Chapter 21: A new Challenge
Arashi moved silently through the academy's empty hallway, his footsteps barely echoing against the polished marble floor.
Classes had just been dismissed, and the usual bustling corridors had emptied as students rushed to the cafeteria.
It was lunch time—the perfect opportunity for clandestine meetings.
Most students were huddled in study corners, frantically preparing for the upcoming assessment.
A test shrouded in mystery that had left even the brightest minds scrambling for information.
The nervous energy permeating the academy suited Arashi's purposes perfectly; distracted students meant fewer prying eyes.
He stopped mid-stride in a secluded alcove—a deliberate blind spot where the academy's vigilant eyes couldn't reach.
The shadows seemed to deepen around him as he stood motionless, his senses alert to the subtle footfalls that had been trailing him for the past ten minutes.
"How long do you plan on stalking me?" he whispered,
His voice carrying an undercurrent of certainty that indicated he'd been aware of his follower all along.
A figure materialized from the shadows as if conjured by his words.
The familiar girl who appeared wore a mischievous grin, but something was different.
Her once silver hair had been transformed into a striking sky-blue short hair that accentuated her vibrant green eyes and playful demeanor.
"Boo...woo, you are no fun at all," she pouted dramatically, feigning disappointment.
"You call me a stalker after you invited me to come meet you alone." Her eyes danced with amusement as she leaned against the wall.
She was maintaining a calculated distance between them.
'I hoped you wouldn't make this weird. I told her to meet at lunch, not to follow me around like a phantom,' Arashi thought, his expression betraying nothing of his inner monologue.
Ignoring her provocative remark, he calmly asked, "Anyway, did you get what I asked for?" His voice remained level.
But there was an underlying tension that suggested the importance of her answer.
"Did you have to ask?" She grinned, her confidence palpable.
"I wouldn't pass up the chance to join the infamous House Kurobane." She moved toward him with practiced grace.
She was closing the gap between them until he could see the flecks of gold hidden in her green irises.
She leaned in closer still, her face inches from his, her eyes studying him intently as if searching for a reaction—any crack in his composed facade.
"So am I in or what?" she whispered, her breath warm against his cheek.
Arashi remained impassive, seemingly unaffected by her proximity.
His eyes, dark and calculating, met hers without wavering. "Well of course," he replied coolly. "I never go back on my word. You're in..."
He stepped back slightly, preparing to leave.
Then paused to add with deliberate emphasis, "That makes four members now."
His words hung in the air between them as he turned and walked away, leaving Selene frozen in place, her confident smile faltering momentarily.
"Four members... Four members," his last words echoed through Selene's mind as she processed their meaning.
Suddenly, her eyes widened with understanding, a spark of realization illuminating her features.
'Four members, I see that's your play. And I was starting to get confused for no reason.'
A satisfied smile spread across her face as she turned to walk in the opposite direction, a new spring in her step.
House Kurobane—or as it was known in hushed whispers, the House of Shadows.
It was known to have swelled to more than twenty members, making it one of the most formidable and recognizable factions within the academy.
Its growing numbers had garnered attention from students and faculty alike.
Or so everyone thought. The numbers had indeed increased, but Arashi harbored other plans.
Out of all twenty members who claimed allegiance to the House.
Only four had met Arashi's exacting standards—four who truly understood what it meant to belong to the shadows.
And that realization made Selene inexplicably happy.
After his fruitful discussion with Selene, Arashi made his way toward the cafeteria, his mind already plotting the next moves in his intricate game.
As he approached a corner in the corridor, his instincts flared.
Someone was waiting there—someone who had deliberately positioned themselves in his path. Their aura was familiar, tinged with purpose and determination.
'Interesting. I wonder who that could be,' he mused. 'Should I pretend I didn't notice them?'
Deciding to maintain his facade of ignorance, Arashi continued walking at an unhurried pace.
As he rounded the corner, he found himself about to collide with a familiar silver-haired girl.
But in the fraction of a second before they made contact, his hand moved with lightning reflexes.
His index finger pressed gently but firmly against her forehead, maintaining a precise distance between them.
"It's been a while... What a surprise," he said, his tone laced with mock astonishment.
"I never thought you were the aggressive type." The corners of his mouth curved into a subtle smirk as he withdrew his hand and slipped it casually into his pocket.
Standing before him was Ilyana, the silver-haired beauty whose reputation as a prodigy preceded her wherever she went.
Something in her demeanor had shifted since their last encounter—a new confidence, a sharper edge to her already formidable presence.
"That couldn't have happened if you weren't avoiding me," she replied, her piercing gaze never leaving his face.
'So she noticed and decided to take a direct approach,' Arashi thought. 'But there's something different about her now. Something has changed.'
"What made you think that?" he asked, feigning genuine surprise, his eyes widening slightly in a calculated display of innocence.
"There were some things I was looking into, and I finally learned a bit of the truth," she explained,
Her voice carrying a newfound confidence. "I'm part of the school's exceptions now. I'm sure you know what that means." Her statement hung between them like a challenge.
'And whenever I tried to approach you when you were alone, you always disappeared without a trace—like a shadow,' she thought privately, studying his features for any reaction to her news.
The school's exceptions—a select group of extraordinarily talented individuals who were granted unprecedented freedom within the Arcane Academy for possessing capabilities that surpassed even those of graduates.
This elite circle typically consisted of third-year students, but Ilyana had become an exception among exceptions—the youngest ever to join their ranks.
'She is one of the ten,' Arashi noted. 'She has the freedom to do whatever she wants—skip classes, leave the academy at her discretion, access restricted areas.'
"And what does that have to do with me?" he asked, his voice betraying nothing of his inner calculations.
"I found something that might..." She paused, clearly retracting her initial words.
Her eyes flickered briefly, revealing that she was reconsidering her approach. "No, I KNOW it's something you'll definitely find interesting, so I want to make a deal."
The proposal was delivered with the confidence of someone holding a winning hand.
Her eyes studied him intently, waiting for the slightest reaction.
A twitch, a change in breathing, anything that might betray his interest in her mysterious offer.
'A deal, huh? With me,' Arashi thought. 'So she disappeared for weeks and returns to propose a deal. Intriguing.'
"What gave you the idea that I need information?" he replied coolly.
"I'm sure you must have the wrong person." Without another glance, he stepped around her and continued walking down the corridor, leaving her behind.
Ilyana remained where she stood, watching his retreating figure with a faint smile of amusement playing on her lips.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, a calculating gleam replacing her earlier intensity.
After these two unexpected but curiously timed encounters, Arashi finally reached the cafeteria.
The vast space hummed with the usual lunchtime cacophony—clinking utensils, animated conversations, and the occasional burst of laughter.
"You know, Arashi, you really are something," Kaito remarked as they sat at a table in the school's luxurious cafeteria.
His tone suggested both admiration and mild exasperation.
Ayame sat quietly beside Arashi, her presence subtle yet vigilant, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.
Arashi, unfazed by the compliment, took a deliberate bite of his salad, savoring the fresh ingredients as if he had all the time in the world.
"Never thought you'd get the teachers involved in all this," Kaito continued, leaning forward slightly.
"Just how far have you planned for this?" His voice lowered to prevent their conversation from reaching unwanted ears.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Arashi replied calmly, his expression giving nothing away.
"Tell us," a familiar voice cut through the air like a blade, causing several nearby students to fall silent.
"Surely I'm not the only one curious."
The voice belonged to Elias, who approached Arashi's table with measured steps, his lackies flanking him like obedient sentinels.
Pride and arrogance emanated from his posture as he walked, yet his eyes remained carefully fixed on Arashi, studying him with undisguised interest.
The room's atmosphere shifted instantly. Conversations died mid-sentence as students turned to watch.
Anticipation hanging thick in the air. Everyone expected some form of confrontation—perhaps even a challenge—yet surprisingly, Elias simply pulled out a chair at Arashi's table and sat down.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Elias asked, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"This setup looks too interesting to pass up." His casual tone belied the tension crackling between them.
No one at the table replied. The silence stretched uncomfortably as Elias's lackies stood rigid beside him.
Their faces burning with barely contained rage at seeing their leader so blatantly ignored.
"Why are you just standing there?" Elias addressed one of his followers without taking his eyes off Arashi.
"Get us some food, will you? My treat, of course." The order was delivered with such casual disdain that it seemed to lower the temperature in the already chilled atmosphere.
The silence deepened as the lackey hesitated, clearly torn between his pride and his loyalty to Elias.
The cafeteria had gone completely quiet now, every eye fixed on their table, every ear straining to catch what might happen next.
Arashi slowly set down his fork, the soft clink against his plate sounding unnaturally loud in the silence.
His eyes, previously downcast, rose to meet Elias's challenging gaze. The air between them seemed to compress and vibrate with unspoken tension.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the cafeteria doors burst open.
A breathless student stumbled in, his face pale with shock. Blood trickled from a cut above his eyebrow as he struggled to form words.
When he finally spoke, his voice cracked with fear:
"They're here... The Academy is under attack!"