As the reality of the moment settled in, Damian blinked at the girl before him, his mind racing to piece together the fragments of their past encounter. "Mira?" he asked, searching for confirmation.
"Not anymore! It's Arabelle Verdell now," she replied with a teasing smile, tossing her white hair over her shoulder.
At the mention of her surname, Damian's expression hardened. Verdell... The name echoed through his thoughts, stirring feelings of resentment and frustration.
Arabelle noticed the shift in his demeanor, her amusement evident. "Hohoho, it seems your eyes have changed over the weeks I haven't seen you! What's the matter, fish eyes?"
Damian quickly masked his feelings. "Nothing. Nothing at all. So, why are you here?"
She ignored his abrupt change in tone, finding his discomfort amusing. "Well, just saying hello to a friend. It seems you've changed; you even awakened your aura, which makes you pretty talented among the commoners well, except for that Kael."
"Yeah, I guess," Damian replied, a hint of agreement in his voice.
"So, have you made any friends yet?" Arabelle asked, genuinely curious.
"Yes, of course," he replied,
"Really? You know, you really suck at using your sword. Is that the standardized military style? It will be taught to all of us at a later date, but man, you suck!" she teased, a playful glint in her eye.
Damian couldn't help but let out a reluctant chuckle. "I'm still getting the hang of it."
The night was filled with Arabelle's playful banter, her teasing words cutting through the tension
Morning came, and Damian found himself in the mess hall, surrounded by the clamor of recruits discussing their training and the hierarchy that defined their new lives. He was focused on his meal when he noticed Arabelle walking toward him, her presence drawing the eyes of many. Whispers began to circulate among the recruits, a mixture of disbelief and intrigue.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked as she slid into the seat beside him.
"Eating," Arabelle replied, her tone light and casual.
"Yes, but why beside me? You're a noble, and you'll get me into pretty hard situations if you do that."
"So what?" she responded, unfazed by his concerns.
"You're so selfish, you know that?" he shot back, exasperation creeping into his voice.
Before their conversation could continue, a group of nobles approached, their demeanor oozing superiority. The leader, a rank 1 middle aura user, smirked as he stood tall before Damian. "Listen here, commoner," he began, his voice dripping with condescension. "Stay away from Arabelle. Don't you know she's already engaged to the emperor's son? Watch your actions, or there will be consequences."
Damian agreed with them with a smile, but inside, his thoughts burned with anger. Fucking nobles. I will wipe you all out. Just you wait. His eyes turned cold as they walked away, their laughter echoing in his ears.
Over the month of initial training and aura understanding, Damian relentlessly trained to improve his skills. His dedication paid off; he progressed through the ranks, achieving the status of a middle Rank 1 practitioner. He tirelessly practiced the standardized military swordsmanship, pushing himself to master each movement.
Unbeknownst to him, Kael watched from a distance, his abyssal eyes observing Damian's every move,