Chapter 127: Short trip

"He’s from black empire. A Black-eyed."

The silence afterwards was absolute.

He had only shown up a few times without a hood. Morning training and the day he wore the student council uniform first.

Identifying someone from the eyes was an unusual thing, and he was exceptionally tall, that you’d have to crank your necks to see his face.

However, the student council wasn’t in shock. They had suspected this much.

The shock was from the professors and students. A stunned silence.

Tiana still had to make it worse. She climbed onto Elias’s thigh and pulled the chain around his neck, pulling out the sealing stone.

"See?!"

A collective gasp escaped their mouths.

Kael frowned.

"When did you retrieve that?"

"I summoned it."

"If you can summon it, why did you ask me?!"

"You...you...are a Black-eyed?!" The professor finally recovered enough to shout.

"How?!" The female professor was already striding to him. She cut through the crowd and stopped before him. Her hand trembled as she raised it to the sealing stone.

"This...is it real?"

He wanted to shove her back, but Mona had beat him to it, shoving her four steps back. She returned immediately and pulled off his hood.

"Aaarrrggghhh!"

The whole class flinched.

"He’s really a Black-eyed!" She announced.

"Wwwwwwooooooooaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

The class erupted. Chairs scattered as they all stood up.

Shouting? Cheering? Or simply the joy that they might be able to visit black empire? It wasn’t clear why everyone was shouting.

Some even ran outside to share the news. Class was disbanded like that.

While the cheering travelled to other classes and corridor, Elias left the hall. A few students wanted to follow him, but he just went shealth mode.

Despite his disappearance, the whole advancement class somehow believed in the visit to black empire. Controversy sparked immediately.

The students that had no beef with Elias began to accuse those who had sided with Bora.

In short, the next two days were a mess.

A brief meeting was held among all the professors, where they discussed how a Black-eyed slipped into the academy without their consent, but after realising that Rowen brought him, they just agreed.

Two days later, as per the rules of the academy. Whenever a trip is planned, the students are allowed to return home for two days. All the advanced class students were dismissed.

The students chattered about how exciting the trip was going to be as they parked out of their dorms.

"I’m going to take a lot of pictures!" A girl squealed.

"What do you mean pictures?!" Another one yelled. "They have a lot of guys like Elias there. I’ll make one fall for me!"

"If I can marry into the black empire, I’ll be set for life!"

Elias just watched them from the top of a balcony like little bugs.

"I didn’t agree to the trip yet."

"But everyone is so excited." Rolarza approached, and stood beside him. "Are you going?"

"Yes."

"Then let me come with you." She smiled. "A trip back to Quora empire just for two days is stressful. I’ll just write a letter."

"I have been searching for you!" Mimi’s voice drew their attention. "Let’s go."

Rolarza’s smile fell a little. "You both... are going together?"

"Yes." Mimi grinned.

Both girls continued to stare at themselves for a moment, then Mimi spoke again.

"You should hurry so you’ll—"

"I’m coming with Elias." She grabbed his hand. "Right?"

"Right." He absentmindedly muttered.

Another staredown followed, and Elias broke it by walking away. They immediately followed, staying side by side.

As they descended and came out of the building, some students were waiting.

"Let’s go Elias!" Kael yelled. He was standing beside Haliad and Mona who sat on the ground.

"Are you not going home?" He went to join them.

Kael snorted. "No one is interested in seeing me anyway..."

His eyes travelled to Rolarza, and for a moment, he was stiffened. Does he act naturally, or thank her? Either way, her eyes remained glued to Elias.

"I don’t have a home either." Haliad beamed.

He just stared at them like watching two pathetic humans.

"You all are still here." Claude strolled out of the dorm, looking better after a good night’s sleep.

"We were just about to leave." Kael replied.

Claude looked up and Elias and back at the rest.

"Then, let’s go!"

"I’m... sorry, let’s go?" Mimi asked.

"We’re going together, a strange talking girl that I do not know." He shrugged, after just a side glance at her.

"I didn’t expect the president to be this annoying." Rolarza muttered.

Before they could move,

"Wait for me!" Tiana ran after them.

"I was searching for my shoe!" She got to them and took a deep breath, before smiling. "Let’s go."

"No, go to your family." Elias bit Claude to say it.

She pouted. "Family or not, who cares—"

"Go. Home."

His words were final. No amount of arguments could change it.

She clenched her fists. "It makes me sick. All of it! Royal family? Twin with the crown prince? What a joke. They all are just strangers to me!"

Everyone exchanged glances in silence, until Mona scoffed.

"Go yell that at your family’s face. You’ll feel better afterwards."

She finally noticed him sitting there.

"... Mona..."

She smiled. "You sure know how to cheer me up!"

She rushed over and hugged his head, stroking his horn a few times before pulling back. Suddenly feeling better, she ran back.

"See you all in two days!"

The boys just stood and watched, while the girls waved back.

"Do you know her?" Mimi asked.

"You have been in the school the longest. Why are you asking me?" Rolarza replied.

The group that had grown larger than needed proceeded to the teleportation gate, but before they could get to it, another approached.

"Wait for me." Quil laughed from a distance, waving at them.

As he ran, he moved past the elegant lady, with a perfect bag pack who was about to enter her car. Fayera. The butler was still holding the door, but her eyes had wandered off to them.

"Tell mother that I’m staying with my friends." She handed the bag to him, and ran off before he could protest.

In the end, Elias, Mimi, Rolarza, Kael, Mona, Haliad, Claude, Quil and Fayera left the academy together.

They took the teleportation gate to sound city, and walked the rest to Mimi’s grandmother’s home. Mimi took the lead. She ran up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Grandmother!"

The rest looked around.

"This was where the gate opened right," Kael muttered. He still remembered walking into that barrier.

"Yeah. A few members of the numbered died along with the league master," Fayera spoke. "A few went missing, like numbered eight and even numbered Ten is still in coma."

Elias glanced at Claude.

"You went missing?"

"I went home. I fell asleep... and didn’t report back." He coughed.

"You’re numbered eight?!" Kael and Fayera questioned.

Claude shrugged, and quickly tagged Elias.

"He’s numbered six too."

All eyes turned to him.

Just then, the voice of an elderly woman chuckled.

"I have a lot of visitors huh?"

She carefully and slowly climbed the stairs. "I wasn’t expecting a crowd.

"Grandmother!" Mimi grinned.

"Grandmother!" The rest greeted her.

Just then, her eyes locked to one person who had been giving her an intense stare. Her eyes widened.

"Ha...liad?"