Author's Note:

Hey everyone, I just want to say thank you for reading and supporting this story. It truly means a lot. Unfortunately, the book will be coming to an end soon. It's been feeling stagnant lately and hasn't been doing as well as I hoped, so I'd rather end it properly than let it drag on.

Thank you again for sticking with me and the characters till now. I'll do my best to give it a meaningful conclusion.

************

Night hadn't fully settled yet, but the sky over the Academy had already begun fading into that deep, almost indigo blue that always marked the end of a long day. The kind of blue that made everything look softer—the trees, the courtyard stones, even the glowing exam announcement boards scattered across the walkways. It was peaceful, deceptively peaceful, considering what tomorrow represented.

The final exam.

The island.

The thing they'd been circling around for weeks.

I walked down the empty eastern path alone, hands slipped into my pockets, the faint breeze tugging at my sleeves. The whole Academy felt like it was holding its breath. Even the usual noisy Class C crowd was absent tonight. The dorm buildings glowed faintly in the distance like quiet watchtowers. Everyone was preparing—physically, mentally, emotionally.

Meanwhile, I… wasn't sure what I was doing. Wandering? Thinking? Waiting?

Probably all of those.

And then—

A familiar voice called out behind me.

"Arios!"

I glanced back.

Lucy was jogging toward me, waving one hand while the other kept a stack of papers from flying away. Liza walked calmly at her side, arms crossed, expression unreadable—but her eyes softened a little the moment she met mine.

Just seeing them eased something in my chest I hadn't realized was tight.

"You disappeared right after the briefing," Lucy said as she reached me, slightly out of breath. "We thought something happened."

"I just needed air."

I paused. "And a space without thirty people arguing."

Liza huffed. "Half of them weren't arguing—they were bragging. As if announcing how many mock battles they've passed makes them qualified for the island."

Lucy nodded vigorously. "Seriously! And did you hear Class B's vice representative? 'We won't lose to trash like the lower classes.' He even looked at us while saying it."

My eyebrow twitched. "…I did hear."

"Well," Lucy puffed out her cheeks, "I didn't like it."

Liza added, "I nearly stabbed him."

"Liza—"

"Emotionally," she clarified. "Though physically was tempting."

We started walking without discussing a direction. It just… happened. The way things often did between the three of us. A flow that made sense, even when nothing else did.

The stone path wound toward the training field, the lamps casting long shadows behind us. Lucy walked at my right, close enough that her arm brushed mine every now and then. Liza walked at my left, hands behind her back, gaze flicking sideways at me every few steps as though checking that I was still here.

It was quiet. Comfortable.

Until Lucy suddenly said:

"…Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

I didn't answer immediately.

Nervous?

Maybe.

But not in the way she was asking.

"I'm more… aware," I said finally. "The island exam is unpredictable. Too many variables. Too much at stake."

"Yeah," Lucy murmured. "Failing means immediate expulsion."

"And passing means ranking that decides the next year's placement," Liza added. "Prestige, privileges, class positioning, access to special courses… everything."

"And we still don't know the exam format," Lucy continued. "Just that we'll be dropped on the island and given instructions on-site."

I hummed. "Which means preparation is more mental than physical."

Liza looked at me sideways. "And mentally, you seem… strained."

I blinked. "…You think so?"

"Yes."

"Definitely," Lucy added.

I sighed quietly. "I wasn't hiding it, was I?"

Liza shook her head. "You're terrible at hiding things from people who watch you closely."

And Lucy chimed in, "Which we do."

I paused mid-step.

Something about the way they said it—so casual, yet so layered—made my heart thump a little too loudly.

"…Lucky me," I muttered under my breath.

But they heard.

Lucy smiled brightly.

Liza's lips twitched upward, just barely.

We reached the empty training field. The grass was still warm from the sunlight earlier, the faint smell of metal and dust lingering in the air. Instead of heading toward the equipment, we moved to the small set of benches near the fence, settling down like we'd done it a thousand times.

Lucy sat first, then patted the space beside her as if I needed prompting. I sat anyway. Liza remained standing for a moment, looking at the field as though memorizing it, before finally sitting on my other side.

The quiet returned.

This time heavier.

More contemplative.

"…Arios," Lucy said softly, "what are you thinking about?"

"Tomorrow."

"That's obvious," Liza deadpanned.

I exhaled. "About… everything that could go wrong."

Lucy's expression softened with concern.

Liza's eyes sharpened.

"…You're thinking about us," Liza said quietly. "Aren't you?"

I didn't answer.

Because she was right.

I wasn't afraid of the island. I wasn't afraid of danger. I wasn't afraid of the exams or the tests or the challenges.

What I feared… was failing them.

The two people sitting right beside me.

Who trusted me.

Followed me.

Looked at me like I was something solid.

Maybe too solid.

And I knew exactly how much one wrong decision could cost.

"It's not your responsibility to carry everything," Lucy said suddenly.

I turned toward her—surprised.

Her eyes didn't waver.

Her voice didn't shake.

"We're a team," she continued. "Not accessories. Not burdens. Not people who only follow behind you."

Liza crossed her legs. "She means: we're not fragile. If something goes wrong, we handle it together."

Lucy nodded firmly. "So don't take everything on yourself, okay?"

I stared at them.

Lucy—gentle, earnest, deceptively strong.

Liza—sharp-minded, unwavering, quietly fierce.

And both of them were… here. With me. Not because they had to be, not because circumstances forced it, but because they chose it.

"…You have a habit," Liza added, tilting her head, "of carrying weight before asking if someone else wants to help hold it."

Lucy chimed in, "And we want to help. So let us."

It was almost ironic.

I'd been so certain that I needed to be the anchor.

But maybe—

Maybe they were anchors too.

"…You two," I said slowly, "are more capable than you think."

Lucy blushed.

Liza looked away.

But neither denied it.

We fell into silence again, but this time it felt lighter. The tension in my chest loosened in small but noticeable pieces, like invisible knots being slowly undone.

Eventually, Lucy leaned forward, looking up at the sky.

"It's pretty," she said. "Like everything's holding its breath for tomorrow."

"It is," Liza agreed. "The calm before something chaotic."

She turned to me.

"…Will you sleep tonight?"

"Maybe," I said. "Maybe not."

Lucy nudged my shoulder gently. "Then if you don't, don't spend the night thinking too hard. Think… a little. Just enough. Not too much."

Liza nodded. "And if you need anything, come find us."

Lucy brightened. "Yes! Even if it's late!"

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch upward.

"…Thank you," I murmured.

Lucy beamed.

Liza looked satisfied in that subtle way she had.

We stayed on the bench for a long time. No one rushed to leave. No one said we should go back. The night deepened around us, the academy lights flickering like distant beacons, and the three of us simply existed together—shoulder to shoulder, quiet breaths filling the cooling air.

In a way, this stillness felt like the true preparation—not strategy meetings, not last-minute training, not frantic planning.

But this.

The moment before everything changed.

The moment where the world slowed, allowing us to acknowledge the weight ahead—and the strength we already had.

Finally, Lucy let out a tiny yawn.

"We should head back," she said reluctantly.

Liza stood. "Before you fall asleep on the bench."

"I wasn't going to—!"

"You were."

They bickered lightly as we walked back toward the dorms, but it was comfortable, rhythmic, like a familiar song. Their voices softened the edges of the night, and for a brief stretch of time, the coming exam felt less daunting.

We reached Lucy's dorm first.

She turned to me, smiling gently. "Good night, Arios. Tomorrow… let's do our best."

Liza stepped closer, voice low but firm. "Rest. Don't overthink. We need you functional."

"…I will," I said.

Lucy waved. Liza nodded. And slowly they disappeared into the dorm building.

I stood there for a moment alone, letting the quiet settle again.

Then I turned toward my own dorm.

Tomorrow, the island would begin.

And whatever awaited us—

We would face it together.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone, I just want to say thank you for reading and supporting this story. It truly means a lot. Unfortunately, the book will be coming to an end soon. It's been feeling stagnant lately and hasn't been doing as well as I hoped, so I'd rather end it properly than let it drag on.

Thank you again for sticking with me and the characters till now. I'll do my best to give it a meaningful conclusion.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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