PRESENT DAY!

"I swear, Ray!" Finral roared in anger as he paced furiously around the room, a deep scowl etched across his face. "I freaking hate Grey! He goes and comes as if he owns the academy, and on top of that, he makes you worried!"

"Make me worried? I'm not the one pacing all around the room for days now." Ray replied calmly, lying lazily on his bed while watching Finral stomp about like an angry bull.

"If I see him right now, I swear I will teach him a huge lesson." Finral muttered, ignoring Ray's jab, when a clicking sound broke the air. Both of them turned sharply toward the door.

A second later, it creaked open, revealing Grey strolling casually into the room with a small smile on his face, his hands tucked neatly into his pockets as if he had not been gone for more than a week.

"Hi guys." Grey greeted lightly, his tone almost playful as his eyes swept over the two.

"F*CK you!" Finral roared in outrage. Fueled by pent-up anger, he shot forward, his aura flaring as he dashed at Grey with reckless speed.

In the blink of an eye, Finral's fist cut through the air, aiming for Grey's jaw.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly so slow? Have you been slacking?" Grey asked with a teasing grin.

The wind coiled around his feet, lifting him with ease. He kicked off the ground, soared over Finral's head in a smooth flip, and landed gracefully a metre behind him. His hands never even left his pockets, and not a bead of sweat appeared on his face.

"Huh? How dare you ignore and dodge my attack like that?! Wait—how did you even do that?" Finral demanded, glaring at him furiously.

"Where have you been for more than a week, Grey?" Ray cut in, his frown sharp and suspicious.

"Gunther sent me on a mission." Grey answered casually with a shrug as he moved toward his bed.

"A mission? What mission? And why would an instructor send a first-year student on a mission?!" Finral barked, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Sorry, can't say anything." Grey replied, his tone flat as if the matter wasn't up for debate.

"What do you mean you can't say anything? Do you know how worried Finral was?" Ray pressed further.

"Hey! I wasn't worried." Finral snapped quickly, but his cheeks betrayed him, flushing red from embarrassment.

"He was worried?" Grey asked with mock surprise, tilting his head toward Finral before breaking into a loud chuckle.

"Don't listen to Ray! I wasn't worried!" Finral shouted again, desperate to salvage his pride.

"Whatever." Grey waved a dismissive hand. "You guys have your secrets too, right? You refuse to tell me what's the deal with the Cromwell Family name. So likewise, I also have my own secret which I can't share."

"Tch! Fair enough." Ray muttered, clicking his tongue as he rolled back onto his bed, covering part of his face with his arm. "Finral, you might as well get some sleep. You haven't rested for days now."

"Who said so?!" Finral roared again, but the sudden yawn that slipped out betrayed him instantly. Grey's chuckle only grew louder at the sight, making Finral grit his teeth.

'Thankfully, today is the weekend. No classes for another two days, which means I can finally rest properly. Especially me. I've pushed both my Ki and mana to their limits over the past week away.' Grey thought, stifling his own yawn as he stretched.

"I was thinking, guys." Grey spoke up suddenly, drawing Ray's attention back.

"What?" Finral asked, his voice slightly groggy now.

"How do you feel if we each challenge a red band in a duel and take their position? That way we can eat whatever we want without restrictions." Grey suggested, his tone almost too casual for the weight of his words.

The room instantly fell into a tense silence. Ray stiffened, his eyes widening, and then slowly turned to face Grey as if he had gone insane.

"You hit your head on something or what? Challenge a red band?" Ray asked, his voice rising sharply.

"I mean, it's worth a try though. I don't mean the direct descendants, I mean the others." Grey clarified, raising his hands slightly as if to calm them.

"Still the same thing, doofus! It's tantamount to suicide." Finral retorted, glaring at him like he had just suggested leaping into a dragon's mouth.

Grey only smirked, the glint in his eyes showing he wasn't joking.

"He's right. Each of the red bands are either stage 3 or stage 4 minimum. There isn't a single stage 2 or lower amongst them, and you want to challenge them? I can possibly take on a stage 3 warrior since I'm already close to that stage, but there's no way of knowing exactly who is who.

Besides, let's say we are successful and beat down the red bands. Let's not forget that each of them are heirs to powerful clans. Do you want to paint a huge target on your back by messing with a clan?" Ray asked, his tone cold but realistic.

'Hmm. He does make a solid point. But one thing though, I'm already quite capable of handling a stage 4 warrior, which is evident from my fight with the orange tiger back at the Noxarian faction. That was no fluke.

But my main concern isn't the ordinary red bands—it's the direct descendants. Can I even handle them yet? Mada is a stage 4 warrior as well, but he's far more skillful and experienced than most. The female shouldn't be above stage 4 either, which makes her manageable. But the tall male… there's something unsettling about him.

No matter how hard I try, I can't sense his aura or Ki, almost as if he's intentionally concealing it. And it's not just that. Whenever my gaze lingers too long on him, he always catches me watching, and then he directs that devilish grin my way. It's eerie, as if he knows something I don't. Something is definitely off with him, and he's the main reason I haven't made any major move yet. Until I figure out his true stage, I can't act recklessly.' Grey thought, stroking his chin thoughtfully, his eyes gleaming with a hint of calculation.

"Tell me, what brought about these suicidal thoughts of yours?" Finral asked, his brows knitting in suspicion.

"Nothing much. Just having the ideas." Grey simply replied, brushing it off as if it were nothing.

"Kill it. Kill those ideas before they kill you instead." Ray added, his tone tremendously grave, his stare boring into Grey as if to hammer the warning into him.

'I don't know if I'm imagining it or not, but something is changing in Grey. He's slowly becoming different—colder, sharper, and maybe even more sinister with each passing day. What even was that moment ago? The wind seemed to respond to him instantly, just like back at home when he faced those Midnight Sun clan members. This isn't normal. He's not normal.' Finral thought, narrowing his eyes as he studied the warrior mage from head to toe, unease crawling up his spine.

"I'm tired. I'm going to use this whole weekend to sleep, so goodnight, guys." Grey muttered, his voice weary as he dropped onto his bed.

"Goodnight in the morning?!" Finral shouted in exasperation, but his words were immediately drowned out by the sound of Grey's loud, steady snores. A vein bulged across his forehead as he clenched his fists in frustration.