POV: Aria Akari
Nearly five hours had passed since we left the academy to begin our mission and after experiencing what felt like a nightmare, it was now the beginning of the afternoon.
The ride back to the academy was relatively peaceful as everyone was silent with the exception of Arthur and Everett, who exchange small talk between one another occasionally as Sarah scrolled on her phone with heavy eyes, but the weary atmosphere made sense as we all nearly lost our lives today, prompting me to look towards Rai, who slept quietly on my shoulder as out of everyone, he seemed to have experienced the worst of it.
After today, I think I'm more aware than I ever was of where I stand in this world.
Perhaps it's because of my lack of awareness, but I had never imagined that the reality of being a hero would be this demanding.
As I am now, I don't think I could survive being a hero for a month, let alone a week.
The mission was mentally taxing and although Ms. Jennifer healed me, I want nothing more than to go to my dorm and rest as my body feels absurdly heavy, despite me only healing everyone for the majority of the mission.
I wonder…
Can I ever become as strong as you, Rai?
If I were to focus on training my body along with mastering my Aspect, I'm sure I could reach your level, but for me to achieve that, it would take years.
When I first met you, I honestly thought you would be a prick like most of the students who attend the academy as not only did you ignore me during our first meeting, but you even glared at me as if I was nothing more than a nuisance to you.
If it wasn't for the Headmaster informing me about you, I probably would have rejected your invitation to join your team as I don't want anything to do with somebody who doesn't have the audacity to respect others, but I couldn't have been more wrong about you.
I don't know what kind of adversities you've faced in your lifetime, but the selflessness and courage you displayed today was nothing less than admirable.
You seem to loathe heroes and yet, you have the greatest potential to become one out of all us.
It's kinda ironic, isn't it?
Gazing at Rai, who slept soundly on my shoulder, I noticed that beneath his disheveled bangs, was a face that was rather handsome as his eyelashes were a tad longer than most males while his facial features were fairly sharp.
For someone whose Aspectual Force is so cold that he could be mistaken for a villain, he's like a completely different person when he's asleep.
"Aria."
How strange.
"Aria~"
I was never this interested in a boy prior to Rai.
There were many that caught my attention of course, but there's many reasons to why they did, such as Avery, who was practically my role model and someone who I always respected greatly for his ideals or Ken, who stands up for everyone in need and tries to guide them on the correct path, but I'm not interested in Rai for those reasons, despite him sharing similar ideals.
It's something else.
I've come across boys who were far more popular than Rai as some appeared to be even more handsome than him in their own unique ways and yet, I can't seem to understand this curiosity I have towards Rai-
"Aria!" Sarah shouted, startling me as upon snapping out of my thoughts, I directed my attention to her.
"Huh?" I uttered, perturbed from the strong tone Sarah used towards me until I noticed Arthur staring at me with an amused grin as I felt my face burn with embarrassment from being caught staring at Rai.
"Look, I swear I was just-"
"It's alright, Aria. There's no need for you to lie to us about your feelings towards Rai, although I was just calling your name earlier to ask you to wake him up since we're at the academy now." Arthur said wryly as his teasing vexed me, but I eventually let it go with a sigh as I shook Rai softly to wake him up, however, Rai remained soundly asleep as his unresponsiveness left me concerned.
"He's not dead, right? Ms. Jennifer said he was fine." Everett mentioned as I began shaking him with a little more force, but actions were to no avail as Rai's slumber persisted, bringing forth a sense of unease within me as I started to believe Everett's words.
"That's weird. Usually he struggles to sleep when we're in our dorm. Let me have him real quick." Arthur said as we all stepped outside of the car while Arthur grabbed Rai by his ragged hoodie.
"Wait, Arthur-"
Arthur then dragged Rai's body carelessly out of the car and tossed him onto the stone pathway of the academy's entrance as several students began pacing themselves away from the scene out of fear of Arthur, whose face bore a large mischievous grin as he activated his Aspect amidst releasing his Aspectual Force before smashing his foot onto Rai's abdomen, who relished in his slumber as Arthur delayed his attack, struggling to contain his laughter as we all stared at him blankly before I shifted my focus towards Rai.
"Arthur, I don't think Rai is going to appreciate you attacking him…" I advised, my voice trailing off as I turned to face Arthur, who was nowhere to be found as Ms. Jennifer began rubbing her temple in vexation from Arthur's childish behavior.
Yeah…
I should have expected that.
POV:Rai Shinsei
Awakening me was none other than a piercing pain striking my abdomen as I immediately jolted off the ground, positioning myself into a fighting stance amidst scanning my surroundings with urgency as I tried to anticipate Wrath's next move until my memories regathered themselves.
Where in the-
"Oh, he actually woke up." Everett remarked as Aria giggled at my confusion, prompting me to lower my guard as Sarah and Jennifer remained indifferent.
It seems I've made it back to the academy alive and by judging everyone's carefree expressions, I'm assuming Arthur is also fine, although…
"What happened when I was unconscious?" I asked solemnly as I was unable to remember anything that happened in the few minutes before I passed out.
"As we were escaping, you collapsed from the internal injuries you received in your fight against Wrath and in the moment you lost consciousness, Pride tried to kill you, but thankfully Arthur was able to hold him off until the Headmaster arrived, allowing all of us to escape safely." Aria explained with a smile as I glanced at my body, which was fully healed despite my worn clothes.
"I see and I'm assuming you were the one to heal me?" I asked Jennifer, who nodded as with a deep breath, I flexed my hand before clenching it into a fist, testing the limits of Jennifer's healing capabilities as I was curious since I nearly experienced death and yet, I felt as if I was in peak condition.
I can't imagine how much insight she's gained into Aspectual Restoration for her to fully heal me.
Not only are my internal wounds fully healed, but there's not a single bruise, let alone a scratch on my body.
"What about the Cardinal Sins? With Ryan there, surely they were captured, right?" I asked.
"It's "Headmaster", but there's no need to worry about that. The Headmaster just informed me that they were all detained and sent to the Central Jiyu Prison." Jennifer answered as I sighed with relief before plopping myself onto a nearby bench, gazing into the cloudy blue sky as I took a moment to ponder on the mission.
The Central Jiyu Prison is directly beneath the Hero Association as it contains the worst villains among this continent, so escaping from there is practically impossible, although…
"You're naive, boy."
It was nothing more than the opinion of a villain that was defeated by my hands and yet, it lingered within my mind, echoing as a constant reminder of my incompetence.
Once again, I struggled to let go of my past and because of my naivety, they almost lost their lives.
Sarah was right.
If I would have used my Aspect to begin with, Arthur and I could have easily defeated them all.
Sarah's skull wouldn't have been bashed in.
Everett wouldn't have suffered through a near-death experience.
Arthur wouldn't have been exhausted and Aria would have never been tormented.
They all suffered because of my indecisiveness, but I can't fixate on the past any longer as another problem has arisen.
Standing up from the bench, I faced the four of them as Everett and Aria looked at me with concern.
They now know of my Aspect.
If the academy becomes aware of my power, then that would certainly lead to unnecessary troubles in which I'm sure is what Ryan wants because I would then be forced to help this academy, but unfortunately for you, Ryan, I refuse to change this dysfunctional academy for the sake of your own pleasure.
I truly despise my Aspect and I don't know when I'll ever forgive myself for the sins I've committed.
Of course, I'm not delusional enough to believe that I can achieve my dream by neglecting my Aspect, which is why I don't plan on mastering it until I graduate as during my time here, I'll focus solely on strengthening my body as well as mastering my combat prowess through only using the base of my Aspect.
"Jennifer, I'm sure you already know what I'm requesting, so I need to ask the three of you for a favor." I said as the three of them awaited my response silently.
"I want you all to keep my Aspect a secret. I'm not interested in this academy and if it wasn't for Ryan, I would have already abandoned this academy long ago. I truly despise the students that attend this academy with the exception of you all."
"Aria, no matter the circumstances, do not ever lose sight of your light as your righteousness is certain to lead you on the path to succeed your grandfather."
"Everett, you may be the weakest now, but I can assure you that you have the potential to even surpass myself, so don't give up and keep moving forward as you have the qualities of a hero." I remarked as Aria subtly blushed from validation while a determined light dwelled within Everett's eyes.
As for Sarah, I approached her and stood no further than a foot across from her as our eyes locked.
During our mission, I noticed it.
"What do you want?" Sarah asked, nettled by my presence alone and yet, she chose to remain silent as I gazed into her eyes, which was filled with uncertainty as she averted her eyes towards the ground, her submissive demeanor allowing me to deduce the fact that she was traumatized long before the mission.
Despite being ranked sixty-third within the academy, she was frightened—so frightened to the extent that it somehow even surpassed Everett's fear, who is supposed to be the weakest student in the entire academy, but it all makes sense now.
The mission may have traumatized her to some degree, but there's been a deeper trauma ingrained into her from long ago.
I know this because Sarah shares the same eyes as "she" once did.
I'm certain that Sarah was a victim of bullying at some point in her life, therefore, she clings onto Aria for protection and wears a mask to hide her insecurities, but despite her tragedies…
I'm not fond of her at all as her coping mechanism is to spread even more suffering, which is sickening.
If her life wasn't nearly lost at the hands of my naivety, I wouldn't even consider comforting her, but I can't just ignore her as I would be making the same mistake as I did in the past, such as avoiding responsibility.
"I'll be honest with you. You're not suited to become a hero." I stated as Sarah began to scowl before matching my gaze, prompting her to remain silent as she averted her eyes to the ground.
"Rai, that's-"
"With your insight into Aspectual Restoration, I suggest you become a nurse who specializes in healing Aspectors as if you continue to follow the path of a hero with your current mindset, you will without a doubt, be killed." I recommended as Sarah's eyes widened, but not because she was offended by my suggestion, but because the words I had uttered were something that she's already thought about.
"Of course, that's just my opinion as if you choose to continue following the path of a hero, I truly hope that one day, you'll overcome your trauma and begin taking life much more seriously as I would like to believe that behind that mask you wear, lies a kind girl who genuinely cares for those around her instead of someone who puts others down in order to make themselves feel better." I said earnestly as I turned around amidst placing my hands inside of my pockets and began heading towards my dormitory, where I seeked a long, warm shower as I had many things to think about regarding my future.
"Wait, Rai!" Aria called out once more, but her voice was muffled as the many thoughts racing inside my mind had blocked her out.
Arriving inside the dormitory, I noticed it was mostly empty as many first year students were still out on their missions while my seniors were either in class or skipping.
Heading down the hallway where my room resided, I eventually slammed the side of my fist into the wall, accidentally knocking down a portrait of a young male with a scar stretching across the bridge of his nose as the impact created a fist-sized crater.
They're only students and yet, they had to suffer because of those bastards.
Three years.
Once I graduate from this academy in three years, I'm going to destroy the Hero Association.