238 Outing [2]

Ivy was about to go further, yet, that's when she felt as if she had been stabbed a million times.

She felt her soul being crushed under the weight of the contract she had made with Silas, making her quickly understand that the girl before him was not someone she wanted to mess with. It wasn't because she was strong, but rather because she was one of the only people Silas cared for.

Yet, somehow, the idea of breaking the contract clause was the last thing on her mind.

After all, what was more terrifying than making the destroyer of worlds your enemy?

"I apologize. I didn't know you cared for her." Ivy gritted her teeth and bowed, a hint of envy clear in her voice.

"Nah, its cool." Silas threw her a nonchalant thumbs up and turned around. "Wait, what?" Nymira asked, flabbergasted at what she just heard.

"We have an assembly to attend anyway." Silas shrugged and moved away. The rest just looked at each other with confusion. Everyone had a million questions they wanted to ask, but with Silas no longer there, they could only turn toward one another in the hope that they would know their answers.

A few minutes passed by quickly, and they had all reached the hall within those minutes.

Silas' eyes scoured the hall, his eyes pausing on a few individuals that he could not help but look at twice.

The hall looked ordinary. Its floor was made of oakwood planks, and the same could be said for the stage that stood a few feet off the ground.

Silas' eyes moved toward the stage where the figure of an old, scrawny man stood kneeling against his kane. "He doesn't have many years left." Silas sighed to himself.

"Yeah. At most, maybe half a decade? Though, he is quite old so it is expected." Ivy spoke from Silas' side. Silas stared at her for a moment before sneering.

Mystic eyes were the only reason he could track her in his current state. If not for it being constantly active, Silas would have most likely had a problem knowing where she was at all times.

His mana fusion would have made it significantly easier to see her, while wind and lightning fusion would have made her movements feel like the motions of a snail.

"They should really add chairs to this place." Silas heard Alex complaining in the distance while Nymira constantly argued with him about complaining.

*THUD*

The headmaster suddenly slammed his cane on the ground, causing a loud boom to resound within the vast hall.

"Today I brought you here for one reason." He paused, as if trying to see if the hall was silent or not.

No one dared to speak, yet Silas didn't know whether it was due to his aura or his status within the academy.

"The tournament between the four academies is just over the horizon, and the academy needs to know who will participate." He explained before watching a wave of understanding nods go through the audience.

"So, we will be holding a trial. No single student will participate in this trial, no matter how young or old. Of course, if you do not wish to participate in the tournament, you can sit it out. However, there 10:17

will be big prizes this year, and you don't have to win to get one. It's a little like a participation reward. You also get a reward for the bracket you fall into. For example, being in the top 10, 25, 50, and 100 will all have prizes of their own; it goes all the way up to the top 1000 students throughout all of the academies, and the rest simply receive participation rewards." The old man explained.

"I think I get what my mother was talking about when she said this generation is soft." Ivy sighed with disappointment. The debut release happened at N0v3lBiin.

"Old people always say that about new generations. Don't take it to heart." Silas chuckled.

"You would know." Ivy snickered.

"Ivy... I have a question." Silas looked to the side, his eyes locking upon Ivy's

"What's wrong?" She tilted her head to the side, making an expression that even Silas had to admit was a little cute.

"What do you want?" He finally asked. She scowled momentarily, yet the expression disappeared as fast as it had appeared.

She quickly grinned and parted her lips to speak-

"For you to-"

"And don't say that love bullshit." Silas cut her off. "Can't I be motivated by love?" She asked with a raised brow.

"For your personality and being to be completely reliant on another person's life? This isn't a harem story where the love interest is completely one-dimensional and loses all personality the moment the main character gets her."

"I'm a love interest?" Ivy flushed red.

"Was that the only thing you got from what I said?" Silas grew agitated.

"No... I heard you." She paused for a moment before sighing. They were both completely ignoring what the headmaster was saying, yet, no one around them tried to quiet them since Ivy had placed a field around them that stopped others from listening in.

"One-dimensional character without a personality huh? Is that the way you think of me?" "Yes." Silas didn't hold back.

"It makes sense, I guess. But, you wouldn't get it even if you knew everything." She retorted, her voice bland. There was no emotion in it, yet, to Silas, it was a tone of voice he recognized.

Pain. That's what she was feeling. "Though, despite the description you gave me, wouldn't you say that Nymira is an example of what you just said?" Ivy asked from the side, a mischievous smirk on her lips.

"What? No. I don't think she would count as a love interest." Silas raised a brow before continuing. "She's more like a child I find the need to take care of. Like a stray kitten you may find on the street, you know? She just happened to be a lion's cub acting like a kitten, but you know what I mean."

"I wonder if you were this dense in your previous life." Ivy chuckled before looking at Nymira, who was staring at Silas with a shocked and pained expression.

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