Chapter 43: Loud Familiarity

Agni stepped into the crowd, weaving between groups of laughing students.

He was shorter than most of them—his small frame disappearing easily into the sea of bodies. He craned his neck, trying to catch another glimpse of where Lyralei and Draekon had been standing.

Gone.

The crowd had swallowed them both—Lyralei and Draekon—somewhere in the sea of academy uniforms and floating lanterns. The music from the enchanted instruments overhead got louder, drowning out individual voices until everything blurred into one continuous roar of celebration.

Agni stopped trying.

His shoulders sagged slightly as he let out a long breath.

He drifted toward the edge of the hall, where long tables had been set up with food. Mountains of it. Roasted chicken legs glistening with honey glaze, skewers of grilled vegetables, platters of sliced fruits arranged in spirals, pastries dusted with sugar that sparkled under the chandelier light.

He found an empty chair near the end of one table and dropped into it.

His eyes landed on a plate of chicken right in front of him. The smell hit him immediately—savory, rich, with that char from the grill that made his mouth water. His hand moved toward it instinctively.

Then he stopped.

"Don't eat anything at the event. I've prepared light food for you—soup that Lady Suzzy made diligently. You need to ease your system back into normal function."

Doc Aldous's voice echoed in his head, clear as a bell.

Agni's hand retreated. He sighed, slumping back in the chair, staring at the food like it had personally betrayed him.

Around him, students continued their feast, completely oblivious to his suffering.

"Man, this chicken is sure delicious!" someone nearby exclaimed, taking another massive bite, grease dripping down their chin.

"Wow, they're catering to vegans here!" another voice chimed in, sounding genuinely impressed. "Look at this tofu skewer—it's so good!"

Agni groaned internally, dragging a hand down his face.

The party got louder. More voices. More laughter. The clinking of glasses, the scrape of chairs, the hum of a hundred different conversations happening at once.

And in the middle of it all, Agni's mind—restless, exhausted, refusing to shut up—started working.

Like a mouse trapped in a cage, his thoughts circled, then spiraled, then crashed forward like a raging river carving through stone. Unstoppable. Relentless.

Why was I even looking for Lyralei?

The question lodged itself in his brain, refusing to leave.

He turned it over, examining it from different angles, trying to make sense of it.

Was it... praise? Recognition? Did he want her to see that he'd made it into S-Class? That he'd defeated Senior Raul ? and achieved Chain Strike and earned his place here?

Or was it something else?

Was it... equals?

Or...

His chest tightened.

Acceptance?

The word settled heavy in his mind, uncomfortable and raw.

His shoulders dropped.

The raging river of thoughts that had been crashing against the shores of his consciousness slowed. Calmed. Dissolved into nothing.

Like all rivers do when they reach the ocean.

His tired mind finally connected with his tired body, and the result was simple:

He couldn't care anymore.

Suddenly, the whole thing seemed like too much. Many voices, people packed into one space. Noise and light and energy that he just didn't have.

And more importantly—

Too irrelevant.

Why was he even here?

He should've just stayed in bed. Slept this whole thing off. Recovered properly.

But no. He'd run all the way here like an idiot, panting and sweating just to—

What?

Stand in a doorway and watch two people talk?

Great job, Agni. Really nailed that one.

He rubbed his temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache creeping in.

And now the Sun Mansion—the place where he'd actually been resting comfortably—was far. Too far to walk back to right now.

Should he go to his dorm room instead?.

He paused.

Yeah, good luck finding that.

He didn't even know where it was.

Perfect.

Agni reached for a glass of orange juice sitting on the table—one of the few things Doc Aldous probably wouldn't yell at him for drinking—and downed it in one go.

Sweet. Tangy. Cold.

Tasty.

At least something went right tonight.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Agni blinked.

He looked up.

Ignatia stood before him, flanked by Michael, Suzzy, and Darius. All four of them bowed slightly—polite, formal, synchronized.

His brain took a second to catch up.

"We are glad that your recovery has gone well," Ignatia said smoothly, her heterochromia eyes unreadable behind her silver glasses.

Suzzy's face lit up immediately. "We heard you were amazing during the exam! Chain Strike! How does it feel?!"

Before Agni could answer, Michael cut in, leaning forward with barely restrained desperation in his voice. "Your Highness, this is quite a bit sudden, but please—can you help us with our current circumstances?"

Agni groaned internally.

Great. More voices.

Ignatia's hand shot out, stopping Michael mid-plea. Her voice turned cold. "How poor of you to trouble His Highness with such irrelevant things."

"Stop it, guys," Agni muttered, but his voice was too quiet, drowned out by the noise around them.

No one heard him.

"Come on, we're broke!" Michael's voice cracked, desperation bleeding through. "I just lost another hundred gold on shares—we're never gonna recover from this!"

Tears welled up in his eyes, barely held back. He dropped to one knee dramatically, hands clasped together like he was praying.

"Majesty, please—I'm begging you! Just give me a single chance to invest in my armor! I promise to give returns up to one hundred percent—no, scratch that—five hundred percent! Please!"

"Guys, cut it out," Darius hissed, glancing around nervously. "You're making a scene."

He was right.

Of course, the Sun Empire heirs and the crown prince himself standing together in one spot—everyone's eyes turned toward them like moths to a flame.

It was curiosity. Gossip fuel.

Agni blinked, his head pounding now, pressure building behind his eyes. He looked around—more glances, more whispers, more attention pressing down on him from every direction.

Gods, shut up. Just... shut up.

Agni sighed, long and exhausted, then fixed all four of them with a flat stare.

"What is up with this 'Your Highness,' 'Majesty' nonsense?" His voice came out sharp, tinged with irritation. "For gods' sake, call me Agni. Keep it short and clean. And maybe tone it down when you're speaking."

He pointed at each of them in turn.

"All four of you—I don't want to see you again tonight."

Silence crashed down like a curtain falling.

Michael's tears, which had been barely held back, now threatened to spill for an entirely different reason. He felt Ignatia's murderous glare boring into the side of his head like a drill.

Ignatia and Darius both bowed immediately, deeper this time, before retreating into the crowd.

Suzzy just chuckled softly, waving as she followed them.

Around them, the crowd gulped.

The drama was fun to watch, sure—but no one wanted to get on the bad side of a royal prince. So their eyes wandered away, pretending they hadn't been staring just seconds ago.

Agni stood up, rubbing his face with both hands.

Fuck me. What is wrong with these morons? 'Majesty this,' 'Your Highness that.'

He exhaled through his nose, then froze.

Wait.

I forgot to ask about Lyralei and Draekon.

"Are you okay?"

The voice was familiar—soft, concerned.

Agni turned.

Serina stood there, her light blue hair catching the glow from the floating lanterns overhead. Beside her, Ashen stood with his arms folded, white hair falling into his golden-slit eyes.

Serina looked at him with a gentle smile.

Agni blinked, his brain juggling speech. "I'm... okay. Like, okay-ish. Slightly."

He straightened up, looking at Serina more carefully now.

He wanted to say something—but he swallowed the words.

"Is your health okay?" Serina asked, tilting her head slightly. "Since you were absent from the written exam."

Written exam?

Agni blinked.

Was there a written exam?

He thought back. Yeah, Lyralei had mentioned something about it. And of course, he'd been graded on it—C-Class. He just... hadn't been awake to take it.

Seeing his blank expression, Serina's hands moved.

She held up two gold medals—gleaming under the light.

"I wanted to thank you," she said earnestly, "for helping me against Senior Raul."

She smiled with a wider blush covering her face. "Because of you, I won these gold medals!"

Agni tilted his head, confused.

How did I help her?

Was she being sarcastic?

"Uh..." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I mean, I'm sorry for, you know... running away and not helping you? Last I saw, you were fainting after you—uh—exploded your staff."

Serina shook her head quickly, still smiling. She tugged up her sleeve, revealing the armband on her upper arm.

S-Class.

"I was at eight hundred points," she explained. "But when you defeated Senior Raul, as a contributor to the damage, I got the points split between me, Ashen, and you."

She glanced at Ashen, who nodded once in confirmation.

"Total of five thousand points was split among the three of us."

Agni blinked, then looked down at his own armband—the one Doc Aldous had given him earlier.

S-Class.

Oh. That explains it.

"So I won, huh?" he muttered, to himself.

That was... at least good news.

A thought tipped into Agni's mind, and he turned his gaze toward Ashen.

"Then you must be the dragon guy."

Ashen's golden-slit eyes met his—sharp, predatory, unblinking.

"Yes. I am."

His voice was flat, controlled.

"Good job recovering well," Ashen added after a pause.

"Thanks, I guess," Agni muttered. Then, curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "So who won first prize, then? Lyralei?"

"No," Ashen answered. "Cassius did."

"Cassius?" Agni blinked.

Right. Cassius. The guy with the horses that looked like Big B.

"Huh. To think... Lyralei lost the rank to someone. That sounds impossible," he muttered aloud, to himself.

Ashen tilted his head slightly. "She lost because she fought my big sister. But even then, I think it would've been impossible for her to make above six thousand points anyway."

Big sister?

Agni blinked again, turning to Serina. "Is that a lot?"

Serina nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Cassius defeated a senior as well—just like we did!"

"Hmm." Agni frowned, trying to wrap his tired brain around the numbers.

Before he could think further, Ashen cut back in, his voice deliberate.

"You and I are both in S-Class."

Agni glanced at him.

Ashen's golden eyes didn't waver. "No—to be precise, you are in S-Class. I'm in your debt."

He paused, then added firmly, "Feel free to ask any request. I would like to get even."

Agni blinked, caught off guard. "I mean... I didn't intend to help. I suppose—"

"Your Majesty."

Agni's head snapped toward the new voice.

A student stood a few paces away—smiling politely, one hand pressed to his chest in respectful greeting. His posture was casual, confident.

Agni's jaw tightened.

I'm tired.

"Who is this now?" Agni snapped, his voice sharper than before. "Tomorrow or never—get lost, honestly. Did I miss you? Where were you hiding, behind Suzzy??"

The student chuckled softly, unbothered. "I apologize for not being at the mansion. I couldn't help myself—had to treat myself to this wonderful event."

His hand glowed slightly—just a flicker of light, faint but unmistakable.

"Maybe this is familiar to you?"

Agni frowned. "What are you saying?" He blinked at the glow, tilting his head. "Did I meet you before?"

Something shifted.

Agni's chest tightened—just a bit. His right arm twitched involuntarily, fingers curling inward. He blinked again, and suddenly, time felt slower.

Like the air had thickened. Like sound was stretching, distorting.

The student smiled wider.

"I'm Dhaga."