Chapter 61: Chapter 61 (R18)
The training session dragged on longer than usual. Reylan had them running through combat scenarios that tested endurance more than technique, and by the time he called them done, everyone was drenched in sweat and breathing hard.
William grabbed his water flask and took a long drink, his muscles burning from the sustained effort. At least the soreness from the dungeon had faded to a manageable ache instead of the sharp pain from this morning.
"Good work today," Liam said while walking past. "You're keeping up better than I expected after yesterday."
"Barely," William muttered.
Liam laughed and headed off with Adrian to discuss something he couldn't quite hear. The others started dispersing toward their respective dormitories, ready to clean up and rest before dinner.
William was gathering his things when he remembered that girl from breakfast—Maya something—had asked about fire training. He glanced around the facility and spotted her near one of the practice platforms, clearly waiting for something.
'Right, I said I'd help her,' William thought while walking over.
Maya noticed him approaching and her face lit up. "William! I wasn't sure if you would actually have time today."
"I've got some time before dinner," William said. "What are you struggling with exactly?"
"It's my control mostly. My fire keeps fluctuating between too hot and barely there." Maya pulled out her practice sword. "My instructor says I'm forcing it instead of letting it flow, but I don't understand what that means."
"Show me what you're doing now."
Maya channeled fire essence into her blade. Flames appeared along the edge but they flickered wildly, sometimes roaring up and sometimes almost dying out completely. She held it for maybe twenty seconds before the enhancement collapsed entirely.
"See? It's a mess," she said, frustrated.
"You're thinking about fire wrong," William explained. "You're trying to control every aspect of it, like how hot, how big and exactly where it goes. Fire doesn't work like that. It wants to burn. Your job isn't to control it, it's to guide it."
"That sounds like the same thing."
"It's not." William drew his own sword and channeled fire essence, creating stable flames along the blade. "Watch. I'm not telling the fire what to do. I'm just giving it essence and direction, then letting it do what fire naturally does. Think of it like... opening a door instead of pushing someone through it."
Maya watched carefully, her green eyes focused on his blade. "Can you do it slower?"
William started over, channeling essence at a much slower pace so she could see how the fire formed and stabilized. He explained his breathing pattern, how he visualized the essence flow, and where he focused his attention during the technique.
"Try again," he said once she seemed to understand. "But this time, don't think about controlling the flames. Just give them essence and let them exist."
Maya attempted it again. This time the flames were less erratic, though they still flickered more than they should. But it was improvement.
"See? That's better," William encouraged. "Keep practicing that. Once the basic flow feels natural, you can start refining it."
They worked for about thirty minutes, with Maya's control improving gradually. By the end, she could maintain fire enhancement for almost a full minute without it collapsing.
"Thank you so much," Maya said, genuinely grateful. "That makes way more sense than what my instructor was telling me."
"No problem. Just keep practicing the flow part before you try anything fancy."
William left the training facility and headed back toward the main campus. The sun was setting, casting an orange light across the buildings. His stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten since breakfast, and his body was ready to be done with physical activity for the day.
He was crossing the main courtyard when Marcus appeared from one of the side paths.
"There you are," Marcus said. "Sara and Elena are grabbing dinner early. Want to join?"
"Yeah, definitely. I'm starving."
They headed to the dining hall together, talking about nothing important. Marcus complained about an essay due for Magical Theory, he mentioned that someone in his combat class had accidentally set their practice dummy on fire, and generally filled the silence with comfortable rambling.
The dining hall was less crowded than usual since it was earlier than most students ate. They found Sara and Elena already sitting at a table near the windows, both with half-empty plates in front of them.
"You're late," Sara said when they sat down. "We almost finished without you."
"I was helping someone with fire training," William explained while loading his plate with food. "Lost track of time."
"Was it that Maya girl from this morning?" Elena asked quietly.
"Yeah. She needed help with control."
"See?" Marcus pointed at William with his fork. "You're becoming the go-to person for fire training now. That's how it starts. Next thing you know, you'll have a waiting list."
"That's not even an achievement"
"Of course it is!"
"Please no," William muttered.
They ate and talked, the conversation drifting between topics without settling on anything serious. Sara mentioned some drama happening in House Valoris about a broken piece of training equipment. Marcus told a story about a student who'd fallen asleep during Professor Ashcroft's lecture and got hit with a minor spell to wake them up. Elena mostly listened but occasionally added quiet observations that were surprisingly funny.
William felt himself relaxing properly for the first time all day. No weird encounters with random girls, no cryptic warnings, no confusing social situations. Just normal dinner with friends who didn't want anything from him except his company.
"Oh, midterms start next week," Sara reminded them. "Are we doing a study group or are we all just going to fail individually?"
"A study group sounds smart," Marcus agreed. "Though I have no idea what Professor Ashcroft is even going to test us on. That man covers so much material."
"Everything," Elena said. "He's going to test us on everything."
"That's not helpful."
They finished eating and lingered at the table, no one in a rush to leave. The dining hall filled up around them as more students arrived for dinner, but their corner stayed relatively quiet.
Eventually, Sara stood and stretched. "I have to go meet my study partner for Essence Cultivation. See you guys tomorrow?"
"Probably," Marcus said. "Unless I die from essay-induced stress tonight."
Sara rolled her eyes and left. Elena followed shortly after, mentioning something about practicing wind techniques before bed. That left William and Marcus alone at the table.
"You doing anything tonight?" Marcus asked while gathering his tray.
"Probably just heading back to my room. Maybe some light cultivation practice but nothing intense." William stood as well. "Why?"
"I'm just curious. You've been busy lately with all the Inter-Academy stuff and dungeon runs. I wanted to make sure you weren't completely exhausted."
"I'm definitely tired," William admitted. "But it's manageable."
They cleared their trays and left the dining hall together. The campus was quieter now, most students either eating dinner or already in their dormitories. The evening air had gotten cooler, carrying the faint smell of food from the kitchens.
They were walking past the main courtyard fountain when someone called William's name.
"William!"
He turned and saw Seraphina approaching quickly from one of the side paths. Her silver hair was still tied back from training earlier, and she had that focused expression she got when she'd decided to do something.
"Hey Sera," William said. "What's—"
Seraphina grabbed his wrist and started pulling him toward a different path.
"Sorry Marcus," she said over her shoulder. "I need to borrow William for a bit."
"Uh, okay?" Marcus looked confused but didn't try to stop them. "See you later, William?"
William barely had time to wave before Seraphina was dragging him away from the courtyard and toward a section of campus he didn't normally visit. He tried to ask where they were going but she wasn't answering, just pulling him along with determination.
They climbed a stairwell he didn't recognize and emerged in a hallway lined with doors. The Arcturus dormitory wing, William realized. Seraphina navigated the passages with ease, her grip on his wrist firm but not painful.
She stopped in front of a door, pulled out her key, and unlocked it quickly. Then she pulled William inside and closed the door behind them.
The room was neat—two beds, two desks, basic furnishings. One side looked lived in with books and training equipment scattered around. The other side was barely touched.
Seraphina released his wrist and moved to stand in front of the door. Her silver hair fell forward, partially hiding her face. Her hands clenched at her sides and her breathing was slightly uneven.
"Sera?" William said. "What's going on?"
She didn't respond immediately. Just stood there with her hair covering her expression, her shoulders tense.
The silence stretched on. William was about to ask again when Seraphina finally looked up at him. Her expression was intense—that same focused determination she brought to every fight, except now it was directed entirely at him.
"I think we should continue where we started from," Seraphina said, her voice hitching slightly. "That night. When I..."
She trailed off but William knew exactly what she was referring to. The night she'd gotten drunk and confessed. The night she'd kissed him and he'd stopped it.
'Oh no,' William thought as his brain tried to catch up.
Seraphina took a step toward him. Then another. William found himself backing up until his back hit the wall with nowhere else to go.
"You said I had regret it," Seraphina continued, her voice quiet but steady now. "You said I was drunk and not thinking clearly. But I've had weeks to think about it sober, and I don't regret anything."
She was close now, close enough that William could see the determination in her crimson eyes mixed with something that looked like vulnerability.
"Sera, wait—"
"I'm tired of waiting," she interrupted. "I'm tired of pretending I don't feel this way. I'm tired of watching you and hoping you'll figure it out."
Her hand came up to rest against his chest, right over his heart. William could feel his pulse hammering against her palm.
"I like you," Seraphina said, her eyes locked on his. "I've liked you for months. And I'm done hiding it."
William's mouth opened but no words came out. His brain had completely short-circuited.
Seraphina's free hand reached past him and he heard a soft click.
She'd locked the door.
"So," Seraphina said, her face inches from his now. "Are you going to stop me again?"
---
(This is an introduction! Explicit Scenes happen in the next Chapter which are skip able!)
Chapter 62: Chapter 62 (R18 Real Lemon)
[Note I am really not too Good at smut scenes, I apologize for any disappointment you may have]
---
"Uhm, Seraphina I think you need to calm down," William said, thinking of a way to get himself out of his current predicament.
Seraphina had locked the door keeping him and her both locked in the room, and he had to get through her before he could open the door which was just impossible.
"Maybe we can talk about this Seraphina..." William muttered slowly.
He was still safe, his curse hadn't activated yet meaning it was possible for him to still escape this situation by talking his way out of it.
[Ding! Catastrophic Allure activated]
'What the fuck!' William cursed in his mind, it was like this system was doing this on purpose, putting him in situations like this every time.
"Don't you love me William? Am I ugly? Or less attractive?" Seraphina questioned as she turned towards him with a sad face which made his heart hurt.
Of course it was the total opposite, he actually liked her and she was quite attractive, it was just that he didn't want to do anything he wasn't sure about.
"No... It's the total opposite" William confessed through gritted teeth, "You're beautiful and attractive Seraphina, it's just that I don't want to do anything you would regret."
Seraphina's eyes lit up upon hearing that. She had always thought William never looked at her that way, that she was only forcing herself on him, but now she couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
"I won't have any regrets William, I love you" Seraphina said, walking closer.
"I love everything about you," she continued, her voice quieter now. "The way you refuse to give up even when you're losing badly. The way you help people without making a big deal out of it. The way you're honest even when it's uncomfortable." She stopped right in front of him. "I've watched you for months William. This isn't something I decided overnight."
William looked at her, really looked at her, and felt his carefully maintained reasoning start losing ground. He had his reasons for keeping distance. Good reasons. Practical ones. But standing here with Seraphina looking at him like that, saying things like that, those reasons felt harder to hold onto than usual.
"Seraphina..." he started.
"Stop trying to talk yourself out of this," she said softly. "I can see you doing it."
He laughed despite himself, short and quiet. She knew him too well for his own comfort.
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. Seraphina just waited, patient in a way she rarely was about anything else, giving him the space to catch up to what they both already knew.
William exhaled slowly.
Then he closed the remaining distance between them and kissed her.
Seraphina went still for exactly one second before she kissed him back, her hands coming up to grip the front of his shirt. It wasn't desperate or frantic, just certain, the way Seraphina approached everything she had already decided on.
When they finally broke apart she was looking at him with that focused expression he had seen a hundred times in training, except now it was directed entirely at him.
"Took you long enough," she murmured.
"Shut up," William muttered.
She laughed, soft and genuine, and it was probably the most human sound he had ever heard from her. Then she pulled him forward and they fell together onto the bed.
Hungrily she ripped at his shirt pulling it away with her lips still locked with his, sucking his tounge hungrily making William feel surprised.
'What is this expertise?' William thought as she pulled of from the kiss and started kissing him all over his body.
Seraphina couldn't help but feel surprised at how toned and masculine William really was, everytime she saw him he looked lean and less muscular but now she knew she was wrong.
"Your body is so hot" Seraphina mumbled as she started licking the sensitive spots on his body making him almost want to moan.
He couldn't understand how Seraphina was so good at this but in truth he was totally wrong, William had never in his life had sex with a woman before.
Even before reincarnating, he had always been a serious and straight minded person who saw things like pleasure as nothing but distractions.
So even though Seraphina was sloppy, to him he felt she was experienced.
Slowly Seraphina let her hands roam about Williams body, slowly going into his pants and holding unto a sturdy rod which was underneath his pants.
'How big is this thing!' Seraphina thought to herself as her body shook slightly, maybe due to the excitement she felt or due to fear.
She rolled his pants down and his rod stood tall and proud. It was even bigger than Seraphina had expected! It was at least 7 Inches!
Seraphina looked speechless with her cheek blushing red as she turned to look at William looked away with a flustered expression.
It was his first time too seeing his own rod erected so he was exceptionally ashamed about it.
"This is too large... Is everyone always like this?" Seraphina muttered her voice wavering slightly she originally thought his dick would be no longer than 3 inches or something smaller.
Her father's size was exactly 3 inches and he would usually hear his mother bragging to other nobles about how big her husbands rod was.
The nobles who she would usually tell would look jealous and ashamed because their husbands rods were relatively smaller.
"I don't know... I guess not?" William said, his face still flustered as he replied.
'Is it probably a hereditary thing in nobles and William is an exception?!' Serpahina who had an originally flustered expression suddenly smirked proudly.
She could brag about this to Lyanna and Clarie! She was the first person among all three of them to see William thick and hard rod!
Wasting no time Seraphina who had little experience from the erotic novels she usually read chugged down Williams rod in a go making her gag.
She moved back a little and tried to catch her breath.
"Are you okay?" William asked with a confused expression, one moment she was trying to swallow his dick and the next moment she was choking.
Seraphina nodded her head with a slight smile still trying to catch her breath.
"It's fine..." She muttered finally being able to speak easily, " I just rushed too much."
"Let's try this again" She said as she slowly brought her head down to William's dick more carefully this time.
She sucked and the tip for a moment and swirled her tounge around it making William's face flush red furiously.
Then she went lower, sucking and swirling her tounge around his thick dick as she moved down.
She almost gaged for a moment and stopped, it was almost impossible for her to swallow his dick whole since it was her fast time and due to how big it was.
Instead she raised her head up and down, without going past her limit, giving William immense pleasure he has never felt.
Seeing how good William was enjoying it she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride which she couldn't explain.
Serpahina continued sucking on his rod passionately, making incredibly lewd sounds fill the room.
William was lost in total ecstasy that he couldn't feel the tingling sensation in his rod before a white substance suddenly filled Seraphina's mouth.
It caught her in surprise for a moment but she continued sucking on his dick, licking him clean until she was satisfied.
She then turned towards William and smiled at him lewdly which only made his dick bulge and grow bigger again leaving Serpahina speechless.
"Did it just grow bigger?" She turned looking at William with a helpless expression, at this point if he kept getting bigger and bigger was it even possible for it to fit in her.
"I think so" William replied as Seraphina could only stare back at his rod, she then smiled and started stripping herself.
Seeing this William couldn't help but gulp at the sight of Serpahina's bear breasts which were large.
Those twin jugs stared at him in a very provoking manner he could have sworn that they called out to him to squeeze them.
Which he did.
"Ahhnn" Seraphina moaned as Williams fingers squeezed her succulent breasts, unable to take it anymore he quickly removed her top and switched positions.
Placing her on the bed while he was on top of her, without warning he suddenly started sucking on Serpahina's pink cherry nipples making her moan very loudly.
If there were any parts of the body William ever found attractive, it would probably always be breasts.
He didn't know why but even as a kid, he would always admire the breasts of women no matter who they were, they were simply the greatest sets to every exist.
"Slow down William... Nghhh!" Seraphina said moaning but William's hands traveled down below her waist.
William didn't reply rather he pushed his hands into her pants and reached for her pussy which was already leaking wet.
"Oh my somebody's leaking" William joked with a grin.
"Shut up!" Seraphina said with a blush.
---
Send Gifts T_T Please.
Chapter 63: Chapter 63
[My smut writing is still weak please forgive me!]
"Nghh!" Serpahina's moaned filled the room as William's finger penetrated her pussy.
All her life Seraphina had been nothing but a head prospect in her family. One of the top geniuses who were to compete for the head position.
Normally most families didn't consider women becoming heads in the family, since women in this world compared to men were naturally inferior.
Most families looked down on other houses who had female heads, it just felt natural for a man to be the head instead of a female and that has how the rule had stayed.
Not until recent years when women started making great progress in the areas where only men were expected to perform.
Becoming great mages and knights, better adventures and eventually better heads. Due to this some houses welcomed the idea and the Ashenheart family was one of them.
Yet the head prospect was here being pleasured by a failure from the Cross family, if this news got out it would cause huge problems.
"I'm cumming!" Serpahina moaned as her pussy juices streamed out, pouring on William while also staining the already wet bed sheets.
Weakly she feel on the bed with her body slightly twitching, but William wasn't satisfied infact he was far from that.
His dick was rock hard and he had been trying to hold himself back but he couldn't anymore as he spread Seraphina's legs open.
Noticing what was about to happen he eyes widened in surprise while looking at his bulging rod that seemed to grow even bigger.
"William... Wait~" She tried to stop him but he had already positioned his dick right into her pussy and pushed it inside.
At first Seraphina felt a sharp pain as blood slowly trickled out of her pussy.
'So she was a virgin after all...' William thought inwardly as he stopped moving, noticing that she seemed to be in pain.
"Are you okay?" William asked carefully afraid that he might have hurt her by being so rough.
"Yes... You can continue" She replied after sometime with a faint blush on her face.
William stared at her for a moment then he slowly started moving.
He couldn't help but almost moan himself due to how tight Seraphina's pussy walls were feeling. It was as if it was a vacuum cleaner trying to suck out everything from his dick.
'How is it so thight?!' William thought inwardly as he tried his best not to moan.
He could feel every wall of her pussy pressing against his dick, trying to suck it dry.
"Ahhhh" Seraphina's eyes rolled as a pure expression of ecstacy showed on her face, the pain she had been feeling was now replaced by immense pleasure and she couldn't help but moan like a bitch in the heat.
Only moans filled the room but they couldn't careless at this moment if other students heard them.
All they cared about at the moment was pleasure and nothing else.
"Nghh" William's groaned as his dick twitched, he quickly removed his dick from Seraphina's pussy and cummed on the bed sheets.
While Seraphina's pussy twitched as she squirted on the bed further wetting it.
Yet she climbed up and went on top of William with a slutty expression.
"I'm not done~"
---
William woke up slowly, his mind taking a moment to register where he was.
The room wasn't his. The bed wasn't his. The silver hair spread across the pillow next to him definitely wasn't his.
'Right,' William thought, his brain catching up to the events of last night.
Seraphina was still asleep beside him, her face relaxed in a way he had never seen before. Her silver hair was loose and messy, falling across her shoulders and the pillow. The sheets were pulled up to her shoulders, and she looked completely at peace.
William lay there for a moment, processing the situation he'd gotten himself into. His carefully maintained boundaries had completely collapsed last night, and now he was waking up in Seraphina's room with absolutely no plan for what came next.
'Well, I can't exactly take it back now,' he thought.
He glanced at the window. The early morning light was filtering through the curtains, which meant it was probably around six or seven. Classes started at nine, so he had time before he needed to be anywhere.
Seraphina stirred slightly but didn't wake. William stayed still, not wanting to disturb her yet. She would probably wake up soon enough on her own — she never slept past dawn during training days.
[Ding! Conditions met. New trait unlocked: Absolute Essence Mastery (SSS)]
William froze as the notification appeared in his vision. He blinked at it several times, processing what he was reading.
'SSS rank?' he thought, staring at the words. He had received traits before from the curse system but nothing above A rank. SSS was completely different.
He focused on the notification and more details appeared.
[Absolute Essence Mastery (SSS): Complete control over essence flow regardless of affinity or cultivation stage. Essence techniques execute at maximum efficiency with minimal waste. Essence recovery rate increased by 500%. All affinity gates function at full capacity regardless of current percentage. Multi-elemental techniques become instinctive.]
William read through the description twice, then a third time just to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding.
This wasn't just powerful. This was fundamentally game-changing. His biggest weakness had always been control — having S-tier capacity but struggling to use it properly. This trait essentially eliminated that problem entirely while also fixing every other limitation he had with essence manipulation.
'The curse really doesn't mess around with rewards,' William thought.
Seraphina shifted again, and this time her eyes opened slowly. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the morning light, then turned her head to look at William.
"Morning," she said quietly, her voice still rough from sleep.
"Morning," William replied.
They lay there in silence for a moment, neither quite sure what to say. Last night had felt natural in the moment, but now in the morning light with everything settled, the weight of what they'd done was catching up.
"No regrets?" William asked.
Seraphina smiled slightly. "None. You?"
"No," he admitted. "Though we probably need to figure out what this means going forward."
"We can figure that out later," Seraphina said, pushing herself up to sit. The sheets shifted but stayed in place as she stretched. "Right now I need to get ready for morning training."
William sat up as well, running a hand through his messy hair. "What time do you usually train?"
"Seven. But I can skip today if—"
"Don't," William interrupted. "Your routine matters. I'll head back to my dorm and get ready for class."
Seraphina looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But William?"
"Yeah?"
"We're doing this properly," she said firmly. "No more running away or pretending this didn't happen."
William met her crimson eyes and saw the same determination she always carried. There was no backing out now, even if he wanted to.
"Yeah," he agreed. "We're doing this properly."
Seraphina's expression softened slightly, then she leaned over and kissed him quickly before pulling back. "Good. Now get out of my room before my dormmates wake up and start asking questions."
William laughed quietly and got out of bed, gathering his things from where they'd ended up scattered across the floor. His uniform was wrinkled but not unwearable. He'd have to change properly back at his own room anyway.
Seraphina watched him get dressed with an amused expression. "You know people are going to notice you doing the walk of shame across campus, right?"
"I'll survive," William muttered while pulling on his shirt.
Once he was presentable enough, he moved toward the door. Seraphina was already out of bed, wrapping herself in a robe she'd grabbed from her closet.
"I'll see you later," William said, unlocking the door.
"Training facility after classes?" Seraphina asked.
"Probably. I have that essay due for Magical Theory so I might be in the library first."
"Don't overwork yourself," she said, then paused. "That felt weird to say."
William smiled despite himself. "Yeah, it did."
He left her room and stepped into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind him. The Arcturus dormitory wing was still mostly quiet, though he could hear sounds of people starting to wake up behind closed doors.
William made his way through the corridors and down the stairwell, his mind already working through everything that had changed. The new trait from the curse was still processing in the back of his thoughts — he'd need to test it properly later to understand what it actually meant for his combat ability.
The morning air was cool when he stepped outside, and the campus was just starting to wake up. A few early risers were already heading toward the training facilities or the dining hall.
William walked back toward the Ascendant dormitory at a steady pace, not rushing but not dawdling either. His body was sore and it had nothing to do with cultivation training, but it was manageable.
He made it back to his room without running into anyone he knew. Kai wasn't there — his roommate was probably off doing whatever mysterious things he did in the mornings.
William changed into fresh clothes, cleaned himself up properly, and grabbed his bag for classes. He still had about an hour before he needed to be anywhere, so he sat at his desk and pulled out his Magical Theory notes.
The essay wasn't going to write itself, and he needed something to occupy his mind besides replaying last night and processing what the SSS trait actually meant for his cultivation going forward.
He opened his notebook and started working, the morning settling into a familiar routine despite everything that had changed.
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Support!
Chapter 64: Chapter 64
William woke up in his own bed, which felt more normal than the morning before. Kai was actually in the room for once, sitting at his desk with a book open in front of him.
"Morning," William said while getting out of bed.
"Morning," Kai replied without looking up from his book.
William got ready for the day, pulling on clean clothes and gathering his things. He was about to head out when Kai closed his book and stood up.
"I don't have anything today," Kai said casually. "Mind if I follow you around?"
William paused, surprised. Kai barely left the room most days, and now he wanted to tag along?
"Uh, sure?" William said. "I'm just getting breakfast and then probably heading to the library. Nothing interesting."
"That's fine," Kai said, grabbing his coat.
They left the dormitory together and headed toward the dining hall. The morning air was cool and the campus was just starting to wake up. A few students were scattered around, heading to early training or classes.
"You never come to breakfast," William commented as they walked.
"I usually eat later," Kai said. "But I felt like changing things up today."
William didn't push it. Kai was weird on a normal day — trying to understand his motivations was pointless.
They entered the dining hall and grabbed food. The place was moderately full, with students scattered across various tables. William spotted Marcus and Sara sitting together near the middle but decided against joining them. Having Kai along changed the dynamic and he wasn't sure how that would play out.
They found an empty table near the windows and sat down. William started eating while Kai picked at his food slowly, looking like he wasn't particularly hungry.
"So what made you decide to actually leave the room today?" William asked.
"Boredom," Kai said simply. "I've been reading the same rotation of books for weeks. I figured I'd see what you do all day instead."
"It's not that interesting."
"I'll be the judge of that."
William shook his head and continued eating. Halfway through his meal, Seraphina walked into the dining hall. Her silver hair was tied back and she was scanning the room, clearly looking for someone.
Her eyes landed on William and she started walking over. Then she noticed Kai sitting across from him and hesitated for just a second before continuing.
"Morning William," Seraphina said when she reached the table. Her tone was neutral but her eyes flickered to Kai briefly.
"Morning Sera," William replied.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Go ahead."
Seraphina sat down next to William, setting her tray on the table. Kai watched this interaction with mild interest but didn't say anything.
They ate in relative silence for a few minutes. Seraphina seemed slightly more stiff than usual, probably because Kai was there watching them like they were mildly entertaining theater.
"Training went well this morning," Seraphina said eventually, breaking the quiet. "I
I managed to break my sparring dummy again."
"Again?" William asked.
"It's the third one this month," she admitted. "Instructor Varen says I need to control my strength better, but the dummies are just poorly made."
"Or you hit too hard."
"That too."
Kai made a quiet sound that might have been amusement. Both William and Seraphina glanced at him but he was focused on his food, acting like he hadn't made any noise at all.
"What about you?" Seraphina asked William. "What are you doing today?"
"I'll head to the library for a few hours, then probably light cultivation practice. Nothing intense."
"You should take a break from cultivation," Seraphina said. "You've been pushing yourself constantly and it's not been too long since we had the dungeon run."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
William didn't argue further. Seraphina had a point but he also wasn't about to stop training just because his body was a little sore.
They finished breakfast and left the dining hall together, Kai trailing behind them like a silent observer. Seraphina had morning combat training so she split off toward the training facilities while William and Kai headed toward the library.
"She's different around you," Kai commented once Seraphina was out of earshot.
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe less intense and more relaxed." Kai shrugged. "It's interesting."
William didn't respond to that. He wasn't about to discuss Seraphina with Kai of all people.
The library was quiet when they arrived. Most students were still at breakfast or getting ready for morning classes. William found a table near the back and pulled out his Magical Theory notes while Kai wandered off into the stacks, apparently looking for something to read.
William worked on his essay for about twenty minutes before Claire appeared seemingly out of nowhere and sat down across from him.
"You've been avoiding me," Claire said without preamble.
"I haven't been avoiding you," William replied, looking up from his notes. "I've just been busy."
"With Seraphina?"
William's pen paused mid-word. "What?"
"You've been spending a lot of time with her lately," Claire said, leaning back in her chair. Her black hair fell over one shoulder and her expression was unreadable. "I'm not blind William."
"We're on the same team for Inter-Academy. Of course we spend time together."
"That's not what I meant."
William set his pen down and met her eyes. "What do you want me to say Claire?"
She studied him for a long moment, then sighed. "Nothing. I'm just... I don't know. Forget it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." Claire stood up and adjusted her bag. "I'll see you at training later."
She left before William could respond. He watched her go, feeling like that conversation had been about ten different things at once without actually addressing any of them directly.
Kai reappeared a few minutes later with three books stacked in his arms. He sat down next to William and opened the top one without comment.
"Your life is complicated," Kai said after a few minutes of silence.
"Tell me about it," William muttered.
They stayed in the library until mid-morning. William finished most of his essay while Kai read through his books at an absurdly fast pace. Eventually William's back started hurting from sitting too long and he decided to move.
"Where to next?" Kai asked while they were leaving.
"Probably grabbing lunch early, then I might walk around campus for a bit. Like I said, nothing interesting."
"I'll stick around anyway."
They went to the dining hall again and got food. This time Marcus, Sara, and Elena were all sitting together at their usual table. Marcus spotted William and waved him over enthusiastically.
"There you are!" Marcus said when William and Kai reached the table. "We haven't seen you in like two days. Where have you been?"
"Around," William said, sitting down. Kai took the seat next to him quietly.
"Around where?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow. "You disappeared after dinner two nights ago and no one saw you until yesterday afternoon."
"I was busy."
"Busy with what?" Marcus pressed.
"None of your business."
Marcus grinned like he'd just won something. "So it was something interesting."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Elena, who had been silent this whole time, looked between William and Marcus with quiet amusement. "Leave him alone Marcus. If William doesn't want to share, don't push."
"But that's boring," Marcus complained.
"Your definition of boring is exhausting," William said.
They ate lunch while Marcus dominated most of the conversation, complaining about an assignment due for Essence Theory and telling some long story about a classmate who'd accidentally set their notes on fire during a practical demonstration. Sara occasionally interrupted to correct details Marcus was clearly exaggerating, while Elena just listened and smiled.
Kai remained quiet throughout the meal, eating slowly and observing everyone like he was mentally cataloging their interactions.
After lunch, the group split up. Marcus had class, Sara needed to meet her study partner, and Elena was heading back to her dorm to work on an essay. That left William and Kai wandering campus with no particular destination in mind.
They ended up near the gardens on the east side of campus, a quieter area that most students didn't visit unless they were looking for somewhere peaceful. Stone paths wound between flower beds and small trees, with benches scattered throughout.
William sat down on one of the benches and Kai took the spot next to him.
"Do you miss it?" Kai asked suddenly.
"Miss what?"
"Your old life. Before... all this." Kai gestured vaguely at the academy around them.
(Ps: He's talking about him before entering the academy.)
William thought about that. "Sometimes. It was simpler."
"Simpler how?"
"I knew what I was doing. I had a plan. Everything made sense." William leaned back against the bench. "Here I'm just making it up as I go."
Kai nodded slowly, like he understood exactly what William meant. "Yeah. I get that."
They sat in silence for a while, watching students pass by in the distance. The afternoon sun was warm and the gardens were peaceful in a way the rest of campus rarely was.
"What about you?" William asked. "Do you miss your old life?"
Kai was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was carefully neutral. "Sometimes. But going back isn't an option, so there's no point thinking about it."
"That's pretty bleak."
"That's realistic."
William didn't argue. Kai had his own weird philosophy about life and William had learned not to question it too much.
They stayed in the gardens until late afternoon, barely talking, just existing in the quiet space. Eventually William's body reminded him he'd planned to do cultivation practice, so they headed back toward the dormitory.
Lyanna intercepted them halfway there.
"William," she said, falling into step beside him. "I need to talk to you."
"About what?"
"Privately."
William glanced at Kai, who just shrugged and kept walking. "I'll head back to the room. See you later."
Kai disappeared down a side path, leaving William alone with Lyanna. She seemed slightly nervous, which was unusual for her.
"So what's up?" William asked.
Lyanna was quiet for a moment, like she was working up to something. Then she just said it directly. "Would you want to go into town this weekend? Just the two of us."
William blinked. "Like... a date?"
"Yes, like a date," Lyanna said, meeting his eyes. Her violet gaze was steady despite the slight flush on her cheeks. "We've known each other for months now and I'd like to spend time with you outside of academy things."
William hadn't expected this. Lyanna had always been straightforward but this was different.
"I—" he started, then stopped. He needed to think about how to handle this.
"You don't have to answer right now," Lyanna said quickly. "Just think about it. Let me know before the weekend."
She didn't wait for him to respond, just turned and headed back toward the Luminara dormitory at a quick pace.
William stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened.
'Well, that's new,' he thought.
He pushed the thought aside and headed back to his room. Kai was already there, back at his desk with another book open.
"Everything okay?" Kai asked without looking up.
"Yeah," William said. "Lyanna just asked me out."
Kai finally looked up from his book, one eyebrow raised. "And?"
"And I told her I'd think about it."
"Your life really is complicated."
"Tell me about it."
William changed into training clothes and grabbed his cultivation manual. He still had a few hours before dinner and he wanted to test his new trait properly without anyone watching.
"I'm heading to the private training rooms," William said. "You coming or staying here?"
"I'll stay," Kai said. "I've followed you around enough for one day."
William left and made his way to the training facilities. The private rooms were mostly empty at this hour, with most students either resting or eating dinner early. He found an open room and locked the door behind him.
Time to see what an SSS-rank trait actually did.
---
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Chapter 65: Chapter 65
William stood in the center of the private training room, taking a moment to feel out the space. The room was simple, it had reinforced walls, a solid floor designed to handle essence techniques, and enough space to move around without feeling cramped.
He closed his eyes and focused inward, reaching for his essence the way he'd done thousands of times before.
The difference was immediate.
His essence responded instantly, flowing through his pathways with zero resistance. It felt effortless, like breathing. William opened his eyes and channeled fire essence into his palm.
The flame appeared perfectly formed, stable, and exactly as hot as he intended without any conscious effort to control it. He increased the output and the flame grew proportionally. He decreased it and the flame shrank back down.
'This is insane,' William thought, staring at the fire in his hand.
He dismissed the flame and tried wind next. The air around his hand began to swirl, forming a tight vortex that spun at his command. He could feel every aspect of it — the speed, the density, the direction — all responding to his intent without the usual struggle to maintain control.
William spent the next hour testing different techniques. Fire enhancement on his practice sword was flawless, the flames coating the blade evenly without flickering. Wind-assisted movement felt natural instead of clumsy. He even tried combining both elements, something that should have been far beyond his current skill level.
The result was a blade wreathed in flames with wind circulating around it, amplifying the heat and reach. He swung it experimentally and the air ignited along the arc of his strike, creating a wave of fire that dissipated after a few feet.
William stopped and let the technique fade. His breathing was steady, his essence reserves barely touched despite using multiple high-level techniques back to back.
The trait description hadn't been exaggerating. This was absolute mastery. Every technique executed at maximum efficiency with practically zero waste.
'If anyone saw this they'd immediately know something changed,' William realized. Going from struggling with basic control to this level overnight would raise too many questions.
He'd have to be careful about demonstrating this in front of others. Maybe gradually show improvement instead of revealing the full extent all at once.
William practiced for another thirty minutes, getting comfortable with the new level of control, before deciding he'd tested enough for today. He left the training room and headed back toward the dormitory, his mind already thinking about dinner.
The dining hall was crowded when he arrived. He grabbed food and spotted Seraphina sitting alone at a corner table. She saw him and gestured for him to join her.
"How was training?" Seraphina asked when he sat down.
"It was productive," William said. "I worked on some techniques I've been struggling with."
"Any progress?"
"Some."
They ate quietly for a few minutes. Seraphina seemed more relaxed than she had been at breakfast, the earlier stiffness gone now that Kai wasn't sitting there watching them.
"So," Seraphina said eventually, setting down her fork. "About what happened between us."
"What about it?"
"I meant what I said that night. I'm not going to pretend it didn't happen or act like it was a mistake." Her crimson eyes met his. "But I'm also not going to pressure you about what it means. I know you have your own complicated situation."
William studied her. "You're being surprisingly reasonable about this."
"I'm being realistic," Seraphina corrected. "I like you William. I've made that clear. But I also know you well enough to know that putting labels on things or making demands isn't going to work with you."
"So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying I'm not going anywhere. Whatever this is between us, I'm in it." She picked up her fork again. "And I'm not naive enough to think I'm the only one who feels something for you."
William didn't know how to respond to that level of directness.
"You don't have to say anything," Seraphina continued. "Just don't shut me out. That's all I'm asking."
"I won't," William said.
They finished eating in comfortable silence. When they left the dining hall together, students were scattered around campus, some heading back to dormitories and others going to evening training sessions.
They were crossing the main courtyard when Claire appeared from one of the side paths. She saw them walking together and something flickered across her expression, but she didn't avoid them.
"William," Claire said, stopping in front of them. "Seraphina."
"Claire," Seraphina acknowledged with a nod.
"Can I steal William for a minute?" Claire asked, her tone casual but her dark eyes focused.
Seraphina glanced at William, then back at Claire. "Sure. I'll see you at training tomorrow William."
She walked away toward the Arcturus dormitory, leaving William alone with Claire.
"So," Claire said once Seraphina was out of earshot. "You two slept together."
William blinked. "How did you—"
"Please. I'm not blind." Claire crossed her arms. "You've been acting different, she's been acting different, and the way you two look at each other now is obvious."
"Are you upset?"
"Should I be?" Claire's expression was unreadable. "You never promised me anything William. Neither did she."
"Then why bring it up?"
"Because I wanted you to know that I know." She stepped closer, her voice dropping slightly. "And I wanted you to know that it doesn't change anything for me. I'm not giving up just because she moved first."
William stared at her. "Claire—"
"I'm not asking for promises or commitments," Claire interrupted. "I'm just making my position clear. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Before William could respond, she turned and walked away toward the Luminara dormitory, her black hair swaying behind her.
William stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened.
'This is getting complicated,' he thought, though part of him had known it would end up this way eventually.
He headed back to his own dormitory, his mind churning through the various complications his life had become. Kai was in their room when he arrived, still reading at his desk like he hadn't moved all evening.
"Welcome back," Kai said without looking up.
"Yeah." William dropped his bag and sat on his bed.
"Rough day?"
"Something like that."
Kai finally looked up from his book. "For what it's worth, you're handling it better than most would."
"Handling what?"
"Everything." Kai gestured vaguely.
William wasn't sure if that was supposed to be encouraging or just an observation. "Thanks, I guess."
Kai went back to his book and William lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His body was tired from training, his mind was tired from thinking, and tomorrow was going to bring its own problems.
But for now, things were manageable.
He closed his eyes and let himself relax, the quiet sounds of Kai turning pages eventually lulling him toward sleep.
---
The next morning started normally enough. William woke up, got ready, and headed to breakfast with Kai trailing behind him again.
"You're following me around again?" William asked.
"I told you, I'm bored," Kai said. "Your life is more interesting than sitting in our room."
"My life is a mess."
"Exactly. Entertaining."
They reached the dining hall and got food. This time when they sat down, Marcus appeared almost immediately and dropped into the seat next to William.
They ate breakfast while Marcus continued fishing for details and William continued not providing them. Elena stayed quiet as usual, though William caught her smiling slightly at the whole situation.
Halfway through the meal, a girl William vaguely recognized from House Luminara approached their table. She had long auburn hair and green eyes, and she stopped directly in front of William.
"You're William Cross, right?" she asked.
"Yeah," William said cautiously.
"I'm Helena Rubinstein," she said, extending her hand. "I've heard a lot about you."
William shook her hand briefly. "Nice to meet you."
Helena smiled, though something about it felt calculated. "I was hoping we could talk sometime. Maybe after classes today?"
"About what?"
"Just getting to know each other. I'm relatively new to the academy social circles and I'd like to understand the dynamics better." She glanced at the others at the table. "You seem like someone worth knowing."
William wasn't sure how to respond to that. Something about her tone felt off, like there was a secondary meaning he wasn't catching.
"Maybe," he said noncommittally. "I'll let you know."
"Perfect." Helena's smile widened slightly. "I'll see you around then."
She walked away, leaving William with a vague sense of unease.
"That was weird," Marcus said once she was gone.
"Yeah," William agreed.
"Helena Rubinstein," Sara said thoughtfully. "I've heard that name before. I think she's related to House Rubinstein somehow, but she transferred in recently from another academy."
"Why would she want to talk to William specifically?" Elena asked quietly.
"No idea," William said. "But I'm not particularly interested in finding out."
They finished breakfast and split up for morning classes. William had Magical Theory first, which meant suffering through Professor Ashcroft's lecture for ninety minutes.
The class was mostly uneventful until midway through when Professor Ashcroft called on William to demonstrate a theoretical essence circulation pattern at the board.
William walked up and started drawing the diagram, his mind automatically calculating the optimal flow paths. Thanks to his new trait, he could see inefficiencies in the standard pattern that he'd never noticed before.
Without thinking, he adjusted the diagram to show the more efficient version.
Professor Ashcroft studied the board for a long moment, then looked at William with interest. "That's not the standard pattern."
"It's more efficient," William said.
"Show me the calculations."
William wrote out the math, demonstrating how the modified pattern reduced essence waste by approximately fifteen percent while maintaining the same output.
The professor examined his work carefully, then nodded. "Correct. Though this level of optimization typically isn't taught until third-year advanced theory. How did you derive this?"
"Just seemed logical," William said, realizing too late that he should have stuck with the standard answer.
Professor Ashcroft gave him an appraising look. "Interesting. You may return to your seat."
William sat back down, aware that several students were now staring at him. He'd just demonstrated knowledge beyond his current level and the professor had definitely noticed.
'I need to be more careful,' William thought.
The rest of the class passed without incident. When it ended, William gathered his things and headed toward his next class, trying to avoid drawing any more attention.
He was crossing the courtyard when someone called his name. He turned and saw Helena approaching quickly.
"William," she said, slightly out of breath like she'd been hurrying. "Do you have a minute now?"
"I have class in fifteen minutes."
"This won't take long." She smiled again, that same calculated expression. "I just wanted to ask about the Inter-Academy team. I'm thinking about trying out next year and I'd like some advice."
"The tryouts are pretty straightforward," William said. "You compete in the Inter-House tournament and if you rank high enough, you make the team."
"Is that how you made it?"
"Yeah. Placed fifth overall."
"Impressive." Helena moved slightly closer. "I heard you beat some strong opponents to get there."
"I lost more than I won."
"But you kept getting back up. That's admirable." Her green eyes studied him carefully. "I like people who don't give up easily."
William was starting to feel uncomfortable. This conversation felt like it had an agenda he wasn't seeing.
"I should get to class," he said.
"Of course. Maybe we can talk more later?" Helena's smile never wavered. "I'd really like to get to know you better William."
She left before he could respond, heading back toward the main building.
William stood there for a moment, processing that interaction. Something was definitely off about Helena, but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly.
He pushed the thought aside and headed to his next class, already tired and the day had barely started.
---
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