Chapter 11) The Game of Lies
Lucien sat down on his bed, glancing at the new boy. "I wonder… what kind of beast does he have?"
The boy suddenly straightened and said with a bright smile,
"Alright, let's properly introduce ourselves. My name's Kaelith. You can call me Kael."
Alvaren chuckled.
"I'm Alvaren, and this is Lucien. Nice to meet you."
"Nice, nice!" Kaelith nodded enthusiastically, then leaned forward.
"So, what beasts do you have?"
Lucien froze for a moment. "Why is he asking that right away? What's with this guy?"
Alvaren smirked.
"Mine's a secret."
"Ohh, what a shame," Kaelith sighed dramatically, before turning to Lucien.
"And you, Lucien?"
Lucien crossed his arms.
"I've got a secret too."
Kaelith laughed.
"Well, I won't keep secrets. I'll tell you mine."
Lucien narrowed his eyes at him. "If he enrolled this year just like us, and contracted his beast now… then what's the point of asking us?" He studied Kaelith carefully, silently.
Kaelith grinned, his eyes gleaming with pride.
"My beast is the Aetherion Lynx. Elite Rank, Greater Stage."
Alvaren smirked and leaned back.
"Oh? What a coincidence. Mine's the same rank and stage."
Then Kaelith turned toward Lucien.
"And you, Lucien? What's your rank?"
Lucien froze, staring at him. "What the hell is wrong with him? He knows I didn't bind any beast yet, so why even ask?" He glanced at Alvaren, but Alvaren avoided his eyes.
"Tch… forget about beasts already," Lucien muttered. "Just tell me, which group are you in?"
Kaelith exhaled softly, then smiled.
"Group B."
Lucien sighed in relief. "At least one of them isn't in my group. Thank god for that."
Kaelith happily went back to unpacking, chatting about something Lucien didn't even bother to catch. His mind was elsewhere. "Tomorrow… the first day of classes begins. How interesting this will be."
‐‐‐
Night slowly crept in. Alvaren and Kaelith were still chatting about their lives before the Academy, what it was like, how they studied, how boring the lessons were back then. Lucien didn't care in the slightest; he barely listened. He just lay on his bed, lost in his own thoughts.
"Tomorrow… I need to find a way to make Fenrir happy. I've been too harsh on him. Next time we meet, I'll make it right."
Sleep began to tug at him, but just as he was drifting off, Kaelith suddenly leaned over with a loud voice.
"Lucien!"
Lucien shot up. "Are you insane shouting like that at night?!" His face was filled with annoyance.
Kaelith only grinned. "Let's play a game."
Lucien groaned inwardly. "Damn it… I can't let them think I'm some kind of antisocial jerk."
"Fine, fine, let's play," he muttered at last.
The three of them gathered in a circle on the floor.
Kaelith pulled out a strange deck of cards, each one shimmering faintly with an aura that seemed almost alive.
Lucien's eyes widened. "What the…? I've never felt something like this before. Is this… magic?"
Kaelith grinned. "These are enchanted cards. We'll play by the rules, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, no cheating", Lucien thought instantly, though the corner of his lips almost twitched. "Of course I'm going to cheat. Who cares about rules? Hah, this might actually be fun."
Kaelith shuffled the glowing deck with practiced hands and began handing out cards.
Lucien frowned. "Damn it… I don't even know how to play this game! How the hell am I supposed to cheat if I don't even know the rules?!"
Before he could panic further, Alvaren raised a hand. "Hey, I don't know the rules. Can you explain?"
"Of course, of course," Kaelith said eagerly, his voice light and cheerful. He began explaining the strange mechanics of the game.
Lucien listened carefully, trying not to look too obvious. "Wait… that's it? That's how it works? Ha! This is simpler than I thought. Once I get the hang of this, they're both doomed."
The cards flickered faintly in their hands as the game began, the magical aura intensifying with every move.
---
As the first round began, the cards shimmered and released soft waves of light. Tiny beasts formed out of thin air, crawling like little shadowy foxes. They scurried across the given magical area.
Lucien's heart skipped a beat. "Holy, this is insane. I've never seen anything like this in my life!"
Alvaren leaned forward with childlike excitement. "Oh, Lucien, look, look! Do you see them? These little creatures, aren't they adorable?"
Lucien blinked at him. "What the hell is wrong with this guy? Calling these things adorable… is he one of those people?"
He glanced at Kaelith, who was watching quietly with a slight smile on his lips.
"Ah," Lucien thought suspiciously. "That smile… he's planning something. He knows we don't fully understand the game. He wants to take advantage of that. Hah, too bad for him, I've already figured out the basics. No way I'm letting him out-cheat me."
Just as the illusions prepared to launch the first "trial," the door to their room slammed open with a violent crash.