Nora was a little surprised by the personal arrangement of her involvement with Damien. She had thought it would be passed on to another since she was busy helping him with his duties. She was not against helping Damien, she was actually more inclined to do so as her so-thought ‘cousin.’ She then thought back to him saying that there was no time left.

“Headmaster, how are we running out of time? What is the importance of Damien?”

Ari quickly closed his mouth. Omarion had laid the truth before him of the incoming assault on their lands. No king nor cultivation master would ever be ready for such a thing. One could say it was a useless thought to try to resist. Ari did not want others to lose themselves because of it so he rather keep it to himself.

“Damien is strong as you clearly saw. He is stronger than most of our senior students. The fact he could keep up with Leylin to that extent is a testament of his genius ability. The time of the I-CAT has come and he meets the age requirement for it. I want him ready for that.”

Ari quickly found a simple explanation that would explain his meaning in another way. Nora sat in a quiet contemplation for some time. The I-CAT was held in the middle of the school year and all the academies would take a break for the event. The City of Dister made it a national holiday and had it successfully petitioned to the rest of the continent to follow suit. The best of the best students would travel across the academy to the home of the Phoenix Cry Academy. All tensions would be dropped and peace would flow through the Zyres Contient.

“The boy would do quite well in the tournament as is. Are you saying you want him on the podium being the main representative of our academy?”

At this point Ari’s last concern was about the tournament and more of training up Damien. However, he had to keep up appearances in the public’s eye.

“Not just the podium. I want him to be champion. I want to show everyone we are still the best academy of this continent. When they see a young kid at the ripe age of 13 win, they will have no choice but to accept it as fact!”

Ari disguised the tournament as a way for the academy to spend its resources on Damien. Normally this honor would go to the strongest senior. That person would have devoted their entire life to put themselves in that position just so they can enjoy the unlimited resources. With this in mind, Nora thought of the backlash Damien would face for receiving this treatment instead. He was gone for two years, and his strength would be questioned even if they saw him fight Leylin. Nora couldn’t help but voice her concerns sternly.

“This will not sit well with the senior students. You know what he will face when we announce him as our main priority.”

Ari waved his stubby arms uncared of the consequences.

“No need to concern yourself with the little things. He needs the pressure to push himself further. He may think he’s invincible here, however he will find out we have many little monsters. We will hold an Academy Tournament a month before the I-CAT. The boy can prove himself there to the rest of them.”

Ari and Nora finished up talking about their plans with Damien. Nora was sent to collect Damien, and inform him of the upcoming matter he will need to intend. She separated him from his friends who protested fiercely. They could only watch as she took him away. This time they weren’t too sad since he was now in the academy with them. Kyro also took off, choosing to relax in some trees for the meantime. Before Ari reprimanded them once more, they left back to class in a hurry. Ari watched the front courtyard empty out in solitude.

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“Your fate is far too great to avoid. I can only hope my help is enough.”

Ari whispered to himself and sighed deeply. He walked back to his office to deal with the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him. There was not any more he could do for him. He already authorized the academy’s resources to be used on him as he pleased. Everything else was on him and how he navigated to pressure from everyone around him.

Nora brought Damien to her personal office that was down the hall from Ari’s. The hallways were empty from Ari’s command so Damien did not need to deal with any more attention. Once they sat down across from each other, Damien could see the difference in her expression. When he first came to the Academy she was gentle as the calm waters of a pond. Now she had a little strictness in her expression due to her new responsibilities. Damien felt stifled by her presence and even afraid. Slowly however, Nora parted a gentle smile that washed it away. Damien felt like he was able to breathe normally.

Nora hardly showed an expression like that nowadays. These last two years she went from the gentle lotus flower to a beautiful, thorny rose. The reason for her change was the fact she held a soft spot for Damien. They were supposedly family due to Veron and she couldn’t help but also show some favoritism. Her entire family was filled with strictness that could traumatize people. The only reason she was not like the rest of her family was because of Veron. His complete lack of respect for the Mildred family and playful demeanor shaped her childhood. For that she could only be in a better mood whenever she was with Damien. It was as if she took Veron’s role and Damien took hers.

She still remembered the first day he showed up to her class. Damien was timid while having no clue how the world worked. Now two years later, he was brimming with confidence that showed his belief in himself. It made Nora smile more deeply with a sense of pride.

“It has been two years, Damien. You have grown into a respectable young man.”

Her words came out like a soft song that could soothe anyone. Damien instantly felt relaxed and open to talk easily.

“Thank you, Vice Headmaster Mildred. Due to various reasons, I was gone far longer than I wanted.”

Damien spoke with a slightly bowed head knowing she was in a position that demanded more respect. Nora waved it off as if he shouldn’t waste such pleasantries on her.

“No need for the formalities. Nora is just fine. Do you know why I brought you here?”

Damien just shook his head waiting for her explanation.

“Well for starters, you missing two years is an issue with your education here. You are to take remedial classes under my supervision to catch up with the rest of your class. I will also need to assess your strength. Although I witnessed your battle with Leylin, he did not allow you to show your true strength. How strong do you feel you are, Damien?”

Damien cocked his head to the side while in thought.

‘Remedial classes… that is to be expected. Even though I want to get stronger for the tournament, without the next volume of my technique I won’t advance much. There’s not much I can do except preserve. As for telling her my strength… should I tell her the truth?’

Damien took a minute to think about it. He couldn’t find a reason to hide it only because it would be revealed soon enough. Also, he felt quite safe when he spoke with Nora. It was like he was speaking to a family member. He raised his head to look straight into her eyes and with a straight face, spoke firmly.

“In the Sky Realm I am invincible. If everyone in the Heaven Realm is like Leylin, then I don’t have much of a chance there. But maybe if they are a low rank, I could pull something off.”

Damien spoke without a doubt in his tone. After his training, Aya pushed him to the limits. In the end she told him his strength was along those lines. He was a figure entering the peak of the Zyres Continent at such an unprecedented age. It did wonders for his confidence, which Nora was witnessing now. She did not know how to react to such haughty words. She felt it would be quite impossible to fight against a higher realm, but Damien’s words showed no lies. There wasn’t even a quiver of hesitance when he spoke.

Nora felt that he had spoken the truth. There was no need to lie in such a situation. It honestly left her stunned for a little while, until she could sort out her feelings. Damien waited patiently, not one bit hurried. It did not take long for her to regain her bearing.

“I see… I’ll take that into account with our classes. Furthermore I have another matter to bring up with you. It is about the Inter-Continental Academy Tournament.”

Damien’s eyes perked up the moment he heard those words. It was something he was also looking to bring up as he did not know what to do. Nora noticed his bubbling excitement. She felt like they were on the same page.

“I can see you are quite interested in the I-CAT as well. Then this must come as good news. Headmaster Sord has authorized your entry. However, it is not a simple matter.”