Shattered Destiny : Fate

The next day, Ajax, Storm, and Lisa were formally introduced to their new classmates. Unlike their previous school, the West Sacred held a deep respect for Ajax's father, Alex, who had played a major role in building the faction's prestigious reputation. As soon as the introductions ended, many students swarmed around Ajax, eager to ask him about his father's legendary feats. Storm, being his usual sociable self, quickly went off to make new friends, while Lisa stood still, her gaze fixed on someone in the crowd.

There, among the students, was a face she hadn't seen in years—her childhood best friend, June. Overcome with joy, Lisa rushed over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. It had been three years since they last saw each other, and they immediately began catching up on everything that had happened in their lives. When Ajax was finally free from the questions about his father and Storm had made his rounds of introductions, Lisa brought June over to meet them.

June had been Lisa's friend since childhood, and like Lisa, she came from a 3rd class noble family. However, her family had fallen from grace, dropping from 1st class nobility down to 3rd class. Despite this, June was incredibly talented and the beacon of hope for her family's future. However, as they conversed, June's attention kept wandering to Ajax, and she seemed unusually fixated on him.

After the pleasantries, Lisa noticed June's distracted gaze and pulled her aside, asking what was going on. June hesitated for a moment before revealing her ultimate skill. She had the rare ability to see others' mana, an aura-like manifestation of their power. Not only could she see it, but she could also borrow it for a short period, gaining the skills and abilities of her opponent for one minute. This skill made her incredibly formidable in battle, and June confided in Lisa that when she looked at Ajax, his mana seemed far too powerful for someone who supposedly didn't have an ultimate skill.

Lisa, who had always known Ajax to be strong but believed he had no ultimate ability, brushed it off at first.

"He's strong, yes, but not like you," she said. "He just has three abilities and is physically gifted."

But June shook her head. "No, Lisa, it's more than that. His power is beyond what a normal person should have. There's something else going on."

This revelation left Lisa concerned. She knew June wouldn't lie about something like this, and her ability to sense others' power was unparalleled. After class, Lisa decided to confront Ajax and Storm about it. The two boys were hesitant at first, unsure of whether to share Ajax's secret with their new friend, but as they debated, June walked in on them.

Sensing the tension, June decided to open up first, telling them more about herself. She talked about her family's fall from 1st class nobility, her magical abilities in ice and fire, and, most notably, her ultimate skill. She explained how her skill worked and how, in this school, possessing an ultimate skill wasn't as rare as it had been in their previous academy. Some students even had two ultimate skills, and others were known to summon demons to win duels or kill monsters in dungeons to rack up credit scores. "In the end," June said, "all that matters here is how many credit scores you can gather. Ultimate skills are just tools to help with that."

With this revelation, Ajax and Storm realized they could no longer keep the secret. Berry had always told them not to hide things from their allies, and now, Lisa was their friend. After a moment of silence, they finally shared the truth: Ajax did have an ultimate skill—Creation. They explained how it worked and why they had kept it hidden, fearing the attention it might bring.

Lisa listened carefully, understanding their reasoning but still feeling uneasy. After everything was out in the open, June remained suspicious. Her instincts told her that even with Ajax's explanation, there was more to him than they were revealing. Ajax, too, sensed this unease, as Lucius had warned him about June's growing suspicions.

Despite this, June officially became part of their group. While they formed a strong bond, June couldn't shake the feeling that Ajax was still holding something back, and her curiosity only grew the more time she spent around him.

What if he's a demon? she wondered.

At first, she kept her distance, only speaking to Ajax when Lisa was around. She tried several times to convince Lisa of her concerns, but Lisa dismissed them.

"I've not known him for long, just observed him from afar back at Terra Academy, but trust me, he's no danger to any of us. I haven't seen much, but I trust him, even though I have my own suspicions. I just choose to trust him," Lisa explained.

June could clearly see that Ajax was aware she was keeping her distance, but he didn't seem to mind. With how easily he joked and played with Storm and Lisa, June decided to give him the benefit of the doubt—for now.

Still, she continued to spy on Ajax, catching glimpses of him practicing spatial magic, summoning magic doors, and often sitting lost in deep thought. These moments only deepened her suspicions.

But one day, Ajax suddenly approached her.

"Can we talk?"

June hesitated. She wanted to decline but didn't want to seem rude. They sat on a bench by the walkway, the evening breeze brushing past them in silence.

After a while, Ajax finally spoke.

"You're strong, June. I see you, and I get jealous sometimes."

June blinked, caught off guard by his words.

He continued, "I may have a lot of mana, but trust me when I say, I'm really struggling to get a hold of it. But well, it's okay. Thanks for your time."

With a gentle smile, he stood up and waved as he walked away.

June sat there, startled. What just happened?

She stared at Ajax's retreating figure, the conversation replaying in her mind. Was this really the same person she had been so suspicious of?

"But… well… he's human," she muttered.

From that day forward, she slowly began to let her guard down. At first, it was just a wave whenever they passed by each other. Then, brief conversations. And before long, she found herself becoming comfortable around Ajax—though a small part of her remained wary, still unable to shake the feeling that he was hiding something bigger than he let on.