The next day Leo and Kevin meet up with some other students including Sandra,Veronica,Arthur,Seth.
The others are, Alex Javier a brown skinned guy with bluging muscle ,jet black hair and faintly glowing red eyes.
Matthew Gates another guy who also has tanned skin and bulging muscles, black and purple short hair and dark purple eyes,
Lucia knight, a beautiful girl with waist length white hair, a slender build a piercing gray eyes .
Summer Mon Ainsworth , another pretty girl though not as pretty as Lucia, with shoulder length gray hair,ligth yellow eyes and a pair of angelic wings on her back.
Finally are two girls most likely twins due to their similar facial features, May and June Li , the only difference between them being their hair color with May having brown hair and June black.
The group of twelve hang out around the school getting to know each other better while training.
**********************************************
Later that evening before the school curfew the moonlight bathed Starcrest's vast courtyard in silver-blue hues, the crisp air humming faintly with energy. Most of the students had already retired to their dorms, yet Sandra remained seated at the edge of the academy's sky terrace, legs crossed, eyes fixed on the horizon.
Her long black hair fluttered slightly in the breeze. Behind those serene black eyes, however, her mind was anything but calm.
"Leo…"
He wasn't like the others. She had watched him during the day. He didn't close off or show off, didn't try to earn attention yet he got it.
He was… composed. Almost too composed. It intrigued her—how a boy who carried himself like a ghost of greatness also seemed unaware of his own aura. She remembered the moment his eyes met hers. The flicker of hesitation. The faint pulse in her chest.
Was it admiration? Or something else?
Her illusions usually protected her from unwanted attention—most people found it difficult to read her. But Leo looked at her like only he could. Like he saw past the layers.
Behind her, soft footsteps approached.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Arthur Kincaid's calm voice broke the silence.
Sandra turned. Arthur stood in his grey Starcrest uniform, jacket buttoned to the collar, snow-white skin reflecting the moonlight. The hum of nullified energy surrounded him, subtle but potent.
"I wasn't trying to," she said quietly.
Arthur sat beside her without another word. His breath misted in the cold.
Sandra studied his profile. "You're worried."
Arthur didn't answer immediately. "My brother… he's coming if not already here."
She tilted her head slightly. "Alec?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes Alec Same face. Same blood. But… we couldn't be more different." His voice grew colder. "He despises me for being chosen."
Sandra frowned. "You mean your family?"
"No," Arthur replied. "I mean the Frostmark. The title. The legacy. I was born with the dragon's resonance. He wasn't." He mumbled Sandra barely catching his words
Sandra paused, eyes narrowing. "So he hates you for something you didn't choose."
Arthur's gaze lowered. "He trained harder than I ever did, . And yet… I'm the one who carries the frost flame. It was fate. But to him, it's betrayal."
A silence passed between them.
"I don't envy you," Sandra admitted. "But I understand."
Arthur looked at her. "Do you?"
She looked back. "I've lived in a house full of masks. Everyone expects the moonlight heiress to smile and shimmer. But that shimmer… hides shadows."
The two shared a quiet understanding. Pain had many faces.
Then Arthur's tone softened. "You care for Leo, don't you?"
Sandra looked away, cheeks slightly tinted. "I don't know. He's… strange. Familiar, but distant. I feel like I'm drawn to him—but I don't know if it's me or something deeper."
Arthur smiled faintly. "It's not weakness to feel. Just don't let it blind you."
"I could say the same to you," she said, giving him a small smirk.
" He is the key to everything"
---
Elsewhere in a dark training dome a person resembling Arthur , Alec Kincaid punched his fist into a crystallized wall, the surface splintering from the sheer force.
"Always him," he muttered. "Always perfect Arthur." His voice is cold and distant
A shadow moved behind him. "You'll have your chanceAlec, just do not let this affect our plan" came a guys voice, smooth and confident yet laced with mischief and bloodlust
Alec turns to meet Seth standing by the side " I know"
" Good contact me when you arrive" a portal of shadows opens before him and he walks through.
---
The next morning, the courtyard was abuzz. Students gathered for class selection day—some nervous, some excited. Leo stood quietly under a tree near the gathering, observing.
Kevin walked up, tossing a small ball of cyan lightning from hand to hand.
"You always this serious, man?" he asked, grinning.
Leo gave a small smile. "Just thinking."
"'Bout Sandra?" Kevin teased.
Leo arched a brow. "You're more nosy than I expected."
Kevin laughed. "Part of my charm."
Soon, the rest of the group joined them—Seth, Veronica,Lucia, Alex, Summer and the twins. Seth gave Leo a lingering glance , a playful smirk plastered across his face ,before looking away. Leo could tell—there was history there, maybe with Sandra.
Sandra arrived last, a soft glow around her as she approached. Her eyes briefly met Leo's, then flicked away as if unsure.
Arthur joined from the opposite side, his gaze sweeping over the group before landing on Leo.
"Classes are being announced today," he said.
"I just hope they're not boring," Seth muttered. "If I have to sit through another mana theory lecture, I might just level a building —accidentally, of course."
Veronica giggled lightly. "You're lucky if that's all you do."
A voice boomed over the speaker crystal.
"Attention all students. Class placements are now posted in the main atrium. You have ten minutes to report to your assigned classes."
Leo looked up. So it begins.
He didn't realize how quickly things would spiral from here.