章 22: Evasion

"Wow, Claire. You're pretty sly when you want to be..." remarked William, genuinely impressed. After all, there were definitely benefits to her plan, but as four to five was more than one, he promptly added, "But as much as I enjoy spending time with you and this group, I'd rather you not be the only people I spend time with."

"Well, can't blame a girl for trying," replied Claire, spreading her hands and shrugging. She knew it was a stretch to convince William this early, but by sowing seeds now and nurturing them over time, there was a chance they could blossom and bear fruit in the future.

"Fair enough," said William, grabbing another cookie and tossing it into his mouth before asking, "Anything else you gals wanted to discuss? If not, I think I'll head out. It doesn't really bother me, but being the only guy here is pretty awkward."

"I'm still here..." muttered Theo, sporting a slight frown.

"I'm aware," replied William, staring down at the diminutive Dwarf as he teased, "It's hard not to notice you when you've been staring at my arm and gauntlet like you want to eat them..."

"Oh, I, uh...beg your pardon..." muttered Theo, pressing the tips of her index fingers together. "But, even back in the Dwarven Kingdom, Black Dragonhide is really, really rare. And I've only ever seen runes similar to the ones on your gauntlet in ancient texts..."

"Then I suggest you pull up those books. Because I'm not letting you analyze or study my gauntlet..." said William, his expression and tone flat.

Like a child who had just been told Santa didn't exist, Theo stared up at William with large, teary eyes and a trembling lower lip. Unfortunately, as much as he appreciated those who hungered for knowledge, William had no intention of letting someone analyze one of his trump cards, exposing its weaknesses.

"Speaking of your gauntlet...is it true you received that as a gift from the Ebonsword?" asked Lyra. "If so, you must have left quite the impression on them..."

"Feel free to ask them if you ever meet," replied William, punctuating his words with a wink. Then, as the group apparently didn't have anything to discuss, he rose with the intent to leave.

"You're leaving...?" asked Delphina, staring up at William with her usual impassive expression.

"The entrance exam is only three days from now," stated William. "I want to relax and enjoy what remains of the time I have left."

"The implication being you don't enjoy spending time with us," appended Claire, sporting a catty smile.

"Don't make me chop your head..." William threatened, raising his right hand and generating a bright yellow Aura around it.

"Wow, you planning to split me open...?" asked Claire, blinking in surprise. She was still working toward becoming a Second-Grade Initiate, so if Will hit her with such an attack, she would be lucky to survive.

"Phrasing..." droned William, his expression a deadpan as he retracted his Aura and turned to leave. Lyra looked like she wanted to stop him, but as she didn't have anything truly important to discuss, she ultimately exhaled a sigh and allowed him to depart unaccosted. Once she was sure he was gone, however, she turned to Claire, her expression and tone flat as she gave the precocious redhead a long lecture about the importance of time, place, and occasion...

...

"Leaving so soon...?" asked Therese, waiting for William at the carriage that would transport him back to Eastwarden.

"Let's call it a tactical retreat," replied William, smiling as he boarded the carriage and immediately lay across its soft, bench-like seat. Soon after, the carriage was on its way, affording William a few minutes to collect his thoughts in silence.

'It's not a terrible idea...' William thought, referring to Claire's proposition. He had considered approaching Astucia for similar reasons, assuming she was the reincarnated Dave, but the sixty-second daughter of the Demon Emperor had vanished several weeks prior without a trace, specifically on the night he had 'debuted.'

'Well, at least I won't have to deal with Z or the others making fun of us for getting engaged...'

Thinking of Z, William naturally thought of Andrika. They had both agreed after their initial separation that they were better suited as friends, but he was fairly confident she would agree if he asked her to play the part of his fiancee. Unfortunately, he currently had no clues to her location. For all he knew, she wasn't even alive...

...

'I'm so tired of this...' thought Andrika, appearing as a young girl with pale pink hair fixed into a ponytail and matching eyes. More notably, her face and hair were marred with steamy crimson blood, the result of having just stabbed her seventy-three times.

"Y-You're a monster...a devil's child...!" exclaimed Andrika's, or, more accurately, Fiona's aunt, a portly woman with blonde hair and a layer of makeup thicker than her skin.

"That's not even a good insult..." droned Fiona, staring at her aunt with half-lidded but bloodthirsty eyes. Her new life hadn't had the worst start, but after the shop her family operated was reposed by their lenders, her father took his life, and her mother died due to illness. After that, she was sent to live with her father's brother, but while he initially played the part of a nice guy, he eventually started trying to take liberties with her under the assumption she had no idea what he was doing.

'Why can't I live a normal life and be happy...?' Fiona wondered, tilting her head back and allowing tears to stream down the sides of her face as she stared at the ceiling. Her aunt used her ostensibly distracted state to try and escape, but as Fiona had already cut off her legs at the shins, leaving behind stumps that didn't bleed, all she could do was crawl.

Closing her eyes, cutting off the flow of her tears, Fiona exhaled a weary sigh before opening them and turning to observe her aunt with a ruthless glower. The woman had never wanted her there, and she made sure Fiona knew it every chance she got. This included having her sleep inside an old supply closet and providing her little more than bread and watered-down soup stock for her meals, so Fiona felt nothing but emptiness and hunger as she made her way over to the hysterical woman, pulling her by the hair before slitting her throat in a single smooth motion...

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[Lust's Yearning]

Rank: SS [Link Quest]

Objective(s): You recall Aiden saying that, deep down, everyone desired to be loved and to live happy, uninhibited lives. But is that truly the case? The answer lies within your heart but can only be uncovered with the help of another. Find that person.

Optional Objective(s): Purge those who find meaning and joy in depriving the happiness of others(2/-).

Reward(s): Variable amounts of Karma based on the number and status of the people you kill, [Love and War]x1

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"Aiden..." muttered Fiona, the pupils of her green eyes dilating as she read the familiar name and recalled the time he had comforted her back on the island. She had begged him to use his power to make her forget, but since he believed there was meaning in everything they experienced, he spent weeks consoling and helping her build up the courage to face the life that followed.

Placing her hand on her chest, focusing on the beating of her heart, Fiona convinced herself that if anyone could help her find the answer the Quest was alluding to, it was Aiden. She still remembered the time he confessed to her in their first incarnation and how kind he was to her, even after their breakup. She sometimes hated how he treated her more like a sister than the lovers they once were, but as she was the one to initiate their breakup over a misunderstanding, twice, she ultimately had herself to blame.

Lowering her hand, Fiona stared into the distance, looking instinctively in the direction of Axial as she muttered, "Aiden said we would meet in the largest neutral city when we turned fifteen...that's such a long time from now..."

Though she had done her best to restrain the urge, Fiona knew that, now that she had killed two people, she would keep killing. Her urges became especially difficult to endure once she entered puberty, but as there were much worse ways in which lust could manifest, Fiona felt...fortunate that her urges could be slaked by murdering predators and monsters in human form. Her only real concern was that, with four, nearly five years until they were scheduled to meet, there was a good chance she would be captured and killed before she could reunite with Aiden...

...

As the Gamma Star of the Oirthear Constellation, William wasn't required to participate in the Royal Academy's written entrance and subsequent practical exam. Unfortunately, he had little choice in the matter, as one of his family's guiding principles was setting an example for others to follow.

'Let's just pray the classes aren't too boring...' thought William, making his way toward the venue of the entrance exam with his hands in his pockets. The standard uniform of the Royal Academy was what you would expect from a relatively modern fantasy setting, consisting of a double-breasted black blazer with silver trim, a black tie, a black belt, and black slacks for boys. Girls could also wear slacks, but the majority chose to wear pleated black skirts with silver lines around the hem, black or white stockings, and a variety of different dress shoes.

As the son of a Duke and a member of the Warrior Class, William's uniform was slightly different from the rest of the student body. Instead of silver, the trim of his uniform was a conspicuous golden hue. And in place of the Royal Academy's emblem, his chest was adorned with the Gryphon-and-star-themed crest of his family. These modifications clearly distinguished him from other students, but what stood out the most was that his left sleeve had been modified to allow him to wear his gauntlet and a visually similar, albeit much lower quality, Gryphon-themed pauldron.

"Holy shit...is that the guy...?" asked one male student to another, both eyeing William as if he were a lion or some other predator roaming the streets without a leash.

"There's no way that kid is the same age as us..." replied the other boy, who, like most of the First-year students making their way to the exam venue, averaged around 140cm. With William's most recent measurement placing him at 158cm, he was nearly a head taller and far more developed than the majority of his peers. But not all...

"Well met, son of House Oirthear...!" exclaimed a nearly 185cm tall 'youth' with a stocky build and shoulders at least 50% wider than William's. His hair was an off-white, slightly gold hue, fixed in dreadlocks, and his skin was dark, closer to black than brown. The only exception to this were the off-white markings covering his face, neck, and likely the rest of his body as he was a descendant of the Giants who lived off the southern coast of the Astralis Continent.

"Can I help you with something...?" asked William, raising his gaze to meet the piercing, emerald-green eyes of the burly youth.

"Indeed!" responded the youth, puffing out his chest and striking a pose with his hands on his waist as he exclaimed, "They say you are powerful beyond your years! As fellow warriors, let us hone each other's skills as friends and rivals...!"

Finding the youth's behavior amusing, William smiled and asked, "You got a name, big guy...?"

Thumping his chest with his right palm, producing a sound similar to a drum, the youth vigorously replied, "My name is Ahmad, son of Thrune! May the seas bless us and our many battles to come...!"

"I'm personally fonder of the sky," mused William, continuing on his way with Ahmad following close behind. He really wished the latter could do something about his ridiculously loud voice, but by repeating to himself it was no big deal, he quickly got used to it...

...