Alec drowned out the sound of Headmaster Donovan's closing speech for the welcoming ceremony for the semester. He sat between Gael and Kreis, unashamedly using them to hide from the stares he was receiving from practically everybody in the auditorium. Being stared at was a common thing and he eventually got used to it. The problem was the stares he was receiving from the students and staff, were mostly different from the looks he received in the past. Looks of hate, anger, fear, and envy were something he was used to. The way the students and staff looked at him...

I get the feeling I'll get swarmed if I get separated from Gael and Kreis.

When he saw a silvery thread extending from the...intellectually challenged draeling towards the student named Rei, he couldn't stop himself from finding out what it meant. He suspected that the thread was an indicator of Bonding between a drae and their Draeyer, and he was proven correct at once.

Although, he was unsure about the details. The thread did not exist the entire time he held the draeling, at least until Rei appeared. To see the thread, did he need to be touching the drae, and did the potential Draeyer need to be in the vicinity? If so, how close did the potential Draeyer need to be? Will there be only one thread, or will there be more for each drae?

Alec was burning with curiosity. Ever since he confirmed that his power leaned towards empathy instead of control, he was eager to learn more about draes that nobody else knew. There were so many things that they did not know about draes, as they were averse to non-Draeyer humans coming to study them. This was a very sad fact, considering how important they were in keeping the Skylands from plunging below the Infinite Sky.

"When are they going to stop staring?" Gael said, pulling him out of his thoughts. He looked to his right and found him glaring at people from the corner of his eye.

"Probably never," Kreis said from his left side. "Alec did do something amazing earlier."

"You just got here! How do you even know about it? It hasn't been an hour!"

"Everyone's talking about it."

"Those loudmouthed kids!"

"Overprotective."

"Stop it!" Alec said through gritted teeth. "If you're going to bicker, don't do it when I'm between you two."

The two stopped talking and turned to him. Kreis looked amused, immensely enjoying the situation. Gael looked both concerned and angry, but mostly concerned. He reached up and patted Alec's shoulder. "Don't worry, Alec. I'll make sure that you won't get swarmed."

So, I will get swarmed if I get separated from these two.

He sighed. Hiding from a crowd of people was not a problem. But he was a staff member of the academy, not a hunter. Escaping and hiding away was inconvenient in so many ways.

Why couldn't I control my own curiosity? I should've just kept it to myself.

But if he had not done what he did, he had no idea what would've happened to the little draeling. Would the baby have Bonded with Rei eventually as was indicated by the thread, or he would not Bond with Rei at all?

He wanted to know.

--------

After the headmaster's closing speech, people started leaving the auditorium. He sighed in relief when none of the students swarmed him like they expected. It was thanks to Gael's cold smile that drove them away. Unfortunately, Gael and Kreis were called by the headmaster, and so he was forced to be left alone with the rest of the staff in the lounge. He sat on a single-seater couch, reviewing Gael's lesson plan for that afternoon all while ignoring the stares.

He could feel the various emotions coming from them about him being Gael Fenrin's "younger brother." Some were just curious and others seemed excited. Most though, were doubtful and could barely hide their disdain for him. It made sense, though.

Someone so young like him, without any significant background just rolled in to take a position that many coveted just because he was "blood-related." He was slowly starting to learn how important Gael really was and how much influence he carried in the academy.

If he was being honest, he could care less about them. Growing up alone, he eventually learned that he did not need to care about what others thought of him. Of course, there were some exceptions like Granny Rey, who terrorized him into accepting her care, and some older hunters he respected. Gael was a recent addition to the short list of exceptions. The people in the lounge were not like them. It remained to be seen whether they would manage to keep his respect.

Chatter between the teachers and assistants floated to his ears, making him briefly pause. He inwardly scoffed at the way they raised their voice as if to ensure that he would hear them. Using his peripheral vision, he decided to watch the show.

"Glad to see you're still here," one of the teachers said to an assistant. He recognized him as Professor Kenan, someone Gael did not particularly like and the one who implied that Alec was a bastard child a few days ago.

"Of course, Professor Kenan," the assistant said, glancing at Alec from the corner of his eyes. "Some of us need to work hard. Not everyone is so lucky enough to have good connections." The people in their little group all laughed in that mocking way, subtly glancing in his direction.

Alec resisted the urge to laugh. The conversation was so childish and petty, like something he read from a third-rate novel. Seeing as he did not react, Professor Kenan just made his voice a little louder.

"What you say is true. Sadly, that's just how the world works nowadays. You need connections for everything," he said. "What do you think about it, Mr. Arden?"

Alec slowly looked up from his papers, pretending to not have heard him. "Pardon, Professor Kenan?"

"I'm asking what you think about people who use their connections?"

The man was not being subtle about it and the challenge in his tone was clear for all to hear. Alec lowered his papers and looked him in the eye. Usually, he would not rise to provocations, but not doing so here would leave a bad impression on the rest. While ignoring irrelevant people's judgmental words made his life easier, it did not mean he was a doormat.

"What do I think? Well, it depends?"

"Depends on what?" asked the teaching assistant next to Kenan.

"Using connections isn't bad when the person in question is actually more than qualified for the job. Competence should always be the primary factor to consider in these situations," Alec said. He turned his head to look Professor Kenan in the eye again. "Incompetent people on the other hand? The way they leverage their connections to secure roles they're not suited for undermines the integrity of the institution and devalues the efforts of those who have earned their place through merit."

Like he did days ago, Professor Kenan bristled at the word "incompetent." He was only taking a guess, but it looked like he managed to hit the correct button that Gael pressed before.

The man tried to hide his agitation with a smirk playing on his lips. "Ah, so you're saying competence is the key factor. But who decides what's competent? Isn't that subjective?"

Alec remained composed, his expression unwavering. "While there may be some degree of subjectivity, competence can often be objectively measured through qualifications, experience, and demonstrated skills," he countered. "Although even with all that, some people would still look down on those qualified. They would call them lucky even though said 'luck' was the result of their hard work. They're just so insecure and childish, don't you agree?"

Alec maintained his neutral expression, inwardly smirking in anticipation at the guy's answer. Surprisingly, he was enjoying the situation a bit. Whether Professor Kenan agreed or not, it would be the same as admitting to himself and everyone in the room that he was an immature little bitch.

Amused smiles flitted to some of the people's faces in the lounge, as Alec waited for a response. Three of those people headed towards him, and Alec recognized two of them as Professor Linan from the Sanctuary and Professor Gravis, his examiner. The last was a woman with warm brown eyes with hair three shades darker than her eyes.

Professor Linan, looking as stern as he first met him, nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right, Mr. Arden," he stated firmly. "It's unfortunate how some individuals resort to belittling others out of their own insecurities."

Professor Gravis, wearing a wide grin chimed in with a nod. "Indeed," he said. "Those who dismiss others' accomplishments as mere luck often fail to acknowledge the dedication and hard work behind their achievements."

The woman with brown eyes, whose presence exuded a sense of warmth and wisdom, offered Alec a reassuring smile. "You make an excellent point," she said. "Insecurity and immaturity have no place in a professional setting. It's important to recognize the accomplishments of others, rather than diminish them out of jealousy or pettiness."

Professor Kenan looked like he took one spear and three arrows to the stomach. The rest of the people in their little group backed off and looked like they would like nothing more than to leave the room. Then, with a very tight smile, Professor Kenan nodded. "This has been a very fruitful discussion," he said. "But I must go and prepare for my next class."

With that, he left the lounge and the rest of his group made their own excuses to leave. Other staff started leaving the room seeing as the drama was over. Alec knew that they would be talking about what happened for the rest of the day. He was already thinking about Gael's overreaction and Kreis' amused laugh.

"You're really Gael's brother. You went for Kenan's throat without hesitation," Professor Gravis said as he sat next to him. Professor Linan sat on the opposite couch and the woman joined him. "How are you, kiddo?"

After what happened during the last test, it was still awkward for him to be around the man. But they had apologized, and Professor Gravis was being...nice in a way by checking on him when they encountered each other. "I'm fine, Professor Gravis. Thank you for asking," he said, voice monotone. "Also, please stop calling me kiddo."

The large man only laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll still call you that outside of campus."

Alec groaned inside. His eyes landed on the woman again when he noticed how she gave him a warm smile. He paused. She looked so kind and someone who freely gives people hugs. But his instincts whispered not to mess with her. Seeing as he was looking at her, the woman decided to introduce herself.

"I'm Meolie Aconyte. I teach herbology in the medical department," she said.

Alec's manners forced itself. "I'm Alec Arden. It's nice to meet you, Professor Meolie."

Professor Meolie's smile widened as she watched him. "No wonder Gael is walking around with a sunnier smile than usual."

Alec tilted his head in confusion.

"I would be as happy as he is if I had a younger brother that's fierce and adorable like you."

Alec blinked. Slowly, he felt his ears heat up and he felt the blush slowly creeping to his face. He missed his hooded jacket. It would've hidden the red on his face. The three professors looked at him and chuckled. His face was burning.

"The appropriate response is 'thank you'," Professor Meolie said. "Say it, please."

He wanted to use Gael's lesson plan to hide his face. Speaking of Gael, where is he? Get me out of here!

As if summoned, Gael entered the door with a frown on his face. "What are you three doing? Did something happen? Alec, why are you blushing?"

"Alec is fun to tease," Professor Meolie said. "You must have fun teasing him, Gael."

Gael's frown disappeared as he raised a brow. "Meolie, tone it down. Alec's face is like an inferno."

Alec hit his arm with the lesson plan. His guardian only laughed and ruffled his hair in return. He grumbled at the touch but made no effort to stop him. "Seriously though, did something happen?"

Looking at the other three professors, Alec saw that they were urging him to speak first Gael. He sighed. "I just dealt with some immature people."

"Went for the throat he did," Professor Gravis said.

"He won," Professor Linan said as he fixed his glasses.

"Stood his ground. You'd be proud if you had seen it," Professor Meolie.

Gael paused from ruffling his hair. There was still a smile on his face, but Alec immediately noticed the cold look in his green eyes. He blinked and his eyes returned to being bright and warm. "Is that so?" Gael said. "Good job."

Alec just wanted to hide. The praise from these people was too much. Why were they making a big deal about it? He barely even did anything.

Gael let go of his hair and looked at Professor Meolie with a teasing grin. "Kreis is on his way here."

The woman stilled before a bright blush bloomed on her face. "Wh...What about him?"

"He probably wants to see you, obviously," Professor Gravis said with a sly smirk.

"It's so sweet it's so nauseating," Professor Linan said with a disgusted look.

Professor Meolie's face turned crimson red with each word from the others.

Feeling a bit petty, he tried to innocently say something based on the clues he received from the three. "Gael? Is Professor Meolie the one Kreis won't stop talking about?"

Sure enough, the woman's entire face and neck turned bright red. She stood, mumbled an excuse about lessons, and hightailed out of the office. The three men chuckled at her exit, before turning to him.

"Was it satisfying to tease her back?" Gravis asked with a roll of his eyes.

"She teased me first."

The three men laughed at his answer, shaking their heads in the process. Professor Linan was the first to stand. When he did, he gave Alec a piece of paper. The images of draes and the Sanctuary on the paper and the words "Calling for New Volunteers" immediately grabbed his attention. "If you are interested, just come to my office in the Sanctuary," the man said. "I'll get going."

Professor Gravis decided to leave and tagged along with Professor Linan. The lounge only had him and Gael left. His entire attention was on reading the details on the pamphlet.

"Are you interested?" Gael asked.

Alec looked up and gave his guardian a nod.

"Then that's good. You can use it as an opportunity to practice your sentiral powers."

Folding and putting the pamphlet inside his pocket, Alec's face turned serious as he looked at Gael. "What did you talk about with the headmaster?"

Gael gave a deep sigh, before leaning further back into the couch. "Kreis' men tracked the thief's tracks into Arkadin. As you guessed, he somehow crossed the border without getting caught by Friosan and Arkadin border patrol."

"And?"

"They had to call off the search," Gael said. "Tensions are high between the two countries lately because of some territory disputes in their northern borders. The headmaster does not want anyone to get dragged into unnecessary trouble."

"Then we'll lose track of him."

Gael grasped his shoulder and squeezed. "The old man has some friends in Arkadin and Friosan. They'll keep an eye for any sign of him."

Alec sighed and palmed his forehead. The bastard was as slippery as a slime-eel. "We found any new clues?"

"We did," Gael said as he reached for a piece of paper from inside his coat. "The people the thief made contact with all had this tattoo."

Taking the paper, Alec ran his eyes over the drawing. An outline of a falling black feather, with the twin crescent moons in the background. He took in a sharp inhale and his grip tightened, crumpling the paper.

Noticing his reaction, Gael tensed. "Do you recognize it?"

Alec nodded, trying to calm down the burning anger growing in his heart. "You know my hunter title and how I got it, right?"

Although confused at his question, Gael answered with his brows furrowed in concern. "I heard you've earned quite the reputation slaying and capturing the greatest number of poachers over the last five years. They nicknamed you...'The Slayer'."

"That's true," Alec nodded. "Four years ago, I went on a hunting mission near the northern border between Arkadin and Friosan. I had my first encounter with a large group of poachers hunting for silver bears and saber elephants. Long story short, I infiltrated their ranks when they fell asleep and let the caged animals out to wreak havoc on all of them. When the animals escaped, I...went around and picked up survivors so I could leave them to the authorities."

He hoped Gael did not notice his brief pause. But knowing the man, he probably noticed and chose not to comment

"I interrogated them on the spot, and all I got was the name of their organization."

"And?"

"They called themselves...Whispers and they all dropped dead right after."

--------
Longest chapter so far with 3000 words. I'll try to make Saturdays regular upload days from now on. Maybe one or two chapters.

Next chapter: Gael's students go hunting. But their target is no easy prey.