The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy

"…What the actual fuck happened to you?!"

James's voice cracked with disbelief as he pointed a shaky finger at Aestrea, his jaw halfway to the floor.

"I'm serious! How... h-how the hell did you get even more handsome overnight?!"

Aestrea didn't answer. He just poked at the stew in his bowl like it might explain things better than words could.

"Don't look at the soup like that!" James growled.

"LOOK AT ME BITCH."

Derek, sitting on the opposite side of the fire, raised an eyebrow as he leaned in closer, squinting.

"Dude... I don't even know what to say... Before, you had a vibe. Brooding, a little cold, charming, you know? But now… now you're walking around like a damn celestial prince." He pointed at Aestrea's face.

"And those eyes!!! There's a literal moon printed in your eyeballs. That's not FUCKING normal!"

Before Aestrea could blink, Derek had already grabbed him by the shoulders, giving him a frantic little shake.

"MOON EYES, Aestrea. I didn't imagine it. You're glowing like you kissed a star. What happened?!"

Aestrea closed his eyes and let out a long, weary sigh. His spoon hovered over the bowl for a moment, and then he set it down.

"…Okay. Fine. There's something I've been hiding from you guys."

James and Derek both leaned forward instantly.

"One?!" they shouted in unison.

Aestrea's mouth twitched slighly... he was annoyed.

"Yes. Just one," he said dryly. "Because the other things I'm keeping from you are mostly just… relationship stuff. And you two do not want to know."

"EXCUSE you—!" James shot up as soon as he heard his words.

"Why do you always get the interesting drama and then drop that bomb and run?! Who is it?! Is it Zeva? Is it Violet?! IS IT ELLA?! IT'S ELLA, ISN'T IT?!"

"I swear to the gods, I will dig it out of your grave if you die before telling me," Derek muttered with narrowed eyes.

Aestrea waved them both off, rubbing the bridge of his nose like he was trying to stop a headache.

"I'm not telling you. Because once I do, you'll spread it like wildfire. Especially you," he pointed at James.

"Unbelievable," James muttered in disbelief.

"We get stabbed for you, nearly exploded for you, AND we cook your stew, and you still gatekeep."

"That was your fault for seasoning it with holy water," Aestrea stared at James like a dead fish would.

"It was an experiment!"

"Back to the point," Derek cut in.

"You said there's something important?"

Aestrea paused for a few moments.

Then, slowly, he spoke.

"…I'm the Vessel of a Goddess."

The twins blinked.

"…Huh?" James said dumbly.

"More specifically," Aestrea continued with a flat tone, "the Goddess of the Moon. That's why I had those tattoos before. They were marks tied to her. But now…"

He lifted his head slightly, his silver hair shifting just enough to reveal the glowing white crescent shimmer deep inside his eyes.

"…Now that I've fully awakened as her Vessel, the Moon Mark moved into my eyes."

Silence.

The moment he finished his words, there was a long, heavy silence.

Until...

James had to ruin it, of course.

"I FUCKING KNEW IT!!" James exploded, pointing.

"You've been acting weird ever since that night. Don't lie to me! You were all quiet and glowing, and now it makes sense! Of course, it's a goddess. Of course, it's some celestial being who claimed you."

Derek leaned back, running a hand through his hair.

"…So you're telling us… there's an ancient divine moon lady out there who made you her walking beacon?"

"Yes."

"And that's why you've been going off into cliffs at night and brooding harder than usual?"

"…Yes."

"And she kissed you or something, didn't she?"

"...No."

At his words, James squinted his eyes slightly.

Then pointed.

Then squinted again.

"…You hesitated."

Aestrea didn't respond.

"You so hesitated!" James cried, leaping to his feet like he'd uncovered ancient treasure.

"That pause was longer than my last relationship!"

"It was two weeks," Derek muttered.

"Exactly!" James jabbed a finger toward Aestrea. "You paused. You hesitated. You definitely got kissed by a goddess and you're just trying to play it cool!"

"I said no," Aestrea replied flatly.

"You didn't say it convincingly." Derek raised an eyebrow.

James threw up his hands.

"Come on, man! How are we supposed to keep up with you? First it's moon tattoos, then moon eyes, now what? Divine moon make-out sessions in the middle of breakdowns?! What's next?! Are we gonna find out she gave you moon babies?!"

"I'm going to kill you," Aestrea muttered under his breath.

"You can't kill me, I'm your emotional support disaster," James grinned.

"He's got a point." Derek chuckled.

Aestrea pinched the bridge of his nose.

"For the last time... she didn't kiss me."

"…On the lips," James added smugly.

"Don't."

"Forehead?" James guessed.

Aestrea twitched slightly.

"MY GOD!" James gasped. "Forehead kiss confirmed! That's the worst one!! That's emotional intimacy!"

"It's like being spiritually married," Derek said solemnly.

"I hate both of you," Aestrea muttered, hiding his glowing eyes behind his hand.

"Don't run from the truth, moon boy!" James shouted, grabbing his arm and shaking it.

"Accept her love! Embrace your divine wife"

Aestrea slowly turned to look at him.

"Do you want to be thrown off the cliff?"

James backed off, hands up.

"I'm just saying, if you're gonna be the Moon's chosen one, you better start acting the part. Like... float around dramatically, talk in riddles, wear more white."

"I already wear white," Aestrea pointed out.

"Exactly. You're halfway there. All that's left is the divine wife reveal."

"He already got the forehead kiss. You don't come back from that." Derek snorted.

Aestrea turned back to his bowl and took a long, exhausted bite.

"…I should've never said anything."

"Too late now. You're part of the celestial drama club, baby. And we're the background characters who ruin the mood every time." James slung an arm around his shoulders with a grin.

"Are you two done?" Aestrea asked.

"No," James said immediately.

"You still haven't told us if the goddess is hot."

"JAMES—!"

BANG!

James's body shot through the air like a launched cannonball, vanishing past several tents and into the dark sky, his scream echoing faintly behind him...

"WORTH ITTTT—!!"

Silence.

Phew~

A breeze passed through the camp.

Derek stared in the direction his brother had been sent flying. His expression didn't even twitch.

"...You asked for it," he muttered, sipping calmly from his flask.

Aestrea sat back down like nothing had happened, brushing invisible dust off his sleeve.

"Your twin brother has no sense of self-preservation."

"He's immune to shame and physical pain. It's a dangerous combo." Derek gave a light shrug.

They sat like that for a moment, quiet, peaceful, almost like the whole exchange hadn't just happened.

Then, in the distance:

THUMP!!

"OWWW, MY SPINE—!"

"…He's alive," Derek confirmed.

"Unfortunately," Aestrea said, rubbing his temples.

"Hey," Derek added, glancing at him sideways. "If she really is a goddess… and she really did kiss your forehead…"

Aestrea slowly turned to him with a look that promised violence.

"…Then," Derek smirked slightly, "at least you've got divine approval. You know, in case one of your lovers tries to kill your next girlfriend."

"That's not funny." Aestrea narrowed his eyes.

"It is if you're not the one being stabbed."

Another crash came from the far edge of the camp as James attempted to drag himself back.

"I THINK I SWALLOWED DIRT!"

Aestrea sighed.

"…Next time I'll aim for the ocean."

Derek smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"What if he learns to swim?"

"Then I'll tie weights to his ankles."

But, before Derek could respond with a clever comeback...

DING—DING—DING!

A loud bell echoed across the entire camp, followed immediately by a series of mana signals and whistles.

All across the tents, soldiers rushed out, weapons clinking, armor half-worn, eyes sharpening with urgency.

"...Let's go..." Derek muttered slightly, and Aestrea nodded.

They turned quickly toward the central campgrounds, where Zeva now stood atop a raised stone platform near the command tent.

Her presence, even without speaking, instantly quieted the chaos around.

She was dressed in her full commander attire, dark emerald-green military coat lined with silver thread, heavy leather straps crossing her tall, slender frame.

Her long dark green hair was tied back in a high braid, swaying behind her like a whip. Her deep green eyes were fierce, focused, and cold, scanning the soldiers with a warrior's gaze.

She looked like someone born to lead armies.

"ATTENTION!!" Her voice rang out across the camp, cutting through the murmurs like a sword.

The soldiers stood straight at once.

"The Frozen Elves have been spotted five miles from the northern ridge," Zeva announced, her voice was steady but quite urgent.

"All patterns suggest they're preparing a frontal assault on the frontier walls. We don't know if this is a probe or a full advance, but either way..."

She paused, her eyes sweeping across the camp, resting momentarily on Aestrea.

"...Everyone should be prepared to mobilize within the hour."

A low murmur spread among the soldiers.

"The sector captains will coordinate defense formations. If they attack, we'll respond with everything."

She jumped off the platform and immediately began speaking with her lieutenants.

"…Well," James wheezed as he limped back toward them, a clump of leaves in his hair.

"That's great timing. War, while I still have dirt in my lungs."

"Unlucky," Derek grinned slightly.

But as they turned to Aestrea, they suddenly saw his thoughtful face.

"Why would the Elves attack through the northern ridge?" he muttered slightly.

He knew a little about the terrain, and the northern ridge was actually covered in snow during this time of year.

Although they indeed are Frost Elves, wouldn't they know that they didn't stand a chance if they were fighting in the snow against him?

"...Something's wrong..."

Aestrea quickly turned away, vanishing almost immediately.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!"

James shouted, but unfortunately, it didn't reach Aestrea's ears.

"That bastard..." He muttered bitterly.

"Let's go, bro, Aestrea knows how to take care of himself..." Derek smiled, tapping his brother's back.

"Still..." James frowned.

"He should realize that we still care about him..."