Zephyr stepped out of the mall, a fresh bandage wrapped neatly around his body, he had changed the dressing back in the booth.
The soft orange hue of the evening sun poured across his face, and he blinked up at the sky in mild surprise. Unknowingly, it had already become evening.
"What a day," he muttered, dragging his feet slightly as he took the first steps down the mall's stone path. The memories of the day flickered through his mind like fragments of a broken mirror— the clash with Lunethra, the apathetic school nurse, the unforgiving, credit-hungry academy. He couldn't believe so much had happened in just one day.
"Life here sure isn't boring," he sighed.
The bandage's cooling sensation was fading, leaving behind a dull throb. He rubbed his arm lightly, then shook his head. "I guess I'll skip dinner." His weapons wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, and he only had a little over 9,000 credits left—an amount he was growing increasingly reluctant to part with.
The walk back to the dormitory was quiet, apart from the barrage of insult he directed at the academy's unfair systems. The reddish glow of the setting sun bathed the buildings in a solemn light. The air was cooler now, brushing against his skin like the trailing fingers of dusk.
Eventually, he reached his dorm and stood before the door, hand resting on the knob. Earlier, anger had carried him—he hadn't cared what might happen when he walked back in. But now, standing there with the cool metal under his palm, he hesitated.
Being hated was… suffocating.
It wasn't about words or fights. It was in the eyes, the silence, the way people leaned away as if his very existence contaminated the air.
It was in the shift he felt the moment he considered Cealsen a comrade—only to have that flicker of kinship vanish the next second, replaced with icy disdain. The emotional whiplash left a dull ache in his chest.
With a breath that burned slightly on the way out, he turned the knob and stepped inside.
The first thing that hit him was the rich, sweet aroma of food—meaty, savory, and warm. His stomach gave a loud, traitorous growl.
Eyes flicked his way, and some students shot glares or whispers in his direction. But surprisingly, most simply ignored him. No curses, no thrown objects—just dismissal.
"Fine by me," he muttered under his breath, making his way to the far corner of the room, where a bed labeled 50 stood untouched. He noted the empty space around it. No friends, no enemies, no lovers. Isolated. Just the way they liked it.
Across the room, a makeshift kitchen had been set up. Large pots simmered on heat pads while several girls served dinner—meat and rice with soup. The scent was maddeningly appetizing.
Zephyr's stomach grumbled again, louder this time. He patted it gently, his voice low and sheepish. "No worries, papa will do better tomorrow."
Another rumble, like a disappointed child calling out his bluff.
He sighed and turned his attention to the large crystal windows of the dorm. The sky had taken on a deep violet hue, the kind that bled seamlessly into indigo as night crept in. It caught him off guard. "I haven't… seen nightfall before," he murmured.
Back at the clan, he'd always been shut in, never stepping outside long enough to watch the sky shift. This—the vast openness, the slow dance of twilight—it felt surreal.
His eyes drifted across to the other students, now gathered in small clusters, chatting and laughing between bites. Even Lunethra sat with a group of girls, the stiff elegance in her posture softened by the relaxed mood. For a moment, it felt like a different world entirely.
One where he didn't exist.
Then a loud voice cut through the murmur.
"Let's watch a movie!"
Excited agreement rippled through the dorm.
Zephyr raised a brow, skeptical. "A movie? In here? With what? Sunlight practically lives here.".
But then the same boy shouted, "Elden! Play the best movie!".
A pause. Then Elden's voice echoed, crisp and mechanical. "After observation, it has been noted that teenagers your age statistically prefer the film 'Eclipsed'. Would you like an environmental enhancement related to the movie?".
"Yes!" a chorus of voices replied without hesitation.
Zephyr tilted his head, confused. "Environmental what—?".
Then it happened.
With a faint hum, the massive crystal dorm dimmed, darkening like polarizing glass until it looked like cooled molten stone. The room was completely sealed off from external light. A moment later, the far wall shimmered, and a massive screen formed, covering nearly the entire surface. The lights dimmed further. Then, without fanfare, the movie began to play.
Zephyr blinked in awe. "This place really is ... abnormal".
He sat upright in his bed, the flickering shadows of the screen casting eerie glows over the dorm. The film was a horror flick, heavy with atmosphere and slow-burning dread.
And he felt it—fear.
Not just fear from the story or the music, but something deeper. Ever since he had his meditation, afterwards he realized he had become more atune with Aether and how he realized it was the Aether in the air, subtly changing to sync with the tension in the film. The room seemed to throb with unease, and every breath felt just slightly heavier.
"Elden what is happening". He voiced out to Elden in his phone.
"Please specify". Elden lowered voice answered him.
"Why am I feeling afraid". Zephyr asked curiosity filled his voice.
"The main dorm Elden is emitting depressive Aether…". There was a slight pause before it continued. "Do you want a basic rundown".
"There is no need". he muttered, heart racing. Every shift in the soundtrack, every sudden silence was magnified by the atmosphere pressing down on them.
And yet, despite it all, Zephyr found himself watching—really watching—for the first time. Not out of curiosity, but because it felt
Human.
He was still separate. Still isolated. But for now, they all shared the same screen, the same story, the same fear.
And in this strange, artificial dorm bathed in purple dusk and hollowed silence, a sence of kinship was born and all but one person was connected.