Kim Suho doesn't know how to feel about Minori Nii.
For someone who had an edge in judging people, for someone who had lived just under two lives, for someone who had seen the depths of human nature- Minori was always… He wasn't sure.
Kim Suho had met Minori days before the Cube semester was under way. They had met in the training centre.
At first Kim Suho was too focused on his training to notice the boy's entry. But something made his muscle's tense, a familiar feeling that made his hair stand on end.
The source of that feeling had been Minori. A boy with dark hair and blank eyes, looking at the machines with the curiosity of a stray cat.
At the time Kim Suho could only chuckle and feel silly at his random bout of anxiety. He had dismissed it as getting too into his training and went to interact with the boy.
They chatted for a bit, Kim Suho showing Minori Nii the ropes while trying to get over the feeling that welled up whenever the boy focused on him.
By the end, Kim Suho felt as though he had overlooked something.
And how right he was, as over the course of the first semester Kim Suho got to become friends with Minori, he began to notice things.
At first it was small, odd little quirks. Choosing a short sword as his main weapon despite the lack of defining muscles, and his cool headed assists during the Djinn attack in the Museum. Those could easily be attributed to having experience or having trained a lot.
But then there were things like his reaction to the death of his teammate in the mock dungeon incident. 'Right… I really wanted to save him…but…' That's what he had said back then. It was normal, it might have even been the perfect answer for a cadet.
Back then, Kim Suho also thought this. Yet in spite of all this, it still felt off. The answer didn't feel like something Minori would have said…
Suho wasn't insensitive and because of this, decided not to think about it too much. After all he had his own things to worry about.
Then there was the midterms. The tournament. That match, between Minori Nii and Shin Jonghak.
Although it seemed close, it was clearly one sided to the experienced eyes of Kim Suho. Minori's use of magic, a card he had been hiding for quite some time, was played at the moment all eyes were on him. But the thing that Suho noticed wasn't that. It was the way he wielded his blade.
His grip was loose when swinging and tight when blocking. His stance left obvious openings yet his parries were perfect.
It reminded Suho of the way he fought. Holding back while making it look as though he was struggling.
Was he also like him? Was Minori strong?
Questions like this surfaced in Suho's mind, it made his fingers itch to hold the hilt of his blade once more- it made him want to fight.
Which is why he was left feeling rather disappointed when faced with Minori as an opponent. He thought the two would be able to fight for first place, for real this time.
Maybe Suho could finally let go of this act. Maybe he didn't need to keep up the charade.
If his opponent thought the same, then why wouldn't he drop the mask? Did Suho get it wrong? Was Minori actually…
Kim Suho didn't know because the look in Minori's eyes held no voice of their own. Only a muted gray fog of mystery.
But Suho didn't have to wait for long as another incident occurred, this time it had been serious. Waves of devastating monsters had swarmed into the Cube at the beck and call of a single flute.
Yet at the time, no one knew. How could they? Djinn came in many shapes and sizes, were as numerous as the stars and spread like vile plague. Yet that wasn't even the real threat, Suho knew first hand what the continuation of their existence would do.
So it was obviously him who had acted in this event first, right?
Wrong. It was Minori. Previously sitting quietly in the exam room, seemed to fall asleep for a moment before getting out of his chair. And walking forward with a cool determination.
At the same time, Suho had felt something off. Like an animal poised to fight, his hand went to his sword. The others hadn't noticed yet, and he couldn't pinpoint the location of the threat.
So all he could do was wait.
Though he didn't have to wait for long as their supervisor darted out of the room to deal with the problem.
Only for the problem to come inside and begin causing havoc.
It was here that Kim Suho collected another piece of information.
Minori Nii had far more magic than anyone knew. He had enough to keep up with a Djinn in agility while simultaneously hurling balls of flame that swallowed the ground and walls scorching hot flame.
But more than that was reaction speed, Minori although lacking in physical abilities was able to block the hit from a sneak attack. It was so fast that Kim Suho was certain an ordinary cadet would not be able to do that.
After the two dealt with the Djinn was where a hint of Minori Nii's true colours slipped.
As not a beat after making sure everyone was out of the flames, he suggested they create a cover story.
There was no doubt that they were going to do this anyway but Minori suggested it so easily, as though it was normal.
Kim Suho had frowned at the time but used this as a reason to explain some other ticks Minori had. The way he seemed to be overly perceptive, the way he paused his talking when someone shifted slightly as though worried someone was listening to their unimportant chatter, and finally the way he looks at people.
That stare that rattled his nerves and made him keep a better eye on Minori.
However it was those same rattled nerves that brought Kim Suho his final puzzle piece.
School bombings.
Minori acted weird during and after the midterms. Perhaps it was the way Minori acted during their fight, the way he kept subtly looking into the crowd. Perhaps it was the excessive use of fire. It may even have been the way Minori stood as they parted at the portal station.
Whatever it was, Kim Suho caught on to the fact that something was very wrong with his friend.
Yes, something was up, but there was another message. It was probably something like-
-"I'll handle it."
That's just how the Minori he knew would respond.
It's just…
…He or- no, it was definitely him- he vaporised part of the Club Building as well as destroyed the elevator to their dorms.
Granted it gave them an extra week to sort things out.
But they were heroes. Heroes!
This wasn't heroism! This wasn't right!
And when Kim Suho confronted Minori, what he got wasn't an explanation.
It was hot air, word without content. Kim Suho was his friend, so why couldn't he get the full story?
This was why Kim Suho, filled with dissatisfaction, anger, betrayal and bitterness, couldn't help but draw his blade.
He was pissed and he just wanted to know if his friend was okay, he wanted to know what could have brought Minori to such drastic action, he wanted to help.
So he would get those answers through the language both of them knew all too well.
Violence.
Maybe it was wrong. Maybe he should have held back.
Maybe, maybe, maybe…
What has happened has happened, Suho got his answers and Minori got to keep his friend.
Even so, they may have to revisit this in the future. Maybe once Suho can mend their shaky friendship a bit better.
"Should I ask him to come hunting? He did seem to enjoy monster wars during midterms…" Suho blurted out mid swing, his blade paused it's downward momentum in a graceful pause.
…
I tapped my foot as I nervously paced around my room.
It had taken me a long time to shake myself out of the daze and then another to set my thoughts back into acceptable motion.
A simmering panic had been shoved onto a back burner for now as I tried to think logically.
My options were limited, incredibly limited.
My breathing was laboured and my mana was going haywire. Threads were scrambled and tied together stopping any proper flow.
Is this why it was so important for mages to keep calm in battle?
'Focus, focus.'
I shook away the incoming tangent and centered my thoughts around what had happened moments ago.
The assassin. He seemed as dastardly and cunning as before. This time it seemed like he was pretty tense, like when I was a victim of Ori. Except he seemed to be a victim of Bell.
Speaking of Bell. I hated that. All of that.
It was like meeting Sang-Il. But instead of that sickly sweetness that dulled my senses while worms buried into my mana stream, Bell simply sat their. Smiling smugly as he overwhelmed my brain with two different sets of mana. Thankfully I activated [Wild Blood] in time.
I have to find a way to stop freezing up when I get overwhelmed by mana. It's becoming a more common problem as I attract the attention of stronger forces.
I can't keep shutting down the moment I meet someone stronger than me.
Especially since I'm going to have to meet him again if I decide to take that deal.
On that note, the deal. Do I even have a choice in this matter? He just said he would come get me. Did he place a tracker? I don't feel any mana though. And he didn't get close enough to place a physical one.
Is there someone watching me? The assassin seems to have already left so I doubt it…
…I don't think there's a way for me to avoid it.
So my next step is simple. Find a way to weather the oppressive aura of Bell while digging up some information.
The Mage Tower sent over supplies while I was away during the break so research should be easy.
As for digging things up about Bell… I'll have to ask around at the Violet Banquet. If all goes well, I should find enough to make educated decisions when facing him.
Other than that, keep establishing connections with everyone, stay friendly and establish a presence.
I'll start by asking Rachel to go over our midterm answers.
Maybe I'll drag Hajin on a 'mission' with the excuse of needing material. I need to see whether he has uses outside of information gathering and sniping.
As for Yeonha, she seems to be pretty stable for now. I proposed a partnership under the flag of killing Djinns, so I'll have to arrange a 'real' lead at some point and get her to look into it.
Suho might still be mad at me for taking drastic action before the break, so I'll leave him to stew a bit longer.
"Yes… I've finally got a plan." I got up off the floor, now that my thoughts had been set straight I could feel a bit better.
I brought myself to the couch and sat down. The coffee that Bell had drunk was still sitting there, right under it were the pages of research I hid under my floor boards. They were a set of duds, made to seem realistic while missing key components.
The real ones were encrypted in my mind. Saved until the day I would submit them to the Mage Tower.
'He really felt the need to look through all my belongings?'