"Shit," Soren muttered as he stared down at the letter on his desk.
He already knew what it was.
He didn't need to open it to feel the weight of it sitting there, heavy and ugly like a stone placed on his chest.
Stamped on the back of the envelope was the one thing he had been desperately hoping he would never see.
The Arden seal.
His jaw tightened.
That meant the letter was from the current head of the household, Sofia Arden.
Even the name made his skin crawl.
It wasn't a rational hatred.
It wasn't based on personal experience; Soren had never met her, but he had seen the letter the original Soren had received right after Freya's death.
He had seen the wording, the coldness, the way grief was treated like an inconvenience and weakness.
That alone was enough.
It was impossible to feel anything positive toward the woman after reading something like that.
Soren tore through the seal roughly and yanked the contents out, the paper scraping slightly as it slid free.
He tossed the envelope into the trash with more force than necessary.
"Let's just see for now," he muttered, mostly as an attempt to keep himself from doing something stupid.
He felt annoyed that he was receiving a letter from Sofia at all, but he didn't throw it away.
He didn't burn it.
He didn't crumple it without reading.
There could be something important written here.
Something that mattered.
Or it could be nothing.
Either way, he needed to know.
That was what he told himself.
Then his eyes moved across the first line, and his expression shifted so sharply it was almost funny.
"This bitch…?"
The words spilt out of his mouth without permission, born from a flash of emotion that didn't feel entirely like his.
He forced himself to keep reading.
– To Soren, it is pleasing to hear that you have ceased your distractions and stopped playing around. I trust the academy keeps you suitably occupied, and that you are applying yourself with the diligence required to reflect well upon our family name—
Soren's eye twitched.
The letter was dressed in formalities, every sentence polished and "proper," like it was written to be read aloud in a noble court.
But Soren wasn't stupid.
He could feel it.
Every word was dripping with condescension.
'There it is again…'
The jab.
The assumption that he had been "playing around."
That he needed to be corrected.
That he was a stain that only mattered when he made the family look bad.
Soren clicked his tongue.
His fingers tightened around the page.
For a moment, he wanted to tear it in half, rip it into pieces, grind it under his heel, but there would be no benefit in letting emotion take over right now.
None.
So he forced himself to breathe and kept reading, eyes moving down the page.
Line after line.
Polite poison.
His lips slowly pressed into a thin line as irritation built.
Then he reached the bottom.
And the moment he read the final paragraph, the irritation turned into something colder.
Something heavier.
Soren dropped the letter onto the desk as if it had burned him, then leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose hard enough it hurt.
"Are you kidding me?"
Because the contents were, quite possibly, the worst thing he could have heard right now.
– You will, of course, return home at the commencement of the summer recess, for there are matters of significance that require your attention. I should not have to remind you that absence at such a time would reflect poorly on both your priorities and your regard for this family.
Sofia Arden was summoning him home the moment summer break began.
Not asking.
Not inviting.
Telling.
Soren stared at the paper, silent for a long second.
Then he exhaled slowly.
'This messes up everything.'
His plans for summer were clear.
He was going to leave Stellaris Academy as soon as the break started, sign up with the adventurers' guild, and grind experience properly.
Low-level dungeons.
Real combat.
Growth without the academy's rules strangling him.
He had been planning routes.
Target locations.
All of it hinged on having freedom.
And now…
One letter had just overturned everything.
"What could be so important?" he muttered, more confused than angry for a moment.
He was a near-disowned child.
Soren's gaze drifted to the window, sunlight glaring off the glass.
The campus outside looked calm, almost peaceful, but his stomach twisted.
He didn't know what waited at the Arden territory.
He didn't have the original Soren's memories of his family beyond Freya.
Just fragments.
Just impressions.
And every impression he did have was negative.
He tapped the letter once against the desk as if trying to knock sense into it.
'It's impossible to refuse.'
That was the worst part.
Even if he had a thousand reasons to say no, he didn't have the power to ignore a noble summons from the head of his household, not without consequences that could easily spiral into something disastrous.
He crumpled the letter tightly, the paper folding under his grip, and shoved it into his inventory like he didn't want it polluting his room.
Then he exhaled.
'Let's just focus on the final exam for now.'
The practical exam was scheduled for the following Monday, but he still had to get through the written section first.
He couldn't afford to lose focus.
Not now.
Not with so much resting on his performance.
Soren rubbed his eyes for a few seconds, then pulled a book from his inventory.
He opened it with a quiet snap of determination.
It was time to study.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Soren's pen moved quickly across the paper, the sound steady and sharp in the quiet exam hall.
The room smelled faintly of ink and parchment, mixed with the stale tension of dozens of first-years trying not to panic.
He didn't look up.
He didn't need to.
His eyes tracked the questions, his hand followed, and answers spilt out almost automatically.
Soren tapped the side of his pen against the desk once, not because he was thinking, but because it was habit, something to keep his hands moving while his mind stayed sharp.
Then he drew the circle cleanly.
No hesitation.
No corrections.
Line thickness consistent, symbols placed in proper sequence, the stabilising letters angled correctly so the mana flow would spiral rather than scatter.
His hand didn't shake once.
He had memorised every first-semester textbook.
He had the kind of memory that didn't let him forget, even if he wanted to.
So the written exams were, frankly, easy.
The only questions that slowed him down were the ones that didn't have a single definitive answer, those annoying multifaceted ones where the grader expected you to phrase it a certain way, or include a point that was technically implied but not stated.
Still, any question with a clear, correct response was something Soren could do with ease.
He moved through the paper at a rapid pace.
By the time most students were only halfway done, Soren had already completed the bulk of his answers, double-checked the ones that mattered, and set his pen down.
He leaned forward in his chair slowly.
His shoulders felt tight, but not from the exam.
From everything else.
He rested his forehead against the cool wood of the desk.
Face down, eyes shut, he waited for time to pass.
The hall was filled with scratchy pens, nervous breathing, and the occasional muffled curse from someone who realised they had forgotten something basic.
Soren tried to tune it out.
But his mind drifted anyway.
Right back to the letter.
'I don't get why she would call me back.'
His younger sister, Alice Arden, was already the heir.
Soren had entered Stellaris Academy quietly and stayed mostly out of the spotlight.
In any normal "hostile noble family" situation, that was perfect.
If Sofia wanted him gone, she could simply ignore him. Let him fade. Let him become irrelevant.
Yet she had summoned him first.
Not asked.
Summoned.
'Why now?'
That question sat in his chest like a knot.
'I should tell everyone later.'
Louise had already mentioned she would return home for the break.
She had even invited Soren, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Pens down, hands up."
The gruff voice of the invigilator snapped through the hall like a whip.
Soren lifted his head immediately, posture straightening, expression neutral.
The older man's gaze swept across the students like he was hunting for prey.
"Someone will come around to collect your papers now. If I see a single student still writing after I finish talking, then you will immediately fail this paper."
A wave of panic rippled through the room.
Pens clattered.
Hands shot up.
A few students groaned quietly like they had just been sentenced.
Soren held in a slight smirk, watching the collective suffering like a spectator.
He raised his hand and waited.
A staff member came around, collecting papers methodically.
When Soren's was taken, he exhaled slowly.
Only once permission was given did the hall erupt into movement.
Soren stepped into the flow of bodies and let himself be carried out of the building, trying not to think too hard about the fact that the written exams were over.
Because the practical was still waiting.
And the practical was where the story mattered.
It was as he was making his way out, weaving around clusters of students, that someone suddenly grabbed his arm.
Hard.
Soren jolted so violently he almost stumbled backwards.
"Whoa!"
His heart leapt into his throat, instincts flaring.
For half a second, his body prepared for a fight.
Then he turned and froze for a different reason.
"Hi."
Amelia.
She stood there with an expression that was more exhausted than usual, her posture still straight but her eyes slightly duller, like she had drained herself with sheer effort.
Soren exhaled sharply, then drew in a breath to steady his racing heart.
"That gave me a fright," he muttered, hand pressing briefly to his chest.
Amelia blinked once.
"Sorry."
"It's fine," Soren said, still catching his breath. "How did you manage?"
Amelia's gaze drifted briefly toward the building behind them as if she could still feel the exam.
"…Alright, I think."
Soren narrowed his eyes.
"You think?"
She frowned faintly, like she didn't like the question.
"Some of it didn't make any sense," she admitted plainly. "What about you?"
Soren shrugged lightly.
"Same as always."
Amelia stared at him for a beat longer.
"You're unfair," she said, very seriously.
Soren couldn't help it.
A slight smirk appeared.
"That's not my fault."
"It is. You make it look easy," Amelia replied, tone flat, as if it was objectively true.
Soren opened his mouth to argue.
Then decided it was pointless.
Instead, he gestured loosely.
"Let's wait for the others."
As if summoned by his words, Felix appeared first, weaving through the crowd with his hands behind his head, looking more annoyed than exhausted.
"Finally over," Felix groaned, voice full of suffering that sounded more dramatic than necessary.
Esper showed up next, hair slightly messy, expression pained.
"I hate exams," she announced immediately. "I hate paper. I hate ink. I hate my dad for making me study as a kid."
Then Louise arrived last, posture neat and composed, but with a faint tiredness around her eyes that suggested even she wasn't immune to the stress.
Soren noticed Alex and Olivia in the distance, walking near each other, close enough that it looked natural.
He didn't comment.
He didn't want to mess up whatever fragile vibe they had going.
"Should we get something to eat then?" Soren asked instead.
The response was immediate.
And so, the group drifted toward the cafeteria together.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
The cafeteria was louder than usual.
Not in the sense of chaos, but in the sense of relief, students speaking with that particular energy that only came after surviving an exam.
Benches scraped, trays clattered, and conversations blended into a constant hum of people trying to pretend they weren't still stressed.
Soren and the others claimed a table a little off to the side, close enough to the main area to get food quickly, but far enough that they wouldn't be in the middle of everyone.
As soon as everyone sat down, Felix flopped back in the bench like his spine had given up.
Esper groaned and pressed her forehead to the table.
Louise sat upright, hands near the rapier at her waist, not playing with it but still touching it absentmindedly like it was grounding her.
Amelia looked normal again, composed, quiet, but her eyes were slightly sharper than usual, like she was already thinking about the next hurdle.
Soren exhaled slowly and let himself relax for half a second.
Then he remembered the letter.
And the knot returned.
"So," Soren began casually, as if he hadn't been thinking about it nonstop. "What's everyone's plan for the break?"
It was meant to be an innocent question.
But he watched everyone's faces anyway.
Louise answered first, as expected.
"I'm going home. I need to train more," she said calmly, fingers idly brushing the rapier's hilt.
Soren nodded.
That sounded like Louise.
Felix shrugged, expression lazy.
"Dunno."
"Just 'dunno'?" Soren repeated, raising a brow.
Felix scowled.
"What? I'll do something. Probably."
"That means you'll wander around causing trouble," Soren muttered.
Felix smirked slightly.
"Maybe."
Esper lifted her head, grimacing.
"I think my dad wants me to come see him."
She groaned dramatically.
"Ugh, he's probably going to grill me again."
Soren snorted.
"You probably brought that on yourself."
"Shut up," Esper said immediately, but there was no real heat behind it. "He's just annoying. Like, why can't he just be proud and leave me alone?"
"Because you're you," Felix muttered.
Esper threw a napkin at him.
Amelia spoke next, voice simple and matter-of-fact.
"Papa says I have to go see him."
Soren's eyes flicked to her.
For someone as blunt as Amelia, she said it with the flat resignation of someone who already knew arguing would be pointless.
Soren leaned back slightly.
Their answers matched his guesses.
Given their statuses, it was obvious most of them wouldn't stay on campus.
Then Esper's gaze slid toward Soren, her expression sharpening with curiosity.
"What about you, Cutie?"
Soren's fingers paused.
For a fraction of a second, his brain tried to dodge.
He could lie.
He could say, "I'm not sure yet."
He could say "training."
But the truth was already sitting in his inventory like a ticking bomb.
So instead, he reached into his inventory and pulled out the crumpled letter.
He placed it on the table with an awkward smile, then unfolded it just enough for the seal to be visible.
The Arden seal.
The table went a little quieter.
Not silent, cafeteria noise still existed, but their little bubble did.
"Oh…" Esper murmured, the teasing fading slightly.
Felix's expression shifted too, just a fraction, like he had finally remembered the Arden name wasn't a joke.
Amelia stared at the seal with a hard, unreadable look.
Louise's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
Soren cleared his throat.
"I was called home," he said, keeping his tone light on purpose. "I got told there was something important."
He shrugged, forcing casualness.
"But I'll try to wrap it up quickly since I've got other things I need to do."
That wasn't exactly a lie.
He did have other things he needed to do.
He just didn't know whether Sofia Arden was going to allow him to do them.
No one spoke for a moment.
Everyone at the table understood that Soren's relationship with his family was strained.
But only one person knew the severity.
Louise.
Louise was staring at him anxiously, fingers tightening slightly around her utensils as if she wanted to say something and couldn't.
Soren noticed and gave her a small, reassuring smile.
"It'll be fine. The worst that can happen is I get disowned, right?"
He tried to make it sound like a joke.
Half-joking.
But the words landed strangely.
Esper's mouth opened, then shut.
Felix frowned.
Amelia's eyes narrowed.
Louise looked like she wanted to grab him and shake him.
Soren rolled his eyes slightly, as if annoyed at his own joke.
Then, in his head, a thought slipped through.
'It actually might not be such a bad outcome.'
If he were truly disowned, fully cut loose, then Sofia would have less power to summon him.
Less power to interfere.
It might be freedom.
Soren shut the thought down immediately.
No.
Not now.
He couldn't think like that.
Not when he knew what kind of consequences "disowned" carried in a noble household.
Felix cleared his throat, voice deliberately blunt to break the tension.
"What about Professor Roseblood?"
Soren blinked, glad for the subject change.
"She'll probably just stay here. So don't try hitting on her, Felix."
Felix sighed like he had been insulted.
"I wasn't going to."
Soren looked him dead in the eye.
Felix looked away.
Esper grinned, the tension easing slightly as she leaned back.
"Anyways!" she announced loudly, clapping once. "Enough about the break! What's going on with the practical?"
Soren exhaled, grateful again.
"Ah, right."
Because even though the written exams were over, they still had one final hurdle before any of them could even think about enjoying summer.
The practical exam.
The real end of Act 1.
"There hasn't been any news, right?" Soren asked.
"Nope! None at all!" Esper replied immediately, voice cheerful again.
Louise shook her head.
"I won't be of help here. They change the exam every year. Sorry."
Felix leaned forward, expression strangely serious.
"...I guess all we can do is hope that it goes well."
Soren's smile turned bitter.
'Hopefully…'
————「❤︎」————