As Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan stepped into the Great Hall that evening, they were imdiately t with an overwhelming display of colour and extravagance.
The entire hall had been transford into a grand celebration. Banners of deep blue and gold hung from the ceilings, strears coiled around the pillars, and balloons floated at various heights, all bearing the sa bold ssage in gleaming letters:
WELCO HO, LOPT!
Aiden blinked.
Sevan let out a low whistle. "Well… soone really went all out."
The fourth and fifth years, however, were less impressed.
The mont they took in the decorations, a collective groan rippled through their ranks. A few muttered complaints echoed across the hall.
"Of course, he’d do this."
"How does he even have ti for this nonsense?"
"Every single ti. I should’ve expected it."
Adrian smirked as he took a seat. "I don’t know, I think the balloons are a nice touch."
Rupert, who had joined them at the table, scoffed. "You say that now, but just wait. The real nightmare hasn’t even started yet."
Before Aiden could ask what he ant, the sound of a loud pop echoed across the hall- one of the balloons had exploded in a shower of confetti. The students barely reacted, as though they had expected it.
Adrian perked up in amusent. "Booby-trapped decorations?"
Rupert groaned. "The worst part? None of us even know how he sets these things up."
Sevan tapped one of the floating balloons with his fork, eyeing it warily. "So, this Lopt guy… he really went through the effort to decorate the entire hall just to announce his return?"
Jarek, sitting across from them, grumbled, "You don’t know the half of it."
Rupert and Jarek took their seats beside them, both looking as if they had already resigned themselves to whatever chaos was about to unfold.
Across the hall, clusters of fourth and fifth years muttered amongst themselves, so shaking their heads in exasperation, others just sighing like they had accepted their fate long ago.
"So…" Adrian leaned forward, grinning. "Lopt does this every ti?"
A fourth year sitting nearby overheard and turned to answer, his expression a mix of irritation and begrudging amusent. "Every single ti. And no one knows how he does it. It’s like he gets back, and sohow, within an hour, the whole Great Hall looks like this."
He gestured vaguely to the gaudy decorations. "No one sees him doing it, no one catches him setting it up. It just happens."
Sevan frowned. "That doesn’t even make sense."
"Yeah, well," the fourth year sighed, "we’ve given up trying to make sense of Lopt a long ti ago."
Jarek laughed. "It’s annoying for them, but I’m kinda enjoying him from the small details I got from the higher years."
Rupert let out a chuckle. "You have to admit, it’s a little impressive. Every year, without fail. It’s tradition at this point."
Aiden listened with mild intrigue, but beside him, Adrian was practically gleaming. His eyes shone with excitent, and his grin stretched impossibly wide.
"A master prankster, unseen, untraceable, and consistently causing chaos?" Adrian clasped his hands together as if he had just been blessed with a divine revelation. "I think I’m in love."
Sevan shot him a deadpan look. "You would."
"I an, co on!" Adrian gestured grandly at the hall. "Who is this guy? Where does he find the ti? The planning, the precision- it’s beautiful."
Aiden gave him a sideways glance. "You sound like you just found your long-lost brother."
Adrian smirked. "Maybe I have."
The hall was filled with chatter and laughter as students gathered for the grand feast. The long tables were adorned with an extravagant array of dishes, their aromas wafting through the air, but Aiden barely paid attention to the food.
His gaze flickered to the entrance, where Emranne, Ivara, Amihan, and Morrigan had just arrived.
Unlike the grand gowns so students had chosen to wear, they were dressed in elegant but simpler attire.
Emranne wore a deep blue dress with a high collar and long sleeves, its plain fabric flowing gracefully with each step. It suited her- practical, refined, and without unnecessary embellishnts.
Ivara, on the other hand, had chosen a deep red dress with golden embroidery tracing the patterns of delicate leaf veins. The rich colours stood out against her dark skin, her red coils framing her face as she walked with her usual confidence.
Amihan’s lilac dress had sheer sleeves, embroidered with silver floral patterns that shimred under the warm glow of the hall’s chandeliers. Her long white hair cascaded behind her, the purple of her eyes catching the light as she looked around curiously.
Morrigan’s erald green dress had silver accents, the layered skirt giving it an air of elegance without being too extravagant. She adjusted the fabric slightly before nodding toward them in greeting.
Rupert and Jarek, who had been occupied with their conversation about the infamous Lopt, montarily stopped to take in the sight of the girls approaching.
Adrian, always quick to recover, grinned and leaned back in his chair.
"Well, don’t you all look nice?" he teased.
Morrigan rolled her eyes, but there was no real bite in it. "Ivara thought we should at least put in the effort."
"She’s right," Ivara said, crossing her arms. "This is an official feast, after all."
Jarek looked like he wanted to comnt but wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he nudged Aiden and muttered, "Are we supposed to have dressed up too?"
Aiden, who was still wearing his usual attire, shook his head. "I think it’s fine. No one told us there was a dress code."
"Except the Lopt guy seems to have orchestrated the entire thing," Sevan pointed out, still eyeing the ridiculous decorations that had sohow gone unnoticed until everyone arrived.
Aiden sighed, gaze flicking up to the banners that read: Welco Ho, Lopt!
"It does make you wonder," he murmured, "how he even managed this without anyone stopping him."
The blaring sound of trumpets rang through the Great Hall, cutting through the excited murmurs of the gathered students.
A hush fell over the crowd as all eyes turned toward the grand entrance, where the towering doors began to swing open with a slow, deliberate creak.
Students turned towards the grand entrance, eyes widening in anticipation as the double doors swung open.
A procession of fourth and fifth-year students strode in, all dressed in formal attire befitting the occasion. Their uniforms had been replaced with tailored jackets and fine tunics, each bearing the insignia of their respective scouting divisions.
So had cloaks pinned over their shoulders, others carried their weapons sheathed at their sides.
The first years whispered among themselves, trying to spot any familiar faces among the returning scouts.
"That must be their captain," Sevan murmured, nudging Aiden and Adrian as he pointed toward a tall figure at the front.
The supposed leader of the scouts walked with an air of confidence, his dark coat swirling behind him as he moved.
He had sharp features, his eyes scanning the crowd with keen awareness. A knowing smirk played at his lips, as if he were enjoying the attention.
"Looks like a proper warrior," Rupert comnted, his arms crossed.
Jarek nodded in agreent. "No wonder the upper years respect them so much. They actually fight beyond the region’s protection."
Behind the leader, more scouts followed in organised lines, their presence exuding discipline yet also a sense of camaraderie. So exchanged glances with students they recognised, others gave nods of acknowledgnt.
There were even a few who winked at the younger students, their playful gestures showing that not all scouts were as stoic as they seed.
Despite the elegance of the procession, it was clear that these were people who had endured much beyond the safety of Soleil’s walls. So bore faint scars, others walked with the careful poise of those who had fought battles unknown to their younger peers.
"They don’t look like they just got back from war," Ivara remarked, though there was a glint of respect in her gaze.
"That’s because they’re trained to act like that," Emranne replied. "Even if they faced sothing terrible out there, they wouldn’t show it here."
Aiden listened quietly, his gaze moving between the scouts.
Sothing about them reminded him of the Hunters Association and his father back ho- proud, disciplined, and unwavering in their duty. But the scouts carried themselves differently. They weren’t just soldiers; they were spies, explorers, and informants. They had seen things others had not.
As the last of the scouts entered, the trumpets blared once more, signalling the arrival of the final figure in the procession.
At first, Aiden thought it was just another scout stepping through the doors, but then the hall collectively stiffened.
Because there, walking at the very end of the scouts, was Headmaster Kairos.
The first years imdiately exchanged confused glances.
"But… isn’t he already at the front?" Amihan whispered, eyes darting between the figure at the entrance and the one standing at the head of the hall.
Indeed, Headmaster Kairos was still where he had been before- at the raised platform, watching the entire event unfold with his usual composed expression.
Yet there he was again, walking in alongside the scouts, his long coat sweeping behind him.
A heavy silence fell over the first years as they watched both figures in stunned disbelief.
"What," Sevan muttered under his breath, "am I looking at right now?"
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