"You just want food," Seraphina replied dryly, folding her arms.
Liliana giggled, covering her mouth. "I think it sounds fun."
Nathan stretched with a grin. "I'm in. Merlin, you?"
Merlin raised a brow. "Do I even get a choice?"
"Nope!" Adrian declared. "You're coming whether you like it or not. Group outing!"
The streets bustled with the late-morning rush. Vendors called out over the noise of carts and footsteps, colorful canopies shading tables stacked with fruit, trinkets, and glittering charms that pulsed faintly with mana.
The air smelled of spice and smoke, and somewhere down the way a bard plucked a cheerful tune on a lute.
Merlin kept pace with the others, hood tugged low more from habit than necessity.
Victoria had dragged him through these same streets the day before, but it felt different now, surrounded by his classmates. Louder. Messier. Livelier.
Elara walked close, her silver hair drawing more than a few stares from passersby. Nobility practically clung to her in the way she carried herself, but she ignored the attention, violet eyes sharp and focused only on the group.
Adrian was the first to break ranks, darting to a meat skewer stand. "Six of your best, no, eight! Actually, ten!"
"Who's paying for that?" Nathan called.
Adrian hesitated. "…Merlin?"
Merlin shot him a flat look. "Not a chance."
Liliana stepped in before they could bicker further, handing over a few coins with a bright smile. "Here. Consider it a treat."
Adrian bit into the first skewer with a dramatic groan. "Liliana, you're a saint. Unlike some people." He waved the stick at Merlin.
Merlin snorted but said nothing, though he caught Elara's small, amused glance from the corner of his eye.
The group weaved deeper through the market, stopping at a jeweler's stall where Seraphina carefully examined a row of silver hairpins, then at a book vendor where Ethan lazily flipped through titles before declaring them all "too much effort."
Dorian lingered near the back, crimson eyes scanning the crowd like he expected trouble at any moment.
Merlin noticed it but didn't comment.
At one point, Nathan grabbed his arm and dragged him toward a booth selling practice weapons. "Look at these! A steel axe for Adrian, maybe a dainty dagger for Ethan…"
Ethan didn't even look up. "Pass."
"Fine, you can have a frying pan."
That earned laughter from almost everyone, even Elara let out a quiet breath of amusement.
Merlin shook his head, but he found himself smiling despite it. The noise, the banter, the lightness, it chipped away at the heaviness that had lingered over him since waking.
They eventually stopped at a bakery with wide glass windows and the smell of fresh bread wafting into the street.
Inside, the long wooden tables were crowded with students and city-goers alike, but they managed to find space near the back.
Loaves, pastries, and steaming cups of tea were passed around, Adrian stuffing his face so quickly Seraphina threatened to slap the crumbs out of him.
Nathan told a story about a training accident that ended with him falling into a fountain, which had the whole table howling with laughter.
Merlin leaned back slightly, watching. Listening. Letting himself sink into the warmth of it.
Then, quietly, Elara leaned closer, her voice barely above the noise. "…You're smiling again."
Merlin blinked. "…Was I?"
"Yes." Her violet eyes softened, just for a moment. "It suits you."
Before he could reply, Nathan slammed a hand on the table. "Alright! After this, we hit the arena district. Not for a real fight, don't glare at me, Elara, but just to watch. They've got open exhibitions going today."
Adrian nearly choked on his pastry in excitement. "Yes! Finally, someone who understands me."
Liliana clapped lightly. "It could be fun."
Merlin arched a brow. "So this 'group outing' isn't over yet?"
"Not even close," Nathan grinned.
Elara's lips curved faintly again, and Merlin felt that odd tug in his chest, the one he hadn't quite named yet.
For now, though, he let it go. He sipped his tea, listening to the chatter around him, the hum of voices beyond the bakery walls, the faint warmth of sunlight across the wooden table.
For once, the world didn't feel like it was about to collapse.
The city's mood shifted as they left the narrow market streets and crossed toward the broad avenues of the arena district.
The noise of hawkers and minstrels gave way to a deeper, more unified roar, cheers, gasps, the collective sound of hundreds of voices carried on the air.
Merlin caught the faint vibration of it through the cobbles before they even saw the place.
"It's packed today," Nathan said, bouncing on the balls of his feet as if he'd already had three cups of coffee. "Open exhibitions always draw a crowd."
Adrian's grin was feral. "I can smell the blood from here."
Seraphina shot him a sharp look. "It's an exhibition, not an execution."
Liliana giggled, shaking her head. "You're impossible."
Elara walked silently beside Merlin, her long stride calm, but he noticed how her violet eyes flicked across the streets with quiet vigilance, always watching. Always measuring.
The arena itself loomed soon after, a colossal ring of stone, banners streaming from its parapets, the roar from within echoing like a beast in its cage.
Vendors lined the entrance selling charms, roasted nuts, and miniature carved replicas of the fighters scheduled to appear.
Nathan was already halfway up the steps before anyone else. "Hurry up, you slugs!"
Merlin muttered, "…He's more excited about this than our exams."
Elara's lips curved faintly. "He would be."
Inside, the sheer size of the amphitheater hit Merlin all at once. Rows upon rows of seats rose in a sweeping circle, the air buzzing with mana from the barrier that sealed the central pit.
In the ring itself, two older students clashed, lightning cracked against earth, the force of their strikes rattling the warded shields.
The crowd roared as one fighter was knocked flat, dust billowing, only to surge back with a savage counter.
Adrian leaned so far over the railing he nearly toppled in. "YES! That's it, crush him!"
Nathan hauled him back by the collar. "You're gonna fall in and get obliterated."
"I'd win!" Adrian barked.
Seraphina groaned. "Unbelievable."
Merlin settled into his seat, gaze fixed on the clash below. The raw power was impressive, these weren't first years, that much was obvious.
Their control and force marked them as at least third-years, maybe stronger. He could feel the strain of their affinities vibrating in his bones.
But… his eyes narrowed. The gap between their movements and his own was too clear. He didn't need to test it. He knew.
'If I stepped in there right now…'
He cut the thought short, jaw tight. No point finishing it.
Beside him, Elara's voice was low. "You see it too."
He turned slightly, meeting her gaze. She didn't elaborate, but she didn't need to. She'd read the same thing.
Down below, the fight ended in a thunderous crash of earth against lightning. The victor stood, chest heaving, one hand raised in triumph. The crowd erupted.
Nathan cheered with the rest. "DID YOU SEE THAT?!"
"Yes," Merlin said dryly. "My ears are still ringing."
The next bout began, two with flame affinities, their duel less brute force and more elegance, weaving arcs of fire into dazzling shapes that drew oohs from the audience.
The group fell into easy rhythm, each of them reacting in their own way. Adrian whooped at every heavy strike. Liliana gasped and clapped when a fighter turned a blast into a phoenix-shaped flare.
Seraphina critiqued technique in clipped tones. Ethan muttered that it all looked like too much work. Dorian watched silently, crimson eyes unreadable.
Merlin let their voices wash over him.
For the first time in a long time, he wasn't on a battlefield where every slip could mean death. He wasn't drowning in blood or trapped in a false world.
He was just… another student in the stands, watching a fight he didn't have to win.
Elara shifted slightly beside him, her shoulder brushing his. Not an accident, he realized. Not this time.
His chest tightened. He didn't move away.
The exhibition stretched on for hours, bout after bout. By the time the last fighters bowed and the crowd began to disperse, the sun was sinking lower, bleeding orange light across the city roofs.
"Worth it," Nathan declared as they filtered out with the masses.
"Too short," Adrian grumbled. "I wanted to see someone get carried out unconscious." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel_fіre.net
"You're disturbed," Seraphina replied flatly.
Merlin fell into step with Elara at the edge of the group. The evening breeze carried the scent of roasted chestnuts from a street vendor, mingling with the distant sound of bells. For the first time, he realized he wasn't bracing for something to shatter.
The world, for now, was steady.
And that thought scared him almost as much as it soothed him.
By the time the group spilled out of the arena district, the sun had dipped low enough to paint the cobblestones gold, and the air carried the mingled scents of bread baking and grilled meats.
Lanterns flickered to life along the streets, shopkeepers hanging charms to keep them glowing through the night.
Nathan stretched his arms over his head with a groan. "All that yelling made me starving."
"You were yelling," Seraphina corrected.
"Exactly. Took a lot out of me."
Adrian cracked his knuckles. "Then let's eat. Somewhere with meat. A mountain of it."