Hazel’s POV:

"Something has changed in the young master since yesterday. He woke up under pressure and trained with a determination and eagerness unlike before. I know he will become strong, but the malice that radiates from him during training is not something to be taken lightly. It feels intentional... like the presence of the Apostle of Death. Yet he still isn’t settled.

"Before his morning class, the first thing he did was seek out a very particular individual, Cloud. I saw him plead for help with a helplessness I had never seen in anyone before. He didn’t fall to his knees or roll on the ground, but his words carried the weight of someone who had.

"From there, we sought a particular individual: a second-year student who had picked on the young master during his entrance examination. He claimed he would need the young man in the future, but asking for his alliance now left me uneasy.

"At first, I thought it was because I failed my mission that I hadn’t surveyed the Great Citadel well enough. Guilt drove me to train endlessly. Now... I am still training."

Hazel’s eyes settled on Leomaris. He leaned propped against his desk, gaze drifting toward the Instructor with the unhurried ease of someone only half-present, while below, the class moved through Steams and Mechanics, its history, and how it had woven itself into the fabric of this world.

Hazel could tell Leomaris wasn’t paying attention to the instructor. Anyone who looked would have known the same. But it wasn’t something she had decided to concern herself with.

Between her fingers were daggers that distorted, glitched, and turned into a revolver. But the revolver didn’t hold one shape. It shifted, changed colour, and grew more complex until it looked less like a revolver and more like something that defied easy naming.

What danced between her fingers could have been called magic. And yet the slightest thing could pull her attention away, stopping her completely, every time.

"I am a seasoned warrior. Sebastian found me shortly after my birth and raised me through relentless training. Yet after forming a contract with the entity that had been with me since childhood, those years of experience hardly seemed to matter anymore.

"After my contract with the Illusion Entity, I gained the ability Perceptive Illusion. I can create illusions that deceive the mind and every sense, even sight itself. It felt incredible... I could finally stand and fight beside the young master.

"But the price came instantly. The contract stole my focus.

Even now, though I can wield this power with ease as a Magician, my focus feels weightless, like a feather drifting in the wind. I simply go wherever it carries me."

The class ended, and she fell in behind Leomaris as the Calamities made their way to the strategy room. He had called the meeting himself and took a few minutes with his faction on the way but didn’t linger.

"The young master left me in charge of his faction, asking me to keep them company until he returned from the strategy room. People call his faction many things, but the title Mercy of Death fits best. Still... I think the young master is the only one who truly embodies death."

She stood at the podium, eyes moving from face to face. She knew of Charlotte, also a Calamity, but aside from her, there were only three young men who looked there purely for amusement and a young woman, whom she couldn’t keep her eyes off.

"Emerald Vernal Isle. The woman who hated the young master enough to spread a rumor that nearly destroyed him. I don’t understand why he keeps his sworn enemy so close, but those eyes... that innocent expression... she looks too much like me. And that is exactly why the young master can’t trust her."

"The young master may have his plans, but if she tries anything foolish, I’ll kill her before he even has the chance to.

"She looked at me. Barely, but she did.

"So her ability lets her read thoughts? Good. Then she already knows this is a challenge. I’ll welcome her with open arms.

And bury her."

—

"Hey?"

She wasn’t in a good mood. She was hung up on unusualness about the young master, and the presence of this foul woman. The only familiar face that might have offered some comfort was Raine’s, and Raine hadn’t stayed for the meeting.

These men, meanwhile, were looking at her in a way that made her blood boil considerably.

"You seem perfectly sane, young lady. So why waste your time following someone like that bastard?"

One of the men got to his feet, walked from his seat, and approached the podium, standing before Hazel. His height dwarfed hers, he looked down at her with a smug expression she had no patience for.

"Become my servant instead. I know he’s stronger, and perhaps even smarter. As the Apostle of Death, his prowess is unquestionable. But don’t you think he’s a rather awful person? Stay with me, and I’ll treat you far better. I’ll make a refined young lady out of you."

Hazel met his eyes, and something shifted. Her calm, gentle demeanor gave way to something deadly, almost heartless.

The darkest side of her split personality; she never used it without permission. But this arrogant man was pushing her past the point of containment.

Her cold blue eyes found the cadet’s brown ones and held there. He was too naive to recognise what was standing in front of him.

"Did you just insult the young master...?"

She asked, calm, steady, and gave nothing away. But obliviousness was the thief of the moment. The cadet laughed and doubled down, and the others joined him.

Even Emerald, who had stayed calm throughout, began to recognise the danger the cadet’s ignorance was walking him into. She had been quiet, deliberately so.

The sight of a Leomaris ally had her blood boiling and had pushed her to the verge of killing Hazel outright, but patience held. She had made herself a promise. Leomaris and everyone connected to him would pay.

But even her own hatred offered no protection from what radiated off Hazel. She felt it, every bit of it pressing in. Hazel could kill that cadet. She was certain of it.

Hazel spoke again, quietly.

"I might kill you before I even realize it and still not lose my focus. So please... laugh again."

He laughed. Louder this time.