Azrael stood in his room. The early morning light came through the window. Paul the head housekeeper helped him fix his uniform.

"By the way" Azrael said in a low voice. "What was your name again."

"It's Paul my lord" the man replied. His hands straightened the collar of Azrael's jacket.

"And the maid."

"Lita my lord."

Azrael looked at Paul's eyes in the mirror. "Be careful next time" he said even lower. "If Aunt Ilythia finds out for real trust me you will both be dead."

Paul's hands shook a little. "Yes master Azrael. We will keep that in mind. We are in your debt."

Azrael nodded.

'Poor Paul' he thought. 'She knows everything. You have no idea what she's capable of. And to be honest neither do I. Not really. She would have already planned something for you.'

He felt a small cold thought inside him. A smart idea.

'But it's good. As long as they live I have people in this house who can help me.'

Just then Lita rushed into the room. Her face was red with panic. "Master Azrael. The Matriarch is calling for you. She said to be in the vehicle bay in five minutes or they will leave without you."

Azrael thought about her words. 'They will leave without me.'

He let out a soft laugh with no humor.

Pss.

'Of course they will.'

He turned to the maid. "Fine Lita. Lead the way."

They hurried through the plain white corridors of the mansion. The vehicle bay was a big open space under the house. A single black vehicle sat in the center. Its surface shined under the bright lights.

Ilythia stood beside it. A maid held a large black umbrella over her head to block the fake sun in the bay.

She wore a tight black dress that looked professional and nice. She held a data slate in one hand. Her red eyes looked at what was probably her notes for the day.

She looked up as he came closer. Her gaze went over him cold and checking.

"Brian" she said to the driver not looking away from Azrael. "Where is Selyne. We are already late."

"My lady she will be here any second" the driver replied with a bow.

And then she showed up.

Selyne ran down the ramp. Her silver ponytail bounced with each step. She wore the academy uniform.

It was a clean design. A white shirt with a high collar under a black jacket with silver buttons. Girls had a black pleated skirt. Boys had black pants.

"Sorry Mother" she panted. Her cheeks were red. "I'm late."

Ilythia's cold face softened when she saw her daughter. It turned to a warm motherly look.

"It's okay dear" she said gently. "But I will warn you again. Don't focus so much on your looks. You are already pretty. If you try harder you will get attention from the whole academy. That is the last thing I want."

Selyne puffed out her cheeks. "Mother don't treat me like a child."

Azrael watched them. A bitter thought came to his mind.

'Such a twisted person. If I had been a second late she would have left me here. She probably would have told the driver to run me over on the way out.'

Selyne's eyes moved to him. She remembered last night. The half-open door and the sounds inside. Her face turned bright red.

She looked away fast. 'How can I even talk to him again.'

Her thoughts stopped when her mother spoke sharp. "Let's go. We can't waste more time. Brian start the car."

The doors of the vehicle opened with a soft hiss. It was a fancy four-seater. Azrael went to get in the back but Ilythia's cold look stopped him.

He sat in the front passenger seat. Of course.

Ilythia and Selyne sat in the back.

The silence in the car was thick. Ilythia broke it.

"This is the first and last time I will go with you two" she said in a clear voice. "The academy rules are strict. No special relationships. No favoritism. Professors must hide if they are parents to students."

"But Mother then why break the rule today" Selyne asked.

Ilythia smiled a smart look. "So people know who you are. So no one dares to bother you."

Her red eyes looked at Azrael in the mirror. "And luckily it won't affect me much. Because of him."

Selyne tried to look at him again but turned back to the window.

Ilythia kept talking. "His sister used some connections. She asked me to make it clear just for one day that he is protected by the House of Halloway. So people won't bother him either."

She looked right at Azrael's reflection. "But listen to this. This can only warn people. We can't stop discrimination. The academy has tried many things but discrimination based on race and power is hard to get rid of."

Azrael's mind went fast. 'She's right. Kaelen will face a lot of trouble here. He'll barely get into the top class 1-A. Other races will look down on him as a half-blood human.'

Then a new thought hit him. 'Wait. Did my sister do this for me. Did she actually care.'

The car slowed down. They stopped.

They had arrived.

The Ethereal Nexus Academy was not one building. It was many connected ones. A big area with structures that mixed old magic style and new design. White stone towers linked by light bridges. Gardens floated in the air. Waterfalls fell from them into clear pools below.

'I never drew it like this' Azrael thought. His eyes wide with real surprise. 'This is amazing.'

The House of Halloway was in a city just outside the academy. A place where noble houses from all races had homes. It was a mix of different cultures. A city with many styles.

"You two follow me" Ilythia's voice broke his thoughts. She looked at her daughter. "And Selyne I want you to act more grown-up from now on."

"Yeah yeah Mom" Selyne mumbled. "Is this the tenth time you've told me or the eleventh. I've lost count."

"Because it's important" Ilythia said sharp. "This is not a playground. This is where your future starts."

They walked into the academy. Ilythia led like she owned it.

Selyne tried to keep a cold face but her wide eyes showed her excitement. She glanced at Azrael who looked at other students.

She thought he looked at her. She looked away. A light blush on her cheeks.

But Azrael didn't look at her. He saw a fantasy world real.

He saw Elves with long limbs and pointed ears. A woman with strong muscles and small dragon horns. Vampires with pale skin and sharp eyes.

Then he saw her. A girl with brown cat ears twitching on her head. A long fluffy tail moving behind her.

'Wow' he thought. His mouth open a bit. 'So cute. I want to pat her ears.'

Then he remembered. 'Shit. The story. The cat-girl heroine. The one hardest for Kaelen to win over.'

He was lost in thoughts. He didn't see Ilythia stop. He walked into her back.

He stumbled. He looked up into her angry red glare.

"Sorry" he mumbled.

Selyne covered her mouth. She tried not to laugh.

Ilythia sighed. "The class assignments for you two are on the projection over there." She pointed to a big holographic screen. A large crowd of students gathered there.

"Selyne you don't have to go" she said. "I already know your class. You are in Class 1-A based on your potential and test scores."

Ilythia turned her cold gaze on Azrael. "And you boy. Go check yours."

He made his way into the crowd. He felt excited.

'Most of the main cast will be in Class A' he thought. 'Seraphina will be in Class B. My boosted luck just put me far from them. I need peace. Class A is bad. Class B is still too high. Class C or D. Please give me C or D.'

He pushed through to the Class D section. He scanned the names. His name wasn't there.

His heart beat faster.

He went to Class C. He looked and looked again. No name.

"No way" he muttered. "My luck is at 50 now. It's like a coin flip. Is my old luck from earth still on me."

His worry grew. He went to the big crowd around Class B list.

He squeezed to the front. He saw her name right away. Seraphina Vane.

'As expected.'

Then he kept looking line by line.

His eyes got to the final row.

And there it was.

The last name on the list of class B.

Kaelen.

Azrael stared at the name. His mind went blank for a second. 'Kaelen in Class B. But in the story he makes it to A. Barely but he does. What's going on here.'

He double-checked the list. Seraphina was there. Kaelen was there. But his own name wasn't on B. 'Wait if I'm not in B then.'

A bad feeling hit him. He turned to the even bigger crowd at Class A.

He pushed through. Students grumbled but he ignored them.

He got to the front. He scanned the names fast.

Top names were strong ones. Elves Vampires dragonkin Beast kin.

Then he saw it. Halfway down.

Azrael Ashveil.

His name in Class 1-A.

'No' he thought. Panic rose. 'This can't be. My luck was supposed to help. Not this.'

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