Soren's misconception of the situation was because of a few things.
Firstly, Polystar didn't look human. His usual tan skin had taken a much greener color.
His eyes were completely white, and he was leaning towards a certain angle—much like the trees were.
There was more. His feet, bare of shoes, appeared to dig into the earth like roots.
Soren approached steadily. "Polystar." He called out as he approached. The old Soren would have seen something so unusual and turned the other way.
But this Soren had his fear stripped away, leaving only curiosity behind.
He approached his classmate. Looking around him.
A thought popped up in his head.
Is this a curse?
Soren clearly remembered Tommy saying that they were more freakish curses; people needed to suffer from their Shade. He just didn't expect Polystar to go through something like this as well.
His curiosity got the better of him, and he stretched a finger, carefully, to poke Polystar —
— eyes snapped open.
Polystar moved sharply; blades WHISTLED from his fingers.
SLOOSHHHHHH—
Soren's head fell from his neck.
[You Died]
...
~Tummy grumbled.
Soren woke up, cutting a piece of the chocolate cake to snack on as he headed for the Garden.
This time around, he used a stick to poke Polystar from afar.
Polystar's eyes snapped open. His fingers moved sharply. But Soren was already prepared—dodging to the side.
The blades lodged themselves in a tree trunk behind him.
Soren turned to them.
The blades were leaves?
He really couldn't believe that Polystar had actually killed him with something as simple as leaves—produced from his body no less.
Polystar's eyes turned to Soren, his body resuming its normal tan shade as he slowly took off his glasses. "What are you doing here?" He questioned, obviously very angry that Soren had disturbed him.
"Don't start." Soren waved a hand dismissively, "It's a public place. I am allowed here just as much as you are."
"You idiot." Polystar's legs unplugged from the soil. "You could have died. My security system could have..." He approached—a mix of genuine care and annoyance clear in his eyes.
Which in turn made Soren perplexed.
He paused. "But I... wait, is that not what you wanted—to kill me?"
"Yes, but not like this. Like this, it's... it's just murder." Polystar spat regretfully.
Polystar realized his words were contradictory to his actions. He turned away hissing.
"So let me get this straight. You are okay with killing me in a duel, but not in a—what do you call that state you were in? Photosynthesis?"
"You can call it what you want. It's my curse. I have to bathe in sunlight when I can." Polystar reached the water fountain, leaning in to take a sip.
~Ah
Polystar gave a contented sigh. "As you know, the lower your soul rank, the tougher the curse you have to suffer from your shade—generally speaking, at least." He raised his head to Soren, as if to say 'If mine is this bad, then you must be in hell.'
But this was fresh information to Soren.
Soren's mind worked fast. "So... you really really do not intend to kill me?"
"Are you dumb? Of course I do." He turned his head away, "as long as it frees the shade—but I am not a murderer."
Soren raised a brow at those words. They conflicted a little too much with each other.
Weirdly enough, he could tell that Polystar meant it.
He flashed back to his first death 'today.' That person had killed him from behind.
Soren also remembered the information he had gotten from Tommy during their first lesson.
Polystar came from a family that sympathized heavily with Shades.
He had stood against instructor Marcus during the first lesson that encouraged stealing from one's shade and got a slap for it.
However, with what he just said and how he acted when he and Soren sparred, it was clear that the sympathy his family carried for Shades went beyond just seeing them as refugees from beyond the Glass.
In fact, Soren figured they wanted all shades freed. But that can't happen unless the person they were bound to dies.
In this regard, it made sense that Polystar wanted him dead. But that would also mean he wanted every Soulbound warrior dead.
Living in poverty all his life exposed Soren's eyes to the ugliness of people.
One look at Polystar, and Soren could guess the kind of individual the boy was.
Polystar was still worried about him when he assumed Soren could have died from his instinctive attack.
This drove Soren to a conclusion.
His death couldn't have been by Polystar's hand.
At least Polystar wouldn't backstab him.
The noble seemed to be riddled with contradicting morals, but morals nonetheless.
Soren turned to leave. But paused a bit, "So let me get this straight. If I engage in a duel with you, you wouldn't mind killing me, but other than that, you consider it murder?"
"Yes!" Polystar answered, annoyed at Soren's persistent questioning and his presence around him.
Soren nodded. "Noted."
Soren left the garden. He cancelled Polystar from his list of suspects.
There were other people he needed to question, or at least probe.
How to go about it was the problem.
Ring~
"This is to inform all cadets to be present in the lecture area by 18:00 this evening for evaluation of their First Form technique."
Same announcement.
Just then, he felt eyes at the back of his neck—he turned sharply.
At a corner. He could have sworn he saw someone peeping at him.
That was a weird feeling. Strangely, it felt... familiar.
He shook his head.
Soren went about asking the cadets very odd questions to find out who wanted to kill him.
However, what he quickly realized with his probing was that he wasn't very liked.
At some point, it was a wonder why no one else wanted him dead.
He even wondered if it was Goldsworth; after all, they had an encounter before the first death.
But apart from boasting about his noble superiority and how Soren was going to be kicked out of the academy, there was nothing else of note.
In no time, the day had mostly gone. Soren found himself back at the training area.
He was tired.
Cadets were a handful to deal with. No wonder instructors immediately resorted to smacking.
His mind drifted away as he watched the outside world from a window.
The huge walls of the academy had drawn closer, a little more, and they would be there.
However, the train suddenly slowed to a stop.
Another stop?
Soren thought to himself.
He couldn't recall any stops on this 'day.'
Then again, he had been too focused on training, and the train was so perfectly built that there was little to no difference at rest and in motion—at least from within.
—And then he noticed Soulbound knights rushing out of the train.
They seemed to be in a hurry as Commander Jared and Boyed urged them forward.
It suddenly made sense that he couldn't find anyone in the train, before his first death.
Regardless, where were they rushing to, and why?
He needed to know. He believed it was tied to what happened to him that led to his death.
However, the moment he reached for the automatic doors, he saw a figure zoom in front of him.
He might not have seen the face clearly. But he saw that hair. Only one person amongst the cadets had hair as red as that.
Linda Bloodshine.
Soren immediately hurried after her. Now that he thought about it, it kind of made sense that he perceived someone peeping at him all this time.
Her. It must be her. She clearly stated that she hated him earlier.
Who knows? Maybe her truths had become truths again.
He was going to find out now.
After another turn, he didn't see her.
However, he realized that he was now before the cafeteria.
He remembered. "Shit."
Sharply, he turned—
Just in time too.
A blade sliced through his neck.
However, what left Soren's eyes widening in shock wasn't his death.
But the person wielding the blade.
Instructor Marcus?
Soren's head rolled onto the ground.
Dud. Dud. Dud.
"Pitiful!" Marcus muttered.
[You died.]