A few days later, the heavy wooden doors of the Squad 4 barracks swung open, and the missing pieces of their chaotic family finally walked through.
Junie practically bounded into the common room, though her usual energetic bouncing was dialed back by a look of sheer, dreamy exhaustion. Her cheeks were still flushed a faint pink. Right behind her came Kael, looking a little weary from the travel but wearing his signature calm, reliable smile, with his emerald snake draped comfortably around his shoulders.
"We're home!" Junie called out, flopping face-first onto the nearest plush sofa with a dramatic groan. "I am never walking up the castle stairs again. My legs are officially dead."
Finn, who had been lazily polishing his daggers at the table, immediately perked up. "Look who finally decided to show up! So, how was the grand castle visit? Did you get to see Sir Sylas, or did you just stutter and trip over your own boots again?"
"I did not trip!" Junie yelped into the couch cushion, her voice muffled but defensive. "He smiled at me, okay?! He actually said 'Good morning, Junie.' I might never wash my ears again."
Kael chuckled, shaking his head as he unbuckled his heavy travel cloak. He looked over at Aster, who was sitting nearby with a notebook of archery terms Elio had forced him to study.
"Good to see you, Aster," Kael said warmly, his steady voice instantly bringing a sense of grounded leadership back to the room. "I trust Elio didn't break you while we were gone?"
Aster stood up and gave a respectful, polite nod to Kael, glad to see their squad leader back in one piece.
"Welcome back, Captain," Aster said, before his curiosity finally got the better of him. He leaned forward a bit, his eyes bright. "Did you actually get to see it? The dragon's magic stone... the heart?"
Kael paused, a wry smile touching his lips as he hung up his cloak. "Word travels fast around here, doesn't it? I'm guessing Finn couldn't keep his mouth shut."
"Hey! I was just sharing vital world news!" Finn protested from the table, raising his hands in mock innocence.
Kael turned back to Aster, his expression turning a bit more serious and filled with awe. "I did see it. Lord Neolux had it delivered straight to the castle's central vault. Aster, 'big' doesn't even do it justice. It's a massive, pulsing core of pure, crystalline mana. It was radiating so much heat and power that the mages had to activate three layers of containment circles just so people could stand in the same room with it."
"It was so cool!" Junie chimed in, rolling over on the couch to face them, her eyes wide. "Even from outside the vault doors, you could feel the air vibrating. It felt like a thunderstorm was trapped inside a rock!"
Eva emerged from the kitchen, her serene expression shifting into something much more focused the moment she saw Kael. She didn't say a word at first; she simply caught Kael's eye and gave a slight, meaningful nod toward the quieter corner of the room near the hallway.
Kael's relaxed posture instantly sharpened. He nodded back, gave the snake around his neck a gentle pat to keep it calm, and followed her away from the loud banter of the main room.
The two of them stood close together near the shadowed corridor. Eva leaned in, her lips moving rapidly as she began to speak in a hushed, intense whisper. Kael listened intently, his brows knitting together as his expression grew increasingly grave.
Across the room, Finn was still teasing Junie about Sir Sylas, and Elio was muttering under his breath about proper bow maintenance, but Aster couldn't help but glance over at the two senior members.
Even though he couldn't hear a single word over Finn's loud laughing, the heavy, serious tension radiating from Eva and Kael was unmistakable. Kael whispered something back, his face grim, and Eva closed her eyes, crossing her arms with a slow, troubled nod. Whatever they were discussing, it clearly wasn't just casual squad business.
Aster decided it was best not to pry into whatever serious business the seniors were discussing. He turned back to the couch, forcing a curious smile, and caught Junie's attention.
"Oh, wait... how is Sir Sylas?" Aster asked, trying to steer the mood back to something lighter. "I haven't seen him since that day."
The moment his name left Aster's mouth, Junie's eyes lit up, and a dramatic, lovesick sigh escaped her lips. She buried her face in a couch cushion for a second before rolling over to face him, her cheeks instantly flushing red.
"Oh, Aster, he was amazing," she gushed, her voice dropping into a dreamy whisper. "He was wearing his silver ceremonial armor, and he looked so handsome and dignified! He was helping coordinate the security for Lord Neolux's return, so he was super busy, but when he saw me, he actually paused what he was doing."
She clutched her hands to her chest. "He asked if Squad 4 was doing well, and he looked right at me! His eyes are just... so kind. But he looked really tired, too. Guarding the castle and handling all the high-ranking knights must be so stressful."
"Yeah, stressful because he has to deal with you lurking around the pillars," Finn snickered from the table, earning himself a glare and a thrown throw-pillow straight from Junie's hand.
Finn ducked just in time, the pillow Junie threw whistling harmlessly over his head and bouncing off the wall. He straightened up, a massive, teasing grin plastered across his face.
"Maybe he only looked at you because you looked so funny with that bright red face!" Finn cackled, pointing a finger at her. "He probably thought you were having a medical emergency or suffocating right there in the hallway!"
"Finn, shut up!" Junie shrieked, her face turning an even deeper shade of crimson that practically proved his point. She grabbed another cushion, ready to launch it. "He was being polite and gentlemanly, concepts you clearly know nothing about!"
Aster laughed softly, watching the two of them bicker like they always did. It was a comforting contrast to the hushed, serious conversation still happening between Kael and Eva in the shadows across the room.
Finn leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head with a smug, knowing grin.
"Look, joke's aside, Junie," Finn said, his tone shifting into that playful yet brutally honest territory. "You've gotta face reality here. Sir Sylas is a high-ranking knight, he's handsome, and he's basically the definition of a golden boy. There are tons of girls constantly surrounding him at the castle. Noble ladies, high-ranking mages, female knights... you name it."
Junie froze mid-swing, her second cushion still gripped tightly in her hands. The fiery blush on her cheeks suddenly faltered, replaced by a slight, pouting slump of her shoulders.
"I... I know that," she muttered, looking down at the fabric of the cushion. "He's popular. Obviously."
"Yeah, so a 'good morning' is a great start, but you've got stiff competition, kiddo," Finn chuckled, though he softened his grin just a bit so it wasn't too mean.
Aster looked between them, feeling a little bad for Junie, while across the room, the hushed murmurs between Kael and Eva finally seemed to be drawing to a close.
Aster's words dropped like a small boulder into the conversation.
"Oh, wait..." Aster muttered, tapping his chin as the memory clicked. "Last time I saw him, he was kinda close to that woman who chose the team for me. I don't know her name, but she was very beautiful. And his eyes were completely focused on her."
The room went dead silent.
Finn froze mid-laugh, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. Junie's jaw dropped so low it looked like it might unhinge, the couch cushion slipping from her limp fingers. Even Elio paused his bow-stringing, glancing up with a sharp look of sudden interest.
"Aster..." Finn said, his voice dropping into a dramatic, horrified whisper. "Do you mean... Melian? The one from the Selection Committee? The super smart tactician?!"
"W-What?!" Junie gasped, sitting up straight, her voice cracking. "Sir Sylas and Melian?! No way! I mean, she's incredibly kind and sweet to everyone, but she's so beautiful and brilliant! If she's his type, I don't stand a chance!"
Before Aster could clarify or say another word, the heavy atmosphere from the corner vanished as Kael and Eva finally walked back over to the main group. Kael had a tight, slightly forced smile on his face, though his eyes were completely serious.
"Alright, that's enough gossip for today," Kael interrupted smoothly, though he cast a brief, curious glance at Aster. "Aster, don't let Finn distract you too much. We have a lot of work to do starting tomorrow. This is your fisrt mission, Aster!"