Hatred

"The name's Ariana. What's yours?" asked Ariana, now seated at the front, her hand stretched forward for a handshake toward the blonde-haired girl.

"Rizel," she replied, accepting the handshake with a smile—one that didn't go unnoticed by many of the male students seated nearby, and even some of the female ones.

"Sorry for the outburst back there. I just couldn't hold myself back when I saw it was that asshole," Ariana said, her expression dimming for a moment.

"You two seem to have… history," noted Rizel.

"Well, it's nothing really. Just don't let his intimidating looks fool you. He's probably the weakest person in the whole year—heck, in the whole institution!" she chided, satisfaction lacing her tone.

"…Right," Rizel muttered, before Ariana shook her head, regaining her composure.

"So… what level are you? Or is it a secret?" Ariana asked, her eyes flicking to Rizel's bandana fastened over her meta-watch.

"Oh, this?" Rizel raised her arm, chuckling softly. "I just wanted to see if I could make some friends without scaring them off with my level," she smiled wearily, untying the cloth.

"Level 6.8? We're almost the same. So, that means you're a high ranker," Ariana observed, her tone brightening with interest.

"Yep," Rizel said, pumping her fist proudly. "…H-how about you?" she asked, though a bit hesitant.

"Me?" Ariana smirked and proceeded to show her meta-watch.

"Level 7?" Rizel blurted out, quite surprised.

"Of course," Ariana said with a proud smile. "You didn't think you were the only high ranker around, did you?" she laughed, her tone teasing.

Both of them were like works of art, their presence radiating an unmatched beauty that made many feel inferior just by being in the same room.

"Alright, how about I call you Zelly?" Ariana asked, grinning mischievously.

"Zelly? Isn't that too weird?" Rizel raised an eyebrow, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Nonsense! It's fine. And you can call me Aria or Ria—whatever you like," said Ariana with a carefree, casual demeanor.

"Alright. I think I'll call you… Ria," Rizel said, sharing her smile.

They continued their banter as they waited for the other students and the teacher to arrive for class.

"But… when you said that guy—the one back at the elevator—was the weakest of all the first years… what did you mean?" Rizel asked, her voice no higher than a whisper.

"Well, the thing is…" Ariana stretched her arms, her expression turning conflicted. Even though she hated him, probably enough to "accidentally" shoot him in a sparring match, she still couldn't bring herself to reveal a crucial secret about him—something she'd kept to herself for so long, something only a few people knew.

"It's okay if it's something you don't want to share," Rizel said, offering a kind smile.

'ARGH! Why do I even care what happens to him? He can die for all I care,' Ariana thought furiously.

"No, it's okay. Well, it's a problem he's had since he was a child… probably after awakening," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"What?" Rizel leaned in slightly, her curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. He couldn't sense his manacore. It's like it didn't exist—but it does. I don't really know what the cause is, but he's never been able to break through," Ariana explained quietly.

"So… he's still stuck at Level 1?" Rizel's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Well, technically, he isn't even as strong as a Level 1. He shouldn't even be called that. Based on international power grading, he'd probably be considered Origin Level 0," Ariana replied, her eyes narrowing.

"What? But that shouldn't be possible…" Rizel murmured, struggling to make sense of it.

"But that's reality," Ariana said with a shrug. "I suspect it's because of the blessing he awakened."

"What blessing?"

"It's… huh?" Ariana blurted, her attention suddenly shifting as she stood up and began waving at someone, a big smile on her face.

"Who are you—?" Rizel's eyes followed Ariana's gaze, landing on a girl whose ethereal beauty seemed almost otherworldly.

"Isa, over here!" Ariana yelled, trying to catch the attention of the girl, who appeared to be staring intently at a specific part of the classroom. Her expression was void of emotion, but Rizel, with her keen perception, sensed the overwhelming hatred radiating from that menacing gaze.

"Just where is she looking?" Rizel followed her line of sight and froze when it landed on someone unexpected.

"Him again," she muttered under her breath.

It was Lorelle, who appeared to be deep in sleep.