Rhian woke up suddenly, his eyes snapping open, his body damp with sweat.
His heart was still pounding from the dream.
It wasn't like any dream he'd had before, random images or noise that slipped away the second you opened your eyes.
'What the hell was that…' Rhian thought, sitting up slowly, wiping his forehead.
His room was dark, only the faint glow of his phone screen showing the time. Early morning. Still quiet.
Thankfully, the apartment had separate rooms.
Because judging from the way he'd been probably twisting and turning in his bed, sweating and probably mumbling nonsense in his sleep… sharing a room with anyone would've been embarrassing.
This was supposed to be the best sleep of his life.
The bed was soft, like sleeping on a damn cloud compared to the rough beds or thin mats back in the outskirts.
Still, despite the restlessness, Rhian noticed something strange.
His body felt… relaxed.
Not tense or soreness.
Actually, he felt better than he had in days. His breathing was steady, muscles loose, like whatever that dream was, it had shaken his mind but left his body feeling brand new.
Rhian sat there quietly, staring at his bare left hand.
His cursed hand.
Slowly flexing his fingers.
'That dog…' he thought.
A small, tired smirk pulled at his lips.
'It really wanted pets huh…'
Rhian stood up, rolling his neck slightly before walking out of his room.
Stepping into the living room, he found Aras already awake.
And fully dressed.
As usual.
Aras sat quietly on the couch, casually scrolling through something on his tablet, dressed sharp in all black, fitting his quiet, clean vibe.
Rhian mumbled, "Morning."
Aras lifted his gaze briefly, giving a small nod. "Morning."
Looking around, Rhian noticed the apartment was quiet.
No sign of Ash.
'Still dead asleep probably…' Rhian thought.
Not wasting time, Rhian moved toward the bathroom.
He showered, letting the water wash off whatever leftover tension that dream gave him. The cold he felt in the dream still lingered in the back of his mind, but at least the hot water helped ground him.
After finishing up, he returned to his room and opened the box containing his school uniform.
Pulling the pieces out, Rhian was impressed.
The Eclipses Academy uniform was clean, stylish but clearly functional.
A blue fitted jacket with with lines running down the arms and across the chest, simple but sharp. The material was light, flexible, but clearly reinforced for durability. Combat-ready without looking bulky. The pants matched, blue, reinforced along the sides with extra stretch near the knees.
Even the boots were built for mobility.
Formal in design but absolutely made for fighting.
Sliding it on, Rhian checked himself in the mirror briefly.
'Damn... looks better than I thought.'
It fit perfectly, snug but comfortable, like it adapted to his body shape.
Walking back into the living room, Rhian glanced at Aras, who was still in his own usual black clothes.
No uniform.
Rhian hesitated before asking what was on his mind.
"Why aren't you wearing the uniform?"
Aras didn't look up.
"Special permission," he replied simply.
Rhian blinked.
'… rich kid perks.'
Then from one of the rooms...
A loud yawn echoed.
Ash.
Finally waking up.
.
.
.
Rhian checked his schedule on his phone while walking through the hallway.
His first class for the day was Portal Studies.
He wasn't surprised. Considering the world they lived in, studying portals was probably as normal here as math or science in a regular school.
Aras was walking beside him, both heading in the same direction.
Rhian didn't say much, neither did Aras. It was comfortable silence.
But as they moved through the crowds of students, Rhian noticed something.
Most students weren't even wearing the academy uniform.
They wore whatever they wanted. Casual clothes, training gear, hoodies, jackets, it didn't seem to matter. The uniform was more of a suggestion than a rule here. No one stopped them. No one cared.
'Guess that special permission thing was just Aras messing with me,' Rhian thought, glancing briefly at him.
Eventually, they reached the main building where the Portal Studies classes were held.
But this was where they had to separate.
A large board listed the class divisions.
Names, classes, room numbers.
Rhian found his name easily enough. Different class from Aras.
Not surprising.
There were too many students in the Academy for them all to sit in one room. People from all backgrounds, all skill levels, all types of carriers.
Aras glanced at Rhian.
"Later," he said simply.
Rhian nodded back. "Yeah."
They went their separate ways without much else.
Rhian headed for his assigned classroom.
Time to see what this school really taught about the things he grew up fearing.
Rhian entered the classroom quietly.
There was no teacher present yet, but the room wasn't silent either. Most of the students were already seated or leaning on desks, chatting comfortably. It seemed like everyone here had already blended together quickly.
Made sense.
Everyone here was new.
People talked easily, compared stories and laughed like they had known each other for longer than a few hours.
Rhian looked around for a seat.
Most of the middle and front rows were filled. He spotted one toward the back, next to the wall. It wasn't isolated, but it gave him enough space to stay out of attention.
As he walked toward it, a few eyes glanced his way, but no one cared enough to stare for long. Most students barely paid him any attention.
He sat down.
But what caught his eye immediately was the student sitting next to him.
A girl.
She was already seated when he stepped in.
Tall, even while sitting, with bronze skin and a long black braid that rested over her shoulder. Golden-brown eyes tracked him for a second, then moved on without a word.
The academy uniform fit her well, a crisp white shirt under a sleeveless blue dress, trimmed neatly at the shoulders and waist. It sat close across her torso, fitted without being tight.
The buttons were all done up, sharp and clean. Her skirt rested just above the knee, paired with dark stockings that matched the black shoes planted neatly under her seat.
She was very beautiful.
Rhian caught himself staring too long.
Before he could look away, a hand casually waved in front of his eyes.
His focus snapped back to reality.
She was looking at him directly, her expression calm but sharp.
"You're staring too hard," she said plainly.
Rhian blinked, heat rising to his face as he scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry, I—" he tried to speak, but words stumbled out in pieces.
She let out a small chuckle, laughing at his reaction.
"Relax," she said simply. "I'm not gonna punch you… unless you ask me to."
Rhian froze.
Then, for some reason, laughed under his breath.