Test (3)

Yulli let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Thanks, Hare, for, well… saving my skin."

Hare grinned, stretching her arms behind her head like it was just another Tuesday. "No problem. Bruce has been a pain in the ass, huh?"

"That's an understatement," Yulli muttered, rubbing his temples. "He's been on my neck recently—probably still salty about that duel last week." He shot her a knowing glance. "Must've hurt his ego."

"HAH!" Hare barked out a laugh, leaning back against the table with all the smug energy of a cat knocking something off a shelf. "And now he thinks he can put his fangs on my friends? Big mistake, asshole."

The way she cracked her knuckles sent a clear message: she was ready to throw hands.

Yulli quickly waved his hands in front of her like a human 'calm down' sign. "Hare. Hare, please. We just got out of combat training. Can we not start a real fight before lunch?"

"Don't worry," Eliches chimed in, lazily twirling his fork. "She only punches people when she's mad."

Hare smirked. "Who said I wasn't mad?"

Yulli groaned. "Oh, great. Guess I should start writing Bruce's obituary."

Hare dramatically cracked her neck, flexing like she was about to take on an entire army

Eliches took a bite of his food, unfazed. "Save some for the practical exam. We'd hate for Bruce to use 'Hare beat me up' as an excuse for failing."

She considered it. "Hmmm. Fair point."

Yulli exhaled in relief. Crisis averted.

Then, Eliches glanced around. "By the way, where's Muetaki? Wasn't he in your class as well?"

"Oh, he was," Hare said, waving a hand dismissively. "But you know how he is—a man of few words, many blades."

"Let me guess," Eliches drawled, "he ditched immediately?"

"He prefers his solitude," Hare explained. "Probably found some dark, brooding corner to sit in. Maybe polishing his sword dramatically while staring into the distance."

"Sounds about right," Yulli chuckled.

Muetaki wasn't the antisocial type, exactly. He just had an aura that screamed 'leave me alone'—which made it all the more impressive that the group had somehow managed to befriend him. He rarely spoke unless necessary, and when he did, it was usually short, direct, and painfully blunt.

But when things got rough? He was always there.

"Speaking of Muetaki," Hare nudged Yulli with her elbow, "don't you have the same class as him after this?"

"Oh, right," Yulli realized, glancing at the time. "I do. We should probably finish eating and head out."

Hare stretched, already looking restless. "Yeah, yeah. I'm heading to the dojo after this. Gotta get some practice in."

"What about you, Eliches?" Yulli asked.

Eliches sighed dramatically like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Home. My father requested my presence for a meeting at the cathedral."

Hare raised an eyebrow. Then smirked. "Heh. So typical for a Lionheart."

Eliches shot her an offended look. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

She just laughed, patting his shoulder like a proud older sibling. "You'll figure it out, rich boy."

Yulli chuckled as Eliches grumbled under his breath, poking at his food like it had personally wronged him.

Lunch continued with easy conversation, laughter breaking through the usual academic stress. Eventually, they got up one by one, stretching, gathering their things, and heading their separate ways.

Yulli pushed open the classroom door, the lingering scent of ink and old parchment mixing with the faint, ever-present scent of rain from outside. The lecture hall was a gothic relic—tall bookshelves, polished oak desks, and chandeliers flickering with gaslight. The air smelled of parchment, oil, and brass, crisp and orderly. Stained glass windows cast eerie colours on the marble floor, giving the room an almost holy stillness. Everything was spotless, demanding discipline from those who entered. The lecture hall was mostly filled, but he barely had to glance around before spotting him—Muetaki, hunched over in his usual seat, his presence as noticeable as a shadow in the corner of a dimly lit room.

The guy had a vibe. Not the brooding, tortured soul type, but the kind of person who just existed so quietly that people forgot he was there until he spoke—and by then, it was already too late.

Yulli approached and gestured toward the empty seat next to him. "This seat taken?"

Muetaki didn't look up, only let out a soft "Mmh," which, in his language, was an enthusiastic invitation.

Yulli took the seat, dropping his bag with a thud. "So, what'd you have for lunch?"

Silence.

Yulli waited, giving Muetaki a chance to actually answer.

More silence.

"…Cool. Sounds delicious," he muttered, deciding to let that conversation die a quiet death.

Minutes passed, and the professor finally arrived, draped in heavy robes that made him look like he had stepped out of some ancient scroll. The lecture dragged on, a dull hum of words about mana flow, energy conservation, and the upcoming practical exam

Thirty minutes in, some students were already nodding off, their heads bobbing like puppets with cut strings. Yulli, though—he was listening. Or, at the very least, staring at the professor with just enough intensity to make it seem like he was listening. Muetaki? He just sat there, looking completely unaffected by the passage of time, existence, and possibly even life itself.

Then, the professor clapped his hands together. "That's enough for today."

Yulli perked up, but his stomach twisted when the professor continued, "Next week is your practical exam. For this class, the requirement is simple—you must demonstrate mana manipulation."

His fingers tensed against the desk. Mana manipulation. The foundation of everything. The absolute basic requirement for any student here. It is exactly what it sounds like, manipulating mana around your body- that's the basic

And Yulli still hadn't awakened his mark.

A hand shot up from the back of the class. The universe had a way of making bad situations worse, and unfortunately, its chosen instrument of suffering was Bruce

"Sir," Bruce drawled, a smug grimace plastered across his face. "What happens if someone… fails to do it?"

A dumb question with an obvious answer.

"You fail," the professor said plainly. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Bruce replied, dragging out the words with exaggerated innocence. Then, with the grace of a man who had never known shame, he slowly turned his head toward Yulli. "I was just wondering… because a certain someone has been struggling to awaken his mark for a while now."

A few students chuckled under their breath. Others whispered. Yulli sat still, gripping the edge of his desk so hard his knuckles turned white.

Glass cracking. Water overflowing.

He knew Bruce was trying to get under his skin—he always was. He knew taking the bait would just give him exactly what he wanted. But knowing something and actually following through on it were two different things

Yulli's patience was hanging by a thread, and it was about to snap

Before he could say or do something that would make his mother incredibly disappointed in him, a voice cut through the tension like a dagger through silk.

"Hey, buffoon," Muetaki said flatly. "We're in the middle of class. Stop asking stupid questions. Some of us want to go home."

The room went dead silent.

Bruce, caught completely off guard, blinked. Then his face twisted with barely contained rage. "What did you just say, you little—"

The chair scraped against the floor as he shot up. His muscles tensed, his hand curling into a fist, ready to throw hands. Muetaki, to his credit, didn't even flinch—his fingers merely drifted toward the hilt of the dagger at his waist, and for the first time all class, his expression shifted. Slightly.

The shift wasn't much, but it was dangerous

Bruce moved first.

Or at least, he tried.

"Enough."

The professor's voice was calm, but the air around them turned suffocatingly heavy. Bruce and Muetaki froze mid-motion, their limbs locking in place like invisible chains had snapped around them.

The professor raised his hand, two fingers pointing upward while the rest curled into his palm. A sealing technique.

"There will be no violence in my class," he said, voice ringing with absolute authority. "Unless you'd like to spend the rest of the day cleaning the dirt behind the school on discipline?"

The two hesitated—then, slowly, the professor lowered his fingers, releasing them from the invisible grip. Bruce clenched his jaw, nostrils flaring, but he knew better than to push his luck.

Muetaki, as expected, didn't react at all.

"Tch." Bruce scoffed, throwing one last glare at Yulli before dropping back into his seat. "Just you wait," he muttered under his breath.

Class ended shortly after, but Yulli knew this wasn't over.

If Bruce was this pissed off already, there was no way he'd let things slide.

The fight was coming. It was just a matter of when.

The air was heavy, the setting sun casting long shadows over the academy grounds.

Yulli exhaled, exhaustion settling in. "Today was a long day—"

And, as if summoned by fate itself, a voice tore through the evening.

"YULLI!"

The name rang out like a war horn, and suddenly, all eyes were on him. A cold weight settled in his stomach as he turned, already knowing who it was.

Bruce.

The bastard stormed toward him, broad-shouldered and looming, his greatsword slung over his back. The bandage on his nose—a lingering gift from Hare—only made his scowl look meaner.

"Where's that bitch Stark?" The words were sharp, slicing through the murmuring crowd.

Yulli's fingers twitched. A crack in the glass. But he swallowed the heat rising in his chest. "I haven't seen her after lunch." A lie, but a necessary one.

Bruce tilted his head, sneering. "Huh? You two are friends, right? Shouldn't you know where she's hiding?"

"I… I really don't know."

Bruce scoffed, shaking his head. "Figures. She's using you, mate. A royal brat like her? She's just keeping you around to make herself look good. Typical."

Yulli clenched his jaw. That wasn't true. Hare wasn't like that. But Bruce wasn't done.

"You must feel real special, huh? Having two royal families propping you up? Ridin' their fame like a parasite?"

Yulli's nails dug into his palm. His patience stretched thinner, dangerously close to snapping.

Muetaki, standing beside him, glanced down—Yulli's hand was gripping so tight it might start bleeding.

Bruce rolled his shoulders, turning away. "Eh, whatever. I'll deal with her tomorrow. Should be fun."

Yulli almost let out a breath of relief. Almost.

Then Bruce tossed one final dagger over his shoulder.

"I can't wait to break that pretty face of hers. Maybe she'll start begging me for mercy. Bet she'd look real nice on her knees, kissing my boots."

Glass shattered.

Yulli stepped forward before he even realized it, voice rising. "HEY, ASSHOLE!"

Bruce actually paused, caught off guard for a second.

Yulli's breath was sharp, anger surging past fear. "Take that back!"

Bruce turned fully, grin widening. "Oh? Looks like you finally grew a pair."

Yulli's heart pounded. He was terrified. But he stood firm. "Don't talk like that about Hare."

Bruce clicked his tongue, cracking his knuckles. "If you're so desperate to defend her, how about this—"

He leaned in, eyes glinting. "You take her place."

Yulli's blood ran cold. "What…?"

"You know the rules. A duel."

Silence. The students watching sucked in their breath.

"But school's over," Yulli argued, voice wavering. "Without a professor, that's—"

Bruce chuckled, dark and amused. "Who said anything about an official duel?"

Yulli stiffened.

Laughter rippled through Bruce's group. The bystanders exchanged uneasy glances. Rumors of these fights existed, whispered between students—the ones that happened outside academy grounds, where the professors wouldn't interfere.

Bruce grinned. "Follow me if you've got the guts." He turned, walking off. "Or don't. But if you don't show, I'll take it as an answer."

He gestured toward Yulli's white hair. "And let's just say… she won't be the only one getting hurt."

Yulli's body went rigid.

His feet wanted to move, but before he could, Muetaki's hand gripped his wrist. "Yulli. Don't."

Yulli turned, but Muetaki's voice was firm, serious. "Don't entertain this. You're not on his level. And this won't be a fair fight."

Yulli swallowed, his anger clashing with reason.

"There's nothing for you to prove."

Yulli looked down—his whole life, he had been protected. By Hare, by Elchies, by Muetaki.

He didn't want to be protected anymore.

His voice was quiet but certain. "But I have to prove something. To myself."

Muetaki was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

Yulli nodded. "Then let's go."

The two followed Bruce into the dark.