At long last, after five relentless days of classes, the weekend had arrived. Normally, students would be eager to balance their academics with a bit of social life, but for a certain few, school had consumed their entire week.
One such student was Caelus.
He sat outside a small coffee shop along Vendor's Street with a book on illusion magic open in front of him. It is one of the more obscure branches within the school of Dark Magic.
Every so often, he reached for his cup, only to brush his hand against a ball of fur sprawled lazily on the table.
"You moved my cup," he muttered.
"No, I didn't~" Alune purred, her tail flicking. "But don't stop."
With a sigh, Caelus withdrew his hand and took a light sip from the cup.
"Hm… Not bad. Though, Commander Kyriel makes it better."
"Aww, starting to miss the demon realm, are we, Cael?" Alune teased, grinning.
"Of course I am. This realm is too bright, too loud… and way too many people know my name. Makes it a pain to move around."
"Just kill them all."
"Hah. Oh, believe me, I've thought about it more times than I should've. But I can't afford to get expelled. Not yet, anyway."
Alune chuckled softly.
"Pfft~ That's so unlike you. Back then, you wouldn't have given a damn about what other people did, or how your actions would've affected them. Is the human life starting to get to you?"
"Who knows?"
As Caelus buried his face back into the book, Alune rested comfortably on the table, her tail slowly swishing back and forth. There was nothing particularly significant about the moment, but she was content. She simply liked being here with Caelus. No expectations, no responsibilities, and no one to answer to.
At least for now.
Alune cracked an eye open.
There they were, two untouched crackers, sitting on the plate for the last ten minutes. She shifted her gaze to Caelus, who remained completely absorbed in his book. If there was ever a time to make her move, this was it.
Slowly, inch by inch, she crept toward the plate. One careful movement at a time. Caelus didn't so much as flinch.
At last, she reached it. Her eyes gleamed as she licked her lips, ready to scarf down those delicate, glorious, utterly irresistible crackers.
She swiped a paw.
And missed.
"...Eh?"
She tried again. Nothing.
A third time. Still nothing.
And then — right before her very eyes — the plate, along with the crackers, shimmered and vanished into thin air.
"Wha—?! Wait, what?! W-what just happened?!"
A soft chuckle sounded behind her. She spun around to find Caelus leaning back in his chair, a cracker held teasingly between two fingers.
"Illusion magic, huh?" he smirked. "Gotta admit, it's a handy trick."
"Hey!" Alune snapped. "That's not fair!"
"Hmm? Of course it is. You just didn't notice you were under my spell. Some sharp perception you've got. For a cat, anyway."
Alune pouted, her whole tiny body practically trembling with annoyance. Caelus, for his part, couldn't help but smile. In that moment, all he saw was a grumpy fuzzball desperate for a snack.
"Alright, alright," He chuckled, holding out the cracker. "Here."
Alune eyed it suspiciously, her gaze darting between the cracker and his face, half-expecting another trick.
"It's real this time," Caelus scoffed. "Promise."
Still unconvinced, she gave it a few cautious swipes. It didn't vanish.
Satisfied, her expression brightened as she eagerly grabbed the treat and nibbled away.
Caelus shut his book and leaned back in his seat, his gaze drifting to the bustling street where the students of Rhodeia reveled in their hard-earned weekend.
"You know… I can't help but notice how alike humans and demons really are," he murmured. "They chase after their lives with everything they have. No matter the obstacles, no matter the pain, they keep moving forward, searching for tomorrow. But why is it that every tomorrow seems fated to be written in blood?"
Alune stopped mid-chew, glancing up to see his somber eyes as he watched without focus.
"...Because the cycle of strife deems it so," she said. "For every light, there is a shadow. For all there is to love, there will always be a reason to hate. To truly know peace, you must first understand the meaning of strife. Tell me, Caelus. Do you know what the Ego of Strife is?"
"The Ego of Strife? He's just Lord Arkus, isn't he?"
"Perhaps. But that is not entirely it. The Egos aren't people. They are forces of nature, as old as the world itself. For every hope, there is desolation. Why do you think wars happen? Why do you think your kind seeks to spill blood for their own gain? Pride, greed, envy — they are all components of Strife. Lord Arkus... just happens to be the face of it and nothing more."
There was something strange about Alune's voice that was seldom the case when it came to her. For someone who can joke about taking human lives so easily, she seemed deeply saddened. Caelus couldn't even make a guess, and he thought it imprudent to ask.
"I'm curious about something, Alune. Lord Arkus... is he a demon?"
"...Is he a demon? What do you mean?"
"Well—"
"Oh, hey! It's Caelus!"
Caelus and Alune glanced to the side. Walking toward them with a hand in the air was Kain and Rosalina. Gone were the standard robes of Rhodeia, replaced by trainee uniforms.
"Hello," Caelus said as they sat down next to him. "It seems you two have fully assimilated into the school of swordsmanship."
"Heh, not just any school," Kain grinned, poking a finger up. "Introduction to the Zephyr Blade, taught by the Lynn Dia Sinister. She's intense as hell, man."
"Is she?"
Rosalina nodded her head.
"Yeah. She... s-she's..."
She choked up the moment her eyes landed on the fluffy cat, who tilted her head when looking back at her.
"Um... Caelus?" she gulped.
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Is this... your cat?"
"Oh, her? Yeah, she is."
"I see. Uh... I-if it's not too much to ask for... may I... pet her?"
Alune noticed Caelus's expression, which told her to stay silent for the time being. She picked herself off the table and crawled over to Rosalina's side.
And Rosalina, she hesitated in a way that made it seem like she was about to touch the most valuable treasure in the Emperor's vault. Slowly, her hand fell gently upon Alune's back, and she proceeded to pet her. One stroke at a time.
"Would you look at that?" Kain snickered, leaning his elbow on the table. "To think the mighty Rosalina Sigurdia would fall victim to the cuteness of a cat."
"Shut up," she muttered.
"Pfft~ You don't seem as witchy when you're petting a cat."
"Ahem. A-anyway, yeah. Professor Lynn was truly something. On the first day of class, she culled the class from fifty students down to... was it twenty-two?"
"Uhh..." Kain hummed, lifting his head in thought. "Twenty-two... Sounds about right."
"Mhm. But yeah, she made us take a test right from the get-go. We each had to strike at her, and she would deduce if we were worthy enough to stay in her class based on just that."
"Sounds like a pain," Caelus scoffed. "Professor Silva did the same thing, but not to the extent that your professor did. We went from a class of eight to four."
"F-four...?"
"Yeah."
Kain looked at Rosalina, then back.
"I still don't get why you chose Dark Magic out of all things. That's taboo, man."
"I know."
"And you went with it?"
"It's not like it'll kill me. Don't worry. If anything, it'll make people second-guess bothering me since I am now associated with Dark Magic."
"...I guess that's one way of looking at it." He sighed before standing. "I'm gonna go grab a cup of coffee. Rosalina, you want anything?"
"Black," she replied immediately.
"Bla— Yeah, no. I'll just choose for you."
Without waiting for Rosalina to retaliate, he disappeared into the shop.
Caelus scoffed.
Yeah. He's definitely growing attached. I probably shouldn't say that, though. Lest I incur the same wrath he now faces on a daily basis.
"By the way, Caelus," Rosalina said.
"Hmm?"
"Have you decided on a club yet?"
He blinked.
"…A club?"
"You haven't heard of them? There are a ton of extracurricular groups run by the upperclassmen. The college itself doesn't interfere much, so they basically do whatever they want. As long as it isn't illegal or openly dangerous, of course."
Caelus rested a hand under his chin.
"I see. No, I hadn't even considered it. Didn't know clubs were a thing here."
"You should join one. It's a great way to boost your rep. If you do well, the upperclassmen can vouch for you during the midterms. It'll bump your evaluation score and raise your odds of passing to the next year."
"Is that so?"
Clubs are a major part of a student's life at Rhodeia, but Caelus was still wary.
On one hand, he'd have to interact with more students. It was annoying enough as it is to deal with the ones in his classes.
On the other hand, he could request leaves of absence in the name of the college and gain access to otherwise restricted areas.
He'd have to weigh the pros and cons carefully, but it was certainly worth looking into.