A few minutes passed.
The Special Division table grew busier.
First-year cadets began filling the remaining empty seats, while several second- and third-year seniors were already talking among themselves.
Sebas was studying the menu panel that had appeared in front of him.
“There are this many options?”
Aether looked at the same panel.
“Looks like it.”
Sebas scrolled through the list.
“Roasted meat.”
“Soup.”
“Seafood.”
“Steak.”
He stopped.
“…There are thirty-two kinds of steak.”
Aether turned toward him.
“Why are you counting?”
“I’m deciding my future.”
Aether laughed softly.
Across the table, several second-year cadets were discussing their morning training.
A third-year cadet occasionally joined the conversation, offering advice to the juniors sitting nearby.
The atmosphere at the table slowly became livelier.
Aether watched them all.
No one was paying too much attention to him.
After what had happened during the Crystal Resonance test, he had expected everyone to keep staring at him.
Apparently…
that wasn’t the case.
At least…
not constantly.
Some people still glanced at him from time to time.
But most of the cadets had already returned to their own conversations.
Aether found that rather relieving.
Then…
a chair across the table moved.
Aether instinctively looked over.
A red-haired girl sat down a few seats away from them.
Her hair fell past her shoulders.
Red.
Not reddish-brown.
A vivid red, like embers that had never gone out.
Aether recognized her.
The same girl.
The one who had stood before the Crystal Resonance earlier.
Crimson Ember.
That was the name of her Authority.
One of the Unique-Class candidates assigned to the Special Division.
She was talking to a female cadet beside her.
But a few seconds later…
her gaze shifted toward Aether.
Their eyes met.
She stopped talking.
Aether fell silent as well.
The girl studied him for a moment.
Then her gaze dropped to the empty seat beside Aether.
She looked back at him.
As though weighing a decision.
Finally…
she stood.
The female cadet beside her raised an eyebrow.
“Selene?”
“Hm?”
“Where are you going?”
Selene pointed toward the empty seat beside Aether.
“Over there for a moment.”
She picked up her glass.
Then walked past several chairs.
Sebas, who had been reading the menu, slowly raised his head.
He looked at Selene.
Then at the empty seat beside Aether.
Then back at Selene.
His expression became slightly confused.
Selene stopped in front of the chair.
She pointed at it.
“Is this seat taken?”
Aether looked at the chair.
“No.”
“Then I’ll sit here.”
She pulled out the chair.
Then sat down directly beside Aether.
Sebas stared at the two of them for several seconds.
“…”
Selene glanced at him.
“What?”
Sebas immediately shook his head.
“Nothing.”
But his tone sounded exactly like someone who was definitely thinking about something.
Selene then turned toward Aether.
“You’re Aether, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Candidate 0713.”
Aether nodded.
“You remember me?”
Selene smiled faintly.
“It’s hard to forget someone who stood out that much on the first day.”
She rested her chin on one hand.
“Your name practically filled the entire Crystal Resonance display.”
Sebas immediately cut in.
“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about the whole error.”
Selene looked at him.
“Everyone’s still talking about it.”
Sebas:
“Yeah, but…”
He lowered his voice.
“…I still don’t understand why the crystal displayed the name Lucient Von Ardent.”
Selene went quiet for a moment.
Her gaze returned to Aether.
“Neither do I.”
Aether shrugged.
“I don’t understand what happened either.”
Selene studied him.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“You don’t feel like there’s something strange about it?”
Aether thought for a moment.
“The strange thing is the Resonance Crystal.”
Sebas chuckled.
“Good answer.”
Selene smiled faintly as well.
For a few moments, she simply watched him.
There was something about Aether that was difficult to explain.
It wasn’t just his Crystal Resonance results.
It wasn’t just the fact that he possessed a Unique Class with three S-rank parameters.
There was a certain calmness in the way he spoke.
He never tried to look impressive.
Nor did he seem interested in drawing attention to himself.
And yet…
everyone in the field had seen just how extraordinary his results were.
Selene tilted her head slightly.
“You’re different from what I imagined.”
Aether turned toward her.
“Different how?”
Selene thought for a moment.
“I don’t know. Maybe…”
She smiled.
“More ordinary?”
Sebas immediately laughed.
“She just called you ordinary.”
Aether looked at Selene.
“Uh… thanks?”
Selene laughed softly.
“That’s not what I meant.”
She picked up her glass.
“I mean… with results like yours, I expected you to be more arrogant.”
Aether shook his head.
“I have no reason to be arrogant.”
Selene:
“Why?”
Aether:
“Because I don’t even know how to properly use my own power yet.”
Selene fell silent for a moment.
That answer only made her more interested.
“You just awakened, didn’t you?”
Aether:
“Yeah.”
Selene:
“Seriously?”
Aether nodded.
Selene stared at him for several seconds.
Then smiled.
“Interesting. You just awakened, but you’re already at Master, Middle Stage…”
Sebas glanced at her.
“You’re saying ‘interesting’ in a weird way.”
Selene turned toward him.
“Weird how?”
Sebas:
“Like you just found something.”
Selene shrugged.
“Maybe I did.”
Sebas looked at Aether.
Then at Selene.
Then back at Aether.
He let out a quiet sigh.
“It’s only the first day.”
Aether frowned.
“What?”
Sebas:
“Forget it.”
Selene laughed.
Then she extended her hand toward Aether.
“Anyway…”
“We haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet.”
Aether looked at her hand for a moment.
Then shook it.
“Aether.”
Selene smiled.
“Selene.”
She released his hand.
“Selene Von Ardent.”
Aether gave a small nod.
“Nice to meet you, Selene.”
Sebas, who had still been looking at the menu panel, suddenly stopped.
His hand hung motionless in the air.
“…Wait.”
Selene looked at him.
Sebas stared at her for a few seconds.
“Ardent?”
Selene nodded casually.
“Yeah.”
Sebas slowly lowered his menu panel.
“House Ardent?”
Selene:
“Yes.”
Sebas:
“…Seriously?”
Selene began laughing softly.
“Why does everyone always react like that?”
Sebas pointed at her name.
“I’m more surprised by your middle name.”
He pointed at the middle of her name.
“‘Von.'”
Selene raised an eyebrow.
“So?”
Sebas:
“Von Ardent…”
He sighed.
“You’re from the main branch, aren’t you?”
A few cadets sitting nearby turned toward them after overhearing the conversation.
One second-year cadet even looked slightly surprised.
“So…”
“You’re that Selene Von Ardent?”
“The genius mage from House Ardent.”
Selene nodded.
“Genius mage? Well…”
She tilted her head.
“I guess that’s what people call me.”
Sebas:
“And you’re applying to G.I.M.A.?”
Selene:
“Yep.”
Her answer was simple.
No unnecessary pride.
No attempt to hide it.
Sebas stared at her for a moment.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
Selene picked up her glass.
“We just met.”
Sebas:
“That’s not an answer.”
Selene:
“It is. We literally just met.”
Sebas opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
Aether simply watched their exchange.
“House Ardent…”
He paused.
“…they’re the family that founded GIMA?”
Selene turned toward him.
“You know about it?”
Aether:
“A little.”
He remembered the emblem he had seen several times along the road to the Grand Dining Room.
“Their name comes up quite a lot around here.”
Selene nodded.
“Yeah.”
She played with the end of her red hair.
“House Ardent existed long before the Galaxium Empire.”
“And our family has been directly involved with GIMA since its foundation.”
Sebas interrupted.
“Directly involved?”
Selene smiled faintly.
“Founders.”
Sebas:
“OH!”
He slowly nodded.
“Then…”
He looked around at the grand dining hall.
“…you’re technically eating in a place your family founded.”
Selene laughed.
“When you put it like that, it sounds strange.”
Sebas:
“It is kind of strange.”
Aether smiled as well.
Selene then turned toward him.
“But don’t think too much about it.”
“Here, I’m the same as all of you.”
“A first-year cadet.”
Aether nodded.
“That makes more sense.”
Selene narrowed her eyes.
“Why?”
Aether:
“Because I don’t want to treat you differently just because of your family name.”
He glanced around the table.
“…and I don’t want to act overly formal either.”
Selene was silent for a moment.
Then she smiled.
“Good.”
Aether:
“Why?”
Selene:
“I prefer it that way too.”
She leaned back comfortably in her chair.
“When someone gets overly formal just because of my family name, conversations usually become boring very quickly.”
Sebas raised his hand.
“Then I’m safe.”
Selene turned toward him.
“You?”
Sebas:
“I’ve been talking to you however I want since we met.”
Selene laughed.
“That’s true. You really have no manners.”
Aether looked at the two of them.
For some reason…
this simple conversation felt comfortable.
No one was talking about his statistics.
No one was asking about the Crystal Resonance.
No one was looking at him like he was something different.
At least for a few minutes.
Selene then looked back at Aether.
“Anyway…”
“I’ve introduced myself.”
She pointed at Aether with her chin.
“Now I want to know something.”
“What?”
“Where are you actually from?”
Aether fell silent for a moment.
The question was simple.
But he didn’t have a clear answer himself.
Finally, he said,
“I don’t really know yet.”
Selene frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Aether thought for a moment.
“Forget it.”
He picked up his glass.
“Just assume I’m from Nareth Village.”
Selene studied him for a few seconds.
Then…
she nodded.
“All right.”
She didn’t press him.
She didn’t ask anything else.
And somehow…
Aether’s short answer only made her more curious about him.
A few seconds passed.
The atmosphere around the table was still slightly awkward.
Not because there was a problem.
It was simply impossible for eighteen people who had only just met to immediately act like old friends.
Sebas finally broke the silence.
“If we’re all going to be placed in the Special Division…”
He looked around the table.
“…we should at least know each other’s names.”
Several cadets nodded.
A brown-haired young man sitting across from the table raised his glass slightly.
“Fair enough.”
Sebas pointed at him.
“You go first.”
The young man chuckled.
“Why me?”
“Because you’re closest.”
“That’s a ridiculous reason.”
He sat up straighter.
“My name is Adrian Vale.”
He shrugged.
“I’m from Region Elaris.”
Sebas nodded.
“Next.”
A black-haired girl sitting beside Adrian raised her hand slightly.
“My name is Mira Solenne.”
She smiled politely.
“From Region Lumeria.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
Several people nodded in response.
Then a blond-haired young man leaned back in his chair.
“Whose turn is it?”
Sebas pointed at him.
“Yours.”
“Oh.”
The young man laughed.
“My name’s Cassian Rowe.”
“Region Valcrest.”
He raised his glass.
“Let’s hope we don’t end up killing each other over the next three years.”
Several people laughed.
Sebas immediately replied,
“That depends on whether you start trouble.”
Cassian pointed at him.
“Don’t get too confident.”
“I haven’t even done anything yet.”
Sebas:
“That’s what troublemakers usually say.”
Aether smiled faintly at their exchange.
The introductions continued.
One by one.
Some only gave their names and regions.
Others shared a little more when asked.
A young man named Leon Hartwell was from Region Astera.
A girl named Nadia Elwyn came from Region Roselia.
Darius Fen was from Region Varen.
Clara Weiss was from Region Elmont.
Julian Cross came from Region Caelum.
Iris Marlowe was from Region Arkhaven.
Theo Grant was from Region Bellgrave.
Amelia Frost was from Region Northreach.
Ronan Pierce was from Region Halcyon.
Elena Voss came from Region Seraphine.
Marcus Reed was from Region Draven.
Liora Hayes was from Region Evermont.
Adrian Vale raised his glass again after realizing he had introduced himself too early.
“So that leaves…”
He counted on his fingers.
“Sebas.”
Sebas pointed at himself.
“Sebastian Fernandes Silva.”
Several people turned toward him.
Sebas immediately raised both hands.
“Just call me Sebas.”
Cassian chuckled.
“That’s a long name.”
“Don’t start.”
“I’m just saying.”
Sebas pointed at him.
“That’s why you call me Sebas.”
“All right, Sebas.”
Then their attention shifted to the girl sitting beside him.
The girl who had been quietly listening to the conversation.
She had long dark-brown hair and gentle green eyes.
She had arrived with Selene earlier.
Sebas glanced at her.
“And you?”
The girl smiled.
“My name is Elara.”
She paused.
“Elara Mirelle.”
“From Region Lythria.”
Sebas nodded.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Elara then turned toward Selene.
“Have you introduced yourself?”
Selene nodded.
“I already did.”
Elara let out a relieved breath.
“Good.”
Selene tilted her head.
“Why?”
Sebas:
“I thought you’d make everyone guess.”
Selene laughed softly.
“I’m not mysterious.”
Sebas interrupted.
“You’re from House Ardent.”
“That’s mysterious enough.”
Selene looked at him.
“My name is perfectly clear.”
Sebas:
“Sure, your name is clear.”
He nodded.
“But the middle part is what shocked everyone.”
Several cadets laughed.
Selene shook her head.
“I’m starting to regret giving my full name.”
Aether smiled.
The conversation became lively again.
Eventually…
all eyes turned toward Aether.
Sebas rested his elbow on the table.
“That just leaves you, Aether.”
Aether looked around.
Eighteen pairs of eyes weren’t fully focused on him.
Some were curious.
Others were simply waiting for the next introduction.
Still, Aether felt slightly strange.
There wasn’t much he could say about himself.
“Aether.”
He paused.
“Born where?”
Cassian asked.
Aether shook his head.
“No idea.”
Several people exchanged glances.
Aether continued calmly.
“For now…”
He repeated what he had told Selene earlier.
“…just assume I’m from Nareth Village.”
Sebas raised an eyebrow.
“Nareth Village?”
Aether:
“Yeah.”
Iris:
“The one near the Solmnaire region?”
Aether nodded.
“More or less.”
Sebas nodded slowly.
“All right.”
He didn’t press any further.
Aether noticed.
For some reason…
he felt slightly relieved.
Selene, sitting beside him, only smiled faintly.
As though she still remembered their conversation from a few minutes earlier.
After everyone had finished introducing themselves, the atmosphere around the table gradually changed.
It no longer felt like a gathering of complete strangers.
At the very least…
they now knew each other’s names.
A third-year cadet from the Special Division table beside them happened to walk past.
He stopped briefly when he saw the first-year table.
“So you’re the new kids?”
Cassian raised his glass.
“Kids?”
The senior laughed.
“You’ll get used to being called that.”
Sebas narrowed his eyes.
“You’re a third-year?”
The senior answered,
“Yeah.”
Sebas:
“Then you’re almost graduating.”
The senior replied,
“Almost.”
He patted one of the nearest juniors on the shoulder.
“Take care of yourselves.”
He pointed toward the table.
“Special Division isn’t very large.”
“But that doesn’t mean things will be easy.”
One of the first-year cadets asked,
“How hard is it?”
The senior smiled.
“You’ll find out tomorrow morning.”
Then he walked away before anyone could ask another question.
Cassian stared at his back.
“…I don’t like that last sentence.”
Sebas nodded.
“Neither do I.”
Aether laughed softly.
Selene looked at them.
“You two scare too easily.”
Sebas turned toward her.
“If we all die during training tomorrow, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Elara:
“You’re being dramatic.”
Sebas:
“I’m being realistic.”
Small laughter spread around the table again.
Then…
an instructor standing not far from the table raised a bottle.
“ALL FIRST-YEAR CADETS!”
The voice was loud enough to make conversations at several nearby tables stop.
“For your first night at GIMA…”
“Refreshments have been prepared.”
Several cadets cheered softly.
Bottles of red wine that had been kept sealed were opened across the tables.
Clear glasses were placed in front of each cadet.
Sebas immediately picked up his glass.
“Now…”
“That’s a proper welcome.”
Elara laughed.
“We’ve only been here for an hour.”
“Exactly.”
Sebas raised his glass.
“To the next three years.”
One by one, the glasses began to rise.
Aether picked up his own.
The dark red liquid reflected the lights of the Grand Dining Room.
Selene raised her glass beside him.
“To GIMA.”
Cassian added,
“To the Special Division.”
Mira smiled.
“To new friendships.”
Several people exchanged glances.
Then Sebas grinned.
“And hopefully…”
“…to all of us graduating.”
Laughter broke out around the table.
The glasses clinked together.
Ting!
Aether stared at the drink in his glass for a moment.
Then he smiled as well.
“To GIMA.”
Cheers.
For the first time since opening his eyes on that distant shore…
Aether sat among a group of people he hadn’t even known a few hours ago.
And strangely…
he didn’t feel like leaving.
SPECIAL DIVISION HUH!?