Chapter Text
"Professor Anaxa!" A girl with silver hair and eyes that resembled cat-slits called.
"It's Anaxagoras." Their professor stressed, as if they'd listen if he said it with more anger every time. "You would do well to call my name properly."
"Professor, what's a-"
"Sorry I'm late!" Phainon ran in, breathing heavily. "Snowy ate something bad so I had to take him to the vet, please don't kill me!" He slid into his seat, Mydei giving him a raised brow as Anaxa sighed and went back to his lesson.
Phainon gave a sheepish smile back, glancing over just in time to receive a pointed look from Anaxa, to which he chuckled nervously.
"That is all." Anaxa murmured.
Phainon glanced up, pausing. "Did you say something, Professor?"
Anaxa glared. "Perhaps you should pay more attention, Phainon of Aedes Elysiae, as to not miss my words."
"Right, sorry Professor!" His head hurt.
Strange.
"Cassie!" Phainon waved as their resident writer and shipper slid into the seat across from him, Hyacine joining soon after. Mydei sat next to Phainon, as per usual.
"How was chemistry with Professor Anaxa?" Castorice asked softly, nibbling on her egg roll.
"Fine," Mydei shrugged.
"He might be out for my blood," Phainon chuckled. "Snowy ate something bad so I had to take him into the vet early. Ended up late for class."
Hyacine glanced up. "Is Snowy okay?"
"Oh he's fine," Phainon assured her. "Happy as ever."
She smiled. "If you're ever feeling troubled, come find me!"
Phainon's head throbbed, and he winced slightly.
"Oi, HKS, you okay?" A hand was placed on his forehead.
"Haha, Mydei, I'm fine! Probably a crick in my neck from sleeping weird. Don't worry about it! Thanks, Hyacine, I'll do that!"
Mydei huffed, but Phainon noticed his eyes never left Phainon the rest of their lunch.
The sky. The sky the sky the sky the sky-
What was a sunny day like?
Why...was there nothing left...
"Calculus is not that hard," Cerydra tapped the page in front of Phainon's eyes. "It's simple, really, you peasants just need to think better."
Phainon scrubbed his face with his hand. "Er, Ma'am, it...doesn't make sense. At all, actually."
Mydei huffed beside him. "Why doesn't this work? I think their formula is dumb. Clearly that 5 came from nowhere I don't know what your talking about."
Well at least I'm not the only one struggling.
Phainon's thoughts wandered.
The Imperator is demanding in math homework.
His head throbbed again. He rubbed his temples, and looked up to see Mydei staring at him again, eyes narrowed. Phainon laughed nervously, setting his hands back on the table.
"What a day, huh?" He chuckled. "Hey Mydei, wanna go to the gym later today? I bet I can lift more than youuu~"
"HKS! No way in Kremnos hell you can lift more than I can, dumbass."
Phainon's head throbbed again, but he just smiled. "Wanna bet? Hm? Is the mighty god of lifting scared his title could be taken?"
"Oh your on. I'll show you a power lift."
Phainon laughed, but noticed Hysilens staring at him now, over Cerydra's shoulder. He shifted his gaze away quickly, going back to teasing Mydei.
"Miss Tribios?" Phainon poked his head into the nurses office.
"Phainon! How are you?" Their resident nurse and basically therapist smiled at Phainon as he walked in.
"I'm okay. Do you have any painkillers? My head's not agreeing with me today."
Tribios nodded, pulling out a small bottle and giving him two pills. "There, and don't take more for another four hours, okay?"
"Perfect, thank you!" Phainon smiled, taking them with a sip of water and stepping to the door.
"See you tomorrow, Phainon!"
"See you tomorrow....Snowy..."
"Yeah," he managed. "See you...yeah." He left quickly.
"Miss Aglaea, please, I don't think this is necessary-"
"Hush, Phainon. You think purple and yellow work together, I am not taking fashion advice from you."
Phainon wilted. "But...they do go together..."
She pinched her nose as she went through costumes for the next theater production.
"Whatever shall I do with you, hm? The only way purple works with any sort of yellow is if its a warm and radiant gold."
His head throbbed once more. Phainon frowned. He’d taken stuff for this, so why did it still persist?
“Whatever you say, Miss Aglaea,” he sighed, accepting his fate.
“A final bath…..in warm and radiant gold…”
There was a scream…
He couldn’t save her.
Phainon watched as Mydei outfitted him by a good twenty pounds, clapping politely just to piss the man off a little bit.
"Wow Mydeimos, I thought your record was a little higher, but this is still pretty good-"
"HKS!" Mydei grumbled. "Just you wait, there is no word for 'giving up' in the Kremnoan language in my vocabulary!"
Phainon laughed as his head throbbed once more, turning into more stabbing pains than just throbs.
He blinked as he felt someone brush by him, and he felt a nick on his arm.
He glanced down to see a droplet fall from the wound.
The golden blood of the damned Aeon.
Every cycle, more and more spilt.
Without fail, every drop on his hands.
A golden droplet fell from his arm, trailing down to his fingertip.
He vaguely heard Mydei calling his name.
Then he couldn't.
"A shame....such a sweet dream comes to an end." A soft voice caressed his mind.
"Perhaps one day, in another world, in...another life...it could be our reality...Khaslana..."
His blood burned. Every damned coreflame igniting his body.
The eternal cycles...
I will carry this forward, so that perhaps we could find our 'tomorrow'...
With everyone...
Then I will be...
The Blazing Sun...
Destined to rise!