After a long while, Wendy said as she stuffed food into her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, she added, "I just suddenly thought of Jim."
"Hmmm." Nox narrowed his eyes suspiciously but decided not to comment further on the matter as he noticed the disinterested expression on Wendy's face. However, he did wonder why she brought up the topic all of a sudden.
Could it be that something happened to her father, or... more importantly, was Wendy about to take her revenge? Nox didn't find the second theory too far-fetched.
'But from what I heard, although a merchant, Charles Xavier Chai, is a very powerful Awakened and is always protected, could she really handle them all alone?' Nox thought darkly. 'Or worse, what if she gets caught in the act and is arrested?'
'Maybe I'm just being paranoid... just overthinking?'
"Wendy," Nox suddenly said.
"Hmm?" Wendy looked up at him with an inquisitive gaze. "What is it?"
Nox sighed and said in a deep voice, "If you ever need help in the future, you know where to find me."
Wendy smiled. "Of course, I will."
Nyx and Serena watched the two exchange words with a confused look on their faces. Why did it feel as if those two were speaking in a coded language that only they could understand?
Soon after, because it was already late, everyone went their separate ways. Wendy was the first person to leave, followed by Nyx and Serena, who had decided to go train in one of the academy's training facilities.
Although they said "train," Nox was very certain that they went out to test their new items.
One of the benefits of being a special class student was access to state-of-the-art facilities. Not only that, but special class students were also allowed to bring their friends from other classes to these training facilities.
After realizing this, several Alpha class students in recent days had been trying to befriend the special class students, even going so far as to run errands for them.
Fortunately for Serena, she didn't have to deal with such flattery or scheming. Nyx's invitation was purely based on true friendship. The two walked side by side through the academy's dimly lit corridors, the rain tapping against the tall glass windows. The rhythmic sound of water cascading down the panes brought a calm serenity.
"It's that time of the season... what do they call it again?" Serena stroked her chin.
"Tsk, you country bumpkin!" Nyx teased, rolling her eyes. "It's called rainy season."
"Ah, my bad." Serena blushed.
Upon arriving at the training facility, Nyx scanned her student ID on the glowing runic console, unlocking the entrance. Serena followed closely behind, marveling at the state-of-the-art equipment that filled the expansive room. Holographic dummies, gravity chambers, and mana-feedback simulators stood ready for use.
What stood out most were the various runic symbols scribbled across the equipment and walls. It was evident that runes powered everything here.
"This place is incredible," Serena whispered, her eyes sparkling.
Nyx smirked. "Try not to get too distracted. We're here to train, not sightsee."
Serena rolled her eyes but nodded. They began their session with basic warm-ups before moving on to more intensive drills.
As the session started, both combatants summoned their newly acquired weapons. Notching an arrow on her ice-bound arcane bow, Serena aimed at Nyx.
The bowstring glimmered with frost as it stretched taut under her grip.
Nyx simply smirked and raised her shield.
"Tsk, tsk, you underestimate me too much!" Serena quipped, her eyes narrowing. She released the arrow, and it shot forward, leaving a trail of icy mist.
Nyx stepped forward at the same time, her shield glowing faintly as it absorbed the impact.
A sharp bang sounded as frost splintered off the shield's radiant surface.
"Not bad," Nyx said, lowering her shield slightly. "But you'll need to do better than that if you want to keep me on my toes."
Serena grinned. "Oh, I wasn't done."
She activated the Frostbite ability, and the next arrow shimmered with an icy blue aura. As she released it, the air around the arrow seemed to freeze, leaving a chilling wake.
Nyx planted her feet, the Sanctified Aegis emitting a golden barrier. The Frostbite Arrow slammed into the shield, and frost spread across the golden engravings, battling against the radiant warmth.
"You think you're clever, don't you?" Nyx muttered, her voice steady despite the pressure.
Serena tilted her head, feigning innocence. "I try."
Nyx pressed a button on the shield's inner grip, and with a flash of light, a Holy Shockwave burst forth, shattering the frost and forcing Serena to leap back.
While the two were engrossed in their sparring session, a series of footsteps sounded behind them. They abruptly stopped and quickly turned their heads toward the source of the sound, spotting a blue-haired man standing there.
Nyx and Serena discerned this from his attire alone.
"Don't mind me. Continue your spar. I'm only here to watch," Brandon Chai said with a wicked smile. "Maybe I'll even show you girls some pointers."
Meanwhile, Nox strolled through the academy grounds, the rain falling steadily around him. The darkened path was illuminated by faint streetlights, casting long shadows. As he approached the dormitory building, he spotted a familiar figure heading toward the library.
Her icy aura was unmistakable, though it seemed softened under the gentle rain.
"Where is she going?" Nox thought to himself. She was walking in a hurry as if eager to catch up with something.
"Very, very suspicious. First, it was the auction, now she's heading toward the library."
Lost in thought, Nox didn't even realize when he started following her.
She was walking through a long path, and Nox followed behind her.
"I know you're following me," she suddenly said without turning back. Her voice was chilling, like that of an evil goddess.
"I know. I wasn't trying to hide," Nox replied with a smile. He quickened his pace and caught up to her. Once he was within arm's length, he asked, "Zara Frostpire, can we speak for a moment?"