Laughter burst out like a dam breaking.
Rian hit the ground, wheezing. "He said—I think I hit the off switch! Bruh, what are you?!"
Kaito staggered back, clinging to Tala for support as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "Bahaha, I'm gonna pass out. Did he just delete a machine?!"
The guy with the man-bun, who'd scored 742, stared at the smoldering wreck with his mouth ajar. "That's not… that's not even possible."
Around them, the crowd broke into a buzz of disbelief and awe.
"Wasn't that enchanted?"
"He didn't even charge mana!"
When Zeke heard this, confusion flooded his mind. Mana? He clearly did... Right?
They probably aren't good at reading mana. He woke from his daze.
Zeke stepped back from the pulverized machine, gaze flicking between the glowing remnants and the press of students suddenly swarming in. They shouted questions—how'd you do that? what's your affinity? are you ranked? are you from one of the major families?
It all blurred.
A hand reached out from in front to touch his shoulder—maybe, congratulatory.
Zeke flinched, hard, a look of fear flashed across his face as he stepped back instinctively.
The world tilted.
For a second
he wasn't in the training hall anymore.
The scent of mana was gone.
Replaced by sour sweat, dust, and the sharp crack of a belt. Another scar—just one more for the collection.
"Don't you ever raise your voice at me again. Know your place boy—"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
A young voice—his own—cracked and hoarse, rang out in desperate panic.
Not defiant. Not angry. Just broken. Powerless.
He shivered.
The words echoed, even as the vision shattered—
"I'm sorry..."
Still echoing... Still there.
The hall returned. The voices around him sharper, louder now. His hands had curled into fists. Scars on his legs and back burning beneath his clothes.
Looking around, he sees everyone looking at him strangely and realises he is releasing his mana.
Ethans voice echoed in his mind.
"Mana can do many things, you can use it to fight, to learn and even just to cook food, but when someone doesn't give a specific command the mana just floods out"
"Sometimes in the form of bloodlust or battle intent, most people just refer to it as aura"
"When using aura it acts as an extension of ones emotions so whatever your feeling at the time gets amplified and pushed out... some say once your strong enough you can impose your will on the environment around you just by releasing your aura."
Zeke took a moment to sense the aura. Fear? Scared that he might reveal too much, Zeke tries to rein in the mana.
"Back off," Rian said, stepping between him and the crowd. His voice was calm, but firm. "Give him some room."
Tala put a hand on Zeke's arm—not grabbing, just grounding. "Breathe. You're okay. You're here."
Kaito waved his arms at the crowd. "Alright, alright, back up! Let the man breathe, jeez."
The pressure relented—slowly. Some students peeled away. Others, still watching, whispered from a distance now.
Zeke's breathing slowed, but the pressure in his chest hadn't left entirely. He stared at the floor. The scorch marks. The flickering barrier still recovering.
Rian crouched down beside him. "You good?"
Zeke didn't answer at first.
He didn't know what to say.
But then, softly replied"...I hate being touched when I'm not ready."
Rian nodded like he'd known already. "Then we won't let anyone touch you without asking. Easy."
Tala sat cross-legged beside them. "You don't have to talk about it. But you also don't have to be alone in it."
Kaito gave a two-finger salute. "We're just the idiots in your corner, dude. No pressure. But we're here."
Zeke didn't smile.
But he didn't walk away either.
A moment passed.
Then Rian stood up, cleared his throat, and declared, "Alright, so we all agree Zeke's probably an ancient weapon in human skin, right?"
That earned a few chuckles.
"But more importantly," he added, pointing to the destroyed machine, "I vote we make him fight the cafeteria line for us next time. Anyone disagree?"
The few students who stayed behind burst into laughter again.
Not long after, Ethan appeared, grinning, not knowing he missed all the fun.
With a lazy wave, he called the boys over and pointed toward the eastern dorms, tossing a wink toward Tala before gesturing to the girl walking beside him—tall, calm, and with a piercing gaze Zeke couldn't quite read.
"Mina will take you to the girls' wing," Ethan said. "Try not to fight anyone on the way."
They parted ways beneath the arching bridge that split the dorm towers, mana lamps flickering on as the sun began to dip. The walk was quiet. No questions. No pressure.
In the days that followed, Hoping to memorize the place before orientation, they explored the campus.
Got lost. Met eccentric teachers, wild upper-years, and even saw someone riding a six-legged lizard. Rian swore he fell in love multiple times while collecting interesting rumors. Kaito tried snacks from every corner of the academy courtyard. Tala took notes.
Zeke... didn't say much. But no one asked him to.
And that was enough.
On the evening before the big day, Zeke stood by the dorm balcony, watching the sun bleed across the sky in a wash of gold and violet.
He placed a hand on the railing, the warmth of the sun still lingering on the metal, grounding him to the present.
For once, his mind wasn't racing.
No past voices clawing at the edges.
No weight pressing into his ribs.
Just quiet.
His scars still ached—but they weren't screaming.
His thoughts still wandered—but they didn't spiral.
He didn't feel whole, not yet. But for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel hollow either.
He closed his eyes. Listened.
The others laughed at something stupid—probably Rian again. He didn't even need to look to know Rian would be grinning like an idiot, Tala would be rolling her eyes and smiling anyway.
They didn't know everything about him.
But they didn't ask him to be more than what he was right now.
And that felt like something worth holding onto.
Maybe not forever.
Maybe, not even for long.
His hand tightened slightly on the railing.
Eyes turned towards the statue of Orion, visible from anywhere in the school.
Maybe... just maybe, he thought, ...this place could become home.