The Smirk Of Survival

Roshan sat on his bed, flipping through a book on various magical disciplines and their intricacies, while Anos was in the corner of the room, practicing his fire magic. The soft crackle of flames filled the air, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Roshan glanced up occasionally, watching Anos with a mix of amusement and admiration.

"You're getting better at controlling the flames," Roshan remarked.

Anos grinned, his concentration never wavering. "Thanks! I'm trying to perfect this new spell. It's a bit tricky, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"I'll be heading to the library," Roshan said, standing up.

"Okay, I'll be waiting," Anos replied, continuing to practice his fire magic.

"I need some books on ice dragons," Roshan thought as he strode through the long hallway to the library in the middle of the night. He was relieved to find it empty, though he hadn't expected anyone to be there.

Roshan scanned the shelves until he found a book titled "All About the Ice Dragons." He picked it up and proceeded to sit down. In his previous life, the ice dragons were once the archenemies of the Slimes, but Roshan had ended the war by killing the dragon lord Leviatho. He hadn't expected them to return after his disappearance to destroy all Slimes. As he dropped the book on the table, his eyes turned red as he muttered, "Done." He quickly returned the book to the shelf. "These are fake," he said after dropping it.

Suddenly, Roshan sensed someone approaching and turned towards the door, only to see Professor Fiske entering the library. "Good evening, Professor. I was on my way out," Roshan said, starting towards the door. But Fiske closed it with a gesture.

"I'm sorry, Arcadian. We have something to discuss," Fiske said. He extended his palm, pushing at the air, which sent Roshan flying backward into the wall. The power of a void mage was formidable, controlling space and opening portals at will. "That was easy," Fiske said, walking towards Roshan, confirming he was unconscious. He then proceeded to slice off Roshan's head with a long sword from his waist. "Just to be sure," he muttered, storing Roshan's body in a subspace—a separate dimension where void mages could store things and retrieve them in the same condition. Suddenly, a portal opened behind him, and he stepped through with a triumphant smile. "The rat has been taken care of," he said as he appeared at the other end of the portal.

In the Dorm Room

Anos was still busy practicing his fire magic when the door suddenly opened. A boy with curly brown hair walked in. Standing at 6'1", he exuded an air of arrogance as he studied Anos for about thirty seconds. He proceeded to examine the room for another thirty seconds, muttering, "Such a shabby place. I wonder why I must live here with lowlifes."

Anos facepalmed. "Don't you guys ever get tired of all this crap you keep saying? And here I was hoping to meet a nice fella as a third roommate," Anos sighed.

"Are you talking to me?" the curly-haired boy said, walking closer to Anos while preparing an earth spell in his right hand. Anos activated a fireball in his left hand, startling the boy, who quickly composed himself and launched his earth spell. Rocks emerged from the ground, pouncing towards Anos, who dodged by flipping sideways and releasing the fireball towards the boy. The boy created a barrier of rocks to protect himself. As Anos prepared to launch another attack, the boy started laughing, a smile replacing his previous arrogance.

"Calm down, Anos. I'm kind of disappointed you don't even remember me," the boy said, facepalming.

"Uh...? Who... are you, and how do you know my name?" Anos asked.

"It's me, Branson Grey, the noble who stood up for a lowlife who couldn't cast his fire magic properly in a creampuff store eight years ago," Grey said with a smile.

"Uh... Grey?... How the hell are you so tall, and I can't even recognize your face anymore? Did puberty smile on you?" Anos asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, you can say so. It's been eight long years. It's not surprising you don't recognize me. Besides, I'm from another kingdom, y'know. I only visit occasionally," Grey said.

"Wow... I never thought I'd have two nice nobles as my dormmates," Anos said happily.

"A noble, huh? I thought you never liked nobles," Grey said.

"Well... both of you do like my creampuffs," Anos said, hinting at Grey to guess the name.

"Oh... Roshan, huh? It's been a long time... but right now, I got to crash. It's been a long journey from Elecsia to Valoria," Grey said, collapsing onto the bed.

An Hour Later

"Why isn't Roshan back?" Anos wondered worriedly to himself. It was already 12:55 AM. As he got up from the bed, deciding to search for Roshan in the library, the door suddenly opened, and Roshan stepped in, stretching.

"I learned a lot of things today," Roshan said, walking towards his bed and collapsing onto it.

Anos facepalmed. "Just teach me how to never get worried about you?" he muttered loudly.

The Next Morning

The next morning, Roshan, Anos, and Branson walked to their class together. The early morning sun cast a golden hue on the academy grounds, and students bustled around, engaged in animated conversations. As they walked, Roshan noticed Branson shooting disdainful glances at the ordinary students.

"You don't always have to look down on everyone, y'know?" Roshan asked, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"I'm sorry, it's just an old habit I haven't learned to get rid of," Grey replied.

Anos sighed, shaking his head. "Just try not to antagonize anyone, alright? We're all here to learn."

As they approached their classroom, Roshan spotted Professor Fiske in the hallway. A smirk played on Roshan's lips as he greeted him. "Good morning, Professor."

Fiske froze, his eyes widening in terror. "Roshan... you're... alive?" he stammered, his face pale.

Roshan's smirk widened. "Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Fiske took a step back, his confusion and fear evident. "But I... I..."

"Is something wrong, Professor?" Roshan asked, his tone calm and almost mocking.

Fiske forced a smile, though his eyes betrayed his panic. "N-no, nothing at all. Just... surprised to see you so early."

Roshan nodded, still smiling. "Well, I wouldn't want to miss any of your enlightening lectures."

As they entered the classroom, Anos whispered to Roshan, "What was that about?"

Roshan shrugged. "Nothing important. Just making sure the professor knows I'm still here."

Anos raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. He knew Roshan well enough to understand that when he chose to be vague, it was better not to pry.

In the Class

Once they were seated, Professor Fiske began the lesson, though his usual confident demeanor was noticeably shaken. Roshan watched him closely, enjoying the subtle tremors in his hands and the way his voice occasionally wavered.

Branson leaned over to Anos. "What's with Roshan and the professor? They seem... tense."

Anos glanced at Roshan, then back at Branson. "It's complicated. Let's just say they have a bit of history."

Branson snorted. "History, huh? Seems more like animosity."

"Maybe," Anos replied, keeping his voice low. "Just focus on the lesson."

As the class ended, Roshan, Anos, and Branson walked out together. Roshan spotted Elena Frost in the hallway, her expression unreadable. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, Roshan saw a flicker of something in her eyes—hesitation, perhaps even regret.

"Elena," Roshan called out, walking over to her.

She stiffened but didn't move away. "Roshan."

"I wanted to thank you for the duel the other day. It was... enlightening," Roshan said, his tone measured.

Elena's eyes narrowed slightly. "Enlightening how?"

"It showed me that there's always more to learn, more to understand about our abilities and ourselves," Roshan replied, watching her reaction carefully.

Elena nodded slowly. "Yes, well, I hope you continue to grow stronger. You'll need it."

Roshan smiled. "Oh, I plan to."

As he walked back to his friends, Roshan couldn't shake the feeling that Elena was hiding something. She had been ordered to kill him, he was sure of it. But why hadn't she? What had stopped her? He resolved to find out, even if it meant uncovering more secrets than he had anticipated.