Chapter 152: Ice Prince
Killian's mind went to the never-melting glacier in the training room. His eyes never left Ephraim.
'Did it belong to him? Actually, I never knew his element.'
Juda raised a brow, looking behind Killian. "This guy isn't one of the ones bothering you?"
"He is the second Director's son." Killian explained, since he had already told Juda about Theodore.
Juda's shoulders loosened, and his fire fluttered to nothing. "Shit, shit. I didn't recognize you. My bad."
Killian paused, frowning slightly at Juda's sudden submissiveness.
He turned to Ephraim who looked too calm for someone that nearly got attacked. Probably because he already had a counter attack brewing.
"If you came to ask if I'm okay, I am…."
The card in Ephraim's hands drew his attention. It had the Dorm Dragon insignia on, but it was platinum-plated.
'Huh? He stays in this Dorm and in that… room?"
Ephraim's blue eyes scanned Killian's body, before he nodded at his words.
"My brother wanted me to check on you." He stretched out a lunchbox towards him. "Your roommates said you haven't eaten either."
Killian dragged his eyes from the card to the boy's face. He tried to think of anything unusual that hinted that he was of the highest potential.
But the only image Killian knew was 'the gloomy younger brother' of a rather energetic Theodore.
Even Reginald never told him anything while he complained about Theodore. "Is that Theodore's room?" Killian asked instead, pointing to the card.
Ephraim looked briefly at his card, tilted his neck, and shook his head.
"It is mine," he gestured to the lunchbox, and Killian received it. "You weren't able to come to my match. Was it because of that incident?"
Killian opened his mouth to refute, closed it, and nodded. "Yeah, it ended in your favor, yes?"
"Naturally."
Killian smiled at the confident reply. He glanced at his card again before turning. "Thank Theodore for checking up on me and the meal—"
"I made it," Ephraim deadpanned. "But I'll tell him."
Killian said nothing, watching him leave. He pulled Juda with him into his room when Ephraim was gone.
"Do you know who that is?" He asked, looking around his room and seeing the note left on his bed.
The room was empty again, and Reginald had written that he was training for his match. Killian mentally marked another match he'll not be able to watch.
Juda took a chair from another bed and sat besides Killian. "You don't know him? He seemed like a friend."
"I don't know if I can call him that." Killian took his phone, and checked for texts. "But is he a Top Scorer like his older brother?"
"He has even surpassed his older brother."
Killian paused, and the phone fell from his hand to the bed. "He did? Wait, wait, after me… there is… uh… The End? Then Theodore is Stance Lancer… damn."
He had never let it cross his mind, and the realization that he had been talking to the other two Top Scorers, while hoping to meet them, made him quite embarrassed.
Even Theodore's accusations that he spoke to Ephraim and not him made more sense now.
"Though I heard that Theodore never put much effort into the training," Juda noted. "The End had better scores because his attacks are always swift. Even his match yesterday ended in one move again."
Killian's hands wrapped around himself. "One move? Wow… he seems like a really calm person. But he's… all that."
Juda pressed his lips, nodding. "He is all that. He is even nicknamed the Ice Prince. You know, his element is ice, and he always has that moody face."
Those words confirmed Killian's guess about Ephraim's element. That giant glacier in the training room was his, and just as cold as his fire could be hot.
'A natural enemy of the fire, but a very good ally to the Void.'
.
.
The room was still quiet, and Killian had taken the chance to play his jazz in full volume.
The lyrics of the song turned out to be too out of his taste but he kept playing it anyway.
He rolled to his side, and checked his phone for any texts from his older sister. 'At this point, she should be trapped in another realm again to keep me waiting this long.'
Just then a notification came into his phone, and he sprung up from his bed, tapping on it eagerly.
The name ID wasn't 'Big Sis'. Killian scoffed and fell back to bed, hugging his pillow tightly.
[Keith]
'Will you be watching my match?'
Killian frowned at the message, he scrolled upwards and reread his message that told Keith to be careful because of the undue attention they'll be getting.
'So why would he still think that I will risk that to watch him beat someone up?'
His lightning element was a bad match-up for anybody, and with his great output, his opponent would have to be a special one to stand a chance.
However, he got sent to Golden Lion for his demotion, while he was definitely a cut higher than that Dorm.
'It will be an easy match for him. Does he need to rub it on my face when he wins?'
While the text remained unanswered, another came in from Keith.
[Keith]
'I also know who I will be fighting.'
Killian adjusted his position, laying on his back. Matches were supposed to be about how quickly newbies could adjust to sudden situations. It was counterproductive to be told beforehand.
He sighed, remembering the one he expected to follow rules was his younger brother.
The famed fraud who was a seed of nepotism and favoritism. He had a patron that was likely one of the Rulers and a wealthy fangirl.
"Who is the unfortunate dude, then?" Killian said as he typed.
[Keith]
'Your friend.'
'Reginald.'
Killian slowly pushed himself off his bed. His brain started putting pieces together. The chances that Keith and Reginald, who both had matches today, would fight each other was actually high.
It would also be an interesting matchup, just like Evelyn's and Keith's training match.
Lightning and the Wind element could be a bad match depending on output and skill.
And while Keith had the output for his Lightning Element, he didn't have the skill.
Reginald had the skill, and likely the output for his Wind Element since he mentioned he had always been able to float.
The corner of Killian's mouth twitched upward as he stared at his brother's text. There was one more thing on his list for the day.
'I definitely have to watch their match.'