**Chapter 104 – The End of the First Day**
The cafeteria at night was noisier than in the morning.
Trays clattering, overlapping conversations, the smell of still-bland food hanging in the air. The orphanage group, as usual, had taken almost an entire table for themselves. Even though they were separated in the dormitories, at mealtime they naturally came back together.
Astrid was reclined in her chair, still complaining about the training.
— That instructor is crazy. "Warm-up," he said. Warm-up my ass.
Marina laughed, stirring the vapor rising from her own cup.
— You almost tore that girl's arm off in the spar.
— It was an accident.
Rina, with her mouth full, just shook her head. Sylvara ate in silence, but the corner of her mouth gave away her amusement. Lirien observed everything with that serene manner of hers. Kuroe, sitting at the end of the table, ate slowly and barely spoke, but she was there — present, as always.
Joker and Harley occupied the middle of the table. Harley was leaning against his shoulder, occasionally stealing food from his plate. Joker let her.
— First full day — he commented, spinning the fork between his fingers. — And there's already people wanting to become enemies.
Harley smiled sideways.
— The blond one? Darian?
— Him.
— Leave it. The higher he thinks he is, the harder the fall later.
On the other side of the cafeteria, Darian was indeed at a table with a few followers, talking far too loudly about his own performance in the training. Every now and then his gaze passed over the group's table, loaded with cheap challenge.
No one at the table answered the look.
Farther away, near one of the windows, Elowen ate alone. She didn't seem bothered by it. She was simply there, quiet, as if that were her natural place. Every once in a while she lifted her gaze to the hall, but never for long.
Kuroe noticed again.
This time, Joker did too.
— Does she always eat alone? — he asked quietly.
Kuroe took a second before answering.
— Seems like it.
She said nothing more.
The meal continued without any major events. Graciela wasn't in the students' cafeteria (she stayed in the staff one), but somehow the group still commented that the food continued to lack salt. Lysithea had appeared for only a few minutes to check if they were okay and then returned to the companions' building.
When most people began to stand up, the fatigue of the day finally weighed for real.
On the way back to the dormitories, the group walked scattered but close. The internal courtyard was already darker, lit only by the magical lights fixed on the posts.
Harley pulled Joker's arm and spoke quietly:
— Tired?
— A little. You?
— Same. But it was… fun.
He looked sideways at her and smiled faintly.
— It was.
Farther back, Astrid put her arm around Marina's shoulders. Rina walked between Sylvara and Lirien. Kuroe came a little off to the side, but never far enough to seem isolated.
When they reached the division of the buildings, they stopped for a moment.
— Tomorrow there's more — Astrid said, yawning.
— There is — Joker confirmed.
Harley was already pulling him toward the boys' building.
— Come on. I want to lie down.
The girls said goodbye with tired gestures and headed to the girls' building. Kuroe was the last to enter. Before disappearing down the corridor, she looked one last time toward the courtyard, where it was still possible to see Elowen's solitary silhouette walking in another direction.
Then she simply went in.
In Room 214, Harley threw herself onto the bed without even properly taking off her shoes. Joker closed the door, removed his coat, and sat on the edge of his own bed.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Harley turned her face into the pillow and murmured, her voice already dragging with sleep:
— First official day…
— And we're still in one piece — Joker finished.
She laughed quietly.
— For now.
He turned off the light.
On the other side of the courtyard, in the girls' rooms, the conversations died one by one. Kuroe took longer to fall asleep. She sat on the bed for a while, looking out the open window, as if she were still processing the entire day in silence.
The first day at the Eternal Academy had ended.
And, somehow, it felt like it had only been the warm-up.
**End of Chapter 104**