Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

"Trust me, it'll be worth it. And while we are at it, I might as well give a tour for you; wouldn't that be great?" .c

Astron looked into Maya's eyes, and for a moment, he saw the flicker of anticipation there. The subtle way her gaze softened as she spoke, the slight lift in her tone—this wasn't just about the suit or the preparations for the banquet. It was about something more personal. He understood what she was really asking.

Though his original intent in coming here had been to utilize Maya's connections and the Evergreen family's influence for his own objectives, Astron wasn't blind to the nuances of their relationship.

Maya had been a constant…..– someone who had risked much to stand beside him, and this was her way of seeking something in return—a moment of closeness, a piece of time together that wasn't just about strategy or survival.

After a brief pause, he gave a small nod, his calm demeanor never wavering. "A tour sounds fitting," he said, his voice as measured as always. "I have no other pressing matters tomorrow."

Maya's smile brightened at his agreement, a subtle hint of relief washing over her features. "Good. It's settled then," she said lightly, but there was a deeper sense of contentment behind her words. "We'll visit the tailor first, and then I'll show you around the city. There's a lot you've yet to see."

Astron remained quiet, simply offering her a nod in response, but internally, he acknowledged the significance of what was happening. He had prepared for this banquet meticulously for over a week, ensuring every detail was accounted for and tomorrow was clear in his schedule.

Spending the day with Maya, though not part of his initial plan wasn't something he needed to refuse.

In fact, it seemed like a natural progression, a step in a relationship that was steadily becoming more complex.

As they settled down at one of the garden tables, the peaceful surroundings embraced them. The night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of jasmine, and soon after, Alfred appeared with a silver tray, carefully placing the desserts in front of them—a delicate arrangement of pastries, fruits, and rich cream.

Maya picked up a fork, taking a small bite of the dessert, her gaze drifting over to Astron, who had remained quiet. After a moment, she set the fork down and asked, her tone softer, more personal, "Are you always running around like this? All the time?"

Astron paused mid-bite, thinking over her question. He knew Maya had been observing him, seeing the way he moved through life with a constant sense of purpose and urgency. It was a fair question, one that held more depth than a simple inquiry. Finally, after a moment of reflection, he gave her a small nod. "That could be said, yeah."

Maya looked at him closely, her eyes searching his for a deeper understanding. She placed her fork down, leaning forward slightly. "Don't you ever get tired of it? Of always being on the move, always doing something?"

Astron met her gaze calmly, and his answer came without hesitation. "No." He set his own fork down, folding his hands together. "This is how I've lived for as long as I can remember. I don't think I'd know what to do if I wasn't running toward something or handling the next problem." His voice was steady, revealing nothing unusual, but the weight of his words made Maya realize how much this rhythm defined him.

She frowned slightly, her brow furrowing as she processed his answer. "That sounds exhausting, Astron. Don't you ever need to stop, to rest?"

Astron gave a small shrug. "It's more exhausting when I'm not doing anything. The stillness—it doesn't sit well with me." His violet eyes flickered with a brief hint of something unspoken, but he didn't elaborate. It wasn't so much that he avoided rest—it was that the quiet moments forced him to confront things he preferred to keep buried.

Maya leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "I suppose I can understand that," she said softly, though her eyes never left him. "But it's still hard for me to imagine. You make it seem so… effortless. Like you're always in control, always one step ahead."

Astron allowed a small, almost imperceptible smile to touch his lips. "Control is an illusion. Because of that, you always need to be prepared for everything, even the unknown."

Maya watched him quietly, knowing there was more to Astron than the calm, composed exterior he presented. There was a part of him she hadn't fully seen yet, but she was slowly beginning to understand just how deeply his experiences had shaped him.

Maya's thoughts drifted as she watched Astron, her expression softening with a mix of understanding and concern. 'Maybe he doesn't know how to stop,' she mused silently. 'Or maybe he feels guilty when he's not doing something, always pushing forward because stopping means facing something else—something he's not ready for.'

The idea lingered in her mind, and she found herself wanting to change that, to show him that rest wasn't a weakness, that there was value in moments of peace. It wasn't just about getting him to slow down—it was about helping him see that there could be joy in those moments, too.

Her heart gave a small flutter of determination as she glanced at him again, seeing the weight he carried, even in his calm demeanor. 'Tomorrow,' she thought, a spark of resolve blooming within her. 'Maybe I can show him how to enjoy something simple, how to take a moment just for himself.'

A faint smile crept onto her lips, and inwardly, she cheered herself on. 'Let's do a good job of it tomorrow.'

*********

The next morning, as the first light of dawn filtered through the windows, Maya woke up with her usual discipline.

The soft glow of the early sun touched her room, casting a gentle warmth over the familiar space.

Without wasting a moment, she rose from bed, her body already moving in tune with the ingrained habits that had shaped her since childhood.

This was her time—early morning training was more than just a routine. It was a ritual, a moment of clarity before the world awoke.

Maya stepped out of the mansion, the crisp morning air filling her lungs as she prepared to start her usual meditation and elemental control exercises. Her magic, like a steady current within her, responded naturally as she focused her mind. Her connection to the elements was something she had cultivated from a young age, and these moments of quiet meditation always helped her refine that control.

The gentle hum of mana around her began to settle as she sat down in the garden, ready to begin. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic, the energy of the world around her slowly merging with her own as she meditated, feeling the earth beneath her and the flow of the wind against her skin. This was how she grounded herself, how she maintained the balance between her magic and her mind.

But as she began to slip deeper into her meditation, something else caught her attention.

A sudden, sharp movement.

Her senses, finely tuned to the natural flow of energy, picked up the disturbance—someone moving through the garden, fast and precise. She opened her eyes, focusing on the source of the movement, and quickly recognized the ferocious yet graceful speed of the figure darting between the trees.

It was Astron.

Maya couldn't help but smile to herself as the memory surfaced—her junior had a habit of training even earlier than she did. She had forgotten that amidst the chaos of yesterday's events. But now, seeing him in action, it was all too clear again. He moved with a singular focus, his body a blur of motion as he practiced his forms, each movement deliberate and sharp.

Astron, while quiet and often reserved in conversation, trained with an intensity that was hard to ignore. His strikes, though precise and controlled, carried a certain ferocity, as though he were fighting an invisible enemy, never letting his guard down. Every motion seemed like it had a purpose—an exact reason for existing in the flow of his routine.

Maya watched from a distance, her own meditation briefly forgotten as she observed him.

'Sigh...It is now getting quite harder to hold….'

She even kind of started regretting giving him Sylvana's Essence.

'And I feel like I will regret it a lot more….'

His face now became much more lethal than how it was before, and just by peeking at him training with his clothes sticking to his body….

It was really...

Maya quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks warming as she realized where her thoughts were drifting. Astron's intense focus, his movements fluid and sharp, paired with the subtle allure of his well-defined form—his clothes sticking to him from the effort of his training—were becoming more of a distraction than she'd anticipated. She felt a tug of frustration within herself, knowing that it wasn't just admiration for his skills that was stirring these feelings.

'Sigh… What have I done?' she thought, shaking her head, recalling how she'd given him Sylvana's Essence. That decision, made out of necessity at the time, now felt like a double-edged sword. His already lethal appearance had been sharpened further, and his aura seemed to exude an irresistible, dangerous charm.

'This... is getting out of hand,' she mused, feeling the heat rise in her face. The more she watched him, the more difficult it became to keep her thoughts in check. The raw energy he emitted, combined with his silent but intense demeanor, made it nearly impossible to focus on anything else.

'I need to stop... or I'll lose control,' she thought firmly, trying to calm herself.

With a deep breath, Maya closed her eyes, forcibly pulling herself away from the sight of Astron and his relentless training. She needed to regain her composure before her instincts, which she had been working so hard to keep in check, got the better of her. The last thing she wanted was to be caught off guard, especially by her own emotions.

'Focus. Meditation. Control,' she mentally repeated as a mantra, willing herself to return to her own routine.

Her body relaxed, and the familiar sensation of mana flowing through her brought a sense of calm. Slowly, she felt the temptation subside, replaced by the soothing energy of the elements around her. But despite her best efforts, the image of Astron still lingered in the back of her mind.

'This is... going to be a long morning,' she thought with a faint, exasperated sigh.

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