Chapter 33: Lunchtime Revelations
Max's footsteps reverberated through the bustling hallways as he made his way to the cafeteria, his anticipation for lunch with Emily fueling his excitement. Although the encounter with Alex lingered in his mind, he pushed aside any doubts and focused on the budding connection he felt with Emily.
Upon entering the cafeteria, Max scanned the room, searching for Emily's familiar figure. There she sat, at a table near the window, her radiant smile illuminating the space. Max's heart skipped a beat as he approached her, a mix of nervousness and eagerness coursing through him.
"Hey, Max!" Emily's melodic voice greeted him, warming his soul. "I saved you a seat!"
A smile lit up Max's face as he happily joined Emily at the table.
However, his joy quickly dissolved when he noticed Alex and Jiten taking seats beside him. Max glanced at Emily, his confusion evident. "Why are they here? I thought you wanted to have lunch with me alone." Before Emily could respond, Alex, unaware of Max's comment, turned to him with a smile and said, "Thanks, Max, for agreeing to meet with us. We need your help!"
Max's smile faltered, disappointment creeping in as he shifted his gaze between Emily and Alex. He couldn't comprehend why Alex and Jiten were joining them for lunch, especially when he had been looking forward to a private moment with Emily.
Concealing his disappointment in front of Emily, Max forced a smile and inquired, "Help? What do you need?"
Emily exchanged a glance with Alex, her expression a mix of concern and hesitation. "Max, there's something important we need to discuss," she began, her voice gentle yet tinged with urgency. "Alex, Jiten, and I have made a significant discovery, and we believed it was best if we discussed it together with you because we trust you and you know the person that could help us."
Max, still disheartened, nodded and said, "Alright, I'm listening. What's going on?"
Emily looked at Max with a solemn expression, her voice tinged with urgency and anticipation. "Max, something crucial happened the other night, we were in teras Anatomy class and Professor lucy showed us the sound of a tera and Jiten told us that sound was what he heard in the warehouse behind his house and we went to investigate that night. We went to Jiten's building and saw a warehouse with strange guards running in and out. They were throwing something on the ground repeatedly. Jiten melted a hole in the fence, and we overheard a commanding voice demanding containment. That's when I used my elemental magic to lift a mimic cube and realized it was responsible for the construction noise. Jiten had an idea to deactivate the cubes and record the sound. Alex levitated a cube, to turn off the other cubes and when we did a roar erupted from the warehouse. Later, while running to safety we saw an enigmatic man from the criminal organization Ashen blades."
Max was a bit taken a back and asked "did you record that roar?" Alex nodded and said "yes we did we got a mimic cube as well".
Max paused to think about their situation, and finally spoke "if what you guys are telling is true the people in the city maybe in danger but what could I do?"
After that Emily responded him politely and said "we know you have a special relationship with Bishop Marley and if you could talk to him, we think he has the influence to deal with these criminals".
As Max heard Bishop Marley's name, he became nervous and said, "Bishop Marley is a really busy person. I don't think he will listen, and even if he does, what if what you heard is a fake sound or if there isn't anything happening there anymore? I don't want to look like a fool and risk losing all credibility with him. Sorry, guys, I wish you luck, but I don't think I can help you."
Upon hearing this, Alex and Emily became sad, but Jiten interjected, saying, "Cut the bullshit. What if we do you a favor and retrieve it?" Max looked at Jiten and smirked, asking ironically, "What could you do for me that I couldn't do myself?"
Jiten smiled and replied, "Well, tell me, every man has a price or something they really want"
After hearing Jiten's response, Max remembered something, and his expression and demeanor changed. He said, "Actually, now that you mention it, there's something bothering me. Ever since they announced the date for the end-of-the-year ceremony, a lot of people have been trying to approach me, and it's becoming overwhelming. Coincidentally, I would love to go with Emily. So, here's the deal: if Emily agrees to go with me, I will try to convince Bishop Marley."
Upon hearing this, Alex and Jiten looked at each other and grinned as if they had won the lottery. Emily, on the other hand, appeared pale and glanced at Alex, asking, "Is this okay?" Alex reassured her, saying, "Of course it is! We'll get Bishop Marley's help, and you won't need to worry anymore about that curse you were concerned about. It's a win-win!" For some reason, Emily looked pained, but she forced a smile and said, "Thanks, Max. I will gladly accept your invitation." Max was overjoyed.
Max's heart swelled with joy as Emily accepted his invitation to the end of the year ceremony. A weight seemed to lift off his shoulders, knowing that he had found a way to spend a special evening with Emily. He turned to Jiten and Alex, his determination evident in his eyes.
"Alright," Max declared, his voice filled with newfound confidence. "I'll do it. I'll talk to Bishop Marley and see if he can help. But I can't promise anything."
As the lunch hour drew to a close, Max left the cafeteria with some of his friends, his excitement palpable. Jiten, getting up, said, "I'm going, guys. I need to return the mimic box to Lucy. Bye, Emily. See you in class, fire boy!"
Now, only Emily and Alex remained. "Nice job, Emily. We were saved by your beauty!" Alex said, still happy that everything went well.
"Do you really think that?" Emily asked with a face that showed her unhappiness. "Think what?" Alex replied, confused by his friend's sudden change in demeanor. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?" Alex smiled and said, "Of course, only a blind man wouldn't see it." However, Emily picked up her things, her face still sad and on the verge of tears, and left without even looking back at him. Alex was left alone in the cafeteria, contemplating what he might have said wrong.
Meanwhile, Jiten reached the Teras Anatomy classroom. He entered and found Lucy surrounded by numerous boxes. When Lucy heard someone entering her classroom, she looked up and saw Jiten, smiling at her. "Jiten, why are you here? Did you miss me?" she asked. Jiten smiled and politely replied, "Of course, I missed you." Suspicion flickered across Lucy's face as she paused her work and looked at him. "Did you get in trouble and need my help?" she inquired. Jiten smiled and said, "No, not yet." Lucy glanced at the boxes and urged Jiten to be direct, stating that she had things to do.
Taking a deep breath, Jiten apologized, "Okay, first, I'm sorry. And second, here is your mimic cube." Lucy, upon hearing that, got up and ran to Jiten, thanking him with a smile. "Oh my! Thank you, Jiten. I was looking for it all weekend," she exclaimed, patting Jiten on the head as if he were a good boy. Then, she asked, "By the way, where was this?"
Jiten, anticipating her reaction, said, "Well, I stole it from you last class." Lucy, who had been patting Jiten's head, stopped abruptly, her hand coming down on Jiten repeatedly. "You what?!" she exclaimed, continuing to scold him at length. After Lucy calmed down, she asked why he had stolen the mimic cube. Jiten explained the reason, shocking Lucy. When she had the mimic cube in her hand, she channeled some mana, and a loud roar emanated from it. Lucy's expression turned intrigued, and she continued to play the roar repeatedly. Jiten began to wonder if she was going crazy.
Just as he was about to ask if she was alright, Lucy shushed him and said, "There..." Jiten was confused but listened attentively, and suddenly he heard it too. Multiple small roars followed and overlapped with the big roar.
"What does this mean?" Jiten asked.
"I don't know yet, but these sounds are definitely more significant than they first appeared. Let me be alone to analyze this. And for the time being, no more stealing!" Lucy declared. Jiten nodded and made his way to the potions class where Alex was waiting.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone