Chapter 19: Unfamiliar Shadows
The instructor's voice echoed across the lecture hall.
"Please welcome our new transfer students. They arrive from Elaria's prestigious Arcane Combat Division and will be joining you for the remainder of the semester."
The classroom buzzed as the two stepped forward.
The girl — tall, athletic, silver-haired with a resting scowl — nodded once. The boy beside her had sharp eyes, black hair slightly tousled, and a calm expression that reminded Mario of someone he couldn't quite place.
"I'm Elizabeth," she said. "I crush things."
"…Great," Lena muttered. "Competition."
The boy stepped forward.
"My name is Andreas," he said, voice calm and refined. "I specialize in strategy and logistics… and I hope we can all learn from each other."
Sofia narrowed her eyes. "Strategy?"
Mario's ears perked up. Something about the way he talks
While the new students were being assigned to their desks, Mario pulled out the infamous letter again and waved it toward Caroline.
"Caroline, quick reminder — your beloved prince expects an update. He might have already won the war by now, just to see your face again."
Caroline turned red and grabbed a notebook to hurl at him. It hit him square in the jaw.
"Ow—okay, that one was heavier!"
Emma laughed. "At this rate, you're not going to survive until Andrew does come back."
Mario grinned anyway. "Worth it."
Lena chimed in. "We really should frame that stupid letter. It's art."
Sofia added dryly, "Art is subjective. Idiocy, however, is easily measurable."
Caroline mumbled under her breath, "He'd better actually come back…"
Battle Simulation – Surprise Guests
Their next period was a combat simulation class. Today, they'd be assigned into randomized two-person teams.
To no one's surprise, the system window blinked with the pairings:
[System Matchup – Simulation Combat]
▪ Mario & Andreas
▪ Caroline & Elizabeth
▪ Lena & Emma
▪ Sofia (Solo – Sensor Disruption Evaluation)
Mario glanced over at Andreas. The new student simply gave a short nod.
"I look forward to fighting beside you."
"You sound like Andrew if he drank tea every five minutes," Mario muttered.
Andreas raised an eyebrow. "You know Andrew?"
The words hit Mario unexpectedly.
"Y-Yeah… he's kind of… well. A war-crazed strategist with no survival instinct, annoying charm, and a personal vendetta against emotions."
Elizabeth chuckled from behind. "Sounds like someone I'd date."
Caroline shot her a look. "Over my dead body."
"Interesting…" Andreas said quietly.
Combat Impressions
The simulation began.
Mario fought well — dodging blows, activating tactical skills, covering Andreas.
But what startled him wasn't Andreas's clean, efficient movements… it was the eerie familiarity of them. The way he stepped sideways before every counter. The habit of adjusting positioning in perfect sync with projected enemy arcs. The way he didn't need to look to know where Mario was going.
It was like fighting beside Andrew… only colder.
When it ended, Andreas turned toward him.
"Not bad. You adapt quickly."
Mario wiped sweat from his brow. "Yeah… you're good too."
[System Notification – Simulation Passed]
Bonus XP for High Sync Rate
Passive Sync Trait Registered: Andreas
Mario stared at the system pop-up a little longer than necessary.
"Who are you really…?" he whispered.
Closing Banter
Back in the common room, everyone regrouped.
Mario waved the letter again dramatically.
"Okay, new rule: no one reads Andrew's letter aloud. It's too dangerous. Caroline's thrown something at me every single time."
Caroline crossed her arms. "Then stop doing it."
Lena joked, "It's fine. We'll read it at your funeral."
Emma added, "Here lies Mario. Slain by notebook. Cause of death: excessive teasing."
And as the sun dipped over the academy towers, Andreas sat quietly across the room — flipping through a journal of notes, his finger tapping a symbol carved faintly into the leather.
No one noticed.