***Hyperion Empire***

***Imperial Academy***

Albeit a bit reluctantly, Kathryn left Max to his thoughts after realizing he was definitely looking for more trouble. She shook her head and quietly closed the door to the club room as she departed, leaving Trisha and Max all by themselves. She thought of herself as his friend, but she did not see the fun in going out and looking for problems to solve. It just simply made no sense to her.

Max for his part regarded Kathryn until she shut the door behind herself. Running a hand through his hair he turned to Trisha. “Do you think one of these books might be related to why the former members got expelled?”

The older girl moved to the nearest bookshelf and started brushing away dust and a few cobwebs. “I don't know, maybe? I agree with the pretty elf, if you want to go digging up past problems then you’re on your own.”

“Fine.” He replied a bit childishly. Scanning the table he glanced at the multiple book covers in front of him alone. He had his work cut out for him. All he knew was he was looking for some sort of clue to explain something he had no clue about. He audibly clicked his tongue. This was going to take a while but his pride would not allow him to give up.

Pulling out a chair and plopping himself down, he searched for the first title that called to him. Tales of Ces: A Myth, The Draconian Ancestor, The Pillar Crumbles, Book of Gra: Volume Two, Book of Aar: Volume 5, Palace of Lust. Max furrowed his brows at the randomness of it all. Some of it seemed like just plain stories of epics, while others looked at least semi pertinent. He recognized Gra and Aar, two of the Elder Dragon clans, but wasn't quite sure what to think about that.

The young Soltain sighed. Pulling another stack closer to him he continued.

The next set was just as random as the last. Dzen’s Daughter, Cuppel of Oynew, The Rise and Fall of the Draconians: A Mystery, The Amethyst Eye, Legend of Kal: The Magics. Max grinned. This book had magic in it, he would try this first. His overall obsession with anything new magic had completely distracted him from his original task though he didn’t seem to mind. Opening the book, he propped up his feet and got to reading.

Trisha observed Max as he worked yet left him in silence. The boy had helped her reinstate her club, and she was grateful. She didn't see why he cared so much, but the least she could do to show her appreciation was not obstruct him. Opening the only window in the room, she breathed in the fresh air of the cooling day. As the breeze from the outside moved through the room, Trisha only now understood the task at hand. The entire room was a disheveled mess, topped off with dust which had gathered for a decent amount of time. It would take her weeks to clean the whole thing by herself in between her busy schedule, though she didn't have the heart to ask Max for help especially after he had aided her.

What felt like hours later Trisha stole one last glance towards Max and spoke for the first time since the elf girl had departed. “I'm going back to my dorm now. See you tomorrow.” It was now dark, and both students were forced to provide light sources to see in front of them. She herself was holding a candle, yet the young Soltain had a small ball of light floating over him like it was completely natural and not a break of the rules.

The boy didn't even spend the effort to look at her as he was so enthralled by the current book. He deemed her with a hum and left it at that. She then peeked at the griffin asleep in the boy's hair and smiled. It made her kind of envious of Max that he had his own magical beast companion, she could only imagine how much fun it would be to have her own.

Opening the door and moving forward, she spoke over her shoulder. “I'm locking the room, once you leave you won't be able to get back in.”

Another hum was the young Soltain’s reply. He obviously was not paying attention to her.

When Trisha closed the door, Max waited patiently as her footsteps grew more and more distant until she was completely out of hearing range. “Finally.” He said aloud. As soon as his words left his mouth he allowed his ‘Light Flare’ to dissipate and observed the room as it was engulfed by darkness.

The book he had been reading had kept him entertained, but it was anything but informative. It was a story or legend, yet it provided no facts on anything new or Draconian magic. But now that Kathryn and Trisha were gone, he had more options to explore.

Max sat utterly still as he listened to the sounds nearby. Yet the act was largely pointless, as the room was unsurprisingly silent save the loud snoring of the juvenile griffin now sleeping at his feet. Gently shutting the book closed, he channeled mana into his eyes.

Seeing using the light of the world as compared to his ‘Mind’s Eyes’ was an interesting phenomenon. It was peculiar, although currently in a room devoid of major light, he could see just fine. No, he could see far better than before. Miniscule details about his surroundings which he would have never noticed became clearer and more prominent. The mana moving around him continued unhindered, and helped him focus on the anomalies and residue throughout the room.

His eyes let Max observe mana density and natural changes in magic. If a fire spell was cast, Max would see the higher concentration of mana that started in the chest move through the arm, then focus on the beginnings of physical manipulation as the magic took form. Not only did he see the fire like everyone else, but he could also watch the fluxes in mana density that occurred as the magic manifestation moved towards its target. He could even see its ending and why the spell would eventually dissipate. As mages lost hold of magic channeling while the distance increased, so to would the mana moving through the air break apart to return to its original state of concentration equilibrium.

His eyes allowed him to see that mana was always moving. His eyes showed him long ago that the closer a mage could get mana to a frozen state usually marked the mage's ability of control. Mana manipulation was defined by the caster’s ability to fight the mana’s desire to move and separate. The better mages were at combatting the energy’s state of dissolvement, the better they were at creating spells. Everyone can watch as an Earth Mage creates an ‘Earth Wall’ and observe the physical aspects of the mage's spell control. Regular mages could test the wall for toughness, height, width, and texture, but Satele’s could see so much more. Those with the ‘Mind’s Eyes’ could see the ‘Earth Wall’s’ metaphysical effects. They could learn the weak points of the wall with a single glance, the parts where the spell’s mana lost equal distribution due to the mage's ability or inability. All spells were only as good and as effective as the mana powering them, and with the ‘Mind’s Eyes’, Max could focus on the mana itself to estimate the power of the spell.

Like all Satele’s, he had the ability to assess the influxes of mana and find anomalies, to pick apart magic from its source and theorize why something happens over how to avoid it.

As Max browsed the room, the ever-familiar translucent blue hue dominated his eyesight. He could see everything very easily, it was just like everything was tinted in blue in some form or fashion. All of the books in the area had some form of mana signature about them, and at first he thought he would find nothing of importance.

Then he looked up.

The young Soltain smirked. Gods he was a genius.

There were runes on the wooden roof. It was all human enchanting script, so Max knew he would have no trouble assessing and overriding the runes power if he just spent some effort at it. They were small, and only covered a portion right above the window. He then realized that just below where the roof met the wall was a sleeve under the rune.

As Max put everything together in his mind, he chuckled. If his guess was right, then this would be pretty ironic. Climbing up and standing on the window ledge, he observed the script closer, ignoring the sigils powering the runes, he read the words written in Mavaine common: Eyes away, eyes away, leave it hidden to stay.

Max snorted. A poet? It didn’t take the boy much longer to decipher the intention of the enchantment. It was abundantly clear now. The enchantment worked to power delusion magic, optically merging the top of the cut in sleeve with the wall under it, using the angle below in which people would be looking from, it would appear as a part of the grey wall. The enchantment was respectable, and against any mage who didn’t know what they were looking for, it would work perfectly fine. Yet it was funny to the boy, the runes were designed to keep the eyes away from the sleeve though they practically served as a beacon for the young Soltain. Max would enjoy to see the enchanters face had he learned he basically directed the boy to his hiding spot.

Impatiently sticking his hand into the sleeve, he was hardly surprised to feel the covering of a book. No, a journal. Quickly grabbing it and pulling it out, he jumped down from his position on the window frame and held the book in front of him. It was small, but the title alone let him know that his efforts hadn’t been in vain. Running From The Past: Hyperios. Opening to the inside cover, he recorded two things, first the name of the author and his occupation. Melvin Lveall, Imperial Archaeologist.

Suddenly the bells rang one last time throughout the Academy, signifying the end of the day and curfew. Max stuffed the journal in his jacket and snatched up his griffin, he could start reading back in his bedroom. Deactivating his eyes and lighting a candle, he left the building with haste.

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Max never slept that night. As soon as he started reading what seemed to be the autobiography of the archaeologist known as Melvin Lveall, he was enraptured.

The first thing he had learned about the archaeologist was that he was dead. As soon as he saw the date 441 OE he knew the man had to be long gone. Though the young Soltain was not dissuaded, he spent all night hours in his bed, reading about the discoveries of the archaeologist.

Melvin Lveall was a citizen of the Empire, and was one of the many people studying what they coined to be “Unusual Ancient Ruins” over five hundred years ago. He worked directly under the Emperor and excavated said ruins for the glory of the empire. He had dedicated his entire life to studying the remnants of an ancient civilization during the expansion and consolidation of the Hyperion Empire.

The man was a good story teller. He had keep Max’s eyes glued as he talked about uncovering the bodies and ancient remains of a humanoid society from long past.

They were entombed. Each placed in their own separate casket and lined all alongside each other, creating rows and rows of ornately decorated halls of death. When my team and I had a chance to open the first casket for proper examination, we were amazed. The body was covered, not only with what seemed to be ceremonial cloths but ceremonial armor, each resting alongside weapons. Then there was the eyes, the head was wrapped by a cloth depicting two large and blazing eye balls. When we removed the cloth to take a closer examination, we recounted that the deceased’s eyes were actually largely intact. It was unbelievable. Moving past that, we were also shocked by the skeleton. Initially, my team and I thought we were dealing with an ancient beastkin civilization after observing the bones of a tail, but we quickly recounted that theory. There were blotches of tough scale-like skin attached to the tail bones of the deceased. It threw the group for loops. We were all conflicted on how to identify the deceased, but I had already cemented in my mind on what I was seeing. This was a Draconian of legend. My team and I were excavating the remains of a Draconian civilization. This was a momentous event!

The next few pages went on about Lveall’s opinions of what the Draconians being here represented, and how he thought the discovery could change the Hyperion Empire for the better. Both the young Soltain and the archaeologist agreed the Draconians could be learned from, and the fact that Max could agree with the author about most of his opinions made the journal all the more engaging.

As the team of mage archaeologists moved further into what was described to be the remains of an ancient city, Max was treated with the vivid descriptions of a Lveall entering a massive open cavern that spanned for miles around. The crumpled and damaged remnants of ancient buildings surrounded them on all sides and as the team pressed on, Lveall kept mentioning that he was feeling further and further unsure of the situation.

I’m a simple man. I like short books, cheap mead, and easy women. I’m also a man who follows my gut, and my gut is telling me to stop. Though it was difficult, the six of us were all excited to be where we were, and were discovering more and more as we pushed on. My desire to continue the expedition is keeping me distracted, but my team and I have been down here for two nights now and I keep getting bumps along my arms. My body is warning me, warning me to leave. When I told Felicity of my reservations, she instructed the team to air on the side of caution, and we took a vote. Stay and press on, or leave and report our findings to the Emperor and Queen. Needless to say, I’ve been outvoted.

The expedition continued, the team spending hours examining and recording their numerous discoveries. The team concluded that the ancient culture largely celebrated the gift of sight, with even the buildings walls covered in depictions of eyes. At first Lveall was fascinated with the cultural tendency, but now the paintings and murals would just give him chills. It was unsettling, he kept writing about how he felt he was being watched. With each step deeper, Lveall only grew more restless. That was when he spotted a massive pillar, jutting out of the underground surface and reaching almost all the way to the cavern ceiling above. The pillar was leaning partially to the side, showing the damage of time along with whatever event caused this civilization to crumble. On the top base of the pillar was another eye, colored and decorated far more beautifully than any before, a largely untouched piece of culture surrounded by a city of ruins. It truly was amazing, and his team immediately agreed to go examine it more closely the next day. The entire team was entranced by the art, and Lveall couldn’t help but grow more internally conflicted.

Although I truly wish to get a closer look at the pillar, this will be my last night. I can no longer ignore my better sense and keep going. I’ve told Felicity about my plans, and she agreed to send Carmichael with me back to the surface. He was not happy the team leader had volunteered him to return with me, but this entire expedition will become completely fruitless if we did not inform the Imperial Family of our findings. We would leave tomorrow morning.

That night was when everything changed. Lveall awoke to the sound of screams a good distance away and shot up. He rustled out of his sleeping mat and was comforted to see the team leader Felicity already on her knees with fire building in both of her hands. Though the comfort was miniscule as he gathered his thoughts while his mental capacities returned to him.

The entire cavern had been largely quiet so far during our expedition. The only noises we ever heard were the sounds of large amounts of water moving from a spring above, yet never anything more. There were no mice, rats, or insects of any sort. That alone was an interesting phenomenon we should have noted. Yet there was already so much that was unusual about the ruins we could hardly care for the minor details. I should have been more cautious. I should have listened to my gut. Now as I look over our team, I notice two faces are missing. Carmichael and Tyrian. I can only guess at the direction of the screams, but we were encompassed on all sides. We were in the middle of a forgotten city, they could have gone anywhere.

As Max kept reading, he couldn't help but feel like he was there, amongst the other archeologists, confused and nervous. Then suddenly the writing in Lveall’s journal warped. His style grew more hurried, and the young Soltain only grew more anxious by the writers turns.

I can’t describe what I just felt, or better yet it's impossible to describe what I just felt. It was like an unseen force had just passed through my body, the bodies of my colleagues, and pushed out through all the buildings in the broken city. I can feel a tingle crawl up my spine as the hairs on my neck stood upright. Even peaking towards that massive crooked pillar sets my bodily senses off. I am an archaeologist, I am no brave warrior. I am leaving this forsaken place, I will not die today.

The boy’s opinion of this Melvin Lveall drastically changed with that sentence. This man was a coward. Max had trouble comprehending what the man had experienced, but leaving your team and deserting them in a stressful situation said plenty about his character. Although Max agreed with the dead man on a lot of things regarding Draconians, he had lost almost all of his respect for the archaeologist. He had no patience for those who abandoned their comrades.

Felicity instructed the rest of us to move towards the tower. She wants us to go look and retrieve Carmichael and Tyrian. But I already know of their fates. There is something inherently wrong about this place, and getting any closer to that damnable eyed pillar would mean my doom. As the team turned the first corner around a building, I ran. I am not proud of my actions, but I can take solace in the fact that I had escaped that place alive.

For only when I started running did I hear the rattling. First their were thuds coming from behind me, as if something large was being broken open, then there was the clicking. Incessant clicking of bones or teeth, it was a sound that will haunt me to my last days. I could only shut my eyes and sprint as fast I have ever ran before for what seemed to last forever. I had long tuned out the sounds of fire expelling forth and the screams of my team as I ran. I had spent almost all of my reserves channeling mana into my legs, and by the time I recognized the breach marking our entrance, my eyes widened in horror.

Intricately carved armor, as black as night and covered in etchings, encompassed the man or thing standing out of a casket. A horrifying mix of skeletal parts and rotting flesh marked the undead. It held the battleaxe like it had just used it, slowly stepped out of the casket we opened previously identifying my teams corpse examination.

My thoughts immediately concluded on Draugr. The ancient undead were uncommon in the Empire but not unheard of. I had seen my first Draugr exploring a tomb in the Soltain Province, but they had only formed in the North. We were in the Capital, under the Imperial Castle no less. Magic was unpredictable, but it was a largely agreed upon theory that Draugr only materialized in colder climates. This, this was impossible.

And it was. It was impossible. Draugr were sluggish, unable to use magic and unable to perform most advanced motor functions outside of swinging a sword. My gut was telling me that if I wanted to survive, I would need to fight. Yet as soon as I channeled lightning magic in my hand, the banging and rattling began. Numerous caskets, holding the bodies of hundreds, shook. The dead were waking. Just what had we done?

Then the armored walking corpse turned to me. It was at that moment I knew these were no ordinary Draugr. This was something entirely different. This being was more or less aware, its movements alone were sharper and deliberate. Its eyes were covered by cloth, yet I could see them as if they were unobstructed. Glowing, violet eyes. The eyes were a light of its own only further amplifying the presence of the being in front of me. Draugr eyes were a dull blue, but this was the exact opposite. This was no undead human corpse, this was a Draconian.

And the rattling continued. The undead standing in my path was smacking its teeth, its bone tail slamming into the ground and receiving various clicks and sounds from all around me. I now realized they were communicating. All around were more undead just like the one in front of me, and they were talking to each other. My senses reminded me the importance of escaping alive and returning to the Emperor, so that was what I was going to do.

Max was very displeased when he turned the page to see that the numerous pages following were torn out. It was especially painful to be so immersed in a tale just to have it abruptly cut off. Softly scraping the remnants of the torn pages with his finger, he glanced back to the leftovers of the journal, towards the paper that was still intact.

As time passes by I can only wonder what could have happened should I stayed with Felicity and the rest of my team. Perhaps, I would have died, abandoned and in danger deep in an underground ruin, just like they surely have. I have done my duty to my country, to my Emperor, but I feel empty inside. For years I have spent alongside the others in exploration and discovery, but now I am alone. Alone with my thoughts and my regrets as the unstoppable force of time withers on my my mind and body.

I used to be proud of who I was, who I represented, but now I feel as a husk of my former self. All of my vigor and passion died in that ruin, the entrance hidden and locked away as decreed by Emperor Granitas himself. My thoughts are often pervaded by that solemn metal door, etched with the dark dragon of the Imperial Family. A door holding the souls of so many, blending in plain sight amongst the bright colors of nature and the Gods blessings, amongst the green trees and grey stones of the now baptized Castle Gardens. I lived yes, only to corrode and stagnate as the sounds of my friends screams and sights of that horrid experience come crashing down in my mind. I can no longer stand it, I can only run from this too, before it brings me to insanity. Death is my only escape.

The glowing violet eyes of the dead surround me, the eyes of the Dovinok. All I can do is run away.

The young Soltain furrowed his brows. His master had taught him as many of the words from the Draconian tongue as she knew, so he recognized the “Dov” in “Dovinok”, as “Dov” referred to dragons or dragonkind. Yet the the latter half of the word was unfamiliar to him. Lveall was an archaeologist, so it wasn’t surprising that he might have known more of the Draconian language then most. Though it did have Max curious, and even more exhilarated.

A very loud stomach grumble from under the sheets reminded Max he was not alone in his bed. Max then felt a pulse through his mind as his juvenile griffin companion tested his mana connection to his partner. Fu! The griffin squeaked in his head.

Max closed the journal and set it on his nightstand. Light was already pouring in from the window, and he knew if he went to the forest now to train with Kana and Arthur he’d be really late. He wouldn’t even have time to change and eat if he left now. Pushing his legs under the covers he moved Adrios towards his upper body and in arm's reach. Grabbing the griffin, he plopped him down on his lap. “I’m scared of the day you learn how to say food. I can’t imagine you ever shutting up once you do.”

Lightly placing his companion back on the warm bed, Max stood up and stretched. Only after his feet touched the wooden floor did he feel the effects of not sleeping at all. It was as if all the enthusiasm and adrenalin he had while reading Lveall’s journal had dissipated into nothingness. He also substantiated that he really needed to relieve himself, an unfortunate side effect to staying up through the night to read. Throwing pants over his nude form, he grabbed his griffin and started sprinting down the hallway.

He couldn’t have been gone longer than a couple minutes, but after returning from his floors bathroom, he was surprised to see a crimson haired fox girl swinging her feet off his messy bed. Kana Kumio was wearing shorter socks today, black socks that only went to her knees, exposing quite a bit of healthy and clear skin as her legs trailed under her skirt. She held the archaeologists journal in her hands, and was turning the pages with the leisure of someone who had been reading the book for hours.

“Kana? How did you even get in the boy’s dorm?” The boy asked the first question’s that directly came to mind.

The young Kumio only raised a crimson eyebrow and Max realized he asked a pretty stupid question.

“Where were you?” The girl queried, with a not so subtle tone of disappointment.

The boy immediately gathered why she was in his room. “Here.” He replied, releasing the juvenile griffin to trot across the room and hop into Kana’s embrace.

“You slept in?” Kana guessed, standing up and moving closer to the taller boy.

Max scratched his thick hair and peered out the window to avoid meeting the girl’s eyes. He was really tired all of a sudden. “Not exactly…”

The girl tilted her head to the side and the two just hung in silence. Max didn’t want to tell her he forgot to go to training because he was caught up reading, and Kana clearly wanted him to admit it. While the young Soltain was distracted, the girl’s golden eyes trailed up his bare chest and then settled on his face. The two stood unmoving, facing each other and waiting for the other to say something.

Kana expected the young Soltain to at least give her an excuse, she loved morning training with Max and Arthur, and neither of one of them showed up. Arthur sometimes missed training, but Max had never left her without a partner in the mornings. Yet he was absent today. As the sounds of other students moving through the corridor outside grew louder, the young griffin’s stomach made the most noise. Kana then cutely scrunched her nose and closed her eyes. Pulling Adrios to her chest, she raised her head high and moved past Max. “Fine.”

Before Max could even finishing turning around, Kana and Adrios were both gone. Max couldn’t help feeling like he had done something wrong, but for the life of him he couldn’t tell what.

The young Soltain shrugged. “I hope she feeds him, else he’ll get fussy.”

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Walking out of the dormitory and nodding to the dwarven Dormfather, Max noticed his cousin leaning against a tree outside the entrance. His eyes were closed, and the young Soltain guessed he was sleeping. Stepping on some fallen leaves on purpose, Max approached Arthur in a drowsy trudge.

“Morning.” The young Soltain said as he lightly nudged his cousin.

Arthur opened one emerald eye and yawned, an action that immediately passed to Max and was replicated. “Oh it's you. You look different with your shoulders slumped and the dark bags under your eyes.”

Max grimaced. He could heal fatigue but he couldn’t heal the products of a lack of sleep. It was arguably his biggest weakness. Atleast he thought so. “I was going for your look. You know, always sleepy and bored.”

The black-haired boy smirked. “You will need to do more than that. I would suggest doing something about your face, a bit to hideous if you're aiming for any semblance of my appearance. There a rumors of secretive mages who can change people’s looks, you might want to start there.”

Max sent a short right hook towards his cousin who languidly dodged. “I need your help with something.”

The young Satele wiped off his back and the two moved alongside other students towards the dining hall. “You need my help with something?” Arthur clarified, it was rare for Max to be asking for help.

Max grabbed his cousin and threw his arm around his shoulders. “Not just something. Something big.”

Arthur rolled his green eyes. “What is it?”

“You were talking about playing Strategic Board Games with the princess. How goes that?” The taller boy asked, releasing his cousin from his abrupt arm.

“Not well, now that you ask.” Arthur said with a frown. “I have reason to believe she is currently upset with me.”

Max laughed. The princess was mad at Arthur? That sucked. He couldn’t imagine Kana getting mad at him unless he did something really bad. “What did you do?”

Arthur’s face was without expression. “She challenged me to a match of Titan’s Reach, which while enjoyable, after the first game she won I found little trouble in guessing and predicting her moves. By the second game, I could have swiftly defeated her. Yet I reconsidered that option and allowed her a close win again.”

“I don’t see the problem.” Max said as they watched a squad of plated guards move past them in the other direction.

“I’m getting there… After our first three matches, all in which she was victorious, we started playing against other new club members. At this point, my only interest was towards the game and strategy and not the thoughts and feelings of my opponent. I claimed victory in seven other matches including a quick defeat of Clark Rinehart after I removed both his queen and his two mages from the board. I even had a chance to play some of the older members, who while bringing me far more difficult victories were still in essence, giving me victories. That, my friend, was my mistake.” Arthur replied.

Max tried to connect the dots in his head, he didn’t see the problem. “Explain.”

The two boys entered the crowded dining hall and after getting themselves food, sat down by themselves. Right after, Kathryn Holt pulled a chair back and placed herself on the other side of the two. “Good morning Max, Arthur.”

“Morning.” “Good morning Kathryn.” Max and Arthur greeted together.

“Arthur I’m still not getting it. Isn’t winning the point? Was she not impressed?” Max asked after he hurriedly swallowed his first mouthful.

The elven girl threw Max a glance and took a sip of water. “Juliet?”

Both boys nodded a response and Arthur stuck a finger up as he methodically chewed his food. “You’re thinking short term Max. Why would Juliet get upset after she witnessed me easily defeat all my opponents except her? Why would she get upset when I swiftly defeat Clark Rinehart after she lost to him? How am I insulting her intelligence?”

“Ah… That makes sense now.” The young Soltain replied. He then stood up and looked over towards the end of the next table over. Juliet was eating with both Kana and Reann, and the talk seemed amicable. Kana spotted Max and only spared him a glance before pulling Adrios to her chest and turning her head to talk with the boy sitting across from her, a certain Walter Fafnir. Max absentmindedly ignored the fox girl’s action yet it did not escape the watchful eye of Kathryn. Max only observed Juliet to see if she still looked angry, but found the silver-haired girl to be as emotionless as ever.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Max asked as he sat back down and continued eating.

“Well I was thinking-” Arthur started before he was interrupted.

“Is Kana mad at you too?” Kathryn blurted as she locked eyes with Max.

Max chuckled. “What? Why would Kana be mad at me?”

It was at that moment Arthur turned around and scanned the other group. He sat still and just stared, recording the facial expressions of all three girls facing him, while the lone Walter Fafnir’s back was turned in the opposite direction. Kana was again the first one to notice she was being watched, yet when she saw that it was Arthur she only smiled and waved. She even whispered to Juliet, who tucked her hair behind her ear and suddenly became very interested in the food in front of her.

“Wave to Kana.” Kathryn investigatively intoned.

Max stood up again with a huff and waved towards the other group a bit aways. The three already had their attention on Arthur but the only one to return the wave, albeit with hesitation, was the red-eyed Reann Arshan. The young Kumio completely dismissed Max, speaking directly to Reann and then gracefully standing up and leaving. She had Adrios in a bearhug, and he looked to be gasping for air.

Arthur grimaced. “You and me both then.”

The blue-eyed boy rubbed his tired eyes. “Huh? What just happened?”

“Well she’s obviously mad at you. Did you do something?” Kathryn inquired with a small smile of amusement.

Max downed the rest of his water and slammed it on the table. He then disclosed everything that had happened since he had finished reading while leaving rather vague details on what exactly had kept him up all night.

“That will do it.” “Oh Max.” Arthur and Kathryn said after he finished regaling them of prior events.

Kathryn neatly cut her meat apart and took small bites as she ate. “You two can be so smart yet so hopeless at the same time. Though you're both also boys, so there's always a margin of error. Were going to fix this as soon as possible, the longer you leave it to fester, the worse it will get.” She neatly set her eating utensils aside and removed the folded napkin resting atop her skirt. “Arthur, tell me what you did to Juliet. Spare no details.”

Arthur then explained his story again, and Kathryn smiled. “At least you recognize the problem, you're much better off then our other friend.” She then looked directly into the Satele’s eyes. “I am sure you were probably coming up with a plan to fix the situation, but I am going to ask you to hold off. All you two need to do is before homeroom starts, walk up to Kana and Juliet and apologize to them. Be sure to explain what you did wrong too. No special stuff or well planned moves from either of you.”

“Is that guaranteed to work?” Arthur asked as he scratched the spiky snake around his neck.

The elven girl giggled. “Although I’ve never spoken to Juliet personally, if she is truly a princess than she will respect and appreciate a sincere apology. As for Kana, I am sure if Max just shows he’s even a little sorry for upsetting her she’ll be more than pleased.”

Max slapped his hand on the table. “What did I even do wrong!?”

Arthur snorted and Kathryn released a sigh of resignation. “Boys.”

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“...which is why I can only ask for your forgiveness now. I unintentionally insulted your intelligence, and my prior ignorance caused our friendship to suffer. I simply ask for a chance. Another chance to engage with not only a beautiful mind but with a person I truly respect and admire.” Arthur had the princess's hand in his again, an action that never failed to astonish everyone in the area. Brushing his lips over the delicate hand, his bright green eyes bore into her violet. “Will you give me that chance, Juliet?”

Heat gathered on the cheeks of the Imperial Princess. Arthur Satele was simply too bold, and the girl had no idea why she didn’t immediately pull away whenever he grabbed her hand. He always served to crumble her own sense of regal bearing and judgement. His apology felt so sincere, and he was confessing his faults in front of everyone in class. An action that only served to bolster his charm.

“I would forgive him if I were you Juliet. He really looks sorry.” Kana whispered into the princess’ ear. She had no problem shamelessly helping the Satele rebuild his relationship with Juliet.

“Yeah you should just forgive him princess.” Walter instantly supported Kana’s opinion as he stood in front of her seat.

Arthur peeked at the wolfkin and raised an eyebrow, but that only lasted for less than a second as he awaited Juliet’s response. Wasn’t he Clark Rinehart’s friend?

The silver-haired girl hesitantly pulled her hand out of Arthur’s grasp and nodded. “Very well Arthur Satele. I will forgive you for your actions yesterday.”

Arthur gave the girl his best smile and lightly bowed. “I will wait for tonight then. Being able to compete against you in earnest will surely be enjoyable.”

As soon as Arthur reached his seat and sat down, he gave Max a pat on the back. “Your turn.”

Now that it had been explained to Max, he had no issues apologizing to Kana. He had made her mad on accident, which he chalked up to actions taken because of his own sleep deprivation. He liked Kana, a lot, but apologizing and apologizing in front of the entire class were two different things. He didn’t particularly care for other people’s opinions but his own inherent pride naturally made him consider the situation. Admitting his faults to friends was fine, admitting his faults to unknowns and possible enemies was not.

Kathryn poked the boy with her pen. “Go before Mr. Strain arrives.”

Max stood up and grumbled under his breath. “Whatever.”

Trudging down the stairs he absentmindedly pushed Walter Fafnir to the side as if he were a far smaller child. While most of the students in class followed Walter as he almost fell over, Kana looked straight at the taller boy standing over her seat. She was stroking the now happy and fed Adrios and giving Max her most defiant look possible.

Just like before, the two locked eyes in silence as the class held their breath. The figurative storm brewing just from their clashing looks was almost tangible.

Arthur sighed. Stubborn people like these two often needed a little push. Picking up his only pen and spinning it between his fingers, he dexterously threw it across the room, directly towards Max’s head. When Max was forced to break eye contact to catch the pen only inches from his face, Arthur yelled out to him. “You found my pen! Thank the gods as I only have one.”

Max ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

It was at this time Walter Fafnir moved back towards Max and interrupted. “Hey! I don’t know who-”

“Walter. Please quiet down while I have a conversation with my fiance.” Kana stated loud enough for the entire class to overhear. The first one to really react was Juliet, who flinched beside Kana and Reann. Most of the class shot into whispers and gasps, but the young Kumio never took her eyes off Max. “You’re sorry for what?” She asked in a scalding tone.

“I should have let you know I would be missing training, or at the very least gave you a reasonable excuse when you were in my bed.” Max answered with faux resignation.

The growing students had a variety of reactions at Max’s response, but the majority were shocked. The original uproar only grew louder, and Arthur started chuckling as he covered his face with hands. Walter Fafnir’s face both reddened and darkened as his tail froze in surprise. Kathryn covered her ears. She was sure of it now, these two did that on purpose. They just had too, no other student there age would act like that!

Kana’s original visage instantly vanished and she flashed the blue-eyed boy a smile. Standing up and quickly kissing him on the cheek, she lightly pushed him away as the bells rang and Mr. Stain walked inside.

“Everyone quiet down as I call attendance.”