Soren Arden POV
Crunch
Drip... drip…
A week had passed since Soren had agreed to let Lilliana drink his blood regularly, and they were now sitting in a position that was becoming more and more familiar.
Lilliana was perched lightly on his lap, arms looped around his neck, her tongue delicately tracing his wound as though trying to erase the pain.
At first, the posture had been unbearably awkward, too close, too intimate, but over time, it had slipped into routine.
Her small frame made her weight almost nonexistent, and with his neck at the perfect height, it was the natural position.
They had tried a more "proper" setup, with him sitting while she stood behind him, but her legs had always given out as soon as she started drinking.
Lick lick
Soren had also made more progress in blood magic; he was now able to absorb magic blood formed through [Hemokinesis], though it still had to be done orally, so it wasn't too pleasant.
Slurp
There was also the matter of Amelia.
Ever since the bloodsucking agreement, Soren had told Amelia a couple of times that they couldn't have lunch together, and it seemed to be getting to her as she was following him around less.
'I should talk to her soon.'
He could tell she was hurt by his excuses.
The truth was, he actually missed her presence.
Ever since the thief attack, he had been on edge stepping out alone, but with Amelia hovering near, that constant tension had vanished.
Lick… lick…
"Hahhh…"
Lilliana pulled away, lips red.
She blinked at him with tired eyes.
"Should we… continue the lesson?"
"Do you want to?"
She shook her head.
"I'm tired."
Soren glanced at the clock, given her brutal schedule, it made sense.
"Want food?"
Nod.
He scooped her up easily, carried her to the sofa, and laid her down like a doll before putting on his cloak.
"I'll be back in half an hour, then, alright?"
Another nod.
Lilliana had already closed her eyes.
'She'll probably be asleep by the time I get back.'
He smiled faintly.
To him, she wasn't a teacher anymore, she was just Lilliana, just his friend.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Shiver
"Ugh, it's so cold…"
Summer nights at Stellaris were deceptively sharp, the wind cutting through his cloak.
This meant that although it was the season where layers should be coming off, Soren couldn't help but keep adding them instead.
"「Ignition」"
A small flame appeared in his palm.
This was another thing he had learned during classes: the ability to control the output of his spells.
In the past, he had constantly been firing his spells at maximum power because he didn't know any better, but now it was different.
The small flame flickered as the cold air flew past.
Magic really was miraculous.
As he was walking around the restaurant district near the academy, he noticed a girl with brown hair that he was familiar with peeking out from a building nearby.
Since he wasn't in a rush, he decided to walk over and say hi to the familiar face, but when he reached her…
"Please leave me alone!"
Soren sighed.
The scene was straight out of a cheap drama.
Three older students boxed in a trembling brunette, Olivia.
Their uniforms loosened and the stench of booze clung to them.
If it were someone he didn't know, he probably would have just gone on his way, leaving the matter to someone else, but he couldn't do that this time.
He slid his hands into his pockets and walked forward.
"Hey, Olivia. Everything alright?"
Her face lit up in desperation.
"Soren! Thank goodness. You see, my friend's here now, so you can all—"
She was desperately trying to escape the situation whilst being as polite as possible, but unfortunately for her, these guys were too tropey to take a hint.
"Your friend, huh?" The tallest of the three sneered, looking Soren up and down. "Cute little thing. You can join her. We'll show you a good time."
Soren forced a smile.
"Sorry, I like women."
His words stunned them silent. Olivia blinked repeatedly.
"...That can't be right," one scoffed, leaning close with a smirk. "You just haven't met the right guy yet."
"Yeah," another chimed in, clicking his tongue. "Give me one night and I'll change your mind."
Their breath reeked of alcohol, and their laughter was grating.
"Soren, not interested." Soren tilted his head, deadpan. "Already tried men. Didn't take to it. Women are just better. So, shall we go, Olivia?"
The seniors blinked, then burst out laughing.
"Look at this little freak."
"She's got some attitude."
"Bet I could shut that mouth real quick."
Laughter threatened to spill from Soren's mouth.
His hand twitched inside of his pocket.
'Maybe I should thank my face for this misunderstanding, if they knew I was a guy, they'd already be swinging.'
"I promise you'll enjoy it," the ringleader leered, leaning toward Olivia.
Soren didn't waste another second, pulling his hand from his pocket, a brown magic circle lit under his palm.
"「Gaia」"
The ground beneath them liquified into much, swallowing their boots.
While they cursed, Soren seized Olivia's wrist and yanked her free.
"Run."
They sprinted.
"Thank you so much, Sorennnn, I thought—!"
"Talk later. Keep running."
Soren couldn't help but inwardly lower his opinion of Alex for missing not just one, but two entire events based around heroines.
'What is he doing? Stop making me clean up after you!'
He didn't mind as much with Amelia, as she didn't even have a real relationship with Alex, but Olivia was a different story.
What was he doing not protecting his childhood friend from this kind of thing?
Crackling—
"Shit! Olivia, duck!"
"Ahh–!"
They dove just as lightning split the air where their heads had been.
"Fucking first-years," one of the seniors snarled, tearing himself free of the mire. "Think you're clever?"
"Tch, my new pants are a mess now."
"Ughh, give me a break, I just wanted to get an easy lay."
Soren's gut dropped.
They'd broken free already, these weren't normal drunks, they were dangerous.
'Fucking fantasy world!'
He clenched his teeth.
"Olivia," he whispered, forming another circle in his palm. "I'll distract them. You get help. A teacher, a peacemaker, anyone."
Her eyes widened.
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine, they won't do anything to me."
That was the only reason he was offering to stay behind in such a situation; he wasn't the hero type, hell, he would never think about sacrificing himself, but realistically, he wouldn't be sacrificing himself in this situation since the moment they realised he was a guy, they'd throw him away.
'...Right?'
For a moment, a dark thought intruded into Soren's mind, but he shook it off.
'They wouldn't do that,' he told himself.
But even more than the fact that he wouldn't be sacrificing himself, he just didn't want to see Olivia go through such a thing.
He had already assumed the role of her love coach back during the midterms when he had listened to her love story; he couldn't let such pure love get corrupted.
"...If you're sure Soren.."
She looked hesitant to agree, but Soren assured her it was okay.
"3… 2… 1… 「Ignition」"
Fire roared up, forcing the seniors back.
Olivia fled in that moment and Soren exhaled, his shoulders tight.
As the flames guttered out, three silhouettes emerged.
One's sleeve was scorched, but otherwise they looked barely scratched.
"Persistant little bitch."
"Let's teach her a lesson."
"I'll enjoy this."
'Wouldn't it be nice if I could win properly even once?'
He had that thought as he watched the three guys approach.
Up until now, there hadn't been a single fight where he won one-sidedly or was still standing by the end.
'It's a little pathetic..'
Soren grimaced, already gathering mana.
"「Breeze」"
He jumped up and cast [Breeze], flinging himself in the opposite direction of the seniors, then the moment he landed, he sprinted as fast as he could back towards the academy.
"Fuck! She's running away."
"Duh, I can see that dickhead."
"Both of you shut up and get her already."
Soren continued his pattern of running, launching himself with [Breeze] over and over again, and because of this, he had already sustained a few injuries.
'At least it doesn't hurt too badly.'
Ever since his tutoring with Lilliana had begun, he had felt that his pain tolerance had risen drastically.
Thud-!
"Cough! Shit!"
Eventually, though, he ran into a dead end.
"...Shit."
The seniors closed in, grinning wide.
"Hahh.. Finally caught you!"
"Fucking hell, who uses [Breeze] like that?"
"Hahaha! Let's see how mouthy you are after this."
Circles flared in their hands, lightning, ice, wind, Soren braced himself for the worst…
Twang!
An arrow ripped through the leader's leg, dropping him screaming.
"Wh–what the fuck?!"
Fwaaa!!!
A bird of ice exploded past the second, freezing him solid from the waist down.
"Ghhhh–!"
Crackling–!
A ram wreathed in lightning charged at the third, tossing him like a ragdoll.
Silence fell.
In the span of seconds, the three seniors, his death sentence, were reduced to broken, groaning wrecks.
Soren stood frozen, his mouth dry.
A shadow moved at the alley's mouth.
The cloaked figure approached, each step calm, deliberate.
When they drew back their hood, pale-blonde hair spilled free, catching the moonlight.
Rose-pink eyes locked onto his, and long, pointed ears framed her face.
Soren forgot how to breathe.
She towered over him, radiating pressure like a storm contained in flesh, every inch of her screamed strength.
She crouched down, gloved hand reaching out.
Soren flinched, but instead of striking, she patted his hair gently.
"It's okay now," she murmured. "I took care of the bad men. You're safe."
"Ah… uhh…" His voice broke into a squeak.
Soren's mind was still in shock from the unexpected situation.
She smiled faintly.
"I'm Yvette. Second-year. And you, little one?"
"S-Soren. First-year. Thank you…"
His cheeks burned.
He had never acted timid like this, but the sheer weight of her presence, mixed with his surprise at meeting her, completely crushed his composure.
"Let's get you back to the dorm."
Her gloved hand closed around his, firm and warm, tugging him along.
He was swept away like a child in her orbit, unable to raise his head until they reached the gates.
"Thank you, Senior Yvette," he whispered.
She stroked his hair again.
"No trouble. Rest well, Sweetie."
Then she pulled her hood back up and strode into the night without another glance, leaving Soren staring after her, his heart pounding.
————「❤︎」————