CHAPTER 244: CHAPTER 244

Start of Class

I hovered outside the door to my new classroom, heart doing a little flip. If I remember correctly, Cypher, Angela, Christian and Edge got separated from us.

I swung the door open and stepped in, scanning the room. Whitney looked at the door when she heard it open and when she saw me, she smiled and waved her hand. I waved back as I looked around, Rex was napping at his desk like he’d pulled an all-nighter. And Ezekiel? He was nose-deep in his notes, scribbling away like the class was already in session.

I sat at the back row when I received a message from my smartwatch.

"Hey why didn’t you sit with us? By the way, Angela and Cypher are asking why you aren’t answering to their message," Whitney texted.

I was just about to shoot back a quick text when Ezekiel, who was also parked in the back row, noticed me and flashed a friendly smile. "Good morning," he said.

I smiled back. "Morning, Zeke."

"Can’t you really join the Gilded Sword Guild?" he asked, nodding toward his family’s outfit.

"I won’t be able to join. Sorry," I replied, keeping it straightforward.

"Is that so?" He seemed a little bummed.

"But who knows? We might team up through partnerships," I added, trying to soften the blow.

"Partnerships?" he repeated, tilting his head, but before he could press for more details, our new instructor strolled in with way too much energy.

"Good morning, everyone!" he announced cheerfully, clapping his hands.

The half-asleep students snapped to attention, some frantically wiping drool from their faces and sitting up straight like they’d been caught napping on the job.

"I am Billy Ramos, and I’ll be your instructor for Shakeswordes Class," he said, grinning like he’d just won the lottery. "From second year and onwards, classes will be held a bit differently. Other than the morning class, end-of-the-day class, and the two joint classes, all students will be trained according to the schedule they chose."

I don’t have many days left in the Academy.

"Our joint class is joint stamina training. You will need to get into groups of five for this training," Billy added, his voice echoing through the room.

Two months. That’s all I have left here.

After this brief, yet somehow endless, period, I’ll be gone from the Academy. I’ll step back and let the main characters take over—no more worries about holding them back or getting in their way as they grow stronger.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Afternoon

Cypher, Angela, and Christian were craning their necks, peeking into the Shakeswordes class like curious kids at a zoo, while Edge leaned casually against the wall outside, arms crossed.

"When will they be dismissed?" Cypher mumbled under his breath, tapping his foot impatiently.

The Shakeswordes instructor, Billy Ramos, had a reputation for being way too enthusiastic, and yeah, it checked out—he’d been droning on with end-of-class announcements for a solid 20 minutes already.

"What, is it still not over?" Christian said.

"I know, right?" Angela chimed in, sighing dramatically.

From the vibe in there, Billy wasn’t letting anyone go until the students on cleaning duty wrapped up their chores.

At that moment, the instructor rapped his desk sharply, and the students all stood up in unison like they’d rehearsed it. The classroom’s front door swung open, and Billy Ramos marched out first, his energy still buzzing.

"Ah, it’s finally over," Christian sighed, slumping against the wall in relief.

Next out was Rex, who spotted the group waiting and immediately flashed a smirk. "You missed me?"

"As if," Angela shot back, rolling her eyes with a grin.

Rex chuckled, sauntering over to Edge and bumping fists. "Edge! How’s training been treating you?"

Whitney emerged right after, her eyes lighting up. "Angela!"

The two girls hugged like long-lost sisters, chattering away.

"So where’s Remi?" Cypher asked, glancing between Whitney and Rex.

"That witch? She was our classmate? How come I didn’t know?" Rex asked Whitney, feigning shock.

"It’s because you’re sleeping," Whitney rolled her eyes, pointing toward the back door where I was strolling out casually. "She’s right there."

Angela, Christian, Edge, and Cypher all turned their heads toward the figure approaching. Was it the two months apart? Something about her had shifted—she wasn’t flashing her usual grin, but she wasn’t totally blank-faced either. There was this subtle change, like she’d leveled up in some unspoken way.

"Hey Witch!" Rex yelled out first.

"Remillia!" Angela called next.

"Remi!" Cypher chimed in.

They all shouted my name, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced to the side, and there they were, closing in and surrounding me in a heartbeat.

Cypher slung his arm over my shoulder like old times, beaming at me. "Let’s go out for dinner together."

"Yeah! It’s been forever since we had a group dinner!" Christian added enthusiastically.

"Where should we go?" Angela asked, eyes sparkling.

"Should we hit up a seafood restaurant this time?" Rex suggested, rubbing his hands together.

Just then, Cypher caught another pair of eyes on us and spun around. It was Ezekiel.

"Ezekiel... It’s been a while," Cypher said, his tone a bit guarded.

Ezekiel just nodded curtly, glancing between Cypher and me. "Yeah."

With that single word, he brushed past them, heading off. Cypher stared at the back of Ezekiel’s head for a second, then tried to tug me along gently. But I didn’t move an inch, rooted in place.

"What? You’re not coming?" Cypher asked, his arm still slung over my shoulder, eyes wide with surprise.

"I... I don’t have time today, sorry," I said, keeping my tone even.

They all froze for a beat. "You don’t even have time to eat with us anymore?" Angela said, her voice laced with hurt and confusion.

She hadn’t sent mails in weeks, wasn’t replying to their messages, or hanging out with them at all! What’s wrong with her? Their thoughts swirled with worry and questions as they stared at me.

"I still have work to do, but we can grab lunch together tomorrow," I offered, forcing a smile to ease the tension.

"Sure?" Christian looked at me skeptically, clearly not convinced.

"Yes, I promise," I said, slipping out from under Cypher’s arm and walking away before the moment dragged on.

The group lingered there, watching me disappear down the hall.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

After packing up all my stuff in the dorm room and shoving everything into my expansion pouch, I took one last look around. This place was packed with memories—good ones, annoying ones, like when the group would crash my sleep or turn my quiet nights into chaos.

I opened the door and stepped outside, glancing right first. Caleo or Kairos had dropped out this semester since he’d hit his goals. Then I looked left, toward Cypher’s room. It’s better for him and for the others not to know that I’ll be dropping out soon.

I slipped away quietly, heading back to my condo in Monfort, and started organizing everything. As for the clothes... Maybe I’d just expand my wardrobe. It’d be a shame to ditch what Stephen had given me over the months. Besides Kairos won’t know.

After that, I whipped up dinner for us. Chicken quesadillas for me and Macaron, and a juicy lamb steak for Glacier. By the time we ate and cleaned up, it was already 9 P.M. I hopped in the shower, rinsed off the day’s grime, and changed into casual clothes. Macaron and Glacier were still wide awake, lounging around like they had all the energy in the world.

"You two," I said, catching their attention. "You want to take a walk with me?"

Macaron chirped excitedly, fluttering his wings, while Glacier let out a low rumble, lumbering to his feet. "Sure thing," Macaron replied in that telepathic way of his. Glacier just growled, his icy breath puffing out.

We headed out into the cool night air of Monfort, the city lights twinkling like stars.

We stopped at an empty park, and I double-checked the location on my smartwatch to make sure I was in the right spot. There was someone I had to meet today, and this was our rendezvous point.

I plopped down on a nearby bench, watching Macaron zoom around in the night sky while Glacier sprawled out beside me, his massive form taking up half the space. I tilted my head back, stargazing for a bit, when I heard rustling from the thick bushes behind us. Out stepped Kairos, emerging from the shadows like a ghost.

"Did you buy it?" I asked as he settled next to me on the bench. He’d asked me to scout buildings for setting up a base in Monfort for Talon Mercenary.

"Yes, but I asked for a base and you recommended me that kind of building? An apartment, really?" He was glaring at me now, clearly not thrilled.

"It’s the only building available that’s close to the center," I said, looking away guiltily. It was the spot closest to my condo!

He cleared his throat, shifting gears. "Anyways, the reason I called you today was for a proper test."

"Test?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. How many times do I have to do this? Really?

"You said you wanted to become an official member of our group," he reminded me.

Ah, right—by signing that contract, I’d be officially part of Talon Mercenary. The park felt eerily quiet now, the stars twinkling overhead like indifferent witnesses. Macaron hovered closer, sensing the tension, and Glacier stirred slightly.