"G-Gray?!"
Dimitri’s breath hitched, his chest tightening as though soone had wrapped iron chains around his ribs.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, dripping down his temples as his whole body quivered.
His fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked, but it wasn’t exactly his strength that made them shake... it was fear.
Utter, bone-deep fear caused by Gray.
’How the fuck is he here?!’
He had thrown everything he had to destroy Gray’s life, and yet here he was, standing inside Gloria Academy like nothing had happened.
Worse... he wasn’t just here. He was in the most prestigious class, while he, himself, had been shoved into EF-Class, the worst class.
"...Dimitri? Are you okay?"
The gentle voice made him snap his head up as a beautiful light brown-haired girl with golden eyes stared at him with concern deeply etched on them.
"I-I... y-yeah," he stamred, his voice breaking as if his throat was strangled.
He nodded stiffly.
"I’m okay..."
"Alright... if you need help, I’m always here for you," the girl’s lips curved into a small and patient smile.
"Th-thank you, Lyra." He forced a smile, but the corners of his lips twitched, betraying him.
Inside, his body was trembling so violently he thought his knees would buckle under him.
After all, Gray... was very terrifying.
A person born without the softness of emotion, without rcy or hesitation.
Soone who, if provoked by anyone outside his family, would unleash consequences so brutal that the mory alone still left Dimitri’s stomach twisted in knots.
’....No... I’m dead...,’ he shut his eyes, biting his lower lip.
’I’m fucking dead. He’ll kill . He’ll rip apart for what I did. There’s no way he hasn’t found out... no way...’
But then, his eyes locked on Lyra’s figure...
’Phew... calm down. Calm down! Focus!’
His teeth ground together, trying to choke his fear back into submission.
’If I can just make Lyra fall for first, I’ll be fine. The Eldest Princess said it herself, Lyra’s the Vessel of the Four Main Gods.’
’She will be able to protect ...’ he smiled inwardly, but then, his eyebrows furrowed slighly.
’But... what the hell did she an about the Black Constellation? Why did she warn to be careful of that?’
As he thought about that, his gaze swept across the dining hall, only to stop dead.
Gray.
He wasn’t standing in line for food anymore. No, he was seated... seated next to a figure Dimitri knew all too well.
’...Jess? N-no... no, this can’t be...’
The air left his lungs in a sharp gasp.
His chair scraped the floor as he almost lurched to his feet.
His sister was also there, laughing with Gray. And not just her... her friends too, smiling, leaning in as if they’d known him for years.
Panic surged through him.
He tried to tear his eyes away, but then, Gray’s head turned, and their eyes t.
Freezee...
In that instant, Dimitri’s entire body locked up.
It felt like being caught in the gaze of a predator, the kind that didn’t even need to move to remind prey what it was.
Yet slowly, Gray’s lips curled.
A faint smirk, nothing more... but it was enough to send a violent shiver down Dimitri’s spine.
His strength left him all at once, his shoulders collapsing as he dropped back into his chair.
His hands trembled under the table, and his gaze darted down to his tray—anywhere but Gray.
’I-I’m dead... I really am dead...’
His throat bobbed as he forced himself to look at Lyra beside him. She was eating with her usual calm, her golden eyes steady, unbothered.
’R-right... i-it’s okay. Lyra’s here. She’s stronger than Gray. Even if he’s... even if he’s so genius monster, she’s still the Vessel of Four Gods. There’s no way... no way she would lose to him...’
He swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat wouldn’t go away.
However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted.
BAAAM!
A body flew across the hall, crashing against the stone tiles with a sickening thud.
Gasps erupted, trays clattering, food spilling to the floor.
A second-year stood over the groaning student he had thrown, one boot grinding into the boy’s cheek.
His lips curled into a lazy, arrogant sneer.
"Aha... pathetic. First-years really are just trash." He pressed harder, making the boy wheeze.
"Nothing but weak little hussies."
His words rang out, heavy and venomous, drawing dozens of eyes. He noticed. And instead of sha, his face twisted with anger.
"HEY! THE FUCK YOU STARIN’ AT?! WANNA DIE TOO?!"
He shouted, causing most first-year students to look away, while the others simply ignored him as if they were used to this kind of thing.
But then...
"Pfttt... that was so funny!"
He heard a laugh that ca from Gray’s table.
The girls were smiling, still chatting as if the second year didn’t exist. Not even giving him the satisfaction of acknowledgnt.
And that... drove him insane as the attention-seeker he was.
Jaw tight, eyes bloodshot, the second-year stord toward them. His heavy steps made the floor echo until he stopped right behind Gray.
GRIP!
He placed his palm on Gray’s shoulder and squeezed down, testing his strength. But his gaze wasn’t on Gray.
It lingered on the girls as his lips twisted into a hideous smirk, dripping with lust.
"Well, well... look at this. Didn’t know we had fresh flowers blooming already." His tongue darted across his teeth.
"Hey, ladies. Drop the trash and co with instead. I’ll give you a proper welco to the Academy... in my bedroom."
His hand pressed harder into Gray’s shoulder, his words vile.
"Don’t waste your ti on this pretty boy. I’ll show you how a real man treats won."
Jess’s brows furrowed in disgust, Mira was already clenching her fist, and Keira muttered:
"Disgusting..."
But before any of them could speak, Gray moved.
His hand shot up, clamping onto the second-year’s wrist.
"The fuck you lookin’ at, huh?"
Gray’s lips curled into a devilish smile.
"Crack."
The word escaped from his tongue just as the sound itself followed. His grip twisted, black strings writhing across his hand, visible to all.
The second year’s eyes bulged. His wrist bent unnaturally, his veins straining against the pressure.
"AAAARGHHH.... AAAAHHHHH!"
Gray’s grip tightened once more, and then...
SLAM!
He wrenched the brute down, smashing his face into the floor with sickening force.
The stone cracked, blood spraying from the second-year’s nose as his cheekbone scraped against the ground.
The entire hall flinched at the impact.
"UUGH—FUCK!!" the boy howled, writhing, but to his credit, he didn’t stay down. Fueled by humiliation, rage took over.
He pushed himself up with trembling arms, blood dripping from his face.
"Y-You... you fucking bastard—!!"
Without warning, his fist shot forward.
BAAM!
Gray was caught off guard, the punch slamming into his jaw.
His body was thrown back, skidding across the hall’s polished floor before slamming against a table, snapping it in half.
"GRAY!!" the girls scread in panic, rushing to stand.
Dimitri’s heart skipped a beat. For a mont, he almost felt relief, until he saw Gray move again.
"Agh..."
Gray wiped the blood trickling from his split lip with his thumb.
He tilted his head, cracking his neck with a slow motion, and began walking forward.
"You think... you think you can humiliate ?! I’ll fucking kill you, you piece of shit!"
The second-year spat blood of his own and cursed.
Gray stopped just a few steps away, staring him down, and then spat a thick glob of bloodied saliva onto the floor.
Then, he raised his eyes just to et the brute’s gaze.
"You’re fucking dead."
The brute sneered, winding his arm back for another punch, but then he froze.
"W-what... the fuck—?"
Thin, inky-black strings shimred into view, wrapping around his wrists, elbows, chest, and even his throat.
After all, Gray had let himself be hit on purpose in order to wrap all of those strings around his body.
And now, as he recracted the mana that made them invisible, they revealed themselves, snaring him completely.
Slowly, he simply extended his right hand, fingers curling in the air as though clutching an invisible object.
And in perfect, dreadful unison...
The strings tightened.
"HRRGHHH—GAAAAH!!"
The second year’s body convulsed violently as the cords dug into his flesh, cutting into skin, crushing muscle.
His knees buckled, his back bent unnaturally, veins bulging against the pressure.
But just before he could continue... a voice reached out to his ears.
"Gray, stop!"
It was none other than Lyra.
For a fraction of a second, Gray’s hand faltered because he didn’t want her to see his ’dark side’, after all, he was indeed trying to seduce her.
However, just as a new idea ca to his mind...
His lips curled up, and instead of loosening, he tightened his grip.
Grip!
"HRRRGGHHHH—AAGHHHHHH!! P-PLEASE! I’M SORRY! IT HURTSSS—STOPPPP!!"
CRACK—!
The boy’s shoulder gave out with a sickening noise, his face contorted in agony.
CRACKLE!
"GRAY!"
Lyra’s voice thundered this ti as golden lightning sparked violently around her fra, a warning that if he pushed further, she would act.
And yet, Gray still didn’t stop, until...
"G-Gray...? Please... stop... The academy rules... they forbid killing in the cafeteria..."
Jess’s voice reached out to him.
Imdiately, the threads dissolved into black mist, and the second year, collapsed like a broken doll, gasping for air, body twitching in shock.
"Alright then."
Gray’s face softened, the devilish smile vanishing, replaced with that calm, almost charming smile as he muttered, turning back to Jess, who sighed in relief upon seeing that he had stopped.
"That... that was scary," Keira whispered, her usual playful tone gone for once.
"Scary? That was terrifying," Mira corrected, forcing out a nervous laugh as she brushed her hair back.
"I knew he was confident... but I didn’t think he’d do that right in front of everyone..." Elira hugged her arms, her lips curling into a faint smile despite her pale cheeks.
Gray just chuckled at their words.
"Scary, huh? Guess that makes more interesting than most guys you’ve t."
The triplets exchanged wary glances, then Mira exhaled.
"...We’ll give you that."
Jess simply sighed.
But she wasn’t the only one who was a little... perturbed by that situation.
Lyra was too.
Her golden eyes lingered on his back as the image of those black strings digging into flesh overlapped with the mory of the entrance exam.
Her lips parted faintly, but no words ca.
"Lyra? ...Lyra!"
Dimitri called her na from across the table, yet she didn’t answer him.
She didn’t even hear him.
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