"Welcome back," Alexander said politely.
"Thank you," Nia replied quietly.
Before either of them could continue talking, they heard footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, they spotted a tall figure wearing a stylish black shirt along with a pair of slacks and shoes. His short brown hair framed his sharp features nicely, while his hazelnut eyes shone brightly under the sun.
"Nia, I heard of your arrival and rushed here right away." The newcomer greeted them warmly. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all, Leonidas." Nia shook her head slightly. "We were just having a chat anyway."
Leonidas nodded in acknowledgment. "Well then." He glanced at Alexander. "Who's your friend?"
"His name is Alexander." Nia introduced him quickly. "He's also attending our academy."
He looked Alexander straight in the eye with unconcealed hostility. "Nice to meet you, Alexander." He extended his hand. "Which class are you from?"
Alexander stared at the man's hand in surprise for a few moments. He clearly picked up hostile intent in this guy's eyes but his behavior was friendly. Was it possible that he was actually nice? Or maybe he was just pretending? In which case, why? To get close to Nia perhaps...?
"B3-79" Alexander replied as he shook Leo's hand.
Leonidas's expression turned dismissive when he heard Alexander's reply. "Ah, B-class huh?" he muttered disdainfully. "You must be a genius."
Such treatment caused Alexander to frown.
Leo ignored Alexander's reaction and instead turned back to Nia. "What brings you here?" he asked curiously.
"Nothing special, just visiting some friends," Nia answered vaguely.
Just as Leonidas opened his mouth, the school bell rang. Everyone started gathering their belongings and heading for the entrance. Nia followed suit, leaving Alexander and Leo alone. "Don't be late." She warned him softly as she left.
When she disappeared beyond the gates, Leo turned to Alexander once more.
"Hmph. You better stay away from her. If you value your life that is."
For the first time ever, Alexander glared at someone in full force. But unfortunately for him, Leonidas wasn't intimidated one bit. Instead, the dark-haired youth grinned widely and chuckled.
"What, a lowborn like you dares to be angry at me?" He mocked. "Do you think that you're strong enough to challenge me? Hahaha! Foolish boy!"
The two boys exchanged hostile glares for several tense seconds until Alexander felt a hand land on his shoulder.
"Hey, calm down." A voice called out. It belonged to Arthur. "Don't play into his hands. He wants you to lose your cool and attack him so he could complain to the dean and get you in trouble."
This action warranted another hostile look from Leonidas, now in Arthur's direction.
"Mind your business, de la Courciel." He said through gritted teeth.
"Ah, so you finally remembered that there are other noble houses aside from yours?" Arthur mocked in reply.
"Fuck off!" Leonidas snarled, glaring at Arthur furiously. "Why does this moron has to butt into my affairs?!"
"And for you, why would I care about the likes of a commoner like you?" He spat scornfully at Alexander. "If anything, I should thank you for making my day a little interesting."
With a victorious expression, he turned around and strode towards the main building.
"What an asshole..." Arthur commented angrily. "Didn't his mother teach him manners?"
"No need." Alexander shrugged indifferently. Actually, Leonidas wasn't the first one to threaten Alexander because of Nia. After all, the girl had a lot of admirers, and Alexander seemed to get the best treatment among them. Such a thing would certainly invoke feelings of jealousy.
"Crap! I forgot it's a test day! Let's go!" Arthur exclaimed suddenly, rushing toward the gate.
After watching Arthur leave, Alexander sighed deeply and headed inside too.
Upon entering the classroom, Alexander found his seat and sat down. Today's subject was History II, taught by Professor Elinor.
"Today's test's subject will be a time period starting from the Celestial Civil War all the way through the New Dark Age and ending with the formation of the Empire. Make sure to try your best, the results of this test will decide 25% of your final marks for this course..."
Thanks to his father constantly forcing him to meditate and his recent progress, Alexander's mind was exceptionally clear at all times.
He was able to recall historical details with ease and finished the test first. He was always quite good at academics, though not at a genius level, but today he felt he was going to get full marks.
The rest of the day was relatively calm and lessons passed quite quickly. Alexander was gathering his stuff when Felicia approached him.
"Hey! We are going to play basketball, are you going to join us?" She asked eagerly.
Alexander pondered for a moment and suddenly thought about how he took several hits with a pipe this morning. He touched his chest and instantly felt a bit of pain, though it wasn't anything strong.
"Nah, not today." He declined apologetically. "Maybe tomorrow?"
Felicia frowned, apparently disappointed. As if sensing it, she added: "Okay then. Have fun!" With that, she hurried past him and entered the hallway.
Alexander watched her leave before turning to leave himself. He quickly made his way toward the inner territories of the academy eventually reaching a rather remote closed-off yard. He made sure no one followed him and jumped over the gate.
Inside the yard was a small garden arranged in an ancient European style. There were statues placed here and there, as well as benches where people could sit and enjoy the scenery. In the center of this area stood a stone fountain surrounded by four statues depicting various gods.
One statue depicted Poseidon, god of water; another showed Zeus, ruler of the sky and thunderbolts; the third represented Hermes, the messenger of the gods and protector of travelers; and lastly Apollo, the patron deity of archers and healers. They were all very old Greek gods who supposedly lived thousands of years ago during Ancient Greece.
A young woman was standing next to the fountain, staring at the sculptures intently. Her golden hair fluttered gently in the wind as she observed the images of the deities. Despite being dressed in simple clothing, she radiated elegance and beauty. Alexander recognized her immediately.
It was Nia.