CLEAVER OF SIN

As Asher ate his breakfast, the scene outside the window gradually shifted. The frantic spectacle of instructors chasing candidates began to fade, and soon there was little left to watch. No more students scurried through the streets in panic, no instructors dragged out trembling figures from hidden corners. The stage that had amused him so greatly was at last empty.

"It seems the show has come to an end," Asher murmured under his breath, his voice quiet yet tinged with amusement.

'How many minutes remain on the alarm?' he asked the system in his mind.

[Forty minutes, Host]

Asher exhaled softly, setting the empty plate on the floor without much thought. With his entertainment gone, he remained seated by the window, purple eyes scanning the world outside with idle detachment. He had little to do but wait, and waiting was an art he had been forced to perfect.

This was the only true form of leisure left to him, watching people live their ordinary lives while he passed time in silence.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. His eyebrow arched as his sharp gaze followed a figure moving from room to room, speaking with people in the hall. It was someone familiar, someone he knew.

'What is he doing here?' Asher thought, narrowing his eyes.

The one asking questions about him, about the Tenth Sun, was none other than William.

With a quiet sigh, Asher rose from his seat. He made his way to the door and pulled it open just as William approached. The sudden motion startled him, freezing him in place for a moment.

Asher's calm purple eyes met his. "What are you doing here?" he asked without preamble.

He offered no polite greeting, no feigned warmth, but William hardly seemed offended. Nobles, after all, were not known for exchanging casual pleasantries like good morning.

"I'm bored out of my mind," William admitted, smiling lightly as though the words required no shame. "I couldn't possibly just sit in silence for a whole hour, could I?"

Asher regarded him silently, his gaze steady, expression unreadable.

'Hooh… so even others feel this maddening boredom,' he mused inwardly. 'Well, it makes sense. Back in Canestane territory, William likely had countless people to speak with, countless distractions. Here, there's nothing.'

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" William asked suddenly, his tone casual, but his words breaking into Asher's thoughts.

Asher's lips pressed together in a quiet sigh. 'Well… I'm just as bored as he is. We might as well talk and pass the time.'

Stepping aside without a word, Asher allowed him in. William wasted no time, entering without hesitation. He crossed the room with natural ease and, without so much as asking permission, seated himself on top of the table in a lotus position.

Asher moved back to the chair near the window, but this time he faced his visitor directly.

"Is the offer about me calling you by your name still on the table?" William asked almost immediately, his voice direct, cutting through the silence without hesitation.

Asher's gaze lingered on him, studying. He remembered the promise he had once made, that William could call him by his name rather than "Tenth Sun" if he passed the Star Academy examination. But even then, William wanted to confirm, perhaps fearing that the offer could have been nothing more than a moment's whim.

After all, what if the Tenth Sun rescinded his words? What if he turned on William here and now?

Of all the candidates, William was among the few who truly understood the weight of Asher's combat power. Aside from Ryaen and Darissa, who had encountered Asher firsthand, William was the one most keenly aware of what the boy was capable of.

He had, after all, copued half of Asher's abilities himself. That fleeting taste of power had been enough to leave him with a lingering fear of what the original owner could do when unrestrained.

Moreover, he carried the bitter memory of losing his second-place position in the exam rankings. In his heart, he believed that if not for the constant drain on his Astra reserves, always forcing him to conserve what little he had, he might have clung to that spot.

Asher tilted his head slightly, his purple eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. "Are you afraid I would go back on my word and attack you?" he asked with a playful smile.

William did not falter. His reply came instantly, unashamed and without hesitation. "Indeed, I am afraid. Who wouldn't be? The gap between you and the rest of us is nothing short of monstrous. Only a fool would dare to provoke someone like you. And as for me, well, I'm not the type to go courting death."

His tone was easy, even carefree, as though the admission carried no weight. He spoke as if chatting with an old companion rather than addressing someone who could crush him without effort.

Anyone else might have spoken with strict etiquette, with reverence or caution. But William had come to understand Asher in a different light, recognizing that the boy did not fit neatly into the fearsome image painted by the Wargrave rumors.

Asher chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Don't overthink it. You can call me by my name. It's not as though I'm the only Asher in existence."

"Then I will," William replied without pause, his lips curving into a faint smile. "Asher." He said the name smoothly, with no hesitation, as though testing its weight.

Asher gave a simple nod, his expression unreadable but not disapproving.

Time seemed to slip away unnoticed as the two continued speaking. Their words flowed easily, carrying the casual rhythm of those who had known each other for years rather than the short span of weeks.

Their conversation wandered from trivialities to subtle observations, each finding in the other a temporary reprieve from the suffocating boredom of waiting.

At last, the mechanical voice of the system broke through Asher's thoughts.

[Host, it's time]

A text prompt flickered briefly in his vision, undeniable in its authority.

"Let's head to the lobby," Asher said as he rose from his seat. "We've only ten minutes left before the white teleportation light flashes once again."

William nodded, slipping gracefully down from the table. "The Star Academy doesn't strike me as the kind of place that tolerates tardiness. I wouldn't be surprised if they expelled us outright for showing up late to the orientation." His words were light, but his tone carried a certain seriousness.

He moved to the door first, opening it with a smooth motion before stepping into the hall. Asher followed behind him, the door closing softly with a muted thud.

Together, they made their way back to the familiar lobby. The memory of what had transpired there before lingered faintly, the place where a student had once lost his eyes, a silent reminder of the Academy's ruthless standards.

Asher's gaze swept the lobby. Including himself and William, there were only nine students present. Seven others stood scattered across the lobby, each carrying their own mixture of nerves and determination.

It made sense, of course. The Academy had accepted only two hundred people, divided across multiple residences. The other one hundred and ninety-one successful candidates would naturally be gathered elsewhere, in their own assigned buildings.

The minutes trickled by, each second counted down with measured precision. And then, as the final heartbeat of the allotted time passed, the white light ignited once more. Brilliant and consuming, it enveloped them instantly, swallowing the lobby and its occupants without warning.

The world around them dissolved, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.