The Reaper's New Beginning

25. "We're going to school!" (2)

Three days went by in the blink of an eye and Asher, Kio, and Ian were already on their way to Staghaven Junior High. As Kio had previously imagined, Zara did try to pack excessively. From simple pain medicine to a large, silver sword. When Archer asked her about it, she pouted and said: "This is for the young master, of course! He must be protected at all times!"

Unfortunately for Kio and Archer, Zara was adamant about Asher taking that sword with him. Kio and Archer had turned their heads to stare at Asher, silently asking for help. Asher obviously noticed this and was about to reject Zara's idea of bringing the sword with him. However, seeing her slightly worried and determined gaze, Asher could only compromise.

"That sword is way too big. How about something smaller?"

In the end, Zara settled for twin daggers which were later packed in his suitcase. Now, Asher was riding in a small carriage accompanied only by Zara, Pithos, and Archer. Zara was sitting by Asher's side and handing him small sweets like chocolates and cookies while Archer sat in front of them. Pithos was laying in Asher's lap while nibbling on some sweets that Zara had given him. The warm scene reminded Archer of the relationship Asher and Nikola had before falling out.

"Why are we in a different carriage than usual?" Asher asked after rejecting the cookie Zara was handing over to him. She ended up giving the cookie to Pithos who had loudly meowed.

Before the falling out of his family, he had always been sent to school in the same carriage as Kio and Ian. After the fact that he had little potential for magic being revealed, he was always sent to school in a grand carriage coated with wealth. This was because Alejandro wanted to push Asher away from Kio and Ian, but Nikola had none of it. She threatened Alejandro to take away his position of head of the Pierce family if he did not let Asher sit on the same carriage as her other two sons. In response to this, Alejandro sent him to school in a different carriage that, as stated before, was coated in wealth. This time, however, the carriage was one that you could find anywhere. The seats had no cushion and the ride was bumpy and uncomfortable.

Zara frowned. She had obviously noticed the lack of care Asher's family put into choosing a carriage for him. She looked towards her butler companion, Archer, and decided to explain their current circumstances. "Mistress Nikola fought year after year for Young Master Asher to be driven by a splendid carriage. Staghaven Junior High is a school filled with nobles, so all noble parents try to send their children here as lavishly as possible. For Young Master Asher to be taken to school by such an ordinary carriage... the noble kids will laugh and ridicule him."

At the sudden explanation, Archer couldn't help but frown. Asher's current position in the family was not at all favorable, especially after what happened in Zacharia's manor. He could only think about asking Young Master Zacharia to help with Asher's situation since they were currently allies.

Archer wasn't the only one thinking about the problem at hand. Asher himself had also frowned while thinking about how having his truth exposed seemed to only worsen his standing in the family. The only good thing that came out of saying the truth was Kio's acceptance and the deepening of their brotherhood.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just quietly hang out with Kio. No one will bother me if I stay by his side. He promised to stay by my side, anyway," said Asher while sighing and closing his navy-blue eyes. Kio had indeed promised Asher to stay by his side after Asher told him that he had no friends.

The carriage was quiet for the remainder of the trip.

Having almost reached the tall, golden gates, Asher felt nervous. Butterflies danced around his stomach as he unconsciously held Pithos tighter. Pithos meowed as his cat body turned into the size of a growing kitten. He looked at Asher and snuggled back into his embrace. The cute action caused Asher's nervousness to slightly subside.