Rese finished her introduction with her chin slightly raised, posture straight, hands folded neatly in front of her. There was a confidence to the way she said her name, as if it were something Lux was expected to recognize immediately.
The silence that followed stretched.
Not an awkward one at first—more like a pause that felt intentional. Rese looked at him, waiting.
Lux blinked once. Then twice.
"…Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head, his voice careful but honest. "I'm not really familiar with your house."
Dominic failed spectacularly at holding back his reaction. He turned his head away, shoulders shaking as a short laugh slipped out before he managed to cover it with a cough.
Rese stared at Lux.
Her expression shifted through several emotions in quick succession—annoyance, irritation, disbelief—before settling into something more complicated.
"You're joking," she said flatly.
Lux winced a little. "No—well, I mean, not really." He let his hand drop, suddenly aware of how strange this must sound. "I've only been part of nobility for… barely a month. I'm still learning who's who."
That did it.
Vale's relaxed smile vanished entirely. Dominic's grin froze mid-expression, his golden eyes widening just a fraction. Even Rese looked genuinely stunned now.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Lux felt a knot tighten in his chest. Maybe that was too much. Maybe he should've just nodded and smiled like everyone else tonight.
"You're kidding," Vale said finally, his tone light but his eyes sharp. "You're telling me you've been a ward for less than a month?"
Lux nodded. "Four weeks. Just about."
Vale stared at him for a second longer before continuing, "Then the rumor's true? You reached Spark in three weeks with no prior training?"
"Yes," Lux answered. There was no pride in his voice. Just confirmation.
The silence returned, heavier this time.
Vale leaned back slightly, studying him as if seeing him properly for the first time. "Then what were you before?"
Lux hesitated.
Only for a moment.
He didn't know why, exactly, but standing there with the three of them—Dominic's open curiosity, Rese's sharp scrutiny, Vale's measured calm—felt different from the polished smiles and probing questions he'd endured all evening. Even though they had just met he felt like he could talk to them like people.
Maybe he was being naive, but he took the chance.
"I lived in the slums," Lux said. "Outer Sectors. Until four weeks ago."
The reaction was immediate.
Rese's eyes widened. Dominic's mouth fell open without him noticing. Vale sucked in a slow breath through his teeth.
"…Wait," Rese said, recovering first. "You mean you were a commoner?"
Lux nodded again. "Yes."
"A commoner," she repeated, disbelief sharpening her tone, "with no preparatory training. No early exposure. No family instruction."
"That's right."
"And you reached Spark in three weeks?" she pressed. "Do you understand how completely unrealistic that sounds?"
Lux shifted slightly on his feet. "I know it does. I don't really understand it either. I was told I'm gifted, but… that's all it's ever been to me. A word."
Vale shook his head slowly. "Even the most talented Pathfinders start with years of preparation. Conditioning. Controlled exposure." He looked genuinely baffled now. "What you're describing is like saying you built a tower in three weeks without ever being taught how to stack stone."
Lux felt his shoulders tense.
He braced himself for it—for the change in tone, the subtle distancing, the polite dismissal that always followed once people knew where he came from.
Instead, Vale sighed.
Not in disbelief. Not in disdain.
Just… amazement.
"…You really are something," Vale said, a small smile returning to his face. "And here I was, coming up with theories about you being the lost heir of some fallen noble house when I first heard of you."
Dominic snapped out of his stupor instantly.
"Ha!" he laughed,"I knew it. I knew I picked the right rival. I've got an eye for this kind of thing."
Rese crossed her arms, still processing, but the sharpness in her expression softened. She looked at Lux again, this time with something closer to respect.
"Well," she said after a moment, "that wasn't the backstory I was expecting from our mysterious new talent."
She met his eyes.
"…I'm impressed."
Lux hesitated, then asked the question that had been sitting in his chest since he'd spoken the truth.
"You're… not going to judge me?" he said. His voice was steady, but there was no mistaking the uncertainty underneath. "For being a commoner. From the Outer Sectors.I kind of expected it. I've heard how nobility usually sees people like that."
Rese looked at him like he'd just said something mildly ridiculous.
"You're a Ward of House Achrion," she said plainly. "Looking down on you would make no sense. If they acknowledged you, then you're obviously the real deal."
She folded her arms, chin lifting slightly. "Besides, bullying the weak is beneath my family. Unlike a lot of cowards here, House Ardor is noble in more than just name."
Vale nodded along easily. "We're all human," he said. "Seems like a waste of effort to pretend otherwise."
Dominic didn't even pause to think. "I already declared you my rival," he said proudly. "Looking down on you would just make me look bad."
Lux blinked.
He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting—dismissal, maybe polite avoidance—but this… wasn't it. They truly were strange people, or maybe different would be the better word.
The atmosphere felt… comfortable.
Before he could overthink it, the words slipped out.
"Uh," Lux said, rubbing his neck, ears warming. "Would you… like to… be my friends?"
The three of them stared at him.
Not coldly. Not harshly. Just… oddly.
Vale was the first to react. He tilted his head, studying Lux with renewed interest.
"We met, what, five minutes ago?" he said. "And you're asking us to be friends already?"
A grin tugged at his lips. "And here I was think you were an introvert, quite the bold move."
Lux panicked instantly. "I—I'm sorry, that was weird, I meant—"
Vale laughed, cutting him off. "Relax. I'm joking." He waved a hand. "Honestly? It sounds interesting. So sure. Why not. It would benefit me to be friends with a member of the Achrion house anyways."
Dominic lit up. "Exactly! A friendly rivalry is the best way to grow stronger." He pointed at Lux again, clearly pleased with himself. "From now on, you're my friend and my rival."
Rese let out a long sigh. "Achrion and Fulgur are rival houses," she reminded them. "How exactly is this supposed to work?"
She looked at Lux again, more measured now. "Nobles don't usually become 'friends' like this if at all. Everyone has something to lose. Real trust takes years build."
Dominic shrugged. "Then what better time to start than now?"
Rese sighed again, clearly defeated. "Fine. Whatever." She glanced sideways at Dominic. "If nothing else, you can replace this idiot when he abandons his teammates mid-game."
"Sounds like a skill issue," Dominic shot back. "Maybe if you were better at cards, you wouldn't need me so much."
"It's a game of luck," Rese snapped.
"Then get luckier."
They immediately launched into another argument, voices overlapping, neither willing to give ground. Vale just rubbed his temple and sighed like this was a familiar scene.
Lux watched them.
And then—unexpectedly—he laughed.
It slipped out before he could stop it, light and unguarded. His chest didn't feel tight. The noise, the stares—all of it faded into the background.
"This is nice."