Edwin Lunar Chapter 12: The Fourteenth Birthday

Read chapter 12 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

Rain fell softly over the outer sectors of Vestella. Neon lights reflected across wet metal streets while distant flying vehicles crossed the dark skies between towering skyscrapers far beyond the city's industrial edge. Giant holograms flickered above the richer districts in the distance, glowing through the rain like floating stars. But none of that light reached Edwin Lunar's apartment. The small room remained quiet except for the sound of tools clicking against metal. Edwin sat beside his old repair table, carefully reconnecting wires inside a damaged service drone. Tiny blue sparks flashed between his fingers while screens and broken machine parts covered nearly every corner of the apartment. Some things never changed. Even after everything that happened on Noroel… He still repaired machines. The drone suddenly activated. Its small eyes blinked blue. "System restored," it chirped mechanically. Edwin smiled faintly. "There you go." The drone floated happily around the room before landing near the window. Outside, rain continued pouring across the city. Edwin leaned back quietly in his chair. Fourteen years old. For some reason, that felt strange. A year and a half ago he had been fixing broken gadgets alone in Vestella, trying to survive another day without getting thrown out by his landlord. Now he had survived underground sectors, combat trials, academy training, and the mysteries beneath Lunar Dominion Academy. And yet somehow… This apartment still felt like home. His eyes moved toward the old scarf hanging beside the bed. His mother's scarf. Next to it rested the silver ring of Wingard Lunar. Even now, faint blue patterns sometimes appeared across its surface during the night. Edwin slowly picked it up. The metal felt warm again. Not dangerous. Almost comforting. A sudden loud knocking shattered the silence. "LUNAR!" Edwin sighed immediately. Right on schedule. The apartment door slid open before he could answer. Mrs. Grent walked inside carrying her usual expression of permanent irritation. "You still owe hallway maintenance credits." Edwin crossed his arms. "I repaired the building drones last week." "Yes, and one of them insulted me yesterday." "That sounds like a personal issue." Mrs. Grent narrowed her eyes. "You've become more sarcastic." Edwin almost smiled. Noroel probably did that. Before she could continue complaining, a mechanical sound echoed outside the apartment window. A hovering silver drone stopped outside. Its surface carried the symbol of the academy. Edwin immediately stood. Mrs. Grent blinked. "…What now?" The drone projected a holographic seal into the room. LUNAR DOMINION ACADEMYTHIRD-YEAR AUTHORIZATION Edwin's heartbeat quickened slightly. The letter. The drone's voice echoed softly: "Student Edwin Lunar. Your return transport to Noroel has been approved. Departure scheduled tonight at 21:00 through Vestella Underground Transit Sector Seven." A second hologram appeared. RANK STATUS UPDATE: ADVANCED BEGINNER CLASSIFICATION Edwin stared at the screen quietly. Then another line appeared. PRELIMINARY THIRD-YEAR EVALUATION REQUIRED Mrs. Grent looked between Edwin and the hologram. "You're leaving again?" Edwin nodded slowly. "Yes." She remained silent briefly. Then crossed her arms harder. "…Good." But her voice sounded less rude than usual. The drone projected one final message. "HAPPY FOURTEENTH BIRTHDAY, STUDENT EDWIN LUNAR." Then it flew away into the rain. Silence returned to the apartment. Mrs. Grent looked genuinely surprised. "It's your birthday?" Edwin rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "…Apparently." She stared at him for several seconds before placing a small box on the repair table. Edwin blinked. "What's this?" "You fixed my heating system during winter." "…So?" "You almost froze while doing it." Edwin looked confused. Mrs. Grent looked even more uncomfortable. "It's called gratitude. Don't make it strange." Then she immediately walked out of the apartment. The door slammed shut behi