension. "Haha… you've matured quite a lot from that stubborn brat I remember," he said, shaking his head with a faint smile.

"Heh," Azhriel leaned back against the cold wall behind him, smirking slightly. "Let's just say… I got my IQ back to what it originally was."

The words left everyone blinking in confusion.

"…IQ back?" Samuel muttered, not following at all.

Even Kevin tilted his head, eyebrows scrunched, trying to make sense of it.

Raymond laughed lightly, breaking the silence. "Ah, man, you seriously are a strange one, bud," he said, shaking his head with a grin. "But… in a good way."

Azhriel glanced at him, his smirk softening just a fraction. "You're not the first to say that."

"Arianne also said the same thing," he added, turning his gaze to the crimson-eyed girl leaning silently a short distance away.

"Hm?" Arianne blinked, caught off guard by the sudden mention.

"I said the truth," she replied simply, her voice calm.

For a moment, the group sat in silence, the city lights glittering below like fallen stars, and the weight of things unspoken hung in the cool night air.

"Ugh, because of what happened, I couldn't even eat anything," Kevin groaned, clutching his stomach as if he had just survived a famine.

"Well, stopping a demon and helping all those cadets did take a lot of energy," Chloe said matter‑of‑factly, brushing imaginary dust off her clothes.

"What are you talking about, girl? We didn't even fight," Alicia shot back, giving her a deadpan look.

"Details, details. Who cares about those?" Chloe waved her hand dismissively as if facts weren't important in the slightest.

Samuel stretched and got up from where he was sitting. "Ah, I know a nice restaurant. Good food, quiet atmosphere."

"Food," a soft voice mumbled, cutting everyone off.

They all turned to look.

It was Caelyn. She had just woken up, eyes half‑lidded and drowsy, a tiny streak of drool at the corner of her lips. She wiped it with the back of her sleeve and blinked slowly.

A collective laugh broke out from everyone at the sight.

"Yup, let's go," Samuel said, grinning. "However, Kevin's paying."

"Huh? Why me?" Kevin turned to him, eyes wide.

"Oh, thanks, Kevin," Chloe said immediately, pretending as if it had already been decided.

"Wha—wait a second—!"

"I wouldn't mind a good steak. Thanks, Kevin," Raymond added, grinning as he patted Kevin on the shoulder.

"No—why are you all—"

"Let's go," Caelyn said simply, raising her hand lazily, already walking ahead with surprising determination for someone who had just woken up.

"See? Even Caelyn has spoken. It's settled," Samuel said, following after her.

One by one, everyone started moving.

"No—hey! Stop ignoring me!" Kevin shouted, running after them as his complaints echoed into the night.

Even Azhriel's lips curved slightly upward as he stood, brushing dust off his cloak, before following the group.

The cold night air carried their voices as they walked toward the city lights.