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Chapter 56: The End of Aptitude Test II

Upper Realm...

Above the mortal world, the air was still. Too still.

Two voices echoed in the white void between realms.

"This is impossible, Arcadia. A human's grief, his rage—it pushed back celestial energy. That should not be possible."

"I felt it too," the other replied. The voice was quieter, steadier, but threaded with unease. "If he gives in to it fully, we won't be able to touch him. No one will."

A silence lingered. The weight of inevitability pressed in.

"We have to get through to him… before he's gone."

The stillness shattered.

...

The corridor lights flickered, buzzing faintly as Franz walked. His hood still hung low, damp strands of hair clinging to his forehead. His eyes were hollow, fixed somewhere beyond sight.

Behind him, a shuffle of footsteps echoed. The rest of the main cast had caught up, their chatter dimming as their gazes locked onto his stiff frame.

"Yo, Franz!" Emphera broke the silence, bounding a step ahead of the others. Her grin was wide, her tone bright, oblivious. "That was insane out there—like, straight-up action movie level!"

No reply.

Franz kept walking. His shadow stretched long across the cracked tiles, each step too deliberate, too slow.

Emphera's grin faltered. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "…Hello? Earth to hoodie-boy?"

Still nothing.

It was Lena who finally stepped forward, her expression softer, voice low. "Franz… are you okay?"

For a long moment he didn't move. Then, slowly, he turned his head just enough that the light grazed his face.

"…Yeah." His voice was flat, stripped of warmth. "I'm just tired."

The words hung in the air, hollow as the look in his eyes.

Emphera, unfazed, clapped her hands together. "No, no! You can't be tired—we're throwing a party for acing the test!"

"You didn't ace anything," Iris cut in coldly, her arms crossed.

Emphera groaned dramatically, throwing her head back. "Ugh, you're such a mood killer! Come on, Iris, live a little."

Zane, still catching his breath from his own match, gave a crooked grin. "Honestly? A party doesn't sound too bad right now. God knows I could use a drink."

The chatter rose—light, playful, grating against the heavy silence Franz carried. Their voices blurred together, scraping across his skull like static.

His eyes shifted past them, landing on Orion.

Without a word, his lips moved. Take them away from me.

Orion froze. His pulse thudded sharp in his chest. He understood instantly—too instantly. The memory of another time, another version of Franz, burned cold behind his ribs.

The hollow eyes staring back at him now weren't just tired. They were dangerous.

Orion swallowed hard, masking the unease in his voice. "Alright, that's enough. Let's give him space. We'll regroup later."

Emphera pouted, halfway to another protest, but Iris tugged her sleeve with an exasperated sigh. "Come on."

Lena lingered, concern still etched in her features. Her gaze clung to Franz's back like she was searching for something—anything—to break through the emptiness in him. But Orion caught her wrist gently, pulling her along before she could speak.

The group shuffled away, voices trailing off into lighter arguments, Emphera already whining about where the "party" should be. Their laughter and bickering faded into the corridor's distance, leaving only one figure standing still.

Franz.

Orion's POV

My chest was heavy, and not from exhaustion. From memory.

Franz's face replayed in my head, over and over. That hollow expression. Those empty eyes.

And I couldn't stop shaking.

The thought was suffocating. The air in the hall felt too thin. My breath caught in my throat.

He's terrifying.

The way he ignores the world. The way he can cut someone down without hesitation. The way his words fall like verdicts, not choices.

He's terrifying.

But he's all I've got.

Without him, I wouldn't be standing here. Without him, I'd have been dead in that warehouse. My family would be gone. My future—a corpse rotting on the side of the road.

I can't let go of that. I can't let go of him.

The laughter of my teammates faded into background noise. I couldn't join in. My mind kept circling back, spiraling around that hollow stare.

I have to talk to him. Soon.

Minutes later..

The main cast filtered out of the arena, their footsteps clattering against concrete.

"I'm dead tired," Zane admitted with a groan. He stretched his arms over his head, forcing a grin. "Special class results'll be out soon anyway. See you guys tomorrow."

"Same," Orion muttered, quieter. His face was shadowed, unreadable. He gave a curt nod before turning down a separate hall.

That left only the girls.

Emphera spun on her heel, throwing her arms out wide. "Well then—it's settled! Girl's night out, baby!"

"Sorry," Celeste said, shaking her head. "I promised Mom I'd help out tonight. Can't bail."

"What?! Traitor!" Emphera clutched her chest theatrically.

Celeste smirked, waving her off as she disappeared into the stairwell.

"I'm going too," Iris said curtly. "I lost today. I need to work on my shortcomings."

"Not you too!" Emphera wailed, stomping her foot.

Lena sighed, already bracing to leave as well. "I should—"

Then she caught Emphera's look. Wide, shimmering puppy-dog eyes.

"…Don't," Lena said, already caving.

"Please don't abandon me toooo…" Emphera whimpered.

Lena pressed her lips together, then exhaled. "…Fine. What do you want to do?"

Emphera's grin snapped back, sly and wicked. "Glad you asked. Okay—let's get crazy drunk tonight!"

"Wha—" Lena's protest cut off as Emphera hooked their arms and dragged her down the steps.

"You promised! No take-backs! Drinks, dancing, karaoke until sunrise!"

Lena stumbled after her, laughing in spite of herself.

For a while, at least, the weight of the arena's hollow silence faded into the noise of their ridiculous banter.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N

Hello guys, thanks for reading, and if you have any opinion please comment. About the writing below this—I am really sorry but I have my reasons. I have really limited time to write, and the time I can write is between the deadline of posting chapters for any benefit. I don't think I'm gonna get any, but I am trying. So that's why sometimes I publish gibberish chapters first, then I write after. And because of that, I sometimes add more words than I intend, like in this one. If I start writing long chapters just because of that, it just doesn't feel right. So, sorry for the inconvenience.

xoxo

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