Why? Why me?
Lucius trudged alongside Ash Braker, his expression that of a stoic, dismissive noble, but internally, he was anything but composed. His mind was racing with a mix of anxiety, frustration, and disbelief.
Out of all the students, why does it have to be me walking with the protagonist? Marcus thought. He shot a quick glance at Ash, who was smiling as brightly as ever, completely unaware of the internal chaos brewing beside him.
On the outside, Marcus kept up his best impression of the original Lucius—aloof, cold, barely sparing more than a few words in response. But inside, Marcus was nerding out. I'm talking to Ash Braker. Holy shit, I'm actually talking to the protagonist?!
"Hey, Lucius," Ash said, his voice full of optimism. "What's your favorite class so far?"
Oh no. He's starting. He's actually starting. Marcus inwardly facepalmed, he braced himself for the onslaught of questions.
"None," Lucius answered shortly, his voice low and dismissive, hoping that would end it.
But Ash was undeterred.
"What do you prefer then? Magic or technology?" Ash asked, his tone genuinely curious.
"Doesn't matter," Lucius replied, keeping his answers as vague as possible. Stop talking. Just stop.
Ash hummed in thought. "Hmm, I guess a mix of both would be pretty cool. I mean, the way they fuse magic and tech here is amazing, don't you think?"
"Sure."
It didn't stop. Ash seemed to bounce from one topic to the next with an endless supply of energy.
"Do you have a big family?"
Stoo asking questions . Please stop asking questions.
Lucius gave the most noncommittal shrug he could muster. "Not really."
"Oh, I see." Ash nodded, still smiling brightly. "What's your dorm number? Maybe we're neighbors."
Lucius cursed inwardly. He hadn't even figured out what his dorm number was. He'd barely gotten his bearings since arriving at Valtherion. You don't even know your own dorm room, idiot.
"Not your concern," Lucius said, sounding every bit the cold noble he was pretending to be.
To his utter shock, Ash simply laughed it off, clearly unbothered by the dismissive tone. "You're not the chatty type, huh? That's cool, I can handle that."
Lucius was ready to scream internally. Ash's relentless optimism was starting to grate on his nerves, and the fact that he couldn't let his true emotions slip was making it worse. Why won't he shut up? Marcus mentally berated himself, desperately trying to keep his cool. You're Lucius. Just keep it vague and cold. Don't get to friendly. Don't get involved.
....
Time seems to pass, Ash's curiosity continued to pester Lucius.
"So, Lucius," Ash continued, as if completely oblivious to the growing tension. "You're from a noble family, right? What's your family like?"
Lucius stiffened. Of all the questions, why did it have to be about family? He knew the original Lucius's backstory—his cold, distant family ties—but he didn't want to get into any of that. Especially not with the protagonist.
"It's none of your business," Lucius replied, his tone sharper than before, hoping that would shut the conversation down.
But Ash, being Ash, didn't take the hint. "Oh, I didn't mean to pry. I just thought it must be nice, coming from a noble family and all. Do you have any siblings?"
Lucius's internal panic flared up. Oh no, he's getting to close. Abort. Abort. Do not say anything stupid. Stay calm. Stay in character.
"Not important," Lucius said quickly, doing his best to keep his response curt and impersonal.
Ash gave him a curious look, his head tilting a bit as he stared at Lucius.
On the inside, Marcus was freaking out more over the fact he was talking with the novel's protagonist. Giving a side glance at Ash, Marcus recounts the conversation he 's been having with him.
I'm actually talking to him. Holy crap, this is Ash Braker up close. He tried to suppress the surge of excitement. Wait. No. Stop it. This is dangerous. You can't get dragged into the plot. Gotta stay away.
Ash didn't seem to notice Lucius's inner turmoil at all. Instead, he kept the conversation going, his curiosity apparently endless.
"I guess noble life can be pretty busy, huh?" Ash said, continuing as if Lucius's answers hadn't been dismissive at all.
Meanwhile, Marcus felt like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Ash's questions were piling up, and Marcus was struggling to keep his noble act intact. He was overstimulated—overthinking every word, every gesture, while Ash just kept talking.
...
At one point, Ash asked an innocent question, but to Marcus, it felt like a loaded bomb.
"Do you have many friends here at the academy?"
Marcus froze. Friends? The original Lucius wasn't exactly a social butterfly—he was arrogant, standoffish, and didn't bother with making friends. Marcus, on the other hand, hadn't exactly been trying to socialize either. How could he answer this?
There was a brief, awkward pause before Lucius muttered, "No."
Instead of letting the moment hang awkwardly, Ash beamed at him. "Well, you've got one now!"
Ash patted him on the back, much to Lucius's horror.
No, No, no, no, no. I don't want a friend! Especially not you!
As they continued walking, both following the directions on their Aetheris devices, Lucius began to notice something odd. They had passed the same hallway twice. The academy's layout was confusing, and even with the GPS, they seemed to be going in circles.
"This place is huge, huh?" Ash said, chuckling. "I think we passed this hallway already."
Lucius could feel his frustration bubbling beneath the surface. How are we lost? How am I, with a literal GPS, still lost in this place?!
Ash, however, seemed to find the whole situation amusing. "Guess we'll get there eventually, right?"
Lucius shot him a sideways glance, suppressing the urge to groan out loud.
...
After what felt like hours of wandering, they finally seemed to be approaching their destination. The building that housed their dorm rooms loomed ahead, and Lucius felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Okay, we're almost there. Just get to your room, shut the door, and lock yourself in until this situation is over.
He was exhausted—not physically, but mentally and emotionally. Ash's relentless optimism and barrage of questions had drained him. All he wanted now was to escape to his room and never speak of this again.
But just as they reached the door, Ash turned to him with his usual bright smile. "This was fun! We should do it again sometime."
Lucius's face remained neutral, but inside, he was screaming. NOPE, NOPE, NOPE. NEVER AGAIN, NOPE, NEVER AGAIN!
With a curt nod, Lucius turned away, barely mumbling a response. I can't take much more of this…
As he finally escaped to his dorm, Lucius collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. This had been the longest day of his life, and it was only the beginning.