Chapter 418:Class.

Chapter 418: 418:Class.

Her fingers remained against his collar for a moment after she’d finished.

They looked at each other for a moment before he leaned forward. The kiss landed gently against her cheek.

Ravenna’s eyes widened slightly.

Silver smiled.

"Thank you."

A faint flush appeared across her face.

Antony groaned.

"Seven-thirty in the morning."

She looked toward him.

Antony immediately stopped and raised his hands in surrender.

"Good morning, Ravenna."

"Good morning, Antony."

Silver laughed.

She turned back and kissed his cheek in return.

Antony stared at the sky.

"Why am I here?"

Jude answered, "You followed him."

"That was my first mistake."

Silver reached for Ravenna’s hand which she gave to him without hesitation. Their fingers intertwined; that was becoming natural too.

Yesterday they’d repeatedly noticed themselves doing it, but today neither commented.

Dillian watched the small exchange for only a second before looking ahead.

Ravenna finally noticed the other two properly.

Silver gestured.

"You already know Antony. That’s Jude Dero."

"Fourth place," Ravenna said.

Jude nodded. "You’re third."

Ravenna smiled slightly, then Silver gestured toward Dillian.

"And you already know Dillian."

Her expression cooled almost imperceptibly.

Dillian noticed.

"Ravenna."

"Dillian."

Antony looked between them. There was definitely a story there but he wisely chose not to ask at seven in the morning... for once.

The five continued toward the central assembly courtyard after breakfast. Silver and Ravenna remained together, hands linked between them.

Antony and Jude walked a little ahead after he started arguing that leadership ranking should at least earn them better cafeteria portions. Dillian followed beside them quietly.

Ravenna leaned slightly closer to Silver.

"You slept?"

"All night."

"No nightmares?"

Silver looked toward her.

Ravenna’s voice had been quiet enough that nobody ahead could hear.

"No."

"Pain?"

"Less."

"Shoulder?"

"Better."

"Ribs?"

"Better."

"Leg?"

Silver smiled.

Ravenna noticed.

"What?"

"You’re conducting another medical examination."

"I’m asking three questions."

"Four."

Ravenna thought, then frowned.

"Fine. Four."

He squeezed her hand.

"I’m okay."

She studied his face, then nodded.

"I’m just worried, I don’t mean to be overbearing."

They walked several more steps. Silver leaned down and kissed her cheek again.

She looked toward him.

"What was that for?"

"Nothing."

"You don’t kiss people for nothing."

"I kiss you for nothing."

Her expression softened.

"That’s different," she whispered almost to herself.

"Exactly."

She moved closer until their shoulders touched. Neither said anything else after that.

The central assembly courtyard came into view.

It was enormous.

Yesterday, Silver had seen portions of it while moving between orientation buildings, but this morning the entire first-year intake had been gathered there.

Nearly two hundred students occupied the marked assembly area, with academy personnel stationed around the perimeter and seven enormous electronic boards arranged across the front.

Each displayed a single number.

CLASS 1

CLASS 2

CLASS 3

CLASS 4

CLASS 5

CLASS 6

CLASS 7

Antony stopped.

"Seven."

He looked across the boards.

"Apparently."

Students were already crowding closer but names hadn’t appeared yet. The boards only displayed class numbers.

Rebecca spotted Antony from another group and waved. He immediately headed toward her.

"Rebecca!"

She smiled as he approached.

"You survived your first night."

"Barely. They put me in a room with Silver, Dillian and Jude."

She glanced at the group behind him.

"First, second, fourth and fifth?"

"Exactly."

"That’s either deliberate or incredibly stupid."

"Finally, someone understands my point of view."

Gareth appeared shortly afterward. Antony greeted him enthusiastically. Mira and Leon were elsewhere in the crowd, although Antony managed to spot them eventually.

Silver remained beside Ravenna, his thumb moving absently across her fingers.

She looked toward the boards.

"Do you think they’ll put us together?"

He glanced at her.

"I don’t know."

"I hope they do," she said without hesitation.

He smiled.

"That sounded dangerously affectionate."

Ravenna looked at him.

"I’m allowed to want my boyfriend in my class."

Silver still wasn’t entirely used to hearing her say that.

Boyfriend.

It did something pleasant to him every time.

"Say that again," he said.

She narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"The boyfriend part."

"No."

He laughed.

Her cheeks reddened slightly.

"You heard me."

"I did."

"Then that’s enough."

Silver leaned closer and tapped his lips.

Ravenna immediately knew what he wanted.

"There are almost two hundred people here."

"Yesterday there were hundreds."

"That doesn’t make this better."

He patiently waited.

She glanced around, then quickly kissed his lips.

He smiled.

"That worked surprisingly easily."

She rolled her eyes at that.

"You were supposed to kiss my cheek," he said.

"Stop pretending, you moved."

"I did not."

"You definitely moved."

Ravenna squeezed his hand hard enough to make him laugh.

An academy officer stepped onto the raised platform before anyone could continue.

"First years, attention."

The courtyard gradually quieted.

Silver and Ravenna turned toward the front.

"Today you begin your formal academy schedule. Before that begins, your class assignments have been finalized."

The officer gestured toward the seven boards.

"Each first-year class contains approximately thirty students."

Several students began whispering.

The officer continued.

"I will clarify something now because every year apparently requires the same clarification."

His expression suggested he’d already grown tired of a conversation nobody had started yet.

"Class numbers are not rankings."

That immediately caused several people to exchange looks.

Antony whispered to Rebecca, "That’s exactly what someone would say if Class One was strongest."

Rebecca elbowed him.

The officer continued.

"Class One is not superior to Class Seven. Class Four is not academically above Class Five. Placement was determined using your entrance evaluations, Soul Capacity, Contractor Rank, combat performance, awakened abilities, weapon specialization, tactical judgment, leadership potential, temperament and projected training requirements."

Silver’s interest increased.

"Each class has deliberately been constructed as a balanced training unit."

The boards activated and names began loading.

"That means you may find someone who performed significantly above or below you during admission in the same class. That is intentional."

Students immediately surged toward the boards.

The officer raised his voice.

"Do not push."

Nobody technically pushed, they merely moved much faster.

Antony disappeared toward Class Two before he had any evidence he belonged there.

Silver looked toward Ravenna.

"Any preference?"

"We can search together."

Silver smiled.

"Besides that."

"Not Class Seven."

"Why?"

"It sounds unlucky."

"Seven is literally my Soul Capacity."

Ravenna looked at him.

"Exactly."

Silver stared at her, then laughed. They started toward the boards together. Their hands never separated even once.

He checked Class One first only to find that the names were arranged alphabetically.

He scanned, then stopped.

DILLIAN VALE

Antony appeared over Silver’s shoulder.

"Dillian got One."

Dillian had apparently seen it too, although his expression remained neutral, Silver still noticed his excitement.