Chapter 34: Juniper Rowe

Noah groaned into his pillow at the sound of the knocking. It was too early. Far too early. He tried to roll over and ignore it, but the knock came again, louder this time. Reluctantly, he got to his feet and trudged to the door. He cracked it open. Arlo stood there, blindfolded as always, his smile far too bright for how early it was. "Morning, sunshine." Noah stared at him, deadpan. "Why are you like this?" Arlo pushed past him into the room without answering. "You really do sleep like a corpse, don’t you? I almost thought you’d Devoured yourself by accident." Noah muttered something unintelligible as he shut the door. After learning Devour the day before, he’d had a quick dinner with Arlo, who had wanted every detail of how it had felt like, flipped through his notes until his eyes burned, and crashed hard onto his bed. His body still felt heavy from the drain of casting his first B-rank spell. Dragging himself to the shared bathroom down the hall, he took a cold bath to wake up. By the time he returned, Arlo was already lounging on his bed like he owned it, casually flipping through a folded parchment. "Guess what we’ve got today?" Arlo announced. Noah grabbed a clean uniform from his trunk and began dressing. "Tell me." "Alchemy first, then Theriology." Arlo held up the class schedule like a prize. "I’m expecting potions and exploding cauldrons." Noah stuffed his books, scrolls, and ink bottle into his satchel. "Let’s hope the explosions are optional." Together, they left the room, descending the narrow stairs to the lower floor and stepping into the morning light. As they walked through the campus, a wave of whispers followed them like shadows. Heads turned. Conversations paused. Noah caught snippets as they passed. "That’s him..." "Ben didn’t stand a chance." "Did you hear what he said to the Golds?" There was no mockery in their eyes now. Only respect. And just the right amount of fear. It was strange. Noah had spent so long being ignored or looked down upon that the change felt... unreal. Like wearing a new skin. They reached the cafeteria, and for a moment, the noise inside dipped into silence. Then the chatter resumed, softer, more cautious. As they moved toward the food line, Noah spotted Damien Krell near the entrance. The Silver-tier student froze when their eyes met, and then quickly turned on his heel and left. Arlo laughed at the sight. "Looks like someone still smells burnt." Noah smirked, grabbing a tray. Arlo leaned in, lowering his voice like he was about to tell a secret. "You’ve got a new nickname, you know." Noah raised a brow. Arlo grinned wide. "They’re calling you ’The Reaper’ now." Noah rolled his eyes. "That’s dramatic." "And accurate." Arlo added, grinning. "You put Ben Stanley on his knees in front of half the first years and left him bawling. That’s the stuff of legends." They collected their breakfast, still the same bland Stone-tier portions, and walked to their usual table in the corner of the hall. Noah sat, digging into his food in silence. The stares were still coming. But now they felt different. Like something had changed. He didn’t say it out loud. But deep down, he knew. His time at the bottom was over. With a nod to himself, he dug into his breakfast. He was a few minutes in, and halfway through his tasteless bread when a shadow fell across the table. He looked up. A girl stood there, dressed in a flawless uniform trimmed with gold. She was beautiful, startlingly so. Blue eyes like frozen rivers, skin pale and smooth, and hair as dark as a moonless night. She had a noble air, but the sly curve of her lips suggested mischief. She smiled at Noah. "Hi. I’m Juniper Rowe." Then, without missing a beat, "And I’m your girlfriend now." Noah blinked. "...What?" Arlo choked on his food. Juniper pulled a chair and sat beside Noah like she’d always belonged there. With a graceful motion, she grabbed his arm and placed her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. Noah stiffened. "Wait... what?" "I’ve been watching you, ever since you became friends with Arlo." She said, voice dreamy. "The way you beat Ben Stanley? So heroic. So dramatic. I’ve decided. You’re my boyfriend now." Arlo wiped tears from his eyes, laughing. "Oh, this is perfect. I was wondering when she’d show up." Noah turned to him, baffled. "You know her?" Arlo grinned. "She’s my cousin." Noah’s confusion only grew. "But... your hair... hers... yours is white." Arlo waved a hand. "Different beasts. Different traits. Mine bleached me like snow, hers turned darker than midnight. That’s how it works." Juniper tightened her grip on Noah’s arm with surprising strength, making him wince. "I’ve planned our first five dates." She whispered. "One at the arena, another at the Monolith Garden, then a study session, which ends with me kissing you senseless. You’re welcome." Noah immediately tried pulling his arm away. She held on tighter, cuddling against him like a cat. He was out of his depth here. Too much had happened this week, and this... this was a completely new battlefield. "I... uh... I don’t even know you?" He tried. Juniper grinned. "That’s fine. I’ll handle the relationship for both of us." Noah grasped for a lifeline. "Wait. If you’re cousins... why are you in Gold-tier and Arlo’s in Stone-tier?" Juniper sat up, brushing her hair back. "Oh, that? Arlo’s just like Grandpa. Stubborn. They made a bet." "Family business." Arlo interrupted quickly, before she could say more. "Not important." Just then, from across the room, a few girls called Juniper’s name. She stood smoothly, tugging Noah’s hand before letting go. "See you after class, boyfriend." She blew him a kiss and skipped away like nothing was strange about what had just happened. Noah stared at her retreating figure, stunned. He turned slowly to Arlo. "Your cousin is insane." Arlo nodded solemnly. "Welcome to the family." Then he burst out laughing again. "Better start preparing. She doesn’t let go easily. This is your life now."