"Eric Linaeas… What exactly are you even doing in the low ranker's dorm? Given your ties to the Emperor, you should be a high ranker," inquired the blue-haired young man as he strode toward the table directly opposite the bunks. He seated himself on it, his ash-gray eyes narrowing as he looked at the young man named Eric, who was gazing down at him with an infuriating grin.
"I don't know what you're trying to imply, but this is purely coincidence," Eric replied, the grin never faltering as his eyes remained fixed on the blue-haired youth.
"So you weren't sent here to monitor me?" muttered the blue-haired young man, his tone laced with disinterest. He turned toward a corner of the room, rummaging through his belongings in search of some innerwear.
"You overestimate your value. Do you really think the Emperor would bother with the likes of you?"
"… I see. But that still doesn't explain why you are here, son of Archduke Orton. Given your father's connections, your presence here should be impossible unless…" He trailed off, his voice echoing faintly as he stepped into the adjoining bathroom.
"Why are you here, El?"
"Don't call me that…"
"Fine."
"Why are you here… Lorelle?" he asked once more, his expression serious now, all traces of mockery wiped away.
"I no longer go by that name," came the curt reply, veiled by the rhythmic sound of dripping water. "And to answer your question, the academy has no direct ties to Yuphenia. So why should I tell you my reasons?"
"Oh, so you've disowned your name as well? Surely you know what that means," Eric said, his tone laced with mock amusement, though his eyes glinted with sharp intent.
"Why wouldn't I? I have no ties to the empire, and I have no plans of ever having any," the blue-haired boy replied coolly.
"I see… Do you remember… Eloisa?" Eric asked, watching as the other boy visibly stiffened.
"….." Silence.
"She got engaged to Alen. Your brother," Eric continued, the amusement in his voice now dripping like venom. Though Lorelle's face remained hidden, Eric could easily imagine the fury and pain twisting his expression.
Yes, that's it, just let that darkness build.
"..." Lorelle gritted his teeth, a tremor coursing through him as he fought to contain the mounting darkness within his heart.
A sharp, stabbing pain blossomed in his chest—a pain he refused to acknowledge.
And the more he tried to suppress it…
…the more unbearable it became.
"But I guess that doesn't really bother you. After all, it was what you did to her that made her the cold-hearted bitch she is today," Eric chuckled.
Whoosh.
'No… I can't let it get to me. I can't let him get to me,' Lorelle thought desperately.
Why resist? Just let it all go.
'Shut up.'
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. If he lost control now, then…
"So, you're only here to find out if I now have control of my blessing, I take it?" Lorelle asked, his voice steady but edged with steel.
"….." Eric remained silent, his gaze drifting to the bathroom door.
"Or is it to see if I've aligned myself with another empire?" Lorelle pressed, his tone sharp, his ash eyes glinting with a cold, calculating light that contradicted his usual apathy.
"Where did you go after escaping house arrest? How did you even escape in the first place?" Eric asked, his voice softening slightly as the question hung heavy between them.
"… Perhaps I had help. Perhaps I didn't," Lorelle replied cryptically, stepping out of the bathroom, droplets of water still clinging to his skin as he began dressing in a black-and-white tracksuit.
"What level are you at?" Eric asked suddenly, hopping down from the bunk bed. His gaze flickered to Lorelle's Meta-watch, and a grin spread across his face.
"One?!" he exclaimed, unable to hide his disbelief.
"…" Lorelle didn't dignify the outburst with a response, methodically fastening the zipper of his tracksuit.
"It seems you're still the same. For a moment there, I thought you were now some kind of threat," Eric laughed as he moved toward the door.
"So, you're not really a low ranker," Lorelle noted, his voice calm but weighted, his eyes fixed on the task at hand. He had suspected as much from the lack of personal belongings and the improbability of someone like Eric enduring such conditions.
"Of course not," Eric replied, chuckling as his hand gripped the doorknob. Just before he turned it, he tilted his head slightly and added, "I'll give you a piece of advice: avoid every one of them."
"Why?"
"Simple. Because they'll all kill you… Eloisa included," Eric said with a dark chuckle, stepping out of the room and leaving Lorelle alone with his thoughts—and his demons.
Just a little more, and you will break.
"Shut it," Lorelle muttered under his breath.