The Next Morning
The dorms were quiet.
Too quiet.
The sun had only begun to bleed through the curtains, streaks of pale gold cutting through the faint scent of last night's wine.
Kain slipped on his coat and grabbed his coffee from the counter, black, bitter, the way he liked it.
He opened the door.
And found Esme already waiting in the hallway across his room.
The morning light caught him like it had been waiting just for that moment, tall, composed, uniform, immaculate.
His dark blue hair shimmered faintly.
He wasn't smiling.
Not even that fake smile he gave to those girls in class when they mocked Veronica.
"Morning," Kain said, tone even, unreadable.
"Standing out here for me? I'm flattered," he gave an over-dramatic bow.
Esme's eyes, that sharp, sunset orange, met his.
They didn't blink.
Didn't waver.
"Veronica cried last night," he said simply.
Kain took a sip of coffee, slow, deliberate.
"Is that so?"
"She wouldn't say why," Esme continued, his voice calm, too calm, like the surface of water hiding a deep current.
"But I think you already know…"
The silence stretched.
Then Kain exhaled, low and amused.
"You're awfully composed for a man who's angry"
"I'm not angry"
Kain let out a low chuckle.
"Fucking bullshit. Try hiding your killing intent better"
"..."
Esme stepped closer, not enough to threaten, but enough that Kain could see the faint shimmer of light around him, the subtle residue of divine mana.
The mark of a blessed hero.
Kain couldn't help but chuckle as he sipped his coffee.
'I was wondering why I couldn't sense divinity the day before. I've forgotten this stupid trope of awakening for a loved one'
"Veronica's kind," Esme said softly.
"She forgives easily. But I don't!"
Kain smirked, leaning slightly against the doorframe.
"And what exactly do you think I did?"
Esme tilted his head, almost curious.
"You told her she deserves better"
"Is that a crime?"
Esme didn't answer right away.
He just looked at him, studying every inch of his expression, the way one might study a blade before deciding where to strike.
"You like playing with people, don't you?" he said finally.
Kain shrugged.
"Maybe. Depends on the person…"
Esme's eyes flickered, faint, subtle light rippling through them like moonlight on water.
"Then be careful you don't play too close to the edge, Kain"
The warning wasn't loud, but it cut through the air like a clean slice of steel.
Kain tilted his head, lips curving into that lazy, dangerous smile.
"Edge of what?"
Esme stepped back, his composure returning instantly, serene, unshaken.
"The kind you don't come back from"
He turned as if nothing had happened, walking down the hall with that same unnerving calm, his boots silent on the floor.
Kain watched him go, the faint tension still crawling under his skin.
Then he laughed, quietly, almost to himself.
"Man," he murmured, setting his coffee down on a racket.
'No wonder he didn't feel right. He's not as stupid as Finn or Aiden. Esme is a fighter'
He looked toward the far end of the hall, where Veronica's door was still shut, and that grin slowly returned, soft, sly, and sharp enough to draw blood.
"Guess I hit a nerve after all if she told him"
Just before he could walk further, he heard Ruby open her door, her saber already in hand as if ready to stab Esme if he did something reckless.
"Ruby…"
"Yes, Kain?"
He quickly entered her room, gently removing her weapon as he picked her up into his arms.
"Did you really think a weakling like that is worth my time?"
Ruby's cheeks flushed, though her grip on his shoulder tightened.
"I just didn't like how he looked at you," she muttered, voice low but dangerous.
Kain chuckled, his tone soft but laced with amusement.
"Then you're just as loyal as ever"
He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, then leaned in, his lips ghosting over hers in a slow, deliberate kiss that made her melt against him.
When he pulled back, his voice dropped to a whisper, smooth and dark.
"Spread it"
Ruby blinked, slightly dazed, and well, a bit turned on.
"Spread what?"
Kain's smile sharpened.
"That he threatened me. That he's jealous. Make it sound pathetic, not furious, insecure"
A flicker of mischief lit her eyes.
"And the others?"
"Tell Beatrix and Alyssa to help; Darcy and Yani should be digging up some stuff on him now, as for the other girls…"
Ruby smirked, already understanding.
"Consider it done"
He kissed her temple once more and set her down gently.
"Good girl"
As he left her room, the faintest trace of satisfaction lingered in his eyes.
The kind that came from knowing the next move on the board was already his.
Later that morning | Academy Courtyard
The sun had fully risen now, spilling over polished marble and the sound of dozens of voices buzzing like bees.
Kain walked through the courtyard with his coffee in hand, coat draped over one shoulder, expression calm, almost bored.
But the looks he got weren't.
Whispers followed him like shadows.
"Did you hear? Esme tried to threaten Kain this morning…"
"No way! Why would he do that?"
"Apparently over Veronica, like they had one talk, and apparently he didn't like Kain's opinion"
"Seriously? He just got promoted to A-Rank, and he's barely transferred 2 days ago?"
"Kain's the only S-Rank in the Academy. Esme's got a death wish!"
"I heard Kain didn't even flinch. Just stared him down!"
"Who's Veronica again?"
Kain's lips curved faintly as he passed a group of students pretending not to stare.
He didn't need to say a word.
Ruby, Beatrix, and Alyssa did their work beautifully.
By breakfast, the entire Academy had already chosen a side, and it wasn't Esme's.
Even now, Esme stood across the training yard with Veronica, his jaw tense, whispers coiling around him like smoke he couldn't escape.
"Guess I don't have to lift a finger," Kain muttered under his breath as Alyssa ran up to him.
She quickly jumped into his arms and planted numerous kisses.
Kain laughed as he returned the favor.
"What's this for, Alyssa?"
She gave him a sweet smile as she leaned in to whisper.
"I could already see him coming towards you…"
Kain chuckled as he knew what she meant.
He could already feel Esme's murderer's intent coming at him.
She giggled as he placed her down.
The air thickened as Esme approached.
Students instinctively cleared a path, their curiosity outweighing their sense of self-preservation.
The courtyard grew quiet, save for the distant hum of magic sparring in the training rings.
Kain didn't move.
He stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other still holding his coffee, looking like a man waiting for the weather to change.
Esme stopped a few feet away, his jaw set, eyes burning with that same sunset fire as before.
"Kain," he said flatly.
Kain looked up, tone casual.
"Morning again, sunshine. Slept well after your little sermon?"
A few students snickered.
Esme didn't.
"You've got people spreading lies about me"
Kain tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable.
"Lies? That so?"
"I don't take kindly to manipulation"
"That's funny," Kain said, his smirk deepening.
"Because I thought you were a hero candidate, aren't lies part of the job description? You sell people hope, don't you?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Alyssa folded her arms beside him, eyes glittering.
Ruby was perched on a bench, watching with amused detachment.
Even Beatrix had shown up, leaning against a column, her armor shining brightly, ready to step in if Esme attacked Kain.
Hell, all his girls showed up, as if ready to beat Esme to death if he kept releasing his killing intent.
Which he did.
His aura flared, divine light flickering faintly around him, not enough to attack, but enough to make the air hum.
"Don't test me," Esme warned, his voice quiet, sharp.
Kain took one last sip of coffee before tossing the empty cup into the nearest bin, making a perfect arc and landing.
He smiled.
"Relax, dude. If I wanted to destroy you, I wouldn't need rumors."
That silence was different, heavier, colder.
It wasn't arrogance.
It was true.
Everyone felt it.
Everyone knew it.
Kain's eyes flicked toward Veronica, standing behind Esme, clutching her sleeve nervously.
She looked torn, guilty, worried, maybe even afraid.
He softened his tone just enough to twist the knife.
"Tell your girl she shouldn't let her tears pick her battles…"
Esme's hand twitched.
A pulse of light surged across the courtyard floor, barely restrained.
But before anything could happen, Professor Who gives a fuck voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"Enough!"
The air snapped back to normal.
Students jumped as he strode in, robes fluttering, eyes sharp.
"Esme. Kain. If you two want to measure egos, do it in the ring after class. Not in my courtyard!"
Kain sighed as he smacked him down to the ground.
Gasps rippled through the courtyard.
The professor hit the marble hard, his spell seals flickering out before they even formed.
Some weren't surprised.
Kain had smacked a few teachers who thought they were stronger than they really were.
"Who the fuck do you think you are to interfere in my fight?"
He just adjusted his coat and muttered, "Moron"
The silence was so thick it hurt to breathe.
No one moved.
Alyssa had a hand over her mouth, not that she was shocked; she was trying to hide her arousal.
Ruby was openly grinning.
Beatrix pinched the bridge of her nose, more out of knowing this would happen than disapproval.
Esme, however, didn't move a muscle.
He just watched, eyes narrow, pulse steady, the divine light behind him pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
"Are you done proving your dominance?"
Esme asked quietly.
Kain turned back to him, expression unreadable.
"Dominance? Nah…"
He cracked a faint smile.
"I just don't like being interrupted"
The professor groaned behind him, barely conscious, and a few staff members rushed over.
Kain stepped forward until there were only a few feet between them, the crowd parting again like the tide.
"Tomorrow," Kain said softly.
"Training ring. We settle your hurt feelings there"
Esme's eyes flashed.
"I don't need tomorrow!"
"Good," Kain said.
"We fight during lunch since it's clear you want to fight"
He brushed past Esme, shoulders barely grazing, but the air itself seemed to shudder at the contact.
"Come on, ladies," he said over his shoulder.
"Let's get breakfast. I think I've already made today interesting enough"
Alyssa giggled.
Ruby followed, still smirking.
Beatrix lingered a moment, meeting Esme's glare with one of her own before she turned to join Kain.
Esme stayed where he was, divine light flickering faintly around his hands.
But he didn't attack.
He couldn't.
At least not yet.
"Damn it!"
Veronica moved closer, noticing how Esme trembled, not with anger, but with disappointment.
Not at her.
But at himself for being so useless… and afraid.
Veronica hesitated before reaching for him.
"Esme…"
He flinched when her hand brushed his arm, the divine light flickering once more before dimming completely.
He looked down at her.
Those kind blue eyes that had once steadied him now only made him feel smaller.
"He humiliated you," she whispered, barely able to meet his gaze.
"No," Esme said, shaking his head slowly.
"He exposed me…"
Her lips parted, but no words came.
He turned toward the smashed tiles, the faint crack in the marble glowing faintly with residual mana.
"He didn't even use aura," Esme muttered, voice low.
"He just… hit him"
Veronica looked down, clutching her sleeve tighter.
"You shouldn't fight him, Esme. He's—"
"Stronger?"
Esme finished for her, a hollow smile tugging at his lips.
"Yeah. I know"
He started walking toward the training hall, every step measured, every breath steady.
"But I'm still going to fight him"
Veronica reached out again, voice trembling.
"Why?"
"Because if I don't," he said without looking back, "he'll think we're easy targets"
Veronica froze there, alone in the courtyard, surrounded by the whispering crowd.
Her heart twisted between fear and something else, something she didn't want to name.
[System Notification]
[Veronica Hana | Affection: 15% | Loyalty: 10% | Lust: 45%]
[Emotion: …]
[Thought: "He's so… manly"]
Across the Academy | Dining Hall
Kain sat at his usual table, breakfast untouched, half-listening to Ruby and Alyssa gossip about how fast the rumors were spreading.
Beatrix was silent beside him, arms crossed, but with a cute, faint blush.
Kain held Beatrix's hand and planted a small kiss.
"Come on, Bee. It's not like I meant to smack what's his face…"
Beatrix's blush deepened as she pulled her hand back slightly, trying to glare but failing spectacularly.
"You can't just smack professors because they annoy you, Kain!"
He shrugged, spearing a piece of toast that immediately caught fire from his aura.
"Wasn't my fault. No one told him to interfere…"
Ruby laughed so hard she almost choked on her sausage.
"Oh no, it definitely was your fault. You called him 'Professor Who the Fuck' to his face once before, so of course he was gonna try to one-up you"
Alyssa leaned in, voice dripping with faux innocence.
"And then decked him mid-sentence. That's, like… impressive, even for you"
Kain bit into another piece of toast.
"What can I say? I'm an overachiever"
Beatrix pinched the bridge of her nose again.
"You're a public menace"
He tilted his head, eyes half-lidded, a stupid smile still plastered across his face.
"Then it's a good thing I'm also the only S-rank here. Makes the paperwork easier"
Ruby whistled.
"Oh, that line's gonna end up on the student board by lunch. 'Makes the paperwork easier.' Gods, you're ridiculous"
He leaned back, chair tipping slightly as his gaze drifted toward the courtyard windows.
He could already feel Esme's mana spiking faintly from across the campus, shaky, unfocused, angry.
"Good," Kain murmured, smirk fading into something colder.
"Let him stew. I need him angry"
Alyssa blinked.
"Wait, you want him mad?"
"Yeah," Kain said, tone calm, almost bored.
"People show their real selves when they're mad. He'll either break… or finally show me what he's hiding"
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Ruby leaned in, whispering just loud enough for Beatrix to hear:
"Okay, but if he starts monologuing mid-fight, I'm betting ten gold Kain kicks him through the arena wall"
Beatrix sighed, but her lips curved.
"You're on!"
Alyssa, meanwhile, didn't really care to bid.
Instead, she placed her hand on top of Kain's, moving it in such a lewd manner.
Ruby and Beatrix immediately noticed and gave Kain that look.
Kain pushed himself up from his chair, stretching until his spine cracked, the picture of smug satisfaction.
"Well," he said, glancing between the three girls, "I think I deserve a reward before even winning, don't you?"
Ruby's brows shot up.
"Before winning? You haven't even fought him yet"
Kain grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"Exactly. Why wait until after victory when I already know how it ends?"
Alyssa smirked, rising to her feet with a lazy sway of her hips.
"Cocky much?"
"Confident," Kain corrected smoothly.
"Cocky's what Esme is. Confidence is what makes you three follow me into my room without realizing it"
Beatrix nearly choked on her tea.
"Wha— I—?"
Ruby burst out laughing, already hopping off the bench.
"He's not wrong, though. You're already standing"
Beatrix's cheeks flushed scarlet as she glanced down, realizing she had, in fact, stood up.
"That doesn't mean anything!"
Alyssa looped her arm through Kain's, giving Beatrix a teasing look.
"Then come prove it~"
Kain leaned down, voice low and playful.
"Come on, Bee. You wouldn't leave me alone with Alyssa and Ruby, would you? Who knows what kind of terrible influence they'd be"
Ruby gasped dramatically.
"Excuse me? I'm a saint"
"You set a priest on fire for calling you one," Kain replied.
Ruby grinned wider.
"He agreed with me after"
Kain snorted and started walking, Alyssa still holding his arm.
"Let's go"
They left the dining hall to a trail of stares and whispers, half awe, half scandal.
Even the staff didn't dare stop them; after all, who in their right mind would?
When they reached his quarters, Kain opened the door rather quickly.
He gestured inside, smirking.
"Like old times"
Ruby was the first to slip in, running her hand along the edge of his desk as she circled the room.
Alyssa turned, catching his gaze, and for once her teasing smile faltered.
The air shifted, quieter, thicker.
She stepped close, her voice a whisper.
"I want to feel you once more…"
And she kissed him.
Slow, deliberate, full of the kind of heat that silenced thought.
Ruby chuckled under her breath, folding her arms.
"Guess you're cashing in that 'reward' early, huh?"
Kain broke the kiss just long enough to smirk at her.
"Still room for more"
Ruby arched a brow.
"That a challenge?"
He didn't answer, just tilted his chin slightly, inviting.
She stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and kissed him too, rougher, bolder, the kind that left a spark in its wake.
When Ruby finally pulled back, she licked her lip, eyes glinting.
"Did you always taste so sweet?"
Kain merely shrugged.
Beatrix stood frozen by the door, looking like she wanted to scold them all but couldn't quite find her voice.
Kain turned to her, his tone softening, teasing yet sincere.
"What about you, Bee?" he asked quietly.
"You going to let them have all the fun?"
Beatrix's blush deepened, and after a heartbeat of hesitation, she walked forward.
The door shut behind her with a quiet click.
Her words were barely a whisper.
"Yes… Master…"
And she kissed him, too.
"Nghhh~"
He grinned wickedly as Beatrix pulled back from their kiss, his eyes gleaming with triumph and lust.
He could feel his massive cock throbbing in his pants, already leaking pre-cum at the thought of what was to come.
He turned to face the trio, his gaze raking over their curves possessively.
"Strip," he commanded, his deep voice leaving no room for disobedience.
They didn't hesitate.
Clothes flew off eagerly as they revealed their glistening, bare flesh, from Alyssa's cute nipples to Ruby's cute little bunny tattoo on her hip, and Beatrix's soft, plush curves that hinted at a bit of muscle.
Alyssa and Beatrix sank onto the bed, Ruby on his desk, waiting for him to undress.
He licked his lips.
His massive cock throbbed almost painfully, to which he happily ripped off his clothes, letting his cock spring free.
"Good girls"
He walked towards the bed.
"Such obedient little fucktoys, always so eager to please Master"
He crawled onto the bed, hovering over Beatrix.
He grabbed her soft thighs, pushing them apart to expose her dripping slit.
Kain leaned in, inhaling deeply.
"Mmm, you're fucking soaked, aren't you, Bee? Practically gagging for my cock?"
He turned to Alyssa, and he captured one of her perky nipples in his mouth, suckling hard before releasing it with a wet pop.
"And you, my naughty little minx, I bet you can't wait to have your tight asshole stretched around my thick dick, can you?"
Kain glanced over at Ruby, still sitting on the desk, fingering her clit.
"Mmm, you know I'm always ready for your massive cock, Kain~~"
Ruby purred, spreading her legs wider to give him a better view of her glistening pussy.
"I've been thinking about it all day, imagining it stretching me open, fucking me so deep and hard..."
She plunged two fingers into her tight cunt, pumping them in and out, moaning wantonly.
"Please, Kain, I need it. Need your huge fucking cock wrecking all my holes. Use me like the desperate slut I am…"
He turned back to Alyssa and Beatrix with a smug grin.
"Hmm, before I fuck you raw and silly. How about I fuck you two?"
"What do you say we put on a show for Ruby? I want to watch her play with herself while I make you scream on my cock"
Alyssa nodded eagerly, biting her lip.
"Yes, please use us, fill us, make us your cock-drunk sluts. I want to feel you pounding my ass, ruining it for anything else~"
Beatrix just moaned, arching her back to push her dripping pussy against him.
"Please, I'm so empty…"
"Don't worry, Bee. Master will fill you up soon enough," Alyssa purred, leaning over to lap at Beatrix's soaked folds.
"We're going to take such good care of this big, fatcock together, aren't we?"
Kain groaned at the lewd display, his massive member throbbing and leaking pre-cum.
He grabbed Alyssa's hips, flipping her over onto her hands and knees, presenting her tight asshole to him.
"Fuck yes, I'm going to wreck this sexy ass absolutely," he growled, spitting crudely on her pink pucker and rubbing the saliva in with his thumb.
With his other hand, he pushed two thick fingers into Beatrix's dripping cunt, pumping them hard and fast.
"And you, my greedy little cocksleeve, are going to milk my fingers like the desperate slut you are while I split Alyssa in half"
Alyssa whimpered and pushed back against him, desperate for more.
Kain positioned the flared head of his massive cock against her tight rosebud, rubbing it teasingly.
"And Ruby…"
He turned his head back, noticing she was way too immersed in fingering herself.
He let out a low laugh as he turned back to Alyssa and Beatrix.
"Never mind, now where were we?"
"Right here," Alyssa whimpered, wiggling her ass invitingly.
She reached back to spread her cheeks wide, putting her tight little hole on lewd display.
"Please, I need your huge fucking cock wrecking my ass. I want to feel you pounding me deep, claiming this slutty asshole as yours"
Kain lined up his massive, throbbing shaft with her pink pucker.
"As you wish"
With one brutal thrust, he slammed forward, burying his enormous cock balls-deep into Alyssa's tight asshole.
The lewd squelch of lube and the slap of skin on skin echoed through the room as he began to absolutely pound into her, his heavy balls slapping against her pussy with each merciless stroke.
"FUCK, so goddamn tight!" he gripped her hips hard enough to bruise as he railed her.
He was about to speed up even more when he heard a whimper.
He paused his brutal pounding of Alyssa's ass, glancing over at Beatrix.
"Come here, Bee. I want a taste of your sweet lips while I demolish this slutty ass"
Beatrix crawled over eagerly, her heavy tits swaying.
She leaned in, capturing Kain's mouth in a deep, passionate kiss.
Their tongues danced, swirling and exploring each other's mouths.
Kain growled into the kiss, grabbing Beatrix's plump ass and kneading the soft flesh.
As they made out heatedly, Kain never stopped his relentless thrusts into Alyssa's tight hole, the wet slap of his hips against her ass cheeks filling the room.
He reached around to maul her tits, pinching and tugging at her nipples roughly.
Finally breaking the kiss with Beatrix, Kain panted.
"Good girl. Now, watch closely as I utterly ruin this ass"
He once again gripped Alyssa's hips with bruising force and began to pound into her even harder and faster, the force of his thrusts making her whole body jolt with each impact.
The lewd, wet sounds of his balls slapping against her ass and the squelch of lube filled the air, accompanied by Alyssa's whorish moans and Kain's animalistic grunts of pleasure.
"Aww aw aw aw M-master… Soooo Rough~~"
She wailed, her voice breaking with each powerful impact of Kain's hips against her jiggling ass.
Her eyes rolled back, tongue lolling out in a fucked-stupid expression as she took his merciless pounding.
Kain could feel Alyssa's asshole spasming around him, knew she was close to cumming just from having her ass wrecked.
He reached down, finding her swollen clit, and rubbed the sensitive nub in rough, fast circles, determined to make her squirt on his cock like a bitch in heat.
"Cum with me, my sweet…"
"FUCK, I'm cumming!"
Alyssa screamed, her voice echoing off the walls.
Her pussy clamped down hard as she squirted, clear fem-cum gushing out around Kain's pistoning cock and splattering onto the bed beneath them.
Her asshole spasmed and convulsed wildly, gripping Kain's massive shaft like a vice as she came undone.
"Take it all!"
Kain slams balls-deep one last time before unleashing a torrential flood of thick, hot cum deep into Alyssa's bowels.
Jet after jet of potent seed pumped into her hungry hole as Kain's cock throbbed and jerked, painting her insides white with his release.
Alyssa could only moan whorishly, tongue still lolling out, as she felt Kain's molten spunk filling her up, claiming her slutty asshole once again.
Her eyes rolled back in sheer bliss, completely fucked stupid by the intensity of her orgasm.
Kain groaned against Alyssa's ass, stirring his load inside her as the final spurts dribbled out.
He pulled out with a wet pop, turning to Beatrix and Ruby, who were already wet and giving him the fuck me eyes.
"So… Who's next?"