That morning, the atmosphere at Zephyrus Academy returned to normal. Students milled about, the sound of small talk filled the hallways, and activities resumed as normal. Normal, except for one thing.
Among the crowd, Damian and Lucien briefly glanced at each other as they passed each other on the hall stairs. After their conversation yesterday afternoon about dreams, unfamiliar faces, and vague memories from another world, they both finally concluded one important thing.
If the two of them could make it to this world, then most likely the others could too.
As they paused for a moment at the top of the stairs, Damian leaned in a little closer and whispered, "If one of the five is you, then our other friends are probably here too."
Lucien nodded slowly. His face was serious. "Yes. But... we have to keep our distance. It could be dangerous if we stand out too much."
Damian smiled slightly. "Let's just pretend we just met, okay?"
"Agreed," Lucien replied, then added with a glance, "But if you panic like usual, it'll be hard to look normal."
Damian sighed. "...Shut up."
They stared at each other for a moment, then raised their hands almost simultaneously. Their hands met in a quick, firm but brief high-five, like two basketball players who had just scored a big point.
There were no words after that. But the way they nodded at each other and walked away to their respective classes was clear enough.
It wasn't just a high-five. It was a code. "We're on the same team. But for now, let's play it safe."
Class 1-B went by as usual that morning. Tessa chatted quietly with her friend while Rin sat alone in the back, engrossed in a book. Liam sat beside Damian, quietly scribbling down a list of tea variants in his notebook.
Suddenly, Instructor Drein appeared in front of the door, his face blank, and he said. "There is a student who has transferred to this class. Starting today, he will be a student of this class. Come in."
Heavy footsteps were heard, and a young man entered the room. His long brown hair was tied in a ponytail, his skin was light brown, his body was big, but his wide smile was able to light up the entire corner of the classroom.
"Yo!"
Damian immediately stopped drinking his tea as soon as the young man spoke. There was something familiar and nostalgic.
The young man stepped forward, looking at the rows of seats casually.
"My name is Elric Blazekraal! Transferring from 1-C. They said I was too much of a nuisance to the other students, so I was transferred here starting today. Nice to meet you all!"
Silence immediately enveloped the classroom, and even Rin lowered his book a little. Elric then chose a seat right in front of Damian and Liam, without waiting for permission.
"I like your aura. Are you Damian?"
Damian turned his head, half surprised, half curious.
"Yeah…?"
"Cool, easy to remember. I'll just sit here, okay!" Elric said.
Without further ado, Elric leaned his body back against the chair, arms crossed behind his head.
"Ahh… finally got a comfortable seat. My seat in 1-D was so uncomfortable."
Liam closed his book slowly, keeping his tone even. "I feel like your presence will have a long-term impact."
Elric chuckled loudly. "You're funny, bro!"
Damian noticed Elric's sitting style, his speaking style, and the warm vibe behind his jokes. Too similar to someone he once knew… but from where?
In his heart, Damian knew this was no ordinary meeting. He was increasingly certain that he would find his old friends again, one by one, in this new world.
That day in class 1-B was really noisy. Elric kept throwing out weird comments in the middle of the lesson. When Instructor Drein invited the students to see push-up movements with magic pressure, Elric suddenly stood up.
"Excuse me sir, my muscles want to move. Can I demonstrate with my body?" he asked casually.
Tessa slapped her forehead, while Rin almost laughed. Liam even half stood up, preparing to hold back Elric's actions.
When it was the turn for the small duel between students to start, Elric was the first to be called. His opponent was a student in class 1-B who was known to be good at martial arts.
One collision. One impact.
BOOM!
The boy was thrown back and hit the protective pad. The class immediately fell silent.
"Oops! Sorry, reflex!" Elric exclaimed while shrugging.
In his seat, Damian restrained himself from overreacting, but he knew very well that Elric's typical courage and easygoing attitude were the characteristics of his old friend. His large body shape also reminded Damian of one of the 5 people in his dream.
That night, Damian sat on the balcony, munching on a sandwich. Beside him, Liam stood up straight, occasionally looking towards the neighbor's window with wary eyes.
Damian patted Liam's shoulder. "Liam, can you make me another tea and sandwiches? I'm still hungry hihihi," he asked.
Liam nodded, then walked inside without a word. The balcony door closed slowly, leaving Damian alone outside.
Suddenly, from the right, Lucien appeared carrying a bottle of water. He arrived at Damian's dorm room balcony. "Did you see Elric earlier?" he asked softly.
Damian nodded, swallowing briefly. "I think so," he answered.
Lucien sat on the balcony railing and relaxed. "The type who likes to cause trouble but is not evil," he said, staring blankly into the darkness. "His style is exactly the same as our old friend."
"He was transferred from Class 1-C because he kept bothering the other students, even me. And he's incredibly strong, stronger than both of us, I'd say. But the strange thing is he never uses magic or his affinity powers," Lucien said.
Damian smiled and said, "Hmm… interesting, but as far as I remember, when we met that great entity, he said he would give us his blessing, right? And if you think he's that strong, maybe there's some truth in the fact that he's one of us".
Damian took a deep breath and looked up at the stars. "The important thing is that we've probably got three out of six," he said calmly. "Only three more."
Lucien smiled thinly. "But if all our friends like to fight like Elric, this world might be destroyed before we can all get together."
They exchanged glances, then raised their fists, lightly touching in their signature high five, a wordless promise: "We'll find the rest, and convince Elric that we're his old friends."
A few seconds after their high five, the balcony door slowly opened. Liam appeared carrying a small tray of warm sandwiches and two cups of warm tea.
He bowed politely.
"Master Damian, here is the extra tea and sandwich you asked for," he said calmly.
Damian smiled in relief. "Thank you Liam."
Liam put the tray beside Damian, then glanced at Lucien.
"Master Damian, do you allow me to shoot this man?" he said quietly.
Damian immediately spat out the tea he had just sipped a little, and immediately stood right in front of Lucien. "Absolutely not."
Lucien, who saw Liam already holding a revolver in both hands, immediately jumped from Damian's balcony and ran away while screaming. "I'm sorry Liammmm."
Liam then immediately looked back at Damian with a sharp gaze as if he wanted to kill Damian, but unexpectedly, Liam suddenly smiled and said.
"Hopefully the taste suits your taste, Master Damian."