I am the Only Son of Nyx

Bryan bounced up and down, flaring his arms to the side and then closing them in a stretch.

Standing right beside him, Dorian was stretching his hips.

Both seemed to be in a very good mood; the air of celebration from yesterday still lingered.

"Good morning." Kai greeted—and participated in the stretch before the bald professor came and started the morning exercise. "Seems like today is going to be a good day seeing you two like this."

"Us?" Dorian sneered. "Look at yourself in the mirror. I can practically feel your smile through your mask."

Just as he said that, his eyes locked onto the Eventide Mantle of Lifeblood.

Under the blooming morning sunlight, it blazed like it was on fire and radiated a calming heat that seemed to massage the skin. "Aren’t you forgetting something?" Dorian asked, and then nudged his chin at the mantle. "That’s supposed to be worn by me."

"I don’t mind, but do you think it’s fine to wear it in public like this?"

"What the fuck would the academy even do? Kill me? Relax a little."

Dorian quickly snatched the Eventide Mantle of Lifeblood from Kai—and then draped it over him before immediately striking a pose. He straightened his spine and placed one hand on his stomach like a noble.

"Peasant." He reached out his hand towards Bryan. "Kiss my hand—or I will have your head removed."

"Sorry," Bryan raised his hands. "Only a prince or a knight can kiss the hand of a princess."

"Fuck you mean, princess? I am a man! I am the manliest of men while wearing this mantle."

"You look like Kai’s girlfriend wearing that, you know? It’s too big for you."

Kai laughed inwardly as he watched the two squabble as usual. He agreed with Bryan, as the mantle seemed loose. Dorian’s frame was smaller. Feminine. "Anyway, what happened last night? Did everything go well?"

"Smooth sailing like sailing through a calm sea!" Bryan nodded—with eagerness. "As smooth as a woman’s legs after shaving day! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! As smooth as my ballsac—"

"Knock it off, you stupid bull." Dorian slapped the back of Bryan’s head and then focused on Kai again—ignoring Bryan’s complaint as he held his head with both hands. "Everything went well with the help of the seniors. Hensen is gone for good."

"Yeah? What did you do?"

"After taking vengeance, I drank his blood to the last drop and then fed the body to a hungry Star Beast in one of the seniors’ cultivated clouds. I oversaw the process from start to finish as the seniors made it look like he was killed by a Star Beast, so there wouldn’t be any loophole."

"Good," Kai nodded firmly. "That’s good."

Just then, a frown crept to Dorian’s face as he sniffed the air like a dog.

His frown deepened as he approached Kai.

Like an aggressive hound, Dorian ignored Kai’s personal space and smelled his chest.

"What the hell are you doing? Did you forget to take your gay medicine?"

"Shut up and let me smell you."

Dorian grabbed Kai by his collar and forced him to stay close.

And then, he recoiled and his face twisted as if he had smelled something awful coming from Kai. "Why did you smell like th—?" He paused, and then his eyes widened in realization. "No fucking way... What did you do last night?"

"Last night?" Kai averted his gaze as he began to sweat. "Sleeping, of course. What else?"

"Really?" Dorian asked again, and his teasing smile was practically visible through his mask. "I have a good nose for virgin boys—remember? I am a Supernal of Empusa. You’re normally very fragrant to me, and now suddenly, you smell awful. Who’s the lucky gi—?"

Swiftly, Kai went over and clasped Dorian’s mask hard with his hand.

His lips curled into a tight smile as beads of sweat began to trickle down the side of his face.

"Shut the fuck up or I’ll slice off your tongue."

"Naughty. Naughty."

"I swear to fucking Zeus I’ll put my foot into your ass."

"Don’t threaten me with a good time."

"What the fuck?"

On the side, Bryan listened to what Dorian said and frowned in confusion.

"Dorian has a good nose for virgin boys," Bryan muttered inwardly and raised a finger as if he was counting, like a caveman trying to make sense of fire. "Kai normally smelled good to him, but now Kai smelled awful. Hm... Oh!"

"You shut the fuck up, too!"

Brak—!

Kai kicked Bryan, sending him scooting through the cloud ground.

He then turned his attention to Dorian again. "Don’t be an asshole and shut your mouth."

"Alright!" Dorian surrendered, his voice muffled. "Just let go of me first!"

Slowly, Kai pulled his hands away.

"Alright," Dorian fixed his uniform and then settled his eyes on Kai again. "I’ll keep my mouth shut if you tell me who you did it with and where. Tell me that, and I’ll bring this secret to my grave, trust!"

Of course, Kai didn’t believe him.

Not even one bit.

But he also believed that Dorian would not stop whining about this.

Just as he was about to give away the answers, his body stiffened.

"What are you boys talking about?"

"Hiik!"

Kai spun around on instinct, and his heart dropped when he saw Bree standing right behind him. She tilted her head in confusion to see his reaction. "Ekhm," He cleared his throat. "Just talking about important things."

"Important things?" Bree’s eyes narrowed.

"Just things... you know."

"Hm... Oh, you meant those kinds of things!"

"Yes! Those things!" Kai didn’t know what she was talking about, but he agreed anyway.

"What things?" Bree asked again. She was only being sarcastic earlier. "Speak clearly—or are you... hiding something from me?"

"We’re talking about things—that we can’t say out loud," Dorian answered, coming to rescue Kai like a knight in shining armour. "There are a lot of people around, you know? We need to hold our tongues a little bit."

"Ah... Those kinds of things." Bree nodded in understanding.

Before she could say more, the bald professor finally came.

He walked past them, stopped a few steps away, and then deliberately back-pedalled. Turning sharply, he fixed Dorian with a piercing stare. "Why are you wearing the mantle? Take it off. And for daring to wear it, you’ll do ten times the usual exercise as punishment."

"What?!" Dorian gasped. He then turned to Kai. "What about him?! He gave it to me."

"I’m sure you took it forcefully from Red Prince Kai. Don’t even try to frame him—or else I’ll double the punishment."

"Oh, come on! That’s unfair! You’re saying that because he’s the Red Prince!"

"Precisely."

"Fuck..."

Kai covered his mouth and then snickered.

He was quite certain that the mantle couldn’t be worn by anyone else but him in public, and yet Dorian still insisted. Now, he got into trouble, and he could only blame himself. "Told you." Kai took the Eventide Mantle of Lifeblood and wore it again. "Have fun exercising."

Soon, the morning exercise started.

All of them fell into the run together; boots struck the stone in a steady rhythm.

Bree kept up with Kai, staying right beside him.

It was odd for her to run right beside him from the get-go, as she normally would go with her other friends. And this made Kai nervous, as he wasn’t prepared to tell Bree about what he did with Matilda last night.

Frankly, her reaction would most certainly be explosive, so he was worried.

Her mask was covering her expression, and that mystery made him even more nervous.

Just then, she turned towards Bryan and Dorian.

"I need to steal him for a bit," She stated.

Both of them exchanged glances but didn’t argue.

Once they were out of earshot, Bree looked at Kai with a complicated gaze.

"Kai," She said faintly. "I need to talk to you after the second class."

Kai swallowed, but tried to remain completely calm. "Talk about what? Can’t you talk about it right now?"

"Best for us to talk in a more secluded place. It’s not something we can talk about openly."

"O-Okay. After the second class?"

"I don’t mind that."

Bree held his gaze for a moment longer, and there was something in her eyes that alerted Kai. She then gave a small, almost imperceptible nod—and then peeled away to regroup with the other girls, leaving Kai running alone with the growing weight of whatever she needed to tell him pressing down on his chest.

The morning was still bright, but the warmth of it didn’t quite reach him anymore.

Her eyes... It seemed serious.

Kai tried to contemplate what she might say, but couldn’t think of anything dire.

He shrugged his shoulders and decided to wait until after the second class.

The morning exercise passed in a blur of sweat and disciplined motion.

Today, the bald professor had introduced a weighted mana bracelet, claiming the usual routine was no longer challenging enough for them. The extra burden made the other students strain, their movements heavier and slower.

Kai breezed through it without a hitch—the weight had an effect, but not that much.

During sparring, he wasn’t paired with a single opponent.

Instead, he was placed against four grey-masked Angels simultaneously. The bald professor observed from the side, arms crossed—but Kai felt no pressure. He moved between them like a veteran warrior, deflecting, countering, and pressing them back with precision and instincts.

The four grey-masked Angels, despite their numbers, found themselves on the defensive for most of the match. By the end, they were gasping, and that also included Kai, as these four were no ordinary grey-masked Angels.

They were coordinated, precise, and two of them were Grade-4 Awakened Supernal.

Afterward, the students swarmed him.

They came with smiles and compliments, hoping to score favor with the new Red Prince. Kai handled them with minimal effort, but not distant. Polite. He offered them nothing, but took no offense either.

Across the open field, the Auric Cabal and the Ichor Legion kept their distance.

Kai knew that they needed to be addressed.

Soon. Perhaps after his talk with Bree, as he was planning to do it today.

When the first class began, Kai took his seat—his mind already turning over the conversation to come. But even after the bell rang, and the minutes dragged on, no one came. This was quite strange.

Professor Hera was never late. Not once.

At first, Kai dismissed the unease. But as fifteen minutes slipped by, the silence in the room grew heavier. Something was wrong. Then the door opened. But it wasn’t Professor Hera. It was Professor Kimberly, and the look in her eyes was cold behind her mask.

Everyone knew she brought news with her, and the unease curdled into something colder.

"Starting from now—an honorary professor would be taking this class over. Professor Hera... She was no more."