The Atwaters family is raked in shame and embarrassment. As the first son of the family, Remigius is determined to bring honour to his once prosperous family by aiming to become the prophesied 'Chosen' that will liberate the world of Zeniths, Thesch...
We miss you, mon beau. Your father and Caius wish you the best. I hope everything at the academy is faring well. Tell Yun and Maven I say hello. Write back when you can.
Love, Maman
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Three weeks flew quickly with no progress. With their studies piling onto them, the three had no time for research on the Infernals nor did Remigius ever mention the Ivion incident to Yun either. Remigius's nose was busy buried in his textbooks for hours, though he occasionally took breaks to watch Yun's sword slash the practice dummies on the training grounds.
Unlike him, Maven was adamant about the Infernals. She dragged the two to the school library, scurrying through books thicker than a brick. All the reading made Remigius's head dizzy. His schedule fell into a cycle of studying, eating, then sleeping, reminiscent of the last few years of his schooling but intenser. He couldn't afford to drop his grades, especially with Chosen Week coming up in late winter—Paradise was watching everyone every second.
Even Yun got the hint to not bug him too much when he cooped himself in his room. He spent time with Sonya Estelle. The thought of her next to Yun made Remigius want to pierce himself with his Ivion.
He needed money too and soon. With Winter Lowsun coming, he needed a gift for Caius and Yun. Normally, he would get the cash from an odd job in the streets or school, from writing someone's potions paper to threatening a poor kid's bully with his balisong. Although Remigius was desperate, his level of prestige rose when he entered the academy. Those jobs would not help his reputation. He couldn't be a shut-in delinquent—even Yun didn't know half of the things he did for money. He would find another way.
Yun had picked him up from class, ranting about some story Sonya Estelle told him the other day. As much as Remigius liked his stories, he zoned out any mention of Sonya Estelle's 'long braided hair' or 'freckled skin.' It made him want to shut Yun up. The Estelle twins have been sitting with them for lunch and occasionally dinner. Remigius had enough of their faces, he didn't need another reminder of them.
Thankfully, today the twins weren't at their usual spot, the stone table under the willow tree in the courtyard. Maven sat there, reading a book in the light of the sunrise, barely noticing when Remigius and Yun joined her.
"Nothing," Maven said, slamming the book shut with a groan. "I swear I have looked through every book in the library!"
"The public library as well?" Remigius asked as he allowed Yun to lean against him and loosen his tie. He hadn't visited the library outside the academy yet, but he knew it contained a vast amount of material.
"There's no point. Every piece of literature I've read so far hasn't mentioned the Infernals once."
"Maybe nobody has ever written about it," Yun suggested, fanning himself. Even as the weather grew colder, his body temperature remained hot.
