Ch16 - One Last Slow Day

Mana fluttered and skipped around me like a little kid waking up their father. 

It seemed happy that I had finally awoken, once again I lay in the same room after every battle. 

My hands ran through my colorless gray hair, and my jade-like eyes peered out the window toward the blinding yet warm morning light. 

I was alone–it felt kind of lonely. 

No Professor Dunkirv, no 10+ messages from Lucas.

The only notifications I got were emails from the school. 

[Welcome incoming students. We're all glad to have you as a part of Novius Academy. We hope you enjoy your time here and grow into strong capable Awakeners.]

A simple introductory statement, that seemed to be typed up by some AI or something, so I just skimmed through the rest of it.

It was a lot of words, but basically, classes start tomorrow, and they showed the current rankings and or classes.

[S Class:]

[Lucien Polstrey - 1]

[Henry Vilhelm - 2]

[Lucas Shadowstorm - 3]

[Lily Feliehn - 4]

[Christina Vaskerville - 5]

[Arianna Lumenbreaker - 6]

[Maria Helunt - 7]

[Cale Feliehn - 8]

I had won the tournament, but I didn't really feel anything that special. 

It felt empty–quiet, the sound of the numbers slowly tuned themselves out after a while of spending time inside the axis. 

I slowly walked back to my dormitory, just a quiet, slow walk. It was peaceful, the sound of nature, the murmuring of academy students. 

I just put my head down and walked, something I had done for a while.

"Hah..."

The somewhat quaint dormitory of the first-year S class, at some point over these few couple of days, it started to feel like home. 

The door unlocked as I put my hand on the doorknob, it had automatically dedicated the band on my wrist.

The same protective bands they gave us during the tournament, it held a map, digital wallet, and the key to your dormitory. 

'Stupid point system, just use real money.'

I twisted the doorknob and opened the door...

"Congratulations!"

"Huh?"

My voice was low as I was just completely startled at the sight I saw. 

Everyone was standing around, talking and eating cake, and a big white and blue banner hung across the room.

'Congratulations on Rank 1'

"It seemed you guys started the party without me."

It amusingly said as I looked around at the entire S class.

Maria, Lily, and Arianna were conversing normally, talking about a multitude of things, but their main focus was on Maria–something about trying on new clothes. 

Cale sat close to them but not with them as he shoved cake down his mouth as if it was about to run away from him.

His white hair bobbing up and down as his bright golden eyes gleamed with newfound life.

"First time eating cake?"

"Nouh... Cough... No, but cake is precious to me, you know?"

Cale said whilst his eyes hardened and he looked off reminiscing, and yet his fork never stopped going up and down just a bit slower now. 

Henry leaned against the wall; his dark black hair seemed like a small abyss, and his piercing dark yellow eyes that contrasted Cale's locked onto me the moment I walked into the room. 

"I'll beat you next time, Lucien."

Beside him were Lucas and Christina talking about some strange thing, it was mostly Lucas flirting with both her and uh Henry somehow.

However, Henry just simply found it amusing as he smirked slightly being a quiet bystander reacting to Lucas' antics. 

Lucas' eyes snapped back to me as he finished his horrible pick-up line, he noticed my presence long ago but had his priorities straight.

"Ah, again congratulations. We had cake, but uh Cale kinda destroyed it already."

Eventually, Lucas convinced all of us to go out to the capital city, which I thought was a stupid idea, but I was somehow convinced. 

Don't question it. 

The night had just crept onto the city as we walked through the neighborhoods.

They were dimly lit by the streetlights, and the air was damp and cold, it felt refreshing as it blew past my face. 

'No wars, no fights, no demons, just life.'

Time wouldn't fasten or slow down. The arcs that were to come would come and the times I wanted to stand still wouldn't.

Lily, her white hair fluttering and whipping around in the wind, smiling ever so softly and yet so happily.

Maria, her short brown head jumping up and down in friendly anger as Lucas and Lily teamed up to tease her. 

Lucas, his devilish grin as his hands clawed at the air, making jokes about Maria's lack of height. 

Henry who walked like a fashion model, his hands tucked into his pockets and his hair blowing in the wind as he looked on with silent amusement. 

Arianna, Cale, and Christina walked beside them as I was following along just a couple of feet behind them. 

'Why would they do something so stupid? We just met a couple of days ago. I haven't even had a proper conversation with Arianna.'

And yet she was there congratulating me and smiling along with everybody else. 

I really did want time to slow down for a couple more moments and I looked upon this scene. It looked straight out of a photo, the smiles, the laughter, the beautiful faces. 

The dim lights and the dark atmosphere. 

I just looked at it in awe, I had no words–I was speechless.

Lucas' head turned back around at me as he noticed my distance.

"Ah, c'mon! This again? Lucien~ Stop being such a loner, would ya?"

'And of course, this idiot had to ruin it.'

"Hah... I'm coming. I'm coming."

I picked up my pace, as I crept up behind Lily slightly digging into her shoulders. 

"Lucien!"

'What am I doing? Am I a little kid?'

Heat slowly crept up in my head and quickly exclaimed something else.

"That's what you get for bullying little Maria."

"What do you mean little!?"

Maria's instantly yelped as she caught onto my words as Lucas, Lily, and I only laughed at her anger.

"It'll be fine. Lucas will treat you, don't worry."

"Huh, when did I agree to that?"

"Right now. Cmon you're a noble. You got me too, right?"

"Kids these days."

Arianna suddenly exclaimed as she was walking right behind us. 

I turned back around as we had reached the center of the capital, the concrete brick roads and the sound of water running as there was a fountain. 

[Space Magic: Teleport]

I instantly snapped behind Lucas and shoved him into the fountain with no hesitation at all. 

His clothes soaking wet, and his blackish-brown hair was damp. His eyes full of quiet anger yet a smile still remained on his face. 

"Oh, Cale~ Come give me a hug."

And for a moment, we weren't the Golden Generation.

The generation that had countless news articles and public fame. 

[The Strongest of The Strongest Generation? Lucien Polstrey has Appeared!]

[The Archer from The Slums. Hope for All Those in Poverty]

[The Genius Mage from The Feliehns, Lily Feliehn]

[Has The World's Balance Shifted?]

We didn't have the world's burden upon us, we weren't a part of the 11 Generals of Arceon, we weren't going to war. 

We were just kids. 

Burdenless, stupid kids. 

I had asked both Lucas and Cale their ages before death, Cale was fourteen while Lucas was seventeen. I was the oldest among them at eighteen. 

After hearing about Cale's life that night. All the transmigrators had three things in common, first, they read the novel, second, they were teenagers, and third, all their lives were absolutely horrible.

People who wouldn't be missed or feel regretful about the past. 

That was the type of people chosen to be 

extras.