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Chapter 6 - The Cornered Fox

The academy gardens were quiet at night. Lanterns lined the stone paths, their flames swaying with the cool wind. Most students were asleep, but one pair of footsteps disturbed the stillness.

Asher Ernstein walked at his usual unhurried pace, hands in his pockets, glasses catching the faint glow of the lamps. His hair was as ruffled as always, his back slouched, his expression unreadable.

He knew he wasn't alone.

Lilith Veyra stepped out from behind the hedges, blocking his path. Her violet hair shimmered faintly under the moonlight, and her red eyes burned with determination.

"That's far enough," she said.

Asher stopped, tilting his head slightly. "…Miss Veyra."

"Don't act like you didn't know I was there." She crossed her arms. "You've been ignoring me long enough. Tonight, you'll answer my questions."

His gaze dropped briefly to the ground, then back up. He pushed his glasses higher on his nose. "Questions?"

"Don't play dumb." Her voice trembled—not with fear, but with anger. "In the dungeon… that monster should have killed me. Instead, I woke up in the infirmary. The staff said no one saw anything. But I know someone saved me."

"You're lucky, then." His reply was flat.

"No." She took a step closer. "I saw him. Just for a moment. Blue eyes. No glasses. Not the weak boy everyone laughs at." Her breath quickened. "It was you, Ernstein. Wasn't it?"

Silence stretched between them. The leaves rustled. A lantern crackled.

Finally, Asher chuckled—quiet, almost mocking. "You give me too much credit."

"Don't lie to me."

He looked at her properly this time, his gaze sharp behind the glass. "And if I was your savior? What then? Will you bow? Will you stop bothering me every morning?"

Her lips parted, but no words came.

"Miss Veyra," he continued softly, "sometimes it's better to believe in luck than to dig for truths you can't handle."

Her fists clenched. "So you admit it."

"I said no such thing."

She stepped closer again, so close she could feel the faint chill that seemed to radiate from him. "You can push everyone else away with half-hearted words and silence, but not me. I'll find out who you really are, Ernstein. I swear it."

Asher studied her for a long moment, then gave a faint smile that never reached his eyes. "Do what you want. Just don't get in my way."

He brushed past her, his shoulder grazing hers. For a heartbeat, she thought she felt something cold sink into her skin, like a shadow brushing against her soul.

Lilith turned, watching him walk into the night.

As she blinked, she completely lost sight of him.

"Huh ?!...", she blinked in surprise. 

This was the first time she actually watched him leave. Every other night she would give up on watching him as he walked into the darkness every night. But this night, as she stared deeper into the darkness she knew for sure that he just disappeared. To where, she did not know. She couldn't even think of where to start looking from. 

She decided to retire for the night.

*****

"Zzzz....tzzzz....zzzzzzt..."

Lightning sparked through the deep, large hallway of the dungeon's fourth floor. The bolts being as thick as one's finger threatened to tear through Asher's skin as it rushed towards him as if the bolts themselves were alive. Asher's glowing blue katana flashed under the light of the mana crystals (This is not the sword that Asher uses during classes).

"ROAAAAAR!!"

The monster's roar echoed through the dungeon sending little vibrations through the dungeon walls. Streaks of lightning escaped its mouth as it roared.

Asher held his sword in front of him, his expression deadpan. A wave of purple flashed through his blue eyes as he took in a deep breath. A sudden purple wave flashed around his entire body, little sparks of black lightning accompanying it.

"Abyssal Arts: Physical Enhancement"

"Dark Shadow Style: Striking Shadow"

A black line sped forward, past the lightning monster, leaving the aftershadow of its straight movement and sword strikes which tore apart the bolts of lightning shot at him.

He made a quick movement with his sword wiping off the blod trails on it. At the same time the monster divided in two its blood spilling across the floor.

Asher walked over to its corpse and picked up the monster's core. He dropped the tenth monster core in his satchel.

"That should be enough for today." he said as he turned around to return back to the entrance. Those guys all behave the way I predicted they would, he said to himself. Vale and Veyra seem to be able to see through the cracks I left in my act. I'd expect nothing less of mages with high potential.

*****

"Hey, Lauren," a female voice called out.

"Yeah, Ashley ?" the second girl said.

"When do you think he's gonna talk to us again?"

"Soon, Ashley. Soon."

Lauren Hi'orei was the president of the Student Union in the Hunter Academy. This meant she was above all the other students and held respect amongst all the instructors.

She was of average height, her body being exceedingly more blissful than other girls her age. Her facial beauty was none to reckon with in the whole academy. Her hair was packed into a ponytail that reached her waist, save for one bang draping across her left eye. These features alongside her power and her gentle, kind but strict personality earned her the nickname, "The goddess", amongst the students.

Next to her, atop the roof of the school building, was Ashley Hi'orei. Her body had lesser curves than her sister Lauren but her beauty was a good match. Her shoulder length hair seemed to fit her stature and it elevated her beauty, draping across her left eye. She also looked like a certain someone.

"Let him have fun." Lauren added. "Let's head back down, I'm done gazing at the sky."

"Me too. Let's go."

As the two girls walked down the hallway, the attracted the gazes of others, mostly guys. There was a certain air around them. Plus, they were Hi'orei—the highest nobles, seccond only to the royals.

Hi'orei were actually not supposed to be inside that building. Especially not if she was the President. The Hi'orei in the academy always trained seperately, in another part of the academy, regardless of class.

Today, these two Hi'orei were searching through the people in the hallway as they passed. They held no regard for the gazes shot at them but instead, they seemed to be searching for someone as they passed by.

"Hmm...."

Lauren spotted a pair of glasses hidden behind a group of four. As she looked through the glasses she met the blue eyes of the owner gazing back at her. She smiled softly—what the students saw as heavenly—as she whispered to Ashley.

"Found him."

"Yeah... me too." Ashley whispered back, new found joy evident on her face.

They soon exited the building.

"Guys...", Ronan called out to them."...I think the president just smiled at me." he continued.

"Yeah, right." exclaimed Kael.

"No comment." Iris said softly.

"I'd bet my left eye that it wasn't you." Selene said mockingly.

"Yes, it was. You guys are all jerks. What do you think, Asher?" Ronan asked.

"Mm..."

"THAT'S NOT EVEN AN ANSWER!!!" Ronan yelled, causing the 

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