The next day came slower than usual.
Word of their "beautiful chaos" had spread through the Academy before sunrise. By breakfast, Squad 7 had become a running joke. Someone had even drawn a crude sketch of Kael electrocuting himself on the notice board.
Jayden tore it down before Kael saw it — not out of kindness, but because he didn't want to deal with another explosion before coffee.
"Let me guess," Kael said anyway, walking up with his tray. "Was it flattering at least?"
"Depends," Jayden muttered. "Do you like looking like a toasted squirrel?"
Kira snorted into her drink. Aiden just kept eating, ignoring them all. Lyra, as usual, sat apart — not far, not close — eyes half-lidded, stirring her tea like she was trying to hear the sound beneath it.
The cafeteria buzzed around them — laughter, boots, the hiss of steam from breakfast trays. Normal things. But even in that noise, Jayden felt the undercurrent. Everyone was still on edge since the Gate. Since the breach. Since the Academy had started doubling their drills.
Instructor Inbound entered mid-meal, and every conversation dropped a decibel. She wasn't loud, but she had that presence — calm, watchful, like she could see who hadn't slept enough or who had skipped practice.
"Squad 7," she said, stopping beside their table. "Report to Training Dome B after class. Assessment protocol."
Kael groaned. "You mean punishment."
"In this Academy," she replied, "those are the same thing."
When she walked off, Kael slumped. "I swear she enjoys watching us suffer."
"She's not wrong, though," Aiden said. "We failed six times."
Kira sighed. "Seven, if you count the one where you cracked the ground."
"That was strategy," he muttered.
"Strategy would've kept us standing," Jayden said, voice even.
Lyra finally looked up. "Maybe you should all stop trying to outshine each other."
The table went quiet. Her tone wasn't sharp — just matter-of-fact. Like she'd already given up on them figuring it out themselves.
Kael scoffed, but didn't argue. Jayden caught her gaze for half a second before she looked away.
Training Dome B wasn't like the open fields — it was enclosed, cold, and echoing, built for endurance rather than spectacle. Drones floated near the ceiling, watching, recording.
Inbound stood beside a stack of metallic crates. "Today's not synchronization. It's control drills — paired combat."
Kael grinned. "Finally. Something I'm good at."
Kira smirked. "We'll see."
Inbound pointed. "Jayden with Lyra. Kael with Aiden. Kira… you're on rotation."
Jayden blinked. "Wait—what kind of—"
"Observation-based," Inbound cut in. "You'll learn more from watching your failures than repeating them."
Lyra stepped forward, tying her hair back. "Let's start."
Jayden faced her. The air between them shimmered faintly — pressure, tension.
When Inbound gave the signal, it began.
Water and wind met in the air — fluid, spinning, unpredictable. Jayden moved with control, trying to contain, to redirect. Lyra didn't overpower; she danced around him, every motion light but precise.
He tried to anticipate, but she was already there — sidestepping, guiding his current aside like she could read its shape before it formed.
Inbound's voice echoed from above. "Jayden, you control. Lyra, you adapt. Keep the rhythm."
Jayden exhaled, narrowing his stance. The water curved, splitting into finer threads, tracing her path. She smiled faintly — the first expression he'd seen on her face.
And then, just as suddenly, the wind dropped.
The water slammed into his arm before he could pull it back. The hit wasn't hard, but the chill bit through his skin.
Lyra frowned. "Sorry."
Jayden shook his arm out. "You okay?"
She hesitated. "It wasn't on purpose."
The session ended with bruises, soaked uniforms, and the faint sting of pride. But it wasn't failure. Not exactly.
Kael and Aiden's match ended in a minor explosion that singed Kael's sleeves. Kira's turn with each of them ended in argument.
By sunset, Inbound dismissed them with a sigh. "Squad 7, you're chaos. But maybe — just maybe — you're starting to listen."
Later that night, Jayden sat outside the dorms, towel draped around his shoulders. The fountain gurgled beside him.
Kira passed by, arms crossed, her hair damp from the showers. "You didn't fight badly today."
He looked up. "That's your version of a compliment?"
She smirked. "Don't get used to it."
There was a pause. The courtyard lights flickered against the fog. Students whispered across the paths, gossip about new Gate anomalies, new restrictions, new rules.
Kira lowered her voice. "They're hiding something, you know."
Jayden frowned. "What?"
"Administration. The Garrison patrols aren't just for Gate prevention anymore. They're checking energy readings inside the Academy."
He stared at her. "You're saying there's something wrong here?"
"I'm saying," she said, eyes narrowing, "maybe the danger isn't only outside the walls."
Jayden didn't reply. But when the wind shifted and the fountain rippled, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was right.