ALL THE STUDENTS WERE OPEN-MOUTHED.
Rafel himself was bewildered, but his face rested in a calm—which made the rest of Magdalena's Assembly Hall worry even more. Inwardly, Dr. Shetty was glad; she knew young Master Israfel was special from the moment he had first stepped foot on the isle way back. Nicara showed no signs of her being puzzled. She schooled her features into a poker face.
The hall watched the pretty, curvy redhead of a Headmistress step forward to take control of the situation. Nicara called to the summoning system of the Manifest.
"Arc Crystal, show the bonding strength of Master Israfel BlüdThïrste!"
Many students drew near to peer closer from their seats as the wide stage screen filled with intense light and a hologram. The left column which sat the First Years now only contained an tinkling of those who were yet to take the Manifest.
[DING!]
The Arc Crystal burned fiercely on its cusp, lighting the high chair and Rafel in pure radiance. It damn near showed the blue veins under his skin. The lit screen pushed out more notifications. Dr. Nicara Shetty stared from the spotlight of the podium.
[MANA AFFINITY for host: ISRAFEL BLÜDTHÏRSTE now showing!]
[RAVEN ARC of shadow and arcane Affinity: 99]
[PHOENIX ARC of blood and fire Affinity: 99] Stay updated with m-v le-mpyr
[PEGASUS ARC of water and spirit Affinity: 91]
[GRIFFIN ARC of Sunfire and wind Affinity: 96]
"HOLY SHIT!" someone muttered in the quiet that had fallen over the assembly hall. Everyone looked to their neighbors to converse, but in whispers, their gazes flicking repeatedly to the hologram on the stage, as if the notifications would disappear. It didn't.
Everyone was talking.
"Surely, the arc crystal must have the numbers wrong," a Sophomore of Griffin Gold faction said to another. A Pegasus Blue Third Year on another row was twisting at her curly hair. "No one can make a 99 percent mana affinity in their Manifest.
That kind of greater range is for the dominion of the rank Acolyte and further up the wizardry ladder." A First Year, just newly manifested; of the Raven Black arc: a girl with lip rings and purple streaks in her hair fade was staring up at Rafel like he was an item in a curiosity shop.
She played with her fingers, soliloquizing, "The strongest bond strength the Academy has had in centuries was 73, of the Griffin Gold, and that pupil has a less than 20 count for the other arcs. To have greater than ninety percent in all arcs and twice the uppity merger in Raven and Phoenix is a spike of the [Supreme].
Paramount of all, he noticed her glossy bright silver hair—but many people had white hair.
He was busying himself admiring the hips on his Headmistress and her latent smile when those fine lips of hers pursed in a final call.
"—and the last, but certainly not least on our Manifest, we have a True Blood. Coming out from Brightburn Hall, CORAZÓN MORTIMER!"
Rafel was smiling and fantasizing when he heard the name; the grin died on his face. It was like someone had abruptly cut the dreamy music in his head. . .
No! It can't be!
Cora is dead!
His mind was firing a million miles a minute, thoughts banging so hard it hurt his psyche; he was turning over the facts, running through doubts again on how. . .why she might be alive.
Still, he raised his eyes again to look at the tall female who had taken the Manifest high chair. Her blue eyes, so fucking blue, cut clear as ice into the crowd. Her hair, so blond it shimmered like snow.
It was her.
Any doubts he had at her being real vanished when he saw her tight-fit commando pants. She was still the Tomboy he remembered.
Forgetting himself, he lurched to his feet.
"CORAZÓN!"
The hall went quiet. Everyone looked between he and the platinum blonde about to Manifest. But his former chamberlain's eyes were distant. There was nothing in those ocean blues. No fucking recognition! He was like a stranger in her eyes.
Rafel looked across rows of filled seats to Aya Naamah, for clarity. His [Bond] succubus shook her head.
Rafel plopped down on his seat.
WHAT THE FUCK?!
Yes, it was his Corazón. . .but again, it was not her.
WHAT THE HELL HAD HAPPENED THAT NIGHT IN EMBERFALL?