Auren had barely slept. The words Zevaros had left him with clung to his mind like a curse, repeating over and over, dragging his thoughts into that jungle no matter how he tried to steer them elsewhere. He sat in his seat in Class 1N the next morning, posture straight but eyes unfocused, caught in a haze that made the voices of his classmates blur into background noise. Even Eiran's remarks did little to wake him fully.
The lecture droned on, yet he absorbed none of it. It didn't take long before the teacher noticed. Eiran tried to tap Auren's hand in warning but he was too far gone in his mind to register anything. When the teacher called out it was like a muffled sound in Auren's ears.
"Student Auren," came the sharp voice of Instructor Velisse, a proud woman of the Bloom Dominion whose presence was as rigid as the steel in her spine. She'd long been searching for an opportunity to rein in this class of troublemakers, particularly the infamous 1N students. To her, Auren's wandering gaze was the perfect opening.
"Pay attention," she snapped.
The room hushed, eyes darting toward Auren. Everyone expected a cold retort, a cutting remark, or at the very least that aloof silence he wore like armor. They knew what Auren was like and paired with Eiran even their class president Nemea had to take a step back. But instead the reaction the class expected,
"Yes, Instructor," Auren said, voice flat but obedient.
The shock was palpable. Mouths dropped, whispers floated within the class and Eiran just rubbed his face to hold back a laugh. Even the teacher Velisse blinked in disbelief, thrown off balance by the reaction. For a moment, her rigid stance wavered, as though she wasn't sure if she'd imagined the response.
From the back, a quiet snicker rose. Eiran covered his mouth with one hand, but his onyx eyes gleamed with amusement. He knew exactly what was happening. The mighty Auren was brought low by distraction. Eiran didn't need to guess twice to know what kind of thoughts were clawing at his friend. [ It's probably something juicy that I don't know.]
The lecture continued, though the energy in the room had shifted. The other students whispered behind hands, exchanging looks of disbelief. Velisse tried to reassert control, but it was too late. The moment was etched into memory and the class would mark this day as one to remember.
When the class finally ended, Eiran didn't hesitate. He leaned toward Auren as they packed up their things. His tail wagging in curiosity and excitement.
"You're thinking so deeply I can practically hear the nodes of your brain creaking," he said casually. "What is it this time?"
Auren shot him a look, cool and dismissive. "Nothing."
That never deterred Eiran. He simply walked at Auren's side, repeating his question in increasingly irritating tones until finally, Auren exhaled sharply.
"If you must know… how does one overcome a cliffhanger?"
Eiran stopped in his tracks. "A… what?"
"You heard me."
For a long beat, Eiran stared, then barked out in laughter so loud several students turned their heads. He clutched his stomach, struggling to catch his breath, while Auren's expression darkened. Eiran brushed back his purple hair and just looked at Auren highly amused. He knew his friend had a problem but he didn't think it was just this.
"Oh, that's rich. That's what's bothering you?" Eiran wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Read another book, Auren. That's how you get over a cliffhanger."
Auren frowned, brows furrowed. "…Read another book?"
"Yes," Eiran said, still chuckling.
Auren didn't respond, but his mind twisted the advice in a different direction. Do something else or try to distract yourself. [If that's what it takes] Auren began to think of ways to distract himself when his greatest distraction pinched his arm so that he could listen. [ I'll just put my mind off it.]
The two of them made their way to the cafeteria. By habit, they moved toward their usual table near the window, a place that had become theirs without question. But today, two girls sat there already, engaged in lively conversation, their trays half-eaten and their laughter too bright to ignore.
Auren's eyes narrowed, [Who are those?]. Eiran looked from them to Auren, then shrugged. Without hesitation, the two boys sat down at the same table, directly across from the girls, acting as if nothing were out of place. This was their spot originally so the invaders should leave if they feel uncomfortable.
The sudden intrusion startled the pair of girls into silence. They blinked at the newcomers, recognition sparking instantly. Both girls wore subtle emblems marking them as royalty. The first, with soft auburn hair and delicate wings folded faintly against her back, smiled politely.
"I'm Katelyn, Princess of the Bloom Dominion," she introduced herself, voice melodic. "Butterfly bloodline."
The second girl, sharper in posture, with dark eyes that glimmered under the light, added, "Aura, of the Flame Dominion. Owl bloodline."
Their words hung in the air expectantly, waiting for acknowledgment. Auren and Eiran both looked at them, nodded once in unison, then returned to their food. Nothing more. It was obvious that these girls were first years and they came here wanting to try something, after all everyone in the cafeteria knows, from first and second years to the upperclassmen, that this was their table.
The silence stretched until Katelyn let out a nervous laugh. Aura, on the other hand, frowned faintly, unused to being dismissed. But neither of them moved from their seats. If anything, they took the curt nods as tacit permission to remain.
Eiran chewed lazily, pretending not to notice their fluster. He was no more social than Auren, though many mistook him for approachable because he actually spoke a lot. The truth was simple really, unless he deemed someone worthy, they were background noise. He is a fox Therion with sharp ears and sharper standards.
Auren, for his part, finished his meal quickly. He waited in silence until Eiran set down his utensils, then they rose to leave. The girls watched them go, caught between offense and fascination at being so thoroughly ignored.
"Do they always act like that?" Katelyn murmured.
"Yes," Aura said tightly, her pride stung. "And I don't intend to let it stay that way."
"But we're only here as a dare. Let's not push things further Aura." Katelyn pleaded hoping to get a path through.
Aura held those aurburn hair strands tightly in her fists causing the butterflies Therion to cry out. "You may be a fucking princess of Bloom Dominion but your adopted. Even if you go to your mother right now, she can't remove me from Nexus Academy you know why?"
Katelyn just nodded trembling, her wings fluttering weakly, "Because I am of actually royal blood filthy peasant." Aura's eyes glowed with malice as she watched those weak fluttering wings.
"Do you want me to pull them out again?" Katelyn froze and shook her head vigorously, fear etched to her very bone.
When Aura stood and left the cafeteria, Katelyn just watched a sneer forming in her face, "you're scared of stringer Therion but dare bully non combat Therions." She murmured under her breath. "I will use my situation as a coin to buy my freedom from those two."
Katelyn stood up, he eyes lingering on the table longer before she also went to class. Just because she was weak doesn't mean she is easily oppressed. She had been fighting alone that's why she hasn't succeeded yet, bringing in a powerful force will be the key she needs to destroy Aura.
By late afternoon, the students of Class 1N gathered at the training grounds, the air buzzing with anticipation. Today's schedule listed a unique drill under the banner of Physical Cultivation. At the center of the grounds stood a towering array of runic plates, their surfaces shimmering faintly with inscriptions of gravity seals.
Instructor Boric's voice carried across the field. "Today, you will undergo gravity training. Each step you take under this pressure will forge your bodies and test the limits of your bloodlines. Do not disgrace yourselves."
The students exchanged uneasy glances. Everyone had heard of the drill, but few had experienced it. Gravity training could crush bones as easily as it could build resilience. It was a class that was said to welcome first years into the life of the second year.
Auren stood with his arms folded, face unreadable as always. Eiran stretched his shoulders lazily beside him, a fox's grin tugging at his lips. The runic plates flared and the air thickened instantly, pressing down like invisible hands. Every breath became a chore, every movement dragged as though chains bound their limbs.
Around them, students staggered, some dropping to one knee as their bodies struggled under the sudden weight. But Auren remained upright, expression cool, though sweat already beaded at his temple. His body screamed, but his pride refused to bend.
[This is like facing brother Raelith's training.] As though to taunt him his thoughts shifted, [Zevaros left me hanging], bitterness flowed through him. [I'll endure this. I'll make sure when I face him again, I won't be the one left behind.]
The invisible weight grew heavier.
And Auren welcomed it.