Chapter 33: Breaking the Silence

Levi Blackwell hadn’t expected to be thrown into the common area like this, but then again, the Academy had a way of keeping them on their toes. After weeks of isolation and tests, the sight of the student body was almost… boring.

Levi smirked to himself as he leaned against a table, his glowing red eyes sweeping lazily over the sea of shocked faces. White hair, eyes that constantly glowed like embers—he knew he stood out. It didn’t bother him. If anything, it amused him. The way the students shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, whispering and avoiding eye contact, it honestly only made him feel more amused. He found it interesting watching people squirm.

The Galewood explosion had changed everything for him—his powers, his body, his mind. And apparently, some stories about him had reached the students, because the reaction he got walking in here was something he didn’t even have to work for. They were already staring at him like he was something… different. Something to be afraid of.

As he scanned the room, taking in the wide eyes and nervous whispers, he noticed something in the air. Fear. Curiosity. Uncertainty. Levi couldn’t help but slightly enjoy the way the emotions buzzed around him, like tiny sparks of electricity in a storm. But despite all the noise, there was one person Levi was the most curious about. One person who, for reasons Levi didn’t fully understand, made him feel more alive than anything else.

Jake.

Levi’s eyes flicked next to him, as he and Jake walked. Jake Foster looked incredibly serious and cold. The guy was practically stone—his posture rigid, his expression unreadable. It was like Jake was trying to hold the whole world at bay with sheer willpower.

Levi’s smirk widened. Interesting Jake.Trying to keep it together?

Levi kept walking with him, letting the tension in the room wash over him like a wave. The students parted as he moved, eyes darting nervously in his direction but never meeting his gaze directly. He could hear the whispers follow him, but he didn’t care. This was about Jake.

When he and Jake finally reached a table, Levi slid into the seat across from him, his movements casual, almost lazy. He leaned back in the chair, his arms draped over the backrest, giving the room a final sweep with his eyes before settling in.

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Jake didn’t look at him immediately. He was still staring straight ahead, his face a mask of control. But Levi could see the tension in his posture, the way his hands rested on the table as if he was holding back something.

For a moment, Levi didn’t say anything. Neither did Jake. The silence between them felt like it stretched on forever, and the rest of the room faded into the background. It was just the two of them now.

Levi felt the flicker of something deep inside him—a strange mix of emotions he wasn’t sure how to name. Anger, frustration,blame,relief, maybe even guilt. But they were all buried beneath the surface, tangled up in the confusion that had been eating away at him since that day.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jake turned his head slightly, and their eyes met.

Levi didn’t flinch. He held Jake’s gaze, letting the weight of the last few weeks hang between them. There were so many things he could say right now, so many thoughts that had been building up since the explosion. But Levi was no longer the kind of guy to spill his emotions. There was only one thing to really do in a situation like this.

He leaned in, lowering his voice so only Jake could hear.

“I told you so.”

Jake blinked, his serious facade wavering for just a second. He looked like he wasn’t even sure of what Levi said. But then something changed. Jake’s lips twitched, just barely, and before Levi knew it, the tension shattered.

Jake started laughing.

It wasn’t a quiet chuckle or a restrained laugh. No, Jake’s laugh came out in sharp, uncontrollable bursts, like he had been holding it in for too long and now couldn’t stop. His shoulders shook as he leaned forward, burying his face in his hands as the laughter ripped through him.

Levi watched, his smirk growing wider. He hadn’t expected that reaction, but now that it was happening, he couldn’t help but join in. There was something in Jake’s outburst that clicked with Levi. The absurdity of it all—the explosion, their dead families, the Academy, the fact that they were currently sitting here in this mess hall like nothing had changed—it was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

For a few seconds, it was just loud uncontrolled laughter filling the air, cutting through the heavy tension that had gripped the room since they walked in. The students stared, confused and probably more than a little freaked out, but Levi didn’t care. Let them be confused.

Jake’s laughter finally died down, and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, still grinning like he couldn’t believe what had just happened. Levi watched him with amusement, leaning back in his chair again.

“You’re such an idiot,” Jake muttered, though there was no bite to his words. His voice was lighter now, like the weight he’d been carrying had finally eased, even if just for a moment.

Levi shrugged, his smirk still in place. “Yeah, well… you deserved it.”

Jake shook his head, the grin still lingering on his face. He leaned back in his chair, mirroring Levi’s posture for the first time since they sat down.

For the first time in weeks, it felt like some of the distance between them had closed. Neither of them said anything else for a while, but the heavy silence had lifted. It was strange, Levi thought, how things between them could shift with just a few words.

And as they sat there, side by side, surrounded by a room full of confused and staring students, Levi couldn’t help but feel that despite everything, despite his changes, despite galewood…they might actually make it through this. Whatever this was.