Nether Sovereign Reborn

Chapter 7

"And it's a Monday... my worst day of the week. It marks the beginning of my suffering and torment, and today, it marks something extra."

Lux stepped out of his shower, a depressed expression on his face.

His weekend was nothing like he expected it to turn out, but in the end, here he was, the last words from last night ringing in his ears like a siren.

"Training starts today, huh?" he murmured.

He opened his wardrobe and pulled out a well-ironed set of his school uniform.

It consisted of a pair of black pants, a white shirt, and a black blazer with the school emblem on it.

"On to phase one... the usual hell, and suddenly I feel like my day won't go as expected." Lux sighed, putting on his blazer in a smooth, practiced motion.

"Alright, let's move."

Lux muttered as he walked out of his one-bedroom apartment.

The apartment was given to him by his parents after his assumed illness was feared to be contagious.

Personally, Lux had no problem with the apartment. It was pretty comfortable for one person to live in, and the neighborhood was quiet, so he never had to complain about his sleep being interrupted for one reason or another.

Walking down the streets of his neighborhood, Lux sighted a few familiar faces he usually bumped into during rush hour while on the way to school. However, this time something was strange. The way they looked at him seemed a bit... weird?

Noticing this, Lux awkwardly smiled.

Looking at a middle-aged woman who was ogling him, Lux silently mouthed,

"Is there a baby dragon on my face?"

The woman was stunned for a second before shyly looking away.

"Eh?"

Lux was taken aback, completely stunned by the woman's reaction.

Putting the thought to the back of his head, he increased his pace, hoping to reach the bus stop ahead of schedule.

After a ten-minute walk, Lux arrived at the always-crowded bus stop. However, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

He was attracting too many gazes.

Boarding the first bus that arrived, Lux exhaled. The gazes he got at the bus stop had sent a chill down his spine.

He looked up and noticed that quite a few people were ogling him, and this time he decided to actually check what was wrong.

Feigning ignorance to their gazes, Lux dipped his hand into his blazer pocket. After feeling around a bit, he pulled out two phones.

One was his phone, which he almost never used.

The other was the burner phone Danzai had dropped into his pocket.

He toyed around with the burner phone for a moment before tossing it back into his pocket.

Unlocking his main phone, he opened the camera application and switched to the selfie camera.

He stared at the image being displayed on the screen for half a second before turning back to see if anyone was standing behind him.

"Th-this is me?"

Lux muttered, staring at the image reflected on his screen in shock and awe.

The apartment his parents left for him barely had anything in it. Just a single cushion in the living room, a bed in the bedroom, and some basic cooking utensils.

He didn't have a mirror or anything of the sort, hence why he rarely ever saw his reflection.

Not like there was anything he wanted to see.

"Wow..."

"Guess I'm not that bad-looking, hehe. Come to think of it, it's been over nine months since I last saw my own reflection. Crazy."

Lux muttered to himself as he continued on his way to school.

---

"This is weird... this is weird... this is weird..."

Lux muttered as he walked down the school hallway.

Like usual, he attracted attention.

Except it was different this time.

Lux was used to the pitiful or mocking gazes he received whenever he came to school. It had literally become a major part of his day, and the day would feel incomplete without it.

Today, however, felt completely different.

The gazes weren't mocking or pitiful.

It felt more like they were... gawking.

'This is crazy.'

Lux muttered under his breath as he walked toward his classroom, acting as though he didn't notice the second glances and stunned expressions from the students in the hallway.

Taking a sharp turn to his left, Lux took a few steps before stopping in front of a door with the label Class 1-B attached to it.

Creeeakkk...

Lux pushed the door open after a moment of hesitation.

The lively atmosphere of the classroom hit him like a wave.

The tinkling laughter from the girls.

The near-physical arguments from the guys.

The nerdy discussions in a quiet corner of the classroom.

Lux looked around, taking in the view.

And then he saw him.

The one person he really didn't want to see at the moment.

Davon Sungate.

Lux looked at Davon, seated calmly in the second row close to the window.

He was focused on his phone, his forehead creased as though worried about something.

Then, as if sensing Lux's gaze, he looked up.

Their eyes met.

Invisible sparks flew between them, the atmosphere turning heavy.

Then Davon smiled.

It was a smile that seemed to convey a lot of messages, and Lux knew exactly what he was trying to say.

Or so he thought.

Ignoring Davon for the moment, Lux walked toward his seat, his mind calculating all the possible outcomes of his planned confrontation.

Taking his seat on the second row closest to the door, Lux stared at his desk and thought.

His gaze remained fixed on the wooden surface, silently thanking the stars that his classmates hadn't noticed his arrival.

Until...

"Goodness gracious, Lux, are you alright?"

A soft voice resounded through the classroom.

The entire class fell silent.

Lux noticed a shadow cast over his desk as he was dragged back to reality by the voice.

'Oh dear.'

There was only one person in his class capable of causing such an effect.

Fedora Raizen.

Lux could feel the sharp gazes piercing him from all around the classroom.

And yup.

The ladies were looking at him in surprise and shock as well.

Raising his head slowly, Lux fixed his gaze on Fedora.

His mind went blank.

Completely blank.

Like the janitor of his mind had just deep-cleaned his brain.

It wasn't his first time seeing Fedora.

He had seen her during the weekend, though she didn't know it was him.

But something felt different this time.

She looked more beautiful.

More feminine.

More attractive.

"Umm... h-hey, Miss Raizen."

Lux stuttered, his confidence from the fall that changed his life vanishing in an instant.

"How many times have I told you to call me Fedora?"

Fedora muttered in a barely audible tone, her lips slightly pouted as she feigned an enraged expression.

"Hehe... good morning, Mi— I mean, Fedora."

Lux scratched the back of his head nervously.

He could feel the eye daggers piercing him from every direction.

It was suffocating.

"You went missing during the wildlife trip. What happened?"

Fedora asked, the initial smile vanishing from her face.

"Umm... it's nothing actually. I, uh... got carried away while admiring nature and lost track of everyone. Then I got lost. Hehe."

"I don't believe you. You're hiding something. If you don't want to tell me, then fine, I'll let you go. But only if you have lunch with me during lunch break."

Fedora cut off his awkward laughter, a mischievous smile plastered across her face.

While she was smiling, Lux was telling a completely different story.

He could feel the gazes that were already on him sharpen.

He could feel the jealousy, anger, and perhaps even killing intent from the glares he received from the guys in the class.

'Fuck it. Not like they can beat me or anything. I mean, I'm a Totem Wielder now, hehe.'

Lux completely disregarded the glares he was getting.

Well...

All except one.

Davon Sungate.

Lux knew he was a Totem Wielder from a family of Totem Wielders and couldn't be underestimated.

Creeaakkk.

"Ahem..."

Lux was brought back to reality by the teacher's successful attempt at grabbing the class's attention.

The whole class fell silent.

Their gazes fixed on Ms. Fiona, their homeroom teacher.

"I have an announcement to make. We have a new transfer student, and I hope you all can treat him well."

"You can come in."

Ms. Fiona looked toward the closed classroom door.

For some reason, Lux, who was also looking at the door, felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew this feeling.

It was the feeling he always got before a major disaster befell him.

Creeaaakkk.

A white-haired boy walked in.

He had short white hair, silver eyes, and the face of an idol capable of appearing in every girl's dreams.

'That face... doesn't lose out to mine at all. It's even a tad bit better.'

Lux thought, completely ignoring the gasps echoing throughout the classroom.

'But wait... that gaze, this aura, that hair color... why does it remind me of...'

"Hello everyone. My name is Lucien Hestia."