257 Lunch

Zeke exhales deeply, a grunt of pain escaping his lips. 'Who was that? I've never heard of anyone under that name,' he muses, his thoughts swirling as he leans against a tree for support. From his shadow, a hooded figure materializes, the suddenness of their appearance marked by the quiet rustle of leaves. Kneeling before him, they report, "We've covered your tracks, he shouldn't be able to find you." 

Zeke's response is a sharp click of his tongue, a clear sign of his irritation. In a swift motion, he rids himself of his shirt, revealing a physique that's slim yet toned, marred by a severe wound. The cut, starting from the top of his torso and trailing down to his waist, seeps blood, its edges frosted from the attack. He extends a hand, and from the tip of his finger, a drop of pure black liquid emerges. The droplet, falling onto his wound, expands, adhering to his flesh like a sentient slime, halting the bleeding with an almost sentient precision. He sighs, a sound of relief mixed with underlying tension, and dons a new shirt.

"Zero, find out who that man is," he commands, his voice carrying the weight of an order that's not to be questioned. Zero gives a silent nod, their form dissolving into nothingness.

With a casual tilt of his head, accompanied by a push on his neck, Zeke relishes the satisfying pop that echoes a small relief in the tense silence. He extends his hand summoning a magic circle. From the portal, a clone of himself emerges and vanishes into thin air instantly. 'I'll use my puppet to distract them while I find out how they tracked me.'

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

V sits contentedly, savoring his Kimchi Jjigae, the rich, spicy aroma filling the room. 'The ingredients here are fresher than any back in the great empire,' he thinks, appreciating the exceptional quality of the local produce. Lúthien, initially skeptical, hesitantly takes a bite of the stew, her expression one of concealed apprehension. 'I've heard that human food is boring and bland...' But as the flavors burst in her mouth, her eyes widen in surprise, and she begins to eat more eagerly. 'This is delicious, I've never seen a dish like this. It's so spicy, I thought humans had no taste.'

Ardalos, the picture of elegance, consumes his meal with a refined calmness, his demeanor unchanged despite the dish's vibrant flavors. V notices Lúthien's newfound enthusiasm and chuckles, "Lú, take your time, no need to rush it." She nods, slightly embarrassed, "My apologies, I've never had a dish like this. It tastes sooo good," she admits, her previous misconceptions about human cuisine crumbling away.

After a moment, V stands, excusing himself. "Excuse me for a second," he says, stepping into the bathroom and locking the door behind him. Inside, the air shifts subtly as Zeke emerges from a stall, a cold laugh escaping his lips as he casts a sound barrier spell. "Hmhmhmhm..." He menacingly throws a dagger in V's direction, but V raises his silk-gloved hand, transforming it into a shield to block the attack. Yawning, V remarks, "Looks like you had some fun."

Kael, smirking darkly, cleans his dagger with a lick, his eyes gleaming with a sinister mirth. "Hmhmhmhm... Hmmm... that's right, a little friend of yours was looking for you," he taunts, his gaze chilling. V, inwardly cursing, 'Fuck, this bastard has a scary face,' maintains his composure outwardly. "I didn't think they'd go after you this quickly," he responds casually, leaning against the wall with a thoughtful tap of his chin. "I spread a rumor or two regarding you... However, the church shouldn't be this reckless."

V starts off, puzzlement clear in his voice, "I predicted they would go after you in two weeks or so but this is weird..." He taps his chin, lost in thought. 'I knew the church was going to be the first one to act, but with their current state, they wouldn't act rashly,' he muses internally, trying to make sense of the accelerated timeline.

Zeke, breaking the silence, throws V a couple of pouches, his tone icy, "What the hell are you up to?" V scratches his head, a gesture of his frustration, "I was going to tell you in a week when everything will be ready," he admits with a heavy sigh, then sends Zeke a file, outlining a dangerous plan. "I'm going to build a dungeon with all the zombies we have. The plan was for you to lead the adventurers and mercenaries hired by the church for them to discover it... How this is tricky. Did you kill whoever they sent?"

Zeke's laughter, chilling and devoid of humor, fills the room. "Hmhmhmhmhahahaha... Kill? That bastard nearly killed me." V raises an eyebrow 'There is no current official saintess. The saintess in training is currently a senior, and the saint is too weak to match against Zeke,' he ponders, trying to piece together the puzzle.

Zeke, revealing the severity of his encounter, shows his wound, the black goo still encasing the frozen edges. V's eyes narrow, 'Frostbite?' he wonders silently, the pieces starting to fall into place. "Who attacked you?" he inquires, seeking clarity.

"Some guy named Haze," Zeke responds, his tone laced with a cold menace. V's mind races, 'What is going on? Why is he out? What sort of stupid butterfly effect happened? Haze?' The realization hits him hard, the implications of Haze's involvement spiraling into dangerous territory.

"Tsk... We're fucked... If Haze is out of seclusion, he won't stop until he kills you," V states, the weight of his words heavy with a mix of concern and realism. Zeke's glare, sharp and calculating, meets V's eyes as he smiles maliciously, "Hmmm~ Looks like you know him. I looked into him, and I couldn't find anything," he states, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.

V rubs his temples, a gesture of exasperation and stress, 'This damn psycho is giving me that look again,' he thinks, struggling to maintain his composure in the face of Zeke's intense scrutiny. "He's only known to the church... He was in the Frost Lands in seclusion for the last 10 years. We currently don't stand a chance against him. I'm sure he's already arrived here," he explains, laying out the grim reality of their situation.

Zeke can't help but grin, a twisted sense of delight flickering in his eyes, "Hmhmhmhm... how delightful~" But V, ever the pragmatist, shakes his head and exhales a heavy sigh, "Yeah yeah, don't get your hopes up, you can't beat him. I'll figure out a way to get him off your back, but for now, you need to stay in Aerolithia." V paces around, 'Why is this happening? Are they that desperate they needed him to get out of seclusion? Hey system, make a rift back to Aerolithia.'

He turns back to Zeke, trying to impart the seriousness of the situation, "That man can chase anyone with whatever technique he uses. Once your traces are completely erased, he'll be forced to head back to the church." As the rift appears, Zeke steps through, his expression unreadable, pondering, 'It's not a spell. How did he get a skill at his age?' But before disappearing, he warns, "Don't do that shit again or I'll kill you." The rift closes, leaving V alone with his thoughts, "This is going to be a bothersome month."

Returning to Lúthien, V is preoccupied, 'Haze isn't the real issue, if he's out of seclusion that means he killed the snow giant. The snow giant isn't supposed to die for another year and a half. The snow giant's lair is an ancient ruin that has something I need. The church will keep it a secret, so I have... roughly 8 months before they find the schematics.' Lost in his thoughts, he barely notices his empty plate until he sees Lúthien, her cheeks bulging with food.

Their eyes meet, a moment of silent, awkward communication passing between them before she swallows with difficulty. She offers a sheepish apology, "S-sorry..." her voice barely above a whisper, laden with guilt, 'Oh no, I hope he doesn't get mad, I just couldn't help myself.'

Ardalos, oblivious to the tension, casually remarks while playing with a bird, "Don't leave food unattended around her, or she'll eat it the second you look away." V exhales, a resigned sigh, his frustrations momentarily redirected, 'I guess I'll eat with Isadora.'

-

V sits on the kitchen counter in his dorm, an air of resignation surrounding him as he leans his head against the cool surface. "Okay, so I invited Isadora," he states, gesturing towards Isadora who is nonchalantly munching on some food, her expression as unreadable as ever. "Obviously Lysandra, I don't mind you being here, Sera," he adds, acknowledging Sera with a nod, who looks up and offers a smile, continuing to eat.

However, V's patience wears thin as he stands up abruptly, slamming his hands down on the counter in frustration. "But I never invited you! You! You! You! And You!" His finger points accusingly at Isabella, Aira, Kaida, Oliver, and Uda, marking each one with a surge of irritation.

Isabella, quick to react, stands up, clearing her throat awkwardly. "W-what are you talking about, you said we were going to have a club meeting earlier, s-so here I am," she stammers, trying to conceal the food in her mouth. Aira nods in agreement, "That's right, Isabella invited me to the club meeting," she lies smoothly, continuing to eat her food.

V exhales heavily, rubbing his temples in annoyance. "Tsk, fine. What about you?" he directs his gaze towards Kaida, who nearly chokes on her food from the sudden attention. "W-what, I thought everyone was invited," she sputters out, attempting to recover, "Come on V, w-we're classmates, right?" Her attempt at justification does little to appease V, who clicks his tongue in disapproval and turns to Oliver. 'She's lucky she's an important character.'

Oliver, unfazed, meets V's gaze and simply tosses him a potion, as if settling a debt. "That should cover it, right?" he suggests pragmatically. V smirks internally, 'This guy knows how to make friends,' acknowledging Oliver's straightforward approach.

His attention then shifts to Uda, who looks around in panic. "H-hey, I-I, I-I... Why aren't you picking on her!" she protests, pointing accusatorily at Biana, who is currently embroiled in a food fight with Lysandra. "Give me that, you fucker! How much do you need to eat!? Do you have an endless hole in your stomach!?" Biana exclaims, tugging on Lysandra's hair in a battle over the food.

V turns away, a mix of amusement and resignation in his thoughts, 'She's stuck with me, or who knows how she'll retaliate if I don't feed her.' Accepting the chaos as inevitable, he addresses Biana, "Biana is... she's special." He then raises an eyebrow, looking at Uda, "If you're going to leave, take some food to the others." He hands her a box of food before pushing her out the door and closing it firmly behind her.

V leisurely flips through the notebook while eating, his mind working through the complex theories and calculations, 'As much as Isabella wants to use this theory, this is only one-third complete.'

"Isabella, did you like what I gave you?" he inquires, his attention momentarily shifting from the book to her. She nods, a mixture of appreciation and critique in her eyes, "It's useful, but the mana consumption is high." Demonstrating her point, she raises her hand and casts a spell, conjuring two magic circles that merge to form a magic arrow imbued with both fire and lightning properties.

"Where did you get it?" she asks, curiosity piqued by the complexity of the magic circle. V simply shrugs, an air of nonchalance surrounding him, "I made it." Isabella exhales, a blend of admiration and frustration in her tone, "Don't say it like that, you make it sound like it's light work," she chides, her frustration causing her to chew harder on her food.

She then shifts gears, setting down the notebook, her academic curiosity getting the better of her, "What sort of magic spell formation are we going to research?" She blinks, caught off guard by his question, her mind racing, 'Huh? U-um, I haven't thought about it...' She taps her head, trying to decipher V's intentions, 'Okay, what does he mean? What sort of formation... is he referring to the initial methods of casting?' The thought overwhelms her, 'I'm barely learning those. Don't tell me he already knows about them. How...? I study all day, he doesn't and yet he already created his own casting method.' She cries internally.