Jace the Elemental

Jace's breath caught. How does someone like that and Giorgi come from the same House?

It didn't seem possible. And the real problem? The others in his group also had imposing auras.

Standing directly to Kael's left was a woman with dark green hair, loose and wavy, cascading down her back. Unlike the giant beside her, she was smiling—not in an arrogant way, but in a way that felt... wrong. Uncomfortable. Like she knew something no one else did. Her emerald eyes glittered with amusement, as if she was fully enjoying the chaos unraveling around them.

Next to her stood another guy, slightly shorter than Kael but still tall compared to regular people. His pale skin, crimson eyes, and jet-black hair made Jace immediately think of a vampire. But his posture was rigid, his expression unreadable. He wasn't looking at anyone—just standing upright, eyes forward, like he was waiting for instructions.

And lastly… there was the strangest member.

He stood slightly apart from the rest, clad in the same yellow and orange uniform, yet something about him felt… disconnected. His silver hair was an unkempt mess, as if he didn't care to fix it, and his pale violet eyes were almost lifeless. For the briefest of moments, his gaze flickered toward Jace's group. Then it shifted away. Like they weren't even worth his attention. A chill crawled down Jace's spine.

That one. That one was dangerous. It wasn't his build or his expression. It was the way he carried himself. Like he didn't care about anything.

Lyra whispered what everyone was thinking. "That's them, isn't it? They're part of Team Elizabeth."

The murmurs in the crowd started shifting, now focusing entirely on the four figures. The initial shock of the upset was wearing off. And now? A different emotion was settling in. Curiosity.

Astra exhaled sharply. "They don't even look nervous. They just destroyed a top ranked team, and they're standing there like it's just another day."

Selene's voice was quiet. "Because to them… maybe it was."

"Aurora!" Jace shouted, snapping her out of the stupor. "If he's that strong, how is he rank 12? And why isn't he the captain of the team?"

Aurora took a second before responding, forcing her brain to work. "The only reason he would be in rank 12 is because he wanted to be," she said softly. "Especially considering the three with him are all a part of different sub Houses under House Bane."

Ethan gave a sharp inhale, "Okay so you're saying that him, and his three lackeys all went into rank 12 on purpose. But…why didn't they make him the captain?" He said, trying to make sense.

Aurora went pale, a look of fear taking over her face.

"Are you okay?" Jace asked, grabbing her shoulders as it looked like she might fall.

"There's only one reason that Kael wouldn't be the captain of the team," Aurora said, her voice tight. She looked at Jace. 

"And that's because I'm here," A woman's voice said from behind them. Jace turned to see a woman with a shocking resemblance to Aurora. She had midnight black hair with silver streaks exactly like Aurora, except it stopped just above her ankles. She was slightly taller than Aurora, but their builds were almost identical.

"Hello sister," she said, her face completely expressionless, no care of warmth in her voice.

Jace's whole group held their breath, unable to speak, their eyes darting between the two sisters.

"Umm... Hello, Nova. I thought the family decided that you weren't going to join the academy. Why are you here?" Aurora's voice trembled with nervousness and confusion.

"The family changed their minds," Nova replied flatly. "They decided that people had been forgetting what being a noble means, so they sent me and Kael here to remind them." She looked straight at Jace before returning her gaze to Aurora.

"But why is your name Elizabeth here? And why rank 12?" Aurora asked, still uncertain.

"I'm going by Elizabeth because mother told me to," Nova said, her voice distant. "And I chose rank 12 to start, as that's the lowest rank Kael and I could get into." Nova's tone was so strange, it felt like there was nothing behind it, as if it was simply a voice, detached from anything real.

"Our instructions were to get as low as we could, then tear down the first team we faced," Nova continued. "I would guess someone in the family arranged it so we would be up against a rank 1 team."

She turned to look at Jace again. For the first time, her voice carried a slight emotion, growing cold.

"You should be glad it wasn't you."