In the early morning light, the sound of birds chirping filled the air, and sunlight streamed into Ashura's room. As he opened his eyes, he felt an overwhelming heaviness, as if the very energy of sleep clung to him like a blanket. One might have wondered if his unkempt hair could breed a bird's nest. With classes scheduled to start tomorrow, Ashura's task for the day was to prepare the necessary measures. He shuffled around, putting his clothes into the wardrobe before exiting his room and trudging towards the showering area.
Contrary to his expectation of a quiet morning alone, Ashura found three other students already there when he entered. Still drowsy and struggling to fully wake up, he couldn't quite recognize them.
"Urgh, waking up in the morning is definitely not my thing," he muttered lazily, turning on the shower. Unbeknownst to him, one of the three boys glanced over, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"What are you looking at, Edmond?" piped up another boy, who had a childlike build in stark contrast to the other two, who boasted defined abs.
"It seems like we've stumbled upon the person from the rumors—quite unexpected, I guess," Edmond replied with a calm yet judgmental tone. The other two boys squinted in curiosity, following Edmond's gaze.
"Huh? Isn't that the defect of the Kanon family?" whispered the boy with a childlike physique, speaking just loud enough for his immediate circle to hear.
"Do you know anything about him, Rugus?" Edmond turned and asked his friend, inquiring further.
Rugus, a hint of mockery in his voice, answered, "What's there to know about him? That guy just lazes around without a care in the world. Even during friendly spars among families, he always gives in so easily. Seriously, I wonder how he even bears the blood of the great Kanon family in his veins." With that, Edmond took one last look at Ashura before he and his group departed the shower room.
Ashura, still processing their conversation, felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him as he thought, *DON'T YOU THINK IT'S RUDE TO TALK ABOUT SOMEONE WHEN THEY'RE IN THE SAME ROOM?* Deflated, he sighed, "I could hear their conversation from the beginning, but if I had stepped out, the situation would've been awkward. That's why I just stayed in the shower until they left."
As Ashura walked back to his room, he swore to himself that he would wake up earlier next time to avoid running into anyoneelse. "Oh god, I really cannot deal with other human beings," he murmured, fatigue evident in his voice.
Once he was ready, Ashura embarked on his first task at the academy: monitoring the surrounding area for clues. With purpose, he exited the student dormitory and swiftly made his way to the first checkpoint on his list—the academy's first garden. This garden boasted rare and unique flowers that could only be accessed by students with higher authority granted by the powers within the academy. However, that didn't mean Ashura was unable to enter.
"Oh veil of darkness, hide me as you hide the moon. Velum tenebrarum," he intoned, seamlessly conjuring the spell that enveloped his body in shadow, allowing him to evade the light's gaze. Moving stealthily into the garden, he began to inspect his surroundings.
As he gathered worthwhile clues, he was taken aback to see his brother—the chairman of Hoxrrary Academy—sitting together in the garden house, enjoying a morning tea.
"Oh my, this is rare," Ashura thought with surprise. "To think my brother, who never likes conversing with others, is engaging so amiably with the chairman." Curiosity piqued, he inched closer to catch more details of their conversation when he distinctly heard the words "ABYSS" and "UNDERGROUND" muttered by the chairman!