WELCOME TO CAMELOT PART 3

When I opened my eyes, the world was blurry.

“…Yeah, right. What… benefit… is there for a kid like me… stuck here? If I were outside… I could be doing… all sorts of… things.”

I heard echoes of voices. Distant. Fading.

“……Can you really… be kind… and help others? Not for selfish reasons?”

My vision cleared. The first thing I saw was a sterile-white ceiling. I knew it instantly.

(Hello, old friend.)

The infirmary.
Never thought I’d see it again.

I tried to sit up too quickly, and the world spun like a broken compass. My head throbbed. A dull ache gnawed at my ribs, and my arms felt like they’d been wrung out by an ogre.

“You’re awake.”

A familiar voice tugged me back. Jeanne sat in a chair beside my bed, arms crossed and eyes sharp.

Behind her, I noticed Taiga stirring awake, the hooded girl still sitting beside him. She looked like she hadn’t moved all night.

“Looks like your friend’s got some skill,” Jeanne said, tilting her head toward them. “She’s been worrying about him the whole time.”

I swallowed, throat dry. “What… happened?”

“You tell me,” Jeanne shot back. “We found the three of you lying on the ground—while that giant thing had lost its head.”

“Lost its… head?” My thoughts scrambled. The last thing I remembered was the mech’s claw coming down. After that… nothing.

“Why?” Jeanne said flatly, leaning forward.

“Why? What?”

“I know he’s your friend and all, but why risk your life like that? The professors would’ve stopped it if things got too far. So why did you need to risk yourself? That was pretty stupid if you ask me.”

There was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. I didn’t know.

I knew Guardians were supposed to be heroes in this world—but was it really worth throwing away my life just to play that part?

The thought of ending up in a hospital bed again, helpless and trapped like before… terrified me.

Once we were all awake and cleared to leave, we headed to the main hall.

The hooded girl walked beside us silently, her steps light, almost hesitant.

Then, suddenly, she spoke. “Lyra.”

I turned. “…What?”

“My name is Lyra Ravencroft,” she said, pulling down her hood to reveal a short ponytail.

Her silver hair caught the lantern light. Golden eyes, sharp yet gentle, stared back at me.

And my heart stopped.

Her face—her features—resembled someone I knew. Someone I cared about.

Ravencroft.

Selene’s surname.

My chest tightened.

“You’re…” I began, but the words died on my tongue as the main doors opened.

Headmaster Orion entered, his coat sweeping across the marble floor like a cloak. Behind him stood Professor Aira, tablet in hand.

“Congratulations to you all on passing this test,” Orion said, voice deep and resonant. “Each of you has proven yourselves, not through power alone, but through courage, resolve, and the will to protect. Trials will only grow harsher from here—but so will you. Welcome, my students, to Camelot Institute. Your story begins here.”

He stepped back, allowing Aira to continue.

She tapped her tablet, her voice crisp and precise. “You will now be divided into classes based on your scores.”

The hall went tense.

“Hyoudou Taiga: thirty-five points.”

Taiga’s eyes widened. “Thirty-five?! That’s… actually not bad!”

“Jeanne D’Arc: forty-seven points.”

Jeanne pumped a fist. “Ha! Top scorer, obviously.”

“Evelyn Crystalis: forty-six points.”

“Ooooh,” Jeanne teased. “So close.”

Evelyn’s cheeks flushed. “It was one point. One.”

“Caelum Avalon: thirty-one points.”

I blinked. Lower than Taiga?

But then Aira continued.

“Rescue Points—Caelum Avalon: one hundred points.”

The hall buzzed.

“One hundred?!”

“That puts him in second place overall,” Aira confirmed.

Evelyn crossed her arms, annoyed. “Can’t believe I’ve been beaten by a random stranger.”

Jeanne, however, didn’t smile. She looked at me with something different in her eyes—conflict.

Aira scrolled further. “Ranks one through twelve will be placed in Class A. Ranks thirteen through twenty-four will be in Class B.”

Taiga slapped me on the shoulder, grinning. “Looks like we’ll be in the same class!”

His happy face was infectious.

(I guess… I should put my dilemma behind me. For now.)

Later that evening, the gang insisted on walking me back to the dorms.

“I don’t need an escort,” I muttered.

“Yeah, sure.” Jeanne stretched her arms overhead. “You passed out mid-battle and spent a whole day drooling in the infirmary. Totally fine to walk alone.”

“I wasn’t drooling.”

“You were definitely drooling,” Taiga confirmed, way too cheerfully.

“…Traitor.”

The campus was quiet at night. Lanterns glowed softly along the cobblestone paths, casting long shadows across the trimmed hedges. For a moment, it almost felt peaceful—like the world outside didn’t exist.

Then Evelyn ruined it. “You know this doesn’t change the fact that you owe me an explanation.”

I groaned. “Explanation for what?”

She pointed at my Chronosphere, slung across my back in its collapsed form. “That weapon. No Chronosphere should be able to shift into a gun. Not unless…”

Her voice trailed, but suspicion burned in her eyes.

(…Crap.)

Before I could fumble an excuse, Jeanne cut in with a grin. “Relax, Eve. Let him keep his secrets. Makes him more fun.”

Even with Evelyn glared holes into me, I couldn’t help but notice something.

We were walking together. Laughing together. Like… friends.

It wasn’t something I’d had in my past life. Not really. Books and imagination had been my only companions. Now, even with all the bruises, I wasn’t alone.

And for the first time since leaving home, that thought made me smile.

Camelot’s dormitory was a massive stone building, divided cleanly down the center. The left wing for the girls. The right wing for the boys.

“Guess this is where we split,” Jeanne said, yawning. “Try not to snore too loud, Hero-boy.”

“I don’t snore.”

“You definitely look like a snorer,” she shot back before sauntering off with Evelyn and Lyra.

Our room wasn’t huge, but it was comfortable: two bunks, two desks, and a single window overlooking the training fields. Compared to the stone towers of Dragonia, it was humble—but it felt strangely welcoming.

Taiga immediately face-planted onto his mattress. “Uuuugh. Finally. My back is killing me. Do you know how many heavy boxes I carried today? None. But still. Emotional weight counts.”

I laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

He peeked at me through messy bangs. “Ridiculous and alive, thank you very much. You scared me back there, Hero-boy. Don’t do that again, alright?”

“…I’ll try.”

“Good. Because if you pass out again, I’m not carrying you. That’s Jeanne’s job now.”

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He caught it, grinning. “Man, you throw like a grandma.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Grandma toss. Zero damage.”

I launched another pillow. Five seconds later, we were in a full-on pillow fight. It ended when Taiga tripped over his own bed frame and smacked the floor.

“…Ow.”

I stared. Then burst out laughing.

He groaned from the floor. “I meant to do that.”

“Sure you did.”

Eventually, he hauled himself back onto his bed and pulled out his notebook, scribbling under the lantern light.

I tilted my head. “So… are you gonna tell her the embarrassing details? Like how you face-planted in front of Jeanne?”

“Shut up.” His ears went pink. “I’m leaving that part out.”

I chuckled, leaning back on my bed. For the first time in a long while, the silence felt… warm. Just two kids joking around.

And for once, I wasn’t the kid stuck in a hospital bed, staring at blank ceilings. I was here. With a friend.

That thought made the infirmary feel very far away.

Meanwhile, in the girls’ wing…

Evelyn was already organizing her desk, lining up her quills by exact length. Jeanne sprawled across her bed, arms behind her head, watching with amusement.

“You know,” Jeanne said, “if you spend all your time tidying, you’ll die of boredom before the monsters even get to you.”

“It’s called discipline,” Evelyn retorted, not looking up. “Something you clearly lack.”

“Pfft. Please. I’m overflowing with discipline. Self-discipline not to study, self-discipline not to stress—”

“Self-discipline not to shut up,” Evelyn cut in.

Jeanne gasped, mock-offended. “Wow. Cold. And here I thought we were bonding.”

From the corner, Lyra sat quietly on her bunk, observing the exchange. For the first time, a faint smile tugged at her lips.

Jeanne caught it and smirked. “Hey, quiet girl. You laugh, right? Or are you secretly a robot like that mech?”

Lyra blinked at her. “…I laugh.”

“Prove it.”

Evelyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “Jeanne, stop harassing her.”

But Lyra’s lips twitched again, just slightly. Enough for Jeanne to grin in triumph.