The hot and quiet air around Sévir intensified the more he held the drawn bowstring in place, his left eye shut, his right eye tracking a purple-haired woman from a distance behind the gold and red trees and shrubbery, some already bald from the cool autumn period.
At last, he held his arms in place with all his breath exiting his lungs. (Now.) he released the string, the arrow propelling forwards as fast as it could go.
She halted, leaning back right after and dodging the arrow by a mere inch.
Immediately, Sévir withdrew from his position to relocate. (How'd she dodge that? Well, she's an S-Difficulty after all.)
The loud rustle of bushes from behind caught her attention. "Is that where you are?" she asked despite knowing the answer, her voice honeyed and matured.
As she took a step towards the bushes, earth rose and trapped her feet. From behind, the hooded Sanguinex charged in with a dagger, her lines glowing brown.
The former tilted her body to the right to reach Sanguinex–extending her arm, her hands emanated a purple aura, one that forced Sanguinex to the ground, unable to stand. A growl escaped her mouth as she attempted to stand, yet it was as if the gravity was stronger around her. (SÉVIR!!) "SILVER!!"
The woman shook her head, a smile etched in her face. "It's futile, I've got 'Silver' trapped as well~" she weakened the gravity around her, walking behind to cuff her. "Don't try breaking this, alright? It's very expensive.." locked around her wrists, Sanguinex attempted to break it with sheer strength, yet much to her surprise, she couldn't.
"You guys could've gotten me if only I didn't have 'Precognition'." she chuckled, walking towards Sévir with another set of cuffs in hand. "It's unfortunate, isn't it?"
Sanguinex's eyes sharpened in hostility the moment she realized her intention. "DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON HIM!!" she snapped and stood up, her heart tugging as she urged to protect him from the woman.
"Stay still." she aimed her left hand on her, forcing the former to drop on her knees as the gravity strengthened.
At last, she walked behind the hooded Sévir, the gravity weakening around him. (You damn witch..) Sévir mustered as much strength as can be to send a surprise kick down her belly while she knelt to cuff him.
Caught off-guard, the impact pushed her back a few meters, her free hand clenched on her belly.
He stood up and wasted no time in attacking her, sending blow after blow, only to be deflected by her, whose hand-to-hand combat skills were on par with his.
He swung his right arm for a hook, the woman ducked and threw a blow hard in his belly, the former jerking forward, wide-eyed as if his soul left his body. The intense pain stung so hard, it was like a huge hammer rammed him instead of a human–he dropped to his knees, hugging his belly tight with both arms.
"Oh, are all boys your age this ungentlemanly?" she chuckled as she walked closer. "Let me see your face.." she pulled down his hood. Wide-eyed, she recoiled back in sheer surprise as her gaze met his.
"S–Sévir!?" her call was filled with surprise and confusion, yet there was a hint of familiarity as if they've met before. The more she stared at him and took in the revelation, her heart raced.
"..Long time no see, Auntie.."
…
Before the four–Sévir, Zephyr, Sanguinex, and the purple-haired woman, sat a man who faced the window, the chair obstructed the view of his figure, only exposing his arms which wore white sleeves.
"Ardell Myshart, just where did you find these kids?" asked the director, his deep and stern voice resonating.
The purple-haired Ardell stretched her arms forward, a smirk forming in her face. "Oh, you need not know, Sir.. What's important is that they're here now~"
"I guess so. I reviewed their entrance examinations and they did decently, which is enough to be accepted here." he crossed his leg. "Sévir van Doren, Zephyr van Doren, and Sanguinex, welcome to the Stepan Capital Academy. I will be assigning Sévir and Sanguinex to the same class under Myshart's advisory. Zephyr, you are to be in the class under Omala's. You'll find out who she is soon."
Ardell and the three glanced at each other, a smile etching on Zephyr's face.
"For today, Myshart will be guiding you around the place, further information will be provided by her. You four are dismissed." One by one, they left his large and elegant office, passing through the yellow flags and huge double doors.
.
The four walked through the tall and wide hallway, its middle coated with very long red carpets. Zephyr noticed it the most, her surprised expression hinting at wonder, "Wow, these are the longest carpets I've ever seen!"
Ardell nodded. "They're very long indeed, quite literally everywhere as well." She turned to Sévir. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Tell me what happened with you three for the past seven years." her tone hinted at genuine curiosity.
"We've been doing fine, we've lived together for this whole time in inns here and there." said Zephyr, who was met with sharp side glances from Sévir and Sanguinex.
"Then, what were your sources of income?" she leaned closer to Sévir.
"We do some random jobs." he replied with nonchalance and dug his hands in his pockets.
"Like??" Sévir frowned as she got much closer.
He nudged her away. "Your face reeks of oldness, get away from me."
She pouted and did as requested. "It's quite ungentlemanly to say something like that to a woman, no?"
He rolled his eyes. "If it's about ungentlemanliness, then I'd take the gold medal for it." His monotone voice made it hard to figure whether he was joking or not.
"Brother and Nex saved up for my tuition fee for two years straight–I was a little upset since they said they won't be enrolling as well, but I was really happy to find out you would help us, Ms. Ardell." her soft smile radiated as much as her resonating genuinity, warming up the atmosphere in a good way.
Ardell nudged his elbow. "Oh, you really love your sister, don't you?"
Sévir kept silent, unwilling to answer that question. Though even from his sheer silence, the answer was already obvious to the three.
"So like, just how many notable people study here?" asked Sanguinex, her arms stretched up in the air.
Ardell tapped her chin. "There's some; we have Her Royal Highness, Princess of the Stepan Empire–Noelle Trysta, the Second Marchioness of Grosville–Lady Minerva Grosvenor, and Their Graces, the Duke and Duchess of Galenville–Damon and Meredith Galena. A lot of students here are from nobility, though here's a lot here as well who aren't."
A string pulled Sévir's heart at the mention of Noelle Trysta and the Galenas.
"Though in this academy, their titles are but for show. We have a ranking system here that shows who really are deserving of recognition and respect–those I mentioned are in the top five."
Sévir folded his arms. "Just how good are they?"
"Exceptional." her immediate answer took them aback–such a rapid answer could only mean she meant every single letter. "You'll see what I mean when they see them fight.. Alas, they always hold back."
"Sounds cocky to me." he shrugged.
.
Come dusk, they settled in their dorm room–there was only a single dorm room left for them with two beds. As a show of sheer determination and godlike intelligence, they merged the beds together so the three could sleep.
Sévir scratched his head. "Do we really have to merge the bed? I get it makes sense, but I can just sleep on the floor–"
They placed their indexes on his mouth, shushing him. "Brother, you mustn't protest! Me and Nex voted on this, and it's a majority vote."
Sanguinex nodded in agreement, Sévir sighed in resignation. "Fine."
He walked to the dressing table, two scrolls unrolled and laying. "We have to wake up at dawn, class starts two hours later."
"What's our classroom numbers?" asked Sanguinex.
"For you and me, it's 5-1. For Zephyr, it's 3-2."
Zephyr jumped to the bed, bouncing upon landing. "Oh I'm so excited for class!" The excitement in her voice was evident, as was in her face.
A smile too hard to notice curved up Sévir's lips. "That's nice to hear."
.
The next day, the three marched to class 3-2 with the guidance of Ardell. They arrived five minutes before class started–though the hallways were empty and silent, the only life around being themselves for everyone was settled inside their classrooms.
Zephyr exhaled. With a smile and gaze of determination, and a walk of confidence, she marched inside her classroom; a pink-haired woman by the bottom in front of a huge blackboard to her right, and to her left, rising rows of long desk tables which behind sat lines of students–she wore the same uniform; a jacket of violet blue, black and gold, thin white gloves, a white and grey shoulderless top, a red ribbon, a black and gold skirt, and brown leather shoes–starting today, she was a student of the Stepan Capital Academy.
"..Good morning, my name is Zephyr," her voice, calm and prepared, she bowed down out of politeness, "I look forward to being with all of you."
"Very well. I am Phoebe Omala, your advisor." said the pink-haired woman, who pointed at a vacant seat after. "You may sit in-between Deleena and Adina." the two beside the vacant seats were a hot pink-haired girl and an olive green-haired girl. The former, although calm, had a tough look on her face, which contrasted to the green-haired.
Zephyr nodded and walked to her seat, a tap to the left of her shoulder followed upon sitting.
"My name's Adina," said the hot pink-haired, "the one to your right is Adina." she pointed at the olive green-haired. The two smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, Zephyr."
The latter couldn't help but smile and nod, a warm feeling expanding through her chest. "Thank you Ms. Deleena, and Ms. Adina."
The three peeked from the open door, Sévir was the first to look away, his hands dug in his pockets. "Let's go." His voice sounded normal, yet Sanguinex couldn't help but feel something weird. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked as they walked. Ardell appeared from the right.
They took a peek and noticed his teary eyes. "I'm alright, what makes you say that?"
"You're teary-eyed." said Ardell who held in a laugh, much to his displeasure.
"You guys are hallucinating." he waved it off despite his cheeks growing red.
Sanguinex giggled, her cheeks reddening as well. "Oh Sévir, you're so adorable."
He scratched his head. "I can see the class 5-1 sign from here."
The two looked forward, noticing it as well. "Oh right." Ardell turned to them. "Are you two ready?" though she asked, she opened the door and marched inside, gesturing to them to enter. "Everyone, this is a little sudden, but I'd like to announce that there are two new students joining us." her voice calm and loud, she turned to the two again and gestured to them again.
Sanguinex entered first–the boys of the class turned wide-eyed upon her entry. She stopped beside Ardell, who gave her a go-signal by patting her back. "My name is Sanguinex..–Sanguinex Rufina."
The mention of her "surname" surprised Sévir, while it left a small smile on Ardell's face. Oh, she knows how to improvise.
She bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Everyone whispered to each other, but it was only a blonde-haired man whose eyes as green as grass, stood up, elated. "REJOICE, FOR WE HAVE BEEN HANDED BY THE GODS A NEW CUTIE!!!" With such a statement filled with undying passion, the other boys cheered as well, much to Ardell and the other girls' disappointment.
"This is why you never get girls, Galath." said Ardell, whose sassy remark shot his heart like a bullet. She sighed and gestured to Sévir.
He entered the classroom, catching the attention of the girls, as well as the boys.
He stopped beside Sanguinex and turned to all of them, observing the classroom. At last, he cleared his throat and stepped forward. "It is a pleasure to meet you all," his tone calm as well, the elegance radiating off of him as he bowed down–a testament to his former princehood. "I am Sévir."
The quality of voice, the way he bowed and his overall demeanor had the students whispering again–whatever they were saying.
"Sévir van Doren–former prince of the Stepan Empire." The declaration of his surname silenced everyone, their gazes blended by confusion, disgust and fear. "Rest easy, for I only wish to study here in peace."
"Snap out of it, class. Sévir, Sanguinex, sit at the back." Ardell pointed at the back where a lone girl stood.
They followed her direction and sat at the back–Sanguinex sat closest to the window, while Sévir sat in-between her and the soft-blue haired girl, her eyes identical in color. The girl too had her eyes on Sévir, though not as long as those around them.
"Alright, that's enough. We're starting class." Ardell clapped twice, the students settling themselves in a heartbeat.
.
Come lunch, the news of his arrival spread like wildfire–every single class, from the first years to the eighth years.
Their gazes were stuck at him the whole time he sat and ate his loaf of bread in the cafeteria–they just couldn't stop glancing at him, yet avoid them as if he were the plague.
At last, he found his peace when they looked away, their eyes now focused on the girl who entered the cafeteria–soft blue-haired, her same colored eyes met everyones'. She waved at them with a smile, her walk exuding elegance, yet they couldn't approach her either, for her mighty aura was deemed too strong to handle.
Her destination was the food counter, and only the mightiest, be it male or female, went to approach her. Their mouths opened by themselves, and they started spewing out whatever they could say to catch her attention.
She ordered her meal, then looked back at the exact moment Sévir glanced from across.
Their gazes met–his eyes as gold as a ginkgo, and hers as bright and blue as the clear sky.. For a moment the world paused just for them–a mix of likeness and difference loomed in the air, the silence was deafening, yet peaceful.
What's.. Happening? Sévir wondered, yet he knew his loud-beating heart, nor anything won't give him the answer.
In his very own eyes, his whole surroundings flashed white, the only ones in the area being him and her.
At last, her soft smile grew and she winked at him. "It's you." her faint voice uttered, though echoed endlessly. His eyes widened in surprise, only for things to return to normal upon blinking.
She turned back and grabbed her tray of food, while Sévir shook his head and stared down his bread. What was that..?
The sun truly was bright, its light emanating behind Sévir through the giant windows. Sévir looked up a little. Things really do get clearer in fall, doesn't it?
Such thoughts disappeared upon noticing the top of soft-blue hair in his peripheral, he looked to his left and realized that the same girl sat right before him, everyone's gaze stuck on them once again.
What? Why's she sitting in front of me? confused, his eyes observed her from top to bottom–her hair down to her food until she cleared her throat.
"You do know staring at women is bad manners, right~?" she let out a silent chuckle.
He swallowed a piece of bread. "My bad. Who are you?"
"Oh, you don't know?" she smiled. "I'm the Second Marchioness of Grosville–Minerva Grosvenor." even her bow while sitting down exuded enough elegance.
"You're.. Lady Minerva Grosvenor?"
She nodded. "Though, I must ask you to refrain addressing me by 'Lady', I don't like it a single bit."
He nodded back. "Got it."
She leaned closer, her brows raised. "Say, where's Zephyr?"
The question forced a cough out of him, his eyes narrowing. "..How do you know my sister?"
She giggled at his reaction. "Oh, I've been to some parties your family hosted, I've seen her sometimes."
Her reply calmed his wits down, though his guard was kept up. "..She studies here, so please treat her accordingly."
"Fret not, I don't bite. For now, why don't we just chat? To get to know each other?" innocence loomed in her voice, yet Sévir doubted every single soundwave.
The seeds have been planted, now he couldn't escape this conversation with her–moreso, their temporary world, he could only dig his heels and resist any of her attempts of digging crucial information.