The heavy double doors of the grand hall creaked softly as Lynx pushed his way into the cafeteria.
Even along the stone corridors leading up to the entrance, the atmosphere had been thick with eyes following his every movement.
Reverent, wide eyed stares traces his steps. It wasn’t every day a Year 2 student stepped into an arena, fought a veteran instructor, made him bleed, forced him to his knees, and ultimately walked away with him forfeiting the match.
The academy’s whisper network had clearly done its job.
Lynx, however, was entirely used to the attention. He didn’t even blink, keeping his hands slung lazily in his dark trousers as he stepped into the main hall.
The cafeteria was immense, a cavernous space of vaulted ceilings, glowing mana lamps, and row after row of heavy wooden tables. Today, it was packed to near capacity.
Dozens of students milled about, their voices creating a steady, low hum of chatter that echoed off the stone walls. The smell of roasted meat and sweet fruit nectar hung in the air, mixing with the faint ozone scent of mana.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Lynx tapped out a quick text to Eira: Where are you guys sitting?
A second later, his screen lit up with her reply, complete with a location marker pointing toward the larger VIP alcoves near the back glass windows.
He slid the device back into his pocket, scanning the vast room. The glass behind the VIP section reflected the entire hall, and he could see every eye on him without even turning his head.
The moment he stepped past the threshold, the ambient noise in the hall dipped noticeably. Dozens of heads turned in unison.
His Transcendent Charm, an innate aura so overwhelming it bordered on the divine, was working overtime.
Wrapped in his crisp, black custom uniform...a stark, commanding contrast to the standard dark blue worn by the rest of the students... he looked less like a student and more like royalty visiting a lower court.
However, tucked just beneath his collar, faint red marks bloomed against the skin of his neck.
Even his Primordial Healing, which automatically purged toxins and restored fatigue, had inexplicably failed to erase the marks left by Rose’s desperate, biting kisses.
They stood out like bright crimson badges of victory.
As Lynx began his slow walk across the polished floor, a few Year 1 students standing near the food lines perked up, waving at him with nervous excitement.
"Hey, Lynx!" one of the younger guys called out, eager to be acknowledged.
Lynx offered a smooth nod. "Hey."
A pair of Year 1 girls caught his gaze, their cheeks instantly flushing a deep pink as they offered him shy, fluttery smiles.
Lynx flashed them a lazy, charming smirk in return, making their breath catch before he continued on his way. He could feel their gazes lingering on his back long after he passed.
He hadn’t made it more than twenty paces when two tall figures stepped directly into his path, cutting off his trajectory.
Lynx slowed to a stop, his heterochromatic blue and silver eyes sweeping over them with impassive calm. He glanced at the rank tags pinned to their crisp dark blue collars: Year 3.
Without missing a beat, he activated his Primordial Vision. Semi translucent data overlays flickered into his sight, revealing their details instantly.
One was an Earth affinity user, his total stats sitting somewhere around a mediocre 40,000 the other was an Ice affinity user, barely scraping 35,000.
To the rest of the academy, these stats made them formidable senior combatants. To Lynx, they were practically background scenery.
"Well, well. If it isn’t the academy’s newest prodigy," the Earth user spoke up, a wide, friendly smile plastered across his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"Lynx, right? Hell of a fight in the arena man. Seriously impressive stuff you displayed back there. Ending fights with one punch, fighting Professor Jace... man it’s cool."
"Thanks," Lynx said smoothly, his posture relaxed, his voice carrying an effortless, deep cadence.
The Ice affinity guy gestured with a flick of his chin toward a large, elevated table in the middle of the hall.
"We were just talking about your performances over at our table. You should come join us. Got a spot saved right next to us, plenty of food, good company."
Lynx traced the direction of the pointed finger with his eyes.
Sitting at that central table was a girl... a strikingly gorgeous girl with long, silky blonde hair and glowing pale skin.
Lynx recognized her immediately. It was the same girl who had been eyeing him and blatantly winking at him the last time he’d set foot in the cafeteria.
Sitting right beside her was a broad shouldered Year 3 guy who was currently leaning in, blabbing away in an attempt to hold her attention.
The girl, looking thoroughly unimpressed and bored out of her mind, completely ignored her companion. Instead, her eyes locked onto Lynx the moment he looked over, a sharp, sultry smirk spreading across her lips.
The guy beside her caught her gaze, followed it to Lynx, and immediately shot Lynx a deathly, venomous glare out of the corner of his eye, his knuckles whitening around his cup.
Lynx’s gaze shifted back to the two senior boys standing before him.
The Earth user caught the brief exchange of looks, scratched the back of his neck with a awkward laugh, and tried to brush it off. "Ah, don’t mind them. Just good food and good vibes at the senior table, man. What do you say?"
Lynx offered a faint, amused smile. "Appreciate the offer, but I’ve already got a table booked. My girls are waiting for me."
The Ice user’s brow twitched slightly, his friendly posture stiffening. "Come on, Lynx. It’s just a quick sit down with the Year 3 elite. Don’t be like that. A guy with your talent should be mingling with the upper years, not hiding away."
"I said I have a table," Lynx repeated, his tone dropping an octave, carrying a calm unyielding weight that made the air between them feel suddenly heavy.
"Enjoy your lunch ...senior."
Without waiting for a response, Lynx stepped smoothly past them, his shoulder brushing past the Earth user’s without even breaking stride.
Behind him, the two Year 3 boys froze.
The Earth user clenched his jaw so hard a muscle twitched violently in his cheek, while the Ice user tightened his fists until his knuckles popped.
They had planned this carefully. The goal had been to lure the arrogant Year 2 student who’s been making waves at the academy to their table, surround him with senior upper tier students, and subtly put him in his place.
Humiliating him in front of the entire cafeteria to restore the Year 3 hierarchy.
But with dozens of students tracking Lynx’s every step, all eyes were currently on them. Escalating a physical confrontation right here would make them look desperate and pathetic.
Suppressing their rage, the two seniors turned around, swallowed their pride, and slunk back to their seats under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Lynx didn’t even bother looking back.
He shook his head mentally, a dark laugh echoing in his thoughts. ’Ignorant fools.’ He’d already beaten and humiliated a group of Year 3 boys weeks ago, and he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
He’d mentally recorded their faces and names, if they tried anything stupid, he’d happily pay a visit to the Year 3 male dormitories and remind them where they stood in the food chain.
He has a room at the VIP section in the Year 3 boys building... he hasn’t really slept there once, but it’s still his. ’Those fools.’
Pushing through the final row of tables, Lynx finally reached the VIP section. He knew Ava made it possible, there’s no way Year 2 students would be allowed in this place.
Sitting around the long, food laden table was his inner circle. Eira, her cool dark hair catching the light. Lira, looking sweet and gentle. Ava, her bright blue eyes scanning the room, and to his genuine surprise, both Emily and Kira were sitting there as well.
That was unexpected.
Emily and Kira had just gone through a brutal, earth shattering duel in the arena mere hours ago. By all rights, they should have been resting in the infirmary, with those Healers healing them.
As Lynx approached, the girls looked up.
Ava’s face lit up instantly, her hand shooting up to wave at him frantically. "Lynx... Over here. You took forever."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lynx said, pulling out a chair at the head of the table and sliding smoothly into his seat.
Without missing a beat, Lynx reached out and pulled a plate of thick, roasted meat toward himself. He was hungry.
Hours of intense, body numbing intimacy with Rose had burned through his energy reserves, and his body was demanding fuel.
Rose had intense stamina, if he couldn’t see her stamina with his Vison, he would have thought she has more stamina than him... okay he’s kidding, there’s no way that possible. But Rose has a hell of stamina. Even more than his demon Nyx... well for now. Nyx is still recovering her strength.
He began eating with impressive speed, devouring the rich food with a focused, masculine appetite.
Ava giggled, resting her chin on her hands as she watched him. "Whoa, slow down, big guy. Did you just come back from a war zone, or did they forget to feed you for a week?"
"Seriously," Eira teased, a subtle, mischievous smirk playing on her pale lips. "I didn’t know visiting Professor Rose would leave you this starved. You’re eating like a savage beast Lynx."
Lira poured him a tall glass of ice cold fruit juice, placing it gently beside his plate with a soft, affectionate smile. "Let him eat, you two. He clearly worked hard today. Staying in Professor Rose office for almost 4 and half hours. That’s amazingly scary."
Lynx swallowed a large bite, wiping his mouth with a napkin before flashing them a grin.
"You have no idea."
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