Rise of the Peerless God of War

Chapter 37

The Scholar's Quarter buzzed with energy, streets packed with students enjoying their day off. Colorful banners hung between buildings, street performers demonstrated minor magic tricks for copper coins, and the scent of food from a dozen different regions filled the air.

"I told you this place was amazing," Jin said, practically bouncing with excitement as they navigated the crowded streets. "Wait until you see the bookshops. They have cultivation manuals you can't find anywhere else."

Draven nodded, taking in the sights and sounds. After days in the austere Plum Flower Clan compound, the vibrant chaos of the city was almost overwhelming. The pendant rested cool against his chest, seemingly content with their surroundings.

"There it is!" Jin pointed to a building ahead, its facade decorated with amber-colored glass that caught the sunlight. A wooden sign swung gently above the door, bearing the name "The Amber Chalice" in elegant script.

Fancy for a student bar.

"Every academy student who's anyone comes here on days off," Jin explained as they approached. "They have these drinks that float in midair, and the cups change color based on your mood, and—"

"And it's expensive?" Draven guessed, noting the well-dressed students entering and exiting.

Jin shrugged. "A bit. But I've been saving up. Consider it a welcome back celebration."

Inside, The Amber Chalice was even more impressive than its exterior suggested. The ceiling was enchanted to look like a swirling amber sky, magical lights drifted through the air like fireflies, and yes—some patrons did indeed have drinks that floated beside them rather than resting on tables.

The place was packed with students from various academies, identifiable by their different uniform styles. Most were gathered around the central tables, where the seating was arranged in a hierarchy that was obvious even to newcomers: the most important students in the center, their status diminishing as the tables radiated outward.

And at the very center table sat Isabella Shadowmere and another girl Draven didn't recognize—presumably the Celeste that Jin had mentioned in passing. Both were surrounded by admirers, students leaning in to catch every word they spoke.

Draven froze, not expecting to see Isabella here. She glanced up at that exact moment, her eyes meeting his across the crowded room. For a fraction of a second, he thought he saw recognition flash across her face—then it was gone, replaced by the cool indifference she'd shown at the training grounds.

The girl beside her—Celeste—whispered something in Isabella's ear, causing her to frown slightly before returning to her conversation with an overeager male student.

"Let's find a table," Draven said quickly, not wanting to create another scene.

Jin, who had spotted Isabella as well, gave Draven a curious look but nodded. They found a small table in the corner, as far from the center of attention as possible.

"So that's why you were acting weird about coming here," Jin said as they sat down. "You knew she might be here."

"I didn't know," Draven insisted. "It's just... complicated."

Jin rolled his eyes. "There's that word again. 'Complicated.' One of these days, you're going to have to give me a real explanation."

A server approached their table, a cheerful girl with blue-tinted hair who recited the specials with practiced ease. Jin ordered some local specialty that Draven had never heard of, along with two of the famous floating drinks.

"Isn't that the girl you came back with?" Jin asked once the server had left. "Why is she ignoring you?"

Draven sighed, watching as Isabella held court at the center table, never once glancing in their direction though he was certain she knew exactly where they were sitting.

"It's—"

"Complicated. Right." Jin finished for him. "Fine, keep your secrets. But someday you're going to have to trust someone with whatever's really going on."

If only it were that simple.

Their drinks arrived, amber liquid that hovered an inch above specialized coasters etched with stabilizing runes. Jin's immediately turned a bright, cheerful yellow. Draven's remained amber, with occasional flickers of deep red.

"Yellow means excited," Jin explained, gesturing to his drink. "Amber is... thoughtful, I think? And red is either angry or passionate." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm not either of those things," Draven said, taking a careful sip from the floating cup, which required more coordination than he'd expected.

Jin was about to respond when the atmosphere in the bar suddenly shifted. Conversations quieted, heads turned toward the entrance, and a palpable tension filled the air.

A young man had entered—tall, with artfully tousled dark hair and expensive clothes that screamed wealth and privilege. But what really drew the eye were the flames that danced around his fingertips, casting flickering shadows across his handsome, arrogant face.

"That's Theron Flamebringer," Jin whispered. "Number seven on the Wall of Recognition. Fire specialist. Total jerk, from what I've heard."

Theron moved through the crowd with complete confidence, students parting before him like water around a stone. His destination was obvious—the center table where Isabella and Celeste sat.

"Great," Jin muttered. "More elite drama."

Draven watched as Theron reached the table, noting how Isabella's posture stiffened almost imperceptibly. Celeste's reaction was more obvious—a barely disguised look of annoyance crossing her delicate features.

Without waiting for an invitation, Theron pulled up a chair directly beside Isabella, sitting so close that their shoulders nearly touched. The flames around his fingers extinguished as he reached into his jacket and produced a small box wrapped in shimmering paper.

"Isabella, you look radiant as always," Theron's voice carried across the now-quiet bar. "I brought you something from my family's recent trip to the Southern Isles."

Isabella's response was too quiet to hear, but her body language spoke volumes—the slight lean away from Theron, the polite smile that didn't reach her eyes, the way her hands remained folded in her lap rather than reaching for the gift.

Theron pressed the box into her hands anyway, his smile never wavering. "Open it. I had it specially made for you."

Celeste said something that made Theron's smile falter momentarily, but he recovered quickly, his attention fixed entirely on Isabella.

"This is uncomfortable to watch," Jin commented, turning back to their table. "Let's just enjoy our drinks and ignore the drama."

Draven nodded, though he found it difficult to look away. There was something about Theron's persistence, about Isabella's carefully maintained composure, that struck him as a powder keg waiting for a spark.

Throughout their meal, Draven couldn't help glancing occasionally toward the center table. Each time, the tableau remained similar—Theron pressing his attentions on an increasingly uncomfortable Isabella, Celeste providing what support she could, and the surrounding students watching with a mixture of fascination and discomfort.

"He doesn't know how to take no for an answer, does he?" Jin observed after Theron loudly ordered expensive drinks for the entire center table, clearly trying to impress.

Draven noticed Isabella occasionally glancing their way while pretending not to, her eyes sliding past their table as if they were invisible. Once, he caught Celeste watching him with open curiosity, whispering something to Isabella that made her frown and shake her head slightly.

She's keeping her distance. But why?

The answer came in fragments of overheard conversation as students passed their table:

"...Shadow Moon Sect agents spotted near the academy..."

"...surveillance on top students..."

"...especially the Wall of Recognition members..."

She's being watched. We both are.

Theron's voice suddenly rose above the general chatter, an edge of frustration clear in his tone. "Come on, one dance? One conversation without your friend interrupting?"

Heads turned toward the center table again. Isabella's voice, though quiet, carried in the sudden silence.

"Thank you, Theron, but I'm here to relax with friends."

Flames flickered to life around Theron's fingers, his control slipping with his temper. "I don't understand what's wrong with me! What more do you want?"

Isabella's shadow magic responded defensively, darkening the area around her seat. Celeste's hand moved to her sleeve, where Draven suspected she kept a weapon concealed.

"Nothing's wrong with you," Isabella said, her voice still measured and calm. "I'm simply not interested in a relationship right now."

Theron's eyes narrowed, the flames around his fingers growing larger. Other students at nearby tables began to shift uncomfortably, some quietly moving to more distant seats.

"It's someone else, isn't it?" Theron demanded. "Who? One of the other Wall members?"

When Isabella didn't respond, Theron's gaze swept the room, as if searching for a rival. His eyes landed on Draven and Jin's corner table, a sneer forming on his face.

"Or maybe you've lowered your standards," he said loudly. "Maybe it's one of them?"

He pointed directly at Draven and Jin. "You two! Isabella needs more ketchup!"

Silence fell across the entire bar. All eyes turned to their table.

"Chop chop!" Theron called out, his voice dripping with contempt. "Lower-tier students should know their place!"

Jin tensed, his face flushing with anger and embarrassment. Draven placed a hand on his friend's arm, a silent warning to stay calm.

Then, with deliberate slowness, Draven set down his chopstick and looked up, meeting Theron's gaze directly.

The bar held its collective breath.