"WHAT?!" Ashton yelled, standing up to his feet abruptly and drawing the attention of the other students who were in the canteen.
Within that moment, the whole hall became grave silent, every prying eyes turned in his direction, boring laser beams through Ashton's skin.
"Keep it down, whinger!" Someone from the crowd yelled.
Ashton carefully sat his bum down back to his seat not letting the ninja girl fall out of his gaze. He finally found his momentarily lost voice and said;
"You were there? All from the beginning? You saw me...strip down naked?" he asked, hastily.
"Hmm" she murmured, in approval of his question.
"Dang!" Ashton cursed under his breath trying to hide his face from her. It was not a smart move but he thought that was the best he could do to save himself from this death worthy embarrassment.
She chuckled again and said to him,
"It was pretty fine…any girl would like it."
As she said those words, Ashton was thrown deeper into a well of shame. He couldn't help but feel more embarrassed at her confession. But on the better side, he felt a bit confident about her resolution and a small smile escaped his lips . He was feeling both embarrassed and smitten at the same time about how she had admitted he was a pass.
Their spoons kept clanking on the metal tray as they continued to eat in silence. Ashton would raise his head to steal a quick gaze at her and when both locked eyes, she would smile first. Finally, she spoke.
"Aurelia…Aurelia Ercan."
"Oh! Beautiful name. I'm Ashton."
"And…your last name is?" She asked, dropping her spoon.
"I do not have one..ha! Funny. I came from the slum, so I do not know what my last name is.
"Ohh" Aurelia slowly muffled picking her spoon up again. Then again, an awkward silence fell in between them. Ashton was slowly picking his food then he finally asked her a question.
"Did you defeat the mutant from that day? I mean it hit you pretty bad back then."
Aurelia dropped her spoon for the second time and heaved a sigh that was clearly expressing her disappointment. She folded her arms against chest now looking Ashton in the eyes dauntlessly without glitching.
"Are you dumb, Ashton?" She asked, her tone stern and unwavering. "Or you're just playing dumb?"
Ashton felt offended but he chided it off. He let out a painful smile and said;
"Why do you say so? Did I sound stupid?"
Aurelia shook her head. "The beast was obviously a level three mutant which does not stand close to my level. And besides, if I didn't defeat it then, would I be here?" She asked rhetorically. "I'm not as chicken hearted as someone who runs away in fear from the face of evil."
Ashton scoffed.
Ding!
A thought crept into his head really fast. If what Aurelia was saying was really true- which is actually true, then he and Jamil would be in danger according to what Ercan had said to them.
The reason why they had been brought into the academy was to stay clear of the mutants' sudden hunt on them. The soul of the Mutant Aurelia had killed would have been ejected back into the soul rector while its body would have evaporated. But something was still confusing to him.
'Why can we not be safe if the Mutant is no longer alive? What exactly will happen after the Mutant's death?'
'Whatever the reason is, I would definitely find the answer here. Ercan had said all information about these beasts are sealed inside the four walls of this academy. I better start working on this!' Ashton thought to himself.
He looked at Aurelia and tried to ask her some brief questions about what was bothering him but before he spoke, someone interrupted him.
"Ashton!" The person called earnestly.
Without looking up at the intruder, Ashton already knew who it was, the familiar voice who had disturbed his sleep that morning- the grim guy.
"What do you want?" Ashton demanded, rudely.
Grim guy had his quick reflexe swing in action as he grabbed Ashton by his shirt, crumpling it in his fisted palm.
"Watch how you speak to your senior Ashton, your new-comer privilege has ended last night. Any further provocation from you will definitely send you flying into a thick wall!"
Ashton shrugged, slamming his hand away from his cloth. He tried straightening his already crumpled short but it wasn't working.
"I do not like you too!" Ashton said back, his tone stricking a heavy defense.
"The Grand Mage wants to see you now!" he announced, his voice calm and condescending. "Follow me!"
Without waiting for a response from Ashton, the guy started to walk towards the exit of the canteen. Ashton threw a quick glance at Aurelia who had been quiet all along.
"What's his name? And why is he all exuberant?" Ashton asked.
"Damien, he's the first to attain the level five quest of an INITIATE in the ORDER OF HERMES." Aurelia replied, standing up to her feet. "You had better start following him now, you can survive if you get on his bad side but cannot survive in this academy if you start on the wrong foot with the Grand Mage." She picked her tray up as she was done eating already.
"You're lucky enough to get summoned by the Grand Mage as a newbie." Aurelia added and walked away from Ashton.
***
Ashton trailed behind adamantly like Damien was guarding the route up front. Damien led the way to the Grand Mages pavilion without looking back to see if Ashton was actually following up close. He did not mind if he got into trouble or not, he just kept leading the way.
Finally, they got to the pavilion. It was indubitably the most beautiful building Ashton had seen in the academy so far. He cautioned himself from drooling over the magnificent structure.
The pavilion gleamed in the sunlight, its golden surface reflecting the light in a dazzling display. It was built in the style of a temple, with towering columns and elaborate reliefs carved into the stone. The entire structure was covered in gold, from the tip of its spires to the base of its foundation.
Damien spoke to the guard briefly about their identity and he brought out a small ivory plaque and showed it to the guard for identity confirmation. He pointed at Ashton at a point and Ashton sneered at him.
'Do not point those crooked fingers at me!'
The guard nodded in approval of their visit, he allowed them both to pass through the gate.
As they walked into the pavilion, Ashton couldn't help but notice how appalling the interior of the pavilion looked. It was a stark contrast to the gilded gold of the exterior. Instead of luxury, the interior was bathed in a soft, ethereal light. The walls were painted in muted tones, and the floors were covered in cool, smooth stone. The ceilings were high and vaulted, and there was a sense of calm and tranquility that permeated the space. It was as though the interior had been designed to be a peaceful sanctuary, a respite from the dazzling exterior.
Damien led the way to an inner chamber that was really a long walk away from the pavilions gate. He opened the sliding door and inside were tons of books. The room seemed more like a library to Ashton and he couldn't help but wonder who would want to make their place of abode into a library.
Someone was standing inside the room, his hands folded behind his back as if he had been patiently waiting for someone. Well, maybe them- Ashton and Damien.
"Sir." Damien said, announcing their presence in the room. "I have brought Ashton with me."
"Very well Damien," the man acknowledged. "You have done well."
'Wait!' Ashton thought to himself, squinting his eyes a bit. 'I know this voice.'
The Grand Mage slowly turned at the boys and as he did, Ashton was teased to his toes as he wanted to see his face already to confirm his suspicion about his voice.
"Hello, Ashton!" The Grand Mage greeted with a brilliant smile spreading on his lips.
Ashton gasped, shocked to see who was standing before him. A small word escaped his lips as he pointed at the Grand Mage.
"You!"