The Universe Saviors

Chapter 5 - The Belts of Yin and Yang

7:45 AM...

Daemon opened his eyes. The sunlight hit his face directly, causing him to close them again and turn toward Amethyst's bed. But when he opened his eyes again, Amethyst wasn't there. He got up. Their dorm had its own kitchen, in addition to the one at school. Amethyst was cooking in the kitchen. The dorm was divided into separate sections, each with three rooms: one for Amethyst and Daemon, one for Junia and Muna, and another for someone else.

Daemon walked toward Amethyst.

"Good morning!"

Amethyst nearly dropped the tomato in her hand from the shock, but Daemon caught it.

"Ahh!"

"Sorry for scaring you."

"It's okay."

Amethyst took the tomato from Daemon's hand and began chopping it again.

"Smells great! What are you making?"

"Oatmeal, rolls, omelets, and chicken salad."

"My favorite foods! What a coincidence!"

Amethyst smiled softly.

"Amethyst, I didn't know you were such a good cook!"

"Good morning, everyone!"

It was Muna and Junia. Junia, still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes as she sat down at the table. Then, a cold voice came from behind.

"Good morning..."

"Good morning... You again?!"

Muna yelled. Amethyst told her to calm down. Daemon greeted the person warmly and shook his hand.

"Good morning, Alaric!"

Of course, it was Alaric. Who else could irritate Muna so much? Next to Alaric stood another boy with brown hair and green eyes. Junia stared at him intently, her heart pounding as if it might leap out of her chest.

"Hi. What's your name?"

"I'm Leo."

He replied coldly. Junia hadn't expected him to be so aloof.

As the atmosphere settled, Amethyst brought the food to the table. Leo gave Amethyst a strange look, which wasn't surprising. While everyone else wore casual clothes, Amethyst was dressed entirely in black, with only her mysterious eyes visible. Junia noticed.

"Amethyst, why are you still wearing that? Sooner or later, everyone will see you without it!"

Amethyst remained silent. Junia had a point—how much longer could she hide?

"You're right. But only here. I'm not used to others yet."

Alaric smirked mockingly. What could she possibly have to hide? Amethyst removed her veil and cloak. Her three-toned hair immediately fell to the ground, complementing her eyes. Her dress was stunning: the top was white, and the skirt was rainbow-colored. From her shoulders down to her wrists, she wore rainbow-colored tulle attached to her balloon-sleeved dress, leaving her shoulders exposed. Her golden shoes, adorned with amethyst stones, extended above her knees, fastened with cuffs connected by delicate gold chains with bead strands hanging between. One leg had a slit that revealed her long boot, while the other had a shorter version of the same design.

Her white top was lined with rainbow accents, and she wore a star-shaped necklace around her neck. A wing-shaped hairpin with sharp edges, featuring a purple star between the two "wings," adorned the left side of her head. Her bangs were neat, and her hair was perfectly straight.

Alaric's mocking expression turned to shock, and he nearly choked on his tea. Meanwhile, Leo, who had been looking down, couldn't take his eyes off her and raised his head. Daemon, though he'd seen her the night before, also stared at her with a faint smile.

"You...?"

"Never underestimate girls!"

Muna chuckled slyly. Alaric, with his blushing face, glanced at her smiling face. When their eyes met, they both turned beet red.

After breakfast, they went downstairs.

"How are we going to get to school? We won't make it on time," Junia muttered nervously.

Amethyst pointed to the nearby mini cars.

"With those!"

Everyone got into the mini cars. When they arrived at school, everyone gathered in the main hall. A man stepped onto the stage. He had white hair with streaks of thick black strands and piercing black eyes, giving him an intimidating aura. He approached the microphone and cleared his throat.

"Hello, everyone. I am Mr. Blackwood, the school principal. Welcome!"

His voice was deep and peculiar. He continued,

"This year, many new students have joined our school. I wish them all great success. As you know, the entrance exams for our school consist of strength competitions. In these competitions, all new students will be divided into pairs. These pairs will face off against each other. The losers will be expelled from the school, while the winners will remain. Additionally, the first-place team will get to choose any teacher they want for personalized lessons. Good luck to everyone!"

The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause. Amethyst appeared deep in thought, which Muna noticed.

"Amethyst, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure if I can win."

"Don't say that! Of course, you can win. Just believe in yourself!"

"Alright, I'll try."

The principal resumed speaking.

"Every year, we also hold a ceremony. As you all know, the gods exist. The Supreme God is the strongest, but among the others, the gods of Yin and Yang—representing Destruction and Life—are particularly noteworthy. These gods created two magical belts. To this day, no one has claimed them. The belts choose their owners. The Belt of Destruction will choose from among the boys, and the Belt of Life will choose from among the girls. Or rather, the belts will decide themselves. Now, let's head outside and begin the ceremony!"

Amethyst accidentally bumped into someone while walking. The person yelled:

-"Idiot! Are you blind?!"

Then paused for a moment.

-"Of course, you'd be blind with these things. Let me help you take it off!"

The girl was about to remove Amethyst's robe when Daemon intervened.

-"Let go of my arm! Who do you think you are to interfere in my business? Do you even know who I am?! I'm Giselle! Princess Giselle!"

-"Darling, is there a problem?"

-"Yes! They're bullying me!"

-"What?! I didn't do anything to you!"

Amethyst exclaimed in shock.

-"Apologize to my princess immediately!"

This boy seemed confident.

-"Who are you?!"

Amethyst asked.

-"I'm Archer, the prince of the Northern Crystal Kingdom! And this is my princess, Giselle. Oh, right! She already told you her name, but you didn't listen!"

-"I don't care! I'm not apologizing to anyone!"

-"Amethyst… Amethyst!"

Amethyst looked at Daemon.

-"Daemon, what's wrong?"

-"I feel unwell. Let's go outside."

They went outside.

-"Amethyst, don't bother with them."

-"Why not?! My mother always told me to crush those who tried to crush me!"

Daemon roughly pulled his arm free from Amethyst's grip and shouted at her:

-"If you don't want to get into trouble, watch your step!"

-"You…?!"

Amethyst thought to herself,

-"What's wrong with him?"

Everyone gathered in the square. Junia asked:

-"Amethyst, why are you late?"

-"I'll tell you later."

The principal finished his speech and paused.

-"Does everyone understand the school rules?"

-"Yes!"

-"Principal, someone here is breaking the school rules!"

It was Giselle. She pointed at Amethyst and said:

-"She's walking around in strange clothing! That's against the rules!"

-"Yes, Amethyst, you need to take those off!"

-"But Principal, my friend has her reasons for dressing this way," Muna interjected.

-"Why?! Is she too ugly?!"

This was Lena, one of Giselle's admirers. Everyone laughed at Amethyst.

Junia said:

-"On the contrary! She's protecting her beauty from evil eyes like yours."

-"Who are you calling evil-eyed?!"

-"You! But here's some advice: next time you pluck your eyebrows, go to a professional. Otherwise, you might lose them altogether!"

-"Enough! Be quiet! Amethyst, come to my office for this!"

Amethyst's eyes filled with tears, but luckily, no one could see her face. Daemon stood silently watching. Alaric asked him:

-"Aren't you going to say anything?"

-"I already told her not to mess with them."

-"Dude, Amethyst didn't do anything!"

-"She did."

-"I don't understand you anymore."

The principal announced:

-"By the way, the entrance exams will begin in two weeks!"

First, the boys and girls were separated. The boys started first.

-"Alright, everyone—close your eyes, release your powers, and the belt will move on its own. The girls will do the same afterward!"

This was Ms. Pearl speaking. All the boys released their powers. Among them, Archer had the strongest aura. He was very confident. The Destruction Belt was beautiful. It was gold with a divided Yin and Yang symbol at the center, separated by a vortex.

The belt rose, spun, spun again, and passed in front of Archer, stopping at Daemon. It wrapped itself around his waist. Daemon suddenly levitated, surrounded by a blue and silver aura.

I almost forgot—let me describe Daemon's uniform. A white shirt with golden patterns, black pants, and shoes. The pants' hems were dark blue. He also wore a navy-blue coat that reached his knees and had an open front. He looked stunningly handsome. All the girls stared at him in admiration—except Amethyst. Archer couldn't hold back.

-"How is this possible?! He's weaker than me! I don't accept this!"

Ms. Pearl said:

-"This isn't our choice. The belt chooses its owner."

The principal was still in shock. After years, the belt had found its owner. He finally composed himself and said:

-"Archer, if you can't control yourself, you'll be expelled!"

Then, turning to Daemon:

-"Come forward and introduce yourself."

-"I'm Daemon, 13 years old. My power is Sacred Ice, and I'm at Level 7."

-"Sacred Ice?!"

Everyone was astonished. This was a rare power.

-"Daemon, stand aside. The girl who is chosen will join you."

Daemon glanced at Amethyst and saw that she looked upset. Her clenched fist was visibly trembling.

-"Girls, release your powers now!"

The girls released their powers. Mr. Blackwood noticed that Amethyst hadn't released hers. Giselle sneered:

-"Look at her—she doesn't even have a power!"

The Goddess Yang Belt was unique. It was fastened only by 14 orbs, arranged in a rainbow pattern, with a golden frame surrounding them.

The belt spun and wrapped itself directly around Amethyst's waist. Giselle exclaimed:

-"This is unfair! Principal!"

-"What's unfair about it?"

-"Amethyst doesn't even have a power! The belt must have mistaken our auras for hers!"

-"She's right, Principal. I have nothing. Let's do it again."

Amethyst removed the belt and placed it back in the golden case.

-"Each girl will now prick her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the belt. We'll help you pierce your finger if needed."

Each girl approached in turn, but nothing happened. Finally, only Amethyst and Giselle were left. Giselle stepped forward and pricked her finger with a dagger. Everyone admired her bravery. The belt began to glow, and Giselle got excited—but then, everything returned to normal.

Now it was Amethyst's turn. Ms. Pearl asked her to extend her finger. Instead, Amethyst bit her finger harshly, drawing blood.

-"Is she crazy?! Who bites their own finger so ruthlessly? Even the strongest mages in our village don't do that!"

-"Ah! She's inhuman!"

Of course, they were shocked—these boys weren't as tough or courageous as one girl.

Amethyst let her blood drip onto the belt. It glowed and wrapped itself firmly around her waist without hesitation. A radiant light surrounded her. Her veil and robe flew off and burned in the light.

-"Oh my God! She's stunning!"

Everyone was mesmerized by her beauty. Amethyst seemed to disappear into the radiant light. Slowly, she descended.

The principal said:

-"Introduce yourself to us."

Amethyst turned to face them.

-"I'm Amethyst, 12 years old. I'm at Level 5. I don't know my power!"

-"Go stand on the other side."

The other side was next to Daemon. Daemon smiled at her as she walked past him to stand beside Ms. Pearl.

-"This concludes our ceremony. Everyone may leave. We'll see you in two weeks for the entrance exams!"