Chapter 63: Cow?
I woke up feeling like I’d been crushed under a boulder. My chest felt heavy—too heavy.
For a second, my half-awake brain genuinely considered the horrifying possibility that a cow had somehow wandered into my room and decided to nap on me.
But as soon as I pried one eye open, the words died halfway out of my mouth.
Because it wasn’t a cow.
It was Belle.
Fast asleep. On me.
Her head rested on my chest, her long black hair spilling everywhere like an ink spill across parchment. The faint rise and fall of her breathing brushed against my skin. Her ever-present blindfold was still in place, perfectly neat even in sleep—because of course it was. Belle could probably wrestle a dragon and still somehow keep that blindfold flawless.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
Then I sighed.
"...Of course."
What was she even doing in my room?
I thought about trying to figure it out, but then remembered something crucial: trying to understand Belle was like trying to teach algebra to a feral cat. Sometimes she was cheerful, sometimes she was air-headed, and sometimes she was a literal demon in human form.
So, I did the only logical thing, shrugged, and accepted my fate.
Carefully, I slid out from under her, moving slow enough that even the gods of mischief couldn’t accuse me of waking her. She made a soft noise, somewhere between a sigh and a small growl, but stayed asleep.
I took a second to look at her, strands of hair falling over her face, the morning light from the window tracing her features softly.
Without thinking, I brushed the hair aside and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.
"Cute," I muttered under my breath before realizing what I’d said out loud
"...Yeah, I’m definitely losing it."
With one last glance at her sleeping form, I stretched, grabbed a towel, and headed toward the shower.
"Alright," I said to myself, rubbing the back of my neck. "Orientation day. Let’s pretend I’m not already exhausted."
The bathroom door clicked shut behind me, steam beginning to fill the air, while Belle, the terrifying, blindfolded menace of an instructor(who never did her duties), continued to sleep peacefully on my bed like she hadn’t nearly given me a heart attack.
When I stepped out of the shower, steam curling around me, I was already half-expecting some plain academy uniform waiting for me, stiff, dull, and regulation-approved.
Except it was different from what I expected, what lay neatly folded on the chair wasn’t just any uniform.
It was mine.
The one reserved for the Apex, the top-ranked student of the first-year class.
The uniform looked like something pulled straight out of a legend. Jet-black fabric that shimmered faintly under the morning light, traced with silver lines that pulsed like veins of starlight. The academy’s crest, the Silver Lantern spilling light into the void, was intricately etched across the back, subtle yet commanding.
And the cape... gods, the cape.
It was black with a midnight-blue interior, fastened at the shoulders with silver clasps. On its back, the Apex insignia was embroidered, a roaring lion surrounded by faint, glowing runes, its mane flaring like flame.
The outfit wasn’t just regal, it radiated confidence. The kind of thing that screamed, "Yeah, I’m that guy."
Then came the final touch: a lion-shaped brooch, polished to a gleam, pinned just above my heart. The moment it clicked into place, the air around me seemed to pulse faintly, like the uniform itself recognized its owner.
Sacha materialized beside the bed in a wisp of icy mist, her tail curling lazily. Belle was still sprawled out under the blanket, blissfully unaware of the world.
Sacha tilted her head at me. "Papa looks cool now."
"Now?" I smirked, adjusting my cape. "I’ve always looked cool."
Sacha blinked innocently. "Mmm... no. Papa used to look sleepy."
I sighed. "You’re lucky you’re cute."
Sacha puffed out her chest. "Sacha knows."
I gave my reflection one last look. The uniform fit perfectly sharply cut, balanced between elegance and intimidation. The lion crest gleamed on my chest, my cape draped perfectly, and my expression said trouble.
Not bad at all.
I turned to Belle, still fast asleep with a faint smile on her face, and gently pulled the blanket over her shoulder. A few strands of her black hair peeked out from beneath the blindfold.
"Cute," I muttered again, before straightening up and heading for the door.
"Alright," I said, adjusting my collar. "Let’s go make an entrance."
The cape flared behind me as I stepped out, Sacha perched proudly on my shoulder like a tiny, smug queen.
First day as the Apex.
Might as well look the part.
The walk from the dorms to the Academy Wing was supposed to be uneventful. Peaceful, even.
But of course, I’m me, so the moment I stepped through the Aetherium gates, that idea died a swift, pitiful death.
The walls shimmered as I passed through, smooth white marble shot through with veins of glowing gray mana. The air inside the wing always felt crisp, charged, alive. The kind of place that made every footstep echo like it mattered.
And right now, every single one of those footsteps was followed by whispers.
"Wait—that’s him, right?"
"The Apex? Sebastian Nekros?"
"Look at that cape..."
"Bro, he looks so cool—like straight out of a movie!"
"Did you see the video of him and the tiger?!"
"That’s not a tiger, that’s his familiar!"
"Oh my gods, he’s so good-looking, I love it."
Sacha, perched on my shoulder in her mini form, flicked her tail smugly. "Papa, everyone’s looking."
I smirked. "As they should."
She tilted her head. "Papa likes attention."
"Correction," I said, straightening my collar. "Papa deserves attention."
Sacha giggled, her little fangs showing. "Papa’s ego big."
I gave her a playful flick on the forehead. "And my tiger’s sass is growing faster than it should."
We passed through the long corridor lined with crystalline lights, students stepping aside as we moved. Some stared openly, others whispered to their friends, a few even pulled out their phones to sneak pictures.
Not that I blamed them. The Apex uniform wasn’t subtle; it practically screamed authority. The silver-lined coat, the lion crest gleaming on my cape, the faint shimmer of mana trailing behind me, it all worked together too well.
Honestly, it felt good.
After fighting, bleeding, and surviving death by mammoth, I’d earned a bit of showing off.
By the time I reached the auditorium, the whispers had quieted into an almost reverent silence. Students milled around, all waiting for the orientation to start, but their eyes kept drifting toward me as I stopped in front of the massive doors.
Sacha yawned softly on my shoulder. "Papa’s famous now."
I smiled faintly, brushing a hand across the lion brooch on my chest. "Fame’s temporary, Sacha."
Then, with a grin, I added, "But style? That’s forever."
The great silver doors to the auditorium loomed ahead, sunlight glinting off their polished surface.
I took a breath, feeling the weight of a few hundred stares on my back, and pushed them open.
Time to see what the academy had planned for its new Apex.