Whee-oo
The hateful blaring alarm shrieked in his ears, forcing him awake. He didn’t know how many hours of respite he had gotten, but the rising sun suggested it couldn’t be more than a handful.
Leaping out of bed, he heard the terrified cries and muffled sobbing through the ship’s tallic walls. That’s how they had been living for the past two weeks: at the terrorising rhythm of the alarm and... Elena’s even voice that always followed it.
"Flying beasts rushing at us from the front. Clash predicted in five minutes. To all available mages, move to the deck and prepare to repel them."
With a deep sigh, Julius equipped his blood-stained armor. Though Adam had emphasised hygiene during his growth, he barely had ti to sleep, much less wash it. But like the sun rising to illuminate the darkest night, their nightmares would soon end.
"Three days," he muttered, his fingers tightening on his gladius’ grip.
Ready to fight—to protect innocent civilians and limit casualties—he gripped the door’s handle.
However, his eyes narrowed when he opened the door. "To what do I owe the visit, Director Shepard?"
"Sigh. You know I’m not the college’s dean anymore..." Shepard’s gray eyes, dim, crushed with a reluctant sense of defeat, t his gaze.
The flamboyant man had also changed. Mourning dark robes replaced his once colorful ones. His usual mischievous smirk and drive to discover the secret behind eternal life had faded under reality’s constant onslaught.
But Julius knew the thing that had devastated Shepard’s heart the most was Adam’s disappearance. More than a ntor-disciple relationship, they had developed one of respect, trust, and friendship unaffected by their age or strength gap. Since that day, the spirited man had beco a shadow of his forr spirited self, reflected by his somber attire.
"Julius." Shepard continued with a deep breath. "I know how you feel. Trust , I want to protect everyone, too, but... it’s impossible. Stay in your room and focus on strengthening yourself. Only then will you save many more."
"So, Elena sent you." Julius pursed his lips, a bitter taste filling his mouth. "Vikram, Thurin, Beatrix, Alexander, thousands of students from three academies; how can you ask to watch them die?" He shook his head, his knuckles whitening. "No, Shepard. Step aside."
Shepard pinched the bridge of his nose and bit his lip before his trembling voice echoed. "Your brother... Everything he did seed reckless, but he knew when to charge or step back. You still have a lot to learn."
He waved his hand, a burst of raw mana erupting from his palm. Condensed using his full force, it crashed against Julius, propelling the teenager back into his room.
Caught off guard, Julius reacted in the blink of an eye. His muscles screeched, and his core tightened as he forcefully recovered his balance with a backflip. Landing on the ground, he glared at Shepard, his jaw clenched.
"You can hate , but as much as you don’t want to see others die, I can let you fall because of your idealism." Shepard turned sideways and gestured to approach.
Arun and Asha erged from the corridor, the dim morning light illuminating their exhausted features as Shepard commanded.
"Don’t let him out if you’re genuine friends."
With those last words, Shepard magically locked the door and left to confront the flying beasts with the other arcanists. Yet, he stopped midway and gazed back. "He would have given his life to protect you. Survive. Survive and surpass your brother, Julius."
As his steps clanged against the cold tallic floor, Arun lowered his head inside Julius’ room.
Fists clenched, he muttered, "Sorry."
Knowing Arun felt too conflicted to explain, Asha stepped to the frowning Julius. She, too, felt and looked terrible. Her lips quivered, her almond eyes hurt, and her nose was red from crying. Even her noble deanor and past sharp air were buried under layers of worries. But she had to convince him.
"We’ve known each other for seven years and are closer to each other than our own families. Julius, we can’t continue to burn ourselves. We’re physically and ntally exhausted. All for what?"
A tense silence followed her question before she muttered. "Those we saved on the first day died on the second, and those we saved on the second died on the third. We gave it our all but are too weak to influence those battles. Endure for those last three days."
Julius’ lips curled down, his features contorting in disappointnt and suppressed anger as he clapped his hands. "So we let them die without trying? That’s an amazing solution, thank you!"
He moved to the window with a snort. "You know better than that."
The beasts were already rampaging. Spells, feathers, and agonising screams obscured the sky. But before he could shatter the reinforced glass to join the fray, Arun’s desperate and grief-filled accusations caused his fist to freeze.
"Your selfishness will kill us all. Yes, Julius, you’re nothing but selfish right now. Save others? Open Your Eyes! We can’t even save ourselves! How many friends will you force down that path?"
As he glared at Arun, tears rolled down Asha’s eyes.
"Louise... She won’t ever hold a sword again. I didn’t want to make you feel as if I used her condition to convince or bla you. But she only fought because she couldn’t watch you struggle alone. Arun won’t admit it—he values your friendship too much—but he’s the sa. Despite his own grief, he went out and fought back to back with you. But we can’t continue—we don’t want to die."
Julius’ eyes widened, disbelief and horror lding with shock as his breathing quickened and his heart drumd in his ears. Did his actions unwittingly hurt his friends? How? He had only wanted to see more teenagers return from the bloodied deck and more teachers reach their destination. Was he... wrong?
Devastated by the news, he dropped to his bed and covered his face with his trembling palms. "H-How was she wounded?"
Asha sat by him and patted his back gently. "A sea beast poisoned her. When the battle ended, it was already too late to save her arm."
With a deep breath, Arun joined her. "She doesn’t bla you, nor do we. But I want you to rember your brother’s words. Help others if possible—not no matter what. You did enough."
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