Elyas continued to stare at the distant statues until something jolted him out of his reverie.
There was a commotion near the gates, students both flocking and giving berth to...
"Who is it?" Elyas asked his friends.
Cenric was trying to catch a glimpse too, rising to his tiptoes, while Alexander merely looked ahead, squinting at the newcomer.
"Ah, it is her," Alexander said impassively.
"Who is 'her'?" Elyas pressed.
Then, the crowd started drifting their way, all the while parting to-
'My neighbour?!'
"The youngest daughter of House Sinnerway, Lilith," Alexander muttered with a frown.
Elyas reeled back in shock.
"Sinnerway? Like Clara Sinnerway?" He exclaimed.
"Oh, right. You met her, haven't you? Cenric told me that you did."
Then, Cenric cleared his throat and added,
"But they are not blood-related sisters, just formally. House Sinnerway is quite unique that way; none of them are related to each other."
"Why?"
"Their reasons are unknown, but they still harbour a notorious reputation amongst all. What would one expect from the only House that is proficient with the art of assassination?"
Elyas jolted to Cenric in shock once more.
"Huh?! Assassination?!"
Cenric nodded.
Elyas turned back to her, staring at her with... the same perspective as before, really.
Ha! He knew something was off about her from the very start!
'Good going, Elyas! Your instincts are still gold!'
But he still found his eyes anchored on her approach as if her presence compelled them to, just like everyone else.
She had that same derisive look on her enchanting face. She leered at those surrounding her with narrow, magnetic eyes. And her silky smooth black hair was now tied behind her head, spilling and swaying elegantly along her back.
Beneath her robe, she wore all black, baggy clothing that narrowed around her waist and flared out once more until the hem.
She moved closer and closer toward them until-
'Oh goddammit!'
She stood in the same line as theirs.
Elyas really was unsettled by this woman.
But Lilith wasn't the only one who gathered a cluster of attention; in fact, out of the students that followed, she was the least remarkable.
Because those who came after were:
Liam Whitiker was the third son of House Whitiker. On his annoyingly handsome face, Liam had this constant genial smile that rubbed Elyas the wrong way.
He couldn't help but shake the feeling that it was sardonic more than anything.
It reminded him of a certain someone.
Liam greeted the students around him with utmost kindness, showering them with the nicest compliments, before standing in the central line facing his ancestor's statue.
Princess Rhea of the Aegean Sea came next. She was the sole daughter of House Argyros and was an absolutely stunning beauty with silver hair and an adorable, cute face. The guys were already all over her, it seemed, and she was blushing so hard that she could almost pass out.
Haruki Yorukami, of House Yorukami, followed. He was a stoic and disciplined-looking young man who was even more deliberate and firm in his demeanour than Alexander, although not by too much.
His gait was assertive and serious, and his face was... Well, as the dudes were all over Princess Rhea, the girls were all over this fella for some reason.
'Damn these guys. Maybe Pops was right all along. I do stand out the wrong way.'
Idris Al-Amawi, of House Al-Amawi, was the last. He was the conditioned-looking sort who wasn't afraid to show his scars, especially the one that carved his face from forehead to chin. He had his hair shaved in a buzz-cut, olive skin and a bulky body that cried of a difficult upbringing.
But then, after all assumed their positions, Elyas tipped his head at a sudden thought, then turned to Alexander with a deep frown.
'Isn't this fella from House Octavious? I swear Cenric told me they were a big deal?'
So why wasn't Alexander garnering any attention like the rest?
Alexander took a deep breath and, having noticed Elyas's staring, ripped his thoughtful gaze from the popular scions and turned to Elyas with a cryptic smile.
"Must you be so blunt, Elyas?" He said.
Elyas fixed his stare and raised his hands apologetically.
"Oh no! It's not as you think! I was just... uhm-"
"Curious? I know what you were thinking."
He rested a hand on Elyas's shoulder and said, "And it is warranted. I'll say one thing, House Octavious isn't very fond of flaunting their children."
Cenric rolled his eyes.
"What he means to say is, they don't know who he is. His family likes their privacy. They..." Cenric paused, looked to the floor wistfully, and sighed.
"It's okay, Cenric. We can tell him, just not now," Alexander said with a smile.
Elyas flicked his eyes curiously between them.
"Tell me what? What is it? What are you gonna tell me?"
Alexander chuckled regally and patted him on the back.
"That's a conversation for the Willow cafe, I believe. We'll find some time, so don't worry too much, Elyas."
Elyas shrugged his curiosity away and reassumed his position in line with the rest.
A few seconds later, he felt his stomach growl from the lack of breakfast, but he ignored it like any other day.
However, it was just a bit too disappointing that his hope for having breakfast before the ceremony was squashed, and he had to wait until all this was over to get a bite.
False hope truly did suck.
'I wonder what they serve? Oh! Maybe they have that uh... what was it called... Ah, right, Croissant! Now wouldn't that be something.'
He felt his stomach growl once again at the prospect, but this time he paid it some attention and rubbed it consolingly with his good hand.
'Just a little longer, buddy. We'll fill you up good, I promise.'
It took a few long minutes for all the students to get in order and fall into a respectful silence before the professors finally returned to their positions and stood nobly as they were.
Ten minutes of utter silence later, deliberate and hastened footsteps echoed across the whole square, coming from the open doors of the main Academy building.
'Finally, about-'
But then, Elyas suddenly raised a hand and clutched his head in distress.
'What the hell!'
There was a heavy oppressive feeling settling upon him, pressing his soul and everything about him into submission.
'Agh, Goddamit!'
And he wasn't the only one who reacted that way. All around him, students were struggling under this new, invasive pressure.
It persisted until a few imperious figures stepped out of the building and onto the elevated colonnade. At their head was-
'Oh goodness.'
Elyas stared at the newcomer in awe.
Before them, there was no regular human; that was...
Who the hell was he?!
One thing was for sure: It was from him that the air suddenly cried and burdened them with distress.
It was from his approach that the students buckled and cowered within themselves.
The figure was adorned in a ceremonial robe with a few purple ribbons and one shimmeringly gold one dropping from his shoulders. His hawkish face was slightly wrinkled, yet firm and composed.
Beneath his robe was a black and crimson regalia that was otherwise bland, and he towered above his entourage like a monarch amongst them.
He stopped just short of the steps to the square and swayed his gaze gaugingly at the thousands of students arrayed before him, all staring up at him reverently.
He then huffed enigmatically, cleared his throat, and said in a deep imperious voice that seeped ominously into every student present:
"I am Lord Amalgamate Ashwood, and I will be presiding over today's Ceremonial execution."