CHAPTER 176: ALMOST LATE!

After taking a good rest, he picked up his bag and carefully strapped his sword to his side. With steady steps, he left the area.

After walking for more than half an hour, he reaches the terminal. The place was busy, filled with the sound of footsteps, chatter, and the clinking of coins.

He walked through the crowd and handed over several gold coins as payment before being allowed to continue.

From there, the transport carried him straight to the Arcadia terminal. By the time he arrived, almost all of the students had already gathered.

As he stepped inside, a few of the first-year students immediately turned their heads toward him, their eyes lingering with curiosity and perhaps a little suspicion.

Among them stood several guards he didn’t recognize. They wore unfamiliar armor, their sharp gazes scanning the crowd.

Even a few of those guards stopped to stare at him with heir expressions unreadable.

Kael walked straight toward his dormitory, his bag hanging from his shoulder and his sword bouncing lightly.

The stone pathway leading to the dorm was lined with groups of students chatting in low voices.

As he pushed the door open, he noticed that some of them suddenly went quiet, their eyes flicking toward him. Others didn’t bother hiding their whispers.

"Is that him?" one of the second year students muttered just loud enough for others to hear.

"Yeah... I heard he caused trouble again," another replied, shaking his head.

Kael slowed his steps, frowning. He didn’t know what they were talking about.

"I can’t believe he got away with it. If it were anyone else, they’d be punished already," a girl added, her tone sharp with disapproval.

"Shh, don’t be so loud. What if he hears you?" a boy whispered nervously, though his eyes still followed Kael with suspicion.

Their words stung, but Kael kept walking, pretending not to notice. He had no idea what was going on or why they were looking at him like that.

All he knew was that something about the way they murmured made it feel like he had done something terribly wrong, something he couldn’t even remember doing.

The weight of the sword finally pressed too heavily against Kael’s shoulder.

By the time he made it into his dorm room, the exhaustion from carrying a heavy sword had caught up to him.

His back ached, his arms felt sore, and his eyelids carried a heaviness that was impossible to ignore.

He unfastened the thick leather strap holding the sword and let it slide down with a metallic thud against the wooden floor.

For a moment, Kael stared at the weapon, its surface was faintly catching the glow of the lantern light.

It was a reminder of everything he carried, not just its physical weight, but the burden of survival, the need to grow stronger, and the shadow of the future war he dreaded.

But he was too tired to think about any of that.

Without even bothering to remove his boots, Kael collapsed onto his bed.

His breathing slowed, the sounds of the academy faded into silence, and soon enough, he fell into a deep.

The next morning came far too quickly.

Kael woke to the glaring rays of sunlight cutting through the small window above his bed.

His eyes widened. Something wasn’t right. He sat up abruptly, realizing that he had overslept.

"Damn it," he muttered, rubbing his face before scrambling to his feet.

He splashed water on his face, quickly fastened his uniform, and grabbed his sword.

Every second felt like it slipped away too fast. By the time he rushed out of the dorm and sprinted across the academy grounds, his heart was pounding in both panic and frustration.

When he finally reached Ground Zero, almost every student was already gathered.

Dozens of them stood in small clusters, their voices blending into a low hum of chatter.

The air was filled with the crisp scent of grass, dampened by morning dew.

Kael slowed down, trying to catch his breath. His eyes scanned the field quickly.

The professors hadn’t arrived yet, which was a small relief, but that relief was short-lived.

(Where’s Cecelia?)

His gaze darted around the field. He looked at each group, students chatting, some laughing, others waiting quietly but Cecelia was nowhere to be seen.

A faint line of worry creased his brow. She was usually early, never one to miss a gathering.

Before he could dwell on it longer, a familiar voice called out.

"Kael!"

He turned. A girl was making her way toward him, moving gracefully as the crowd seemed to part slightly to let her through.

Her long hair brushed aside with each step, catching the sunlight like threads of gold.

She wore the academy uniform neatly, though there was a softness in her demeanor that set her apart from most others.

It was Veyla, the healer known among their classmates for her calm presence and gentle smile.

Kael straightened up, pushing aside the thoughts of Cecelia for now.

"Veyla," he greeted with a small nod.

"You’re late," she teased lightly, though her tone held no malice.

"I thought you didn’t turn up after midterm break."

"And see, you are late"

Kael scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Yeah... I overslept."

Veyla giggled softly, then tilted her head. "You always push yourself too hard. It’s no wonder you’re tired."

He gave a small shrug. "Maybe." Then, deciding to change the subject, he asked, "So, how was your midterm break?"

Her eyes brightened immediately, as though she had been waiting for someone to ask.

"It was... busy," Veyla said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I went back home, to the village. My family needed help, especially my mother. The fields were in terrible shape after the storms."

Kael listened quietly, nodding for her to continue.

"Every day, I woke up at dawn. I helped my father mend fences, carried buckets of water for the crops, and tended to the sick animals. My little brother came down with a fever too."

"I had to use healing spells, the simple ones we practiced here, to ease his pain." Her voice softened at the memory.