After Lorien and Nymera came to an agreement, they didn't engage in any further conversation. Lorien turned to face the window, admiring the view from his seat, quietly appreciating Nymera's silence.
I guess she also likes to enjoy a little bit of peace before class, Lorien mused.
Unfortunately for him, that couldn't have been further from the truth. After striking the agreement with Lorien, Nymera had expected him to at least try and spark some kind of conversation. That's what most guys would've done. After all, she was quite pretty—and most guys wanted to talk to a pretty girl.
But Lorien wasn't most guys.
He had no interest in playing nice with anyone in the academy, and his dislike for people was indiscriminate. Whether you were handsome or plain, charming or dull, male or female—it made no difference to Lorien. His distaste for others was thorough and unbiased.
About thirty minutes later, the classroom began to fill. One by one, students streamed in, voices rising and falling in scattered chatter. Almost everyone who walked through the door cast a curious glance at Nymera. She was hard to ignore, not just because she was new, but because she was sitting beside him—the most antisocial student in the entire academy.
Her decision to sit next to Lorien was social suicide, and they all knew it. It was as if she'd willingly thrown away her social prospects before they even began.
"Alright, everyone, settle down!" a voice called from the front of the room.
The speaker was a man who looked to be in his early twenties. He had a head of flowing white hair that framed his face like strands of snow, and he wore a crisp white shirt tucked into black trousers, the outfit completed by sleek black loafers. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing defined forearms that suggested the rest of him might be just as sculpted.
He stood tall, exuding the easy confidence of someone who knew he had everyone's attention before he even spoke.
"My name is Thalion Hawke, and I'll be teaching your course—Gods and Their Origins." He gave a half-smile, one corner of his mouth lifting. "This course was supposed to start at the beginning of the semester, but the academy had trouble finding a professor worthy enough to teach it." He winked. "But alas! I am here to save the day!"
Lorien rolled his eyes.
He was mildly shocked when the majority of the girls in the classroom giggled at the very dry joke. Some even went as far as to twirl their hair, bat their eyelashes, or throw flirty smiles in Thalion's direction. Thalion, for his part, pretended not to notice—though the faint smirk on his lips suggested otherwise.
Just like that, Thalion became Lorien's least favorite professor.
It wasn't that Lorien had any sort of feelings for the girls who were fawning over Thalion. In fact, he could hardly tolerate them. But there was a certain universal truth that applied to almost every guy: no one liked being in the presence of someone more attractive, especially when that someone had a fan club after a single bad joke. It grated on Lorien's nerves more than he cared to admit. On the brighter side, Nymera didn't look to impressed which made Lorien feel slightly better. It was a good thing to know that all girls couldn't be impressed by a few bits of charming aesthetics.
"Alrighty," Thalion continued, clapping his hands together. "Before we dive into the divine depths of mythology, I'd like to introduce a new presence in our midst."
His eyes found Nymera.
"Nymera Vale!"
Nymera smiled and rose from her seat with a calm grace that suggested she was used to being the center of attention. She gave a small wave and said, "My name's Nymera Vale. I transferred here from Voltira Academy and..."
She paused for a moment, considering whether to say more.
"Yeah, that's all," she concluded and promptly sat back down.
There was a beat of silence before the class offered a light round of applause. Most of it was obligatory. Few seemed truly interested in what she had to say, but etiquette demanded at least a polite response.
"Now that we've wrapped up introductions," Thalion said, pacing slowly across the front of the room, "let's delve into the heart of this course."
He stopped walking and spread his arms theatrically. "As the name suggests, Gods and Their Origins will explore the lives and legacies of the six major gods. We'll study everything from their earliest days, their youthful games and rivalries, to the triumphs and tragedies of their immortal years."
Thalion paused and gave a mock-whisper. "We might even discuss how many maidens they charmed in their prime." He grinned. "Strictly for academic purposes, of course."
A few students chuckled. Lorien cringed.
"Contrary to popular belief," Thalion said, his tone turning serious, "we won't begin with Luxarion, the god of light. Instead, we'll start with his older brother, Chronarion—the god of time and space. He also happens to be my personal favorite, though I assure you, my bias has nothing to do with the fact that he's my parent god."
That earned a few raised eyebrows.
"Unlike Luxarion, who was born from pure light and existed as a god from the moment of his creation, Chronarion had humbler beginnings. He was once a mortal—a scholar in the realm of the gods, driven by an insatiable hunger for knowledge. It was his mastery over the laws of time and space that led to his ascension."
Lorien leaned back in his chair and suppressed a groan.
He had already heard a watered-down version of this story at least half a dozen times before. While he knew this course would go into greater depth than what he'd previously learned, it all still felt like rehashed nonsense. There was something soul-numbing about listening to the same story again, no matter how many new "layers" were promised.
Thalion continued pacing as he launched into an enthusiastic monologue about Chronarion's studies and early days.
"Alright class," Thalion eventually said, spinning on his heel to face them again, "who can remind me how many hours Chronarion spent studying the three dimensions before he discovered the fourth?"
Silence.
Thalion's gaze swept the classroom, eyes flickering from student to student—until they landed on Lorien, who was, of course, staring out the window.
His brow twitched slightly.
With a sudden shimmer of light, Thalion vanished from his position at the front of the room. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in front of Lorien's desk and slammed his palm down with a resounding thud.
"So, uh…" Thalion said, smiling. "What's your name again?"
"Lorien," Lorien replied flatly, his eyes narrowing just a bit.
"Lorien," Thalion repeated with mock friendliness. "Do you care to answer the question I just asked?"
Lorien inwardly facepalmed.
What in the holy mother of cliché?