"Fate stands in your way."
Black horns.
Dark wings like the spread of a Gargoyle.
"It will always hinder your strength."
The white room of memories.
A stone in hand.
"I…"
A soft touch on my cheeks.
A whisper of desire.
"Can help you, if you can help me."
The devil's offer.
Soul, for a soul.
"Will you flip fate with me?"
***
My eyes fluttered open.
I immediately turned to my side and saw Titania sleeping peacefully, her hair a mess. After sighing in relief, I looked out at the window.
Scant light flowed in, leaving a grayish look for the sky outside. When I lifted my head up, a small cat was curled over my stomach, snoring peacefully.
I gently rubbed the head of the cat before scratching its neck as I stood up from the bed. The cat opened its eyes too.
"You're up early, Eugene," the cat waved its legs as it spoke.
The room here was mine alone now, so there was no one else. Keith was sleeping just a floor below me, though, so we could count it as a shared house even though it wasn't.
"I usually wake up now, you just don't sleep on me all the time."
I loosened my grip on the cat and she fell down to the ground. Since we had come over to the Island assigned to Albert's new faction, we had a lot of space. It helped even more that there were only three members in the group.
It helped even more that the facilities we had enjoyed in the previous spot and the ones that other students still enjoy can only be run on this island with our faction's money. It wasn't an issue for a prince and a lord to cough up cash, but we just didn't since earning here would be better.
I stripped off my shirt and stretched my hand above my head. Sweating a bit would be nice.
"You're going on a run?" the cat asked.
"Yup, wanna tag?"
The cat immediately scratched my pants and climbed up by the sides all the way to my shoulders. Its pitch black fur brushing against my skin.
"Let me put on a shirt—"
"No thank you," she started patting my pecs with her paw. "You shouldn't hide these muscles."
"Fucking lech."
"We demons are born of desire! It's not lecherous but is as natural as breathing. Why don't you get rid of the lower half too—"
I didn't bother listening and pushed the door open.
Without taking a run-up or anything of the sort, I shot off the ground. The white narrow streets and the many small Cycladic buildings all around me felt fresh. With the volcanic stones bringing an insulating effect into the air, the dawn breeze felt colder than it should have been.
"Wubububub slow dowwwwnnnnn…"
Dantalian screamed in my ears, but I paid it no heed. I hadn't stretched at all, so I stretched on the run.
Perhaps because of the slow gait, my mind wandered in many directions.
Even though the island was enormous, only five people were here since Luka didn't bring anyone along. Lily and Maria along with Sophia and Alec wanted to join us, but Albert shut them down without a word, saying applications weren't open yet.
That was fine.
Luka would probably make his entire gang join since he was already booked here.
Maybe even Lethe could come over.
"Tsk."
It was tiring to think.
"Hey, hey, slow down seriouslyyyy!"
It was better to run. As fast as I could, to empty my head.
There wasn't a better deal than running around or doing anything else, but running was good since this place was more like an obstacle course than a singular path.
Thoughts I didn't want sometimes fluttered in my mind, so I only ran faster.
The more I sweat. The more I work. The stronger I would get.
That was all that mattered.
Strength.
"Eugene, you're leaving the island!!"
I didn't pay much heed to that and kept running. In the first place, I doubted many would be awake this early when it was impossible to distinguish if the sun had risen or if the tower was messing around. 4 AM was too early for most people anyway, though it felt a tad late to me.
My feet soared and my body twisted. I eventually started using mana and ki to drag me down and ran with pure physical strength, making myself sweat even more and think even less.
It was when I was running near the outer few Islands with no houses.
"Eugene!"
When someone entered my sight.
Long, fluttering locks of blue like the color of the sea in sight. Wearing a tracksuit that snugly wrapped around her body and keeping her hair in a high pony tail, a person was running around while sweating profusely, using her Ki to hold herself back just like me.
"That person… is one of them…"
And then, all the muddle in my mind blew away.
"Are you sure, Dantalian?" I asked, and the cat only nodded in affirmation.
Not bad.
Not bad at all.
A soft smile spread over my face as I continued running.
That person didn't seem to have noticed me yet.
A professor of the academy, with long blue hair, I was already aware of who this must be. The head teacher of the swordsmanship courses, someone without any kids, unmarried.
And now, she was one of the people I was looking for.
Hundreds of scenarios blew past my head, and eventually, the very best option made itself clear to me.
I increased my gait just a bit and rushed my steps. My posture broke and my pacing was a mess. Eventually, that person noticed my presence and turned her gaze behind me.
Her head jerked as she saw me.
But I acted as if I didn't notice her.
Thankfully, I had listened to Albert all those times back. Such moments, what did he call them?
Yes, a meet-cute.
Acting as if I hadn't noticed her, I kept running on and—
"Woah!"
—Crashed into her.
The teacher took a step back but it was already too late. The step ended up stumbling her further and she fell on her back to the ground.
"Meooow!"
The cat jumped off my shoulder as if chiding me for using a weird tactic, but that was probably just its imagination.
I quickly got to my feet and rushed toward her.
My heart ran fast, but my body didn't betray me.
A gentle movement of my lips I was unfamiliar with. A gentle tone that I did not recognize as my own. Such actions swept out almost naturally.
"I- I am so sorry, are you alright?" I asked, reaching my hand out to the teacher.
"Eugene… Hall?" The professor muttered.
"Ah…" I scratched my cheeks. "Do you know me? I am very sorry, I didn't notice you since I was so engrossed in running. Are you alright?"
The professor alternated her gaze downward and then at my hand. When she looked at my face, my smile widened on its own as my eyes narrowed further.
How would they not?
I took in deep breaths that must have seemed as if they were coming from my exhaustion.
My nails dug into my palm as I clenched my other hand, but my face didn't tremble.
The professor was largely surprised, but eventually took my hand and I helped her up.
"Are you hurt by any chance? Should I take you to the doctor—"
"No, it's alright. What is a student doing up so early?"
"A student… Ah!" I immediately bowed. "I am sorry, I didn't realize I was talking to a professor."
The professor stepped back and then shook her head.
"It's alright, you don't have to apologize. You're not in my classes anyway."
I had avoided all practical classes. I didn't think there was much to learn here.
Of course, both Luka and Albert had taken all of them instead.
I smiled and stood up, looking into her eyes.
Right then, the black cat started rubbing its cheeks on the woman's feet.
"Is this cat yours?" She asked.
"Yes… I was just trying to go out for a run but I couldn't do it well."
"Even someone who ranked second in the exams couldn't run for long hours, huh?" She asked, her eyes skeptic.
"There's still a lot to learn."
The woman nodded and then dusted her clothes.
"Try engaging your core more as you run, and also, don't lose your pace just because it has been long."
As expected.
"You are strong, but all you kids are still new at this. Go easy." The professor left those words and then turned around and dashed off. "I'll leave you to it then," she said as she ran away.
I watched her leave for a few seconds before the cat nestled into my legs and climbed up on my shoulders.
"Was that fine?" Dantalian asked.
"It was perfect," I answered.
Stroking her back, I went back to the island where we had settled.
***
"Uwak!"
The contents of my stomach came floating out as I leaned against the sink in my bathroom.
Titania was still asleep, and morning still seemed an half an hour away.
"Are you alright?" A voice came from the back.
"I probably… ran a lot…"
Ran a lot.
"Tsk, tsk…"
Right then, a strange flutter of energy came from behind me.
As I turned around, the cat was gone and two pairs of dark horns entered my sight.
—Click.
The bathroom door was locked.
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