Lucas surveyed his surroundings with a calm, measured gaze, his eyes drifting over the students—or rather, the spies—who radiated barely concealed murderous intent. He wasn't afraid of these brats, but caution was never a weakness.
After all, they were impulsive teenagers, barely in control of their emotions. It wouldn't do to be caught off guard if one of them decided to act on a whim. And really, what was the harm in being a little more careful?
His gaze then flicked to Elaine, who had lowered her eyes, too flustered to meet his.
She had humiliated herself thoroughly, mistaking his subtle rejections as signals of approval. Now, all she could do was hope he didn't think too poorly of her.
"I have no interest in aligning myself with anyone," Lucas stated firmly.
Elaine's fingers clutched at the hem of her uniform as she nodded, her expression pitiful. Silver eyes welled with unshed tears, turning red at the edges, but her pride refused to let them fall.
She was Elaine Mythrandis. Crying in front of so many people? Unthinkable.
It wasn't the rejection that hurt—she had been raised in the Imperial Palace, where every day was its own kind of hell. But Lucas was her first love. Not only that, but she had made a complete fool of herself before him. His blunt refusal, coupled with the sheer embarrassment, struck her all at once, making it impossible to suppress her emotions.
At this moment, her expression was an unusual blend of pride and humiliation, a contradiction rarely seen.
Lucas exhaled softly. He wasn't one to comfort people, but he also wasn't cruel—not when he had a choice.
"I don't intend to form alliances," he said, his voice calm. "But if we ever need something from each other, we can help."
Elaine's silver eyes shimmered as she sniffed, her voice soft and hopeful. "Are you saying we can be friends?"
Lucas gave a small nod.
Her misty eyes softened, but the sight of them sent another shiver down his spine. He, Lucas Heavenhart—the Celestial God—was actually uneasy because of a brat's gaze. Unbelievable.
Elaine, regaining some of her confidence, smiled and boldly said, "Since we're friends now, let's go out for coffee." The weight on her chest lifted, replaced by a lightheartedness she hadn't felt before.
Lucas sighed again. He had always been—and apparently still was—a people pleaser. He couldn't turn people down, not when he had a choice to avoid hurting them.
'A single cup of coffee won't hurt… right?'
Elaine's triumphant smile only widened as she thought to herself: 'Mission: Seduce Lucas—success.'
Of course, she knew winning him over with a single proposal was impossible. If he had agreed so easily, he would either be an idiot or a terrible schemer.
As the other students watched in stunned silence—some in sheer disbelief, others in quiet despair—their attention was soon drawn to another figure.
A lone student, clad in black, strode forward, his very presence commanding attention. His blindfolded eyes remained hidden, yet the delicate threads extending from the fabric swayed with each deliberate step, like strands of fate dancing in his wake.
It was NOX.
His recent battle with the dean had left Tirius humiliated beyond words, his pride shattered beneath the weight of defeat. And the reason for NOX's confrontation? A simple one—he had come to withdraw from the academy.
And, at the very least, it had been successful.
As NOX advanced, the entire courtyard tensed. His mere presence sent ripples of unease through the gathered students, their whispers spreading like wildfire.
"Is that really him? NOX Ashborn?"
"Yes, that's definitely him… I saw his picture in Virtual Realm Community."
"He's wearing a blindfold… Then the rumors must be true. Did he really accept the Devil's power?"
"The Society just let him go? Even after knowing that?"
"No, you fool. It's not that they let him go. They couldn't touch him."
"The Dark Heaven Clan holds too much power, even in the Lower Realm."
"Then why didn't they just expel him outright? Someone like him shouldn't even be here."
The speculation only grew, each theory more dramatic than the last. But as NOX walked, his path cutting through the sea of onlookers like a shadow given form, he paid them no mind.
His pace was measured. His movements were controlled. His presence was utterly predatory.
And yet—to the shock of all—he did not acknowledge their fearful stares.
He walked straight toward Lucas Heavenhart.
And then, without warning, NOX embraced him.
A collective gasp filled the air.
NOX—the Ashborn, the rumored Devil's vessel, the untouchable shadow of the Dark Heaven Clan—had just hugged Lucas. In broad daylight. In front of everyone.
"Good to see you alive, you selfish bastard," NOX muttered.
Lucas didn't resist. He didn't step back. He simply accepted it. Because, despite how abrupt it was, he understood.
Before their regression, Lucas had made NOX kill him. He could only imagine the devastation NOX must have felt after his death.
But then—realization struck NOX like a bolt of lightning.
He had just hugged a man.
In public.
In front of an entire crowd.
His body went rigid. His fingers twitched. A deep, soul-crushing mortification swept over him, crushing his spine like an avalanche. He immediately pulled away, taking a sharp step back as if Lucas had just burst into flames.
Elaine, who had been watching the scene unfold, felt her entire reality shift.
What… was this?
NOX hugging Lucas? NOX—who didn't so much as brush shoulders with people unnecessarily? NOX—who regarded physical contact with the same level of disdain one would reserve for a flesh-eating plague?
Her silver eyes narrowed.
This was suspicious.
Could it be…?
No. That would be too outrageous.
Wouldn't it?
As NOX struggled to regain his composure, he straightened his posture and cleared his throat. He needed to escape this situation immediately. Then a thought struck him.
A terrible, brilliant thought.
A grin spread across his face—so fleeting that most would have missed it. But Lucas knew better.
And it terrified him.
With calculated grace, NOX suddenly pushed Lucas away, his expression twisting into one of exaggerated righteousness. He jabbed a firm finger at him and, in a voice loud enough to carry across the entire courtyard, declared: "That was not cool, Lucas."
Lucas felt his stomach drop.
That tone. That particular tone.
That was never a good sign.
He had a bad feeling that NOX was about to do something unforgivable again. But before he could stop him, NOX continued with dramatic tone,
"Just because I didn't reciprocate your feelings, you shouldn't go around saying things like 'I won't live any longer.'"
A dreadful silence fell over the courtyard.
Students stared, mouths agape, brains short-circuiting on the spot.
And then—
The entire courtyard exploded.
"WHAT?!?"
"Lucas confessed to NOX?!"
"And he wanted to die because he got rejected?!"
"Oh. My. God."
"This is better than an Imperial scandal—"
Lucas' mind fractured.
His actual soul attempted to exit his body.
Somewhere, in some unknown realm, a god of mischief likely burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, NOX simply grinned to himself as he watched Lucas' once-untarnished reputation crumble into dust.
'I'm sorry, brother,' he thought with mock sympathy, 'I had no choice.'
Of course, that was a lie.
He absolutely had a choice.
But his own reputation was at stake, and there was absolutely no way in hell he was going to let himself take the fall.
And, definitely, definitely, this wasn't petty revenge for that one minor inconvenience—
That one tiny, insignificant, life-ruining moment when Lucas had made him kill him in their past timeline.
Oh no. This was purely about self-preservation.
Though, now that NOX thought about it…
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to make Lucas suffer a little more. Maybe entangling him with a powerful enemy—one that would beat him senseless—would be fair compensation.
Yes. That sounded about right.
With that thought in mind, NOX put on an expression of deep, tragic understanding. He sighed dramatically and, with mock sympathy, added: "We're just friends."
He shook his head, looking away as if burdened by sorrow. "I'm sorry."
Lucas felt his entire existence collapse in real-time.
"Huh?" he croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Elaine's silver eyes gleamed with sudden enlightenment as she stared at Lucas.
So this was why he rejected her?
Not because he was uninterested in noble alliances.
But because—
Because he had already given his heart away.
Everything made sense now.
"No wonder he rejected Elaine! His heart was already broken!"
"He was rejected twice in one day?!"
"So Elaine was just a distraction?!"
Elaine's face turned red.
Lucas, on the verge of actual death, turned to her in sheer desperation. "It's— It's not— That's not what—"
Elaine said nothing.
She simply stared at him.
With understanding.
The wrong kind of understanding.
Lucas felt his soul depart for the afterlife. "No, wait. I— It's not like— That's not what happened—"
Elaine's lips trembled.
So he's in denial… she thought sorrowfully.
Lucas ran a hand through his hair, his voice breaking. "I— I like women!"
Elaine's gaze softened with even more pity.
Lucas felt a despair unlike any he had ever known.
Meanwhile, NOX stood with his arms crossed, watching as Lucas' life crumbled into comedic ruin.
And he was absolutely losing it—not with anger, not with regret, but with the sheer, unfiltered joy of watching karma do its work.
Because this selfish bastard deserved every second of it.
NOX still remembered the hell Lucas had put him through in their past life. The frustration. The agony. The sheer, mind-breaking nonsense.
But this time?
Oh, this time would be different.
With his future knowledge and his system backing him, NOX wasn't just going to get even—he was going to personally escort Lucas into a lifetime of misfortune.
He almost laughed out loud, his grin widening as he imagined the beautiful disasters awaiting Lucas in the days to come.
This was going to be so much fun.
Nearby, Elaine let out a long, defeated sigh.
Her first love—the one she had once admired as a noble, dignified man—had just been publicly outed by his own best friend.
She couldn't fight it anymore.
Lucas was no longer in the "potential boyfriend" category.
He was now firmly placed in the "best friend who needs emotional support" category.
A truly tragic fate.
She shook her head, as if lamenting the loss.
Lucas—who was already drowning in public humiliation—caught the motion instantly.
His gut twisted with unease.
'What is this annoying woman thinking now?'
Lucas knew Elaine was an over thinker of the highest caliber. A woman who could take one event and spin fifty absurd conclusions from it in record time.
And that shake of her head?
That was bad news.
Lucas felt a cold chill crawl down his spine.
He had been so focused on NOX's betrayal that he forgot—Elaine's imagination was also a force of nature.
And then, before he could brace himself, she exhaled softly and gave him a look so gentle, so understanding, that he instinctively flinched.
"Lucas, it's okay… Times have changed. You can be proud of who you are… It's not something to be ashamed of."
Lucas blinked.
The words settled in.
And then, internally— He screamed. 'SHE BOUGHT IT?!'
His breath hitched, his entire world crumbling before his eyes.
This was the worst-case scenario.
Just as he opened his mouth to set the record straight, a familiar, infuriatingly smug voice cut in.
"She's right, Lucas."
NOX.
Of course, it was NOX.
Lucas turned, finding his so-called best friend grinning ear to ear, his blindfold shifting ever so slightly as if it, too, was enjoying the show.
And then, just to ruin Lucas' life completely, NOX leaned in slightly and added, "You should embrace your identity. Explore the world with it… and sprinkle your love upon it."
Lucas physically recoiled. His dignity. His sanity. His entire reputation.
Gone.
And then, because fate clearly hated him, Elaine—in complete seriousness—nodded and joined in.
"You truly have a friend who cares about you. No wonder you… loved him."
Silence.
Lucas froze. His mind refused to function. His soul tried to leave his body.
Loved him?
He turned to NOX. NOX was still smirking like the devil himself.
He turned to Elaine.
Elaine was giving him an expression of pure sympathy.
And in that moment, Lucas realized something terrifying.
These two…
These two were completely in sync.
'No. Way. Are they messing with me together?!'
If they weren't, then how the hell were they in such perfect wavelength?
Lucas clenched his fists, feeling the last shreds of his sanity slipping through his fingers. There was no escaping this.
Every word he said only dug the hole deeper. And just when he thought it couldn't get worse—
Elaine sighed deeply and patted his shoulder.
"You're in denial, and that's okay. It takes time."
Lucas almost screamed.
At that moment, he made a very serious decision.
Elaine was now officially in second place on his "Must Avoid at All Costs" list.
The first, obviously, was NOX.
Lucas had always been known for his calm demeanor, even in life-or-death situations.
But these two?
They were a different kind of nightmare.
One tormented him with schemes.
The other with catastrophic overthinking.
And suddenly, a horrifying thought crossed his mind— If Elaine ever awakened a Dharma Seed, her attribute would definitely be— Overthinking.
Lucas felt actual dread.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, he finally gave up and accepted his fate.
With a long sigh, he turned to NOX, who was still wearing that idiotic, self-satisfied grin.
"You're not here just to help me with my 'identity crisis,' right?"
NOX, looking far too pleased, nodded slowly. "Hmm… Let's talk somewhere else."
Lucas dragged a hand down his face.
This wasn't over. NOX would pay for this.
One day.