Lysara was halfway through counting floor tiles—thirty-two to the corner, twenty-one back—when someone stepped directly into her path.

  “Found you!”

  She stopped.

  Kayden stood there with the satisfied look of someone who had successfully located a lost object.

  “I wasn’t lost,” Lysara said.

  “You vanished after orientation. I assumed you’d been absorbed by a shelf.” he replied.

  She adjusted her satchel strap. “I’ve been attending classes.”

  He leaned slightly to peer at her glasses. “Wow. They really do issue survival gear fast here.”

  “They’re practical.”

  “Tragic,” he said lightly. “But practical.”

  Before she could respond, a voice cut in from behind him.

  “Kayden,” Her roommate called out, “are you blocking hall traffic again, or is this a new hobby?”

  She approached with the air of someone who knew exactly where she was going and did not intend to hurry for anyone.

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  Kayden turned. “Lysara, this is Rowana. We know each other.”

  “Unfortunately,” Rowana added. “He was present during my first attempt.”

  Lysara blinked. “Attempt at…?”

  “Enrollment,” Rowana said. “I failed.”

  Kayden snorted. “Spectacularly.”

  Rowana gave him a look. “I failed the physical assessment. And the written exam.”

  Rowana shrugged. “I came back better prepared. And with lower expectations.”

  She looked at Lysara now, not scrutinizing—just assessing. “You’re my roommate, the Fog Forest girl.”

  Lysara stiffened.

  “That wasn’t a question,” Rowana added. “Relax. He talks.”

  “Only when necessary,” Kayden said. “Or when I’m bored.”

  Rowana tilted her head. “So. You surviving your first week?”

  “Barely,” Lysara said.

  Kayden studied her for a moment. “You look tired.”

  “I sleep.”

  Rowana snorted. “No, you didn’t.”

  Lysara did not deny it.

  They fell into step together, moving without any clear destination. Kayden filled the space between silences easily, pointing out shortcuts, instructors to avoid, and one staircase that smelled permanently of burnt mana for reasons no one would explain.

  “Magic theory will be rough,” he said. “They like clean demonstrations.”

  Rowana nodded. “And they hate hesitation.”

  They reached a junction where paths split.

  “I’m headed to training,” Kayden said. “You?”

  “Alchemy.”

  “Of course,” he said. “You look like someone who prefers problems that behave.”

  Rowana paused. “If you need notes, ask. I keep copies.”

  “Thank you,” Lysara said, surprised by how much she meant it.

  Kayden stepped back, giving her space without being asked.

  “She grows on you,” he said, nodding toward Rowana. “Even if she can’t outrun a light breeze.”

  Rowana didn’t look offended. “I don’t run. I plan.”

  Lysara almost smiled.

  As she turned toward the Alchemy Wing, the familiar weight settled again—not gone, just lighter.