The bells rang softer now.
Not because they had been dulled but because people listened differently.
A year had passed since the massacre, since the crater carved itself into the heart of the Academy. Since silence became the loudest sound in the halls.
But Eldhollow had endured.
The wounds were still there, scars in stone, names on obelisks and a silence when someone said "Jalen" but the Academy had moved forward, if not fully healed. Towers had been rebuilt.
New enchantments were woven. New students filled the courtyards, laughing nervously, unaware of how much blood had been scrubbed from these stones.
And among the returning students were three who had changed more than most.
Nola adjusted the leather straps on her uniform, now trimmed with silver runes that marked her second-year status. Her black hair hung just below her shoulders except when she activated the will within her. Then it bled violet, like flames of death.
Taveer walked beside her, taller now, steadier. His mana no longer flared out in chaotic pulses. It simmered, honed. It was more controlled. Most of the time.
Maika trailed behind, one boot up on a bench as she re-tightened the buckles on her greaves. "Feels weird," she muttered, chewing a piece of dried fruit. "One year and we're still breathing. Can't decide if that's luck or stubbornness."
"Both," Taveer said.
Nola cracked a smile. "Mostly stubbornness."
The three of them had survived. More than that, they had grown. Trained, fought and improved.
They weren't the same people who had walked into Eldhollow as wide-eyed first years.
But now, a new decision loomed ahead. A rite of passage for second-years. They had to select a Legion to join.
Previously, it had been for third years but with the attack on Eldhollow, things had changed.
Eldhollow's legions were more than clubs or squads, they were purpose. Their identity.
Some were known for offense, others for healing, or reconnaissance, or defense. Some legions specialized in anti-mage tactics, some in monster hunting, and some, like the Eclipse Legion was shields forged in battle.
And now, they had to choose where they will work for six months.
"I thought this would be easier," Nola admitted as they walked through the main corridor. "A year ago, I would've said Eclipse or Void without blinking."
"You still could," Taveer said.
"But it's not that simple," she replied. "It's not about being the best anymore."
Taveer nodded. "It's about what we're willing to fight for."
They reached the courtyard, where massive banners had been strung from tower to tower, each bearing the emblem of a Legion.
Students clustered around sign-up booths. Legion recruiters shouted over the crowd, trying to draw attention. Trial combat fields had been conjured in every corner. Even the air buzzed with energy.
Maika eyed a booth where a massive armored captain slammed a practice dummy into the dirt. " Sun Legion looks fun. Smash first, ask questions later."
"Sounds like your kind of therapy," Nola said.
"I like to keep things simple."
Nola looked across the courtyard and saw the Eclipse banner, the same symbol they had followed into battle a year ago. Her chest tightened.
She remembered the empty casket. The cracked crest. The sound of Alric's voice when he said he kept that promise.
Part of her wanted to go there. To honor the ones they lost.
But another part... didn't know if she was ready.
"We've changed," she said softly.
Taveer looked at her. "Yeah. We have."
Her eyes met his, and for a moment, the world faded, the crowd, the banners, the noise. Just him, steady as ever. Her anchor. And maybe something more than that now.
They hadn't put it into words. Not exactly. But closeness had become their language.
The shared silence, quiet smiles, shoulders brushing in training. It wasn't fragile. It wasn't burning. It was real.
And that scared her more than any battle.
"What are you leaning toward?" she asked him.
He hesitated. "Part of me says Eclipse. Their sacrifice. The meaning. But another part wonders… if I keep following on my whims, am I really choosing anything?"
Maika snorted. "We're all getting dramatic now."
"You don't think it matters?" Nola asked.
"Oh, it matters," Maika said. "I just don't think there's a perfect choice. You pick your battlefield. You pick your people. Then you fight like hell to make it matter."
Nola exhaled. "Well, when you put it like that."
A loud boom echoed through the courtyard as two students in the trial ring clashed. Lightning danced across the training field. Somewhere, a spell exploded and showered the area in golden sparks. The excitement was real. So was the weight.
"You both could go solo," Maika added, half-joking. "You're the Taveer and Nola. Bet any Legion would lose to you without question."
Nola didn't laugh.
"I don't want to be a simple weapon," she said. "I want to belong. Not just be used."
Taveer reached out, brushing her hand gently with his fingers. "Then we find a place. Together."
He felt his words being half-hearted. He already knew his choice. It was Void Legion. But Nola would not suit there.
She looked down at their hands. Then up at him.
Maybe this wasn't about choosing power or prestige. Maybe it was about choosing people. The ones worth standing beside. The ones you'd burn the world to protect.
She had spent years wanting freedom. Wanting peace. Now, she understood something deeper.
Freedom didn't mean walking away.
It meant standing your ground for something bigger than yourself.
"I'm not a princess waiting to be protected," she said, quietly. "Not anymore."
Taveer smiled. "No. You're the one holding the sword now."
They stood there for a while, watching the chaos of the courtyard swirl around them. First-years running to booths. Third-years showing off. Recruiters calling out.
And the three of them, caught between the past and the future.
"What if we pick the wrong one?" Nola asked.
"Then we make it right," Maika said, cracking her knuckles.
Nola nodded slowly. She looked at the Sun Legion longingly. She could meet her brother