Chapter 50: Leaving the Team
Kai had secured the Blue Gem and also took out Lion along with Team Coeus.
He had done basically everything for a team to pass this Blood Rite, while the rest of the students only needed to open their second Divine Lock. Of course, Kai having the Blue Gem came as a surprise.
So, he decided to explain the when, how, and why to them.
It was insurance against Lion and Team Coeus.
At least if he somehow failed to end them once and for all and managed to survive, he could count that they can’t win the rite and leaving him to dry. Of course, he didn’t tell them about how he used the Awakened Monster to kill Wolf and make a statement.
And with no Team Coeus among them, that would be his secret.
Not that any of them would mind.
Most probably would think that Wolf and those under him deserved it, but he still censored that part. He doubted that fact would be kept hidden for long, but he didn’t share it anyway. Even though he was their savior, he could see fear in some of the students’ eyes.
Some of them must’ve overheard how his power works.
But it didn’t affect Layra, though. She had been sticking close to him like his right hand and seemed genuinely happy doing it. Even when he decided to take a walk to get some fresh air, she followed closely behind.
I don’t have my weapon with me.
Kai stole a glance at her as she walked beside him.
She smiled at the sight of a butterfly and reached her hand towards it. The butterfly went over and stopped by her index finger, flapping its pink wings as if boasting them. "Don’t be tense around me. I won’t stab you in the back."
Even while facing away, Layra could feel him stealing glances at her.
It was obvious that he was on edge.
But after what happened to him, it’s understandable.
"Are you going to doubt everyone around you now? Because of those cowards?"
"No, I won’t."
"That came out more confident than I thought, "Layra helped the butterfly fly and turned to face Kai. "I was almost certain—that you’d at least hesitate to say yes. What gives? I would be paranoid if I were you."
"Not everyone is like that. This rite made it seem like everyone is like that, but it’s really not. Just that the circumstances forced them to do bad... bad things," Kai looked around. He was not going to let those people change him. "Except for people like Lion, naturally."
His sister wouldn’t want him to be like that.
Layra smiled inwardly.
Just last night, she was also one of those people Kai was describing.
Circumstances pressured her to do things she didn’t want to survive, and she was ashamed.
’Hold on a minute,’ She paused, cheeks turning red. ’Is he saying this so that I won’t feel bad?’
Layra turned away and cupped her blushing cheeks with both hands. She wanted to believe that Kai was only saying it without thinking, but when she turned and saw his smiling face as he enjoyed nature, she couldn’t help but think it was deliberate.
’I promised dad no boys until I’m twenty-one—but since he’s the one who saved my life, it’s fine, right?’ She thought, already thinking of the possibilities.
"Besides, if they did, they’re making a mistake," Kai shrugged. "I only hit when I got hit first."
"Is it your sister?"
"It’s that obvious?"
"A little bit obvious. In my mind, the person who single-handedly terrorized Team Coeus and took down Lion is a cold-blooded man," Layra smiled teasingly. Only now did Kai come to notice that she had dimples, which made her look cuter. "Do you know that others had already started calling you the Phantom of Ixos?"
"Don’t make that a thing," Kai scratched the back of his head. "It made me sound like some kind of an assassin."
"You are... though."
"I am not. Just that it’s more effective to kill them without a fight."
"Okay, Phantom of Ixos. Whatever you say..." She giggled. And that irritates Kai.
He was only aiming to be feared by Team Coeus, not by everyone.
"Oh, that ring..." Kai nudged his chin towards the ring Layra is wearing. "Is it your sister’s?"
Before going down to attack Team Coeus, he overheard Aaran talking with Layra, mentioning something about a ring belonging to her sister. He then saw how Layra was staring at a ring that an enemy student was wearing, so he decided to help.
Layra looked down, and her entire demeanor immediately became gloomy.
It was insensitive of Kai as it hadn’t been long since her twin sister’s death.
But as he was about to apologize, Layra looked at him and smiled weakly.
"Yes, it’s my twin sister’s—Mayra’s." She said, the pain could be heard in her voice.
"Is it that guy who did it?"
"It was Lion. During our first encounter, Lion caught us by surprise and managed to get her. I can’t help her in time, and she..."
Kai reached out his hand and stroked her back, knowing that it must have been hard for her.
He knew what she must’ve felt right now.
Just not too long ago, he also suffered the agony of having his sister taken away from life. And considering that Mayra was her twin sister, it might even be worse for her. Kai felt the need to console her, and he did.
It took her a moment to calm down.
"Is it fine?"
"What’s fine?"
"That you didn’t get to kill Lion for closure?"
"It’s fine. As long as he’s dead, I’m fine with it."
Kai nodded his head and trotted on ahead, deciding to change the topic to a lighter one.
Both of them continued to walk and decided to go on for longer.
After all, nature is the best medicine for wounded souls.
Later that night, Kai told the other students who had already opened their second Divine Lock to go gather mana ores in the mine on the hill. Right now, there are five more of them who haven’t completed their second Divine Lock.
And with the mana ores running out, they needed to get more.
Up until this point, they had been using the mana ores remaining from Team Coeus’ stash.
It wasn’t a lot, so they were prepared for this.
"Eugh... It’s tiring," A student complained as he gulped down water. He looked haggard with all the dirt on him, smears of black, as well as the sweat that drenched his tunic. It had been a good three hours of mining, and the team was making progress. "Still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we’re going to be fucking mining for the rest of our lives as Angels."
"No, we’re not," Another student chimed. "Once we reach the Second Sky, we can forget about this."
"Stop complaining," Aaran came from behind, exiting the mine entrance to take a break. "You should be thankful that you’re alive by now. And what’s wrong with mining? It’s basically a free anger room."
Both of the students laughed awkwardly.
Only Aaran would use mining as an outlet for his bad day.
"I can leave you guys here, right?" Layra shouted from further away while waving her hand. "I don’t find anything lurking around, so it should be fine. I want to head back."
"Go ahead!" Aaron gave her a thumbs-up. "Leave the things here to me!"
Layra jogged away, disappearing into the treeline.
"She’s more bubbly than normal," Aaran shakes his head, knowing exactly what changed.
It took only a few minutes for Layra to reach the camp.
She was told to handle the students working the mine, while Kai remained behind in camp to guard it. Of course, Layra accepted without protest. Not because the work was easy, as she’s also doing some mining, too, but because he had told her she was the only one he could truly trust at the moment.
And that made her happy.
’What is he doing right now?’ She thought while humming. ’I hope he hadn’t gone asleep yet.’
Just as she was about to reach the camp, she stopped.
She smelled herself and frowned, "I need to shower. I reek of dirt and stone."
After making a quick stop at the river to clean herself properly, she went back and arrived at the camp looking as dashing and fresh as she had ever been throughout this rite. She quickly made her way to Kai’s tent, hoping that he was still awake.
She passed by Dorian without realizing.
"Where are you going?" Dorian asked while staring at the starry sky. "You look like you’re in a good mood."
"Oh, Dorian," Layra stopped, and then blushed a little. "What are you doing? Not sleeping?"
"Just sleep, Layra. He’ll come back soon."
"Wha—?"
Layra tilted her head a little in confusion, but she could feel a sense of unease climbing into her belly. Her eyes then widened in realization, and she rushed to the tent. She entered like she owned the place and paused.
At the center, neatly placed on a pillow, was a crystalline Blue Gem.
But nobody was inside.
No sign of Kai.
And it was that moment she realized that Kai had gone away. With all competitors taken out, a Lesser Angel would only be a burden. He only has one Divine Lock, and that means he will only drag them down.
"No..." Layra murmured in melancholy.
Biting her lower lip, she rushed out and went to Dorian again.
"Where did he go?" She asked demandingly. Her face is no longer bubbly. "If you’re there and saw him leave, why didn’t you try to stop him? We’re a team, and we should talk about these things, no?"
"Talk about these things?" Dorian chuckled. "He can’t meet the requirement, so he left. What’s there to talk about?"
Layra took a step forward, and there was now anger on her face. She looked like she was about to do something. And this made Dorian quickly raise his hands. He didn’t want to get hit, not when the night was so peaceful and beautiful.
"Relax, I’m joking," He assured with a pacifying smile. "He left silently because he’s not good at these things. Doesn’t want to have the hard conversation. But he did say that we should give him three days of courtesy once we reached the western mountain.
"I don’t know what his plan was, but I assumed he would meet us there if he succeeded. You will be the leader in his abscence."
From the start, Layra wasn’t worried that Kai would sabotage the team.
He’s the type of person who’d leave if the academy deemed him unworthy still because of his low talent. Even after everything he did, the rules are absolute. The requirements are absolute. Only those who have opened their second Divine Lock can pass the last trial.
And with only one Divine Lock in him, Kai was doomed to fail.
’If he doesn’t have a plan from the start, then I doubt he’ll even try this hard to win. He must have something in mind,’ Layra looked away at the treeline, still hoping to see Kai within the shadows. ’But still... I would really appreciate it if he didn’t leave suddenly like this.’