Azrael watched the clock on the wall tick past midnight. The hand kept moving, but his patience thinned. His face stayed calm, though the twitch at the corner of his eye betrayed him. Of all the things he hated, waiting was near the top. Tonight, he'd done just that.
His body still wasn't fully healed from the poison, so the arena was out of the question. He rose to leave
The door opened.
Rhea stepped inside.
She wore a black tracksuit, her hair tied into a neat bun. Their eyes locked.
"You kept me waiting," Shadeek said.
She shrugged. "I figured I'd make you wait since you dragged me out this late."
He folded his arms. "I thought nobles were taught basic etiquette."
"And I thought commoners were taught to stay away from nobles. Yet here we are."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. He sat cross-legged on the floor, calm as a monk. She studied him, then slipped off her shoes before sitting across from him. His smile deepened. Barefoot, it meant she was ready to use her arcanum if needed.
"I brought you here to fight," he said. "A fight is the fastest way to know someone."
"Not interested."
He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"While I excel at fighting, I do not like it. My brother does." She sighed. "If you want a girl to like you, do something romantic instead."
Shadeek went quiet, thinking. "Romantic… you say."
He raised his hand. Dragging out a black chain from space, links clinking as they coiled into his palm. It thrummed in his mind like a warning.
Rhea shot to her feet. He lifted his hands quickly. "Relax. It's one of my weapons. My favorite one. You can touch it."
She hesitated, then stepped forward. Up close, they were nearly the same height. She reached out, brushing the chain with her fingertips. It pulsed, alive. He ignored it's complaints In his head and watched her face instead.
"…It's beautiful," she murmured.
He dismissed it with a flick. The chain dissolved into the air.
Silence stretched until she turned. "Come. I'll show you something."
They stepped into the cool night and climbed a low hill behind the dorms. The moon hung huge and silver, bathing the campus in pale light.
"Look," she said, pointing upward.
He followed her gaze.
"When I was a child, we traveled south once. You're from there, right?"
He nodded.
"We spent the night with a caravan. The leader told us a story, that in the beginning, the sun, moon, and earth were siblings. They were so close you could touch them. But one day they had a disagreement. The sun and moon left, leaving the earth alone. Out of loneliness, the earth created humans."
Azrael scoffed. "That's just a bedtime story from the South. Don't believe a word of it. It's all fake."
"Maybe," she said softly. "But imagine if it was real."
"Even if it was, it doesn't matter. The world belongs to humans now."
Wind rippled through the grass. Lanterns flickered in the distance.
Rhea spoke again. "I don't like you, Shadeek. I barely know you, and you don't know me. I disagree with a lot of what you do. But I believe in equality male and female, noble and commoner. That's the world I want." Her eyes stayed fixed on the moon. "I don't know if I'll ever like you. But if you promise to leave my brother and his friends alone… we can at least be friends."
He studied her profile in the silver light. "I don't make promises I can't keep."
"Then there's nothing to talk about." She turned to go.
He stepped closer. "If he doesn't come for me, I won't come for him. That's my line."
"That's not what I asked."
"It's what I can give."
A pause. Then she gave a small nod. "Fine."
They stood together in silence, staring at the moon. Its bright silver light drew his attention. He couldn't help but admire its beauty.
"Romantic enough?" he asked, deadpan.
"Barely," she said. But he caught the hint of a smile.
They walked back without touching, distance measured and deliberate. He didn't look at her, but he memorized the shape of her shadow beside his. He filed it away like a blade.
At the weapons hall, he reached for the door, but she stopped him.
"I've had enough for one night."
He nodded and turned to leave. She hesitated, then called out.
"Shadeek. There's something you need to know."
He looked back.
"You need to stop collecting those soul pills."
His eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"When you took from commoners, no one said anything. But now you've been taking from nobles. They've held a meeting. And have chosen a champion to challenge you in an official duel under instructor supervision."
He looked utterly unfazed. "As many as come, more will pay for it. I'm not worried."
"You don't get it," she said, shaking her head. "The strong ones don't even show up to class. The people you've beaten they're the weak ones. Whoever they choose won't be dead weight."
"Like I said," he repeated, turning away. "As many that come, more will follow. I'll send them all back."
She watched his back as he disappeared into the night, her frown deepening. She turned and left as well.
Minutes later, a portal opened. Two boys stepped out.
The first had black hair and a stoic expression. He wore square black glasses. The second was tall and muscular, with flowing red hair. There seemed to be a thin layer of light surrounding him. Drawing the attention of anyone that looked at him. His shirt was open, revealing rows of tightly packed muscles.
The first boy spoke, voice even. "We ought to punish Rhea for her betrayal."
The red-haired boy smiled, throwing an arm around his companion's shoulder. "If we did that, we'd be setting ourselves up for rebellion from the other nobles sooner or later. Better to make an example out of the commoner."
He grinned wider. "I'll defeat this Azrael in front of everyone tomorrow. Make him apologize to the noble houses, and be done with it."
The first boy remained expressionless. He opened another portal, and they both vanished.
***
Meanwhile, Azrael had returned to his room. Liyana was already waiting for him inside. She had his spare key, so he wasn't surprised.
She stood abruptly. "Az, I have urgent news..."
"I know about the nobles."
She froze. "Rhea told you?"
He nodded as he changed into night clothes. Not minding that she was in the room.
"So what's our next move? Are you going to accept the duel?"
Azrael sighed. "I hate fighting battles where I know nothing about my opponent. But I'm not about to let some coalition of brats walk all over me. See if you can get any information before the battle tomorrow. If not, I'll improvise. For now, I need to sleep. Wake me if you find anything."
With that, he pulled the blanket over himself and turned his back to her.
Liyana was the only person he could turn his back to without worrying about a knife sliding between his ribs. And maybe Malik. But he wouldn't for Rhea and not even Hans.
She looked at him, worry in her eyes, before sighing and leaving. She locked the door behind her. It was going to be a long night, but she didn't mind.
On her way out, she saw Malik. They looked at each other for a long moment before sharing a quiet smile and a hug.
"So the nobles are going to challenge Az tomorrow? I knew he should've stopped seizing those pills. Where is he? We need to talk." His voice rose as he made to leave.
She caught his hand. "Shhh. Do you want to wake the whole school? I'm going to see if I can gather intel on this opponent. And you know he doesn't want to see you, so you can't go."
Malik looked at her. Even after Az started giving him the cold shoulder, he still secretly cared. Finally, he nodded. The two of them disappeared into the night, searching for any clue that might help their friend win tomorrow's duel.