Chapter 26: Aftermath

"Of course, I am. But there's something else you must do right now, don't you?" She squinted her eyes and then took out her phone.

"Yes, master. I think it's urgent." Zen took the phone and called his mother. Although he showed nothing on his face, he was restless inside. His mother finally picked up the phone.

"Mom, we need to talk."

After what felt like an eternity, Zen decided that the silence needed a break, 

"Mom, I get that you want to wait till next year, but right now, I'm in this tricky spot, and I'm not even sure what my superpowers are about. You probably have some idea about the crazy stuff I've been pulling off lately."

His mom, Elizabeth, let out a big sigh, as if she was in some soap opera. "Look, I don't want to mess up my plans, but at this point, anything I say now will just be me making excuses. Fine, come home in December, and I'll spill the beans... Oh, and bring your master with you."

"Umm..." Zen hesitated for a sec, his face turning a bit red. Something that his master noticed.

"Yes, yes you can bring that little lass with you too. No need to act like a little child."

"Really, Mom?" Zen wasn't shocked that his mom knew about Evelyn. At this point, he just believed that he'd get answers in the future and stopped questioning everything his parents did.

"You have to develop your sense of trust by experiencing life, Zen. If you say you trust someone, I will trust them too. If it comes to bite your ass in the future, well you have to deal with it then."

Zen just rolled his eyes. He didn't believe for a second that his mom, despite how she was acting for the last few days, would not have already investigated Evelyn herself. But anyways it always feels good to hear this from your mother.

They ended the call Zen gave the phone back to Shreya. "Looks like you're getting an invite to meet the parents."

Shreya, used to Zen's cheeky attitude, replied, "Why are you making it sound like I'm about to be your bride? I mean, I wouldn't mind, but let's take it slow."

Zen, being Zen, said, "Sure, sure, no rush. But you'd make a great bride." Shreya just sighed, used to Zen's playful banter. 

He then left Shreya and headed to his room right away. He messaged Anna and Evelyn, informing them about his arrival and laid down on the bed. He was very tired and his whole body was aching. 

'Well, today was an eventful day. But there was one thing that I have to keep in my mind forever. Losing my rationality and acting on impulse might become my greatest enemy. Today, I was saved, first by that unknown power and then by my master. I should think and act even if the results are delayed. Anyone can take advantage of my instinct of jumping in when my family is involved.'

He was continuously cross examining his actions. In school, he was always at odds with the nobles. But as the school rules were very strict, the most that happened was simple bullying and light violence. Even at his residence area, he only fought with normal humans who were powerful but only in human realms. But now, he will face people with cultivation.

'I cannot handle anyone with high cultivation. They shouldn't be compared with the people I fought before. I was very conceited.'

Like this, he fell asleep.

—------------------------------------------

Next morning, Zen and Anna met after their classes. Zen and Anna almost followed the same schedule so they usually had their lunch together in the cafeteria. As soon as they entered, they noticed that no one verbally assaulted them. Although things calmed down a bit after a few days, they still heard things here and there almost everyday.

Taking their spots at a 6-person table, the buzz began.

"Brother, this is what happens when you defeat someone like Shane."

"Hehe, seriously, it's like the whole atmosphere is different."

"What else do you expect?" Their conversation was cut short. They looked at the direction of the voice and found that it was Tanya in her usual twintails along with the ever handsome James.

They walked to them and then sat in the seats in front of Zen and Anna.

"Since you don't have any friends, you don't know but what Zen did yesterday has shaken the whole academy. Although Shane might not be the top dog, he still holds a considerable position. And you, my friend, ripped his arm off on the ONE day I wasn't around." James was with his colleagues and cousins from his family. As a direct descendant of the Rogers family, he has to stay in contact with all the people from his family. He was really regretting missing the show.

"Yes, check these articles out. These were published by the Media Club this morning. "How did you even do that, Zen? And what's with that strange energy?" Tanya showed the video of Zen tearing Shane's arm apart. Of course the bloodwork and Shane's face was pixelated to avoid any complaints. In response, Zen, nonchalant as ever, just shrugged. "I'm as clueless as you are. It just… happened"

After the video ended, Tanya looked at Zen and Anna apologetically, "I am really sorry Zen, James and I can't interfere in the violence between you guys and any other noble. As the direct descendants of a great noble family, we cannot bare our fangs against other nobles without a good reason."

"And being friends with commoners doesn't count as a good reason, huh?" Anna asked, deadpan. Tanya and James nodded in agreement.

The air got a bit awkward, so Zen decided to break the tension. "No worries. I get your noble struggles. I don't blame you. We're just grateful you're our friends." And he meant it. Zen had zero expectations from James and Tanya. He knew they were nobles first, friends second. That's why he kept his bloodline secrets away from them.

It again made Zen reflect on the oddity of his situation with Evelyn. She never bothered about his weird energy even when she talked to him this morning when he told her about his mom. He could tell she trusted him enough to spill the beans when he figured things out. He never thought he would trust a noble this much.

As they were talking, someone came snatching the empty seat beside Zen. It was none other than Evelyn, with a high-ponytail. She sat down and, without a care in the world, took a big bite from Zen's plate.

"These noodles are legit bombs," Evelyn proclaimed between bites.

"I can make 'em even better," Zen boasted, giving her a cheesy grin. Grabbing a napkin, he casually wiped off the noodle sauce from Evelyn's mouth.

James and Tanya, witnessing this bizarre and intimate noodle spectacle, looked as if they'd seen a ghost. Is this the same Evelyn they knew? Where's the icy, no-nonsense demeanor? Why's she acting like a love-struck kiddo? What on earth is happening? As nobles they have formally met Evelyn on multiple occasions.

They turned to Anna, seeking answers. All she did was nod, like the mastermind behind this sitcom plot twist.

While Tanya managed to wrap her head around it, James was still stuck on one thought: "Die, normie!" He pulled Tanya away, muttering curses at Zen under his breath. Who won't be enamored by Evelyn? And now she was taken away from him by his own friend. The world was an unfair place.

"Oh, by the way," Evelyn said while drinking Zen's juice, "I talked to the vice-director. She's sorting things out. On record, I will be on campus in December, and we can jet off to your place in your master's private airplane."

Zen was just looking at his orange juice getting finished, but as soon as he registered Evelyn's word he woke up, 

"Master's got a private jet?" Zen's eyes widened. "I need to cling to her more. Until now, I've only asked for some research gear, hehehe."

Anna and Evelyn, unimpressed by Zen's plot for world domination through jet-latching, just rolled their eyes.