System, please just shut up

The courtyard outside the East Wing training halls buzzed with a low, expectant energy, a stark contrast to the usual clatter of practice weapons and shouted commands.

A steady stream of students gathered under the arched walkway, all staring up at the glowing panel hovering in midair.

This was the Assignment Board.

It rotated slowly above the growing crowd, its surface layered with flickering text and glowing district maps, listing names in clean, structured columns.

Each update made a soft, almost ethereal hum, followed by a precise click as the next set of assignments slid into view.

The air thrummed with the collective anticipation of the hundreds of cadets eager to see where they would be stationed for the critical Moonwake Festival.

Kael stood near the back of the group, arms folded loosely across his chest, his dark hair still damp from a quick rinse, the chill a welcome contrast to the internal heat of his rigorous training.

Beside him, Theo stood with his characteristic calm, sipping something from a steaming paper cup that smelled distinctly like spiced chocolate and arcane stabilizers.

His eyes, usually analytical, were fixed on the board as it cycled through the list, searching for their names amidst the intricate roster.

The assignments were distributed one by one, methodically revealing the complex tapestry of the academy's security plan for the festival.

Faction squads were assigned to strategic checkpoints.

Upper-year patrol leads were given their routes.

Healing station assignments appeared for the more magically inclined. Ritual coordination teams were detailed to the various arcane anchors across the city.

Each task was crucial, a cog in the grand machinery of public safety.

Then it came, scrolling into view with a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer:

[District 6 – Crowd Control]

.

.

Kael Darven

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Theo Ardyn .

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Jarik Rendel

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.

Kael blinked.

'Jarik?'

A name he hadn't seen in nearly two weeks.

"Oh, look who's back," Theo murmured, a hint of amused surprise and pleasure in his voicel.

Kael didn't turn yet, but he felt it—the faint, subtle shift in air pressure behind him, the almost imperceptible weight of a familiar, easy presence.

Footsteps approached from behind, light and confident.

A warm voice, amused and calm, spoke, a familiar cadence that instantly eased a tension Kael hadn't realized he was holding.

"You're both taller. That's unacceptable."

Kael turned, a genuine smile finally breaking through his new usual stoicism. "Jarik."

The third member of their little quartet stood there, the same crooked, easy grin he'd left with weeks ago.

Lean, his dark brown hair tied back in a loose tail, a faint scar curving along his jawline—newer than the last time they saw him, a testament to whatever dangers his recent mission had entailed.

His uniform was travel-worn, betraying long journeys, but meticulously clean, a subtle detail that spoke volumes of his innate precision.

"Miss me?" Jarik asked, his grin widening, already anticipating their usual dismissive banter.

"Nope."

"Nah, didn't even notice you where gone."

"..."

Kael chuckled, shaking his head. "You're back early."

"Mission ended early," Jarik replied "Also, I told them if I had to listen to one more old man compare beast nests to puberty metaphors, I was going to file a formal complaint. My sanity has limits."

"Welcome back, then"

Jarik tilted his head toward the floating board, his eyes scanning the details of their assignment.

"District 6, huh? Big area for crowd control."

"Big crowds," Theo added, taking another slow sip of his spiced chocolate. "It's where most of the food stalls and performance troupes will be set up. High foot traffic. Lots of nobles trying not to get robbed. It's usually a nightmare of lost children and overzealous street performers."

Kael read the map layout again, the familiar streets and branching alleys, noting some decent high ground positions and potential choke points.

He could already tell that crowd control wouldn't be as easy as it sounded.

"I think they're expecting us to run the cleanup and containment sweeps," Jarik said, his tone turning serious, the casual demeanor replaced by a keen understanding of strategy. "If anything goes wrong during the Moonwake Alignment, it'll go wrong in those type of places. But we don't need to bother too much, city guards will be on patrol as well. We just need to support them"

Kael stretched lazily, a subtle flex of muscles that had grown leaner and stronger in the last month. "Well, at least we'll be together. If we die, we die as idiots in formation."

Jarik smiled, a glint in his eye. "Poetic, but I'm not dying with you two. I have a date with a very expensive bottle of fermented moon-berry wine."

"That's the closet thing you're ever getting to an actual date." Theo shot back ruthlessly still focused on his drink.

Kael exhaled slowly, a faint smile on his lips, and looked around the bustling courtyard.

More names filled the Assignment Board, cycling through the columns.

More groups of cadets filed into formation, their faces etched with varying degrees of excitement, trepidation, or plain exhaustion, or drifted off talking about their newly assigned stations.

But for the first time in days, with Theo at his side and Jarik's familiar presence, things felt… familiar. Comforting.

He glanced between his two teammates—Theo, ever the calm mage, sipping the last of his chocolate like it was liquid gold, extracting every drop of warmth, Jarik.....the nimble knight.

"Alright," Kael said, his voice imbued with a newfound clarity and direction. "Why don't we go check out what part of District 6 is specifically ours after class tomorrow? We need to know what we're dealing with, map out the terrain, identify potential trouble spots, and strategize for containment."

"And if we're lucky," He added, already turning and beginning to walk, the familiar rhythm of the trio falling into place as Theo and Jarik naturally moved to follow, "maybe we get assigned near a food street. I hear the candied mana-nuts are divine this time of year."

Jarik scoffed, a playful roll of his eyes. "That's your endgame? Surviving a cosmic alignment just to guard a churro stand?"

"If I die guarding a dumpling cart, knowing I went out with a full stomach and a belly full of joy, I'll consider it a life well spent," Kael retorted without missing a beat, a genuine, easy laugh escaping him.

Theo shook his head, a soft smile on his face, letting the familiar rhythm of their banter carry them forward.

The first night of Moonwake was approaching fast.

And even if no one else could feel it yet, even if the city sang with preparations, something ancient and dangerous was already shifting beneath the surface, a tremor in the very fabric of reality.