NOVEL WEB Chapter 26 – Team Formation (2)
Khael's POV
After the murmurs from Kaen Suro's team reveal settled after all, being paired with Rael Eluron and the Thunder God himself was enough to shake the room Sensei Shun waved his hand, and a new glyph appeared in the air.
"Team 9, step forward.
Mentor: Solen Drayvahn, Crimson Veinwalker.
Affinity: Flame."
The name didn't ring any bells.
(Solen Drayvahn...?)
Not a name I recognized from the manga. No mention. Not in the main arc, not in the Eclipse War, not even in the flashback volumes.
(That's either a good thing… or a terrifying one.)
The names followed.
"Khael Corzedar – Wind Affinity."
I stood quietly. No whispers this time only watchful eyes. Shigeo's defeat still hung in the air like static. They didn't speak, but they were listening.
"Ceyla Nox – Storm Affinity."
(As expected…)
She stood with her usual blank expression, wolf-cut black hair bouncing as she moved. Her storm-colored gaze didn't meet anyone's. Cold. Distant. Dangerous.
And then the last name.
"Juno Arkai – No Affinity. Power: Master of the Taishin Gates."
(Bingo.)
I smirked slightly.
Ceyla, a fast, ruthless assassin type.
Juno, a melee powerhouse with no mana dependency.
And me wind, range, and battlefield control.
It was perfect.
(Master Isen really did it... He made this team happen.)
I remembered our conversation.
"Special requests for your teammates are…?"
"Ceyla Nox and Juno Arkai."
"Mind if I ask why?"
"...Let's just say my gut telling me"
"interesting"
He never questioned further. Just smiled.
(Well anyway, this is it. The plan is in motion.)
…
Meanwhile — Ceyla Nox POV
What the hell.
I'm teammates with him?
Ceyla's jaw clenched. Her storm-colored eyes narrowed as her name echoed in the classroom, tethered beside that bastard's.
Khael Corzedar.
She remembered the way he looked at her.
Not in fear.
Not in disgust.
Not even in pity.
Just… warmth.
Like an idiot trying to smile at thunderclouds.
(What are you trying to prove? That I'm worth something? That I'm human? Don't make me laugh.)
That annoying gaze—like old sunlight, the kind that filtered through broken windows and tried to pretend the world was still gentle.
(You looked at me like she used to.)
(Mother…)
(Stop it.)
(Don't remember that.)
She gripped the hem of her sleeve, nails digging into her palm.
Students were murmuring, whispering names, theories, strength rankings.
She didn't care.
(I don't need teammates.)
(I don't need allies.)
(I survive alone.)
(Always have.)
(Always will.)
And yet…
(…why didn't I protest?)
(Why didn't I say something when his name showed up beside mine?)
She didn't understand herself.
Not yet.
But some small, infuriating part of her…
…was curious.
…
Juno Arkai – POV
Team 9 Announcement
(Her.)
(Of all people.)
Juno didn't flinch when her name appeared beside his.
Ceyla Nox.
But inwardly, his breath paused.
The same girl who'd called his friend trash.
Who stood with a bloodstained dagger and a twisted grin, speaking like Affinity determined worth.
His jaw flexed.
(That day…)
(She didn't just insult my friend.)
(She insulted me.)
Juno blinked slowly as the memory faded, the name glyph still glowing faintly beside his.
Ceyla Nox.
And the other one—
Khael Corzedar.
(That boy's different.)
(I've seen how he moves.)
(Like someone who's hiding something—)
(but chooses when to protect, not when to fight.)
That intrigued him.
He tightened the bandages around his hands, gaze neutral.
No one in the room realized just how dangerous he could be.
Not yet.
But Juno?
He planned to change that.
(Let Ceyla look down on me again.)
(Next time, I won't just stand.)
(I'll rise.)
….
The terrace overlooked the glimmering lights of the capital. Lanterns swayed like slow-moving stars, caught in the breath of twilight.
Two old legends sat at a small lacquered table.
One bore robes of midnight black and silver trimthe threads of authority woven into every fold. His golden hair caught the moonlight like strands of royalty, but his calm blue eyes carried no arrogance. Only patience. And memory.
Isen.
Keiryuu of the Veinwalker Corps.
The man who once slew a dragon and sealed a god.
Across from him sat a disheveled figure wrapped in flame-colored robes faded by travel and age. His wild grey hair flared like a candle wick, and his smirk? Unbothered by rank, age, or consequence.
Genzu.
Former Lunar Sage of the Ignisoul Nation.
Now known simply as the Fire-Worn Monk.
He raised a steaming porcelain cup to his lips and laughed.
"Master Isen…" Genzu said between sips, "Come with me next time. I told you about that place in Rosaria, didn't I? Stunning view, no politics, and beauties from seven nations. Kekeke."
Isen gave him a long, weary glance. And he laughed "Hahhahaha", then sipped his own tea with grace.
"My disciple... and my old friend... you still haven't changed."
Genzu cackled, setting his cup down with a clink.
"Why should I?" he grinned, gesturing lazily toward the dark outline of Veyl Academy, still glowing faintly beneath the moonlight. "You've got enough seriousness for ten of me. Let the new brats fall into your divine shadow. Me? I'm chasing something else."
Isen sipped quietly. Then raised an eyebrow.
"How about… taking a disciple?"
The old fire monk snorted instantly.
"Pfft. Disciple? That's just another word for hassle." He stretched, letting the robe slip slightly off his shoulder. "They ask questions. They whine. They make mistakes and ask more questions. No thanks."
Isen's voice dropped, not forceful—just steady.
"Do you still remember your old discipl—"
"—Don't." Genzu's grin vanished, if only for a breath. His hand, once careless, suddenly gripped the edge of the table.
"It's not fit for me to teach anyone. Not anymore."
There was a pause between them.
Old and heavy.
A silence filled with names never said aloud.
With students buried in history.
And regrets too burned to voice.
Then, like smoke dancing away from flame, Genzu's crooked grin returned. wider this time, almost a little manic.
"Besides... I'm way too focused on my current experiments."
He leaned in with a sly glint in his eye.
"Did I tell you about the beauty from that village? Long legs, sharper eyes than a falcon, and—"
Isen grinned and nudged his older discple.
"You're hopeless."
"And happy." Genzu winked. "You should try it sometime."
But beneath the laughter, Isen's gaze lingered on the academy again on the distant storm that brewed behind its shining halls.
On the names that would be written in history next.
And maybe… rewritten.
To be continue