The next morning, the academy was not a school. It was a hive. The news had spread faster than fire. Five men. Found in an alley. Tied up. Broken. Left for the guards. And the only people seen nearby? The new Swiss brawler and the Princess.
When Eiden walked into the cafeteria, the room went dead silent. A hundred conversations stopped. A hundred forks froze halfway to a hundred mouths. The students did not just whisper. They stared. They parted for him, pressing back from their tables as if he was a rabid wolf. The "Devil" Eiden ignored them. He got his food. He sat at an empty table in the far corner. He was a stone island in a sea of whispers.
Then, the main doors opened. It was Emily. The room went silent again. This time, it was a different silence. It was respect. Fear. She walked in, her back perfectly straight. Her friends—Sasha, Luna, Eva—were behind her, but they were just shadows. She walked past her usual table. Her friends stopped, confused. "Miss Cronus?" Sasha whispered. Emily did not stop. She did not slow down. She walked across the entire cafeteria. Every eye followed her. She walked right up to Eiden's table. And she sat down. Directly opposite him.
The cafeteria broke. It was an explosion of gasps and whispers. It was a social bomb. The Princess. Sitting with the Devil. Eiden did not look up from his food. "This seat is taken." "By whom? Your invisible friend?" Emily's voice was cold. Back to the ice. "You're clean," Eiden said. "You're not," she shot back. "You look like you slept in a hedge." "Close." She pushed a small, folded note across the table. It was thick, expensive paper. "My father is here," she said, her voice low. "He's... impressed. He wants to meet the boy who 'saved' me." Eiden looked at her. Her face was a perfect mask. "And?" "And you will not mess this up." Her eyes were hard. "Headmaster's office. Ten o'clock. Don't be late." She stood up. She did not look at him again. She walked away, leaving the entire school in chaos.
At ten o'clock, Eiden walked into the Headmaster's office. It was a huge room. Dark wood, leather books, and a giant fireplace. Madam Cullin was there. She looked nervous. Emily was there. She stood by the window, looking pale and small. And a man was there. He stood by the fire. He was not a large man. But he was the most dangerous thing Eiden had ever seen. He was perfectly dressed in a dark suit. His black hair was perfect. His face was calm. But his eyes... his eyes were black ice. They held all the power in the room. This was a true predator. This was Akuma Cronus.
"Mr. Killian," Akuma said. His voice was not loud. It was soft. And it was terrifying. "Come in." Eiden walked in. He stood in the center of the room. He felt the man's eyes scan him, measure him. "My daughter tells me you were very... brave. You saved her from a terrible ordeal." Eiden looked at Emily. He saw her give a tiny, almost invisible shake of her head. A warning. This was a test.
Eiden played the part. "I just saw her in trouble, sir. I did what anyone would do." Akuma smiled. It was not a real smile. "No, Mr. Killian. You did what no one else would do. The guards found those men. Their injuries were... extensive." He took a step closer. "My daughter's safety is my only concern. This academy has failed me. But you... you did not." "Father," Emily said, her voice a quiet plea. "Eiden was just... helping me get away. The guards handled the rest. It was all so fast." Eiden looked at her.
Akuma Cronus stared at his daughter. Then he stared at Eiden. "I see," he said. He had not believed them. Not for a second. But he did not care. "Brave," Akuma said. "And a liar. Good." He turned to Madam Cullin. "This boy will be my daughter's personal guard. He will be assigned to her. He will follow her everywhere. His grades, his attendance... you will fix them. Is that clear?" "Mr. Cronus, that is highly irregular—" Madam Cullin began. "It is my request," Akuma said. And the temperature in the room dropped. "Of course," Madam Cullin said quickly. Akuma turned back to Eiden. "You are now my employee. You will shadow her. You will be her 'pet,' so to speak. You will report to me, and only me. Do you understand?" It was not a request. It was a command. A chain. "Yes, sir," Eiden said.
Akuma Cronus smiled. He walked to his daughter and kissed her on the forehead. "I will be back in a week," he said. "Be good." He walked out of the room. The power left with him.
Eiden and Emily were left in the office. They were alone. They walked out into the empty stone hallway. The silence was heavy. Emily walked a few steps. Then she stopped. She turned. The "scared daughter" act was gone. The "ice princess" was back. "That," she said, "was the easy part. Now for the hard part." Eiden just waited. She looked him dead in the eyes. "You're no 'brawler.' You're not a student. You don't fight like a boy; you fight like a... demon." She took a step closer. "My father is the most powerful man I know. And I think, for a second, he was afraid of you." She held his gaze. "What are you, Eiden Killian?"
Eiden said nothing. "I don't care," Emily said. "I don't care if you're a demon. I don't care if you're a killer. You saved me. And you saved Martha. Now, my father has chained you to me." "I'm no one's pet," Eiden said. "I know," Emily said. "You're a weapon. And I'm your shield. You need something. That's why you're here. I can tell. You're a terrible actor."
"I'm looking for something that was lost," Eiden said. He kept his voice neutral. "Something... or someone?" Emily's eyes sharpened. She was testing him. Eiden's face was a mask. "Information. That's all."
Emily stared at him for a long, cold second. Her mind flashed to a name. A name her father had spoken, just once, in a moment of anger. A name whispered like a curse. Evergreen. This brawler... this devil... he was here for that. He just didn't trust her. She almost smiled. This was far more interesting than she thought.
"Fine," Emily said. She started walking. "Keep your secrets. You're my personal guard now. If you're going to find this... 'information'... you're going to do it while you're protecting me." "So, we have a deal?" Eiden asked. Emily stopped at the end of the hall. She looked back at him. A tiny, real smile touched her lips. "We have a deal... friend."
Emily turned and continued walking, Eiden falling into step just behind her. He was her "pet" now, her shadow. They turned the corner into the main hall. And Emily stopped so fast, Eiden almost ran into her. "Oh, for heaven's sake," she muttered under her breath.
Leaning against the wall outside the English classroom was a man. He was not a student. He was in his early twenties, tall, and handsome in a way that annoyed Eiden instantly. He wore the immaculate uniform of a British Army Lieutenant. His brass buttons were polished, his red officer's cap was tucked neatly under his arm, and he was clearly trying to look casual. He was failing.
He was very obviously trying to peer through the small glass window of the classroom door without being noticed. "Is he... a soldier?" Eiden asked, his voice low. "He's an idiot," Emily hissed. "And he's, my brother."
At that moment, Emily's friends—Sasha, Luna, and Eva—came rushing down the hall. "Emily! There you are!" Sasha called out. Then she saw the officer. All three girls stopped. Their eyes went wide. They started subconsciously fixing their hair. "Oh, hello, Officer Cronus," Sasha said, her voice suddenly high and sweet. "Good morning, Lieutenant," Luna cooed.
The man, startled, snapped to attention. He dropped his cap. "Ah! Ladies!" he said, scrambling to pick it up. He flashed a smile that was all charm. "Sasha, Luna, Eva. Lovely to see you all. Just... just here on official business." "Of course, sir!" Eva giggled.
"You are not on official business, Maverick," Emily said, her voice flat. The officer—Maverick—winced. He turned to his sister. "Emily! Little mouse! I was just... in the area. Thought I'd check on you. Father's orders." "Fathers in London," Emily said, crossing her arms. "And you're not a policeman, you're a soldier. What 'business' could you possibly have here?" "This is a... a security inspection," Maverick said, puffing out his chest. "To... to check for German spies. Very important. Top secret." "You're stalking her again, aren't you?" Emily said.
Maverick's face went bright red. "I am not stalking!" "You're staring at her classroom door like a lost puppy. It's pathetic. Even for you." "It's... a very suspicious door! Could be... booby-trapped."
Right on cue, the classroom door opened. Madam Elizabeth stepped out. She was holding a stack of books. She was tall, with intelligent eyes, and she did not look impressed. Maverick immediately transformed. He stood up straight, ran a hand through his hair, and put on his 1000-watt smile. "Madam Elizabeth! Good heavens. What a complete coincidence."
Madam Elizabeth just raised an eyebrow. "Lieutenant Cronus. Still inspecting my doorway for 'structural integrity'?" "I... yes!" Maverick said, his charm offensive in full swing. "One can never be too careful. In times of war, you know. These hinges... look suspicious." "They are hinges, Lieutenant. And you are interrupting my class." "Right. Right. Of course." Maverick was deflating. "Well. I was just wondering if you... that is... if you were free for dinner tonight. To discuss... the hinges. And the war. And... other things."
"I am afraid," Madam Elizabeth said, giving him a small, pitying smile, "that I have papers to grade. And you, Lieutenant, have a country to defend. I suggest you get back to it." She gave a polite nod to Emily and her friends and walked down the hall.
Maverick watched her go. He looked like a defeated man. Sasha, Luna, and Eva looked heartbroken for him. Emily just sighed and rubbed her temples. "You are hopeless. Absolutely hopeless."
Maverick's sad-puppy look vanished. He put his 'officer' face back on. He turned and finally noticed Eiden. His eyes narrowed. He scanned Eiden from head to toe. It was not a friendly look. It was a professional assessing a threat. "And who," Maverick said, his voice suddenly cold, "is this?" "He's my new pet," Emily said, her voice bored. Maverick's eyes snapped to his sister. "Your what?" "Father assigned him. He's, my bodyguard." "Bodyguard?" Maverick laughed. He looked Eiden up and down again. "This... scrappy-looking... Swiss? He's supposed to protect you? I thought I was your protector." "You're busy," Emily said, "inspecting hinges."
Maverick stepped up to Eiden. He was a few inches taller. "So. You're the 'brawler' I've been hearing about. The one who took down Balthazar's little gang." Eiden said nothing. He just met Maverick's gaze. "Not much of a talker, are you?" Maverick said. "I don't like it. What's your story?" "He's new," Emily said, stepping between them. "And he's mine. Father's orders. So, you can stop sniffing him." "I don't like him," Maverick said. "His eyes are... weird." "And I don't like your face, but I have to look at it every time you fail to ask a teacher on a date. We all have our problems." "Emmy, I'm serious!" "So am I," she said. "Go back to your base, Mav. Go... polish your buttons. Or something. I'm busy. I have a new pet to train."
She grabbed Eiden's sleeve and pulled him. "Come on." "I'm watching you, Swiss!" Maverick called out. "He's always watching!" Emily muttered. "It's his one personality trait. That, and being an idiot for a woman who is clearly too smart for him."
Eiden was silent as they walked. He had just learned three new, vital things. One: Emily's brother was a high-ranking military officer. The Cronus family had military ties. Two: Her brother was a fool for Madam Elizabeth. A potential weakness. Or a potential ally. Three: For all his "charming idiot" act. The Cronus family was far more complex than he thought. "So," Eiden said, his first word in the whole conversation. "So, what?" Emily snapped, still annoyed. "Your brother... he likes her." Emily stopped and looked at him. "That's what you got from that? That my brother is a lovesick moron? Brilliant. You're a genius." Eiden Answered with a firm yes.
Emily just stared at him, speechless. She was the smartest person in the school. No one had ever, ever dismissed her so easily. She opened her mouth, then closed it. For the first time in her life, Emily Cronus had no comeback. She just huffed, a frustrated, angry sound, and stormed off toward the girls' dormitory, her friends scrambling to catch up.
Eiden watched her go, a small, unnoticeable smile on his face. This was... fun. This was a new kind of fight.
The alliance, as they called it, was simple. Emily would be his "shield." She would use her name, her power, and her father's influence to keep people like Madam Cullin away from him. She would get him access to any records he needed, no questions asked. In return, Eiden would be her "sword." He was her personal "pet," her bodyguard. He would walk her to her classes. He would sit with her at lunch. He would be the "Devil" that kept the other away.
This new arrangement began the very next morning. In Sir Nikal's Chemistry class.
Sir Nikal was a small, bitter man who hated all his students. He looked like he was permanently sucking on a lemon. "Today," he droned, "we will discuss the chemical composition of gunpowder. A timely topic, given the state of the world."
Eiden was in the back, half-asleep. This was boring. He already knew this. He had learned to make basic explosives in the Den when he was twelve.
Emily, of course, sat in the front row, her back perfectly straight. "The primary components," Sir Nikal said, "are sulfur, charcoal, and... can anyone tell me the third?" Emily's hand shot up. "Saltpeter. Potassium nitrate." "Correct, Miss Cronus. As always. Its primary role is as the—" "Oxidizer," Eiden said from the back. His voice was bored. Sir Nikal's head snapped up. He squinted. "Who said that?" Eiden just looked at him. The teacher scowled. "Ah. The new boy. Mr. Killian. And you know this how?" "I read," Eiden said. Emily turned in her seat to look at him. Her eyes were narrowed. This was her class. Her territory.
"A simple oxidizer," Emily said, her voice cutting, "is a basic answer. Its specific function is to provide the oxygen, allowing the fuel—the charcoal and sulfur—to combust at a rapid, exothermic rate, creating the expanding gases that propel a projectile. The real question is the ratio, which determines the burn rate." "The ratio is seventy-five, fifteen, ten," Eiden said, not even looking up. He was cleaning his fingernails with a small wood chip. "But that's inefficient. It's a 'Class A' explosive, but it's slow. If you really want power, you need a high-explosive compound. Something like RDX. Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine."
The class was dead silent. Sir Nikal's jaw was open. Emily was staring at Eiden. That wasn't in any textbook. "And... how... do you know that, Mr. Killian?" Sir Nikal stammered. "I read," Eiden said again, flicking the wood chip away. "A lot." Emily's eyes flashed. It was a challenge. Game on.
Next was Sir Edward's Science class. Sir Edward was a young, excitable man who loved physics. "Today, class, we discuss vectors! Force, velocity, and trajectory! The building blocks of motion!" He was drawing arrows all over the chalkboard. "Now, if a cannon fires a ball at a thirty-degree angle with an initial velocity of one hundred meters per second, how far will it travel, ignoring air resistance?"
A dozen hands went up. "Mr. Harry!" Sir Edward said, pointing to a boy with glasses. "Uh... you use the sine of the angle... times the velocity... and..." Harry stammered. "Close! But not quite!" Emily's hand was up. Eiden's was not. "Miss Hazel!" Sir Edward pointed to a quiet girl. "You have to calculate the 'time in air' first, sir," Hazel said softly. "Yes! Excellent, Miss Hazel! And how do we do that?"
While Hazel explained, Eiden saw a note land on his desk. It was from Emily. It read: Afraid? Eiden looked at her. She was watching him, a smug look on her face. He picked up his pencil. He wrote on the note. Bored. He tossed it back.
Emily read it. Her face tightened. "Sir Edward!" she called out. "That formula is for a flat trajectory. What if the cannon was on a twenty-meter-high castle wall, firing at a target on the ground?" Sir Edward's eyes lit up. "Ah! A complex problem! Excellent! That would require a quadratic equation to solve for 't'!" He started writing on the board. Emily turned to Eiden. "You're quiet, 'brawler.' Is this too complex for you?"
"The trajectory is irrelevant," Eiden said, loud enough for the class to hear. Sir Edward stopped writing. "What? Mr. Killian, that's absurd. The trajectory is everything." "No. The target is everything." "I don't understand," Sir Edward said. Eiden stood up. He pointed at the equation on the board. "You are spending ten minutes finding the answer. Why fire at the target on the ground? Fire at the ground under the target. Destabilize its foundation. The math is simpler. The result is the same." He looked at Emily. "Why solve the problem, when you can just end it?" Harry and Hazel were staring at him, wide-eyed. Emily's smug look was gone. She was... impressed.
Biology with Sir Robert was next. The mood was calmer. Sir Robert was a kind, gentle man. "Today," he said, "we will look at the anatomy of Canis lupus. The wolf." Eiden, for the first time, sat up straight. Emily noticed. She saw the change. He was suddenly alert. Focused. "The wolf," Sir Robert said, "is a perfect predator. An apex hunter. But it is not a solitary hunter. Its true strength... is the pack." Eiden found himself nodding. "They hunt as a unit," Robert continued. "They isolate the weakest. They use complex strategy."
Emily's hand went up. "But sir, isn't the Alpha the strongest? The one who leads the pack alone?" "A common misconception, Miss Cronus," Sir Robert said with a smile. "The 'Alpha' is not a tyrant. He is a leader. He leads with the Alpha female. They are a pair. A team. One is not stronger than the other. One has the raw power. The other has the intelligence to direct that power. Without his mate, the Alpha is just a brawler. He is... incomplete."
Eiden and Emily looked at each other. The air in the room suddenly felt thick. Emily was the first to look away. Her face was slightly pink.
The last class of the day was English. Madam Elizabeth, the teacher Maverick was in love with, stood at the front. She was beautiful, and she had a soft, warm voice. "Today, class, we will be reading a poem. 'Ozymandias.'" She read it. Her voice was perfect. "'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.'"
She looked up. "So. What is the theme? What is the poet telling us?" Emily's hand went up. "The theme is hubris. The arrogance of power. Ozymandias built a great statue to himself, but in the end, time destroys everything. His power was an illusion. Only the sand remains." "Perfect, Emily," Madam Elizabeth said, smiling. "A perfect summary." She looked around the room. "Any other thoughts?" Her eyes landed on Eiden. "Mr. Killian? You've been very... insightful... today. What do you think?" Eiden looked at Emily. She had a small, challenging smile. Go on. Beat that. Eiden thought for a second. "The theme isn't just that power is an illusion," Eiden said. Madam Elizabeth looked interested. "Go on." "The poem says, 'Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!'" Eiden said. "The King was right. He just didn't know why. He thought he was telling other kings to despair at his power. But he was really telling them to despair because their power will also fade. The statue... it's not a failure. It's a warning."
Madam Elizabeth's jaw dropped. Emily was staring at him. He had taken her answer, agreed with it, and then made it better. He made it deeper. "My goodness, Mr. Killian," Madam Elizabeth said. "That is... a college-level analysis. That was brilliant." Eiden just shrugged. "He was a king. Kings don't build things to be forgotten. They build them to send a message. Even in ruins, his message is still there." As the bell rang, Emily walked up to Eiden's desk. The other students filed out. Eiden stood up, grabbing his bag. Emily didn't move. She was blocking him. "You're not a brawler," she said. Her voice was quiet. "You're not just 'some guy.' You knew the RDX formula. You understood the physics of structural failure. And you just... tore 'Ozymandias' apart like it was nothing. You've been pretending." Eiden looked at her. His face was a mask. "I told you, princess. I read." "No," she said, taking a step closer. "This is something else."I am a student," Eiden said. "I'm just... better at it than you." He tried to step around her. She stepped in front of him. "I am the top student at this school, Eiden." "You were," he corrected. A slow smile spread across Emily's face. It was the first real smile he had ever seen from her. It was bright, dangerous, and beautiful. "This," she whispered, "is going to be so much fun."