"The first time I seen her, it was like experiencing life all over again"
Iruna sat alone atop of a staircase nearby the open field of the academy. He watched as the students of this combat class practiced and sparred with each other, his crimson eyes devoid of any emotion. It was as if a scarecrow was watching them.
This left many who were still wary of Iruna to awkwardly avoid his gaze whilst training, subtly squirming under his intense gaze.
"Hey, iruna right?"
A soft yet high pitched female voice whispered in Iruna's ear. Her breath danced across his ear, giving him a tingling sensation which nearly broke his composure, yet he remained impassive.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
Iruna asked with a slight turn of his head to see who has the audacity to whisper in his ear. Then he realized he was mere inches away from Aniyah's face. Both subtly blushed and turned their head away in slight embarrassment, though Aniyah was the first to recover from the suddenness.
"Oh, forgive my rudeness. My name is Aniyah Konoshi, nice to meet you"
Aniyah exclaimed with a smile that could light up an entire room of darkness. Her eyes glossed with untamed happiness and a hint of overwhelming power, though what came to a shock to everyone outside was Aniyah grabbing onto Iruna's hand in a gentle clasp.
"Sure. What can I do for you?"
Iruna asked again in an indifferent tone. His indifferent eyes locked onto Aniyah's optimistically cool eyes as if they were reading each other. The silence around them was definite yet it did not seem awkward, more so it was a natural silence.
"Hehe~, sorry for bothering you but I wanted to know if we could be friends?"
Aniyah asked with a slight tilt of her head which only enhanced her beauty. The silky strands of her hair had stuck to her face from the beaming sun, and physical activity they were doing for class.
"No. I don't need friends"
Iruna exclaimed with a simple decline. It wasn't one that was in haste or anger, but Iruna trust level was practically nonexistent. He did not see people as individuals capable of loving, but creatures of evil. A type of evil that needs to be snuffed out of existence.
"Aww~ too bad, I'll catch you at lunch then Iruna!"
Aniyah exclaimed in a tone of sheer excitement, clearly ignoring Iruna's declaration with a wide and innocent smile on her face. Then she ran off with a giggle, it was as if she was used to the type of behavior seen from Iruna.
Lunchtime...
Iruna calmly walked down the hallway of the academy, a bagged lunch in hand. He watched as many of his classmates paired with each other. Some ate in the cafeteria or in classrooms while others ate outside. Though one thing was made certain and that was the hierarchy established between students.
At the very top stood the vessels of the gods/goddesses. These were those that either awakened their system or are in the processes of awakening it. Next were the aces, these were individuals who excelled at one or more fields. Lastly were the knights and these people were treated as nothing but mere pawns for war.
Thus, had caused a shift in the balance of power. Though as lady misfortune has made it, Iruna is considered powerless due to his magical incompetence, but his swordsmanship dominates against many at its current stage.
"Hey Iruna, Let's go eat"
Aniyah suddenly proclaimed from behind said boy, a gentle smile resting on her delicate face. her eyes remained unwavering against his lifeless, cold, crimson eyes that stared back right into the depths of her soul. it was a little unnerving.
"Fine."
Iruna stated in an indifferent tone, walking beside Aniyah who seemed to be stealing glances at Iruna as they walked. Eventually Iruna had turned her way, and they both made eye contact before glancing away.
"What's on your mind?"
Iruna asked in a cool, calm, voice yet still held with its tone of indifference. This made Aniyah subtly widen her eyes, finding it a shock that Iruna could read her body language and emotions.
"I've always wondered. Why do your eyes look like that?"
Aniyah asked with a clear sign of concern mixed with curiosity. This shocked Iruna but he did not allow that to break his indifferent mask he held onto for years.
"Well...I guess my life is showing on my face. Heh."
Iruna exclaimed with a halfhearted chuckle, attempting to break the awkward silence yet that did not work. Aniyah on the other hand, watched with saddened eyes as Iruna spoke. His dead eyes, joyless voice and absolute awareness. This made Aniyah heart hurt, and a tear threatened to fall.
"There's no need to feel sad or anything for me. I'm no better than the trash littered on this planet."
Iruna proclaimed with a steady voice, neither happy nor angry, sad or disappointed. It was as if he had come to terms with a decision some time ago. A decision that left him broken.
Aniyah remained silent and they continued to walk until they arrived at a lone wooden picnic table. Aniyah sat down first and patted the spot next to her, indicating that she wanted Iruna to sit there to which he complied and sat next to her.
"Even trash has value when the right person wants it"
Aniyah exclaimed after the long silence between them. Her words followed the wind and carried her soft and genuine tone, making that sentence more impactful.
"I see..."
Iruna muttered, only being able to stare at Aniyah in shock though his face did not reveal this.
Meanwhile...
"So that is who I'll be fighting sometime in the future."
A young boy exclaimed in a soft tone, yet it was filled with an arrogant knowing of something no one else knew. He wore robes similar to top royalty in pristine condition and his hair was white as snow, reaching to his neck in a unkept style and an ahoge sticking up from the middle of his head.
His skin glowed with a subtle cleanliness and an air of authority reigned dominate. His presence alone commanded respect and his mismatched colored eyes foretold power that stood at the pinnacle of absolute.
[Notice: The Alpha has appeared on earth]