After the chilling revelation about the missing second-years and the tragedy of the Gauntlet, Yue simply looked at us, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a somber seriousness. "Just prepare for your training tomorrow," he stated, his voice firm, his gaze sweeping over us with a new, heavy weight. With that, he turned and left for his room, his footsteps echoing in the sudden quiet.
The remaining first-years sat in stunned silence, the weight of Yue's words pressing down on us. I turned to Henry, compelled to ask about his brother. For the first time since I'd known him, the guarded, detached Henry seemed to shed his armor, and he spoke, truly spoke, not with his usual clipped responses, but with genuine, raw emotion.
"My brother," Henry began, his voice soft, almost a whisper, fragile with unshed tears. "He was born with the Necro Bind, a very rare, almost forbidden power. From a young age, he was always trained privately by our father, Headmaster Gallahad. He never really had any friends, just me, his little brother. His world was small, confined by his power, and by the fear of what he was. He was always... different." A deep sadness clouded his eyes. "Until he came to this academy. He'd sometimes write me, telling me how much he loved the Dolorian Dorm, and his seniors and peers. It felt like he'd finally found a home, a place where his power wasn't feared, but understood. He found his family here." Henry's voice cracked slightly, a raw edge of pain and longing. "I was really glad, seeing my brother happy, truly happy for the first time."
"At the time the Gauntlet ended," Henry continued, his voice gaining a grim edge as he recalled the horror, "I came to see him with my father. But it turned into a nightmare of chaos, just like Yue described. The first-years stumbled out, their eyes blank, some screaming about the darkness, about 'him' coming. My father took care of every student, frantic and desperate, and he's still looking for my brother, but Louis never came out of that portal. He just... vanished, swallowed by the Gauntlet." Henry's gaze dropped, his shoulders slumping slightly with the weight of memory. "My father, at home, he grew so frustrated, so consumed by grief and guilt. He sometimes locks himself in his room, convinced that my brother's disappearance is his fault, a burden he carries every day. And for that reason," Henry looked up, his eyes hardening with a fierce, unwavering resolve, "I joined this academy. To find my brother. Nothing else. This is my only purpose here. I have to know what happened to him, what's truly inside that Gauntlet."
His eyes, raw with a desperate hope, pleaded with me. "The time is near, so I hope we can make it. We have to make it, Venator."
"Yes," I said, my voice firm, my own resolve hardening, meeting his gaze. "We're going to find your brother, Henry. We will. I promise." The words felt heavy, a sacred vow.
For the first time, Henry's stern features softened completely, breaking into a genuine, tear-filled smile that transformed his entire face, making him look younger, vulnerable. He even shed a few quiet tears, unashamed, letting them track paths through the grime of his earlier tension. "I know now why my brother loves Dolorian," he said, his voice thick with raw emotion, a profound gratitude in his eyes.
Jove, who had been listening intently, his usual boisterousness utterly subdued, dramatically burst into tears, sobbing openly, his usual antics completely overshadowed by the profound moment. "Oh, Henry!" he wailed, his voice thick. "Your poor brother! We will find him! That's what Dolorians do!" Gianna immediately hugged him, comforting him with a gentle, warm embrace, her eyes glistening with sympathy. Even Yor, typically so stoic, wrapped an arm around Henry, a rare, almost tender display of empathy that spoke volumes. "We are family," she stated, her voice flat but firm, her gaze meeting mine with a shared determination. "We will not leave one of our own behind." We were seeing the real Henry for the very first time, his raw vulnerability binding us all closer, forging an unbreakable core within our misfit family.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the dining hall, Selyra was openly crying, tears streaming down her face, her usual seductive composure completely shattered by the raw emotion. "How beautiful," she sobbed, looking at us, her voice thick with emotion, overwhelmed by the emotional scene. Thoden, ever practical, moved with his usual efficient stride, gently but firmly taking her arm and guiding her out of the dining hall, Selyra still sobbing softly. "They need their own time," he muttered, giving us a knowing look, his gaze holding a rare flicker of understanding. "Leave them."
That night, for the first time, we truly talked, all of us, the air thick with shared vulnerability and burgeoning trust. We learned that Jove had been scouted by the royal guard because he'd apparently been stealing bread for fun from their heavily guarded headquarters, a chaotic game of cat and mouse that the royal guard simply couldn't keep up with. King Seraph's son, Xerox Galegaard, had finally caught him and, in exasperation, thrown him into the academy. We all laughed, imagining the chaotic chase, the sheer audacity of it. We also learned about Yor, who confessed to spending her life chasing the shadow of her twin brother, Yan, a quiet burden she had carried, always striving to match his prowess. And Gianna, her voice soft and vulnerable, revealed her own insecurities, sharing how she felt every man only wanted her body, a fear that resonated with a quiet sadness. We laughed, we listened, and with every shared story, every unveiled vulnerability, we grew closer, the bonds of our misfit family tightening into something unbreakable.
As I walked down the hall with Gianna later that night, I squeezed her hand, a comfortable warmth spreading between our palms. "I really love this dorm," I confessed, the words feeling utterly true. "Me too," she replied, her voice soft, and we shared a tender kiss, her lips a gentle, reassuring press against mine, before heading to my room.
To my surprise, Selyra was already there, lounging on my bed in her nightgown, her presence a sudden, alluring warmth in the room. My body, despite the late hour, responded instantly to her presence. "Hey!" Gianna scolded, a playful pout on her lips. "It's my turn today!" "Just for today, share him, okay?" Selyra pleaded, her eyes wide, her voice a soft, persuasive purr. "When we start Gauntlet training, we won't have time for this, you know." Gianna, seeing the logic in Selyra's argument and perhaps sensing her senior's playful determination, simply surrendered with a sigh. And so, that night, we found ourselves intertwined, a new dynamic unfolding between the three of us. I kept both of them occupied, my attention shifting between them, moving tirelessly through waves of shared intimacy. By the end, however, I was the one who was utterly exhausted. They, seemingly boundless in their affection, continued to lavish attention upon me, their soft sighs and whispers a constant presence around me. I couldn't even move, simply lay there, lost in the sensations and the sounds of their contentment above me.
The next morning, it was the usual routine: a shared bath, breakfast, and then training. For an entire week, this became our new reality. Yue, Thoden, and Selyra put us through brutal drills. We were always back in the dorm, utterly exhausted. The nights were for collapsing into sleep, too spent for anything else, even the shared intimacy that had become so central to my days.
Thoden's punches, particularly those aimed at the gut, were somehow just like Gustav's—a deep, sickening thud that left my diaphragm screaming and my bones rattling. Jove, on his first day, almost fainted from the sheer intensity, his face pale and clammy. "It's hell," Jove gasped to us, his voice raw, as we lay there, aching and bruised, our muscles screaming in protest, collectively beaten up after another grueling session. Our training routine was relentless, a daily cycle of breaking down and rebuilding. Mornings began with grueling calisthenics in the cavernous common room, followed by weapon drills that left our arms burning. After a quick, often silent, lunch, we'd move to sparring sessions with Yue and Thoden, their elemental binds forcing us to push beyond our limits. Yue's wind whips and Thoden's fiery fists were a constant, painful reminder of the gap between us. Evenings were dedicated to strategy, poring over maps and discussing theoretical scenarios, though most of us were too exhausted to fully absorb the information. We'd collapse into our beds, muscles screaming, minds numb, only to wake and repeat it all again. It was a hellish grind, but with every bruise and every aching muscle, the conviction to find Louis grew stronger, a silent, shared resolve.