Chapter 68: Elite Silver
The uniform felt strange on his body.
Holden walked through the courtyard in his new black-and-silver clothes. They felt much different than his old freshman clothes. The material was lighter, tougher, clearly designed for actual combat rather than basic training. A small silver crest was pinned on his chest, marking him as one of Instructor Vespera’s personal disciples.
He tugged at the collar, trying to get used to it.
The reaction from the upperclassmen was immediate. Students who’d never looked at him twice before were suddenly nodding in respect. A group of third years stepped aside to let him pass through a narrow walkway. One of them even muttered a quiet greeting.
"Disciple Voss."
Holden nodded back, keeping his expression neutral. The sudden respect felt weird. Yesterday he was just some talented freshman. Today the uniform alone had changed how people treated him.
He spotted them near the eastern fountain.
Emric and Renna sat at their usual courtyard table. Emric had his notes spread out, but he wasn’t reading them. His eyes kept moving to the empty chair on Renna’s other side. The chair where Lyra used to sit.
Renna had her head down on her arms, her bow case leaning against the table leg. She wasn’t sleeping. Just hiding.
Holden adjusted his collar again and walked over.
"Hey."
Renna’s head snapped up. Her eyes were red. Not full crying, but close. When she saw the uniform, something in her expression hardened.
Emric looked up too. His face was carefully blank, but his jaw was tight.
"Nice outfit," Renna said. Her voice came out flat. Nothing like her usual bouncing energy.
"Vespera moved me to the elite roster," Holden said. "It’s just a uniform. Doesn’t change anything."
"Doesn’t it?"
Renna stood up from the table.
"You didn’t even try."
Holden frowned. "Try what?"
"Stop her! Lyra! You didn’t even try to stop her from leaving!" Renna’s words tumbled out fast, nothing like her normal flowing chatter. "She stood right there and told you she didn’t want to go and you just... you just said it was her business and let her walk away!"
"She’s a noble, Renna. Her family..."
"I don’t care what her family is!" Renna’s voice cracked. "She’s our friend! She’s part of Team Soup! And you just gave up on her like she meant nothing!"
"That’s not what happened."
"Then what happened, Holden? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you got a shiny new uniform and forgot about us the second Lyra was gone."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Holden opened his mouth to respond, to explain, to say something that would fix this.
"Well, well."
A voice cut through the tension.
Cora and Sera stepped up behind Holden. Their black-and-silver uniform matched his, but they wore it like they’d been born in it. They both had the exact same look on their faces. They looked mean and acted like they were much better than everyone else.
"Freshman drama," Cora said.
"How tedious," Sera finished.
They looked past Holden at Renna and Emric with the kind of superiority that only came from years of looking down at people.
"Weak freshman deadweight," Cora observed.
"Shouldn’t speak to Vespera’s elites," Sera added.
Emric stood slowly from his chair. His hands were trembling, but his voice stayed steady. "We were his teammates before you two existed in his life."
Cora raised an eyebrow. "Teammates." She said the word like it tasted rotten. "What have teammates ever accomplished for him? We saw his capability last night. He doesn’t need children holding him back."
Renna’s hand shot to her bow case.
"That’s it."
She yanked the case open and grabbed her bow, nocking an arrow with practiced speed. Her eyes blazed with hurt and fury.
"Say that again. I dare you."
The twins didn’t flinch.
Instead, they both released their auras at the same time.
Crash!
The pressure hit like a physical wall. Rank 2 energy crashed over the courtyard, heavy and suffocating. Nearby students gasped and stepped back. Tables began to shake, and the water in the fountain moved wildly.
Renna’s knees buckled. She was only Rank 1. The weight of two Rank 2, 3-Star auras pressing down on her was crushing. Her bow arm trembled. The arrow in her grip wavered.
Emric grabbed the table to stay standing, his face pale.
The twins smiled identical smiles.
"Know your place," they said together.
Holden moved.
He stepped directly between the twins and his friends.
Then he flared his aura.
It wasn’t much. Just a bit of his actual power. He focused it until it was razor sharp. Then, he sent it directly into the pressure coming from the twins to stop them.
Whoosh!
The twins’ auras shattered against it.
Cora took a step back, and then Sera did the same. They both blinked, looking confused. Their identical expressions broke for the second time in the last twenty-four hours.
Holden’s voice came out low. Nothing like his usual dry humor.
"Take one more step toward her and see what happens."
The courtyard had gone silent. Dozens of students watched, frozen.
Cora’s hand went toward her sword. "You would threaten us? Your own squad?"
"You’re not my squad. You’re Vespera’s problem. But Renna and Emric are my friends. And if either of you ever pressures them again, I will make last night look like a warmup."
The twins stared at him.
For a long moment, nobody moved.
Then Cora dropped her hand from her sword. She exchanged a glance with Sera. Something unreadable passed between them.
"We have a report to file," Cora said stiffly.
"The instructor is waiting," Sera added.
They turned and walked away.
Holden let his aura fade, then turned around.
Renna was shaking. Not from the twins’ pressure anymore, but from something else. Tears streamed down her face. She wiped them angrily with her sleeve.
Emric had his bag in his hands. He’d already packed his notes. Everything was neat and organized, even now.
"We’re going, Renna," he said quietly.
Renna looked at Holden one more time. Her face showed that she was hurt and confused, but she also looked a little bit hopeful. She was waiting for him to say something that would make everything better.
He didn’t know what the right thing was.
Emric put a gentle hand on Renna’s shoulder and guided her away from the table. She went with him, still looking back.
When they reached the end of the courtyard edge, Emric paused. He didn’t turn around.
"We need space, Holden."
Then they were gone.
Holden stood alone by the fountain. The black-and-silver uniform suddenly felt heavier than before. Around him, students whispered and stared.
He thought about what Maeve had said last night.
You’re a genius at tactics but a complete moron when it comes to emotions.
He looked at the empty chairs where his friends had been sitting.
Then he looked down at the silver crest on his chest.
He’d spent his whole life surviving. Calculating risks. Making the logical choice. Keeping Maeve safe. Staying invisible.
And now he was standing in an elite uniform, with power he’d never dreamed of, and everyone he cared about was walking away.