Weirdly enough, this time, we don't split up the moment we reach the dorm.
Aris is the first to move.
The old couch in the common room — tired leather, sunken cushions — suddenly becomes the center of gravity.
He sits down slowly, then lifts his eyes toward us.
One look.
An invitation.
Silent. Light. But clear.
I meet Fortuna's gaze.
She hesitates for maybe a second.
Then she walks forward.
Me too.
We drop onto the couch more than we properly sit.
The TV switches on. Channels flick past in a blur. We don't really watch.
The sound just fills the air.
A fake slice of normal life.
A little wall between us and the too-white, too-clean silence of these walls.
Maybe we have things to say.
Maybe we won't dare.
So, as usual, I jump first.
— I just thought of something… With the three of us — Supremacy, Fortune and Unbound… we might have the potential to become the strongest team in the world. Don't you think? We should have a cool team name. Something we can be proud of, right?
A soft silence follows.
Aris looks at me. Slowly, a smile pulls at his lips.
A quiet laugh slips out.
— Ahahaha… you really are something else. Did you forget we're anomalies under surveillance? You act like only the present exists. It's like nothing else even touches you.
Fortuna sighs. More tired than mocking.
— Right now, we're barely surviving. Every day is torture. And somehow… that doesn't seem to bother you.
I stare back at her, almost proud.
— Evra… I've seen her in a way you can't even imagine. A real beast. But I'm not afraid of her anymore.
Aris raises an eyebrow.
— Oh? What form?
I lean into the back of the couch, my gaze drifting for a moment.
— A dragon. Huge. Terrifying. She almost killed me. But I managed to break her arm. After that… she turned into some kind of hybrid. A giant cheetah. Her blue flames healed her body. It was monstrous. And in the end… she's the one who saved my life.
They stare at me.
Somewhere between doubt and fascination.
Fortuna presses a hand to her forehead and sighs harder.
— Your story sounds completely insane… How could you break Evra's arm? Honestly, I'm not convinced.
I grin.
And then I tell them everything.
From the beginning.
My capture.
The coma.
The sealing.
The cell.
The Colosseum.
All of it.
Up to today.
Up to this couch.
Their expressions change as I speak.
The skepticism fades.
Silence takes its place.
And then — they laugh.
A real laugh.
Not mocking.
Just… relieved.
Absurd.
Even Fortuna, usually so distant, seems lighter. More real.
— After everything you've been through… — she says, smiling, — the only thing you're worried about is our team name? Ahahah… idiots really are the happiest ones.
I smile too.
Maybe she's right.
Maybe I am a happy idiot.
But no.
I know why I'm like this.
I rub my cheek, a little embarrassed. Not from shame. Not really.
More because of the words about to come out.
Words people don't like to say out loud.
Truths too ordinary to sound beautiful, too ordinary to be taken seriously.
— Actually… that's pretty much the summary of my life.
I pause. Search for my words.
Not to make them pretty.
Just to make them accurate.
— Before my Word awakened… I had no memories. Nothing. Just a void. I lived only in the present. Forgetting the past. Restarting every day like the last one never existed. And yet…
A bitter little smile stretches my lips.
— My body remembered. My legs knew where to go. My job, my hours, my gestures… everything was already inside me. But every morning, when I opened my eyes, it was both new and ugly. Like a heavy fog. Like I was locked inside a bubble. I moved without existing. I breathed without living.
My fingers press more firmly into my cheek, like I'm trying to nail myself into this moment.
— I only have one memory. Just one I hold onto. Me, as a kid. I don't know why that one stayed. Maybe because it's soft. Maybe because it hurts. Maybe because it's the only proof I existed before all this. I try not to forget it. I try. Because I feel like if I stop thinking about it… it'll slip away too.
Then my Word awakened. Since then, my life's been flipped upside down. But at least, I feel more free. More alive. Even if technically… I'm just a puppet for the government.
The laughter is gone now.
The air feels different.
I feel it.
I see it.
It's not light talk anymore.
It's something else.
Something deeper.
Something that leaves a mark.
Fortuna lowers her eyes a little. Her fingers wind idly around a lock of hair.
— I wouldn't say you're lucky… — she murmurs, her voice softer, more honest. — For me, it's the opposite. My past haunts me. My memories… are a burden I can't carry.
She takes a long breath.
— But… I'll remember that. Maybe living in the present would break some chains. Maybe it would help me move forward. I'll try. Later.
Aris folds his arms.
His gaze drifts away, but his voice doesn't.
— Your pain… maybe it's a curse.
He speaks calmly, but I hear what's underneath.
A low anger.
A sadness that hasn't found an exit.
— My family carries a curse too. As long as the demon who cast it lives… we're prisoners. No escape. No salvation. That's why I have to become stronger. Not for me. For them. For everyone waiting on me.
Silence falls again.
A different silence this time.
Full of stories we'll probably never hear completely.
A silence that stares into the void with us.
But enough.
We've all dragged our stones far enough for today.
I smile and push myself a little straighter.
— So?
I force my tone to lighten, my grin to widen.
— What are we calling our team?
A quiet chuckle from Aris.
An amused sigh from Fortuna.
She answers with a small, half-smile, like she's swatting away the heaviness that tried to settle again.
— I've got a better idea. How about we go eat? The cafeteria's still open. Tony is a blessing.
Aris nods, calmer and more thoughtful.
— What shocks me most is that he's at the Materializer rank. And he's not even a frontline fighter… It proves that understanding a Word and its domain matters more than brute strength.
I nod, almost amused.
— It's true. Tony's probably the best cook in the world. His food is insane. It's a shame we're back to the normal service, but even like this… he always knows exactly what we want. It's always just as good. Less overwhelming than the first time, but still perfect.
We stand up without ceremony.
Our bodies move on their own, searching for something simple after everything we just dug up.
The cafeteria greets us with its soft smell.
Home.
Routine.
A little borrowed peace.
We line up, and by the time we reach him, Tony is already sliding our trays forward.
Today: rice, flank steak, pepper sauce.
Heaven on a plate.
We eat together.
Slowly.
Hearts a little lighter.
No one speaks while we chew.
The food does the job.
Sometimes, it does better than words.
This quiet break, with nothing to prove, feels like medicine.
Once we're full, we stay seated a bit longer.
To digest.
To breathe.
Eyes drifting.
Bodies finally letting go.
That's when I feel it.
A pressure.
Calm. Controlled. But powerful.
I look up.
He's walking toward us.
The grey-haired boy.
The one with the beautiful sword.
He moves with an easy, steady rhythm.
His features sharpen as he gets closer.
Short hair, iron-grey, catching the light like threads of metal.
Eyes the color of raw emerald — the kind that would make jewels look cheap.
His gaze isn't hostile.
Not arrogant.
But it cuts clean.
Like he's looking past the skin.
Like he's searching for the soul underneath.
Everything about him feels perfectly in place.
His face.
His posture.
Even the grey uniform he wears, with a single, discreet star stitched over the left side of his chest.
By the time my mind really comes back, he's already standing in front of our table.
— Hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Viktor. And I'm an apprentice soldier, just like you… I think.
Aris straightens up a little, caught off guard, almost awkward.
— Hello, I'm Aris. Nice to meet you. This is Fortuna… and Heyo. My… my friends.
There's a tiny hitch on that last word.
Like he's not completely used to it yet.
But it's a start.
Viktor continues, calm, curious.
— I'm surprised. I never see you in the physical or spiritual training sessions with the other apprentices. Yet I was there… that day, when you first came into the cafeteria. Thanks to you, that day turned into a real feast.
This time, I answer.
— We're treated as prisoners. We get… a slightly different schedule. All we know is we're not allowed to fail. Not a single trial. We have to become Demon Hunters. Fast.
Viktor seems to think for a moment, a little thrown.
— Are you criminals?
Fortuna smiles. A tired smile.
— If having a Word that bothers people is a crime… then yes.
Something clicks behind Viktor's eyes.
He claps his hands once, like he's just solved a puzzle.
— Ahhh… I see. You're the anomalies. The famous red dots on the map. I've always wanted to meet you.
He crosses his arms, his gaze brightening.
— In three weeks, there's a tournament. If you want to become Demon Hunters, you'll have to win it to qualify for the Hunters' trial. My team and I already won one, so we're qualified. I can't wait to see you in action. Maybe we'll even compete against each other later. I wish you good luck… and see you soon.
Then he walks away.
As calmly as he came.
A strange guy.
Kind, at first glance. Normal, even.
But my instincts don't lie.
He's a lot more dangerous than he looks.
Maybe even stronger than the three of us combined.
Luckily, for now, he's not standing in our way.
Not yet.
I look at Fortuna.
Then at Aris.
I see the same thing in their eyes.
The same silent verdict.
We might be anomalies.
But we're not monsters.
Not yet.
No time to overthink it.
We head back to the dorms. For real, this time.
Tomorrow…
Tomorrow is going to be a long day.