I found myself sitting in the classroom, nothing seemed interesting.
I was just gazing outside the window that was right beside me, seeing the same white nightingale I saw earlier this morning. It was sitting on one of the wisteria tree's branches, its pink eyes gazing towards me for some reason. 'Why is it white? I've never seen one like that.'
Since I was sitting right at the front, everything behind was just a blur to me. Every noise, every chatter, every hushed whisper, it faded into the background. Professor Archie wasn't here yet, it was unusual for him to be this late.
'Well now that I think about it, there's something else that's also unusual…Why the heck am I wearing this uniform? Lily also wore the same. Since Miss Rebbeca told me I didn't question it. I wonder what's up.'
I was snapped out of my thoughts as the classroom door creaked open. My gaze drifted toward it.
A man, looking to be in his late twenties, stepped inside with a calm, effortless grace. His posture alone carried a quiet, unquestionable authority. Jet-black hair brushed his shoulders, framing a chiseled jawline sharp enough to cut a carrot. His skin was fair, his figure tall. A pair of abyssal, stygian eyes — shrouded in coldness, yet not unkind.
Dressed in a dark, aristocratic coat with a white ruffled jabot at his throat, he looked like someone who should be commanding imperial knights… yet here he was, teaching a classroom of students.
The whole class went silent at the appearance of this man. Of course, because he was our professor after all.
There were approximately 50 students present in the class and every gaze was fixed on professor Archie, standing in front of the whole class, arms folded behind his back.
Realising, the whole class hastily stood up from their seats as a gesture of respect. My gaze drifted around and I saw no familiar face. Rose and Lily were both a bit older than me, so they studied in different classes.
I glanced back at the professor and saw him nodding gently, gesturing for us to sit down. His expression was solemn, just like always.
Slowly, the whole class took their seats once again without making a sound. "Students with starlight uniforms. Listen carefully." My gaze remained fixed on professor Archie, his voice was firm and it reverberated throughout the class.
'Wait…isn't the starlight uniform the one I'm wearing?' Slowly, my eyes roamed around to see if there was anyone else beside me wearing the same clothing but found none. Now suddenly, every gaze was focused on me and I felt nervous under all those eyes watching me.
Swallowing hard, I spoke up in a stumbling voice. "Y-Yes sir!" Me, there was only my voice! And it wasn't even close to how the professor sounded just a moment ago.
The professor studied me for a moment and replied. "Gray. Do you know why you're wearing this uniform today?"
'Huh? Why was I wearing it? No one told me nothing about it. Besides me, I only saw Lily wearing it! What the heck is going on here?'
I paused for a moment and then shook my head. "N-No sir…"
Professor Archie looked at me for a moment, his gaze felt intense and I could feel sweat forming on my forehead. Slowly, his expression softened and let out a sigh. "You don't ? I thought you would know since they're given to the scholars, hm?" He asked.
My brows furrowed ever so slightly at his words. I couldn't remember that they were actually given to the scholars of Cifer academy. 'Wait, if they are, so why am I wearing it today?'
Usually, students wear a black coat with black pants, a crisp white shirt underneath. A student from a noble family would have a white sash running across their chest, while normal people like me had a mix of red and white sash. And for a student from the royal family, it was navy blue.
So why was I wearing this dress today?
"There are only 18 scholars in this academy, and you're one of them, Gray. It's hard to believe you don't remember it."
I listened to his words and a wave of embarrassment washed over me, my gaze drifting down to the ground.
"It's given to a student when he's no longer a student but a scholar instead. Students wear it on very rare occasions."
I could feel my face heating up in embarrassment. 'Of course, it was obvious that it would be given to scholars!' He himself said earlier. I felt like disappearing into thin air at that moment.
'How can I be so dumb?'
"Well, anyhow, all the scholars are supposed to meet at the assembly hall after the third lecture, got it?" I glanced at the professor for a moment and then nodded gently. Whatever the reason was, I would know it there. There was no need to press the matter further right now.
Though it didn't mean that the embarrassment from earlier was gone.
I could hear a few students giggling behind. I sighed, closing my eyes as if that alone would make me hide myself from their gazes.
"Umm…May I….come in, professor…?"
My eyes snapped open as my sight fell toward where the voice came from. It was a familiar voice, yet not familiar enough.
A young student in the same black uniform with red and white sash. Usual dark hair and brown eyes, lacking any hint of warmth in them, a blank expression on his face. He was a bit tanned, not much, just enough to make him look different for me.
For no reason in particular.
I glanced back at professor Archie, trying to gauge his thoughts. But he looked just as expressionless as the young boy.
"I see you're late again, Ichor?" The professor's voice was firm, yet not unkind.
The name was…quite strange. I had never heard of anything like that before, nor did I know what this "Ichor" meant.
The young boy stood silent, unperturbed. As if he wasn't late, the world was just too early.
"I apologise, professor. I was stuck doing some work. I will accept whatever punishment you may give in regards." He said after a moment of silence.
He didn't seem bothered by the way everyone was looking at him.
"Just go and take your seat for now, I will decide that later."
It wasn't shocking, professor Archie prioritised teaching before anything. So he never wasted time on trivial matters like punishment.
Ichor nodded and entered the class, despite the stoic facade, his steps were graceful. He stood in front of the tables, it was even making me feel awkward. But why was he, though?
I glanced back, noticing how most of the seats were full, and the ones remaining were occupied by at least one person, and none of them seemed to offer him a seat.
'What a bunch of jerks.' I cursed inwardly. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't hesitant on letting him sit with me even as I cursed others for not giving him a seat.
Well, he was quite the unsociable person after all.
Getting out of the reverie of thoughts, I reluctantly scooted towards the window side, making some space for him to sit. He seemed to have taken the cue already, but he wasn't moving, he did not take any steps towards me.
Instead, he walked at the end of the classroom and sat down on a desk where no one sat. Just one. No one sitting on desks beside him either.
'W-What's with this asshole…?' His actions…irritated me. I gritted my teeth and huffed, turning my focus back to the professor. He was observing everything, yet did not say anything.
'Idiot.' I thought, exasperated.
Then, the professor turned around and walked towards the black board. His gaze shifted towards the door once again but there was no one there when I looked.
"Are you just going to keep hiding and listening there…?" He said.
'Huh, who could it be…?" I kept my eyes focused towards the entrance, waiting in anticipation. Just then, I felt my breath hitch, my eyes widening as the figure came in sight.
'Rose?! What is she doing here? Shouldn't she be in her own class..?'
I could feel the change in air around me, the world around me. It was suddenly… more vibrant. I couldn't even care about murmurs and whispers that erupted at the sudden appearance of the princess.
"Did your lecture end early or what?" I gazed at Rose as professor Archie asked. She stood in the entrance of the room, giving a sheepish smile to the professor. Her hands folded neatly at her front.
"Y-Yes sir! I was just listening to you…your, uh…lectures are always interesting!" It was obvious how she was desperately trying to sound convincing, yet failing miserably. This whole situation was comical.
I couldn't help but chuckle, covering my mouth with a hand.
"Oh, is that so? Then why don't you come in and attend this lecture, Rose? Come in, take a seat."
Right, that's how he was. While everyone in the whole academy addressed Rose as "Princess" or "Your highness" or with whatever cheesy name they could come up with, professor Archie always addressed her by using her name.
I had always seen it. To him, every student in the academy was a normal student to him, he never cared about the status. He treated everyone equally. It had often led him to some dire consequences like having been threatened, to almost losing his job but yet… he never wavered from his principal. He was always resolute.
I looked at Rose and she was smiling widely for some reason. Without wasting any time, she bowed slightly and entered the classroom. 'She will definitely sit with me, since we already know each other.' The corners of my lips curled up into a small smirk, ready to see the look of utter bewilderedment on everyone's faces.
But to my utter confusion, she didn't! She sat just at a desk with a girl, slightly further back from the door.
Disappointed, I sighed and tore my gaze away from her. 'I was really confident that she was going to sit with me…pft…'
"Seems like everything is settled, hm?" Professor Archie walked back towards the blackboard and then looked back at the whole class, serious as ever.
"Forget about studying today, I have a rather interesting story to tell you all. Remember how some of you told her that she couldn't even do the bare minimum?"
Every hushed whisper, any sound coming from the students had come to a halt in that moment. What professor Archie was talking about wasn't something normal, "she" had taken her life due to it. Well, to be more precise…after "that" whole ordeal she went missing and never returned to class. It had already been more than a month, and no one was able to find her.
I glanced around, trying to gauge the atmosphere…it was eerily silent, everyone's eyes were on the professor…
'Who could've thought that he would start this topic out of nowhere, huh?'
"I can only hope… that it teaches you something. Since the cynicism of some students was the cause of her going missing."
I was genuinely interested in what he had to say.
He was silent for a moment, as if thinking, casting a look around the whole class.
"There was once a bird, thrown off its own nest by its parents because it did not have enough chances to survive." He started.
"Yet, there was a human kid. Curious, he picked the bird and brought it back home, not noticing its injuries." It was obvious, the bird he was referring to was her.
"He fed it, gave it water, shelter, and tended to its wounds after a while…just so it wouldn't die. That continued for some time and everything stayed normal. The bird who was once fated to die in the vicious nature survived, thanks to the young boy."
'Well, at least the bird was saved just because of his curiosity.' I thought, trying to see any hint of expression on his face, but he was solemn. Just by the silence alone, I knew everyone was listening intently.
He then continued. "Within months, the bird had all grown up, beautiful and delicate, but remained trapped in a cage. Getting bored of it one day, the young boy threw the cage outside in which the bird was."
He took a few steps forward until he was close enough to the first bench in the middle row, where no one was actually sitting.
"Panicked, the bird tried to flap its wings, but it was no use, the cage restricted it. Even if there was no cage to begin with... the bird never knew how to fly. Time passed and an old woman found the cage and opened it, setting the bird free. Now, the bird had freedom, everything. But it didn't know how to fly, its legs were broken due to the crash of the cage."
"Since then, the bird even struggled to do the bare minimum. But it was tenacious, surviving on its own."
I saw it, I saw the corner of his lips curling upwards. But somehow, his subtle smile felt…melancholic. "Since then, the bird became desolate."
A pause before he spoke again. "So…what did you learn from it…?"
If I were to be honest, I didn't actually know what I learnt from that.
I cast a gaze around, thinking that at least Rose might've had an answer at least, but even she looked deep in thought.
But…there was a raised hand in the air. It was rather surprising. I raised an eyebrow in astonishment, waiting for what came next.
"Go on." As the words left professor Archie's mouth, a girl stood up, black hair, scarlet eyes. She reminded me of someone. And now, out of nowhere, I was irritated for some reason. "Ugh…"
I sighed, trying to focus on the girl. She seemed a bit nervous with the way she was fidgeting with her sleeves.
Everyone's focus was on her, and so was mine. Everyone waited patiently. After a moment, she opened her mouth and said, "I…don't really know if it would be an answer or not…but…um, just because that bird didn't have any chance to survive…didn't mean that its parents should have…thrown it off the nest like that…?"
I glanced back at the professor, his expression unreadable. He nodded and said, "Indeed. But do you think…"
"Tch, what a ridiculous answer." Professor Archie was suddenly stopped by a voice that came from the far end of the class. It was Ichor.
I glanced back at him, a bit annoyed by the sudden intrusion. "And, what's your answer then, Ichor?" The professor asked.
He stayed in his seat, not even bothering to stand up, but that didn't seem to faze the professor. The tanned skin boy leaned forward and replied in a rather austere tone. "That you shouldn't interfere with nature. See what happened to that bird? It was supposed to die at the start, but due to the curiosity of that brat, it ended up suffering more than it was ever supposed to."
My eyes narrowed in exasperation but I couldn't ignore the logic in his words. 'Wait, what am I thinking? What logic? The bird's fate could've been much better if a better person had taken it home. Right? Since when did I start to care about fate?'
"If it was supposed to be dead, it should've been dead." He got up after saying that sentence and walked down from his seat towards the door.
"So what you're implying here is that you wouldn't save a dying person in front of you?" Professor Archie asked as they stood face to face.
Ichor kept his gaze fixed on the professor before turning around and walking towards the exit. "I couldn't care less about a rotting corpse when I have myself to save."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom." He left… just like that. My brows furrowed at his answer. I was annoyed, yes. But this answer… It somehow made me furious.
"How loathsome a person can be…? What a vile bastard." I couldn't help but scoff at his answer.
But at the same time, I didn't see an ounce of expression change on professor Archie's face. It was as if the thought didn't even bother him while everyone in the class was just as bewildered as me.
I glanced towards Rose, wanting to see what she might have been thinking. She also had the same expression. Brows furrowed, deep in thought…
"His answer was unsolicited and quite grotesque." I thought.
I could hear the hushed whispers of the other students and I knew who or what they might be talking about. Not that I cared.
Yes, I didn't!
"Now, now… Let's focus on the class for now." The professor spoke in a firm and resolute tone, any sound dissipating in the next moment.
Time passed and the class continued. Many students including Rose, asked why Ichor, who still hadn't returned, might've given such an answer.
Professor Archie was a pragmatic person and his answer was somewhat expected by the class. He said, "His answer might be attached to some kind of trauma from his childhood or earlier years. As far as I have seen it… no child has ever given me such an answer like that. The thought alone is terrifying."
The class fell silent once again. The silence was deafening. I hadn't even thought about that. Despite everything, he was still a kid, yet he rarely showed any emotions, and his answer…
"Speaking of Ichor, he still hasn't returned, professor." A student broke the silence.
I sighed, feeling somewhat sympathetic for the tanned bastard.
"It has been quite a while since he left. Would anyone go and check up on him?" Professor Archie asked, his gaze drifting towards the opened door.
"I also need to use the restroom, I'll go check up on him." I stood up hurriedly. It wasn't like me, I didn't care about him. But I couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness off my chest, so I needed to see that jerk myself.
"I see. Then you can go, Gray."
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips and I didn't waste any more time, making my way towards the exit. Just as I was about to leave, I looked up at Rose, my smile turning into a smirk subconsciously. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
I chuckled quietly as I left the classroom, and the first thing I saw was…Ichor making his way towards the stairway that led to…one of the spire's?
"Why is he going there? It's lo
cked anyway… uhh… I should see what he's up to." Wasting no time, I glanced around and took a few steps towards him, just enough to stay out of his notice. But even so, I couldn't help the lingering feeling of apprehension…