Scarlet

None of us say anything for a few seconds before Sam’s grin suddenly widens like he has something nefarious in mind and he lets go of Ethan. He then approaches me and tries to put his arm around my shoulder, only for me to quickly dodge him. And while that does surprise him for a moment, he doesn’t let it interrupt whatever plot he has in mind as he grins at the others, standing next to me as he says, “How about we have a little bet, eh? That us blood magic users will make it further in the Primaries than the three of you!”

I blink at him, startled by both his offering a bet and simultaneously pulling me into it.

Ethan scoffs and Abigail just rolls her eyes, neither of them seeming to take him seriously. Lucas on the other hand just says, “I’ll be winning the whole thing, so that bet will be pointless.”

Oh, wow. Someone’s confident.

Sam crosses his arms and leans in towards Lucas as he says rather challengingly, “Oh, yeah? How about we see how that goes when you’re fighting with me?”

“Won’t change a thing,” Lucas says while shaking his head and not showing much on his face.

“Boys, you don’t even know if you’ll be pitted against each other, so please save the testosterone for tomorrow,” Abigail says with an amused smile on her face. And the confused look on Lucas’s face is absolutely hilarious, making me understand that he really was just stating what he saw as a fact and not anything more.

Sam on the other hand puts his hand on his chest like he’s wounded and says, “Oh, you wound me milady!”

I walk over to Ethan as Abigail responds with a witty retort before I ask him, “I’m guessing you all already knew each other before today?”

He nods and leans down slightly, the man being way too damned tall for his own good, and answers, “Yeah. We all have the same Instructor. So we’ve known each other since we became students at our respective universities.”

My eyebrows climb at that. “You have the same Instructor despite being in different universities?”

What Guardian goes around between different universities and gets apprentices in each?

“I’m not surprised you don’t know,” Ethan says, looking at the banter-filled argument between Abigail and Sam. “Our Instructor is Purple.”

Oh. Oh.

Their Instructor is a Knight. That would explain it then.

And I have heard rumors about Purple and Black going around gathering some apprentices, but they were always just rumors. No official confirmations to the public or anything.

The only Knight that actually has an affiliation with a particular Guardians University is White. And that’s because she is the current headmaster of Lion’s Heart.

Ethan glances at me and comments, “You know, I’m a little surprised our Instructor never contacted you.” He stares at me for several seconds, making me want to fidget under his gaze. But I don’t, instead keeping my hands in my pockets. Eventually he shrugs and turns back to the bantering duo as he says, “Guess she probably didn’t want to teach another blood magic user. Crim’s already a handful for her after all. The last thing she needs is another self-destructive berserker under her wing.”

I open my mouth to retort to that, only to shut it again. Then I open it again and shut it, not finding anything to retort with.

The corner of his lips quirk up, the man likely having noticed my actions.

Damnit. I am not self-destructive!

“Yes, you are,” Tar says, apparently having returned. So I round on him instead of Ethan.

Where the heck have you been? And no, I’m not.

“Denial isn’t a good look, young pup,” Tar says in a sagely tone of voice like he’s mocking me, making me grit my teeth. But he grows serious a second later as he says, “And father called for a meeting of the fae heirs.”

Wait, really? What was it about?

“I can’t tell you much, but I can say it greatly involves the upcoming Class V Fracture,” Tar says, giving me something to go off of. “And that we always have a meeting months before Class V Fractures are predicted to open.”

Hmm, okay.

“I…” Tar mutters, sounding like he wants to tell me something but isn’t sure. “Please be careful during this Class V Fracture, okay?”

Huh? Of course I’ll be careful. It’s a Class V Fracture that will span over the entire city.

“Right…” Tar says in a way that has me narrowing my eyes.

Is there something strange about this Fracture? Aside from it being a Class V Fracture, of course.

I’m pretty sure three out of the five Knights are planning on being in the city during the Fracture to handle it when it happens, leaving the other two on the front lines of the war with the demons. So we should be a lot more prepared for this one than the others.

“Just be careful,” Tar says one last time.

Okay.

Come to think of it, I’ll probably tell Allen and Cynthia about my… heritage… after the Class V Fracture. Because it’s probably better not to flood them with extra problems while they’re preparing for that.

Or… maybe it would be better to tell them before it? Just in case there is a Class V demon who will recognize what I am and exposes me?

I’d rather they hear it from me than some demon Noble.

Assuming they still accept me, of course.

“I’m sure they will,” Tar says in a comforting tone.

I smile a little at that. And the continued bickering between Sam and Abigail, who I’m starting to realize might actually be a thing.

“Are those two…” I whisper to Ethan just to confirm my theory, and he just nods and says, “They are.”

Thought so.

That’s kind of surprising. Wouldn’t have expected them to be dating considering the replay of their battle in the final round that I saw.

They certainly make an interesting pair though.

I also kind of respect how they were able to fight so intensely without holding back and not have it harm their relationship.

“Well, that Crim guy looks like a battle junkie,” Tar says before adding, “like a lot of blood magic users often are.”

Hey! That’s rude.

“True though,” he says sounding smug.

Still rude.

I raise my glass to my lips to have a sip of punch as I continue watching the two bicker.