Chapter 44: The Imperial Dormitory

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Imperial Dormitory

The blue barrier parted silently before them.

Theon stepped forward first.

The moment he crossed it, a cool wave of mana washed over his body, gentle and refreshing, like walking through fresh snow under moonlight.

Behind him, Lyra gasped. "Wow."

Lazeria stood frozen at the entrance, eyes wide.

Even Ifrith’s eyes narrowed slightly in quiet interest.

The Imperial Dormitory was nothing like the ordinary academy residences they had passed on the way here. It was a floating estate suspended above the academy grounds, supported by enormous crystal formations that rotated slowly beneath it. Silver bridges connected the main building to smaller training halls and gardens that drifted in the air like fragments of a forgotten kingdom.

Water flowed upward instead of downward, circling the residence in glowing streams. Mana lanterns floated through the air without chains or support. Every wall carried faint blue inscriptions that pulsed softly, as if the entire place were breathing.

Lyra spun in a slow circle, arms out. "Big Brother, this isn’t a dormitory. This is a palace."

Selene let out a small smile. "Most students say the same thing."

Theon looked out over the floating gardens below. From this height, the rest of the academy seemed like a city of stars spread across the mountain.

"Is it only imperial heirs that are allowed to stay here?"

"Imperial heirs," Selene replied, "and a very small number of students personally approved by the academy council."

Lazeria lowered her head immediately, shrinking into herself. "Then I really should not be here."

Theon glanced at her gently. "You are here because I asked for it."

"But this place is for important people."

"As long as you are my maid u shouldn’t worry about stuff like this because you are very important to me ."

Lazeria looked up, startled, her mouth opening slightly as though the words had caught her off guard. For a moment she did not know what to say. Then she nodded quietly. "Thank you, Master."

Lyra immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "See? You’re family now."

Lazeria’s face turned red instantly.

Ifrith muttered from Theon’s shoulder, "That escalated quickly."

Selene led them across the central bridge. As they walked, Theon noticed the air itself felt different here. Denser. Cleaner. Every breath carried faint traces of mana, cool against his tongue.

They passed a large circular hall with transparent walls.

"What’s that?" Lyra asked, pressing close to the glass.

"The combat hall," Selene answered. "Its environment can change according to the training program."

Theon looked inside. At the moment, the chamber held a snow covered battlefield beneath a dark sky. A second later, the entire landscape shifted into a burning desert without warning.

Lyra’s eyes went wide. "That’s cheating."

"It’s expensive cheating," Ifrith corrected.

Further ahead stood a smaller building surrounded by steam.

Lazeria tilted her head. "What is that place?"

"The healing spring," Selene said. "The water is mixed with condensed mana from the mountain beneath the academy. It restores stamina, speeds recovery, and replenishes magical energy."

Lyra pointed at it immediately. "We’re going in there tonight."

"Agreed," Theon said without hesitation.

Ifrith looked deeply offended. "And no one asked me."

"You’re a cat."

"I am a primordial Flame Lord demon."

"Same difference."

Ifrith stared at him in wounded silence, then looked away with exaggerated dignity. "I will remember this disrespect."

They finally reached the main residence. The entrance doors opened automatically as they approached, and warm light spilled across the polished silver floor.

Inside, the dormitory was even more beautiful. The ceiling resembled a night sky filled with slowly moving stars. Long crystal chandeliers floated in midair. Blue mana veins ran through the walls like frozen lightning caught mid strike. Ancient paintings of former emperors and legendary mages lined the corridor, their painted eyes seeming to follow the group as they passed.

Lazeria slowed her steps, breath catching. "I feel like I’m walking inside history."

"You are," Selene replied. "The Imperial Dormitory has existed since the founding of the empire."

Lyra moved closer to one of the paintings. "This emperor looks scary."

"He was."

"That makes sense."

Selene stopped before a pair of silver doors. "This is your suite, Prince Theon."

The doors opened, and Theon stepped in, pausing at the threshold.

The room was enormous. A wide balcony overlooked the entire academy. Frostwood furniture gleamed softly beneath the mana lights. Shelves stocked with books lined one wall. A circular sitting area surrounded a small crystal fireplace that burned with blue flame instead of fire. Near the far wall stood a weapon rack engraved with imperial runes, and above the bed hung a mural of the northern lights over the Eternal Winter Mountains.

Lyra ran straight to the balcony. "We can see everything from here!"

Lazeria stepped inside more carefully, her eyes moving across the room in disbelief. "This is bigger than the house I grew up in."

There was something quiet in the way she said it, and Theon caught it, though he chose not to press.

He walked to the balcony instead. The academy spread beneath him in layers of light and mist. Students moved like tiny shadows across the floating bridges far below.

For once since arriving, he felt a small measure of peace settle into his chest. No assassins. No collapsing tunnels. No ancient curses waiting behind every corner. Just cold air and distant lights, and the quiet company of people he had come to trust.

Ifrith jumped onto the balcony railing. "Enjoy the peace while it lasts."

Theon gave him a flat look. "You really know how to ruin a moment."

"It’s one of my talents."

Selene cleared her throat. "Lyra’s room is next door. Lazeria’s quarters are across the hall. If you need anything, an attendant can be summoned through the crystal by the entrance."

Theon nodded. "Thank you."

Selene hesitated for a moment, then looked directly at him. "About your result."

Theon’s expression sharpened at once.

She shook her head slightly. "I still know nothing. But whatever the headmaster saw, it changed the atmosphere of the entire academy."

Before Theon could ask anything further, she turned and left, the doors closing softly behind her.

Silence settled over the suite. A strange, comfortable silence.

Lyra flopped onto the couch. "I’m claiming this spot forever."

Lazeria smiled faintly, some of the tension finally easing from her shoulders.

Ifrith curled up on the railing, tail wrapped neatly around himself.

And Theon stood on the balcony, looking toward the tallest building of the academy, where faint blue light still lingered behind the clouds like something patiently waiting.

Night slowly descended over the Imperial Academy. From the balcony, Theon watched the floating bridges light up one after another. The entire academy seemed to wake after sunset, glowing with thousands of blue and silver lights that reflected softly across the clouds beneath the mountain.

For a moment, it was beautiful enough to make him forget everything that had happened. The shattered globes. The sealed results. The ancient runes. And the voice inside the Eternal Frostblade that still echoed faintly in the back of his mind.

A cold breeze brushed past him.

"You’re thinking too much."

Theon glanced sideways. Lyra had appeared beside him, carrying two cups of warm tea.

"You stole those from the kitchen, didn’t you?"

"I borrowed them permanently."

"That sounds exactly like stealing."

She handed him one anyway, and he took it, grateful for the warmth against his palms.

For a while they stood in silence, watching the lights below.

Then Lyra asked quietly, "Are you worried?"

Theon looked at the distant academy lights. "A little."

"About the result?"

"About everything."

Lyra sipped her tea. "I’m not."

Theon blinked, glancing at her. "You’re not?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

She smiled up at him, small and certain. "Because every time something impossible happens, you somehow always survive it and I know you always protect me."

Theon stared at her for a second before laughing softly, some of the weight lifting from his chest. "That’s a terrible reason."

"It’s working so far."

He could not argue with that, not really.

Later that evening, they visited the healing spring. Steam drifted through the air, carrying a faint scent of frost flowers. The water glowed pale blue beneath the surface, calm and inviting.

Lazeria stopped at the edge of the pool. "This really restores mana?"

"If the academy spent this much money building it," Ifrith said from a nearby rock, "it had better do more than that."

Lyra jumped in without hesitation. "Warm!"

Theon followed more carefully. The moment the water touched his skin, the fatigue in his body began to melt away, layer by layer. Even the lingering strain from suppressing the Eternal Frostblade eased slightly, like a held breath finally released.

Lazeria entered last, still looking uncertain. After a few minutes, her shoulders relaxed on their own. "This feels amazing."

"I told you," Lyra said proudly, as if she had built the place herself with her own two hands.

Ifrith watched them with narrowed eyes. "You know, none of you have invited me in."

Theon raised an eyebrow. "You’re in your car form."

"I am a Still a primordial Flame Lord demon."

Lyra pointed at the water. "Then transform into a human."

Ifrith went completely silent.

Lazeria blinked in surprise.

Theon slowly turned toward him. "You can do that?"

Ifrith coughed. "That is not the point."

"It is absolutely the point."

For the first time that day, all three of them laughed together, easy and unguarded. The tension that had followed them since the Hall of Resonance finally loosened, just for a little while.

Much later, after the spring and dinner, they returned to the main corridor of the Imperial Dormitory. The halls were quiet now. Mana lanterns floated near the ceiling, casting soft silver light across the polished floor.

Lyra yawned, rubbing one eye. "I’m going to sleep."

"Good idea," Theon said.

Lazeria bowed slightly. "Good night, Master."

"Good night."

The three of them began walking down the corridor together, Ifrith perched lazily on Theon’s shoulder, still talking quietly about tomorrow’s classes.

Then it happened.

A faint shimmer appeared on the wall ahead. Theon stopped, and the others stopped with him. At first he thought it was only a reflection from the lanterns.

Then A sealed blue door at the end of the corridor began to glow. Not brightly. Just a soft, pale blue pulse.

Once.

Twice.

Theon’s heartbeat quickened without permission. The glow spread slowly across the runes carved into the frame.

Lyra whispered, "Did that just react to you?"

Lazeria took a small step back, instinctively closer to the wall.

Theon walked closer instead, unable to stop himself. The Eternal Frostblade inside his storage ring gave a faint tremble against his side.

Ifrith’s playful expression disappeared instantly. "Master."

"I know."

The closer Theon moved, the brighter the runes became, as though something on the other side had finally noticed him.

As if door seemed to recognize him.

Or answer him.

He stopped an arm’s length away. The glow reached its peak, then, as suddenly as it had appeared, faded completely.

The corridor returned to silence. No sound. No movement. Just the four of them standing there, staring at the sealed door.

Lyra looked at Theon. "Tell me that’s normal."

Theon kept his eyes fixed on the door. "I would, but I would be lying."

Ifrith narrowed his crimson eyes at the fading runes. "This door has not reacted when we came in."

Theon turned toward him. "You know what it is?"

Ifrith hesitated, glancing back at the faded lines carved into the frame.

"I know enough to say that if it reacted to you." He paused, his voice quieter than before. "Then tomorrow may not be as peaceful as tonight."

Theon stared at the silent blue door, while deep inside his storage ring, the Eternal Frostblade gave one slow, answering pulse.