Liam held eye contact with the man for a few seconds. He noticed the deep eye bags, indicating sleepless nights, and the almost bored eyes that still hid a sharp mind. The man's narrow face was marked by clear signs of aging—fine wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, with a hint of gray in his hair.
Liam wondered if he had been caught—but the man couldn't possibly know that Liam could roughly understand his writing. The thought lingered as he endured the man's scrutinizing gaze. The man seemed to raise his eyebrows slightly, as if sensing a subtle challenge. After a moment, the man studied Liam more closely, looking him up and down.
Liam had only one thought.
"Well... Uhh... this is awkward."
Then, after a long, silent standoff, the man blinked a few times and slowly turned away.
"Huh," Liam murmured to himself. Not the reaction he had expected. He had anticipated a reprimand or at least a questioning gesture, but not this almost casual indifference.
Just then, Liam heard a familiar name from the director's mouth.
"Jax Genth."
Liam immediately looked at his friend. Jax glanced back, his eyes wide and slightly trembling. They exchanged reassuring looks, a silent promise of support.
"Good luck, Jax," Liam whispered, giving him a thumbs-up for encouragement. Jax nodded nervously, his face slightly pale, and stood up to walk forward.
After a few steps, he paused and looked back at his friend.
"If we end up in the army together... just shoot me in the leg," he said with a slightly crooked smile.
Liam smirked and gave his friend an affirming nod. Then Jax turned back around and continued walking. Each step seemed heavy, as if he was fighting against the growing tension.
Liam began clapping along with the crowd, proud of his friend. The room quickly filled with applause, as people were realizing it was Jax' turn. His friend wasn't necessarily the star of the academy, but many appreciated his open and friendly nature.
Just as Liam's gaze was directed forward, he suddenly heard a voice right next to him, sending a shiver down his spine.
"So, how's the ceremony going in your opinion?"
Liam quickly turned and was surprised to see the man in the suit, who had seemingly materialized right next to him without him noticing. The man smiled slightly, an expression of amused superiority on his face.
Liam recoiled, completely taken aback. He hadn't heard or seen the man move at all. He glanced over to where the older man had been sitting, incredulous that the seat was now empty without him noticing.
The man's eyes now looked anything but bored; they sparkled with interest and a hint of mystery. Liam felt his muscles tense as he tried to hide his surprise.
"I... um... the weather is quite fitting, yes," Liam finally managed to say, struggling to collect his thoughts.
"What am I even saying?" he thought immediately afterward.
The man laughed softly, his voice deep and almost soothing. "Fitting, huh? Well, I think so too. Especially the way you observe things."
Liam swallowed hard and forced himself to stay calm. "What do you mean by that?"
The man shrugged and glanced briefly at the podium where the director continued speaking.
"Nothing special. The whole ceremony is just so dull that I was glad something unpredictable happened."
Then, without another word, he turned back around, leaving Liam with a feeling of unease and curiosity.
The director continued speaking and addressed Jax, who was standing at the front. "Jax Genth, you are a good student, even though you have sometimes stepped out of line and caused some trouble. I am confident that you will fulfill your role in Tarus."
The director paused briefly and when he glanced at the big sheet of paper he was probably hiding behind the podium he raised and eyebrow questionably. But his expression quickly turned to normal and then he announced, "Jax will be appointed as a palace guard."
A surprised murmur went through the hall, followed by stunned faces and then a massive applause. Liam was also taken aback. His friend wasn't as irresponsible as his theatrical antics might suggest, but a palace guard? A guard for the king himself?
However, he didn't dwell on it too much because, during the director's speech, Liam's gaze kept flickering to the man who had suddenly taken Jax's seat next to him. Yet the man seemed to ignore Liam completely and clapped along with the crowd.
Suddenly, the man spoke again without looking at Liam, "Your friend won't have it as good as everyone thinks."
Liam stopped his hands midair, narrowed his eyes and cautiously asked, "Why do you say that? Jax will do great."
Even though he had had another thought, he immediately felt a surge of anger that a stranger would so casually judge his friend.
The man shrugged indifferently. "A palace guard isn't always just a palace guard. Your friend might be useful for other things."
"What do you mean?" Liam asked, trying to stay calm, but his voice betrayed his concern.
The man now turned directly to Liam and looked him deep in the eyes.
"Why were you observing me earlier?" the man asked with a penetrating gaze.
Liam was momentarily confused by the man's sudden change in topic and tone and cleared his throat.
"You are not part of the academy," he said cautiously instead of answering, not averting his gaze.
"No," the man confirmed with a smirk and leaned back slightly, as if enjoying the situation. "And now?"
"From the way you behave, you don't belong to the assignment committee either. Are you even allowed to be here?" Liam's voice became a bit steadier, though his heart was still pounding.
The man smiled slightly, an expression of amusement on his face.
"You can do anything if you're just good enough. And now that I've answered your question, you answer mine."
Liam hesitated for a moment, then said, "I was looking at what you were writing."
The man slowly shook his head. "You must have drawn some conclusions from it, right?"
Liam held the man's gaze. "I couldn't read it. What were you writing?"
"I was… practicing. And boy. Don't lie," the man said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "You could read it. I think it took you hardly ten minutes. Your name is Liam, isn't it?"
Liam flinched slightly. "You know me?"
"Of course," the man said, leaning back again, his posture more relaxed. "You're one of the candidates. One of the most promising, even... Oh, I shouldn't have said that."
"Candidates? What does that mean?" Liam asked immediately, sliding away a bit and tensing up.
The whole situation made him uneasy. Candidate for what? Certainly not the military; the man was too... strange for that.
"For a better job than the boring military you always seem to be babbling about," the man replied, sounding slightly irritated by Liam's caution.
Liam's eyes widened. "You know about that too? Who the hell are you?"
The man sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. "You kids are really something..."
He shook his head and took out a small white stone, holding it out to Liam. "Here, hold this."
Liam looked at the stone, then back at the man. Finding no answers in the man's expression, he hesitantly took the stone, feeling its smooth, cool surface.
The man watched him intently, but when nothing happened except that Liam's face showed more confusion, the man suddenly looked disappointed.
"How unfortunate," he said, his voice suddenly devoid of emotion, "You're boring."
Liam stared at him as if he were talking to a madman and then handed the stone back to him.
"What do you want?" he asked, his own patience wearing thin aswell.
But the man seemed uninterested now. He made one last comment: "You'd be wasted in the military, you know?."
Then the man pointed behind Liam.
Liam quickly turned around, but there was nothing there. When he turned back, the man had disappeared as quietly as he had come. Liam sat still for a moment, processing what had just happened.
"What just happened?"
Liam sat confused in his seat, looking around. Where had the man gone? Just a moment ago, he had been sitting right next to him, and now he had vanished without a trace. Liam's thoughts raced as he tried to process the entire thing.
Shortly afterward, Jax returned, a wide grin on his face. "Hey, did you hear that? I'm going to be a palace guard!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Liam looked up at his friend and forced a smile, but his mind was still occupied with the strange encounter.
"Yeah, I heard. That's great, Jax," he said, but his voice sounded distant.
Jax frowned and leaned closer to him. "What's wrong, Liam? You seem kind of out of it. I thought you'd be more excited. Palace guard and military, doesn't sound too bad for us, right? Well, it's going to be dangerous but maybe it'll also be fun."
Liam shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's nothing, really. I'm just... surprised, I guess."
Jax studied him for a moment, then let it go. "Okay, if you say so. But you know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Jax," Liam replied, attempting to hide his concern.
Time passed, and Liam tried to focus on the other names and job assignments, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the mysterious man and his words.
Especially his last ones. Was the man implying that Liam wouldn't be going into the military? That was impossible... all his achievements, statements, and desires had pointed toward that goal for years, ensuring the assignment committee would place him in the military.
He had planned this for years. No doubt it would succeed. Right?
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he heard the director loudly and clearly call his name:
"Liam Quinn."