Elias was so damn pissed.
Putting his feet into his sneakers, he tied his shoes, raising his head back to the mirror and sliding a comb down his black, glossy hair.
Thinking about it, it was high time he got a haircut…
"Hey! Are you listening?! Bestie! Bestie!"
With a frustrated sigh, he turned his face back to the large iPad lying on his bed and leaning against his pillow.
Nina and Eric took up part of the screen, both of them in separate places and with varying expressions on their faces.
Eric looked like he was simply sitting in his room, his fingers lazily prodding his right ear. Although, for some reason, Elias had to admit that his room looked undeniably luxurious.
Nina's background, however…
Behind her were a dozen girls on mats doing various postures, almost like they were practicing yoga.
In some places, some of them were dancing and giggling, a few of them with their Resonance Strings already manifested as they experimented with sounds and tried to produce music.
They were all Apprentices, the reality of so many of them gathered in one place making Elias feel a hint of dread at the looming trials to the academy.
He didn't know there were actually so many of them. As for why they were all gathered together, Elias could only guess that this happened to be some kind of rich party organized by someone within Nina's social circle.
He might have been curious enough to know more about this at any other time, but today was a pretty bad day.
Sitting on the bed while resting his back against the bed frame, he watched as Nina pouted, flicking a strand of her pink hair backward.
"You made us call you first."
Elias scratched his head, mentally trying to understand the thought process of this weird girl. Why was she always talking like they were old-time friends?
"Listen, I am still recovering from a horrifying nightmare. I am barely in shape to even stand on my feet without shaking from PTSD, so cut me some damn slack, okay?"
Nina puffed out her cheeks, about to speak before Eric beat her to it.
Eric clicked his fingers, his eyes brightening as he raised something from under his table and brought it to the screen.
It was a… a teddy bear?
"I have been having nightmares too, but whenever I hug Cushy Paws before I go to sleep, I only dream of sweet stuff, like swimming in chocolate, eating candies…"
Both Elias and Nina turned to look at him, their expressions strange.
Elias tilted his head as he watched Eric rant on, half wondering exactly how this guy was even around his age. Was he, by any chance, frozen for a decade in an ice block before his family unsealed him somehow?
"So maybe looking at Cushy Paws will transfer some of her good luck to you too!" Eric finished, bringing the face of the teddy to the screen.
Elias felt a little lost. "Uhh… thanks?"
Nina clicked her tongue. "Humph! I will accept your excuse, but… but next time I won't let you off so easily."
She broke away from the cluster of girls and sat somewhere quiet, looking at him with bright eyes. "So what are you up to today?"
Elias slid a finger down his hair. "In the next few minutes, I will be getting my ID updated."
She went silent for a moment, then leaned toward him with a smile.
"You are at the Concordia Labs now, right? Are you going to join those Artifact Forgers for the entry trials?"
Elias nodded, remembering the candidates of the Concordia Labs and the numerous equipment they wore on their uniforms like armor.
Even without anyone reminding him, he could tell they were going to be one of the major competitors.
But Elias had no plans of strutting around with them. The moment the trials began, he was going to ditch those guys and go solo. Staying with them was only going to hold him back and stop him from showing the full extent of his capabilities.
After all…
He had quite a lot of plans and couldn't have anyone meddling in his business.
"Yeah, I probably will," Elias said with a yawn, standing on his feet.
He spared a glance at Eric, who was already munching on a sausage, feeling his stomach turn at the reminder of exactly what that stuff was made of.
"Nina, over here! Elara has gotten the smoothie machine!"
Nina turned away from him toward the direction of the voice, turning back to wave at him with a reluctant expression.
"I have to go now. Don't make me call you first, Elias Vava, and you, ermm… Eric Maloo?"
Eric grinned. "Bye-bye, Nina!"
Before Elias could speak, she had already ended the call, leaving only Eric and him in the video chat.
Elias couldn't help but scream in his mind. 'Who the hell is Vava, you airhead? It's Verdan, VERDAN!'
Right then, there was a knock at the door outside, making him turn his head toward the doorway.
Seems it was already time to leave.
Elias began to walk toward the living room, tapping his forehead. "Hey, let's talk another time, buddy. I have to go now."
Eric waved at him. "Yeah, goodbye, Elias Vava!"
Eric ended the call, leaving Elias behind with a vein literally throbbing on his forehead.
'This was definitely done on purpose, right?'
The knock resounded again, chasing away his thoughts as he unlocked and pushed the door open, the sight of Mr. Ferborn coming into view.
He was fully dressed in his suit of armor, looking at his wristwatch with a pensive gaze. The moment Elias opened the door, the man let out a satisfied sigh.
"Morning, Verdan. I believe you had a great night?"
Elias clicked his tongue, quietly muttering to himself. "Great is the last word I was looking for…"
Mr. Ferborn turned back, walking into the hallway.
"Come on, we don't have all day."
Elias hesitated for a moment before clicking the door shut and following behind him. The passageway was quiet, making him realize that most of the occupants were probably already in class.
The process of updating his ID probably wasn't going to take a lot of time, so he would probably be joining the rest of the candidates soon enough anyway.
'Tiny gremlin?' he called mentally, but all that answered him was silence.
This was what he was most afraid of, and he only hoped that this was a joke Elyndra was using to get him to freak out before the test.
But the image of her snoring while lying upside down in the air couldn't help but remain stuck in his mind.
There was simply no way she was asleep even at this moment, right?
He felt his heart nearly fly out of his chest at the thought.
'Damn you, tiny gremlin.'