"Damien.

Be honest.

Does this make me look like an arrogant prick?"

I stared at the mirror, turning slightly to check the side view of my black formal coat.

Golden lines ran down the sleeves like veins, the embroidery too much for my taste, but apparently "fashionable" in the Central State.

Well, that was what Damien told me—

His voice echoed deep inside my head, bored as always. "You are an arrogant prick, Noah. The coat's just being accurate."

I groaned, ripping the suit off and tossing it onto the growing pile on the bed.

"I'm not doing this to look rich," I muttered, grabbing another outfit.

"It's a team outing.

My treat.

I just…I don't want to look like some Central State snob."

"But you are a Central State snob, remember? The heir of one of the Seven Commandment Families, remember?

It's basically printed on your forehead at this point—"

"That's the problem," I muttered.

"I don't want them to see that version of me, after all…we're all from the same family.

I dont think anyone there cares about dressing up and showing off except maybe Aurelia or Seraphina."

Yanking on a plain white shirt, I tried to tuck it in between my casual black trousers as my fingers fumbled at the belt buckle.

Today wasn't just another day.

Today…I was going out with Team A.

People who didn't look down on me. People who, for once, might actually become my friends.

I paused in front of the mirror again. Shirt half-tucked. My hair an absolute mess. Anxiety bubbling in my stomach like a damn potion gone wrong.

I never did this before, I realised.

Not with friends.

Not even with my own family—

"Why does this feel like I'm walking into a battlefield?" I whispered.

"Because you are," Damien replied. "But instead of swords and spells, you're fighting insecurity and small talk."

I let out a short, dry laugh, rubbing the soft stubble of a beard on my neck.

…yea that had to be cut before I go out too—

Damien wasn't wrong after all.

The Central State of the Indian Subcontinent was a place built by the rich, ruled by the powerful, and governed by beasts of law and politics.

When the Gods descended a few months back, they'd redrawn the world like puzzle pieces.

Seven divine subcontinents were born—each granted mana, order, and destruction in equal parts.

And within each subcontinent?

There were 5 massive states.

North.

South.

East.

West.

And the Central.

The four edge states became home to the masses.

They mostly consisted of the workers, travellers, soldiers and also citizens who were trying to survive the constant threat of awakened beasts and crumbling empires.

But the Central States?

That's where the elite lived.

It was the home to the untouchables, heirs and even the 7 Commandments.

People like me, basically.

Damien sighed inside my mind. "Still thinking about the past?"

"I'm thinking about today," I said quietly, glad that no matter how much technology had advanced in the world, our subcontinent still follows the ethics and the culture of the past, saving me from a literal techo nightmare.

I remember staying over in one of the cities in the Von Stein Empire, which is now known as the subcontinent of Rome and just looking back to how advanced and sci-fi that place looked gave me the creeps.

There were rails shooting by in the distance—carriages floating above tracks, windows reflecting the city's golden light and whatnot.

I paused and bent over to the girly bed beside me, it was my 'pink' room which mom had decorated in the past and the fact that Pixie was living inside it right now totally did not help.

Picking up the phone placed on the bed, I found another floating notification on the phone's screen.

Dario: Everyone's here man—Hurry up!!

"Uhhhh, Damien? We have a crisis." I said, starting to freak out.

I was late.

Not because of the traffic.

But because I'd changed clothes seven times and still felt like a fraud.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the only remaining outfit I hadn't tried yet.

A simple white T-shirt with some pink cartoon design on it, as well as dark, black jeans.

No crest.

No gold.

No symbols of the Romero House.

'Perfect.' I thought, instantly changing into it.

"Too normal?" I asked, looking at myself in the mirror.

My nose stood out too much on my pale face but no once could deny that these messy white hair actually went pretty well with my outfit.

Then finally I found a pair of sneakers and slipped them on.

Looking at myself for the last time in the mirror, I smiled.

Today wasn't about power.

Or bloodlines.

Or being the grandson of Venus Romero.

It was about stepping out with Erza, the chaos-loving maniac who could snap an ogre in half with her bare hands—and somehow still laugh like a kid on candy.

It was about Dario, the teleporting mess who never stopped talking, or sitting still. (He'd already sent ten texts demanding to know where I was.)

It was about Seraphina, whose voice could make even the strongest of men go dangerously obedient, that is when a certain condition is fulfilled.

Obviously.

It was just that she always looked at me like she was either lost in thought…or planning my funeral.

As for Aurelia?

The girl walked into a room and made everyone look at her.

She was all about charm, deceit and class.

She didn't try to be likable.

She was.

I looked around my room—a pure white, wooden study table, pink background, girly stuff lying all around the room and smiled.

I don't know why Pixie hadn't returned back the whole night, but maybe it had something to do with her receiving that reward from the House treasury.

'I hope she finally finds something that can help her situation.' With that final thought, I walked outside the room and closed the door to it.

For the first time today, I was stepping into the crowd with people I could chill with.

Yes.

I was going to laugh today, and enjoy in the chaos.

I grabbed my sleek black phone and stuffed it into my jeans pocket.

My heart was racing again, but this time, it wasn't just fear.

It was hope.

"You know," Damien said suddenly,

"They might actually like you. Even if you are a socially awkward, emotionally repressed idiot."

"Yea, whatever—" I said, locking the door behind me.

I was finally ready to go out.

***