Raze felt her eyes snag on him again, like a hook buried too deep to ignore.
Mia Vareen. Archer class. Ex-girlfriend. Walking reminder of everything he'd tried to leave behind.
Across the throne room, her stare lingered—curiosity laced with something heavier. Guilt? Fear? Regret? Hard to pin down through the crowd of summoned heroes, but it stirred up memories he'd rather keep buried.
"Why the hell are you staring at that bastard?"
Kail's voice slithered in, low and venomous, pure possession. He leaned in close, fingers clamping Mia's arm—not enough to bruise, just enough to mark territory. His ice-blue eyes narrowed to slits.
Mia flinched. "I… I wasn't—"
"Don't lie to me."
Raze let a ghost of a smirk flicker.
*Same old insecure jackass.*
Even in this messed-up world, Kail Drayen hadn't grown an inch beyond his childhood pettiness.
---
The throne room finally emptied. Attendants in crisp uniforms herded them through towering hallways that felt like veins of ancient stone. Footsteps echoed. Torches sputtered, throwing shadows across tapestries of long-dead battles—heroes carving through demon hordes, gods raining blessings like golden confetti.
"Quarters first," one attendant said in that practiced, bored tone. "Meals and instructions after. Rest up. Briefing's at dawn—be sharp."
Each door glowed with a personal rune, pulsing faintly like a divine name tag.
Raze pushed his open. Small. Clean. Bare. Bed, scarred desk, narrow window overlooking the moonlit courtyard. Distant training grounds sparked with faint magic, like fireflies on steroids.
*Perfect.*
Quiet. Isolated. No bullshit. Exactly what he needed.
Below, classmates clustered like nervous sheep. Whispers drifted up—fear, excitement, confusion. Leon Valcrest held court in the biggest group, already playing golden-boy leader. Jenny and Marcus hovered close, moths to his flame.
Raze turned away. He had zero interest in their little hierarchy games.
Not yet.
---
.
Raze needed answers. About this world. About the energy. About why the necklace around his neck had started pulsing the second they arrived.
Library first. If this place held any echo of his mother's secrets… he'd find it.
---
But before he could slip out—
A pressure wave slammed the courtyard. Heavy. Dense. The air itself shivered like it might crack.
Boots clicked sharp on stone.
A woman stepped into view—silver armor etched with crimson veins that throbbed like bottled lightning. Crimson hair spilled behind her like fresh blood. Eyes sharp enough to carve steel.
Silence dropped like a guillotine.
Even Leon straightened without thinking.
Attendants bowed deep. "Knight Instructor Seraphina Vale."
Academy elite. Reputation like thunder.
Her gaze swept the group—calm, dissecting, bored.
"So," she drawled, "these are His Majesty's precious summoned heroes?"
Pause. Lips quirked in disdain.
"Eight brats and one teacher. Hm. I've seen stronger farmhands."
Winces. Leon's fists clenched. Kail muttered something foul. Suzu shrank back.
Then her eyes locked on Raze.
The necklace at his throat gave a single, faint throb—like it recognized the word before she said it.
"You."
She advanced. Each step rang like judgment.
"Name?"
"Raze Kyler."
Brows furrowed. "Kyler…"
She studied him. Hard.
"I can't sense your aura. Nothing."
Murmurs exploded.
"What does that mean?"
"He got no mana?"
Seraphina's lips twisted—cold, almost amused.
"So. You're the extra."
The word hit like a sucker punch.
"Extra?" Jenny whispered.
"Every summoning drags in dead weight," Seraphina said flatly. "No blessing. No spark. Most die before the first real fight."
She stared straight through him.
"Want to survive, Kyler? Prove you're worth the air you breathe. Otherwise…"
Eyes hardened to ice.
"…you'll vanish. Like all the others who thought they mattered."
Cape snapped. She turned.
"Dawn training. Sleep—if you can."
The silence she left was thick enough to choke on.
Then—a scoff.
Borden Crestfall cracked his knuckles, grinning like a wolf.
"Extra, huh? Guess that makes you the runt."
Raze flicked him one lazy glance. "You done barking?"
Borden's grin twisted. "Tch. Acting tough already?"
He lumbered forward. "Let's see what an extra's got."
Leon started to intervene—"Borden, stand down—"
Raze raised a hand. Calm. "It's fine."
He met Borden's eyes.
"If he wants a lesson, I'll give it."
Borden charged, fist cutting the air like a battering ram—fast for his size, but predictable.
Raze tilted his head.
Punch missed by inches, wind kissing his cheek.
He caught the wrist mid-follow-through. Twisted.
Borden's eyes bulged. He dropped to one knee with a grunt.
"Rule one," Raze said, voice low and even, "never swing blind at someone you don't understand."
He let go.
Borden gasped on the stone.
Raze turned toward the castle.
"Library," he said to no one.
No one followed.
Even Kail stayed quiet, glare burning holes in Raze's back.
---
The library was a beast—towering shelves, shadows thick with old paper and secrets. Candles flickered high up. Musty air clung like memory.
Raze went deep, ignoring the whispers from scattered classmates. The "extra" who floored Borden was already tonight's gossip.
He pulled a dust-heavy tome, settled by an arched window, moonlight spilling across the pages.
**The Balance of Divine and Demonic Energies.**
> *All life here pulses with essence. Mortals carry Divine Energy—sacred gift of the gods, light and order. Demons feed on Demonic Energy—chaos and corruption. Unleashed, both become Aura: the visible mark of power and will.*
That explained the glows. Divine favor hugging everyone.
> *Those without essence are incomplete. Anomalies. Yet old texts speak of beings who carry both… or neither. They break the balance. Catastrophe. Or something greater.*
Raze's fingers brushed the necklace. It thrummed softly in answer.
*Neither.*
He flipped pages.
> *Guardians are rare—divine harmony fused with spiritual wards. They shield armies. Weaken enemies. Stand closest to the gods.*
Mrs. Kelly Hartwell. That quiet authority. Made sense.
The world clicked into place: power, order, divine favor. A perfect machine.
And him? A glitch.
Book closed with a soft thud.
"Maybe that's why you woke up here," he whispered to the necklace.
---
"Still burying yourself in books? Classic Raze."
Voice soft but edged.
He looked up.
Mia stood there, arms crossed, bow slung over her shoulder. Moonlight traced her hair, her figure—same girl, but heavier now. Older.
"Mia."
She stepped closer, stopped by the table.
"You haven't changed. Still pretending nothing touches you."
Raze gave her nothing.
Her lips quirked—fragile smile, cracks underneath.
"Everyone's talking. The extra who dropped Borden like trash. You were never good at staying invisible."
"Not here to impress anyone," he said flat.
She tilted her head. "Then why are you here, Raze?"
Fingers grazed the necklace again.
"Trying to figure that out."
Silence stretched. Her eyes hunted for cracks he wouldn't show.
"You should go back to your boyfriend," he said. "He'll get the wrong idea."
Brow arched. Spark of defiance.
"Jealous?"
"Ask him."
"He was your friend too," she said softly. "We were all tight… till middle school."
"Yeah." Raze's voice stayed even. "Mom wanted me normal. That's why I played along."
Why he'd said yes when she confessed.
"Now he's your guy," he continued. "And the reason you walked."
Her lips parted. "That's not—"
"I get it." He leaned back. "He's the replacement Raze. Safer version."
She flinched.
"Are you gonna deny it?" His tone never rose. "Or was it just fear?"
Long silence.
Then, barely a whisper: "Yeah… you're right. I was scared."
Voice cracked.
"When those men came for me… you fought them off. Protected us. But the way you did it—brutal, cold, like you enjoyed it… it terrified me. I'm sorry."
"I know." Quiet. "Started as protection. For you. For Kail. Then… I liked it. Went too far. One died."
Wry smirk. "Self-defense, they called it."
"I'm so sorry, Kyler." Eyes glistened. "Because of me, you were alone. Those rumors—violent, cruel, monster. Even though—"
*It was true,* he thought. The darkness inside stirred.
"Are you still scared of me?"
She hesitated. Shook her head.
"No… not anymore. Just… guilty. Please. Forgive me."
Raze studied her. Air thickened.
"If you really mean it…"
He stood. Stepped close. His presence wrapped around her.
"…prove it."
Her breath hitched. "Anything. What do you want?"
He leaned in. Lips brushed her ear—warm, deliberate.
"Kiss me."
---