The rest of Weaponry isn't, unfortunately, interrupted by the return of their headmaster.

The news circulate quick, and Lena can see the effects it brings in steady waves: unease throughout the soldiers guarding the room, students beginning to lose focus as uncertainty becomes hope, the tiniest bit of relief displayed by Ms Veronique at the front of the room, where the line is temporarily paused.

Before things can go out of hand, their instructor once again takes control of the room.

"Settle down!" she orders, then continue on with the evaluation line, somewhat faster than earlier. She takes a quick glance at the room that doesn't quite fit all three classes of the year, and shakes her head, not at all used to handling an entire batch at once; only Combat Training is held as a lesson with three class combined. "Those at the back! At least put your time to good use by practicing."

She chooses not to comment on whether or not Arcana's return is true; she doesn't make any form of announcement either. Lena can only assume that they will be informed officially some way or another. There's a swelling hope that all the nightmare about going into Andromeda will end now that Arcana is back, but there is no way to know for sure. Only the ones awaiting their fates—the ones who were meant to go first—will know firsthand what will happen with Arcana now back in the picture.

Obedient to Ms Veronique and ever the competitive students, Lena's year mates begin swinging their weapons around, either at targets or at each other. There is a proper system induced simulation at every corner, not to mention the obvious mastery of most students with their preferred weapons, so there will be no accidents swinging in one's way—unless, of course, the attack is on purpose. There are at least two pairs of students dueling with each other in the old fashioned way, respectably without their abilities because this is after all a weapons mastery class.

The room feels tight with thrice as many students as usual, but with many of them now making themselves sparse across the room for various training purposes, the middle of the room where the weapons lay on display and for the students' choosing is now relatively empty. Most of the students have taken their picks.

Roen is still trying to pick a sword. "None of these are particularly calling out to me. The one I have is the optimal choice, of course..."

"... but it isn't made to kill a demon," finishes Lena. There are still a range of choices on the table, as if Ms Veronique had accurately estimated the distribution of weaponry across her students in each year. "You were going to have your own sword officially become your own unique weapon."

"I wouldn't say a sword is exactly unique," Roen ponders, "but yes, this is the one thing good out of my family. Even Ms Veronique has complimented my swordplay; I am truly made for the sword. I was going to send this to the bureau to have them customize whatever it is they do so it is imbued with the necessary strength to end the monsters. Looks like we no longer have the time for that. What about you, Caelus?"

Lena is just finalizing her set of daggers and throwing knives when Caelus suddenly approaches behind her. She darts a questioning look to him as he continues to press in, and she eventually finds that she's pressed against the edge of the table. She's attempting to twist away when she realizes he's only reaching for the long pistol positioned right before her.

She is suddenly made a fool of herself, being unable to handle his proximity. Why'd she think he had any reason to get close to her?

Twirling the pistol in his hand, Caelus fires a seemingly random shot; Lena has to flinch on instinct, but then realizes that the gun doesn't at all make a firing sound. The laser shot it releases is a smooth green light and bounces across the room faster than any could see, pinging off certain angles and startling students at various corners. Lena is suddenly anxious that it will hit something or someone, when a yelp across the room brings her attention there: a tiny smoking hole is visible at one of the holographic targets. It has found its mark, in the dead centre of the shooting target meant for archery.

"How about this?" Caelus asks, not realizing the attention he'd drawn from the room, where the students are turning to see who'd fired the shot so proficiently. "Light enough if we are truly required to carry a weapon."

Roen shakes with laughter he is unable to suppress, but not without a proud look on his features. "Remind me why am I your friend?"

"I didn't know you're a good shot," Lena comments, glancing up only to see Caelus eyeing almost as if expectantly. She decides to look away before he can, because everytime he does so, there's always some sort of disappointment she can't quite word. "If guns are so powerful with what I assume is that laser beam and not the usual bullets, why aren't more people choosing them?"

"Because not everyone is good at it" is Caelus' extremely nonchalant reply, but all Lena can think is that he's still much too close to her.

Roen clarifies, "I think most people just prefer to have something they can draw out quickly without having the need to aim or charge in life threatening situations—a few milliseconds worth of time can mean life and death in the battlefield. Besides, a gun can get faulty, and fail you at a moment that matters, even if this sort of situation is rare."

"Then why are you choosing the gun?" Lena asks Caelus.

He isn't answering, but she doesn't believe he didn't hear her; he's still just beside her—

"When were you going to tell me about this?"

Lena turns to face him, just as she feels him taking her hand. She's too stunned by this sudden action that her hand is slack in his; he draws it up toward him.

"What?" Her voice is merely a hitch.

A gentle caress across her palm draws her wavering attention from Caelus to her palm, where his thumb has just brushed over a still healing cut over her hand. "When did this happen?"

She's totally forgotten about that little incident at the courtyard, where she'd nearly lost control of her abilities after coming a long way thinking it's already back to normal. It was only thanks to Celeste that she didn't; she knows the girl is also actively looking out for her because Caelus had told her to do so, but Lena also finds Celeste's care genuine.

Now, as she tries to fumble for an excuse, she finds that she has none. She's just about to admit the truth of what had happened to Caelus when they are interrupted by a strange sound beside them.

It sounds oddly like a click of a digital camera.

"So the rumours are true." Lena turns in horror to find Reyes, who has his fingers up in a gesture of taking a picture, controlling his own personalized virtual assistant—where he probably already filed that scandalous shot somewhere online—and who continues to remark, "There's a thing going on between you two!"

Lena just stares at him, at a loss for words. She doesn't even know what to say. How is their resident news bringer so oddly efficient in gathering gossips? Behind her, she hears Roen bursting out into laughter.

The root of all things, Caelus—being Caelus—ignores Reyes entirely, who it turns out doesn't require any acknowledgement at all. Their classmate is now satisfied with whatever he's here for and is already bouncing off. Caelus' focus is entirely on Lena as he insists, "Tell me what's happened."

"This morning," Lena answers, trying to pull her hand away. "I'm fine now."

She doesn't ask how did he find out about her hand, but gets the answer somehow: "Blood oxidizes in the air," he explains, as if someone without his ability can understand his strange senses.

He drops her hand as Ms Veronique is now ushering the last of the student line forward, and he joins the line, leaving Lena with Roen.

"Don't look at me," Roen whispers conspiratorially as he joins her side. "What did you do?"

"My ability spiraled out of control this morning just before you two arrived," Lena admits to him, finding ease in confiding in Roen. "It's been weird since... well, you know."

The ever cheerful friend of theirs turns suddenly serious. "I know things have been weird ever since that fight with the Shadow Syndicate. Just promise me now that whatever it is, you'll reach out to us."

Roen is saying this to her, but his eyes are trained on Caelus. Lena has the sudden realization that as tight as the two boys are, with Caelus' aloof personality and Roen's caring side, they are such polar opposites that it's hard to see them not repel each other. And yet, here they are, understanding of each other's space and respecting boundaries while being able to care for one another in their own separate ways. She realizes that what Roen is expressing is not only just for her sake, but his own—he doesn't want to have any regrets and be left behind on anything he can potentially help with. He must be used to being around someone like Caelus, who does things alone, and Lena now understands what it feels like after staying with the Aveyards.

So she says, "Thank you. And I know I'm not alone."

Lena is surprised when Roen squeezes her arm once before he joins Caelus in the line. She smiles as she checks her gear once more before taking up the line. In front of her, Ms Veronique looks to be lecturing Caelus about his choice and appears to be asking if he wants to reconsider the double short sword. Roen, meanwhile, passes without issue.

Students have begin filing out at this point from the instructions of guards in the room—they, too, thin in numbers as they escort students out of the class and lead them to the next one to prevent any freedom between classes. This is another reason the duels have been minimized; students are not only anxious about what's about to happen in the later months, they are also worried they might anger the authorities.

But Arcana is back now. Lena fights down a swell of hope; the headmaster had gone away because of her. Perhaps things will go back to the way it was, and he can help keep Arcane Academy and its students away from the city's politics like how he's always done. Thinking about this now makes Lena realize that they have always been living under a sheltered reality from Arcana's making: that they are always valued ability users and are meant to achieve great purpose in the City of Leatia. Only now does she understand that there's an ugly truth of it all, that they are all but assets to this society's growth. They are as disposable as weapons, to combat the threats of the city.

"Lena?" Her name brings her out of her daze. Ms Veronique is calling her forward. "What have you got for yourself?"

As she walks forward, she notices that she's one of the only ones left in the room; the other students who still remain are either told to reevaluate their choices or are still unable to decide on what fits them best. And then there's her two friends, hovering by the entrance, waiting for her. Without further delay, she deftly removes the set of daggers, knives, and throwing ones for her instructor, who nods in approval, and is manning a system that catalogues all the students' choices.

"How many?" Ms Veronique asks, still looking at the floating screen, ready to type.

"Is there a limit?" Lena questions instead. She doesn't want to drain the entire bureau's limited supply, especially if the students are going in for battle. They will need whatever they can get. Still, she'd want to be as prepared as possible. "I have eight."

"That's a good number for your fighting technique." The weapons master takes a quick glance at the table in the centre of the room. "Take two more, and make that ten."

"Thank you."

"Be careful out there."

If there were any doubt before, Lena is now certain that Ms Veronique is only trying to help her students.

"Thanks for waiting up," she says to the two boys who are casually loitering at the entrance of Weaponry, but then takes notice of the strange looks on their face. "What's going on?"

Not sure what to expect, the first emotions Lena feels are fear and panic. What if something bad has happened?

But then Roen must have seen the look on her face as he hurries to explain, "Your friend here has asked for a favor from me."

Gradually, she recalls the words Caelus had said to Roen before the news of Arcana's return had taken the entire class and her by a storm of distraction: Roen, I need a favor.

Her eyes narrow, and she zeroes in on Caelus. "Whatever it is you're scheming, don't try to hide it from me."

He doesn't look at her, his eyes are downcast; it's Roen who replies: "You're onto something. It's absolutely scandalous. And he was about to do just that. But I just asked to be part of everything you're about to get involved in, Lena." Roen turns to look at her with a firm determination in his eyes. "And if that is so, it's only fair that I promise to do the same for you. We're not leaving anyone in the dark. Besides, we need all the help we can get."

"This doesn't sound good," Lena responds, shaking her head although some part of her knows there is no avoiding confrontation eventually—whether it's with demons, or with the Shadow Syndicate, and she doesn't even know which is the worst of the two. "Why do I get the feeling you're about to start something we can't afford?"

"Now I agree with Caelus on this one—"

Caelus pulls his hands up. "I'm not suggesting we fight."

"Are you not?" Lena asks skeptically.

"This was your idea!" Roen protests at the same time.

"Roen's getting too excited for this, and he's misunderstanding my true intention," Caelus tries to explain, finally eyeing Lena as if to say, Not now. He looks to Roen next in warning.

Roen catches on, closing his mouth immediately just as footsteps sound the hallway.

"And what might you kids be up to?" says a voice Lena hasn't heard in a while but is more than relieved to.

She turns around, unable to believe anything until she sees it for herself. Sure, they'd heard the rumours, but she wasn't sure what to think of it—and part of her is afraid to be optimistic of anything at all.

But as their headmaster steps closer, revealing himself in the flesh before them, Lena finally lets herself hope that perhaps they will see better days with Arcana's return. He is back, and he will give her some answers; he will continue to protect the students of this academy and guide them as much as they can, with or without the influence of the authorities.

There's the subtlest of smirks on Caelus' lips, and Roen gapes, beginning to stutter. Lena herself doesn't know if her relief will be short lived, for she fears what might come next for her: reality and truth.

And, sure enough, Arcana says, "I'm glad to see you all well enough. I believe I owe you some answers."