Kryros told Kael and Thane to go ahead, he'd catch up. They nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
The girl, Maya, stepped closer, her eyes locked on Kryros. "Kryros, I... I like you. A lot."
Kryros's expression didn't change, but his voice softened. "Maya, I'm flattered. But I don't feel the same way."
Maya's smile faltered. "Oh... okay."
Before she could say more, a guy burst through the crowd – her boyfriend, Alex.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Alex glared at Kryros. "You hitting on Maya?"
Kryros raised his hands. "No, we were just talking."
"Liar!" Alex snapped.
The hallway froze.
Kael and Thane appeared, eyes narrowed.
Thane took a step forward. "Problem?"
Julius strolled in, smirking. "Guess you're not as squeaky-clean as everyone thought foreign brothers."
The crowd murmured, sensing drama. Thane stepped forward, eyes on Maya. "What happened?"
Maya explained how she confessed to Kryros, and Alex flipped out. Kael frowned. "Alex jumped to conclusions."
Kryros shrugged. "Didn't touch the guy."
Julius chuckled. "Sounds like someone's got a rep to protect. "
Thane turned to Alex. "You done?"
Alex sneered but backed off, dragging Maya away.
Julius leaned in. "Interesting. You guys got drama without even trying."
Thane muttered, "Bad luck happens every time..."
Julius chuckled. "Guess I'm the universe's way of testing you."
Kryros cut in, "We should get back to class."
Julius smiled. "I'll follow – don't know the school yet."
Thane snorted. 😏 "Great."
Kael nodded. "He's right, let's go."
The brothers exchanged looks. Julius tagged along, unfazed.
In the hallway, students whispered:
"Aetherian brothers + Julius = trouble?"
"Guess he's 'adopting' them... 😂
The brothers split up, each taking a seat in different corners of the room. 😏
Julius looked stunned. "Wait, I thought..."
The teacher entered, and everyone quieted down.
"Alright, welcome to Ancient Civilizations. Is this...?"
Julius jumped in. "Yes, sir, this is the class."
Thane rolled his eyes, muttering internally, _Of course you lied._
The teacher began lecturing. Julius scribbled notes, trying to catch the brothers' eyes.Class ended. Julius checked his phone – missed lunch by 10 minutes.
"Hey, what time is it?" he asked Thane.
Thane deadpanned, "Time for you to go back home."
Julius smirked. "Wow, original."
Kael intervened. "It's lunch, Julius."
Julius: "Can I join you guys for lunch?"
Thane: "No."
Julius shrugged. "Fine. Guess I'll eat alone... again."
The brothers walked off.