The next morning, Lyra woke to the sound of the Cathedral bell. She opened her eyes slowly and lay still for a moment, staring up at the dark wooden ceiling above the bed.

Her first thought was that all of this would be gone.

That yesterday had been nothing more than a strange, overly vivid dream.

That she would wake up in her apartment.

Her mind reached for her small apartment. The clock on her nightstand. Her clothes were hanging in the wardrobe.

But the room was not hers. The air coming in through the window smelled of stone, wood, and clean morning air.

She sighed softly and sat up.

She was clearly in one of the Headquarters dormitories.

She washed her face with cold water in the small adjoining washroom. The sensation woke her properly. She looked in the mirror. She looked rested. Nothing had changed. Her body worked normally. Her heart beat normally.

Only...

The world around her had changed.

The recruit's uniform was waiting for her on the chair. A sweet young woman with short hair had brought it to her late last night, and when she left, she had taken Lyra's bloodstained clothes with her.

Lyra looked at the uniform in awe. She ran her fingers over the soft cotton fabric and the metal details, then smiled with a strange, nostalgic warmth.

This was unbelievable.

She was truly in Windstadt.

She put on the fitted black riding trousers and, over them, the soft white shirt with the dark blue cotton tunic that reached her thighs. For a moment, excitement stirred inside her.

She was actually wearing the uniform of the Knights of Ventus.

And then, she decided.

She might not know how or why she had ended up here.

But she knew she wanted to experience this.

She hurriedly put on the leather vest and boots, then hurried out of the room.

The stone building was still quiet at that hour, but somewhere in the distance, she could already hear movement.

She went down a few steps and stepped out onto the inner balcony overlooking the main hall of the Headquarters. She stood there for a moment, lightly resting her fingers on the smooth wooden railing. From up there, she could see almost the entire hall.

Below, the hall was already alive with movement. Knights crossed the hall, some carrying pieces of armor, others holding documents. Others stood at attention outside the doors of the offices and the library.

It was all exactly as she remembered it.

Their voices rose toward her like a low hum. Boots struck the stone floor. Swords clinked against belts. Doors opened and closed. It was a living space. Organized. Two younger soldiers were speaking heatedly near a door until an officer interrupted them with a sharp command.

Lyra smiled faintly.

Maybe it was not so different from her own world after all.

People remained people, no matter where they were.

Yesterday, all of this had felt foreign.

Today, she simply stood there. Watching. Learning.

Then she went down the stairs toward the hall. No one looked at her as if she were something strange. Yesterday, she had helped at the most critical moment.

That changed things.

A guard stood near the main door. Lyra approached him hesitantly.

"Excuse me..."

The man turned toward her.

"The boy who was injured yesterday. Is he all right?"

The guard nodded.

"Yes. Alina took Karl to the Cathedral, just to be safe. It didn't seem too serious."

A small wave of relief passed through Lyra.

"I'm glad."

"You did good work yesterday," the soldier said with a smile.

Lyra was about to say something, but a voice interrupted her from behind.

"Indeed." His voice was calm. Steady.

Valir stood a few steps away. When she saw him coming out of his office, she straightened almost without thinking.

The morning light streaming in through the tall windows fell over his shoulders. The guard snapped to attention.

"Sir."

Valir nodded, and the guard stepped away.

For a moment, Lyra did not know what to do, so she simply said the first thing that came to mind.

"Karl is at the Cathedral."

The sentence came out more like a statement than a question.

"Yes."

His answer was brief. For a moment, he looked at her, as if waiting for her to continue. Lyra hesitated for a second, realizing she had just repeated something he obviously already knew.

"One of the guards told me," she added quickly, her awkwardness lasting only a moment. "I was thinking of going to see him."

Valir observed her for a while. His gaze remained on her, calm but careful. Then he gave a slight nod.

"Then, we will go together."

Lyra blinked.

She had not expected that.

The answer came so naturally that, for a moment, she did not know what to say.

"I don't want to take you away from your duties."

Valir turned his gaze for a moment toward the courtyard, where the familiar sounds of training could be heard.

Clashing swords. Instructors' voices. The daily life of the knights.

Then he looked back at her. The faintest shadow of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The knights can survive without me for an hour," he said, taking a step toward the door.

"Come."

And she followed him toward the exit.

The great wooden doors opened before them, and Windstadt's morning light flooded the hall as they stepped outside.

The stone courtyard of the Knights' Headquarters was already filled with sunlight.

Clean air came down from the hills and passed between the buildings, lifting the banners that hung from the walls of the base. Behind them, the heavy wooden doors closed with a low sound.

Ahead of them stretched the road that led toward the Cathedral.

Lyra descended the few steps beside Valir. From there, she could see the city more clearly as it spread around them. To the right were the houses with red rooftops, leading into the narrow market streets. To the left, the stone walls of the Headquarters continued toward the training yard, where the metallic sounds of swords could still be heard.

Farther ahead were the wide stone steps that led to the higher part of the city, to the Cathedral square.

For a few steps, they walked without speaking.

Lyra looked around, trying to take in every image. The more she saw the city, the more real it became.

The excitement she had felt that morning filled her heart again.

"You seem to be adjusting quickly," Valir said suddenly.

Lyra turned toward him.

"What?"

"To the city."

His voice was calm. Lyra smiled faintly, but did not answer.

If only you knew, she thought for a moment.

Valir looked at her as if considering something, but he did not comment. When the steps ended, the great Cathedral square opened before them.

At the center stood the statue of an angel, raised above a circular basin. The water reflected the morning light, and the stone arches of the arcade surrounding the square cast long shadows across the ground.

Lyra stopped for a moment.

The sight was impressive.

The Cathedral rose behind the statue, its Gothic windows and tall arches seeming to reach almost to the clouds.

"It's... bigger than I thought," she said quietly.

Valir followed her gaze toward the Cathedral. He did not speak.

They continued walking toward the stairs when Lyra noticed a familiar figure beneath the shadows of the arcade. Alfry stood near one of the stone columns, speaking with a man Lyra did not recognize.

The light did not reach him well, and his face remained almost hidden in shadow.

Alfry saw them first.

"Lyra!"

She lifted a hand in greeting. Lyra smiled and approached with Valir.

"Good morning," Alfry said.

Her gaze moved between them with slight surprise.

"Grand Master."

Valir gave a small nod.

"Alfry."

The young woman turned back to Lyra.

"How is the dormitory? I hope it isn't too uncomfortable."

Lyra shook her head.

"It's perfectly fine."

Alfry smiled, satisfied.

"I'm glad."

The man she had been speaking with gave a small nod to Valir and slipped away silently through the arcade.

Valir glanced toward the Cathedral steps.

"We are going to see Karl."

"I heard what happened. Thankfully, you were nearby. Alina is inside," Alfry said, and Lyra smiled at her.

"We'll talk later."

"Of course."

She paused briefly, and before they could walk away, she added, "Actually... Ed, Alina, and I wanted to invite you to the tavern tonight."

Lyra cast a glance at Valir, then turned back to Alfry.

"I'd love to!"

"Perfect! See you at eight," Alfry said, then walked away.

For a moment, Lyra stayed there, watching her disappear beneath the arches of the arcade. Then she turned back toward the Cathedral steps.

Valir had already taken a few steps forward. When she caught up to him, he gave her a brief look as they began climbing the wide stone stairs.

"It seems they are already bringing you into their circle."

Lyra lifted her shoulders slightly.

"Maybe they're just welcoming."

They continued climbing for a few more steps. The air was cooler up here, and the noise of the city began to fade behind them.

Valir smiled calmly.

"That is a good sign."

Lyra turned her head slightly toward him.

"What is?"

"Adaptation."

Lyra felt her stomach tighten almost imperceptibly. He had said it almost casually, like a simple observation.

But something in his gaze told her it was not.

He kept looking ahead, toward the great doors of the Cathedral.

"Most people would struggle if they couldn't remember their recent events," he added.

A small pause.

"You do not. You adapt quickly."

Lyra kept her eyes on the steps ahead, trying to appear indifferent.

"I just observe quickly."

And as fast as she said it, she regretted it.

She could have said that it was because he was guiding her, or because the people felt welcoming. Instead, she had said the first thing that came to mind.

At the corner of his mouth appeared that faint shadow of a smile she had seen earlier. As if he had received exactly the answer he expected.

He said nothing else.

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Thank you for reading "Rookie of the Wind".