Chapter 112: Sera Valcrest And Mei Ren

Words : 1088 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 112: Sera Valcrest And Mei Ren Three days had passed since the last real conversation at the Nocturne mansion. Since Velmora’s quiet moment of comfort with Ethan, and Elowen’s teasing remarks about missed invitations, things had returned to a calmer rhythm. The mansion had gone quiet again, for the most part. Meals were less eventful. The sisters were busy with their own responsibilities. And Ethan, while surrounded by love and chaos every day, had managed to steal a few moments of peace here and there. But today wasn’t one of those moments. Today was different. The first day of the simulations had finally arrived. Ethan sat quietly in his seat near the end of the classroom with the window close by, tapping the edge of his tablet as he watched the virtual map displayed on the front wall. It was a detailed projection of the training zone they’d be entering—dense forest, uneven cliffs, natural obstacles, and a few open clearings marked with faint red symbols for spawn points. The room was noisier than usual. Students whispered, some nervously, others with excitement. Some joked, others kept quiet. The buzz of anticipation was everywhere. At Ethan’s side, the seats were empty. That wasn’t surprising. He already knew he wouldn’t be paired with the twins. They had told him earlier that morning with twin pouts and half-hearted grumbling. Evelyn had sighed and said something about "spreading out the power," while Everly dramatically clutched her chest and declared betrayal. But in the end, they understood. The school wasn’t going to let the top-ranked students work together. It would be too easy, and it wouldn’t help them grow. So, now they were in separate corners of the room, talking to the students they had been grouped with. Ethan could still feel them glancing his way now and then. He didn’t mind. It was comforting, in a quiet way. At the front of the class, Mr. Halden tapped his tablet and looked up. "Alright," he said, loud enough to bring the chatter down. "Let’s go over team structures for today’s simulation." The room shifted instantly. Backs straightened. Eyes focused. "Most teams will have four people. We tried to make sure every group had a good mix of power types—offense, defense, support, and recon. Some groups may be a little heavier on one side, but nothing unbalanced." He glanced at Ethan. "Except one." A pause followed. All eyes turned toward him. "Ethan Nocturne," Halden said calmly, "due to the nature of your abilities and prior performance records, your team will have three members instead of four. You, and two other students." The room didn’t burst into gasps—but it might as well have. A few people started whispering immediately. "That makes sense..." "He did crush Lucas without trying..." "He doesn’t need a full team..." Lucas, who sat two rows from the back, didn’t say a word. Neither did his group of friends. They looked straight ahead, faces blank, trying not to be noticed. A few students glanced at them with interest, maybe hoping for a reaction, but there wasn’t one. Ethan didn’t look their way, either. Mr. Halden continued. "For balance and learning purposes, your teammates were selected based on behavioral records and power diversity, not just raw strength." Ethan nodded once. "Understood." Halden tapped again. "Group A-3: Ethan Nocturne, Sera Valcrest, and Mei Ren." Two names popped up on the screen. Ethan blinked. He recognized them—barely. Both were quiet girls who didn’t talk much during class. Sera Valcrest was the quiet one with long hair and a glowing crescent hairpin. She was always near the back of the class, eyes down, movements neat and measured. Mei Ren sat next to her most days. Short-haired, sharp-eyed, and always looking half-done with everyone around her. Ethan turned his head slightly, glancing toward the back of the room. Sure enough, the two girls looked up when their names were called. Sera’s expression didn’t change. She just tilted her head slightly, then gave a small nod. Mei... just stared back with that same unreadable gaze. Ethan held the look for a second. Then turned back to face the front. He didn’t mind. It wasn’t what he expected, but it wasn’t bad either. Quiet people were often the most reliable when things got serious. "Everyone else," Mr. Halden continued, "your team lists are on your tablets. Take a few minutes to find your groups and introduce yourselves. We’ll move to the briefing hall in fifteen." With that, the classroom stirred into motion. Students started shifting around, walking across the aisles to meet their teammates. Some groups clicked instantly. Others already looked awkward. Ethan stood slowly, brushing a hand through his hair. He took one last glance at the twins. They were already in conversation with their assigned partners—two quiet-looking guys who seemed like they were trying not to drown in nervousness. Everly caught his eye and winked. Evelyn gave him a small wave. He smiled faintly in return. Then he turned and walked toward the back of the classroom. Sera Valcrest was already standing, her posture straight but relaxed. Mei Ren remained seated, arms folded across her chest, one leg crossed over the other. Her eyes tracked Ethan with quiet interest. "Hey," Ethan said as he approached. Sera nodded gently. "Hello." Mei didn’t move. "So... you’re the one." Ethan raised an eyebrow. "The one?" Mei stood slowly, arms still folded. "So, you’re the guy who made Lucas punch air like a lunatic in front of the whole school." Ethan gave a small nod. "Guilty." Mei tilted her head, studying him. "That was brutal." Sera spoke softly beside her. "But clean. You didn’t even touch him." Mei’s mouth twitched like she was suppressing a grin. "Let’s see if you can still pull that off when things aren’t so... scripted." Sera looked between them. "Let’s get along," she said softly. Ethan smiled. "Looking forward to working with you both." The three of them stood in a loose triangle for a few seconds. Then, quietly, they sat back down to discuss the map together. Sera pulled up a digital version of the forest zone and traced a finger across the cliff edge. "We should avoid this side. It’s steep, and the simulation AI tends to drop traps here." "Agreed," Mei said. "We should flank through the high ridge. Better sightlines." Ethan leaned in. "Let’s set the trap first. The fake beasts are aggressive. If we bait one to follow and ambush it with combined range from above, we’ll control the tempo."

Chapter 112: Sera Valcrest And Mei Ren

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