Free Web NovelChapter 34: A Home in the Sky
"Cher Avaron? Oh boy... You really outdid yourself this time. Hahaha!"
Minutes after the confrontation ended, none of the five felt inclined to remain at the stadium any longer.
Cher announced that she would handle registering the team under Silas’s name, reasoning that she understood the academy’s procedures far better than he did. She did not even wait for his response before turning away. Lara followed after her without hesitation, leaving the three boys behind.
Darius immediately nudged Silas, shaking his head with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Silas glanced at his friend. The tension and rage Leopard had managed to provoke had already faded, allowing Darius’s usual easygoing nature to resurface. Silas couldn’t tell which version represented the real him.
’Or perhaps both did.’
"You seem to know her quite well," Silas remarked casually.
Darius blinked.
"I know you grew up in an orphanage, but it’s not like you spent your entire life living under a rock."
He sighed dramatically.
"I bet even Alfred knows who she is."
The two turned toward Alfred. And the latter merely shrugged.
"She belongs to the Avarons," Alfred said. "One of the few clans regarded as royalty in Eldrune."
"See?" Darius pointed triumphantly. "Even Alfred knows."
He then looked at Alfred with genuine surprise.
"Which is actually impressive."
Darius offered no further explanation, yet Silas found himself wondering once again about Alfred’s background. The quiet young man revealed little about himself. And it felt like Darius knew more about him than just his name and ability.
"Just know this," Darius continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "If Leopard is considered a prince, then Cher is the queen."
He winked.
"Getting her onto our team is huge. But why do I feel like I’m missing something?"
Before Silas could react, Darius leaned closer and sniffed at his clothes.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking whether you’ve got her perfume on you."
"Fuck off."
Silas shoved him away, struggling to suppress a laugh. Darius, meanwhile, burst into open laughter.
"I won’t pry," he declared. "Friends don’t pressure each other."
Then an evil grin spread across his face.
"But for her? I’ll keep asking until you spill every last detail."
"Keep dreaming."
Silas turned away. And the three of them continued walking through the academy grounds toward the Fighting class. Since Silas had never attended it before, he simply followed Darius’s lead.
Several minutes later, however, he frowned.
"Why are we at the garden?"
Before them stretched a broad staircase leading into an enormous landscaped garden.
"Shouldn’t we be heading to the Fighting class?"
"No need," Darius replied confidently. "Cher knows what she’s doing. We’ll wait for her here."
"Here?"
Alfred looked around.
"Are we training outdoors?"
Silas shifted his gaze between Alfred and Darius, increasingly certain that everyone else knew something he didn’t. Yet, Darius adopted an innocent expression without making the slightest effort to hide his guilt.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about," he said solemnly. "And if I do, I won’t tell you. Keep dreaming."
He deliberately mimicked Silas’s earlier tone, making Silas roll his eyes.
"Oh, you’re already here."
Before Darius could continue teasing him, Lara and Cher returned.
"We finished the paperwork," Lara announced excitedly. "And we reserved a floating platform for our team’s training."
"Floating platform?" Alfred asked. "Aren’t those expensive?"
Silas looked from one face to another.
"What exactly is going on?" he asked. "Why are we arranging a training ground already?"
"You didn’t tell him?" Lara stared at Darius.
Darius raised both hands helplessly.
"Team training starts immediately," Lara explained. "As for the cost, our second-ranked student used her privileges to secure us a decent floating platform at a reduced price."
She wrapped an arm around Cher’s shoulders, a move that sounded more natural than it made Silas narrow his eyes.
’The two of them are far too comfortable with each other for people who supposedly met only after entering the academy.’
"Come on," Cher said flatly. "We need to go."
Of all of them, she seemed the least recovered from what had happened earlier. The rigid move of her shoulders, the stern expression on her face, and the coldness in her voice made it obvious that Leopard’s words still lingered in her thoughts.
Then something descended from the sky.
"Our ride is here," Lara said brightly. "Perfect timing."
A small shuttle approached at remarkable speed before slowing and settling several dozen meters away. Only then did Silas understand why they had come to the garden.
They were boarding a shuttle to reach their team’s floating platform.
He vaguely recalled hearing that the academy’s top-ranked students received personal transport vessels. At the time, he had dismissed the information without much thought. Now, standing before one of them, it felt considerably more real.
The five boarded the shuttle. Moments later, it soared into the sky.
Even if Silas boarded two flying ships before, actually four if he counted the time he lost consciousness after taking the core and the pod he landed with to attend the test. Yet none of those experiences could compare to this.
The shuttle was small. But it belonged to them.
According to Lara and Darius’ increasingly excited discussion, this would serve as their team’s official means of transport during future assignments beyond the academy.
Silas found himself sharing their excitement. That excitement only deepened when their destination finally came into view.
From the ground, the floating platforms had always appeared to him as little more than metal circles suspended among the clouds, large enough to accommodate a handful of Enhancers.
Reality proved otherwise. Viewed through the shuttle’s window, the platform resembled an entire district floating in the sky. It was enormous, easily large enough to host hundreds of Enhancers and no smaller than the stadium they had just left behind.
A semi-translucent dome enclosed the platform. Through it, Silas could make out residential buildings, training halls equipped with specialised facilities, and even a healing centre dedicated to treating injuries sustained during practice.
"...and over there is the Board of Achievement," Lara concluded after enthusiastically guiding them through every visible landmark. "It tracks the standings of all teams based on the average rankings of their members. The results update constantly, and every platform has one."
Silas immediately understood its purpose. The academy wanted competition to remain visible at all times. After all, few people could tolerate watching themselves fall behind.
"And don’t misunderstand," Lara added proudly, lifting her chin. "Not every team gets one of these. Only four teams got platforms this year. And ours is obviously the best."
"Four?" Darius asked. "Who are the other three?"
As Lara launched into another explanation, Alfred silently observed the scenery around them. His expression remained unchanged, as though he were taking an ordinary stroll through a park.
Silas and Cher, meanwhile, said nothing during the travel. From time to time, they stole glances at each other. Strangely, their eyes met every single time, as though some silent agreement existed between them.
Through the brief eye contact, Silas felt he was much closer to Cher than before. Yet despite that, he still felt so distant.
Silas wanted to ask about her family, about Leopard, and about her father. He wanted to ask and check on how she felt right now. He wanted to say something to make her feel a little better.
Yet doing so in front of everyone else felt inappropriate.
’Besides, it isn’t any of my business.’
By the time the shuttle hovered above the floating platform, both of them had stopped looking at each other altogether. Then the vessel descended. Once it passed through the protective dome and landed, the team finally stepped onto their new training ground.
And excitement filled the air. All until the Board of Achievement suddenly flashed to life, illuminating the current standings of every team.
