“He’s surprisingly Cute,” Thomas commented as he reached to pet the baby Dragon on the head only for the Dragon to hiss at him earning an amused laugh. “To think all it would take is just someone else’s Mana and Ki to get that thing to Crack.” Thomas continued as Ester scratched the chin of the Dragon who cooed from her touch.

“What did Professor Mills said when he looked at him?” Ren asked Ester who looked closed closely at the Dragon. "Is he healthy or--"

“He said that Axle is healthy," Ester answered as she placed the baby dragon on the table who curled up happily like a cat. "He should be capable of eating solid foods after a month, but for now we'll be sharing Mana and Ki."

"Axle?" Thomas and Ren asked her.

"I named him Axle after a great nurse who did his best to help people no matter the cost." Ester smiled as she petted Axle. "I hope that once he grows up he'll be able to help many people as well."

"I think it's possible," Ren smiled.

“Come to think of it,” Yvonne said as she looked at Axle. “The Professors are surprisingly fine with leaving a student to raise a very rare and endangered creature?”

“Maybe because it’s a lot easier to raise him with someone he views as a mother instead of some stranger.” Thomas pointed out.

“It’s probably that.” Ren nodded. “I mean if it was raised by someone else I can imagine how disastrous that would have gone. After all, Dragons are powerful creatures so who knows what a little Dragon would have done if he was upset.”

“That reminds me.” Thomas smiled at Ren. “Are you coming for tonight’s Terra Warzone Session?”

“I’ll have to pass for this session.” Ren frowned, much like Thomas, a lot of students would join in the Terra Warzone Campaigns hosted by the Older Years. Most of which take place in the Library every Leoron and Wulvi, which are the last two days of the Week.

“I promised Oscar to help him work on some plans for Weapon and Maintenance Training.” Ren shook his head.

“Again?” Thomas asked him in disbelief. Their Classmate, Oscar was a bit of strange case as while he was an intelligent and cunning student but from what he had shown so far is that he is more fixated on machines.

“Yeah, this time he seems to be working on some weird chain mechanism,” Ren explained recalling their daily research on the Forge every day. “It’s quite hard to be honest since he hasn’t told me anything about it too.”

“Probably a surprise then,” Yvonne said as she went back to her seat. Thomas then turned towards Yvonne with a smile and said.

“Oh hey since Ren isn’t coming maybe you can—”

“I refuse,” Yvonne said as she continued to look through her notes not bothering to look at Thomas or comment at the fact he looks like he saw someone kick a little kitten, earning an amused laugh from Ester and Ren.

Later in the afternoon, Ester and Axel went to the Cafeteria so that the two can eat and grab lunch. But as she was about to make their way towards the Table she was then called out by someone behind her.

“So that’s the Dragon everyone’s been talking about,” She turned around and saw an older girl, a second-year no less, she looked at both Ester and Axel. But it was clear to anyone that she isn’t looking at Ester with awe or amazement.

It was envy and scorn.

Ester simply kept quiet while Axel hid behind her fearfully.

“To think he would choose such an inferior Parent,” She sneered at Ester who simply gave her a calm stare. “Excuse me?” She said trying her best not to hide the confusion in her face, this prompted a smug laugh from the older girl.

“That is a dragon is it not?” She asked crossing her arms while keeping a confident air around her. “Beings of greater power and wisdom. And yet he chose someone with an inferior affinity with Magic and Ki to be his parent.”

“He doesn’t need a person with Great Ki and Mana to be a Parent, all he needs is a proper parent to raise him?” Ester retorted both of them are unaware that several students began to look at them in curiosity. “What’s your point?”

“My point dear is that you are wholly incapable of taking care of such a great creature.” She said maintaining the sneer in her face which mildly irked Ester. “After all, anyone can see that—”

“The Dragon had already chosen a Parent, Sen.” A Voice beside them said both of them turned around to find Petra standing furrowing her brows as she looked at both of them. The Second Year, Sen, simply glared at Petra who crossed her arms.

“Nobody asked a Freak like you to speak up,” Sen spoke.

“Then why are you talking then?” Petra answered, causing Sen’s eyebrow to twitch in annoyance earning a few scoffs and chuckles within the crowd.

“You said it yourself did you not?” Petra continued. “Dragons are wise beings, if he chose Ester to be his Mother then clearly he saw something in you that he did not. Your bitter and petty attempt to bully and intimidate her will not win the Dragon over, in fact, it’s giving an opposite effect.”

“Oh blah blah,” She said turning her back at both of them. “Shut up already, just hearing your voice bores me to death Freak.”

“As for you.” She glared at Ester who kept a calm look on her face behind the Sen’s Icy Blue eyes gave her. It was definitely different from the ones Lissa would give. “You are clearly inferior to be a Dragon Parent. Remember that.”

And with that, she walked away, as soon as the Crowd dispersed Ester let out a sigh relief as she turned to Petra who was walking away.

“Um Thank you!” Ester called out to Petra who simply gave her a confused look. “For what?” Petra asked back. “I simply did what needed to be done.”

“Who was she anyway?” Ester asked walking towards her as they both went to order food.

“Her name is Sen Felwind,” Petra answered with a frown. Ester’s eyes widened in surprise, the Felwinds were known as one of the greatest Mage Families within the Exavirian Region of Axis. Several Arcane books that were penned by Felwind Mages are within the Library of Axis to this day.

“She had a fixation towards Professor Mills and that little dragon of yours,” Petra explained as she ordered lunch. “Fortunately, Mills wasn’t interested in immature and elitist Mages and the Egg also. As such, she was deeply offended when he not only rejected her advances but also the fact that the Egg chose someone she viewed as ‘inferior’ to her.”

“That explains earlier,” Ester said, but she slightly shuddered at the slow realization that she had quite possibly made an enemy of one of the greatest Mages in Exavis Axis. “But wait why did she call you a freak?”

“I wouldn’t worry if I were you,” Petra explained to her with a shrug while ignoring the question she posed earlier. “She’s petty but she won’t do something scandalous. After all, she has a reputation to keep and while she acts like an elitist she won’t stoop that low.”

“But I doubt her followers will,” Ester pondered as she sat down and ate lunch with her. “There’s that,” Petra said but then she looked at Ester as she realized the situation. “Wait you’re eating with me?”

“Yes, why?”

“Well to begin with, why?” Petra gave her a confused look. “Why not? You saved me and I want to befriend you.” Ester asked with a smile.

“Seriously, what is up with you first years?” She muttered in a low voice while ignoring the sudden increase in her headache. “Don’t you have friends or something?” “Oh well, most of my friends are off busy doing something. So it can’t be helped.” Ester simply giggled earning an eye roll by the older year.

[Axis:Legacy]

Thomas was making his way towards the usual meetup location for their Terra Warzone session but he saw a familiar person pouring through the standard Terra Warzone books. Thomas smiled in amusement, he had never expected Lissa of all people to become interested so it so he decided to tease her a bit.

“Good book?” Thomas asked her with a smile causing her to quickly back away in surprise earning an amused smile from him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said defensively. “Right because I suddenly went blind,” Thomas responded, with both of them looking at the notebooks and several other things needed to join in a Terra Warzone session.

“I—fine,” Lissa sighed in defeat as she showed him the Terra Warzone 8th Edition. “I’ve been studying it so that I can join a session later.”

“Need a hand with that?” Thomas asked her. “Yeah sure why not,” Lissa smiled at him.

“Well, that’s a first.” Thomas chuckled. “First what?” She gave him a confused look.

“The first time I seen you smile for the first time,” Thomas pointed out, earning a scoff from Lissa. “Especially since as far as I’ve seen you so far, you’ve been nothing but in a sour mood.”

“It's just that every time we meet and see each other my mood turns into a 180-degree change that’s all.” Lissa pointed out with a smirk causing Thomas to chuckle at her in amusement. “Well, either way, you should smile more often since it suits you.” Thomas pointed out earning a slight blush from Lissa which she then tried to cough to offset the embarrassment she had.

After all, she was used to being talked about negatively, either in regards to her status as a Bastard or her abrasive personality. As such, she wasn’t used to at the idea of being complimented like that.

“You two seem to be getting along well.”

Both of them turned around to find Kyle watching the entire scene unfold with an amused smile as he leaned on a bookshelf. This prompted Lissa to simply frown at the Upperclassman.

“Oh yeah Lissa wants to join for the session later,” Thomas smiled at him shooting a glance at Lissa who simply nodded in silence. This, however, caused the upperclassman to give both of them an apologetic smile.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He shook his head, causing the two to exchange confused glances at one another.

“What do you mean?” Thomas walking towards him.

“I’m not feeling well at the moment,” Kyle explained as he tried to stand up properly only to slightly stagger and place a hand on his head as yet another headache flared up causing Thomas to attempt and help him only for him to shake his head.

“If it’s alright can you tell the others to the same thing?” Kyle told him as he walked away.

“Will you be alright?” Thomas asked him worriedly.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Kyle smiled at him reassuringly as he walked away. “I’ll just get some rest in the Nurse’s Office don’t worry.”

[Axis:Legacy]

On the Nurse’s Office, Kyle and Petra met up in front of the desolate hallway. The two of them stared at one another as if they expected them to come right now. Despite their personalities, the outgoing and kind Kyle Hoffman and the stoic and cold Petra Lowell are no different from one another.

“You too huh?” Kyle gave her a weak smile who kept quiet and went inside earning a weak chuckle from him. Both of them met up with the Head Nurse, Clynus Slate, who had a worried look on his face.

“Is it that time?” Nurse Slate asked worriedly.

“Yes,” Petra said as she sat down and took off her glove showing the veins on her hand had begun to darken and had spread up to her whole arm. Kyle took off his coat and shirt revealing the same thing and had begun to spread up to his whole back.

“It’s gotten worse,” Nurse Slate said in horror as he hurriedly pulled out two vials. Both Kyle and Petra looked on sadly realizing that it was the last two Vials that contain their medicine.

“The end is near then,” Petra commented as Nurse Slate injected both of them the last two vials for their medicine.

“It seems so,” Kyle said devoid of his usual humor and optimism.

“Maybe…if Niltria’s Lab one more time…” Nurse Slate trying to reassure the two with a kind smile. But both of them knew that it was impossible, after all, the Lab was long abandoned and some parts are unable to access. Both of them knew as well that there was no escape to the Genetic Deterioration that they are suffering.

They were, after all, nothing more than just flawed Clones designed to die soon.