Meanwhile, back with Nero's group,
"You're quite fearless. Aren't you afraid of his retaliation?" Lux asked curious. Nero shook his head.
"I've never been afraid of him."
"That's my friend! It's how a man should be, never afraid of anything." Adam said, pleased as he slapped Nero repeatedly on the shoulder. Just as Nero was about to ask him to stop because it hurts, he heard the previously silent Blake mockingly chime in.
"Say the Oh! fearless one who is afraid of cockroaches."
Adam's body stiffened, and he glared at Blake, who simply smiled.
"You're one to talk; you're scared of bats."
Blake's smile vanished at Adam's jab, and he harrumphed.
"Humph!"
"You two are something else," Lux said, bemused. The other two rolled their eyes at him as if he were a freak.
"You freak! Since we were kids, you never felt anything while playing with those disgusting insects. You played with every type that existed. Ugh! Just recalling it makes me want to vomit," Adam said in disgust, while Lux chuckled, tilting his head innocently.
"Aren't they cute?"
"Only you could find them cute. Seriously, it was that day I realized there was something wrong with you."
"You're right," Blake nodded, surprisingly siding with Adam, which was extremely rare.
Lux simply chuckled in response.
"I find all creatures cute and equal."
As soon as he finished saying this, Adam rolled his eyes.
"What about monsters?"
Immediately, time seemed to freeze. Lux's benevolent expression shifted as if he had switched gears; his eyes turned cold, and he almost released a killing intent.
Nero, who had been observing the trio, couldn't help but feel shocked inwardly. He recalled certain rumors about Lux, which claimed he treated everyone equally but transformed into someone else entirely when it came to monsters. It was why people said he had a split personality, and indeed, his next words confirmed this.
"Those things are lower than bugs. They're not cute at all and should be squashed—every last one of them." He smiled as he said this, sending chills down Nero's spine.
Adam and Blake shuddered; even after growing up together, they could never get used to this side of their friend.
"Tch! Please revert back," Adam implored, and Blake nodded frantically.
The switched version of Lux nodded before returning to his usual smiling face, and the two heaved sighs of relief.
'It's almost as if he became someone else entirely. I wonder where his hatred for monsters comes from?' Nero mused inwardly. He sensed that the next two years here wouldn't be boring at all. He wasn't the type to claim he enjoyed living alone in his bubble; although he disliked troublesome situations, that didn't mean he couldn't forge any relationships. Making friends, even just one, was essential in life. If he were to fall by the roadside, it would undoubtedly be people who would help him. Building connections could be beneficial in his quest to better understand himself. Experiencing friendship, love, and all those things a youth must go through was important. In the end, he wanted to be able to proudly say that he had truly lived.
Unaware of what was going through Nero's mind, Lux scratched his head and said, "Sorry for making you see something unsightly."
Nero shook his head. "There's no need to apologize for being you."
Lux's eyes widened; he never expected Nero to say such words. Most people treated him as if he were some kind of freak, so much so that he had begun to dislike his other persona. But hearing Nero's words reminded him of what his psychiatrist had said: his other persona was a part of him, and there was no need to apologize for being himself.
"Thank you," Lux said, his smile bright and genuine. It seemed he had come to terms with something. Nero's eyes flickered, and the previously tangled lines he saw when looking at Lux seemed to harmonize, if not completely, then mostly.
"You're welcome."
Adam watched the exchange with a smile, thinking that adding Nero to their group wasn't a bad thing. Blake, on the other hand, closed his eyes lazily as if he couldn't be bothered; talking had drained him, and he preferred to sleep.
While most of the cadets were focused on their discussions, some subtly glanced in Nero's group's direction, curious about what the four were talking about.
Barak was among them. Recalling Nero's earlier behavior, he couldn't help but clench his fists tightly under the table. That spot should have been his. His original plan had been to use the first day to reconnect with his former friends. Being from one of the seven families, it wasn't unusual for them to have met at a young age, most of them becoming friends early on. It had been a few years since he had last interacted with Adam and Blake after their argument. He thought this opportunity of being in the same class again could help rekindle their relationship. In his race to become the patriarch of his family, it was crucial to build connections with members of the other seven families. It could help him surpass his older sister, who was rumored to be the next family head.
However, before his plan could even begin, it was thwarted by his half-brother, whom he had discarded as a worthless being, someone incapable of achieving anything. Not only had he passed the Glory Academy tests, but he was also among the top three fastest to clear them, despite not being blessed or able to use primordial energy. Barak wondered how Nero had achieved this. If he had simply passed and placed last, he wouldn't have been so affected, but being in the top three—something he himself hadn't managed to achieve despite all his preparation—was infuriating.
'Maybe he has been hiding his strength?' Barak thought, recalling the moment when his lightning had vanished for some reason. He began to feel uneasy; perhaps everything was a plot to catch him off guard and seize the position of family head? He shook his head, deeming it unlikely, but he knew he had to deal with Nero since he had taken something that should have been his.
Watching Nero blend in with the other three, Barak gritted his teeth. He vowed to make Nero's life at the academy a living hell.