Ares didn't go to "gather strength" like he said. The moment he stepped out, his mind went straight back to last night. He couldn't shake the image from his head. Axel standing in the middle of the gym with that strange glow in his hands, like he wasn't even human for a second. And those dummies… melted into the floor like they were made of ice cream left under the sun. Even when he came back last night, his eyes had that strange colour.
That wasn't normal. Not even close, it felt otherworldly.
Sure, every power humans had came from the Algos. Alien gifts, out of this world but even with that in mind, what Axel did wasn't something you saw every day. Ares couldn't place it. He couldn't even describe it. It was just… different.
And this morning? Axel's eyes looked normal again. Like nothing had ever happened.
That alone made Ares more interested than ever.
So instead of gathering strength like he had said, he stayed by the hallway windows on the third floor, watching the dorm entrance. Waiting and thinking. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but Axel had become… interesting.
Eventually, Axel stepped out of the building with Rick. They talked for a bit and started walking down the path.
Ares followed from a distance. He kept his head up but blended in with the students heading out for the day. He wasn't trying to spy… okay, maybe he was. But someone had to look out for Axel. If he had a power like that, he needed someone watching his back.
But then he noticed something. Amidst the crowd, he recognized someone. It was the girl from yesterday's combat test. The one who went all icy and serious before Axel dropped her flat. She was a few feet in front of him and Ares almost laughed.
"Seriously? Her?"
He remembered how she hit the ground when Axel countered her. Clean and fast. She didn't even last long enough to make it exciting.
Axel and Rick had just turned down another walkway and for some reason, she also turned.
That's when his smile faded. This wasn't normal curiosity, she wasn't just passing by.
She was actually tracking them.
"Wow… she's actually following them," he muttered under his breath as he stopped walking for a second.
Ares' shoulders stiffened as one thought crossed his mind:
Was she trying to attack him? Ambush him?
Or worse… assassinate him? Maybe she was still very salty about the way he kicked her ass.
Whatever her reason, Ares didn't like it, not one bit.
He adjusted his collar and picked up his pace, keeping his eyes locked on her as she tailed Axel and Rick down the path.
"Alright, Ice Princess," he whispered.
"Let's see what you're up to."
***
Ares stayed behind one of the pillars and watched as Axel and Rick stepped into the digital library. Then he watched as Axel and Rick drifted toward a group of first years sitting around a simulation table and started a small conversation with them. Not long after, Axel quietly excused himself and went into the First year section
As for the Ice Princess, she followed Axel straight into the library like she already planned it.
Ares let out a quiet breath.
"Yep, no doubt now. She's definitely tracking Axel."
He walked over to Rick, hands in his pockets, acting all casual. Rick's eyes went wide when he saw Ares.
"A-Ares? What are you doing here?"
"Just saying hi," Ares shrugged.
"What are you guys up to?" Ares asked.
The students at the simulation table looked up from their screens one by one. Their expressions were stiff like someone pressed pause on them. Some straightened their backs. One actually moved his chair backwards.
Ares frowned.
"Why do you humans get weird when someone says hello?"
One of the Lumina boys stuttered, "N-no reason…"
Another whispered, "He's a Spectra 3… why is he talking to us?"
Ares raised a brow.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
None of them answered. They just stared like he was some kind of dangerous animal that wandered into their yard.
He didn't get it. At all.
So he just stood there for a bit, talking about nothing important. Rick slowly relaxed, and the simulation table group tried their best to act normal, even though they kept glancing at Ares like he might explode.
A few minutes later, the first year library doors slid open and Axel stepped out.
The moment he saw Ares, he blinked like his brain needed a second to process it.
"Ares? What are you doing here? You done training?"
"No," Ares answered. "I was done 'gathering strength.' There's a difference."
Before Axel could question that, Ares grabbed him by the arm and pulled him a few steps away from the crowd. He also pulled Rick as well.
"Do you know you're being followed?"
"Huh? Followed by who?"
Ares let out a breath that sounded like he was tired of everything and everyone.
"By that ice girl from the test. She's been tailing you all morning. First at the dorms, then down the path, then here. She even went into the library after you."
Rick's eyes widened. "For real? She was following Axel?"
"Yeah," Ares said. "And not in a friendly way. I think she's got a vendetta against you."
Axel looked confused but also annoyed, like someone had messed up his morning. Before either of them could say more, the library doors opened again and Kinsey stepped out.
She froze the second she saw them.
Her shoulders stiffened and her hands dropped to her sides. She looked like a kid caught sneaking food out of the kitchen at night.
Ares didn't waste a second.
He walked right up to her and asked…
"Wanna tell me why you've been stalking my buddy here?"
***
Axel didn't say anything at first. He just stood there, staring at Kinsey, waiting for her to open her mouth and explain herself.
Rick, on the other hand, was kind of already sweating. Then he stepped forward a little.
"S-So uh… why were you stalking Axel?"
Ares slowly turned his head toward him in a sassy manner.
"Rick," he said. "When you stop being a nervous wreck, you can join the interrogation."
Rick's face went red in embarrassment.
"I—I'm not a nervous wreck."
"You're shaking like a broken fan," Ares stated bluntly. That guy had no filter whatsoever.
Rick immediately looked down at his own hands. They really were shaking so he quickly put them behind his back.
Axel let out a small exhale, trying not to laugh at the situation.
Kinsey finally straightened her back and switched her expression like she flicked on a different face.
"I wasn't stalking anybody," she said firmly. "I went to the library to do research. That's all. Now move, you're blocking my way."
Ares blinked once then he laughed.
It wasn't loud, but it carried enough sarcasm to fill the entire hallway.
"That's a lie," he said. "A big one. I know how cunning you humans are. I can smell one when I see one."
Kinsey's eyes twitched. "Aren't you a human?"
Axel rubbed the back of his neck. Rick tried to look brave again, the air was growing tense like something was about to break.
But before anyone could speak again, a new voice cut in.
"Leave her alone. Why don't you pick on someone your own size."
Every head turned at once.
A teenage girl was walking toward them, tall, confident, and carrying an expression that somehow looked bored and fully alive at the same time. Her hair was a striking silver, bright enough to catch the light even indoors.
Ares didn't react with anger or annoyance. Instead, he grinned.
"Well well," he said, folding his arms. "If it isn't Lady Thor herself. Guess the band's back together…"