"Oh! So it really does store these.. Hmmm"
Nian then thought of withdrawing the core and in an instant the core he had just put into his fate card, was back into his hand.
Yuto could only laugh at Nian's expression before he began to feel time beginning to slip away from him.
"Nian, I need to go prepare for the tournament this year. Remember to work hard, I have expectations for you. I will try to visit as much as I can, so if you have any problems let me know."
Nian nodded in reply and as Yuto was about to leave, Lucas appeared and waved at Yuto.
"Senior!"
Next to Lucas was Mita, and on Lucas's other side, a new girl made her debut. Going by Karu, she was from the Wilford clan and had a strong sense of rivalry with Lucas. She had the aura of a fighter, and the serious expression on her face gave a boost to that impression. In addition, she was also a first year like Nian and Lucas.
Lucas couldn't really keep Karu away from him, and in this case she was very similar to Mita, albeit their different viewpoints. This would often cause arguments between the two girls, and Mita would usually accuse Karu of falling for Lucas while Karu would call her annoying and try to get in the way of her clan rivalry.
Nian couldn't help but be a little jealous of Lucas gathering his own harem. However, it also made him admire Lucas even more, as he had from all his years with Lucas in the Meris clan. Although his looks were on par with Lucas, Lucas had the athleticism and the intelligence to be called a genius by all. Nian only had his creativity, and his painting skills to work for him. Nian couldn't help but think that any girl would choose Lucas over himself.
"Oh Lucas, congratulations! I heard you made it to the 20th level and that the vice headmaster is allowing you to pilot a training mancer. With the supervision of a proper mancer instructor, of course."
"What?!!" Nian's startling shout caused everyone in the group, as well as some surrounding people, to become quiet.
"So loud…" Karu muttered as she frowned at Nian.
Lucas then spoke with a forced smile.
"Ahh.. Senior that was supposed to be a secret… hehe."
Yuto then laughed nervously as he bowed a little to apologize.
"Sorry.. Nian.. ahh, I should get going."
Yuto soon left which meant Lucas was there to clean up the mess, as some 1st year students nearby had left their food unattended with their mouths open and eyes filled with envy.
Nian frowned at the news. During the end of the month he had managed to get to the second level, but he was already in a bad mood as Alexis had skipped the 2nd level and had moved up to the 4th. To hear that not only was Lucas at the 20th level, but was also being given pilot training for a Mancer, which would not occur until the third year, left a slightly sour taste in his mouth.
"Congratulations, Lucas…" Nian said.
Lucas frowned a little, as he was used to Nian calling him brother, but he sat down at the table, his potential harem also following his lead.
"Sorry, I was planning to tell you today…"
Karu scoffed a bit.
"Does it matter? What's it to him, he has no ability after all…" she said while lazily resting her hand on her cheek, her eyes half-closed.
Nian felt his face pale a bit.
"I..I'm going to head back.. I have to finish a study on Hyponite…"
Before Lucas could speak to Nian, he had left. Mitta spoke to interrupt him in his chase for Nian.
"Lucas! I heard the 34th sector has a beach planet, let's visit there for our honeymoon one day okay!?!"
Lucas frowned a little as he laughed softly.
"Ahh...s..sure?.."
Karu then glared at Mita.
"You bitch, my rival will not marry a tramp like you...I will make sure he doesn't marry such person like yourself!"
From there, Mita and Karu began to argue again on who was marrying who, and who was in love with who. Lucas could only look at Nian's back until he disappeared around the corner.
Nian, after leaving, had made sure to store the Devourer core he had obtained.
"Nian!" someone shouted.
Stopping and turning around, he saw Alexis who rushed over and began to walk beside him.
"Congratulations on getting to the 4th level! That's quite a feat to skip even 1 level."
Alexis chuckled in a clumsy manner and spoke.
"Ahh about that.. They made me do a reevaluation test. It turns out that they made an error in my potential and ability."
Nian blinked as he smiled softly.
"Don't worry, if you work hard you can reach it again one day."
Alexis stopped for a moment and gave a nervous laugh.
"Umm, it's not that I am needed to be placed back… with my knowledge and hyper ability F rank Air Guard they placed me at the 12th level."
Nian didn't speak for a moment, but recovered with a smile and laughed.
"And that's something to be nervous about?.. I'm so happy we need to celebrate! uhhh "
Nian began to think for a moment before he removed the Devourer core from his fate card and gave it to her.
"Here! This will be useful to you more than me." He said
Alexis's face widened with happiness as she knew what this was.
"D..Devourer core… judging by the light and the size, this should be an F ranked core?."
Nian laughed again as she was spot on.
"Geez you're too smart sometimes, but yes."
Alexis quickly tried to hand it back to him.
"I..I can't take this...it's too precious…."
Nian frowned.
"It's a gift… Just take it. I get 1 every month and as long as you improve it'll more useful."
Alexis held it for a moment before the core vanished into the fate card she had summoned for but a moment.
She then walked over and hugged Nian tightly.
"Thank you thank you!."
Nian softly blushed before he cleared his throat and nodded.
"You're...w..welcome."
With the two chatting for a couple more minutes, she soon said her goodbye, leaving Nian as he headed back to his room.
"Well..there goes one core…" he laughed with a small smile on his face.
With time freely passing by Nian, for the sake of seeing Alexis who seemed to replace Lucas, in being the only person who kept him legitimately happy, he tried his best to stick around Alexis long enough to be considered her close friend.
He had received the assistance of Yuto, and even Lucas on occasion, to study hard. Within 3 years he had managed to shave the idea that he was useless away from his mind. Of course in that time frame, he was not the only one working hard.
He had not seen his cousins in quite a while, and the Wilford clansmen no longer dared to bother him ever since that incident during his first year. His life, other than struggling with his weakness and lack of a hyper ability, was not as smooth as one would think for Nian.
Being 13 years old and spending 3 years in the Mancer academy meant he was a 3rd year. But it also meant that the gap between him and others also became more evident. Lucas had managed to stay at the 10th level with several other prodigies, while Tessa had maintained her lead over Nian and was barely behind Lucas at being at the 9th level. Alexis had managed to surpass Nian greatly staying at the 8th level.
To him, Alexis was the real monster as her hyper ability had gone from F to E in just 3 years when it would usually take a normal hyper ability user a good 10 years. This also made Nian feel worse as he felt like a magnet that geniuses would be attracted to, and show him how useless he was.
During Nian's 2nd year, he discovered his emotions for Alexis were more than simply friendship. He had developed feelings for her despite his age. To him, she was funny, kind, and caring. She would also help him study whenever she could, and was always there to cheer him up when his inferiority became clear even without her knowing it.
Lucas had also shown to not be a simple boy, having become used to a Mancer. He had, on several occasions been summoned back to the main estate. When Nian asked him about it, he told him it had something to do with preparing a mancer for when he finished.
To Nian, he couldn't hate Lucas, he could only admire him and become jealous. Mita and Karu had also seemed to grow closer to him as well as become friends with each other. Nian tried to keep his distance whenever he was with the two, as they seemed to show more aggression towards him.
To deal with his frustration, Nian couldn't help but go back to drawing.
He sat in his room by his desk with an open sketch pad as he began to sketch a picture of Alexis piloting a mancer. He preferred the more traditional method of pencil and paper as he felt it easier to control.
"Heh, if Alexis see's this, she would probably freak out…" he grinned to himself before finishing for the day.
He quickly glanced over the previous pages, all of them being of mancers or facial sketches of Alexis.
He couldn't deny he had fallen for her in many ways.
"Dammit maybe I should ask her out…" he mumbled to himself before he slapped himself once softly.
"No no...too young..we are still too young…but damnit...if I don't act, someone in the future will...no doubt about it since she has a hyper ability...argh, there aren't that many hyper ability users in this academy, why do I have to know a lot of them?"
Nian laid on his bed, burying his face against the pillow, trying to drown out his misery. He snickered a little.
"Damnit...damnit damnit….I'm going to do it...I'm going to ask her out...young or not...if she says yes then it's a yes, if it's no...then….then….I'll think about that when it happens…"
Nian stood up, and taking a deep breath, he left. He made his way towards the central area where he and Alexis had agreed to be their meeting spot during their free days as well as after class. He waited for a few minutes before a figure arrived, waving at him.
Trying to hold down his breakfast showing how nervous he was at asking her out, he had even begun to sweat a little.
"A..Alexis, hey…" Alexis blinked as she sat down beside Nian, trembling a little, as if she was also facing a problem.
"Nian, are you ok?...you're sweating quite a lot, and your face is red. Do you have a fever?."
Nian shook his head silently.
"The truth is...there's something I want to ask you…"
Alexis was quiet for a moment before she nodded.
"In that case...I...I also want to ask a favor...I've been holding it off for 3 years…."
Nian was silent for a moment as his nervousness vanished, replaced by curiosity. He had only known Alexis for 3 years, and was somewhat interested in what she wanted. Maybe it was a secret about her clan, or perhaps it was something she could tell only him. But at one particular thought, he couldn't help but be giddy. "-maybe...she is confessing?...-"
Alexis stood up and took Nian's hand before finding a secluded location where there were only the two of them.
"Alexis..what's wrong? … Is everything ok?." He asked.
He was somewhat worried, but also very curious, as curious as the cat that died of curiosity.
"Nian...3 years….we have been friends for quite awhile...and I'm hoping you can do me this one favor…only this one thing…"
Nian clenched his hands and pursed his lips for a moment, nodding as he trembled a little.
"Yes...a..anything...don't be afraid...I'll help you in any way I can."
Alexis gave a soft sigh of relief and smiled.
"The truth is…when I met you...I was happy...and then I saw Lucas...my mind and heart...they began to tremble...and I…"
Nian began to feel dazed, as slowly everything began to crumble with every word she spoke. This was not what he expected, but something far more horrifying. He remained silent as she continued to talk. Not that he wanted to listen, but he couldn't move a muscle even if he wanted to.
"I..tried hard to reach him...I knew he was the one for me….I have seen him help out anyone he could...someone so kind and helpful, he would never bully others...and you...he is your brother..I felt this was a sign that you would be the one to help me...talk to him and help me become friends with him, so one day I could...try and confess to him…"
Nian kept silent as his eyes turned bloodshot from his body forcibly holding back any signs of tears forming. Alexis was nervous as she looked at Nian, waiting for a response. Her heart was beating incredibly fast, causing her to overlook his facial reaction.
"Nian are you…?.." She asked.
Nian gulped and nodded.
"I'm fine...so you have fallen for Lucas?.."
Alexis nodded nervously.
Nian gave her another glance. Over these 3 years she had gotten even cuter and more innocent. He could only smile at his delusional love.
"Tomorrow I was planning to...get him to help me study, but you...can go to the academy library and tell him I'm sick...and that can be your chance..." He said.
Alexis was quiet for a moment before her eyes brightened.
She rushed over and hugged Nian tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Thank you...thank you so much…tomorrow, I got it...uhh uhh...should I wear makeup or...or not..ahh" Alexis squealed quietly.
"I..need to go…" Nian spoke.
Alexis nodded, leaning in giving him a kiss on the cheek; the first in 3 years, and most likely the last. As her lips pressed against his cheek, he felt as though it burnt, not his skin, but his soul.
As soon as he left, he returned to his room and shut the door. Feeling his stomach churn, his chest began to hurt as tears streamed down his face, no longer able to be held back. His face turned pale for a moment before turning red.
He coughed in a slight fit, covering his mouth. Moving his hand away to see blood from his cough staining his hand..