Chapter 61: I’m the humblest person I know.
The world snapped back into focus in a flash of blue light.
My boots hit marble, the battlefield gone in an instant, no more blood, no more smoke, no more howling monsters. Just the polished chill of the Academy auditorium and the stunned chatter of students blinking back into existence around me.
And sitting proudly atop my head, tail flicking with smug satisfaction, was Sacha.
The little tiger yawned, stretched, and purred. "Papa did good. Mammoth went boom-boom."
I smirked. "You helped."
"Obviously," she said, grooming herself as if nothing had happened.
All around us, students were reappearing one by one, some cheering, others slumping to the floor in exhausted relief. Someone groaned nearby, "Who the hell throws their sword through space?"
I turned toward them and shrugged casually. "You’re welcome for the show."
The guy just stared at me like he wasn’t sure if I was serious. (I was.)
Then, the lights dimmed.
The entire auditorium fell into a hush as the academy crest shimmered to life on the massive screen, a silver lantern spilling light across a sea of shadow.
But instead of the usual welcome speech, the image flickered, then changed.
My stomach sank. Oh, no.
On the screen, crystal-clear recordings of the exam played back: me standing before a swarm of F-rank monsters, whispering a single word.
"Die."
Dozens of beasts dropped dead where they stood, their souls snuffed out.
Then another clip, Sacha, in her tiger form, giving a single lazy look toward an approaching horde. They froze solid mid-charge, statues of ice and death.
The next scene, me and Sacha against the evolved mammoth. The sky split open as I hurled her like a comet, reality cracking under the force. The explosion that followed painted the horizon in black and blue flame.
The room went dead silent.
Someone in the back whispered, "He’s a monster..."
Another voice: "That... that wasn’t human."
I couldn’t help it, I grinned. "Not bad cinematography, huh?"
A guy near me scoffed. "You’re so full of yourself."
I turned toward him, putting a hand over my heart and gasping in mock offense. "Full of myself? Me? I’m the most humble person I know."
Sacha batted my hair with her paw. "Papa lies."
"You too, Sacha?" I muttered.
The crowd erupted in laughter, and even the teachers watching from the sides looked like they were trying not to smile.
Then, the air shimmered at the stage.
A new figure appeared, a woman with long black hair that gleamed like ink, her golden eyes sharp and radiant. The academy’s symbol glowed brighter behind her as her presence filled the room like a rising tide.
Of course.
My sister.
Alectra Nekros, Student Council President, and walking embodiment of "I’m better than you and I know it."
The room collectively gasped as she stepped forward.
She scanned the crowd once, and her gaze landed directly on me.
For a long moment, silence. Then her lips curved into that familiar, infuriating smirk.
"Well," Alectra said, her tone flat enough to sand wood. "My little brother’s at it again. Can’t just take an exam like a normal person — no, he’s got to start a one-man extinction event."
The auditorium erupted with laughter.
I ran a hand through my hair, pretending to be deeply offended. "I’ll have you know, I was defending myself."
"From what?" she asked, arching a brow. "The trees?"
Sacha hopped off my shoulder and perched on my head again, tail flicking. "Papa blew up a forest," she said helpfully.
"Allegedly," I corrected.
Alectra folded her arms. "The drone footage says otherwise."
"Deepfakes," I said. "The media’s out to get me."
The students were barely holding in their laughter.
She stared at me, deadpan. "You flattened a good chunk of a perfectly good island, Sebastian."
"Okay, maybe I overdid it," I admitted. "But to be fair, the mammoth was asking for it."
"How exactly does a mammoth ’ask for it’?"
"With attitude," I said.
Alectra sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You’re impossible."
"I prefer ’uniquely gifted,’" I said with a grin.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "You mean annoying!"
I pointed at them. "See? They get it. I’m famous now."
Alectra shook her head, muttering, "I should’ve switched families when I had the chance."
Sacha tilted her head. "Big sister’s funny when she’s mad."
"Yeah," I said, smirking. "That’s the Nekros family charm — sarcasm first, therapy never."
Then, she turned to the massive screen as the leaderboard appeared beside the replayed footage. My name sat comfortably at the top, glowing in golden text.
The room erupted again, this time not with laughter but applause. Cheers, even.
I folded my arms, pretending not to care. Inside, though?Yeah. It felt good.
Alectra’s voice carried over the noise, smooth as glass. "Congratulations, first years. You’ve survived your first Aetherium field exam. Some of you with grace..."—her gaze flicked toward Annalise—"...and others with catastrophic flair."
I raised my hand. "I prefer artistically devastating."
That broke her composure for half a second. "...Of course you do."
The crowd laughed again, and I could almost feel the shift in the air, the awe, the curiosity, the quiet whisper of new reputations forming.
As the applause rolled on, I leaned toward Annalise and muttered, "See? Perfectly humble."
She gave me a look somewhere between disbelief and amusement. "You’re insufferable."
"Thank you," I said with a grin. "It’s a gift."
As the crowd started to thin out, I stretched and looked toward the massive doors at the back of the auditorium. The air was still buzzing with chatter about the leaderboard and the replay of my fight with the mammoth looping on the big screen.
Sacha was lounging on my shoulder again, tail swaying lazily. "Papa, can we go now? It’s loud."
"Yeah, yeah, we’re leaving," I said, slipping my hands into my pockets.
Annalise appeared beside me, brushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear. Her coat was still half torn from the test, but somehow she still looked irritatingly composed."About time," she muttered. "I’m one monster away from collapsing, and you’re acting like we’re on a field trip."
"Relax," I said, strolling toward the exit. "The exam’s over. You can go back to pretending to be normal."
She rolled her eyes. "I’d rather pretend I never met you."
We were halfway to the doors when something caught my eye, a familiar silver-haired figure near the corner of the room. Nora von Velkaris. She stood out effortlessly, calm and elegant even in a crowd.
Sacha perked up immediately. "Pretty lady spotted."
I smirked. "Good eye, Sacha."
"Please don’t do whatever you’re thinking," Annalise said, already sounding tired.
"Too late."
I veered off course toward Nora, ignoring Annalise’s groan as she followed after me. But as I got closer, I realized she wasn’t alone. Standing beside her was another student, tall, sharp-featured, his blonde hair slightly disheveled, and a faint smirk playing on his lips.
Xavier Evernight.
Another top-ranked student. The kind of guy who looked like he never failed at anything, including being insufferably cool.
Nora was speaking softly to him, her voice even and polite, while Xavier leaned casually against a nearby pillar like he was posing for a painting.
Annalise slowed beside me, muttering under her breath, "Oh, great. Mister ’I-brood-for-fun’ is here too."
I grinned. "Perfect. I was worried the day might start getting boring."
Sacha tilted her head. "Papa’s going to bother more people?"
"Of course," I said. "It’s tradition."