Everyone could not believe their eyes when they saw the ever-so-stoic valkyrie smile so beautifully like that, every man in the training hall was enamored by that charm even more, and forgot anything and everything about what was going on. Meanwhile, the women in question couldn’t care about them one bit and asked Axel,
"So, where do you want to be positioned, Axel Nomrad?"
Her divine voice cut through the silent students who were all looking at her as if madly in love. They all broke out of their daze and listened.
Axel internally heaved a sigh of relief, seeing that she had no intention to continue fighting. He smiled at her and said, "I want to be in the shock troops both when we attack or defend."
She looked at him intently and asked curiously, "Can I ask why?"
Axel looked her straight in the eye, stepped forward slightly, and said to her in a low whisper, "Well, a certain someone said that I should embrace my true nature."
He stepped back after saying that and turned around, going towards the door. He signaled to Heinz, and his friend chuckled at him going towards him, gave a thumbs up while making a clapping gesture. Axel only shook his head in amusement and said nothing more. Everyone moved away slightly, making a path for them to exit. Both walked out arrogantly, but no one said anything to stop them.
But the valkyrie remained there, almost frozen; she covered her mouth, hiding a dark smile underneath. She thought back to the words that Prime Nexus displayed to her at the very end of the trial. A dark and twisted hope rose from her heart, but she quickly dismissed that feeling. She clenched her fists unknowingly, and the darkness surrounding her became thicker and more sinister.
The others who saw this didn’t know what to make of it, seeing the malevolent darkness encroaching all around her figure, most of them backed away in fear; they could only think that perhaps she was too angry, too angry at the man. Well, it kind of made sense she would be pissed. Without waiting for her permission, everyone started leaving.
At the end of it, only Lucien and Lumina remained. There was blood dripping from the clenched fist of Lucien. He was furious, absolutely furious. How dare that bastard act like that with her? How dare he get so close in reach of her? His furious gaze landed on the valkyrie this time. She was by now almost covered in the true element of darkness; her figure could not be seen, and what was wrong with her was well, he thought.
He wanted to go and ask her flatly that what the fuck was going on, but.... unfortunately he wasn’t strong enough yet, she wouldn’t like that tone of his, and it would lead to a fight, something that he could not win, even if he revealed all his cards. In the end, it all came down to strength. Every single time, everything he ever wanted, everything that he could not get, was for the lack of strength, for the lack of power.
His eyes gleamed dangerously. Perhaps he should have let that bastard die in the void; helping him was perhaps not a good idea, no, that would have gotten him expelled and maybe killed later on.
He knew from the very beginning, there was something weird about the guy; he couldn’t put his fingers on what it was, but there was something. He and Sophia talked about it once, and she also said the same. They initially thought that he was a bloodline holder, likely. But then dismissed it, after some investigation.
His eyes shone dangerously. Sophia was his prize; he wouldn’t let anyone take her away from him. He was the only man who could ever be worthy of her. What was troubling in the matter was that it was not Axel who was showing any interest in her, but it was Sophia herself who seemed more interested in Axel. Only he and Lumina, who were close to her, could notice it.
He left the place immediately afterwards, uncaring about Lumina. He was in a bad mood, and he would need to go to the beast forest and let out his anger on the stupid creatures.
But Lumina remained there, standing as the last one, lost in her own deep thoughts. She knew her brother liked Sophia a lot, not for her beauty but for her character, despite never showing it much, and she understood his feelings. She also felt the same way; she didn’t one bit. Even though Axel and Sophia only seemed against each other and fought, her female instincts were telling her that they had gotten somewhat close somehow. There was a silent understanding between the two.
She also left the place; she would need to talk with her best friend about what was going on, and maybe with Axel. But at least there was one relief, it wasn’t Axel who was interested in Sophia, after all, he revealed to her about his obsessive love towards his childhood friend, who was now dead. Rather, it was Sophia who seemed more interested in Axel now.
As everyone left and only the valkyrie remained covered in pitch black darkness, a notification flashed through her eyes, and she smiled.
[Your understanding of the darkness has increased by 2%]
Heinz said to Axel meaningfully, "Now that was quite a show you put on there. She also seems strangely interested in you."
Axel revealed with a sigh, "It’s not like I wanted to make such a big deal out of it, but considering what sort of person she is, she wouldn’t accept my change in position without showing sufficient strength. And you already know why we both need to be in the shock troops."
He paused for a moment, then added with a small frown, "But I don’t understand why she was acting like that, even putting me in as one of the division leaders is a bit surprising in itself."
"Her interest or weird behavior will only bring unnecessary trouble. Specifically, Lucien, that guy was likely furious. While I’m not afraid of confronting him, this is not the right moment."
Heinz nodded, "You’re right, but will Vyra manage to create that potion by then?"
Axel replied with a shrug, "I don’t know, but I do think it should be. We do have some time on our hands."
Heinz asked after some thought, "And you’re sure he is going to be in shock troops as well?"
Axel smiled and revealed, "Obviously."