Chapter 31 A price to pay

Words : 1028 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

'Great. He's exactly as insufferable as the rumors claimed,' Noah thought, watching how even Kelvin straightened his posture slightly. Cora, true to form, didn't even try to hide her disdain. She kept her arms crossed, deliberately looking anywhere but at their new team member. The unspoken end of her earlier statement – that she wouldn't take orders from a stuck-up third-year – hung in the air like a challenge. "Micah Reed," he introduced himself unnecessarily, as if anyone in the school didn't know who he was. "I understand we'll be working together for the Cannadah expedition." 'Working together. Right. More like you'll try to boss us around while we actually do the work,' Noah thought, but Lila stepped forward before he could voice his concerns. "We're excited to have you on the team," she said diplomatically, though Noah caught the slight tension in her smile. "I'm Lila, and this is Noah, Kelvin, and Cora." Micah's eyes swept over each of them, lingering just a moment too long on Noah. "Ah yes, the zombie boy. I've heard... interesting things about your performance in practical exercises." The way he said "interesting" made Noah's jaw clench. He looked at kelvin who looked away. This was the bad side of PR he hated. Being the academy's hot trendy topic tended to have its own backlash. "We were just discussing our preparation plans for tomorrow," Kelvin interjected, his tablet still displaying Micah's academic record. "Given your experience with expeditions—" "Oh, I've already drafted a comprehensive strategy," Micah cut him off, gesturing to one of his followers who immediately produced a stack of documents. "I took the liberty of analyzing your individual capabilities and creating optimal team formations." 'Of course you did,' Noah thought, watching as Micah's minion distributed the papers with mechanical efficiency. 'Heaven forbid we contribute to our own survival plans.' Cora's eye roll was practically audible as she received her copy. "How thoughtful," she muttered, the paper crumpling slightly in her grip. "I expect everyone to review these thoroughly before tomorrow's departure," Micah continued, either oblivious to or deliberately ignoring the tension. "The success of this expedition relies heavily on proper coordination and..." he paused, his gaze settling on Noah again, "...following established hierarchies." 'Established hierarchies. That's what he's calling it now?' Noah fought the urge to crumple his own copy of the plan. 'Because being number five clearly makes him our divine appointed leader.' "We'll look these over," Lila promised, ever the mediator, though Noah could see the strain in her smile growing. "Excellent." Micah clapped his hands together once, the sound echoing in the hallway like a judge's gavel. "I have other matters to attend to, but I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow. Don't be late." With that, he turned and strode away, his entourage falling in step behind him like well-trained pets. As soon as he was out of earshot, Cora let out a groan that seemed to come from her very soul. "Please tell me we can accidentally lose him on Cannadah." 'If only,' Noah thought, finally looking down at Micah's meticulously detailed plan. 'Something tells me tomorrow is going to be a very, very long day.' As soon as Micah and his entourage disappeared down the hallway, everyone turned to Lila. "Well?" Cora asked, arms crossed and a challenging look on her face. "Still think we should give him a chance?" Noah sighed. "If this is about yesterday, I'm not interested. Go bother someone else." Raven didn't move. Instead, he did something that completely threw Noah off. He grabbed Noah's hand, bowed his head, and said, "Please take me as your disciple." For a moment, Noah just stared, wondering if he'd somehow misheard. 'Disciple? What is he talking about?' "Uh... what?" Noah finally managed. Raven raised his head slightly, his eyes full of something that looked dangerously close to desperation. "Teach me. I'll follow whatever you say. I'll listen to every word you speak. Just take me under your wing." Noah blinked, struggling to process the absurdity of the situation. "You do realize we're going to the same martial arts class, right? Like... literally the same one. Two days a week. The one we're about to attend together. What could I possibly teach you that you won't learn there?" Raven shook his head, his grip on Noah's hand tightening. "It's different. I saw it yesterday. The way you move, the way you think in a fight—it's beyond what they teach in class. You've got something special, and I need to learn it." 'Is this guy serious?' Noah thought, glancing around to see if anyone was watching this bizarre scene. A couple of passing students slowed, whispering to each other, their curious gazes making his skin crawl. "Look," Noah began, trying to pull his hand free, "I think you've got the wrong idea—" "Please," Raven interrupted, his voice rising with emotion. "I'll do anything. Anything you ask, I'll do it. Just let me learn from you." Noah froze at the word. His eyes narrowed as an idea began to form in his mind, and a wicked grin slowly spread across his face. "Anything?" he asked, his tone laced with mock curiosity. Raven nodded earnestly, completely missing the shift in Noah's expression. "Yes. Anything." 'Oh, this is going to be fun,' Noah thought, the grin widening. He crossed his arms, leaning back slightly as he regarded Raven with exaggerated consideration. "Alright," he said at last, his voice dripping with false seriousness. "But if I'm going to take you on as a disciple, you've got to prove you're serious. And I mean really serious." "I am!" Raven said, standing up straight, his face lighting up with determination. "Good," Noah replied. "Because I've got a... very specific test in mind." Raven nodded eagerly. "Name it." Noah's grin turned downright sinister. "Oh, don't worry. You'll find out soon enough."

Chapter 31 A price to pay

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