Incubus Ascension-Chapter 7

Liam and Pyra were eating in silence at one of the cafeteria tables.

Pyra sat across from him, the one who will become the dragon witch in the future.

She was eating her food casually.

The place was still loud with the usual chatter and clatter of trays, but their corner felt weirdly quiet.

Pyra looked at Liam. For some reason, she felt mildly bothered by him sitting here, of all places. She always liked to eat her food alone at a table.

"Let’s sting his pride a little," thought Pyra with a smirk, and she decided to ask him about the exam so he would be hurt and leave her.

She looked at Liam. "So... exam must have been hard for you, huh?"

She smiled, already expecting his reaction of rubbing salt on the wound. But she didn’t expect Liam’s next reaction.

He never stopped eating and said curtly, "Manageable."

Oh, for some reason, his clipped answer hurt her pride. Now she wanted to embarrass him more.

Then she thought about the hardest questions in the exam. The ones that took time even for her to solve.

’Hehe, no way he is answering this.’

"Okay then, genius. What’s the third law of arcane resonance?"

He didn’t even blink.

"Residual mana from a cast spell will attempt to return to equilibrium by seeking the path of least resistance through compatible leyline frequencies.

If no compatible path exists within three meters, it dissipates as harmless heat."

Her mouth actually fell open for a second. No sound came out.

He couldn’t help the little grin that tugged at his lips.

Seeing the great Pyra speechless felt... good. "I’m smart, right?"

She blinked hard. "No fucking way."

Then her voice came out quieter than usual. "How the hell did you do that?"

"Just studied." He just shrugged again, trying to play it cool even though his chest felt weirdly light.

Pyra stared at him for another beat. "Did he really study? But why?"

Then her eyes narrowed. "Is it because of our encounter back in the alley?"

"Did he want to study and take my first place because I threatened him back then?"

She looked at his face again. "Huh, but I’m not letting him ruin my perfect record."

She looked down at her food in annoyance. For some reason, her favorite mashed potato tasted bad today.

She dropped her gaze back to her plate and started stabbing the food with her fork.

Hard. Aggressive little pokes, like the mashed potatoes owed her money.

He smirked. "Damn. That poor dish is really getting it from you today."

Before she opened her mouth, to snap something back, the wall of the cafeteria exploded inward.

Dust and screams were everywhere.

A hulking thing stepped through the hole, black scales, too many teeth, red slits for eyes.

A Lesser demon. How the fuck did a lesser demon get inside the academy wards?

His eyes went wide. "This is a lesser demon. How the hell, "

The next thing he knew he was hiding under the table, heart slamming against his ribs.

The smell of old ketchup and floor cleaner hit him immediately.

He knew this was pathetic, yeah. But he wouldn’t risk fighting a lesser devil with just level 2 stats.

Meanwhile, Pyra didn’t hesitate. She jumped over the table, her palms already glowing orange pointing towards the demon.

Fireballs roared out of her hands, one, two, three, slamming into the thing’s chest.

It snarled and swiped at her, but she was already moving, quick and angry.

He pressed his back against the table leg, breathing hard. Don’t get him wrong,

he wasn’t throwing himself at that thing. Not right now. He was still too weak. One solid hit and he was paste.

But then he looked out from under the table.

Pyra hadn’t even paused to think. She just... charged.

While half the cafeteria was still screaming or scrambling, she was already in its face.

Students were starting to circle it now, some throwing weak sparks, others actually landing hits.

They were mobbing it. Showing off. Proving something.

He grit his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

He didn’t want to be the guy hiding under a smelly table while everyone else took the spotlight.

He remembered some faces, some of them who would grow to famous awakaneres in the future.

Meanwhile, he was still here. Hiding under the table just like his future self from the previous self.

He rubbed his cheek, "If I spent this second chance of life hiding, then what changed?"

Then he remembered the way Pyra looked at him five minutes ago, when he answered that question right.

That tiny flash of actual acknowledgment. Like he wasn’t just background noise to her for once.

He didn’t like her. Not really. He didn’t care about her feelings.

But for some stupid reason... he didn’t want her to see him like this. Broken. Scared. Hiding. He wanted to be seen like a worthy ally by the future dragon witch.

He flicked his wrist. The system panel shimmered into view.

Two SP left.

He could burn one. Just one. After all, he needed to keep up with the system’s condition.

He opened the shop, scrolled fast through skills, past the garbage skills, past the overpriced stuff, until he stopped on it.

Glue Balls

The host can generate and throw adhesive spheres from his hands.

The substance is extremely sticky and difficult to remove.

Cost: 1 SP

His pulse jumped. One SP. Perfect.

He hit buy without thinking twice.

The knowledge flooded in, warm, strange, like someone poured new instincts into his muscles.

He crawled out from under the table. His legs were shaky, but moving.

He passed right by Pyra’s side as she dodged another claw swipe.

She glanced at him, her eyes wide, like she couldn’t believe he was standing up.

"I got this," he said. Voice steadier than he felt.

He lifted his hand toward the demon.

The first glue ball shot out, wet, heavy, fist-sized.

It splattered across the thing’s left knee with a loud smack.

The demon staggered, his leg sticking to the floor.

Another one. Towards the chest. Another. Shoulder.

Each hit slowed it more, sticking his claws together. Until he couldn’t hurt anyone.

The other students froze looking at him for a second.

"Impossible!" someone yelled.

Pyra’s head snapped toward him, her eyes huge.

Then she recovered fast. "Idiots! Use the opening! Finish it, bombard the damn thing!"

Their Palms lit up all around. Spells started shooting, ice, lightning, force, fire.

A storm of magic hammering the glued-up demon. It roared, thrashed, but couldn’t move right.

But he still wouldn’t go down. He had too much vitality.

He clenched his jaw and threw more glue, aiming for the head, the neck, anywhere that would slow its movement even more.

Then, with pure dumb luck, a cracked pillar from the exploded wall groaned and fell.

It dropped like a guillotine. Straight onto the demon’s skull.

Crunch.

The demon stopped moving.

Silence rang in his ears for a second.

Pyra turned to him. Her face was smudged with sweat, her hair wild, and breathing hard... then she gave him this smile.

It was so bright and real. It hit him square in the chest, warm and sudden, like sunlight breaking through clouds.

For one stupid moment his whole cold world, his current and past lives, the burden of knowing the future, felt easier on him.

Then his eyes dropped to his wrist.

One SP.

Fuck!!!

If the day ended now, the system would kill him.

He needed Olivia. Fast.

He bolted away.

Running out of the cafeteria, through screaming students, past the wrecked wall, out of the academy grounds.

Running like his life depended on it.

Because it fucking did.