.
As for the work-study students — I had not forgotten them.
I knew what was coming. The main character would arrive eventually, as these things always unfolded, and when that happened, the dormitory would shift entirely around that gravity. They would be fine. Better than fine, perhaps. But I would not be there, and that deserved acknowledgment.
That evening I gathered them all.
It was not a grand party — there was no gold to spare for extravagance — but there was warm food, laughter, and the kind of ease that only exists between people who have shared difficult, unglamorous mornings together. I looked around at their faces and felt something genuine.
I gave each of them what I could.
To those struggling with spirit power circulation, I explained the foundational breathing corrections that most instructors never bothered to teach. To those preparing for their first spirit ring hunt, I gave honest advice about ring age, compatibility, and patience. To those who doubted whether they belonged in the academy at all, I told them plainly that doubt was not evidence of weakness — it was evidence of awareness, and awareness was the beginning of everything.
They listened. Some took notes. A few looked at me as though seeing me clearly for the first time.
When the night grew late and the candles burned low, I stood and raised a simple cup.
"Whatever path you each take from here — walk it with intention. A spirit is only as powerful as the will behind it."
We drank. We laughed once more. And then it was done.
Before the first light touched the rooftops, I was already moving.
I chose a village far enough from the academy to ensure true anonymity — a quiet place where no one knew my name or my rank or my teacher. I found a modest house near the village edge, paid three months upfront without bargaining, and carried my few belongings inside before the owner had fully woken up.
The rooms were simple. Bare walls, a wooden floor, a single window facing east.
It was perfect.
I sat in the center of the main room, closed my eyes, and felt my spirit stir at the edges of my consciousness — patient, waiting, humming with quiet potential.
I placed the recommendation letters and certificate safely in my pack.
Then I let my spirit rise fully, its presence filling the room like the first breath of cold morning air.
Now, I thought.
The adventure could begin.