The cavern I carved into the cliffside wasn’t cozy, but it was safe enough to let everyone relax for the first ti in hours.
The group had spread out — Lily fussing over Michael’s scratches, Ray fiddling with his drone, Vince sulking on the floor, Kang sitting cross-legged at Alexia’s side like a guard dog, and Juliana perched on a boulder at the far end, chin in palm, staring out at the misty jungle below.
The air was filled with the sound of people talking over one another, overlapping banters that drifted between subjects without landing anywhere in particular.
Michael, as always, tried to steer the conversation into sothing sensible.
"So," he said, leaning back on his hands, "I couldn’t help but notice... you two—" he pointed between Ray and Vince, "—act like you’ve known Samael for a while. Did you all know each other back at the academy?"
I tilted my head. "I t Ray at the gym near my dorm."
"Oh, so he’s like your workout partner?" Michael asked.
"More like background noise I’ve learned to tune out," I corrected.
"Excuse ?" Ray gasped, clutching his chest like I’d stabbed him straight through the heart. "That’s all I was to you?! After everything?!"
I gave him the side-eye. "...Everything?"
Ray leapt to his feet, dramatic as a stage actor. "Tell them! Tell them how you bribed to give up my spot on Squad Nine during the Team Test! How you begged to be your best friend afterwards! Begged! Because I was so dashingly cool! And I, in my infinite rcy, took pity and granted you the title of BFF!"
Silence.
Absolute silence blanketed the cavern.
Everyone stared at Ray.
Even Juliana turned her head a fraction.
Ray flung out his arms, indignant. "What?! It’s all totally true!"
Michael’s lips twitched. Then he turned to , smug as a cat. "Authenticity of that story aside... I knew it! I knew you pulled strings to get into our Squad."
"Yes, Michael. I praise your stunning deduction," I rolled my eyes. "Moving on. I t Vince when I needed soone to launder our Essence Stones."
Michael choked so hard he actually slapped his chest. His wide eyes snapped to Vince.
Vince shot to his feet, hands raised high like a thief caught in a spotlight. "Wait, wait, wait! Allegedly, okay? Allegedly! There’s no proof I ever did that!"
He jabbed a finger at . "And why in the na of Monarchs would you tell anyone that?! You know we could face charges for larceny and fraud, right?!"
"...Fraud?" Lily frowned, rubbing her chin. "Oh! I just rembered. There was this rumor in my dorm that one of the top ten first-years was running an illegal gambling ring!"
All eyes slowly swiveled to Vince.
He froze, gulped, and started sweating like a faucet.
After a long pause, he croaked, "...Define illegal."
Ray’s eyes sparkled. "Ohhh, my viewers are gonna love this when the vlog goes live."
Vince’s head whipped toward him. "...Viewers?"
Only then did he notice the red dot blinking on Ray’s drone.
His soul practically left his body. "You— You’ve been recording this whole ti?!"
"Of course!" Ray bead. "Do you know how many clicks a video titled ’Apex’s Top Cadet Confesses to Money Laundering & Gambling While Dangling Off a Cliff’ will get?"
Vince staggered back, gripping his hair. "Oh no. Ohhh no no no!"
I was openly smirking now, lounging like a king watching peasants trip over themselves for my amusent. "Relax, Vince. At least you’ll be famous. Ray’s channel has quite a following."
"Yeah," Ray chid. "Don’t worry, I’ll tag you in the vlog."
"Tag ?!" Vince howled. "I’ll sue you for slander!"
Ray blinked innocently. "How can it be slander if you said it yourself?"
"Allegedly!" Vince scread. "It’s all alleged! I didn’t admit to anything!"
Michael rubbed his temples like he was reconsidering the very aning of existence itself.
Kang still hadn’t said a word. He just sat at Alexia’s side, staring blankly at the opposite wall as if nothing on this earth could possibly concern him.
No really, if the world was burning, he’d probably look the sa.
I could never tell what was going on inside that head of his.
I doubted he was a threat, but still — I decided to never drop my guard around him.
He had confronted once, and it hadn’t ended well for him. Who knew what he would try next?
Because even I had to admit, he was very smart. A simp, sure. But very smart.
Juliana, of course, didn’t bother engaging with us re mortals.
She sat on her rock, looking out over the jungle. Her white hair caught the faint hue of the haunting red moonlight, her azure eyes cold and deep as a frozen ocean.
She looked so effortlessly picturesque that it irritated .
I refused to believe she wasn’t posing so soulfully on purpose!
In the background, Vince had started lunging at Ray to grab his drone and erase the incriminating evidence of his innocence.
Michael was caught in the middle, trying to diate.
And that was when I realized — their group had begun forming in earnest.
The main characters were all here now. From this point on, their bond would only grow.
And for so reason, I suddenly felt so out of place.
It was probably because I knew, deep down, that I didn’t belong with them.
...But it was also more than that.
The truth was, I’d never belonged anywhere.
Yes, I’d had friends before.
But not real friends. Just people to drink with, party with, plot with. People who were temporary and replaceable.
Most sucked up to because of my status or wealth, and I let them.
I let them call their friend, while knowing full well there was a hierarchy. And I liked it that way because it gave a sense of superiority over them.
And that wasn’t friendship.
They never truly saw . And I never truly let them.
That’s the difference between belonging... and just existing in soone else’s orbit. One is a ho. The other is a waiting room.
And because I knew how intimately close these main characters would grow, how aningful their friendship would beco... I guess I felt jealous.
Because I wanted that too.
No matter how tough an exterior I put on, I also wanted people I could share everything with. People I could be vulnerable around.
Not pawns. Not sycophants. Not transactional ties.
I wanted genuine relationships.
...But I knew better than to dream.
I wasn’t delusional. I knew what kind of person I was.
n like — n who are ready to sacrifice everything for their objectives, n who wear masks because showing their true selves would be a liability — don’t get to form genuine relationships.
We get alliances and deals and bargains.
We get people who tolerate us until they see what we truly are — and then they leave.
Or worse, stay long enough to use us in return.
"Whatever," I sighed to myself, tilting my head back, trying to pose as soulfully as Juliana without looking like I was actually trying to.
The noise around was reaching a crescendo, until suddenly—
"Khuhkkk—!"
A wet, rasping gasp ripped through the cavern.
Everyone froze and turned to where Alexia was lying on the ground.
The blind girl lurched upright with a violent jerk, coughing and clawing at her chest. Her glassy eyes darted wildly in panic.
"Young Mistress!" Kang’s mask of boredom shattered instantly. He was at her side before anyone else could blink, cradling her shoulders like she was made of glass. His voice cracked with raw fear. "Hey, are you alright? Talk to !"
The tough, silent young man now sounded more like a frightened puppy.
Michael scrambled to her other side. Lily followed behind him, bringing out a healing vial that was not even needed.
Alexia blinked rapidly, disoriented. Then, she summoned her Origin Card.
It shimred into existence before her, letting Alexia see the glow of our auras and make out the general outline of her imdiate surroundings.
Soon, her breathing steadied as her bearings settled.
Then she froze, realizing how many people were crowding her.
"Oh," she rasped, voice hoarse but leveling out.
"Wow. Okay. I’m awake. I’m awake!" She flung out her arms, nearly smacking Kang in the face. "What happened? Did soone kiss ? Please tell no one kissed !"
The cavern went dead silent for the second ti that night.
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