Chapter 208: End of Inter-Academy Festival IV
Lucifer let out a weary sigh as he walked alongside Ren through the festival crowds, the cheerful bustle around them a stark contrast to the weight on his mind.
"What's eating at you, Golden Boy?" Ren grumbled, giving him a sideways glance. "Didn't you manage to snag Slatemark's flag?"
"Only because Ian threw himself in the line of fire," Lucifer replied, his gaze distant. "And because Arthur took down Jack with him."
Ren's expression darkened, the memory of that clash still vivid in both their minds.
Those flames—Jack's flames.
Every so often, rare talents are born, individuals who seem to embody a single element as if it were woven into their very being. Rachel Creighton was one, her mastery over light a natural extension of herself. But Jack Blazespout—Jack was something else. Fire was not simply a tool in his hands; it was an extension of his will, a force that seemed to have chosen him as much as he had chosen it.
Lucifer clenched his jaw, remembering how Jack had all but incinerated him. It shouldn't have been possible; he'd wielded the fourth movement of Myth of the Northern Peak alongside sword intent—his very peak. Yet it hadn't been enough.
It was a hard pill to swallow. Lucifer was no stranger to pushing boundaries, to testing the limits of his gifts. But the flames Jack wielded that day had swept through all of that. The harsh truth gnawed at him: even in the same rank, Jack had eclipsed him in a way he hadn't anticipated.
And then there was Arthur.
Lucifer had heard whispers since the final clash. Astral energy. Tomorrow, the headlines would be everywhere, touting the achievement of a 16-year-old who'd summoned astral energy. The rumors would spread, and though the academies would try to contain it, the news would still leak: Arthur Nightingale had wielded something far beyond his rank.
Astral energy—a level of mastery that required Sword Heart, something only those at the Wall could even attempt in order to surpass the Wall. And Arthur had summoned it.
Lucifer knew Arthur wasn't an Ascendant-ranker. The astral blade he'd summoned was weaker than the real thing, lacking the absolute finality that true astral energy wielded. But it didn't matter. In that moment, Arthur had surpassed him, not just in skill or strategy but in sheer force.
The memory of that final clash lingered like a specter, and Lucifer couldn't shake the truth of it: had he been on the receiving end of that strike, he wouldn't have withstood it. Arthur's attack would have cut him down without question.
As Lucifer pondered the path of his rivals, his gaze drifted across the bustling courtyard—only to land on a familiar figure approaching. Seol-ah Moyong.
His eyes narrowed. She was an undeniable talent, a swordswoman whose technique, when it came to pure swordsmanship, even outclassed his own. She was just two step away from Integration-rank herself; that much was clear. With each duel, she grew sharper, stronger—a mountain he knew would soon rise alongside him.
But then her eyes met his—steady, golden, with that unreadable, intense calm. She began walking over, and beside her, Ava Peng followed like a silent shadow.
"Hello," Seol-ah greeted them both. The straightforwardness of her tone surprised them; no formalities, no titles, just a simple, unadorned greeting.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow, as did Ren. It wasn't the lack of a bow or fawning words that caught him off-guard—frankly, he despised all that—but from Seol-ah, it was… unexpected.
"Nice to meet you, Seol-ah," Lucifer replied, offering a polite smile.
She gave a small nod. "Do you know where Arthur is?"
Lucifer's smile vanished in an instant. 'Why does that bastard attract every woman within a hundred-mile radius?' he thought with a mental sigh. He knew Arthur was trouble, but this was getting absurd.
Ren stifled a laugh as he caught Lucifer's exasperated look. "Our dear Arthur's still recovering from heroically collapsing, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know you asked for him."
Seol-ah's expression didn't change; she merely tilted her head, looking at them both with the slightest glint of curiosity. Ava glanced between them, eyebrows raised as if wondering what on earth she'd walked into.
"Yes, well," Lucifer cleared his throat, "he got discharged. You will see him somewhere soon."
She nodded once more, accepting this without further comment, and then paused, as if considering something. "I'll see, then." Without another word, she turned and walked away with Ava beside her.
Lucifer watched Seol-ah walk away, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, if one more person asks me about Arthur, I might start charging them for the privilege."
"Just let it go, will you? Elara asked you hours ago—are you still sulking over that?" Ren replied, rolling his eyes.
"Why shouldn't I?" Lucifer huffed, crossing his arms. "They have phones, don't they? They could text him like normal people."
Ren chuckled, a wicked glint in his eye. "Unbelievable. Mr. Golden Boy himself, jealous of Arthur Nightingale."
Lucifer's eyes flared, the emerald fire of indignation sparking within. "Jealous? Please. It's just... annoying."
"Oh, sure, sure. Totally get it," Ren grinned, pretending to stifle a yawn. "Arthur's like some terrifying fantasy creation—strength, intelligence, charm... What else could anyone possibly want?"
Lucifer clenched his jaw, barely restraining the urge to hex him. "Another word out of you, and I'll leave you behind in every sparring match from now on."
Ren laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, message received. No need to bruise my pride, Mr. Not-Jealous-at-All."
Lucifer's smirk faded at Ren's next question. "But Lucifer, have you talked to Rachel at all?"
Lucifer's shoulders tensed—just a fraction, but enough for Ren to catch it.
"Of course," he replied, truthfully.
Yes, they'd spoken. They'd even shared moments here and there, but not like before. Not in that way that felt natural and familiar.
'Annoying,' he thought. Infuriating, even.
He could trace it back to the Isle of Azure Breeze, to that winter when he'd gone there because of his father and met up with Arthur and Rachel. He had noticed the way Rachel's gaze shifted when Arthur was near, the faintest flicker of something different. He'd dismissed it, convinced it would never come to anything. She was his oldest friend, after all—someone he'd always assumed would eventually return his feelings.
But that was just arrogance, wasn't it? He hadn't done a thing to earn that attention, not the way Arthur had. Now, instead of jealousy, he felt something colder—a pang of regret.
If he'd been better, less aloof, more open with her… would things be different? Would she have looked at him the way she looked at Arthur?
Lucifer drew a long breath, stowing the thought somewhere he wouldn't have to acknowledge it. What was done couldn't be changed, and he had no use for self-pity. If he was to move forward, then he would do so without looking back, burying these feelings where they belonged.
"Let's go," he said finally, and Ren, noticing the subtle shift, fell silent as they continued walking.
But Lucifer could no longer deny it—everything was shifting, and it was all because of Arthur.
Ren, once so focused on strength, now seemed less arrogant, even thoughtful at times. Jin had softened, his usual coldness thawing slightly. Ian, steadfast as ever, had still opened up more. Rachel, once closed off, had found a confidant in Arthur. Cecilia's pride had mellowed, her presence less overwhelming, while Seraphina had become more expressive, less hidden in silence.
And Lucifer himself was changing, though he hadn't wanted to see it. He was no longer the undisputed top, the pinnacle he'd grown up assuming he'd always be. For the first time, he felt the uncertainty, the tremors of something he hadn't anticipated—the shifting winds of his own fate.
Lucifer Windward, prince of the North, felt those winds pressing him to become something more. To let this newfound uncertainty drive him, not define him. And so he would rise to meet his father's expectations—not as he was before, but as something better.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone