Valerie stood slowly, her arms crossed as she faced Zane.
"...You're lucky I'm not the grudge-holding type," she muttered, but there was the faintest curve of a smile at the corner of her lips. "Just... try not to lead people on with all that mysterious brooding hero thing you do. It's confusing."
Zane rubbed the back of his neck. "Noted."
She stepped closer, lightly flicking his forehead. "And don't let that girl carry all your bags next time."
"She doesn't carry any of them!" he exclaimed.
Valerie chuckled softly, then turned toward the rooftop stairwell. "See you around, shadow boy."
As she disappeared from view, Nyx whistled in Zane's head. "Not bad. You didn't even stutter. Proud of you, Romeo."
Zane muttered, "Shut it," before vanishing in a shadowy shimmer.
Back on the airship, he returned to find Sera already seated, munching on a snack like nothing had happened.
"Took you long enough," she said. "Valerie didn't slap you, did she?"
Zane flopped beside her with a sigh. "I'd rather carry your bags for a week than go through that again."
Sera smirked. "Deal."
The ship rumbled softly as the engines powered up, students from various academies murmuring around them. A professor's voice crackled to life over the intercom:
"This concludes your inter-academy trial at Lumina. We hope you've grown stronger, smarter... and learned the value of teamwork. Next stop: Obsidian Crest Academy."
As the airship lifted into the sky, Zane leaned back, staring at the clouds passing above.
But even as he smiled faintly, deep in the back of his mind... something still whispered from the dream he'd forgotten.