Chapter 194: Uneasy News
Kai stared at the incoming group with a pounding heart.
But as the group drew closer, he was relieved to see that there were no Layra or familiar faces at all among the students from the Aurelian Academy who had come. Kai didn’t know any of them, which should be a good thing.
Or at least it should be a good thing, but the hollowness inside his chest said otherwise.
He didn’t really want to meet any of them, yet his body reacted differently from his mind.
"None of your friends?" Bree asked.
"No," Kai shook his head. "As you said, there are many other students."
Just like earlier, the senior greeted the Aurelian Academy group that was led by a guy called Sabas. He’s a Supernal of Cerberus, which explains why his eyes are glowing crimson—and his presence alone radiates heat.
Kai had faced a Supernal of Cerberus before, and it wasn’t something fun.
He only hoped that Sabas had no ties with Cerberus from the Blood Rite.
As expected, the three of them are all High Angels. Only High Angels who had a colored Halo would be able to endure the corruption inside the Sky Gate. Since the academies did not want to risk losing a new Angel, only the capable ones were sent.
Kai was the outlier.
Not only could he endure the corruption with his Halo, but he’s now also resistant to it.
Once Asher told them to gear up as they were about to move soon, Sabas turned towards the tent and stopped when his eyes met Kai’s. Even with the mask on, he seemed to recognize Kai, which should be impossible.
Unless he has already gained information regarding the group sent by the Eventide Academy.
"Oh, shit!" Sabas pointed at Kai and approached. "Are you the Lesser Angel?"
"Do I know you?’
"You don’t know me, but I certainly know you. The Phantom of Ixos, am I right?"
Bree chuckled when she heard what Sabas said.
She knew that Kai hated that nickname, but it was already out there, and he couldn’t erase it.
"Nice to meet you, bro." Sabas reached out his hand for a handshake, and Kai accepted it even though he was a bit hesitant. "I heard a lot of things about you. Many freshmen in my academy knew you right about now."
Another student also emerged from behind Sabas when he heard the commotion.
"It’s the Lesser Angel?" He asked, looking at Sabas while pointing at Kai.
"Yeah, it’s him."
"Holy shit. It’s actually the Lesser Angel. You claimed all three titles; that’s damn impressive."
"Of course, he did. He practically saved Class 1-B from dying in the Blood Rite."
"Excuse me," Kai tilted his head, intervening in their hype. "Did someone talk about me?"
"Yeah, many talked," Sabas nodded; a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Aaran, Namira, and plenty of people from Class 1-B wouldn’t shut up about you. How you beat and absorbed them into your team, then went toe-to-toe with the enemy’s empowered High Angel. Despite that, you came out on top."
He shook his head. "You’re basically a one-man army, dude."
"Oh," Bree leaned forward, eyes flashing with excitement. "Tell me more."
Even though Dorian talked about what happened in the Blood Rite, it’s not complete.
He never went into the details.
Bree did not know how Kai eventually dominated the other two teams—only the fact that he did. So, she was quite excited to learn that Kai absorbed the team from the Aurelian Academy. It’s her chance to know more.
But Kai quickly shut that down.
"I think that’s enough talking about me." Kai placed an arm before Bree and pushed her back.
She pouted and crossed her arms in response, yet he didn’t care.
"It’s nice to meet you, too." He said—stepping aside to make way. "But I’m afraid we do not have much time for a talk. Go ahead and gear up."
"Sure thing." Sabas and his friends walked past.
He didn’t forget to tap Kai’s shoulder as a sign of acknowledgment for his strength.
Just as they were a few steps away, Kai suddenly asked, "Did Layra also talk about me?"
"Hmm?" Sabas stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Yes, she talked about you a lot."
"How... How is she?’
"..."
Kai’s brows dropped further as he pivoted his body to face Sabas, only to find him and his friends wearing troubled expressions that made his pulse quicken. Expressions that he didn’t want to see when he was talking about Layra.
"What’s wrong?" He pressed. "I asked you how she is."
Sabas offered a faint, careful smile. And so do the other two students.
"I don’t think it’s our place to talk about her," Sabas said. "Come by the academy. It’s best for you to find out for yourself."
Once he said that, Sabas and his friends went inside the tent.
They left Kai simmering in uncertainty.
What can possibly happen to Layra to make it not their place to tell me about her?
"Who’s Layra?" Bree asked after a silent pause.
"Just..." Kai let out a deep breath. "Just someone I know from the Blood Rite."
After meeting Sabas and his friends, Kai and Bree sat down with the seniors and Barbara near the boiling pot. Even though the thought of Layra still lingered in his mind, Kai tried to focus on the moment.
Now that they were gathered, Asher took this chance to explain.
Explain the reason why they weren’t moving yet.
And the reason for it was quite simple—because it was still too early in the morning.
At dawn—when the sun peeks from the horizon—it’d be aligned with the Blue Void. Because of this alignment, the sunlight turned an eerie, cold blue that would last for a few hours at most. This was the Blue Eclipse.
And during that window, every Star Beast gained a temporary boost.
A boost that would make the task of killing them a lot harder.
So, they need to wait it out before attacking.
"It would wane in ten minutes," Asher said as he stood up and walked to his tent. "You’re free to do as you wish until then. We still have to wait for our weapons, too. He should be arriving soon."
About three minutes later, Kai was wiping down his Blood-phantom Scimitar—the rhythmic motion felt like meditation for him. Bree leaned against his shoulder comfortably—her eyes closed as she stole a few precious minutes of rest, as she had woken up really early.
Then, Kai’s gaze snapped to the side.
Another figure was approaching the camp.
Earlier, he remembered Asher saying something about someone who should be arriving soon.
And he thought this figure was that person, but he frowned when he realized the one coming was a boy no older than ten. "Where did he come from?" Kai thought aloud. "Better yet, what’s he doing here?"
Upon a closer look, he noticed the boy was carrying something.
A box that he carried with both arms.
Noticing him looking, the innocent-looking boy wearing oversized clothes offered him a brief, polite smile before hurrying past, making his way directly toward the senior. Kai watched the boy from across the camp—too far from the bubbling pot to hear what they were going to talk about, but near enough to read body language.
The boy approached the seniors with evident nervousness.
His shoulders are hunched a fraction too high—with the stiff politeness of someone who knows he’s intruding on a conversation far above his place. Nevertheless, the boy approached the seniors with big strides.
The pot bubbled and spat.
Kai leaned forward a little, trying to hear the conversation, but still couldn’t.
Beside him, Bree shifted uncomfortably after feeling the movement, which made Kai stop.
But he kept his eyes on the boy.
Seeing the boy, the seniors turned one by one—acknowledging him with the slow reluctance of people who had been interrupted mid-conversation. He said something. They listened. Or pretended to listen.
Then, the boy opened the box.
From Kai’s angle, he caught the edge of what lay inside.
Golden-brown, thick, crumb-dusted shapes that could only be cookies. Big ones.
The boy handed them out with a bright, hopeful smile, and the seniors accepted.
Rob nodded. Makos clapped the boy on the shoulder. And the other two ignored him.
Not stopping there, the boy reached into the box again and produced something smaller and darker. Acorns. Plain acorns. He offered them with the same earnestness, the same smile, and the seniors took them with clear confusion.
Kai frowned.
Acorns. Why acorns?
A gift of the forest, maybe—a charm, a token, or some ritual he didn’t understand.
He filed the question away as the boy closed the box and turned, his smile still fixed in place.
Surprisingly enough, the boy walked back toward Kaia’s end of the camp.
But as Kai waited for the boy to arrive, he caught sight of the seniors eating the cookies—and threw the acorns into the grass like nothing. The small acorns vanished into the underbrush, already forgotten, and the conversation resumed as if the boy had never been there at all.
"Excuse me," the boy said, setting down the box. "Are you also a part of the Assault Unit?"
"Yes, I am," Kai nodded. "Do you need something from me?"
"No, it’s not that. I want to give you this." The boy opened the box and handed Kai a cookie.
Kai took the cookie—but his movement stirred Bree awake.
She groaned in protest while rubbing her eyes, then froze. Her gaze locked onto the treat in his hand, and drowsiness vanished in an instant. "What’s this?" Before Kai could get one word out, she snatched it from his fingers. "Where did you get this?"
For a second, Kai’s eyes twitched as he stared at Bree.
It was meant for him, and yet she snatched it from him without hesitation.
And it was even more surprising given that she had only woken up from her nap.
He could only shake his head and turned to look at the boy again.
"Ah," the little boy smiled with guilt. "I don’t have any more cookies."
"What about the acorns?" Kai asked, ignoring Bree, who was munching on the cookie freely.
"Oh, right." The boy took out an acorn and gave it to Kai. "I prayed for Tyche all night so that she’ll bless the acorn. It’s a good-luck charm."
"Good luck charm?" Kai was stunned—but he quickly snapped out of his daze and pocketed the acorn. "Thank you for this, but I need to ask. Why are you doing this?"
Just then, the little boy inhaled deeply and then made a perfect bow.
"Please do your best to close the Sky Gate so that my brother will be safe!"
"Huh?"
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