image [https://i.imgur.com/VU2UxlR.png]

Carmen and Elise found themselves at the cafeteria and saw a girl with a blonde ponytail surrounded by three upperclassmen. One of the students had a Phoenix crest, while the other two were from Wyvern class. The boy from Phoenix class seemed to have some kind of issue, his mannerisms and tone of voice filled with irritated passion.

“We saw you hanging around that Volairen princess again. Why do you keep spending so much time with the enemy?? Our Aristan forefathers will turn in their graves from such actions.” He said, stomping his foot into the ground.

“Why do you care so much about who I decide to hang out with? She’s my friend and that’s all that matters to me. Who cares where she’s from.” Mariah replied with an angered glare.

“Why do we care?? Uhh, have you been living under a rock for the past year? We just went to war with these people, they can’t be trusted! Where is your Aristan pride!?” He rebuked with a scowl, his frown wrinkling his face with great intensity. Despite his over the top theatrics, Mariah simply shrugged.

“Are you done, Jace? You’re interrupting my lunch…” Mariah said as she picked up her fork. Within that same moment, her entire plate of food was sent flying into the nearby wall. Perfectly fried chicken cutlets and gravy slid down the wall, leaving behind a sticky trail of brown.

“Tch, I expected more from you, especially considering who your brother was. You can forget about ever having our support at this school. I hope you can survive on your own, damn traitor.” Jace started to take his leave, followed closely by the others. However, as soon as he turned around, he felt an incredible heat build up behind him.

Jace looked over his shoulder and saw Mariah standing, her blazing hot spear aimed directly at his back. The flames emanating from her Manifest were enough to melt the metal legs of her table, causing it to tip over and become further singed by the fire.

“You’re gonna replace my food, right?” Mariah asked with a fiery glare, her rage reaching new heights.

“Pfft, after everything we just discussed, that’s what you care about? Are you a child?” He replied with a smirk, turning around and preparing himself for battle. Jace extended his arm outward and within that same motion, a black and yellow glaive appeared in his hand. The disc-like weapon had multiple blades of varying sizes decorating the edge and a metallic grip in the center.

Moments later, the two were surrounded by students eager to watch a fight break out. Carmen and Elise joined in as well, forcing their way up to the front of the crowd to see the commotion. As Mariah and Jace sized each other up, exerting their Core Energy with each passing second, a voice suddenly cut across the cafeteria.

“I know you two aren’t about to have an unsanctioned duel on LaVeda’s premises. Jace, you should know better…” They said with an empty and nonchalant tone. Mariah and Jace looked over as the crowd began to split, revealing a well dressed student with a Dahlia Pendant on their red and black colored jacket.

It was the student body president, Castell Pruitt. He pushed up his glasses as he scanned across the room, making note of the two students holding their Manifests in the middle of the cafeteria. Jace immediately put away his weapon and bowed his head, showing an almost fearful respect towards Castell.

“Ah sorry, Sir! I got a little carried away disciplining this first year. I’ll be more cognizant of my actions next time.” Jace said as sweat dripped down his forehead. Castell continued to stare silently until he sighed, his face filled with disappointment.

“Don’t let it happen again, otherwise I’ll have to report you to Lady Ravala.” He calmly replied. Castell then turned his attention towards Mariah. She blinked and suddenly, He was standing behind her, his movement not making a single sound.

“It’s admirable that you stood your ground, but for your sake, please be a good little first year and know your place. Would hate to see a fellow student get hurt…” He whispered in her ear with a terrifyingly calm cadence, almost serenading her with his haunting statement. Mariah quickly swung her arm behind her, hoping to push him away. However, to her surprise, he was now standing in his original spot.

‘Woah, what kind of movement is that? Can he teleport like Azhane?’ Carmen was highly impressed by what she saw of the no. 2 ranked student at LaVeda, growing more curious of his abilities.

“Alright people, the show’s over. Please return to your seats.” Castell said while motioning for everyone to disperse. The crowds of students separated and within a few short moments, the cafeteria was back to normal. Without saying another word, Castell placed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. Jace and his group quickly followed after him, exiting the cafeteria as though nothing had happened.

Mariah stood there next to her broken table and sighed, putting away her Manifest as she glared at the cafeteria’s exit. Suddenly, her stomach began to rumble aggressively, making noises not normal for a human of her size.

“Ughhhh, now I’ve got to stand in line again. I’m gonna die before I get some food in me.” She pouted, hating the fact that her perfectly good meal was ruined.

“Hey Mariah, got a second to talk?” Carmen asked as she approached her. Mariah looked over and leaped into Carmen’s arms, shedding an overdramatic amount of tears as she held her tightly.

“Carmen! My savior!! Can you get me some food!?” She loudly asked, rubbing her cheek against Carmen’s like a whimpering puppy.

“Uh, sure. But, you gotta get off of me first.” Carmen replied as she tried pushing herself free from Mariah’s loving grip. After some time, Carmen and Elise returned with plates of tasty treats. They made their way to a new table and took a seat, giving the trays to a drooling Mariah.

As Mariah helped herself to the perfectly grilled steaks, steamed potatoes, bone broth, and various other items, Elise watched in absolute disgust. Bits of food and sauce flew everywhere, getting the table plenty dirty with each forceful bite she took.

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‘Is this the girl she wants on our team? I think I’d rather be alone than be with a pig like this.’ Elise flicked a couple crumbs off of her jacket sleeve, growing more irritated by the second and feeling sickened by the constant chewing noises.

“So what was that whole commotion about? You looked pretty irritated at that guy.” Carmen asked with great curiosity.

“Oh it was nothing, just a few upperclassmen with nothing better to do. For some reason they think that someone from Arista shouldn’t be around people from Volaire, or something like that. It’s really dumb.” She muttered with a mouth full of steak and veggies, not too bothered by the situation.

“Oh, I see… I guess it would make sense that some students from Arista would feel that way.” Carmen replied with a saddened tone.

“Meh, it’s whatever. Anyways, what’d you want to talk to me about?” Mariah took another hefty bite of food as she stared at Carmen, chomping away without a care in the world.

“Ah, right. I wanted to see if you needed a team for the midterm. You could join me and Elise if you haven’t decided yet.” Carmen curiously replied, hoping that she would agree. Mariah swallowed her food and put down her fork. She then turned her attention towards Elise and began to stare intensely at her. Elise stared back and started to feel incredibly uncomfortable.

“Chicken cutlets or spicy noodles?” Mariah suddenly asked, breaking the awkward and silent energy between them. At this point, the amount of confusion Elise felt was out of this world. She didn’t know how or why she had to answer such a stupid question.

“Uh.. Both?” Elise responded, unsure if that was the right answer to such a random question. Mariah continued to stare silently and after a few awkward moments, she showed a huge grin.

“Yup!! Right answer, you pass!! I’ll join up with you guys!” Mariah said with a loud chuckle and excited cadence. Elise continued to look incredibly confused and Carmen joined in on the laughter.

‘Just what have I gotten myself into?’ Elise looked at her teammates laughing about something so random and meaningless, feeling a tad out of place in that moment.

‘But… I guess this is kind of nice.’ She started to feel a rare sense of joy welling up inside of her usually cold and indifferent heart. The group eventually left the cafeteria when Mariah finished her meal and they began to speculate on what the test would be later that week.

image [https://i.imgur.com/d60vRFl.png]

The day before the midterm combat exam came quickly and the morning air was getting increasingly more cold. Carmen shivered as the late fall wind picked up, blowing and biting through her long brown coat. She gripped the books in her hand close to her body and proceeded to head towards the library.

Carmen made her way inside and as she walked past a few tables, en route to the receptionist, she spotted a familiar face.

“Oh, hey Olivia! How’ve you been?” Carmen asked with a smile, approaching her table. The girl’s short, brown pigtails bounced as she greeted Carmen with her usual cheerful voice, motioning for Carmen to take a seat.

“How’d your tests go?” Olivia asked, setting her books to the side as she gave Carmen her undivided attention.

“Eh, I think I did pretty decent, at least I hope. I’m just glad they’re over and we can finally move on to the combat portion.” Carmen replied with a laugh.

“I’m sure you did great! Luckily for me, Harpy classes are pretty basic, so I feel confident that I aced my tests. They really hold your hand through everything.” Oliva slightly laughed as she remembered how simple her exam was. “I really wish I could be in other classes, but my Resonance Level is too low unfortunately.”

“Hmm, I see. If your classes are that easy, do you feel prepared for the combat exam?” Carmen questioned with slight concern. Oliva began to grin as though she knew something that Carmen didn’t.

“Oh yeah! I’ve gotten much stronger over the past few weeks, it’s honestly amazing! My Resonance Level hasn’t changed much, but the overall potency of my abilities has increased significantly since I started attending this school. I’m more than ready for the combat exam!” Olivia had unsavory amounts of confidence as she continued to grin, beyond thrilled by her progress so far.

“That’s good to hear! Well, I hope we can have a good fight!” Carmen replied with a smile, matching Olivia’s giddy energy.. As the conversation continued, Olivia curiously took a purple colored pill out of her bag and popped it into her mouth, taking a swig of water to wash it down.

“What did you say those were for again? I remember you taking one when we first met.” Carmen asked with a curious cadence, looking over towards the small vial filled with them inside of Olivia’s burlap bag.

“Oh, they’re just uhh, supplements I’ve been taking. They help keep me healthy and strong.” Olivia nervously laughed and clearly looked uncomfortable talking about her mysterious pills. Carmen noticed how off Olivia seemed in that moment, but before she could pry further, an unwelcome sight entered the area.

Bridgette Vandel was standing at the foot of the table with an annoyed look on her face.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss Princess Belouis. What are you doing hanging with Harpy students? Fulfilling your noble obligation to appeal to the commoners?” Bridgette asked, chuckling at Olivia. Carmen glared back at Bridgette with her vivid red eyes, feeling annoyed by her statements.

“What do you want?” She wondered with a cold tone, hoping she would leave already.

“Oh nothing, just wanted to tell you to watch your back in the midterm. Don’t tuck your tail and run once when we cross paths.” Bridgette deviously smiled as she stared back at Carmen, not showing an inch of fear towards her cold glare.

“Run from you? Pfft, trust me I won’t. I’ll beat you down easily this time.” Carmen replied deeply, anger clearly welling up inside of her.

“Oh will you now? I would love to see you try.” Bridgette snickered, finding Carmen’s confidence to be completely unfounded and ridiculous.

“I’m sorry, but beating you will be like swatting a fly. I’m not worried about you in the slightest, Belouis. And once I win this exam, the number one rank will be mine. Oh and maybe even Caleb too, if he cooperates.” Bridgette smiled with evil conviction, looking down on Carmen.

The mere mention of Caleb added fuel to Carmen’s fire, causing her to quickly stand up. She got close to Bridgette’s face, glaring menacingly into her eyes.

“No… I’ll take that number one ranking after beating that jealous little face of yours into a pulp. Just you wait…” Carmen was fed up and her expression turned quite scary.

“Besides, Caleb doesn’t even like you. Stop being so delusional…” Carmen added. Bridgette scowled and bit her lip, feeling incredibly disrespected at that moment.

“You bitch!” She yelled while pushing Carmen back into the table, knocking multiple books onto the floor with a loud crash. The surrounding students in the library looked over at the commotion, wondering what was going on. The situation caught the attention of a librarian, prompting her to walk over with a stern expression.

“Is everything okay over here?” She asked rather coldly. Bridgette sucked her teeth and swiftly walked away, not saying another word.

“Yeah, things are fine. Sorry for the disturbance, ma’am.” Carmen replied, straightening her uniform. She then said her goodbyes to Olivia and after returning her books, she left the library in a bad mood.