The next lecture hall stood in stark contrast to the classrooms they had grown accustomed to, as Damon stepped inside alongside the rest of the students and found himself in what could only be described as a fusion between a high-end laboratory and a magical workshop, where polished metallic surfaces blended seamlessly with glowing runic circuits, and transparent chambers floated at different heights, each containing swirling liquids, fragmented cores, or half-formed constructs that pulsed faintly with contained energy.

Workstations were arranged in long rows, each equipped with crystalline interfaces, adjustable platforms, and hovering tools that responded to subtle gestures, while along the walls, sealed compartments displayed completed artifacts—rings, gauntlets, small devices—each radiating a quiet, controlled aura that hinted at their function without revealing it outright.

Damon’s gaze moved across the room.

Measured and observant.

So this is where they make them...

Students filled in around him, their earlier fatigue replaced with visible curiosity as murmurs spread through the hall, some already leaning forward to inspect the nearest stations, while others whispered among themselves about what they might finally get to create.

And then—

"Uawwhhh...!"

A long and unbothered yawn.

Damon’s eyes shifted forward.

Pink fluffy Lunaria stood at the center.

Her usual pink hair soft against the sterile glow of the lab, her half-lidded eyes carrying that same airheaded, almost absent-minded expression as she stretched lightly, as though she had just woken up rather than arrived to teach.

"...Ahh... you’re all here..." she murmured, her voice soft and slightly drawn out, as if she was still deciding whether she wanted to be awake at all.

She looked around blinking slowly.

"...Right... this is..." she paused, tilting her head slightly as if trying to recall something important, "...this is the class where we... make things..."

A brief silence followed.

Then she nodded to herself.

"Yes... that sounds right."

Damon stared at her.

...Is she serious? 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Lunaria clasped her hands lightly behind her back as she began walking slowly between the rows.

"This subject is called Arcano-Synthetic Engineering..." she said, her tone calm, almost drifting, "...which is just a long way of saying... potion brewing and artifact crafting... but... modern..."

She paused mid-step.

"...Wait... was it synthetic or adaptive...?"

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Then she nodded again.

"...Synthetic sounds better."

The class remained silent.

Unsure whether to take notes or just watch.

"In this class," she continued, her voice steady despite the lack of urgency, "...you will learn how to refine raw materials... stabilize mana reactions... and assemble functional outputs..."

She gestured vaguely toward a nearby workstation.

"...which means... you’ll make potions... and artifacts..."

Another pause.

She looked at one of the floating chambers.

"...Or try to..."

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

...This is going to be..... interesting?

Lunaris continued, her tone unchanged.

"Unlike older methods... where everything depended on intuition and experience... we use controlled systems... measured inputs... and structured processes..."

She leaned slightly toward a workstation, tapping a glowing interface absentmindedly.

"...so even if you don’t know what you’re doing... you can still get something usable..."

Then she blinked.

"...Most of the time."

A few students shifted uneasily.

Lunaria straightened again.

"...Anyway..."

She looked at them with her half-lidded eyes.

Completely calm.

"...we’ll start simple today..."

A small pause.

"...I think."

Then she nodded.

"...Yes... simple is good."

Lunaria let out another quiet yawn before lightly clapping her hands together, the soft sound somehow managing to gather the scattered attention of the class despite her lack of urgency, as she spoke in that same drifting tone, her half-lidded eyes moving lazily across the room.

"...Right... we’ll start with something simple today..." she said, pausing briefly as if confirming her own words, "...a basic healing potion."

She gestured vaguely toward the rows of workstations.

"Each counter already has the recipe... and the ingredients... so just follow it..." she added, her voice almost absent-minded, "...you’ll be working in pairs... groups of two..."

She blinked once.

"...Yes... two is easier... less mess."

Without any further instruction, she turned slightly and leaned against one of the counters, as though her role in the process was already complete.

The class stirred immediately.

Students began moving, boots scraping lightly against the floor as conversations sparked up again, some quickly pairing with friends, others looking around for suitable partners, a mix of eagerness and quiet calculation spreading through the room.

Damon, however, did not move.

He remained where he stood, his gaze drifting across the shifting crowd as a faint sigh escaped him.

...I hate this.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Pairing tasks... grouping... unnecessary variables...

He scanned the room once more.

Then—

His gaze settled.

On Mira.

She stood a short distance away, looking slightly unsure as others around her began forming pairs—and just as Damon took a step forward—

"Ahh!"

Mira let out a small, startled scream as her hand was suddenly grabbed, her body pulled backward before she could even react, while Serena stood beside her, her grip firm, her gaze sharp as it locked onto Damon with open warning.

For a brief moment, the two stared at each other.

Damon’s expression remained unchanged.

Serena’s glare did not waver.

Then—

Damon looked away.

His gaze shifted across the room again, landing on Zarhka, who had also noticed the exchange, though unlike before, she lowered her head slightly, avoiding his eyes as she turned and moved toward Khaira, who had already claimed her place at a counter.

Khaira glanced back once.

A wide, teasing grin spread across her face as she stuck her tongue out at Damon in blatant mockery before turning away.

Damon’s lips twitched faintly.

"...Tch."

Just when I needed that bastard... he ran away.

His eyes flicked briefly toward the door, considering if he should disappear as well.

Of course.

Around him, the movement settled.

Pairs had formed ,workstations filled.

Voices lowered as students began reading through instructions, picking up ingredients, preparing to start.

And Damon—Stood alone at the center of it all.

Unpaired. Unbothered, yet faintly irritated.

A soft voice cut through his thoughts.

"...Why are you alone?"

Damon turned his head.

Lunaria stood nearby, blinking at him slowly, her expression carrying that same distant curiosity, as if the situation had only just registered to her.

Damon exhaled lightly.

"Because... one person is absent today," he said.

Lunaria looked around slowly.

As if verifying the statement.

Then nodded.

"...Hmm."

A brief pause.

Then, without any hesitation—

"I will pair up with you."

Damon blinked.

"...Heh?"

The counter in front of them reflected the same seamless blend of magic and modern design that defined the entire lab, its surface smooth and faintly luminous, with a transparent interface embedded into it that displayed a floating recipe in clear, structured text, while neatly arranged beside it were the ingredients, each placed within labeled compartments that adjusted their temperature and containment automatically.

Small crystal vials held liquids of varying colors—one a soft emerald green that pulsed faintly, another a clear silver solution that shimmered when disturbed—while finely ground powders rested in shallow trays, their textures ranging from coarse and grainy to almost dust-like, alongside fresh botanical components such as thin violet leaves, a curled stem that emitted a faint warmth, and a small orb-like fruit encased in a translucent membrane.

Precise measuring tools hovered slightly above the surface, awaiting use.

Damon glanced at everything once.

Then turned to Lunaria.

"...What do we do?" he asked.

Lunaria, who had been standing there with her usual half-lidded, airheaded expression, let out a quiet yawn before blinking at him slowly.

"...Have I seen you somewhere?" she asked.

Damon’s eye twitched faintly.

...Just how bad is your memory?

Before he could respond, her expression shifted slightly as if something had suddenly clicked.

"Oh... right," she said, nodding to herself, her voice rising just enough to carry, "you slept with me on the bench."

Several students from nearby counters turned instantly, their attention snapping toward them as murmurs began to rise in hushed confusion.

Damon closed his eyes for a brief second.

"...I don’t even care anymore," he muttered under his breath.

Just then—

Pop!

A small blast echoed from across the room as one of the vials at another counter burst apart, releasing a puff of colored smoke while a pair of students stumbled back in alarm.

Damon glanced toward it briefly.

Then turned back.

"...Maybe you should look there—"

He stopped mid-turn.

Lunaria had already fallen asleep.

Her hand had loosely caught onto his sleeve at some point, and now her head rested against his shoulder, her body leaning lightly into him as her breathing settled into a slow, even rhythm, completely undisturbed by the chaos around them.

Damon looked at her for a moment.

Then exhaled quietly.

"...Seriously..."

"...Hmm..." she murmured faintly, still asleep.

He did not move her.

Did not shake her awake.

Instead, he simply adjusted his stance slightly, just enough to keep his balance without disturbing her, before turning his attention back to the counter.

"...Fine."

His eyes moved to the recipe.

Carefully.

Deliberately.

The instructions floated clearly:

Basic Regenerative Draught – Stage 1

20 ml Verdant Sap Extract5 grams Crushed Lumina Leaf10 ml Distilled Etherwater1 drop Crimson Root EssenceStirring cycle: 12 rotations clockwise, 6 counterclockwiseHeat threshold: maintain at 37° arcane units

Damon’s fingers moved with quiet precision as he picked up the first vial, measuring out the verdant sap extract and pouring it steadily into the mixing container.

"...This should be it..."

He added the crushed lumina leaf next, watching closely as the liquid responded, its soft glow deepening as the particles dissolved into it.

Then came the etherwater.

Slow.

Controlled.

The mixture shifted subtly.

"...Interesting..."

He followed the sequence exactly, adding the single drop of crimson essence last, observing the way the liquid reacted instantly before stabilizing, faint ripples spreading across its surface before settling into a steady, consistent glow.

All the while—

Lunaria remained leaned against him, her weight resting lightly on his shoulder, her presence constant yet unobtrusive, as if she had simply decided that this was the most natural place to be.

Damon did not acknowledge it again.

His hand moved to the stirring tool.

Twelve rotations.

Even and measured.

Then six in reverse.

"...It’s actually... kind of fun," he muttered quietly.

Time slipped by without notice.

The noise of the room faded into the background as his focus narrowed entirely onto the process, each step flowing into the next with quiet precision, the potion gradually stabilizing into a soft, steady green glow while he continued working—one-handed—without once disturbing the girl asleep against him.