Silence.
"Shirei?"
"Your jeans are cut up, I was trying to find a way to tell you."
Marina's eyes widened, "What!?"
The demigoddess tried to turn around to check and, twisting, managed to notice an oblique cut that revealed a large part of her buttocks. Involuntarily, she put her hands in her hair, before realizing that Shirei was still there staring at her.
"But yes, eh! Just keep watching!" It came naturally to her to say as she looked for a way to hide from him.
She covered her bottom with both hands and quickly thought about what to do. She had no choice, she had to go back and change. That meant she would be late, but she had no alternative.
"Shirei, listen..." she said, to get his attention, "I have to go back and change. You go ahead and try to buy some time if they're already there. All clear?"
The boy tilted his head slightly, "What if I took you there with a spectral travel?"
"No!" She shouted back before she knew it.
She had nothing against Shirei, but she would rather crawl to the seventh house than cross the Interworld again.
"I meant, no, thanks," she corrected herself.
The demigod, however, wasn't entirely wrong. If they had used spectral travel they would surely have arrived on time for the start of class. It went against every fiber of her being to delay, but she didn't have many options.
I certainly can't walk around like this!
It was true that it was a special day, the more time she had for the lesson the more information she would be able to get from Shirei. Left to rack her brain, as much as it was one of her favorite pastimes, would get her nowhere.
It was at that moment that Shirei handed her his black sweatshirt, "For now, start covering yourself with this."
"Tha-" she tried to answer, before turning around.
When Marina laid eyes on Shirei, her heart rate accelerated imperceptibly. The atmosphere changed instantly. Shirei, was wearing only a long-sleeved black thermal shirt that clung to his body. The boy was tall and thin, so the demigoddess was speechless when she saw the contours of his defined muscles, which looked as if they were about to tear his shirt. Marina felt a slight tingle run through her arm but tried to ignore it.
"Shi-Shirei, I don't want you to freeze to death," she managed to stammer.
"Don't worry," the boy replied simply, "It's more useful to you than to me right now."
"And-"
"And I prefer to stay comfortable if I have to give a practical demonstration during the lesson," added Cragar's son.
Marina remained silent, considering whether or not to accept the courtesy. Finally, she realized that it would be the best choice and thanked him. Ien's daughter put the sweatshirt around her waist and crossed the arms of the garment to tie them in a knot. After checking that she was perfectly covered, she smiled at her companion.
"Thank you very much. Now let's hurry to class."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Shirei nodded silently.
After just over five minutes, the two reached their destination. The training arena for demigods stood majestically before them.
It was an extraordinary place that embodied the discipline and strength of the young heirs of the Gods. Massive stone columns, adorned with carvings of divine symbols, surrounded the area in an imposing setting. The sound of footsteps resonated against the columns, creating a sort of echo. During the tournaments, the noise propagated through the columns and reached every part of the park, thus announcing the start of each challenge.
The rows of demigods formed a compact front of young people. The elevated area, adorned with lush flora and vines dancing along the columns, brought a touch of wilderness to the rigors of the training. Brightly colored flowers bloomed among the stones, adding an unexpected element of beauty. The mixed scent of aromatic herbs and wild plants permeated the air, making the exhausting practices of training more pleasant. The mezzanine floor offered a panoramic view of the rest of the park.
The terrain, a mix of arena dust and solid rock, was designed to withstand the impacts of intense battles.
In that scenario, Marina and Shirei passed through the rows of kids to reach the center of the arena. Everyone was anxiously waiting for them and Marina perfectly understood why: they wanted to find out what Shirei and Dalia were really capable of doing.
"How can you blame them..." Marina whispered.
"Did you say something?" Shirei asked.
Ien's daughter smiled and moved her hand to reassure him, a useless gesture, since the boy was always calm.
Dalia ran to them. She sported a 'particular' look: the black hooded sweatshirt of her house, a corset, also black, accentuated her figure, adding an element of elegance and femininity to her outfit. Below her waist, a small plaid skirt fell almost to her knees, covering rather thick black leggings. On her ankles, she wore ballet flats that completed her look. Every detail of her clothing seemed to be chosen to reflect her personality halfway between past and present.
She had a small smile on her face but it was duller than usual. The little girl smoothed her black dress, thoughtful. Marina noticed her strange attitude and, although she was concentrating on what to say, quickly spoke to her.
"Daly, are you okay?"
The girl was awakened from her daydream, "Oh um... I'm fine, yes, I'm fine... you know... usual demigod thoughts..."
Shirei glanced at her, "Don't lie."
Dalia jumped when her brother approached her and puffed out her cheeks in an attempt to distract both demigods.
"I'm not lying," she replied, before looking down sadly.
"You're a terrible liar."
Marina nodded, "Shirei is right."
"Have you teamed up against me?" Cragar's daughter asked with a hint of anger, "I wanted to arrange with you because you are my half-brother and my best friend, but I'm not so sure anymore!"
"Dalia!" Marina turned red.
The demigoddess burst into thunderous laughter that attracted the attention of those present, after which she immediately covered her mouth with the words, "Oops!"
Marina covered her face in the hope that the others hadn't heard. She glanced at Shirei and noticed how he was completely uninterested in the conversation.
Right, Marina. This is Dalia's usual irony, she said to herself, Don't let yourself be taken like an immature little girl.
Finally, she managed to regain lucidity, thanks to the apathy of the boy at his side, and she focused her blue eyes on her. She knew Dalia was lying but, from what she understood, she didn't want to talk about it. Finally, she decided to temporarily shelve the matter and turned to Shirei.
"So, Hollow, are you ready?"
"I already gave my availability yesterday, so yes, I will help you. Dalia?"
"It's not that I really want to, now..."
Marina pretended to look sideways and pushed Dalia towards the center of the arena. Cragar's daughter nearly fell over in surprise.
"What should I do?" She asked with an embarrassed smile, "Good morning, oh dear young demigods. Yes?"
"Maybe it's better if you give her a hand," Shirei noted.
"You're right."
Ien's daughter stepped forward and clapped her hands in applause to get the attention of those present. In the front row she also saw his brothers from the seventh house: Lorenzo and Michela. She hadn't seen either Francesca or Lilia yet, but she assumed they must be nearby.
"Good morning! I didn't expect such a large audience, to be honest!" Gave a little laugh to release the tension, "I recognize older faces too, but I suppose anyone would be interested in this lesson. Today, I intended to talk about the major gods: the six who not long ago formed the covenant of forbidden children."
Marina paused briefly and invited the two brothers to come closer.
"Studying from books is not for everyone, so to make things a little easier, I have invited the only two descendants of major deities in the park to join me, to give you a practical test of what they may be capable of. I'd say let's get started, don't you think?"
The crowd erupted and the demigoddess was able to turn to glance at Shirei. She would finally discover his powers and, perhaps, understand why the gods feared him so much.