Hearing the words that confirmed my suspicions, I sat down to treat my wounds as Onyx came to lay on my lap in blob shape and quickly fell asleep.

As Julius sat eating another plate of food, I quickly wrapped bandages around my injured neck before stretching out the sleeping mimic into fun shapes while I waited for him to get comfortable. Seeing me stare at him, Julius dutifully reported in a calm voice.

“If you’re wondering, the person watching us is gone. Lina is close by, but she doesn’t want to come here because of the wing situation and also the fight. The two of you were pretty loud. Plus, she really doesn’t like Nova.”

“Fair enough. See any monsters?”

“Nothing that was worth killing.” He continued digging into his food, and I continued looking at him.

It seemed that he had cleaned himself up, as he was no longer covered in dirt and monster guts. With the way he was digging into the food while the fire reflected on his face, he looked like any regular teenager who was camping if you ignored the fact that he was in his boxers and was tattooed from the chest down.

“Why do you keep staring at me, kid? Something on my face?” Julius asked in a curious tone.

“I guess I didn’t expect you to be tatted.” I lightly commented, looking at the blue ink that covered his arms from shoulder to wrist and legs from his thigh to his knee. The tattoos themselves were intricate designs that looked like a blend of flames and different monsters.

“I’m Polynesian. What do you expect? It’s a right of passage for my clan, and I’m legal.” Julius snorted in response.

“Pretty cool.”

It was silent for a moment while I continued to examine him.

Honestly, Julius confounded me the most out of the nine clan kids I had met so far. Easygoing, personable, good to work with, and very skilled. From what I had seen, he was strong, even amoung the uselessly strong bastards at school. Even Solomon seemed to respect his strength and didn’t want to fight him full out. It could have been because we weren’t in a safe situation, but even as Solomon was choking me, his full attention hadn’t been on me at all, which I had taken advantage of to release myself. Part of it was that he had been taking it stupidly easy on me, considering he could have evaporated me with lightning bolts. Another reason could have been that there was a person spying on us but I would put money on the main reason being the man in front of me.

Solomon’s confidence in Julius made me think that his true rank could be much higher. They were clearly familiar enough with each other’s battle styles to communicate with minimal words, and Solmon had asked Julius to deal with the spider situation, not any of the 9 clan students.

Which was why it was odd. Even in the novel, although Julius was strong, he was more of a background character that wasn’t highlighted as much as some of the others. Solomon, Evelyn, and Lionel were all the heirs to their families and were frequently brought up and compared. Even though Julius was top 5 in our grade, he wasn’t the heir to his family. When people brought up the strongest of this generation or tried to rank them, he was never in the conversation with Lionel, Solomon, or even Evelynn.

“What is it? You’re burning a hole in my head.”

“I was just wondering about you after chatting with Nova. He seems pretty confident about your strength. I’ve seen it firsthand, and I just find it a bit…interesting when I think over everything, especially at school,” I told him honestly.

“No need to mince your words. Are you wondering why I’m so strong yet only rank 5, or you’re wondering why I’m not heir to my family like they are, or is it why Nova listens to me every once in a while?” Julius arched his brow at me.

“All three? You should be one of the stronger ones in the Crimson family. As far as I know, hair color correlates to flame strength. Blue should be pretty up there. And the flames you had just now seemed almost purple? It was much stronger than what you used against the spiders” I posed it as a question, wondering if he would give me any details.

“You’re well informed, though, seeing as you hang out with Lina, that makes sense. I’m one of the few with blue hair despite my age, and my old man’s hair is full purple. His body emits so much heat that you start sweating once you’re near him. It’s a goal of mine to get that strong. But regarding my family, I have no interest in being heir.”

“Why not? Isn’t it by who’s the child of the current leader?”

“Nah. Each family decides however they want. The current one in the Crimson family is some punk cousin who has a stick so far up his ass it became his spine. He thinks I’ll change my mind and come for his spot. He didn’t even want to attend the same academy as me. As for school rank, it doesn’t matter to me. I only need to remain within the top 10 and no higher than 5th rank. Anything more than that, and the little Crimson heir starts becoming nervous, and I start creeping into the Nova, Lionheart, and Isolde battle triangle. Hard pass for me. I like to live my life under the radar.”

“Why not? They’re the hot topic of conversation. It could boost your reputation and bring you opportunities. There are students killing themselves to boost their rank. I feel like you could definitely challenge the top three.”

“Hell no. That trio is a fucking mess, and if I’m drawn into it, I’ll never know peace. Evelynn overestimates herself, Solomon hides himself just to fuck with everyone, and Lionel is just arrogant. They’ve been squabbling since we were kids to figure out who’s the strongest, and I truly don’t care to be involved. I wish they would all just fight to the death and be done with the conversation. Then maybe the world can know peace.”

“Huh. Why don’t you care about your rank?” I asked him curiously. A better rank in school meant better perks in the long run.

“Why should I? There’s no real difference between being first and being 10th, especially coming from a background as good as mine, the tangible benefits are irrelevant. It’s you commoners that are vying over limited spots, and it’s something that has always confused me.”

“What has?”

“Why, you commoners rush to the academy as soon as you awaken. You’re what, 15? 16?”

“I’m almost 17.”

At his disbelieving look, I doubled down.

“I am. I just have a baby face, and the puberty hasn’t hit me yet.”

“…by the way it’s looking, it will never hit.” Julius chuckled, and I flipped him off.

“Asshole.”

“My bad. Still, you commoners rush into the academies as if you’re being chased. Most of the nine clan kids are not coming in until they’ve trained their gifts for multiple years. Other secondary and tertiary families do the same. Even prodigies amoung prodigies like Nova wait until the age of 17 or 18 so that they can achieve the best rank possible. Especially if they’re the heir to their clans, commoners coming in thinking they can take top ranks is crazy.”

“Some of us don’t have a choice because we’re poor, and this is our best opportunity to make something of ourselves, You come from a privileged background, so you’ve never had to worry about your next meal or how to make a living but this is the best thing for a lot of people, me included,” I replied blandly, laughing as his face looked slightly embarrassed. “It’s not a big deal. But what about you? I get the rank thing, but why are you, not the Crimson family heir? From what you say, you should be stronger than the current one, right?”

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“90% sure, but I won’t know unless we fight to the death, which will never happen. But for me? Well, being heir is not in my cards. According to my old man, I have the makings of a soldier, and I agree. Nova’s words calling me a dog were pretty accurate too. Give me a mission, order me around, point me at who to kill or beat up, and it will be done. But being heir, dealing with political machinations, and plotting against people? I’ll leave that to shady bastards like you and Nova. No offense.” Julius gave me an almost apologetic smile.

“None taken. So you’re not tied to supporting Lionel or Nova? You seemed pretty close—childhood best friend and all that.”

“Lionheart? Nah. We get along fine, but we’re not blood brothers or anything. He’s just good to fight along with and not as annoying as some of the other nine clan kids. As for Nova, just ignore his nonsense. He just likes messing around. I truly don’t think he’s capable of making actual friends. He sticks around me because I’m only marginally bothered by his bullshit.”

Hearing his words, I couldn’t help but smile. A useful dog had appeared. If he weren’t closely tied with Lionel or Solomon, I would chain him to my side.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you just found a good toy to play with. It’s giving me the creeps.” Julius replied warily.

“No reason. I just think you’re quite useful.” I gave him a warm smile, “Let’s team up after this exam for the rest of the year. I like people I can order around, and you listen well.”

“Hard pass.”

“Why not? I plan on screwing a lot of people over this year, and you already know people like Evelynn don’t like me. I plan to get into a lot of fights as well. Both inside and outside of school. We need to make teams anyway, so come be my guard dog. I have treats.” I crafted a pack of his cigarettes and some sweatpants and waved them at him.

As his eyes widened, I laughed and crafted another pack—and another—and another—before making everything disappear except one.

“Damn, I thought you just did weapons.”

Shaking the pack in front of him like a treat, I laughingly asked, “Want it? And FYI, I’m showing you this because I think you and I can become good friends so keep that in mind.”

“You’re pretty rude for a kid, you know that.”

“It’s not kid, It’s Asani. And think about it and let me know. I’ll have a nonstop supply of pants for you, and who knows, maybe I can create things for you that can withstand your flames. Permanent things.”

“That’s impossible. Even the Meraki family can’t do that.” Julius quickly refused though I could see that he was mulling over my words.

“Not for me. You can ask Lina. I am very, very good at crafting things. Give me time, and I’ll be able to do it.“ I tossed him a pack of cigarettes and the pants, and he quickly put them on before taking one out and igniting it. taking a deep puff and coughing hard.

“This taste like shit.” He grumbled through his cough.

“Does it?”

“It does.” Julius grimaced before continuing to smoke the cigarettes.

“You shouldn’t be smoking anyway.”

“Don’t you start on me too. I burn the toxins away before they enter my body.”

“I don’t know if I should be impressed at your skill or smack you for using your abilities on something pointless.”

“Whatever.”

He quickly finished it before igniting another one and blowing an ‘O’ at me, laughing as I batted it away.

“You’re pretty interesting, kid. Not at all what I expected.” At my glare, he corrected himself with a chuckle.

“Asani. I’ll remember from now on. Thanks for dealing with Nova and looking out for my ass with the spiders. Despite you being so weak, you’re surprisingly good in a fight. Very vicious. Like a chihuahua with weapons.”

Deciding to ignore the insult, I flashed him a smile.

“If you’re thankful, properly accept my offer.”

“Guard dog, hmm? I’ll consider teaming up in school. Especially since we’re going to be working together anyway.”

At my curious glance, he shook his head, “Ask Professor Lee when we get back. Teaming up in class is fine by me, but I’m pretty expensive outside of school. No friends and family discount.”

“I have money, so let’s just say you agree with me.” Well, Lina did anyway, and what was hers was mine. She just didn’t know it yet.

“What, you’re not going to make me sign a contract?” he smirked at me.

“I’m fresh out, but once we get back, I’ll properly force you to sign it. Look forward to it.” I returned his smile with a sharklike grin of my own.

It was good that he was so easygoing.

Even if he didn’t want to, I would force him to become his family heir to check if it would fulfill a condition of my curse. And I would ask my favorite librarian to investigate the Crimson clan a bit more for me.

“Funny kid.” As I flipped him off again, he held his hand out with a laugh, and I shook it firmly.

“Now, tell me what the hell happened with Nova being injured, the wing, etc. Why was he trying to kill you, and why were you trying to poke his eyes out? I’m assuming he was being an ass in some way?” Julius leaned forward, his blue eyes looking less tense now that he had some nicotine.

“Nailed it. Instead of waiting for backup, he apparently tried to sneak the heroes and failed. Then he got jumped and ran away crying and came here and ended up taking his anger out on me when I questioned him.”

“So he blew our cover. Fuck. The Lionel issue?”

“He started asking me questions about it like I’m supposed to know. I really think his eyes are just for show.”

“Arrogant as usual.” Julius took a deep puff before disintegrating the cigarette and lighting another one

“Alright, what’s done is done. What’s the plan for tomorrow? How are we taking out the people causing trouble? I know Nova didn’t plan shit. Probably gave the ‘I’m so powerful who needs plans’ speech. ”

“You know him so well,” I grumbled before organizing the information in my brain.

Raiding the lighthouse. Lionel. Teaming up with other students. I needed to scout the terrain, follow mimic Lionel, and somehow find the real one without getting caught. Making a plan of attack while making the time to commit some crimes.

“Asani? Thoughts?”

“Nova wants to team up with Lina and Killian to go take down the tower. He suggested other students team up to take down the lighthouse and I agree. Preferably simultaneously. Since he mentioned Cassandra, I’m assuming she’ll be in charge of the lighthouse squad, and I think you and I should join her. Especially since we know about Lionel. Obviously, I’m not the strongest, so I probably won’t have any say when things go down, but I would like for you and me to be on the same page and have some contingency plans in case things go wrong, like with the spiders. I need to pick your brain, though.” I paraphrased Solomons’s words while thinking deeply.

“Sounds solid. What do you want to know?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like you to tell me about your gifts and skills, as well as those of Cassandra Mirage, Killian Raven, Sylvia Lancia, and any of the stronger students whom Cassandra might use. If you could tell me about their personalities, fighting styles, and weaknesses as well, that would be great. Naturally, I won’t share this information with anyone, so let’s plan on how the two of us will survive if shit hits the fan.”

Julius took a deep puff of the cigarette before releasing a breath and staring at me seriously.

“Will you abandon them if that happens?”

“Obviously. I’m looking out for me and mine, which at this point is you, Lina, this little guy, and maybe Nova. Everyone else can drop dead for all I care. I’m not Mother fucking Teresa. I’m going to do some scouting on my own tonight so any information you can share with me is much appreciated. If you want information in return, let me know. You deserve at least that much, and though I can’t tell you all of my gifts, you’ve seen the core of what I can do.” I directly met his gaze, making my intentions clear. Let’s trade and team up properly.

He was silent for a moment before he sighed, “Fair enough. I can start with myself. As you’ve seen, I don’t use weapons, just martial arts augmented by flames. Everything you’ve seen me do so far can be attributed to my Flame Body Gift and Master of Fire Gift, standard issue of the Crimson clan. That’s why I can’t teach you mana reinforcement without it burning up your body.” He gave me a wry smile before continuing, “The remaining things I like to keep under wraps, so don’t analyze me unless you want me to turn you into charcoal. As for the rest, the person you really need to watch out for is Cassandra since Nova is taking Killian. Since we’re sharing info, it was one of those two who were here tonight. And I’m saying this very carefully so listen well, don’t be deceived by Cassandra being cheerful and friendly. She’s sneaky, vicious, will sacrifice you for her benefit, and a liar. If she tells you one thing, just know that there are 99 other things she’s keeping hidden. Even if you work with her, just know she definitely doesn’t have your best interests at heart, though I will say she’s open to bargaining and trading information. Her gifts are…”

As he slowly began sharing information about the other students, a plan slowly formed in my head.

Once he was done, I woke the sleeping mimic up.

“Onyx.”

“Squeak?”

“What can you transform into? You have a bird, a gorilla, and a spider, which seem to be things you’ve eaten. What else? Can you do a dog?”

It tilted its head in contemplation for a moment before transforming into something that looked like a fluffy wolf cub.

“Not bad. Snake?”

It transformed into a little green snake with a yellow underbelly. As it twined around my arm, its little pink tongue flickering in the air and licking my face, I nodded in satisfaction.

“How about a cat?”

Squeak?

Onyx transformed into one of the ugliest amalgamations of animal parts I had ever seen. It looked like a combination of a coyote, a hyena, and possibly a worm put together in a disjointed mess.

Asani: “……”

Julius: “……”

“Cancel it. It looks very ugly. We’ll work on that later.”

And its indignant squeak, I lightly laughed before petting its head.

“Remember the boy you ate? In the cave? Transform into that for me, let me see.”

Squeak!

Thankfully, Onyx melted back into a black puddle before transforming into a human shape.

Seeing a perfect replica of the glasses-wearing boy, I smiled in satisfaction.

“Good job. What I need you to do is turn into a bird, fly as high as possible and follow me. If I get stopped, just ignore it and go back to the lighthouse and join all your mimic buddies in there and blend in, got it? Keep an eye on everything and store anything you can without getting caught. If you can, eat some things on the way without getting caught, and if you see something good, store it. I’ll try to join you as soon as I can. Okay?”

“Okay. Pet?” Onyx said in an unfamiliar voice I assumed was the original body’s voice.

“Of course.”

As Onyx stuck its face at me, I calmly scruffled its hair and scratched behind its ears like a dog, causing it to sigh happily before it transformed into a blob shape.

Seeing Julius staring at me in disgust, I held my fingers to my lips. “If Nova comes back, cover for me. I’ll be back. Try to make sure he doesn’t kill mimic Lionel.”

“You’re getting weirder by the day.” He grunted while lighting up another cigarette. “Need backup?”

“Nah. I’m just taking a stroll. What could go wrong?”

“You just jinxed it. Shoot a flare-up if you need help. I’ll keep watch here until you get back. Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

I bumped his fist before standing up.

Grabbing my sword and activating camouflage, I began heading toward the lighthouse.

Fun fact about the Crimson family -> hair color correlates to flame strength/innate flame gift potential. Power rank goes red -> orange -> white -> blue -> violet -> black.

Their battle style is mainly hand-to-hand, especially for the stronger ones, since most weapons and armor will melt because of the heat from the flames.

They’re Pacific islanders, with the main clan living within the ring of fire volcanoes where they continually temper their bodies against flames and magma (A real area. Look it up).

The clan head is Ēwe Crimson. As stated, his hair is purple. And although Julius calls him an old man, he doesn’t look that old appearance-wise.

Although they don’t usually get along, Ēwe Crimson and Liam Isolde are good drinking buddies. Before Ēwe’s hair turned purple, it was previously blue, and people thought he and Liam Isolde were siblings (similar builds, same hair color)