The sun kept shining, its warmth stinging Azriel’s skin, which only served to irritate him.
The clock ticked endlessly, its monotonous rhythm echoing in the classroom, a loop that seemed eternal.
The sound of pencils scraping against paper grated on his ears.
Azriel rested his head on his arms, which were folded atop his desk. He was already done with the test and merely waiting for the instructor to move things along.
‘…I wonder what her [unique skill] really is.’
His thoughts naturally drifted to the person sitting next to him—Celestina Frost. She had also finished her test and was waiting just like him.
‘Does this mean her [unique skill] has multiple forms? Can she shift into different void creatures?’
So many questions swirled in his mind, but Azriel doubted she’d give him any answers.
At least, he thought so. Honestly, after what he had witnessed yesterday, he wasn’t sure what to think about her anymore—or what she might or might not do.
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Even without taking her trauma into account, revealing a [unique skill] wasn’t something people did lightly.
It was essentially a trump card, one that could change the tide of a battle or save their life.
‘Yeah, there’s no way she’ll tell me.’
Not that it mattered, since seeing her [Unique Skill] was merely one of the few things Azriel wanted. There was something else he was currently after…
‘She’s not thinking clearly for some reason, which makes things easier for me, but it’s also dangerous.’
He sighed inwardly, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by Instructor Salvator’s voice cutting through the room.
“All right, that’s enough. Turn your tests over and place them in the top right corner of your desks. I’ll come around to collect them and then hand back the first test you all took.”
Azriel raised his head at the sound of collective sighs of relief from the cadets around him.
“Ah, man, seriously? Does this guy only know how to give tests? I don’t think we’ve even had a single proper lesson!”
“Shh! Do you want him to hear you and pile on more tests?”
“…I’m doomed. I couldn’t even fill out half the answers.”
Listening to the cadets who wasted no time complaining, Azriel suddenly felt a light poke on his left shoulder.
Turning his head, he saw Celestina, her finger still resting on his shoulder. She had her cheek propped on one hand, smiling at him with a look that somehow managed to irritate him.
“You’ve been awfully quiet today,” she said.
“I’m always quiet,” Azriel replied, turning back to face forward and slouching into his chair with a sigh.
“Yes, but today feels…” Celestina tilted her head, tapping her cheek thoughtfully.
“Different?”
“Yes, unusually different. Are you, perhaps, still sulking about yesterday?”
At her words, Azriel turned back to her, narrowing his eyes as he scratched his arm. Her persistent smile made it all the more annoying.
“Who do you take me for? Of course not. I’m never that petty. Today just happens to be one of those days when I feel low on energy.”
Why would he ever even think about taking her life over such a simple, little, innocent prank?
A little, innocent prank.
…Yes, definitely an innocent prank.
A prank.
Just a prank.
But… a prank.
Azriel’s eyes narrowed further.
‘Maybe I should teach her a harsher lesson…’
just maybe.
“Is that so?” Celestina said, raising both eyebrows slightly. Her smile softened, and her grey eyes now carried a hint of concern.
“Well, do try and reenergize. The faction meeting is right after this.”
Azriel stifled a yawn, covering his mouth with one hand.
“Don’t worry. I’ll still be able to fight and kill if it comes to that.”
“You—ugh…” Celestina sighed, shaking her head.
“There’s no need for fighting and killing at a faction meeting! Seriously, now that I think about it, didn’t you threaten to rip off Anastasia’s head not too long ago? Not that she doesn’t deserve it, but still… You really need to stop jumping straight to ‘ripping heads off.’ It might help make you seem less… threatening.”
Azriel tilted his head, blinking at her innocently.
“But if not for fighting and killing, then why else are we going to this faction meeting?”
Celestina stared at him silently for a few seconds before letting out an exaggerated sigh.
“Your name,” she said.
“Right now, the Frost Faction only has my name holding it together—enough to contend with the great factions and the other major ones. But with your name, the apex of the first years, the Crimson Prince, and the hero who saved CASC… Our faction would become so much stronger.”
Listening to her explanation, Azriel sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“So, essentially, all of this is just a power move.”
Without hesitation, Celestina nodded.
‘She used her luck well. Now, all she has to do is reap the rewards.’
Azriel shrugged.
“Well, I did make a deal with you, and you’re the head of the Frost Faction. I’ll follow your lead.”
Celestina didn’t say anything. She simply smiled.
“Yeah! I passed!”
“Heh, I didn’t even study.”
“It was a surprise test, dumbass.”
“…Lumine, you actually got a 12/20? I feel like I’m dreaming.”
“H-huh? Why do I feel so insulted by this…”
Not long after, Instructor Salvator came towards their desk and began collecting their tests, handing back the first test they’d ever taken in his class.
Azriel glanced at his score, his face blank and unreadable. There was no sign of emotion as he stared at the paper.
20/20
‘Why does this annoy me so much…’
The sensation was strange. A sharp, needle-like discomfort in his chest that had been there since morning. Seeing the test score only made it worse.
Something flickered in Azriel’s mind—something fleeting, elusive.
Something…
Something…
And then it was gone.
‘Huh…’
‘What just happened?’
The irritation in his chest intensified.
His head began to ring.
‘A memory? Did I… forget something? What did I remember? What did I forget?’
Azriel furrowed his brows, his grip tightening on the test paper. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
The ringing grew louder, an unbearable pressure mounting in his skull.
‘Why do I feel so annoyed…’
It was annoying
Everything was annoying.
The last time he’d felt like this…
It was when he confronted his future self.
Before his death.
“Azriel?”
The pressure vanished. The ringing stopped, as suddenly as it had started. It was as if none of it had ever happened.
“Huh?”
Azriel turned his head to Celestina, who was watching him with evident concern.
“You look pale. Are you feeling sick?”
“….”
Azriel shook his head, forcing a reassuring smile onto his face.
“I’m fine, really. Don’t worry.”
“…If you say so, but don’t push yourself too hard. There’s no point in having you in my faction if you fall ill.”
“Woah, talk about cold. Here I thought we were friends, but don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Celestina pursed her lips, unconvinced. Her gaze drifted to the test papers in his hand.
“I got 19/20. How much did you get?”
Before she could take a closer look, Azriel crumpled the paper in his hand and shoved it into his pocket. Celestina’s eyes widened in shock.
An embarrassed smile spread across Azriel’s face as he scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“Ah, if you were to see my test score… I fear my pride wouldn’t survive it.”
In other words:
He failed.
“Oh.”
Celestina gave a small nod, her expression hovering between understanding and disbelief. She was clearly trying to reconcile the idea that Azriel had failed.
“…Well, there’s always next time. Maybe you did better on this test.”
Azriel offered her a gentle smile.
“Hopefully.”
The sound of the bell ringing echoed through the classroom.
“Let’s head to that faction meeting,” Azriel said, standing quickly. Celestina followed, and the two began walking out of the room.
But as they left, Azriel failed to notice the pair of eyes that had been watching him the entire time.
[AN: As some may know and others may not, I have been sick for the past few weeks and am still recovering. At the moment, my health has stabilized a bit, so I have resumed writing. Hopefully, my health will continue to improve and not deteriorate again. Due to this, I have been unable to upload chapters every day and meet our usual schedule. The pacing has also slowed down, for which I apologize. I will try to make up for it once I am fully back to health. Until then, I cannot promise that we will return to daily chapters. 11/01/2025]