After a few more minutes of walking and dodging the occasional stare from curious students who were still whispering about "the guy with the cat on his head," I finally reached the front of the auditorium.
The thing was massive.
It rose from the heart of the Academy like so kind of steel-and-marble monolith, smooth white panels interlocked with dark gray framing, the surface reflecting the light like polished glass. There wasn’t a single rune etched into it, not a shimr of mana pulsing through its structure. Just clean, precise architecture. Pure engineering.
A marvel of human craftsmanship, beautiful in a way that didn’t rely on magic.
Even Sacha stopped fidgeting, her ears twitching as she stared down from my head. ’It’s big,’ she whispered. ’And shiny.’
"Yeah," I murmured, tilting my head up to take it all in. "It’s impressive."
I smirked. "Guess soone out there really wanted to prove science could keep up."
The entrance lood ahead, two massive white doors already swung open, tall enough for a giant to walk through. Streams of students flowed in and out, chatting in nervous bursts, the air thick with the excitent and anxiety of what was about to co.
I walked forward, the soles of my boots echoing faintly against the polished stone floor. The mont I stepped through the threshold, the sound changed muffled, deeper, like the room was swallowing every noise whole.
Inside, the space opened up into a vast do, the ceiling disappearing into intricate ribbed patterns of light and shadow. Rows upon rows of sleek black seats curved around the center stage, where a massive holographic display flickered to life with the Academy’s crest.
Students were scattered everywhere, so in groups, whispering strategies and rumors; others sitting alone, lost in thought. I recognized a few faces, though most were strangers, people from different regions, all drawn here for the sa reason.
Sacha’s tail swayed as she looked around. ’So many people. Are they all here to fight, Papa?’
"Yeah," I said quietly, scanning the crowd. "All of them."
{You should pick a seat before they all start wondering who the guy with the talking cat is,} Bastard muttered.
"Let them wonder," I said, letting the faintest smirk tug at my lips.
I took a deep breath and stepped further inside, the doors closing slowly behind with a low chanical hum, sealing away the noise of the outside world.
For a mont, it was just , the murmurs of hundreds of students, and the quiet, electric anticipation hanging in the air the calm before the storm.
I let my gaze wander through the massive auditorium, scanning the waves of students filling the rows. It was strange seeing them all like this. Faces I’d only read about once upon a ti. People who were supposed to exist between words, behind paper, never in front of .
And yet here they were.
The main cast.
My eyes first caught a glint of silver and white in the crowd, a girl sitting with perfect posture near the center row. Nora von Velkaris.
The Imperial Princess herself.
Her hair, a waterfall of snow-white silk, frad a face that was all poise and precision. The kind of beauty that carried power behind every glance, and her ice-blue eyes radiated quiet authority. Even from this distance, people seed to unconsciously keep a respectful gap around her, as if afraid to breathe the sa air too loudly.
{Royalty,} Bastard murmured. {Tread lightly. Or don’t. Up to you.}
"Please," I muttered under my breath. "She’ll be fine."
Then I spotted her Annalise Astreaus.
Daughter of Count Astreaus.
She sat a few seats over from Nora, her brown hair cascading in soft curls that brushed her shoulders, blue eyes sharp but kind. There was warmth in her face, sothing painfully human about her, even in this ocean of arrogance and ambition. I rembered reading that she was the type to smile at her enemies while quietly calculating ten different ways to outmaneuver them.
Sacha tilted her head, peeking from atop mine. ’That one looks nice. She slls like flowers.’
I chuckled quietly. "Yeah. Don’t let the pretty scent fool you, she’s got teeth."
Further along the front row sat Xavier Evernight
Heir to the Evernight family of knights, known for their skill and honor and the sticks shoved firmly up their noble backsides.
His golden hair was neatly tied back, gleaming under the auditorium lights, and his red eyes glowed faintly like burning embers. His uniform was pristine, perfectly pressed, and his posture scread I’ve trained since birth and I’m better than you.
{He’s going to be annoying,} Bastard said flatly.
"Definitely," I agreed.
And then, my eyes landed on him.
Liam Luceris.
Silver hair, purple eyes that caught the light like polished athyst, and that face. That calm, almost naive expression that tried so hard to look confident. He sat a few rows down from the others, in the middle of a group of talkative students. Ordinary.
The protagonist. The one who would’ve gone on to do great things in the story. The one who was supposed to rise from nothing.
The one who killed my sister.
For a second, the chatter of the auditorium dimd around , and all I could hear was the faint hum of Bastard’s presence in my mind.
{You’re staring,} he said, tone low and almost amused.
"Yeah," I muttered, my voice quiet. "Just... rembering sothing."
{Oh, I know.}
Sacha looked down at , her tail curling softly. ’Papa? Who’s that boy?’
I smiled faintly, too calm, too controlled. "Soone I’ve been waiting to et."
Inside, though, I could feel that old, cold weight settling behind my ribs again. The promise I’d made to myself a long ti ago.
This ti, the story wasn’t going to play out the sa way.
This ti, the protagonist wouldn’t get his happy ending.
I was going to make sure of it.
I leaned against one of the marble pillars, eyes still fixed on the main cast. The perfect group of pretty prodigies. The kind of people stories are written about.
Wait, they already have a story.
A few seconds later, another thought hit : I’m just an extra, aren’t I?
I snorted. "Yeah, right," I muttered to myself, brushing imaginary dust off my coat. ", an extra? Please. I’m the damn protagonist."
Sacha puffed her chest proudly from my head. ’Papa’s the coolest! The others just don’t know it yet!’
"Exactly," I said with a smirk. "They’ll find out soon enough."
With that confidence firmly in place and Bastard groaning in my head sothing about delusions of grandeur, I made my way down the stairs toward the front row, where Nora von Velkaris sat like a snow queen on her throne.
Even sitting down, she managed to look untouchable. Perfect posture, back straight, arms crossed loosely. A single strand of her white hair glead under the light like it had been hand-polished by divine intervention.
"Hello, annoying princess," I said casually, plopping down in the seat beside her.
Without turning her head, Nora replied smoothly, her tone dripping with disdain, "Oh, look, it’s the ugly bastard."
I placed a hand over my heart, feigning mortal injury. "Ugly? You wound , your royal iciness. I’ve been called many things handso, dashing, breathtakingly charming, but ugly? That’s new."
She sighed, the sound filled with years of disappointnt in humanity. "You forgot delusional."
{She’s got a point,} Bastard said.
"Shut up," I whispered under my breath.
Sacha leaned over my forehead, glaring at Nora, and spoke aloud. "Bad lady! Papa’s handso!"
That earned a faint twitch of Nora’s lips, not quite a smile, but close enough that I ntally declared victory.
"Oh?" I said, grinning. "Did the princess just almost smile? Should I alert the Empire? This might qualify as a national miracle."
Nora finally turned her head slightly toward , her blue eyes glacial and unimpressed. "You really haven’t changed, have you? Still as insufferable as the last ti I saw you."
"Thank you," I said proudly. "Consistency is important."
She exhaled softly, muttering sothing under her breath about how soone like could possibly exist.
"Don’t think too hard about it," I told her. "I know I’m one of a kind. It’s a gift."
{More like a curse,} Bastard said.
"Papa’s the best!" Sacha added imdiately.
I smirked. "See? , Sacha, and vs you, I win."
Nora groaned quietly, pinching the bridge of her nose like she was dealing with the world’s most persistent headache.
"Remind why I agreed to speak to you again?" she asked.
"Because," I said, leaning back and crossing my arms with a grin, "you secretly enjoy my company. Deep down, beneath all that royal arrogance, beats the heart of soone who thinks I’m handso."
She paused for a second, then looked away. "...Keep telling yourself that, bastard."
"Oh, I will," I said cheerfully. "In fact, I already do every morning."
Sacha giggled, and I could almost swear I saw the faintest hint of amusent flicker across Nora’s face.
Even Bastard sounded slightly amused. {You really are impossible.}
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