By the ti Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan slipped back through the passageway and into the first-year dormitories, morning light stread through the tall windows of the common room.
Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan stepped inside, exhaustion from the training still lingering in their limbs.
Their entrance was t with the chatter of Amihan, Emranne, Hanako, and Morrigan, who were already gathered near the seating area. Unlike the three of them, the girls looked well-rested, dressed in athletic training outfits rather than their usual uniforms.
Morrigan, who had been laughing at sothing Hanako said, imdiately quieted the mont her gaze landed on Aiden.
Her usual bubbliness disappeared in an instant, replaced by a stiff posture and a curt nod in his direction before she returned her attention to the others.
Aiden barely reacted, used to it by now, but Adrian, as always, noticed. He leaned closer to Aiden and whispered, "You should keep count of how many tis she does that. Might set a record."
Aiden ignored him and instead addressed the group. "You all heading out?"
"Training," Amihan confird cheerfully. "Since the Solstice Trials are coming up, we figured we’d get an early start."
Hanako smiled. "You should join us soti. It’s more fun in a group."
"Fun isn’t exactly the word I’d use for it," Emranne muttered, tying her hair back.
Morrigan finished adjusting her wrist wraps and finally spoke, though her voice lacked the warmth she had monts ago. "We’ll be back later."
And just like that, the girls gathered their things and headed out, their conversation resuming as soon as they passed through the door.
Once they were gone, Adrian flopped onto the couch with a grin. "Morrigan’s still keeping that record strong, huh?"
Aiden sighed. "Drop it."
"We should get breakfast before we pass out." Sevan said.
"Agreed," Adrian said, stretching. "And maybe sneak in a nap before we all regret waking up this early."
Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan stepped out of their room, feeling slightly more refreshed after washing up.
Just as they turned the corner toward the Great Hall, they spotted three familiar figures loitering in the hallway- Shiloh, and his two lapdogs.
Adrian groaned. "Great. Just what we needed."
Shiloh was the first to notice them, and his smirk widened. "Well, well, look who finally decided to crawl out of their cave."
Lochan crossed his arms. "You guys look like you had a rough night. Don’t tell you were up studying?"
Ambrose chuckled. "No way. Studying requires a brain."
Aiden’s patience was already thin, and he had no interest in entertaining them. "Move."
Shiloh placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. "Ouch. No friendly banter this morning?"
He reached into his pocket, and before anyone could react, he flicked sothing toward them- a small glowing card.
Sevan’s eyes flickered to it instantly.
With a bored expression, he lifted his hand, and a tendril of water shot out, catching the card mid-air. The mont it exploded, he encased it in layers of water, smothering the blast before it could reach them.
Shiloh sighed. "You really ruin all the fun."
Sevan arched a brow. "You call that fun?"
Lochan chuckled. "You should’ve seen your faces."
Adrian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because watching you fail is so entertaining."
Ambrose scoffed. "Whatever. Let’s just go, Shiloh."
Shiloh tilted his head, eyes glinting with amusent, but he didn’t push further. "Sure. See you losers at breakfast."
With that, the three turned and walked off, leaving Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan standing in the hallway.
Adrian huffed. "I swear, one day I’m gonna set his stupid deck on fire."
Sevan exhaled. "Let’s just eat before I lose any more brain cells dealing with them."
Without another word, they continued toward the Great Hall, doing their best to shake off the irritation.
The Great Hall was filled with the usual morning chatter as Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan made their way to their table. They were exhausted from their dawn training and they were hungry and in no mood for anything unusual.
But then, the worst possible thing happened.
Just as they were about to eat, they heard a familiar voice- one that made all three of them wince on instinct.
"There you are!"
Before they could react, an unwelco presence lood over them.
Professor Flinders.
Aiden stiffened. Adrian visibly cringed. Sevan muttered sothing under his breath.
Then ca the worst part- the professor’s arms wrapping around them in an overenthusiastic hug.
"Oh, how I missed my little mischief makers!"
Aiden nearly dropped his fork.
"What… the hell," Adrian muttered through gritted teeth.
"You-why are you-" Aiden struggled to find the right words.
Sevan, however, was the first to notice sothing was off.
Flinders was smiling too much.
The way he spoke, the way he carried himself… It didn’t match the usual rude and overly academic deanor of their history professor.
Then, it clicked.
The grin. The mannerisms. The ridiculous theatrics.
It wasn’t Flinders.
It was Lopt.
Sevan’s realization dawned just as Aiden and Adrian caught on, their expressions shifting from horror to sothing close to joy.
"You absolute bastard," Adrian grinned, shoving "Flinders" off him. "You almost gave a heart attack!"
"Lopt!" Aiden leaned forward, almost laughing. "Where the hell have you been? We were looking for you!"
Sevan crossed his arms. "We couldn’t find you anywhere."
Lopt-still wearing Flinders’ face- plopped down onto their bench, looking pleased with himself. "Ah, so you did miss . I thought my dear little mischief makers had forgotten all about ."
"As if," Adrian scoffed. "You’re impossible to forget."
Lopt smirked, propping his chin on his hand. "Good to know."
Aiden shook his head, still grinning. "Seriously, where were you?"
Lopt just waved a hand. "Oh, here and there. Keeping busy. You know how it is."
Then his smirk faded slightly, his eyes darkening. "But what about you three? Have you learned anything interesting lately?"
The shift in tone made Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan pause. They exchanged glances before Sevan leaned forward slightly.
"We did," Sevan admitted. "Two things, actually."
Aiden nodded. "The first was about Emranne. We followed her once, just to see what she was up to… and for a split second, she actually showed emotion. Like real emotion when we asked her. It was only for a mont, but it was definitely there."
Lopt tilted his head. "That is interesting."
"But that’s not all," Adrian continued, lowering his voice.
"While sneaking to Professor Anwar’s office, we overheard sothing." He glanced around before leaning in. "They were talking about Savion."
Lopt’s expression didn’t change, but his grip on the table tightened slightly.
"They said he wasn’t killed by an animal," Aiden said. "He was killed by a Magi."
Lopt was silent for a mont. Then, he exhaled through his nose and leaned back, looking thoughtful.
"Now that," he smiled, "is very, very interesting."
Sevan narrowed his eyes at Lopt, his analytical mind already putting the pieces together. "So… what are you going to do now?"
Lopt sighed dramatically, dragging a hand down his face. "You’re really going to throw that at before I’ve even had breakfast? You wound , Sevan."
Adrian snorted. "You an before we’ve had breakfast? You’re the one interrupting our al, Flinders."
Lopt laughed but didn’t answer.
Before he could respond, however, the atmosphere in the Great Hall shifted.
The entrance doors swung open, and two figures walked in.
Emranne and Hanako.
Hanako was speaking to Emranne, her expression animated as she gestured at sothing. Emranne, as usual, looked detached, her dull brown eyes scanning the room like she was taking in everything and nothing at the sa ti.
Then, her gaze landed on them.
More specifically.... on Professor Flinders.
For a mont, she simply stared. Then, without breaking stride, she nodded curtly at the supposed professor and greeted him in a voice as flat as ever.
"Hello, Lopt."
Aiden nearly choked on air.
Adrian blinked. "Oh, shit."
Lopt, to his credit, didn’t flinch. Instead, a slow grin spread across his face- one that was neither friendly nor hostile, just interested.
"Well now," he murmured while chuckling to himself like a maniac, resting his chin on his palm. "She’s interesting."
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