32 Ascendance of a Mythical Bird

The atmosphere grew heavy as silence prevailed inside the library.

The Student Council Vice President forlornly ventured a train of unfathomable thoughts while his red-haired friend scrutinized him. That is until a rustling sound caught their attention. The young heir, rid of the gloomy murk shrouding over him minutes ago, approached the two with a solemn look.

"My name is Ezekiel, by the way. Sorry for earlier," he blurted out, lacking sincerity.

Much to his and Allen's surprise, Noah only flicked his forehead in reply. Zeke was taken aback by how abrupt and painful it was, caressing the faint patch of red on his forehead before voicing out a mouthful of grumbles.

"That's one sloppy apology. You failed to move me~" the blonde blithely complained, demeanour completely turning a one hundred eighty.

From heinous to friendly, Noah just beamed with a bright grin that Zeke was too baffled and creep out to respond. Allen just heaved a sigh as he watched from the side.

"Mr. Zeke, this is our Student Council Vice President, Noah Altera," he remarked while the blonde continued to show a conceited smile, deliberately miffing the young heir.

"S-Seriously, this school is done for," Zeke nervously commented, already fearing the two-faced rogue.

Then, out of nowhere, a gargantuan silhouette shadowed over the entire place, making the three occupants flinch and look out of the windows in bewilderment.

There, they saw a colossal monster eyeing them with its riveting sapphire irises, engaging in a nerve-wracking staring contest with the mystified boys. Not too long, it eventually fluttered its iridescent wings away and left them dumbfounded.

Zeke, the first to recover from this reaction, jumped in evident zest at this.

"That's my cue! I've got to follow that flappy bird!" he exclaimed, turning around for another sprint.

Allen didn't let him, though.

He quickly knocked him out with an elbow on the nape, leaving him no chance to resist. Zeke was back to hogging the floor, but this time, he also went to dreamland. Allen internally apologized to the Chairman for doing this to his son, but at the same time, he's glad to have finally released his anger. It's for his own sake, anyway.

With that out of the way, he faced Noah and gave a knowing look.

"I'll leave him to you," he blurted out, to which Noah gave a nod, before making his exit.

Left alone, the blonde just sat before Zeke and poked his head with an inexplicable smile, mumbling the words, "And I'll leave Hal to you."

It didn't take long for Allen to catch up with Hal and Eli.

They were running outside, chasing after the summoned creature, when he leaped down before them from the third floor, already transformed. While Hal wasn't that surprised, Eli was utterly disconcerted by how high he fell from. She rushed to him and checked for any injuries, completely forgetting that he wasn't just any normal human.

"I'm fine, Angelica. Thank you," Allen assured, a soft smile gracing his features.

"Since when did you two get close?" Hal asked while looking at both of them back and forth.

"We're not, though?" Eli replied, tilting her head quizzically.

"Really? That's too bad," the red head commented, much to her confusion.

Their conversation got cut off when the summoned creature passed above them.

Its tantalizingly flamboyant feathers shimmer an electric bronze hue. While it flew through the sunlight's scorching heat, it gleamed with a free spirit's unparalleled tenacity and sheer brilliance. It glided through the air with grace and elegance. As it opened its beak again, they braced themselves, anticipating another lulling song.

But then, contrary to their expectations, it didn't sing. This gave Eli an opportunity to scrutinize the summoned creature with a closer view.

Its striking appearance has definitely stood out to her. She recalled reading a forbidden book that had a certain creature with similar features. She also realized that for a while now, this bird did nothing but escape from them, which made her wonder why it won't just enter its Realm. It's as if the summoned creature was aiming to do something there.

A moment later, the mythical beast finally landed on the rooftop of one of the campus's buildings.

"Shall I use my power, Hal?" Eli questioned eagerly while pumping her fists, eyes glistening with zeal.

"That's a great idea-" Allen trailed off only to get smacked on the head.

"No, it's not. Rather than that, can you get the book instead? Just follow my instructions before and you'll be able to open the chamber. As for the book, you'll be able to find it immediately. The front cover of a certain forbidden book glows whenever its summoned creature is currently unleashing their power outside their realms," Hal directed to which Eli nodded in understanding.

With that, she left them behind and dashed towards the library.

Allen, on the other hand, was flummoxed. He realized how much his master changed. First, he finally decided on a day-off. Now, he entrusted one of his biggest secrets to someone who's a complete outsider until recently. He wasn't against him turning over a new leaf, however. If anything, he's very amused since all of these was caused by one person.

"Shall we go after the villain, Your Majesty?" he asked with a knowing smile to which Hal simply nodded.

"You look delighted, General."

"You're just seeing things."

When Eli arrived at her destination, she's surprised to find scatters of cookies and cupcakes all over the ground.

She searched around for any possible intruder, only to find Noah standing in front of a window. Startled, she stepped backward as soon as their eyes met. He then beamed at her enigmatically, which distracted her and caused her to overlook an additional presence on the couch beside him.

"Is there something wrong?" he inquired with his usual amiable smile.

Eli heaved a sigh of relief at this. For some reason, she caught a glimpse of an ominous glint in his eyes when he saw her, which made her nervous for a second. She may have just mistaken it. The Student Council Vice President is always this genial, after all.

"I'm just about to head to the chamber. Please excuse me," she answered before turning to leave.

"Wait, what?"

At this, Noah's voice suddenly turned frosty.

Taken aback, Eli stopped on her tracks and faced him again. His profile was now hooded with animosity, sending shivers through her spine. One minute he looked cheerful, and then on the next, he suddenly turned rigid and looked almost pugnacious.

At this, Eli recalled that the other Champions despise her for being the human vessel of their mortal nemesis. With that, she found herself no longer surprised at his sudden one hundred eighty change in demeanor. Seeing such hostility on an affable and ebullient person who once acted friendly towards her still made her feel crestfallen, however. At one point, she even thought that he's the only one whom she actually had a shot of befriending among the Student Council.

"Stop seducing our leader," he muttered out of nowhere, voice low and gruffly, catching Eli off guard and making her choke on her saliva.

Noah couldn't believe that Hal showed the Chamber of Forbidden Books to someone who's like a parvenu.

He felt indignant for being unaware of such a crucial decision. Hal used to always inform him of any concerning issue or noteworthy detail. As the group's tactician, he's always included in every planning and decision-making. Yet, now, these appear to be no longer of any worth ever since she came into picture.

"The Empress was known for being a temptress with her extraordinary beauty. Were the two of you actually scheming together to ensnare Hal?" he added with a look of contempt while she cringed, face blenching at the thought of her enticing the librarian through immoral means.

"No! Of course not. That's impossible to begin with. Can't you see my lack of sex appeal?!" she retorted exasperatedly, much to his indifference.

"Stop treating us like we're buddies. Don't go running around like you own this place. You already brought us trouble by being that woman's second half. In case you forgot since you're busy acting like some kind of a goody-two-shoes, she's a villainess..." he continued, voice fuming, before stepping closer to the unmoving girl.

Noah then leaned towards her ear, making her breath hitch for a second.

"...And once a villain, always a villain."