Monster Academy: Alchemy of Souls Chapter 4: A Room for Two

[Soda’s Room—]

The angelic dormitory wing was alive with chatter and footsteps. Doors creaked open and shut as new pairs of roommates t one another for the first ti. So introductions began in whispers, others in bursts of laughter. The air within the environnt carried the nervous energy of beginnings and of strangers who in ti, might beco family.

At the far end of a sunlit corridor stood a tall door carved with feather motifs, glowing faintly as though kissed by sunlight itself. Inside it, a lody floated softly through the room.

Soda lay sprawled across her bed, one foot bouncing to the rhythm, her earbuds tucked loosely into her ears. Her phone rested on her chest as her phone screen was glowing with the music’s waveforms. She mouthed the lyrics at first, then with a grin, she began to sing along.

Her voice wasn’t polished like a trained angelic choir singer, but it was raw and alive, tumbling with laughter between words. She didn’t seem to care if she hit every note, what mattered was the way the music lit her up.

"♪ Nothing’s gonna break , nothing’s gonna hold down... ohhh, I’m flying higher, higher, higher! ♪"

She strumd the air with her fingers as though an invisible guitar were in her hands, her golden curls bouncing wildly. When the beat dropped, she jumped up from the bed, spun once in the middle of the room, and collapsed back onto her mattress in a fit of giggles.

Then the door creaked open few minutes later...

The hinges groaned as it opened slowly, letting in a shaft of light from the corridor. Soda sat up quickly, pulling one earbud free.

Standing there, frad by the doorway, was Valkyrie. Her bag slung across her shoulder, her posture was tight, every line of her body scread hesitation. Her dark hair was neat now, freshly brushed, but her eyes betrayed the nerves she carried like a second skin.

Soda gasped dramatically, she widened her eyes at the sight of Valkyrie. Imdiately she jumped off her bed, landing barefoot with a little thud.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" she blurted out, clapping her hands together. "Don’t tell ... don’t you dare tell you’re my new roommate!"

Valkyrie blinked, caught between confusion and amusent. "...I. guess I am." she said with a little smirk on her face.

Soda squealed up, rushing forward before Valkyrie could take another step inside. "This is insane! I was just thinking, please let them give soone interesting, soone with mystery in her eyes—and look! Here you are! Mystery eyes and all! Hahaha" she laughed it out.

Valkyrie shifted her bag awkwardly. "Uh... hi am Valkyrie?."

"Hi? Am Valkyrie?" Soda repeated, as though she was mocking her. "That’s it? Just ’hi’? Co on, give sothing more than that! We’re gonna live together, share secrets, laugh at dumb teachers, cry over exams—you can’t just give a ’hi.’"

Valkyrie’s lips twitched, but she held back a smile. "Okay. Hi... Soda, right?"

"Yes!" Soda threw her arms up like she’d just won a contest. "You know my na already! This is destiny. Absolute destiny."

"Yeah, uhmm, I...read...the sticker on your wall, it’s clear as day" Valkyrie said pointing to the letters on the wall of Soda’s bed as it clearly states S-O-D-A.

"OH-" Soda replied back.

Valkyrie fully stepped into the room, she placed her bag down carefully at the foot of the unclaid bed. She glanced around—and saw two beds, two desks, a wardrobe split evenly down the middle. One side already carried Soda’s mark, books stacked in wild piles, posters of angel bands pinned haphazardly, and glittering scarves draped over the chair.

"You can put your things there," Soda said, pointing dramatically to the empty space. "That’s your bed... Your kingdom...your throne." she said dramatically as if she was mocking valkyrie, but in reality that’s how Soda has always been, Fun. Cheerful. Playful, na it. She’s the vibe of the party.

Valkyrie sat gently on the edge, running her fingers across the blanket. "Not bad," she murmured.

"Huh?" Soda gasped again, pressing a hand to her chest. "Excuse , this is the most comfortable bed in the whole Academy. I tested them all. Okay, maybe just the three in this hall, but still—you got lucky."

Valkyrie’s response was short, and almost curt. "I’ll take your word for it." Soda tilted her head, watching closely. There was sothing stiff in the way Valkyrie sat, sothing guarded. She wasn’t unfriendly, she’s just locked away, like a book with too many sealed pages.

"So," Soda said carefully, plopping down cross-legged on her own bed, "are you always this serious, or is it just a first-day thing?"

Valkyrie shrugged. "Uhmm, I don’t know? Maybe both?"

"Hmm." Soda tapped her chin. "Well, don’t worry. I’ll fix that."

"Fix... what?" Valkyrie replied slowly

"Your serious face!" Soda leaned closer, pointing at Valkyrie’s expression. "Girl it’s all tighten up, like soone told you to chew lemons all day. No, no, no—we’re going to loosen you up."

That ti, Valkyrie couldn’t hold back a small laugh. She shook her head. "You’re ridiculous."

"That’s the spirit, Thank you," Soda said proudly, as if it were the highest complint.

Bit by bit, the tension began to lt. Soda’s chatter filled the space between them, and Valkyrie found herself replying more easily. Soda showed her the small shelf where she kept her music collection, flipping through glowing disks that pulsed with sound.

"I share everything in here," she said brightly, "music, books, snacks... except" she paused. "my comb. Touch my comb and we’re at war."

Valkyrie raised a brow. "Uhhh, Your..b?"

"Yes. It’s special. Gold-plated. Blessed by my grandmother. Sacred relic." Soda widened her eyes dramatically. "Very dangerous to thieves." Valkyrie laughed softly, shaking her head. "I’ll rember that."

"So... what are your powers? Have you discovered them yet?" Soda asked curiosly, her tone was half-playful and half-serious.

Valkyrie froze for a mont, she was caught off guard. She hugged her arms loosely around herself and shook her head. "I... don’t know. I haven’t discovered anything yet. I’m still new to all of this."

Soda blinked, her eyes widening like the thought had just hit her. "Wait—you haven’t gone through testing yet?!" She sat up straighter, almost bouncing in excitent. "That ans you’re still raw and totally unshaped. Oh, this is huge! You’ll have to undergo an official trial so they can figure out your gift. Every angel goes through it—it’s like a rite of passage."

Valkyrie tilted her head. "Testing?"

"Yeah," Soda said, nodding furiously. "They put you in this chamber, channel a bit of divine energy around you, and boom—your power manifests. Sotis it’s instant, sotis it takes a push, but once it clicks, you never forget it. It’s how we find our place in the angelic order."

Valkyrie’s brow furrowed. "That sounds... intense. And kind of terrifying."

Soda grinned. "Terrifying? Nah. It’s exciting. You’ll see." Valkyrie smirked faintly. "Easy for you to say"

"Well..., what is. your own powers?" Valkyrie asked pointing towards Soda. At that, Soda puffed up her chest proudly. "Uhmmm..."

She held out her hand toward Valkyrie’s bag, which rested at the foot of her bed. For a mont, nothing happened. Then a faint shimr rippled through the air, like heat waves rising off the ground. Slowly, the bag began to lift, floating a few inches into the air, carried by an unseen current. Valkyrie’s eyes widened. "You’re moving it without touching it?"

"Exactly!" Soda said, her grin stretching from ear to ear. She twirled her wrist, and the bag gently rotated in midair before floating back down. "I’m the Angel of Air. Wind, flight, breath—anything that dances through the sky, I can command it. Cool, right?"

"Cool?" Valkyrie whispered, leaning forward in awe. "That’s... incredible. Wait, you an you fly without the aid of your wings?"

"Hmmm, yes. But am still not perfect at that, am still learning.

Soda shrugged dramatically, though her pride still sparkled. "Eh, my powers have its perks. Great for sneaking snacks off the top shelf, or for dramatic entrances. You should see in battle training though—that’s when it really shines."

Valkyrie laughed softly, shaking her head. "You’re unbelievable."

"And you, my friend" Soda said, pointing a playful finger at her, "are about to be tested. Trust , I can’t wait to see what you’re hiding. I have a feeling it’s sothing big."

Valkyrie smiled faintly, though a flicker of unease passed through her eyes. She didn’t know it yet, but Soda was right.

They moved around the room together—Soda opened the wardrobe, showing where extra blankets were stored, pointing out the view from the window where the Academy towers stretched skyward. All the while, her voice bounced like sunlight, warm and infectious.

And Valkyrie, though still quieter, began to let herself smile more. She asked little questions, nodded along, and for the first ti since leaving her family that morning, she felt the weight on her chest ease.

When Soda noticed, she smirked knowingly. "See? I told you. Serious face, gone. You’ll thank later." Valkyrie rolled her eyes, but she didn’t deny it.

The evening light slanted across the room, bathing the whole place in soft gold. Outside, voices of other students echoed through the hall as they t their roommates. Inside, laughter had already filled this small space—laughter that marked the beginning of a friendship neither of them could have predicted.

For Valkyrie, it was the first real step into her new world, not as a stranger, but as soone finding her place. And Soda had made that first step a little easier for her.