My Soul card is a Reaper

After a while;

Orion leaned against the edge of the window, a little more relaxed now.

"I mean, I try to talk, to just… be normal. But everyone from my age group in the clan talks to me like I'm some kind of glass heirloom. All formal and stiff."

"Did you grow up far away or something?" she asked.

Orion gave a half-smile. "More like... off-world. Millions of light years away."

She laughed lightly, mistaking the truth for sarcasm. "Figures. You've got that pale tone that's common in the Central Region. Makes sense."

He didn't correct her. Instead, he shifted the conversation. "So... tell me about your school, Arvandor Academy." He hesitated for a second, then asked, "Like what do you need to get into that place? Like, is it a combat ranking thing or...?"

Selene looked at him for a moment and winced a little. "Um... okay, don't take this the wrong way, but you wouldn't be able to get in."

Orion's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not that weak."

"No! No, not like that," she said quickly, holding up her hands. "Strength has nothing to do with it."

"Then?"

"You need an Arcana spirit," she said gently. "That's the baseline. Without one, you can't even apply."

She raised her wrist slightly, revealing a sleek bracelet with a blinking gem embedded at the center.

"This was passed down to me by one of my ancestors last year," she said. "The blinking means someone nearby doesn't have an Arcana spirit. It helps me... keep my temper in check."

Orion frowned. "Your temper?"

Selene gave him a sheepish look. "Guys hit on me all the time. I used to punch first, talk later."

"Yeah, I guess that's normal. You are the prettiest girl I have ever met, after all." As Orion nodded in agreement, Selene stopped talking and gave him a sharp look instead. "I told you not to flirt around with me. If you are going to do that, I'm going…"

"Wait… wait… I'm sorry. It's just a fact… You are beautiful. Sorry, I will not say it again." Orion stopped her and said. "Please, continue…"

Selene showed him her bracelet. "This bracelet warns me when the guy's a plainfolk. so I don't, you know, accidentally break someone's ribs."

She said it so casually, like talking about the weather.

"Wait," Orion said slowly, eyes narrowing. "You think I'm... a plainfolk?"

She tilted her head. "Well, either you don't have an Arcana spirit, or you're a demigod. Which, no offense, is... extremely unlikely."

Orion's mouth opened, then closed. He looked down at his own hands like they might explain something to him.

"Fiona didn't say anything about this," he mumbled. "I asked her about her school. She didn't mention any Arcana spirit thing."

Selene blinked. "Maybe she assumed you had one, cuz you know, you are his son."

Orion didn't answer. He felt... off-balance. Like the floor under him had tilted just slightly, and he was the only one who noticed.

Selene saw his expression and frowned. "Hey. I watched your battle with Zion. I know that you are strong, alright. But it is a fact that you didn't have soul energy or Arcana spirit. The powers you have cannot be trained by those instructors in the academy, certainly not ours. And without an Arcana spirit, what's the point of going to an Arcana Academy?"

Selene twirled the stem of her glass between her fingers, eyes still on the blinking bracelet as she continued. "Still, academy or not, the purpose is the same. To learn, get stronger, and refine yourself. You can do that here. Doesn't have to be at some Arcana university. Normal academies exist, too."

She glanced at him. "And for training? You've got half the top-tier warriors in the clans walking around. Plenty of sparring partners. You're not missing much."

Orion gave her a flat look. "God, no."

Selene blinked. "What?"

He leaned on the railing again, tilting his head back, speaking like he was quoting something obvious. "That kind of thinking is for common folk. And the poor. The ones who need to 'learn skills' because they don't have access to anything else."

She raised an eyebrow.

"People like us," Orion continued, "we go to academies for something completely different. It's not about learning to fight. We already have instructors, gear, bloodlines, and libraries older than most cities. We go to meet people outside our bubble and make friendships with people who come from all kinds of backgrounds. To see the world through their perspective. To make connections that don't start with your father's name. And most importantly..."

He turned to her, one brow arched, "to get the hell away from our parents and their suffocating circles."

Selene stared at him for a beat, stunned by the honesty. Then, to his surprise, she smiled faintly. "Well. That's... not wrong."

"But," she added, "that only lasts a few years. Academy life is short. We, on the other hand, have lived for centuries. Even millennia."

She took a sip from her drink, voice softening. "Making friends, getting perspective, all of that sounds great. But when you've got a thousand years ahead of you? It's not exactly vital. You'll meet people. Learn things. Grow. It happens naturally."

Orion didn't respond. She studied him again, that blinking gem still going strong.

She shrugged. "However, I guess I can understand your perspective. I meant we don't know whether you are a complete plainfolk with a 100-year limited lifespan, or would your divinity would give you a long lifespan. But if you do have a mortal lifespan, like most plainfolk... then yeah, maybe academy life is important."

Orion stared at her in silence.

"And if that's the case," she further continued, "then honestly? A normal academy suits you better. Arcana schools are just drills in disguise. In a normal academy, you can form friendships and chase after girls too, cuz in Arcana academies, only a few girls would want to chase love. The rest prefer fighting, training, and becoming stronger."

For a moment, Orion didn't know whether to feel offended, exposed, or... seen.

He reached for a drink off a passing tray and downed half of it in one go.

Selene didn't push. She just stood there beside him, bracelet blinking between them like some awkward third wheel, reminding him of what he wasn't.

Orion exhaled. He was about to say something, but a voice disturbed both of them. "You really don't sugarcoat anything, do you?"

Both of them turned to the voice. It was Azzy. He gave Selene a warm smile. "Good evening."

Selene's eyes widened slightly. "L-Lord Azrael."

"Looking at you reminds me of Estella. She's just like you, pretty, doll-like appearance, and not shy away from expressing her thoughts…" As Azzy praised her, Selene nodded, like she was flustered all of a sudden. "Ah, Yes. Sorry… No, thank you… I.. I… I need to go to the restroom. Excuse me…"

She gave a rushed bow, then muttered something about needing the bathroom and disappeared in a flustered blur.

Azzy watched her leave, then turned to Orion with a puzzled expression. "What was that about?"

Orion blinked a few times. "No idea. She was just chewing me out a second ago."

Azzy arched a brow. "Did I say something to upset her?"