Aftermath

"Would you look at that. Something you don't see everyday. It sure is interesting."

Heels clacked sharply against the floor as he walked with hands folded at the arc of his back. His eyes held an impassive gaze but with a calculative look and the side of his lips curved upwards.

"I should hold up to the end of my deal, shouldn't I?" He glanced back but kept his focus forward.

Kellie tailed behind her shorter employer. Her face stoic and back upstraight.

Both held an air of power and dangerous charisma.

"You should."

He guffawed. "Not even an honorary. You don't think highly of me as my sister, do you?"

She kept quiet.

"Silence again, huh? You never speak unless necessary. But you seem to talk a lot with the young ones." He tapped his chin. "Especially that mole we're keeping."

Kellie bore holes at the back of his head. He's always like this, even when he was young. A tough nut to crack. Others may refer to him as a snake but he's more of a mischievous cat who likes to push objects off a high-place to see if they shatter. Kids are quite a pain, but even when he grew, he still IS a pain.

She wouldn't even think of working under him if it weren't for his family's generosity.

"Does it bother you?"

He laughed incredulously. "Not at all."

"I have a request."

He quirked his brow.

"Allow me to have permission for Adeleine to move to Mir Dorms."

"Declined," he instantly replied.

Her gaze hardened. "Why, sir?" she knew he was being hard-to-get.

"Why should I?" he huffed. "Aren't you showering her with favoritism?"

She paused. "I found someone loitering around near her room."

"Oh, has the mouse finally went out of its hole?"

"As much as you're using her as bait, we need her to be safe to be able to execute the infiltration. For the sake of the plan, I request that you move the girl to Mir dormitory. Plus, if you treat her well, you'll be able to gain her favor."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever, I allow. Regarding about the deal—"

They heard a scream. Kellie dashed towards the infirmary, coincidentally where they were heading. She bursted the door open to see Adeleine all huddled up in one corner of her bed screaming her lungs out.

"What is it?"

Adeleine pointed beside her. "Why is there a bug here?!"

She looked at the bed beside the girl and saw Hera sleeping peacefully. She walked towards them and scanned even under the bed. No insect at all.

"There was nothing."

"I'm talking about her!" She pointed directly at Hera's face. "She would have killed me if she was awake!"

Kellie deadpanned and sighed. "That's not how you treat your fellow classmates."

Verkel was by the door, down on his knees and holding his stomach, dying from laughter.

"Verkel, stop. You're encouraging her."

He wheezed louder.

She let out a short breath as she touched her light head. "What happened? Where am I?"

White walls, white ceiling. The lingering smell of antiseptic in the air; a line of beds pushed up against the wall.

"Infirmary."

Adeleine rubbed her head, confused for a short while before memories of the previous fight flooded back. She threw the covers and sprang up from her bed, she was suddenly attacked by aches all over from body in retaliation. She was covered with bandages as well. At this point, she already looks like a mummy.

Hera did a number on her, for sure.

"What happened?" she looked them expectantly.

"Well—"

"Wait, wait," Verkel cut the woman off, "I wish to tell her." He cleared his throat and fixed his posture, annoying the girl with his stalling.

"You..." he purposely paused for a dramatic effect- "didn't win."

"What?" Adeleine's eyes widened and her hands dropped.

Kellie jabbed him by the ribs. "Ow! Alright, it was a jest."

"WHAT?" she fumed. She stomped towards the headmaster who was laughing in his own amusement. Grabbing his collar, she yelled, "Do you think this is a joke?"

"Calm down, Adeleine." The lady pried the girl off her employer who was still hollering with laughter. "He's the headmaster. You should still show him respect."

"That man deserves no respect!" she tried to kick him but Kellie held her back by interlocking both their arms.

"Adeleine," Kellie spoke with a warning as she grunted trying to at least hit the man even once. But she gave up and fell limp in the woman's arms. Worried, Kellie shook her lightly. "Adeleine."

Kellie noticed her shoulders trembling. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she hastily wiped them away while scowling at the headmaster.

Kellie knelt to the ground to match the girl's smaller frame and patted her shoulders. She looked at Adeleine in the eye. "It's okay, you won...you won the duel. No need to cry."

Her shoulders shook even more which ignited more worry from Kellie. Adeleine pursed her lips as she held back her laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so funny when you try to console me without any tone at all. It's so monotonous."

Verkel watched them while also holding back his laughter, pointing at Kellie mockingly. She returned it with an empty stare and in a low voice, she muttered, "Cut it out."

Of course, that did not stop him from silently continuing it. Astrea forbids, she knew she'll never hear the end of it and he'll probably even take it to his grave.

"So I really won, huh?" she said, sniffling.

"Hera fainted a few seconds before you did. Good job on holding out longer."

"You tried to send her out of the ring. That was initially your plan. You knew you couldn't force her to surrender nor knock her out." Headmaster Verkel smiled as he added. "You tried to use your opponent's lack of consciousness with her surroundings, using their emotions to cloud their judgement. Quite a sly little sprout you are. You'll grow wonderfully."

"Hera, however, to pull an enormous amount of energy despite being beaten to a state. How monstrous." Kellie glanced at her peaceful state.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Headmaster Verkel clapped his hands together. "The seedlings today truly could withstand a storm. I can see it. Spectacular!"

Adeleine took multiple steps back at how weird he's acting. She knew he was crazy, but to think he's also weird.

"Also," Kellie interjected, "we're relocating you."

"Why? What's wrong with the one I have now?" Adeleine knitted her eyebrows.

"We're keeping you low-profile."

"Maybe, you guys should have thought of that before exposing me to the audience. That wouldn't be any of use now."

Kellie sent the headmaster a meaningful glance.

He smiled. "It was all part of the plan."

"What plan?"

"I believe Verkel has something to say. As part of the-" Kellie cleared her throat to accentuate her point- "deal."

He quirked his brow. "Hmm, I do?"

She looked at him pointedly and he raised his hands up in defeat as Adeleine watched them in confusion.

"What's going on?"

He shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "The lady here is doing some charity work. Now listen carefully-"

"Wait, I need water," Adeleine croaked. Her voice damn horrendous, from both screaming and dehydration during the fight. Not to mention, her tongue could feel small grains of sand in the deep corners of her mouth.

Kellie handed her a glass of water which she gratefully drank and sat back down on the bed.

"How much do you know about the Celestial War?"

"You mean the first full-blown war last millennium? The one where Astrea, chosen one of the sun, and Luna, the evil one chosen by the moon, perished."

"Five hundred eighty-nine years. Only about six centuries." Kellie corrected.

"Oh, what's millennium again?"

Headmaster Verkel sat down on the other bed beside her. "That was the second part. Don't you read books?"

"I read, of course." Adeleine rolled her eyes. "But not specifically history books. Fictional stories are more exciting. And I only took interest for affinity-related books."

"Well, in Celestial War I, Luna was banished for her misdeeds. The second Celestial War sparked from Luna's escape from her banishment, coming back to plague the land in darkness. She raised an army from the strayed people that are tainted, granting them abilities of their own to help her kill Astrea. They used to be called shadow-walkers back in the day, they're almost comparable to being called a witch. But now, they are referred as deviants. They're not ordinary letherians, you see." He propped his elbow on his crossed legs.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know. I've already heard this a lot from the villagers countless of times already. Some even had an even more twisted version of black-haired people."

"They were even called demons," he chuckled. "But you see, after the Celestial War, your kind developed and was able to build stronger fortresses. Even to the point of overtaking almost half of the land the empire used to own. And it was named Letheria. Some still cannot accept it and told that it is the land of demons. Also due to the potent of dark energy within that area that letherians are able to take it and the empire had a hard time fending them off."

"So, what's the point of telling me this? Is this what's the deal is all about?"

"You see, I'm not one for upholding traditions nor fighting for the sake of the empire. Just because two opposing celestials fought, doesn't mean I would go out my way into these shenanigans." He smiled albeit, his eyes flashed her a sense of hair-raising chill. "War is brutal. War is bloody. I see no sense in it other than both factions losing. That is the true nature of war. Even though there's no battles being fought currently due to the pact, there's a silent war cry from both the empire and Letheria from both poking and aggravating each other. People won't settle their differences that easily for peace. Peace is just an illusion made by papers and can never be truly achieved."

"So you're telling me that you just feel obligated to do your part? Is that what's your lengthy speech is all about?" she sarcastically intoned. "You seem to have a lot of fun pulling strings though."

"Well, I wouldn't do something that feels a bore. That—you are right. I do it because playing chess is an exhilarating activity. And also, some people think they could taunt me like that without any retaliation." He chuckled darkly.

Adeleine obsrved him with an empty expression. To compare war to chess, indeed accurate, but the cold and detached look he had to the pieces threw her off. She wouldn't be surprised if he views her as one of the pawns. Thinking about it, she already is one.

"Well, great, thanks for sharing your unnecessary cynical," she waved her hand, thinking of a word, "phisolo- bleh, philosophical point of view of the world. There's still sand in my mouth."

"And this bed is not comfortable as a sit," he commented as he leaned back, locking his fingers together. "However, I do found something quite…peculiar."

"What?"

"Letherian blood and Adhelian blood, they don't naturally mix. And a positive and positive wouldn't result to a negative either. So I was wondering if you're mother—"

"Stop. Right. There." She glowered and his smile curved further. "I don't want to hear it. Nothing that ever comes out of your mouth is useful so SHUT it. First my affinity, now my lineage. Does making my life miserable so fun to you?"

He chuckled.

"Of course! Yes, it does." She threw her hands in the air as she sarcastically bit.

"I'm questioning your facts, dearie. No need to get so worked up like Laya volcano during Firespring Festival."

"Well, thanks," she hissed. "Thanks to you my life is ruined! Thanks to you I'm stuck in this miserable hell-hole, stuck with a snake and many others that are out to get me! THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY LIFE FUCKING GREAT, YOU ASSHOLE SON OF A BITCH."

He hummed. "Language, dear! Is this what your mother has thought you?"

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING MY MOTHER HERE." Her red face close to his while she aggressively jabbed her finger. "SHE'S DEAD. SHE DIED BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE. SHE DIED THERE ALONE. SHE-" she paused, stepping back to take deep breathes, "she's gone. My life ended there." She buried her face in her palms. "I couldn't even help her. I couldn't be of any help to begin with."

The two watched as she quietly sobbed. Knees curled up on the bed, hugging herself close.

"She died there, while I lived. But she left me, and I didn't know what to do next," she muffled between sniffles.

Headmaster Verkel was stunned for a while before his lips settling to a thin line. Kellie patted the girl's back. Her wails turned louder as the lady consoled her.

"Did you say something?"

She replied in incoherent muffles.

"What?"

"I said I wanted chicken fillet!" The two sweatdropped at her odd wavering voice.

"That's enough for now, Verkel." Kellie looked at him disapprovingly. Then she turned towards the door's direction, "When will you enter?"

The door accidentally opened and two girls crashed on the floor. "Whaaaaat?" a young woman with poofy light-green hair exclaimed. Bridget, who was with her, squeaked at the sudden movement.

"It—it d-doesn't look what it looks like!" Bridget frantically waved her hands in attempt to explain. "We were just visiting a-and—"

"But we were definitely eavesdropping though!" the Ria contradicted her.

"We're so sorry!" Bridget bowed numerous times, embarrassed.

"Just- never mind." Headmaster Verkel swiftly stood up and walked towards the door. He held the doorknob and said, "Good day to you, ladies." Flashed a tight-lip smile and left.

"You can recuperate for the rest of the day. I'll inform your masters that you two are excused." Kellie told her but she remained quiet. "I'll visit later to give you chicken fillet."

Seconds passed as she remained still then she slowly nodded, head still buried.

"Alright." She stood up and left.

"Eh, what's with the foul mood? Smile, everyone! I'll be giving you sweets to brighten up your day!" Ria enthusiastically screamed.

"I- I don't think...it's the right time for that," Bridget whispered.

"Now pull that sour face," she grabbed Adeleine's face and squeezed her cheeks into a smile, "Let's celebrate with a bang!"

"Ria, p-please..."

"I'm not in the mood. Let me...g-go-!" Adeleine struggled free from the bubbly girl's tight chokehold.

"Ria! She- she can't breathe!"