The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

A hot knife could tear right through this tension like butter. It was almost suffocating, an air so thick it seemed no one dared to breathe as Aeric and his team emerged from the Mock Dungeon's Lobby.

Aryanne's team came out first. Though some of them appeared tired and annoyed, Linnette and Elara accordingly, Aryanne had a grin on her face because her team had left the Dungeon before Aeric's, meaning she took the points for time taken to clear the Dungeon.

No one was paying her any attention though.

Behind them was Aeric, leading the group, his face stoic, his jaw clenched as though he was intentionally stopping himself from displaying any telling emotion.

Celestia walked beside him, her features pale but composed, still recovering from the chaos that had unfolded mere moments ago. Nyx followed close behind, her eyes flicking warily around the room, noticing the shock on everyone's face including her elder sister's.

Misty and Phoebe brought up the rear, exchanging uneasy glances but saying nothing.

Every Daughter in the classroom was staring at them. Not at the team as a whole, but at Aeric.

Like daggers, their gazes bore into him, laden with confusion, surprise, curiosity, fear, and something else — something resembling awe.

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Even Lady Magda, standing by the Entrance as they walked out, seemed unable to find her voice, her hand resting on her hips as she stared at Aeric who walked past her.

Their footsteps echoed sharply in the silence, the sound bouncing off the marble walls like a heartbeat. For the Daughters in the seats. None of them spoke. None of them moved.

Aeric noticed the stares but did his best to ignore them. His face remained impassive, though his hands clenched at his sides for a moment before relaxing.

Once he arrived at his seat, he stepped aside for Celestia to get in and take her seat first. She did, sliding into her chair and adjusting her gown. Only then did Aeric sit down beside her, then he took a deep breath as he prayed in his mind for the ground to open and swallow him.

'Why do they stare so obviously?'

Nyx walked past him without a word, her usual smirk replaced by a furrowed brow. She made her way to where her twin sister, Nyssa, sat. Misty joined Rosette at the far end of the room, and Phoebe took her place beside her own sister, Linnette, her head slightly bowed.

The silence stretched on after everyone on both teams had taken their seats. Aryanne was glancing around, wondering what was going on. Melina was too nervous to speak.

Finally, Lady Magda cleared her throat, finding her voice at the same time. "Welcome back, Students. Uhm... so it appears that the winner of the training test is—" She pivoted to see.

"We did it!" Aryanne declared, throwing her arms up triumphantly as she saw the points. Rosette smirked, looking at her brother, while Elara and Faelys showed no reaction at all. They both clearly did not have a fun time working with those two.

"The scoreboard doesn't lie!" Aryanne exclaimed, completely shattering the silence now. "I beat you Aeric!"

She pointed to the display orb where her team's score: 252 points, stood tall against Aeric's team's 250.

"We won!" Aryanne's laughter echoed through the room as she turned to her teammates, smiling at them as she'd proven she was right for every decision made inside the Dungeon. "That was a close one, but I guess we're just better."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"No..." Phoebe muttered. She looked down at her lap, her fingers twisting together. A shadow of disappointment crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly as though she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

She felt like she'd disappointed Aeric. Maybe if she had been more serious, or done things faster, they would have left the Dungeon on time and they would have won.

She'd let Aeric down!

Aeric himself remained still, showing no expression at all. He didn't even glance at Aryanne, as if her gloating were beneath his notice.

However, Lady Magda's eyes narrowed slightly. "Aryanne," she said, her tone firm, "where are your beast cores?"

Silence. And then some confusion.

The question seemed to catch Aryanne off guard. She blinked. "What?"

"The cores," Magda repeated, her voice sharper now. "You slayed beasts inside the Dungeon, didn't you? So where are their cores? Did you not harvest them?"

Aryanne huffed, rolling her eyes. "The cores aren't real. None of them were. Why would I waste time gathering fake beast cores that I can't use?"

Magda's gaze hardened, she stepped closer and the room seemed to grow colder. "Nothing in the Mock Dungeon is real," she said slowly, her words deliberate. "Not the beasts, not the Dungeon itself. But if you're going to challenge it, you should treat it the same way you would a real Dungeon. And in a real Dungeon, failing to harvest resources means you've failed your mission."

Aryanne's smile faltered. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Magda said, her voice carrying the weight of finality, "minus fifty points."

"What?!"

The scoreboard flickered, and Aryanne's team's score dropped from 252 to 202. A collective gasp rippled through the room, followed by a smattering of murmurs.

Lady Magda gestured to the updated score. "I suppose that means Aeric's team wins."

"Yes!" Phoebe punched the air, causing her sister Faeryn to look at her. Celestia, who had been so angry about Aryanne winning, now had a satisfied smile on her face. Even Misty broke into a small smile as well.

Aryanne's face turned a deep shade of red, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glared at Aeric. She opened her mouth to yell out some gravely offensive word at him, but before she could speak, Melina placed a hand on her arm.

"Don't, sister," Melina whispered, her voice low and urgent. "Read the room."

Aryanne paused, her gaze shifting around the classroom. Only then did she notice the silence, the way everyone was looking at Aeric.

It wasn't with the envy or disdain like she would want, but with something closer to reverence. She leaned to Melina, her voice a harsh whisper. "What's going on? Did something happen when I was in the Dungeon? It feels like someone died."

Melina hesitated before answering, her eyes fixed on Aeric. "It's him."

Aryanne followed her sister's eyes and looked at Aeric, frowning.

"He killed an Abyssal Terror," she said quietly. "He used physical Divinity. There was a blast, a big one."

Aryanne's eyes widened. "What? Are you... are you being serious?"

Melina nodded a reply. "I saw it with my eyes."

Before she could say more, Magda approached Aeric's table, holding a small vial filled with a shimmering, amber liquid. She placed it in front of him.

"This," she said, her voice still slightly unsteady, "is a Condensate Elixir. It aids in Essence Condensation, allowing for greater control over physical Divinity. It's your reward for clearing the Dungeon."

Aeric stared at the potion for a moment for a while. 'Is it because of what I did that she's given me this? Is she helping me or is she just curious to see the lengths of my power?'

He picked it up carefully. "Thank you," he said, although looking at her skeptically.

Magda nodded, her eyes lingering on him as though trying to decipher a puzzle. When she was done, she turned around and returned to her desk.

'I've never seen so much potential in my entire life. A Bronze Ranked Player, capable of summoning Divinity in its physical form. Oh, I am brimming with excitement and curiosity.'

Rosette, seated far from Aeric, looked utterly bewildered. 'What has he done now? Why is everyone acting like he's a god or something?'

She looked at Misty, who seemed to have some knowledge on what had happened. "Tell me," she said to her.

Misty nodded, then began to whisper what happened to her.

The bell rang and the lesson was finally brought to an end.

The Daughters began to gather their things, each lost in their own thoughts. Nyx shot him one last glance, and Aeric caught the glance. They both knew the deal they had reached and were surprisingly keen on forming this secretive alliance.

Aeric placed his hand over Celestia's shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled. Then together, as everyone — Aryanne, Rosette, Luna, Melina and all the powerful Daughters watched, Aeric sauntered out of the room with his girl.

Lady Magda's gaze followed him still, and once he left, she summoned a messenger orb and called on one of the Disciples.