Chapter 34: 30. Aether Academy (Part 6)

The cosy quietness of the training hall was starkly different to the bustling sounds of the cafeteria. It was quite jarring to both Rai and Sin. It was the first time that Rai’d seen the seniors. His cohort was considered juniors at the Academy, while the seniors had already attended for a year, and were now returning for their second. The second years had a similar uniform to the first years, but the main difference was that their core colour was black instead of white.

The room wasn’t exactly like a room, per se. It was more of a giant hall with rows of tables, and some areas with smaller tables for smaller groups. Towards the end of the hall was the kitchen, where they would serve the food through the windows. From what Rai could tell, there was a pre-set meal for each day. A main course, and some dessert if you wanted it. It looked like today’s main course was chicken breast with potatoes on the side.

Rai wasn’t too sure what to do now that he was here. He wasn’t all that hungry, but Sin tugged his arm so they could queue for some food. Rai noticed that her face was... almost entirely unlike her. Never once did he think that he'd see a ravenous beast staring in the direction of a kitchen. A starved soul ready to devour the chicken on offer. Better not mess with her when she’s hungry.

The two of them joined the queue for the food. There were many voices echoing throughout the room, as students all around them had conversations about their first lessons of the semester. The seniors were somewhat less excitable, their comfort in the Academy already cemented.

Rai noticed some of the cliques in the cafeteria hall, where people would revolve around a small group of elites. He could only tell because they carried the same air as Hiron. Except for Sin, most of the other nobility were the same, he thought.

The queue moved quickly. Before he knew it, Rai and Sin were carrying trays of chicken and potatoes. Rai’s mind was on autopilot as he followed Sin. There was so much going on around him that he felt like a lost kitten.

Sin seemed to know where she was going, and eventually they found themselves at Lina and Amy’s table. The two of them were sat with three others, who Rai didn’t recognise. Apparently, Sin didn’t recognise them either.

Sin tapped Amy’s shoulder, “Hey, can we sit with you guys?”

Amy, as excitable as she always is, responded with glee, “Of course! We’d be happy to have you!”

The two of them sat down.

Rai started eating his food while listening to the conversation that the three unknowns and the two girls were having.

The boy with the slicked back brown hair and hawk-like green eyes was just as excitable as Amy, somehow. He had an agile build, which was interesting to Rai. Is he a fighter like me? Rai pondered. “If you two are going to join the archaeology society, then I will too!”

They got Rai’s attention, Oh, this is interesting. I’m pretty sure we want to join that society too.

Amy responded to the boy who matched her energy, “I’d really like that. But you have to do it because you want to do it, not for any other reason!”

Sin spoke up, “That’s really mature of you to say. I can respect that kind of viewpoint.”

Amy blushed a bit, “Thank you Prin- Er... I mean Sindyl.”

The boy with the slicked hair’s eyes widened. “Prin-what? Are you a princess or something?” He jested, but was met with deadpan faces that wordlessly answered his question. “Oh. Do I get executed for disrespecting the princess now or what?” He laughed at his own joke, which earned a few giggles from the group more than the joke itself.

Sin stared at him for a second, “What’s your name?”

The boy puffed out his chest and declared his name with a firmness to his voice, “I’m Tullian! The greatest archer you’ll ever meet!”

A squeakier voice piped up from a gnome sat beside him, “Please. As if you’re the greatest archer ever. If you’re that, then I’m the Aspect of Justice, the great and mighty Arbiter.” His words were laced with sarcasm. There were more than a few laughs from the group.

A pair of shadows loomed over the gnome who was giggling alongside Tullian. A deep voice rumbled from one of the figures behind him, “Who dares to speak our father’s name in vain?” The question boomed around the table, attracting attention from people in the immediate vicinity.

Two relatively tall boys in black Academy uniform stood behind the gnome. Rai was watching the scene unfold. They look like twins, did Hiron have twin brothers?

Sin noticed Rai’s confusion. She nudged him and whispered in his ear, “They’re the Arbiter’s other sons. Twin Archangels. The one on the left with the scar on his nose is Hilda, and the one on the right without a scar is Haldi.”

Rai stared at her with a confused expression. He whispered back, “What awful naming sense, is this Arbiter stupid or something?”

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She returned his stare with one of her own, “You literally named your technique Stormflow. I don’t think you have room to criticise others.”

Rai was visibly hurt from the personal attack; he really liked the name he gave his technique.

Before he could rebut with a quip of his own, Hilda’s attention was on him and Sin. He heard Hilda’s voice boom, “What are you two whispering about? Have anything to say? Perhaps you know who DARED TO INSULT THE ARBITER?!”

All of the attention was on them now. Rai couldn’t care less, so he ignored the oaf and continued enjoying his chicken. He wasn’t expecting to enjoy the meal this much, but he felt that it was cooked to perfection. It felt almost like it was made by Dorothy, or even Ms. Talvier. Before Hilda could say anything about Rai’s insolence, Tullian stood up.

The boy with hawk-like eyes was, surprisingly, just about the same height as the two Archangels. He stared into Hilda’s eyes. “Why don’t you leave those two alone? They have nothing to do with this.”

Haldi rolled his eyes, his voice was just as deep and powerful as his brother’s. “It’s very simple. You tell us who insulted our father. We deal with that person and leave everyone else alone.”

The gnome shrunk into his seat. He was sweating buckets. He just wanted to make a joke, to blend in with the people around him and try to make friends. He didn’t want to cause this much trouble.

Sin wanted to say something, to do something. But she couldn’t. Her position as the daughter of the Deceiver meant that she couldn’t act against the Arbiter’s sons out of her own volition. It would be seen as a political act against the Justice clan, even if it was a personal dispute. She seethed. The reality of the situation was brutal, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Miss Lillia's words hit her even harder now than they did before. Sin was truly powerless in these kind of situations.

Tullian shoved Haldi, “What if I don’t want to, huh? What then?” He was egging them on.

Haldi and Hilda had plain faces, with black eyes and straight black hair. But Tullian laying his hands on Haldi made his face contort into something that didn’t look human. Silver wings sprouted from his back, through holes that were conveniently built into their uniforms. His voice was laced with mana. Archangels voices were typically silky smooth, but Haldi’s was coarse and rough, as if the mana it was laced with was far more volatile than normal. “You’ll regret that!”

Haldi punched Tullian in the gut, which sent him flying backwards. By this point, all of the attention in the room was now on the brawl. To Sin’s surprise, there were no teachers or instructors present. Lina and Amy went pale. They didn’t know what to do. Amy choked back her tears. Rai had finished his chicken and was now stealing Sin’s chicken from right in front of her, since she was distracted.  

Tullian flew backwards past Rai and Sin and landed on another table, where fortunately there were just empty trays that students who’d already finished their food had left behind. Tullian was trained in hand to hand combat, so he was able to block most of the damage. Still, he wasn’t expecting that much power from a single punch.

Tullian roared, then sprinted across the hall, imbuing his body with mana. He unleashed a flurry of punches on Haldi, who blocked them all.

Haldi’s ferocious voice boomed again, “Is that all you’ve got?!”

Tullian scoffed, but was then punched squarely in the jaw by Hilda from the side. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

There were gasps throughout the crowd, and sobs from Amy.

Haldi was still furious. He turned his attention to Sin. “You. Daughter of Deception. You dared to disrespect the Arbiter alongside these fools!” He flew towards her, with his hand balled into a fist. It started glowing. “Let's start a war then!”

Sin wasn’t sure what to do. She could try to dodge, but it was too fast. If she blocked it then it would cause political trouble for her dad. Her mind was racing, and she couldn’t figure out what she should do. At the last few moments, she saw Haldi grinning. He... wants me to react...

Haldi's fist was glowing with a bright white aura. It had reached a point where she couldn’t effectively react.

Indecision would lead to the downfall of any warrior, no matter how powerful they were. In this moment, she recalled the wise words from her combat tutor.

She raised her arms to cover her face.

Thud!

The fist never reached her.

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