Evening
Severus was walking alone towards the hot spring to warm up. He couldn't sleep because of the cold temperature.
"Seriously, Sixten couldn't even come with me," Severus complained.
"EVREUX!" Severus shouted when he saw Evreux at the hot spring.
Evreux looked at him.
Severus smiled. "Step back a bit; I'm going to dive in." Evreux immediately moved away.
Severus grinned before diving in.
"So warm," Severus said.
Evreux asked, "How did you get in here?"
Severus answered, "I came here with Sixten earlier. It's too cold, so I came here."
Severus walked up to Evreux's front.
Evreux glared at him. "What are you doing?"
"Just wanted to see if it's a bit colder over here," Severus replied.
"It's not."
"So what are you doing here?" Severus asked as he got closer to Evreux.
"I came here to cultivate," Evreux answered.
Cultivate? Tsk, is that really necessary?
"Let's be friends," Severus said with a smile. But Evreux ignored him and turned away.
"Don't be like that. Don't give me the cold shoulder. You know, there are many benefits to being friends with me. First, I can take you outside the palace, and second," he got closer and whispered, "We can watch erotic movies in my dorm," he said with a smirk.
Evreux glared at him. "Shameless."
"Oh come on, as if you haven't seen or watched that before," Severus said, noticing the redness in Evreux's ears.
Severus exclaimed, "You did not?"
"Shut up."
Severus moved to his side. "Girls won't like you if you act like that."
Evreux frowned. "I don't care," he said, moving away from Severus. Severus got a better look at Evreux's well-defined physique.
"Wow, abs," Severus said with a grin, which made Evreux shoot him a hostile look and turn away again.
"You…!"
Severus continued to float in the hot spring, his grin widening as he watched Evreux's reactions.
"You know, Evreux," Severus said, splashing a bit of water playfully, "you really should smile more. It would suit you."
Evreux clenched his jaw but said nothing.
"Don't you think so?" Severus persisted, leaning closer. "Or are you afraid that if you smile, you'll lose your cool reputation?"
Evreux turned slightly to avoid eye contact, clearly frustrated.
"Hey, it's just a joke," Severus said with a chuckle. "Come on, lighten up. I promise I'm not here to bite."
Evreux muttered, "Why are you so annoying?"
"I'm just trying to be friendly," Severus said. "Besides, I've heard that people who don't smile too much end up having all sorts of problems. Like stiff shoulders or bad posture."
Evreux's gaze was cold but weary. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculously charming, you mean," Severus countered, still grinning. "And speaking of charm, have you ever thought of trying a different hairstyle? Something a little less... brooding?"
Evreux shook his head in frustration. "This is pointless."
Severus leaned even closer. "What's the matter? Scared you might actually have fun?"
Evreux sighed heavily, but his ears were still flushed. "I'm here for peace and quiet."
"Well, peace and quiet are overrated," Severus said, splashing water again. "You should try a little chaos every now and then. It's good for the soul."
"I'll pass," Evreux said, clearly done with the conversation.
"Oh, come on," Severus said, nudging him gently. "It won't hurt to join in on the fun."
Evreux shot him a sharp look. "If you don't stop, I'll leave."
Severus chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll give you some space. But just remember, if you ever need a distraction from all that cultivation, you know where to find me."
Evreux muttered something under his breath and turned away, clearly exasperated.
Severus watched him go, still amused. "See you around, Evreux. Try not to be too boring while I'm gone!"
Severus was about to leave when he heard a moan coming from the forest.
"What was that sound?" Severus asked himself. "It sounded like a zombie."
"Luhan brought some corpses and asked me to lock them up," replied Evreux.
Severus glared at him. "But how did they come out like that?"
Evreux stood up and grabbed his clothes. "I don't know."
"Neither of us has our weapons. This is going to be hard," Severus said seriously, then glanced at Evreux. "Just like your abs," he smirked.
"Pervert," Evreux hissed.
Severus and Evreux ran towards the forest where the sound came from.
"Let's split up," Evreux said, then ran in the other direction.
Using his Harp, Evreux easily eliminated the three zombies that kept attacking him.
"How many corpses escaped?" Evreux asked seriously of a disciple helping him.
"20, Young Master."
Evreux nodded. "Close the side gates to prevent the corpses from entering the palace."
The disciple bowed. "Understood, Young Master," and left.
Unbeknownst to Evreux, Sixten was beside him, helping him fight.
Evreux kicked a corpse that was about to attack Sixten and threw it away.
After a few minutes, they had managed to eliminate the corpses attacking them.
Sixten asked, "Where is Severus?"
Evreux answered, "We got separated."
"Shit."
Severus, panting from running, was being chased by four corpses. He couldn't fight them off without a weapon.
"SHIT, HERE THEY COME!" Severus shouted when he saw the corpses getting closer.
One corpse jumped in front of him, but he kicked it and jumped to a tree.
"Am I so handsome that you're chasing me?" Severus asked the corpses, who were trying to destroy the tree he was sitting on.
"Give me a break, okay? Let me rest. We've been running for over twenty minutes and you're still not tired?"
Seeing one corpse climbing up, he grabbed a branch and threw it.
"One down," Severus whispered as the corpse fell.
A corpse jumped toward him, but he punched it in the face, sending it flying away.
He descended and hid behind the tree. He peeked out and saw all the corpses he had knocked down running back toward him.
Severus cursed, "Shit. It would be better if women were chasing me."
He continued punching, kicking, dodging, and kicking for a few minutes until he felt his body giving out from exhaustion.
He didn't realize he was punched by a corpse, causing him to be thrown.
"Ouch," he groaned, holding the area where he was hit.
He forced himself to run and climb the tree again as more corpses were coming after him.
The corpses shook the tree until it started to fall.
"I've been so annoyed with you," Severus said firmly, glaring at the corpses. He looked around and saw a white cat hiding at his feet.
He picked it up and put it inside his clothes.
The corpses ran quickly and surrounded him. He raised his left hand, closed his eyes, and waited to be attacked.
After a few minutes, Severus wondered why the corpses hadn't attacked yet. He opened his eyes and saw them walking away from him.
"What happened?" Severus asked himself. He looked at his left hand and saw black smoke coming from it.
Severus was startled and lowered his hand.
"Severus!" He looked at the voice, Sixten, Evreux, and several Eleonorin disciples.
Everyone was surprised by what they saw. 'Why aren't the corpses attacking Severus?' they wondered. When they saw the corpses bypassing Severus.
Some disciples were about to speak when Evreux started playing a melody on his harp.
After a few minutes, everyone except Evreux, Sixten, and Severus was holding their heads.
"Severus, are you okay?" Sixten asked anxiously.
Severus nodded. "Yes."
Everything soon settled down.
"Master Evreux, we will now put these corpses in the dungeon," said a disciple, as if he hadn't seen the strange events involving Severus.
Evreux nodded. "Hmm."
Severus hid his left hand when he saw Evreux looking at it.
Sixten glared at Evreux. "Thank you for your help, Master Evreux. You may leave now."
Evreux nodded and left. Once Evreux had gone, Sixten immediately pulled Severus aside.
"What are you doing?" Severus asked. Sixten let go of him.
"Severus! What the hell was that!? Are you really..." Sixten lowered his gaze.
"Are you out of your mind!? That's dark arts. Once the others find out, they'll kill you! Are you thinking at all!?" Sixten shouted.
Severus whispered, "I don't know how it happened." Severus looked apologetic, his eyes sincere. "I just wanted to survive. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
Sixten sighed, still frustrated. "Dark arts have consequences, Severus. You need to be more careful. We'll talk about this later."
Severus nodded. As they walked back towards the palace, he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling of the mysterious events in the forest and the newfound power within him.
Sixten continued, "You have to control your impulses, Severus. We can't afford to have dark magic associated with us."
Severus bit his lip. "I'll find a way to fix this mess, Sixten. I promise."
As they reached the palace, a tense atmosphere surrounded them.
In a secluded room, Sixten confronted Severus about the incident. "Explain yourself, Severus. How did you tap into dark magic?"
Severus hesitated before confessing, "I don't fully understand it, Sixten. It just happened. I felt a surge of power, and the corpses stopped attacking me."
Sixten's expression hardened. "We can't afford such unpredictability. Dark magic has its price, and we can't risk you being a liability."
Severus pleaded, "I'll find a way to control it, Sixten. I won't let it happen again."
Sixten, stern-faced, spoke in a hushed tone, "We can't let anyone know about your abilities. It's dangerous, Severus."
Severus nodded. "I'll be more careful, Sixten. I don't want any trouble."
Sixten sighed, "We'll have to keep this a secret. If others find out, it won't end well for you."
Severus woke up to the sunlight coming through the window of his room. He smiled as he thought about his birthday. "Finally, it's my day," he murmured to himself.
When he went down to the dining hall, he was greeted by a surprise from his friends and some Eleonorin disciples. The table was filled with various foods and a cake in the center.
"Happy Birthday, Severus!" Seiren and Sixten said, presenting him with a small gift.
Severus smiled. "Thank you, Ate, Sixten."
"Here," Sixten said, handing him his gift.
"What's this?" Severus asked as he opened it.
"Open it and see," Sixten replied with a smile.
Severus opened the box and found a stylish bracelet engraved with a protection symbol.
"What's this for?" Severus asked.
"Protection. We don't know when you might need it, especially given your situation," Sixten explained, whispering the last part and giving him a meaningful look.
Severus remembered what happened in the forest and nodded seriously. "Thank you, Sixten. I'll wear it always."
As they celebrated, Seiren approached with a small bouquet of flowers.
"Ate!" Severus greeted happily, hugging his sister.
"Here, I made this for you," she said with a smile.
Severus giggled while smelling the bouquet of flowers.
Seiren smiled seeing how happy her brother was. "Did you like it?"
Severus nodded. "Thank you, Ate."
The celebration continued with chatting and laughter throughout the morning. Amidst the joy, Severus noticed that, even if only temporarily, he had forgotten about the mysterious power that had emerged the night before.
After a few hours, Sixten stood up to give a toast. "To Severus, a friend who always manages to find trouble but somehow gets out of it. May you have many more adventures and less trouble in the coming years!"
Everyone laughed as they raised their glasses. Severus smiled, full of gratitude for his friends who were always there for him.
After the celebration, Sixten approached Severus. "Remember, you need to be careful. Your birthday wish should include staying out of trouble."
Severus smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Sixten, for everything."
"Just promise me you'll be careful," Sixten said, full of concern.
"Promise," Severus replied, looking at the bracelet on his wrist.