The morning came again.
"Six left" Fin said counting the days until the army came
He got out of bed—this time Ephy was still in bed, he had the bathroom all to himself. He got in undressed and went in the shower, the hot water was soothing, he had had quite a day yesterday. He still felt the pain of the nightmare he saw, he couldn't even imagine how much it had hurt Walter…how much it probably still hurts him.
He then thought about what he could do before the time he will get drafted—there was nothing quite worth doing right now, he could train, he will train actually—he wanted to spend time with his friends but them to had to practice their newfound abilities, even if they will not have to fight right now it is more than certain that they will have to in the future.
He thought of more trivial stuff as well, like what he was going to eat at breakfast and he wanted to ask something to Deryn. When the thought crossed his mind he realised that the water had turned cold.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Can you get out of there please! You have been in there an hour already. I really have to pee, I am a second away from peeing out the window!" Ephy yelled, smashing his fist on the bathroom door.
Fin shut off the freezing water and wrapped a towel around his waist.
"Alright, alright! I'm done," he called back, shaking water from his hair.
He opened the door just in time to see Ephy bolt in, muttering curses under his breath.
"Gods, what were you doing in there? Performing a musical?"
Fin smirked. "Existential crisis. I had a whole concert lineup in my head."
Ephy didn't respond—already too focused on relieving himself.
Fin got dressed quickly. His uniform still smelled like soap and steel—leftovers from the training room yesterday. It was weird how normal things like clothes started to feel different once you awakened. Like you weren't the same person putting them on.
"Damn the water is freezing! Have you got no consideration for your friends Fin!"
Fin didn't answered immediately
"Friends, huh, sounds nice." He thought to himself
He obviously knew that they were friends, but it was the first time he had heard someone else call him that, they had previously used the word partner, team, they even said that they were inseparable but it was the first time he had ever heard the word friend. He remembered that he had to answer Ephy
"It will wake you up faster. And you have to be quick anyway or we are going to miss breakfast!"
"Yeah! Yeah I know, and who's fault is that." At the same time these words left Ephy's mouth he shut off the water and quickly got out of the bathroom. He was rushing to put on some clothes and glanced at Fin's face ready to grimace at him but he didn't.
"You loke like a ghost. Don't tell me the same terrible joke that you died again last night."
"Yes I know, and no I did not die last night but my wife did." Fin said nonchalantly
When heard that Ephy lost balance trying to put on his pants and fell head first on the ground
"Uh what!"
"Anyway don't worry I'm fine… I think at least. Lets go get breakfast."
Ephy groaned from the floor, still tangled in his pants. "You can't just say stuff like that and walk away, Fin!"
But Fin was already halfway to the door. "Sure I can. I just did."
He heard Ephy muttering something about emotionally unstable roommates as he finally managed to yank his pants up and follow. They made their way down the hall in comfortable silence, broken only by the echo of their footsteps on the stone floor and the occasional creak of a distant door. The academy was always quiet in the morning, but lately, the air felt heavier. Tighter. Like the walls themselves were waiting for something to happen.
The moment they stepped into the cafeteria, the smell hit them—warm bread, spiced eggs, roasted meat, and something sweet Fin couldn't quite place but definitely wanted to eat. The place wasn't packed, but there were more people than usual. Survivors, mostly. Some still had the pale, haunted look of fresh awakenings. Others already seemed sharp and focused, like they were ready for whatever came next.
Fin's stomach growled so loud Ephy turned to stare. "Dude."
"I skipped dinner last night," Fin mumbled.
They grabbed trays and loaded up fast. Eggs, some weirdly perfect fruit, crispy strips of something that tasted like bacon but way better, and warm, flaky bread that melted the second it hit your tongue. Fin took a bite and let out a quiet groan of satisfaction.
Ephy raised an eyebrow. "Was that a food moan?"
Fin, mouth full, nodded without shame. "Absolutely."
They found a spot near the windows where the sunlight spilled in like warm honey. Deryn was already there, halfway through her plate and hunched over what looked like a glowing notebook. She didn't look up.
"Working while eating? That's a crime," Ephy said as he sat down.
"It's called multitasking," she replied without missing a beat. "Some of us have ambitions beyond stuffing our faces."
"Speak for yourself," Fin said, biting into another piece of bread. "This is what I'm fighting for. Right here. Hot food. A soft chair. Sunshine. That's all I need."
Deryn looked up then, studying him for a second longer than normal. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Fin said, a little too fast. "Yeah, just tired."
She didn't push, just gave a small nod and went back to her notes. But Fin knew she'd noticed. She always did.
They ate in quiet for a few minutes, the kind of quiet that feels like an agreement rather than an absence. Just three people enjoying good food before the world came crashing in again.
Fin looked at Deryn and asked something that had been bothering him for some time
"Hey by the way since your power is tied to forging you, could you make me a sword?" he did not believe that the answer would be as simple as a yes or a no
"My power is not forging per say but yes I could. But why would I?" she smiled and pointed her fork at him
"For me to be able to cut things obviously." Fin said bumping his chest
"That is not what I meant, think for a second. What I asked is what do I gain from doing it. The ring was already present enough."
"I don't know what do you want?"
"Two things, first I want to get my revenge against you—let's have a spar. Second the academy is organizing a small festival in two days and I want you guys to come with me."
"Hey don't drag me into this." Ephy protested
"Deal!"
They shook hands finished breakfast and went to the training room.