Chapter 167 Truce?
Getting off him, Nix took a few steps back in shock at what he had seen. Whatever that was, it triggered his curiosity.
Obsidian pushed himself up with his elbows, confused as to why Nix hadn't given the final blow.
Getting up, he stared at Nix for a while. The two engaged in staring down, their eyes speaking volumes.
'He's different, something is strange about this fire ranker. Why?' Obsidian wondered as his brows furrowed.
'That aura is suspicious... something must be manipulating him, but what?' Nix tilted his head, never breaking eye contact.
Lank switched glances from the two, 'what the hell is this? A stare fest?'
"Truce?" Nix offered, holding out his hand.
Obsidian looked at his hand strangely. This gesture was foreign to him, so much so that he growled in response instead.
Nix awkwardly withdrew his hand, disturbed by the animalistic tendencies more pronounced than Lank.
"If you didn't want to shake hands as a form of friendship, you would have just said so." He shook his head trying to understand the kind of person Obsidian is.
He could be of great benefit if he joined the team, a great replacement for the Christmas tree.
He would gladly choose anyone over Arion, anytime.
Obsidian had wanted to respond, his mouth slightly opened before he was interrupted by the sound of Mr. Zhao's clapping as he approached.
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
"You've improved over a short period." Mr. Zhao slapped the back of Nix, jolting him back to reality.
He didn't understand why the two had been staring at each other in that way, but he also didn't want the two being too close to form a bond.
Nix winced at the pain in his back from the seemingly good gesture.
Obsidian simply stared, conflicted about his actions. They had started on a bad note and that one bit of kindness threw him off.
"I do apologize for the inconveniences, could you please forgive this feral lad?" Mr. Zhao spoke to Nix.
He had felt uneasy by the swift way he had dealt with Obsidian, yet again without using his gift. Although unpredictable, it was safe to not be so sure about all that was to happen to him if Nix were to put him in a bad light.
"Nix!" Lank yelled for his attention. There was still the issue of Lumina and Gia being unconscious.
"Thank you, Sir, but I need to–"
Unable to complete his sentence as he sprinted immediately towards Lank's direction.
Obsidian watched with curiosity at Nix holding up Lumina's head and cradling it.
'What is this feeling?' He wondered, his hand reaching to his chest as he felt a thump from his heartbeat louder.
Mr. Zhao noticed the way Obsidian was watching Nix, if left unchecked, he might be influenced by them.
"Obsidian," he said in a low voice, bringing his fingers together for a quick rethink on what was next on the list.
Whipping his head to the side, he bowed slightly to the call of his name by his teacher.
"Could you go back to your room, I would deal with this." He said through gritted teeth.
Obsidian could sense the disappointment in his voice. Nodding his head, he gave one final glance at the group before he turned around to leave.
Mr. Zhao narrowed his eyes at them, their presence would have to be contained, even after the damage caused upon their first day, it was hard to determine where this would lead them.
"What the hell happened to her... to them?!" Nix hissed at Lank.
"You said they should combine their abilities and they took your word seriously." Lank retorted, staring down at Gia with worry.
"She isn't dead either, just passed out from exhaustion."
"Uhh... Guys?" Solis cut in as he could see Mr. Zhao approaching.
"Lumina?" Mr. Zhao questioned, shocked by her unconscious state. He had wanted to drop to his knees to get a look at how she was.
"Don't..." Nix said through gritted teeth, closing his eyes to keep his anger in check.
As much as he wanted to believe that Mr. Zhao cared for Lumina, there was still the issue of him coercing her into the academy, and giving her that pendant which would likely be anything from good.
In his observation, he was using her to get what he needed in the end. This form of care was triggering his mental stability.
Mr. Zhao was surprised by Nix's behavior. He had remembered when Nix made mention of nothing going on between them. His current action stated otherwise.
"I would like some rest, not... not this!" Nix said with a sigh, sick and tired of all that he had gone through for the day.
'If I don't get my system or Mune back, I would need to find a better way of getting new information on this place.' Nix's eyes darted about as he contemplated his next move.
Mr. Zhao nodded his head, "we do apologize for the poor welcome. This is basically how things work around here."
'Conducting experiments and staging fights is how things work around here?' Nix raised a brow to Mr. Zhao's response.
"Anywhere out of this shit place would be nice." He brought Lumina's head closer to him.
He dipped his hand into his pocket searching for the gold medal. To his shock, there was nothing inside.
"What?" He gaped in shock.
"What?" The others questioned, confused by his loud outburst.
"My gold medal, it's gone." He said, switching the hand that held Lumina's head and using the other hand to search for the medal in the other pocket.
Lank quickly did the same, he paused when he realized it wasn't there too.
Solis and Luna tried their luck, but it had proved abortive as well.
They were left speechless as they looked over to Mr. Zhao for answers.
If they were going to be taken to their rooms, then they would need their pass, that was how they had been raised in the academy.
Mr. Zhao burst out laughing at all four of them. Their expressions told of the conflicted horror they felt from losing the one thing that had been a part of them.
"Could you all just pause and listen to my explanation?" Mr. Zhao began