Cracked God

BOOK 1 CHAPTER 6 “ARES, NOTWITHSTANDING”

(Why… How can he be so happy? Must he always spite me?)

The thought raced across Eion’s mind as he made his way back to the main building where he’d attend his usual classes.  (To think, I’d even gone out of my way to talk to her, and she answers my friendship with that indifferent tone?!)

Eion had gotten somewhat used to Aurora’s feigned friendliness, although he saw through the respectful nature of it, it was still definitely better than whatever this new personage was.

Feeling his pride wounded, the young master made his entrance into the classroom with extraordinary force, flinging the door open with all his might as if to announce his arrival. At least half the students already inside the class flocked to greet him, not missing the chance to gain ground with him.

Arian was sitting down in the classroom as well. With a single gesture, Eion signaled to him, and as if having already agreed upon this code of conduct beforehand Arian spotted it immediately, going up to the young master to lend him his ear. Standing witness to this, most of the company still at Eion’s side respectfully bowed out, returning to their seats to carry on with whatever they were doing before.

Eion: “He keeps sprouting out from the ground as if a damned mole, the bastard. How am I supposed to even talk to Aurora if he’s always shadowing her like a right mutt?”

Arian: “They’re close friends Ei, not much you can do about it. I wouldn’t even be the least surprised if they were a romance all this time.”

These last words were quite ironic, coming from Arian. Of course little to their knowledge, the other half of the student body (particularly the females) had been starting a rumor that he and Eion were actually an item.

Eion did get along extraordinarily well with Arian however. The calm air that Arian produced enabled Eion to gather himself in a respectful dignity he was so incapable of taking with anyone else.

Eion: “…It’s perhaps just because he’s forgotten his circumstances. I’ll have to be sure to remind him of his position today.”

Arian: “Ei… Are you sure that’s wise? You can’t risk yourself by going after Tifon like that. What if people catch on and spread that you’re jealous of his standing with Aurora?”

Eion waved Arian’s concerns and walked to his seat as the bell signaled the start of their first class. He painfully observed that Tifon and Aurora were still nowhere to be seen.

???: “Please, Gods, I swear from now on I’ll worship daily, just please let me get to class in time, please just this once!”

Aurora: “Quit your muttering already you’re distracting me!”

Tifon: “Like I care! This is all your fault to begin with, what the hell’s even up with you?! Did you really need to taunt Palae like that?!”

Aurora: “Listen, she may be the track & field ‘Speed Demon’ or whatever, but I used to run 100 laps every morning for my wrestling practice okay?! I could totally take her!”

Tifon: “You are so obviously exaggerating, you’re fucking batshit, and what’s more is that you’re going to get us both expelled!”

Gradually picking up our past we somehow made it inside the main building…10 minutes late? (New time record) hopefully our homeroom teacher Miss Nesbit would take it easy on me since I had the council president in tow.

Aurora: “Oh, by the way, I have to head to the bathroom real quick, you go ahead.”

Tifon: “What?! No way, she’ll eat me alive, you’re basically my only contingency! Hold up I’ll come with and then-”

Aurora: “What, are you going to follow me into the bathroom too? Just go on, what was all that praying for if not this?”

With a decisive shove into the classroom’s door, Aurie quickly abandoned me to my destiny. Probably a short one.

Miss Nesbit: “Ahh! If it isn’t our class’s hero himself, finally making his debut.”

Perhaps the only thing worse than getting scolded by someone with Miss Nesbit’s voice was getting glared at by someone with Eion’s eyes.

Tifon: “Miss, I am so, so sorry, thing is I was with the council president and-”

Eion: “And what huh? Are you her errand boy now, Tifon?”

The group of girls behind Eion’s seat erupted with laughter.

Miss Nesbit: “Enough now Eion, if I wanted someone to help me scold my students, I’d have taken you in as my errand boy.”

Clicking his tongue Eion went back to eyeing me up and down in silence. Finally taking my seat, tardy note in tow, I waited with eyes fixed on the door for Aurie’s arrival, but she never came, not even when the class ended.

In a bit of concern, I rushed out of the class after the bell to look for her, before suddenly.

Eion: “Hey! Wait right there Tifon.” Calling out to me Eion started making his way through the wave of students now leaving the classroom.

Tifon: “What is it, Eion?” I noticed after the confusion that, while most of the rushing students had left the classroom already, Arian was still in his seat.

Eion: “Well, where is she?!”

Tifon: “Excuse me?”

Eion: “Aurora. I saw you with her, what? Are you telling me you left her and came to class on your own? Doubtful.”

The way he talked was definitely provocative, but I wasn’t particularly insulted as I was confused at the time.

Tifon: “Wait, why are you so worried over Aurie? Did you have something to tell her in private? Now that I think about it, I did notice that you left real abruptly when I joined you two near the bench.”

It was a genuine question, but from the look of crimson on Eion’s face, I could tell he felt insulted, for some reason. What a temperament...

Hastening to defuse the situation I quickly added.

Tifon: “Oh, I mean, I was just going to go up to look for her, if you wanted to come with-?”

Eion: “Enough! I was just curious is all, listen don’t mind anything I said, alright?!” getting redder by the minute Eion stormed off before I could even finish my sentence. Suddenly with my front not occupied, I noticed Arian’s concerned gaze fixed on me. Without giving the incident much thought I went up the hallway stairs to look for Aurie before my next period started.

(Damn it all! Everything transpired just as Arian said it would! How could I be so damned foolish?)

Eion was hunched over the back staircase that lead towards the school’s storage room. Having been only recently scheduled for remodeling, students weren’t allowed in the deconstructed room, however, there would be no construction inside until summer vacation, making it the perfect spot to be alone. Eion often came here when his anger got the better of him to an extreme extent, it was his usual spot.

***: “You really shouldn’t come to as dusty a place as this so much, you know? You’ll catch something in no time.”

Arian made his way to him, perhaps being the only other one who knew of Eion’s private corner.

Eion: “I already know why you’ve come. It all happened as you said, gloat quickly then leave.”

Arian: “I haven’t made my way here just to say ‘I told you so’ Ei, I can tell, you’ve been more on edge lately than usual.

Tell me, what’s wrong?”

For a second Eion turned his head to Arian as if to say something, but then quickly regretting it instead turned around completely, and while resting his back on the cracked wall sat down on the ground slouched over himself.

Eion: “…It’s nothing of such consequence. I just haven’t been getting any sleep, that’s all there is to it.”

Arian: “Is that so…” Noticing the effort that Eion had put into dismissing his concerns, Arian laid off his questioning for the time, and, while only slightly leaning on the piece of bent rebar exposing itself through the crack on the opposing wall, watched over the young master until he had finished wallowing in his grief.

Tifon: “Gods, where could she be?”

(Did she really skip school just to get out of one scolding?)

Making my way down from the 6^th floor I saw the entrance to the special gymnasium reserved for high schoolers participating in Boon mastery classes. The basic idea was that here they’d learn, through simulated battle experience, the most optimal way to use their Boons. Naturally, there was no point to me coming to these classes (Not really any practical use for immortality besides it just, being there) but similarly, Aurie didn’t participate either, although her Boon was of W grade, making her meet the requirement to, it only activated at dawn and the Boon itself was vague, to say the least. Unlike hers, though Boons like Palae’s W grade favor of speed and Arian’s X grade FrostStorm required much practice to utilize effectively.

“Huh, I wonder what kind of combat training they actually do here.”

It did suddenly interest me to witness what would basically be a superhero fight, but I had to tear myself from fantasy if I wanted to find Aurora today.

(The balcony.)

An idea suddenly struck me at the moment to check out our building’s balcony for Aurie. And so I started to hurry back up the stairs.

There she was. I could’ve recognized that pink hair from a kilometer away, but something about it was extraordinarily beautiful at that moment. The way it blended with the pinkish atmosphere made by the sun’s rays.

I would’ve believed dawn had just broken at that moment in the middle of the day. I stayed there frozen in my place, still at the mouth of the staircase, still speechless.

But there was another feeling in my heart at that point, besides amazement. It was completely foreign to me until these past few seconds. During that moment looking on at Aurora, she seemed to me so fleeting.

Instinctively at the end of my realization, I called out to her.

Aurora: “Tifon?”

Her sudden turn froze me again for a moment, but I quickly continued.

Tifon: “What could you be doing all the way out here, Aurie?”

Aurie giggled for a moment before turning back towards the sun. I started stepping closer to her until I reached her side.

Aurora: “I guess I’m just… Thinking.”

Tifon: “Thinking for what, an hour and a half already? At this rate, you should consider a career in philosophy.”

Aurora: “Shh, you complete idiot.” Aurie chuckled as she turned her gaze to me, caught unawares by her beauty at such close proximity I felt myself flushing.

Suddenly turning back to avoid her gaze I spoke softly.

Tifon: “We should probably head back still, I don’t know about you, but I’d like to not collect a scolding from every teacher today.”

Aurora: “Haahah, Did she really lay into you that badly?”

Slowly making our way down the stairs in conversation we’d eventually make it to our second class. The rest of the day would pass uneventfully, but that feeling followed me from then on.