Chapter 63: First Day of Classes

The entire group had repeatedly told Julius to stay away from Liam. They didn’t like the guy and were always on guard against him. So when Julius saw the guys staring at Julius from afar, Julius pretended like he hadn’t seen him. He scanned his gaze right by Liam and continued on his way to the back of the line.

Julius made sure to keep an eye out for Liam with [Spatial Perception] as well as making sure to watch out for any aura attacks. He didn’t have Lily or any of the others with him today. They were doing some early morning training before their first class. Julius didn’t want to show Liam that he had the ability to use aura, not if he could help it at least.

Julius was able to make it through the line without having a problem. Nobody bothered him or made trouble for the first year for eating in the wrong cafeteria. Lily’s claim of him must have done more than he thought.

He was about halfway done with his meal when he got interrupted by the feeling of multiple people walking up behind him. Julius had made sure he tracked Liam’s position the entire time, so it didn’t come as a surprise when Julius felt him approaching with his buddies.

Liam slid into the empty seat next to Julius and gave him a pat on the back.

“Hey! Sorry we didn’t get properly introduced yesterday. My name is Liam, what’s yours?”

Julius had already decided that he would play nice with Liam, at least for now. There was no reason for him to cause problems with the young Abram scion. The others might be able to get away with it because of their families and strength but Julius didn’t have the same luxury.

He put on a kind smile and looked at Liam in the eyes, “It’s Julius. Aren’t you the guy who came up to the table the other day?”

Liam narrowed his eyes and Julius felt aura drift off of Liam and reach out to Julius. It was actually a very impressive display of aura control. It clearly wasn’t the aura of someone who was untrained or inexperienced in it. There were no leaks or strays, the aura was well-contained and used purposefully.

Julius had also decided beforehand that if Liam tried to pull the same stunt as before, then he wouldn’t slap the probe away. Julius had practiced with Declan before coming to Goldencrest. One thing he learned was how to defend yourself with aura without letting the other person know they were being thwarted. It wasn’t so much as an application of aura, but a control of your mind and emotions. He hadn’t got very good at it yet, so many emotions slipped through his grasp. But that made his aura feel more natural to anyone worth their salt and Liam was seemingly one of them.

Before it made it to him, Julius made sure to control his breathing and activated [Savage Dance]. The skill would help Julius control his thoughts and his emotions. Usually, Julius didn’t crank up [Savage Dance] so much that it completely desensitized him anymore, but this time he muted many of his emotions.

By the time Liam’s aura started to feel and probe around Julius, Liam would only be able to feel the calmness and serenity of Julius. It would be like a pond, with soft ripples dancing across its surface.

Liam pressed even deeper, trying to dive into Julius’s aura, but he didn’t get very far. He was already pressing too hard for a Tier 1. Any more and he could start hurting Julius, therefore he stopped and pulled his aura back.

This all happened within a few seconds, and during this time Liam had been looking directly at the smiling Julius. His friends off to the side were looking at each other. They must’ve felt Liam’s aura, especially the later half, as it was more than even they thought was appropriate.

Finally, Liam smiled with the same smile Julius saw last time and replied to Julius, “Yeah, that was me.” Then Liam bent down closer to Julius’s ear and whispered, “Between you and me, I have had a little crush on Aubrey for years, but I haven’t convinced her to give me a chance yet.” Liam sat back up and sighed dramatically, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked.

Julius watched as Liam put on his show. He had to admit that Liam was very good. If it wasn’t for the fact that the guy had just invaded Julius’s own aura just a few moments ago, he might have been convinced that he wasn’t a bad guy and just a normal guy pinning after a girl.

“Well, when I saw you earlier, I just wanted to drop by and introduce myself properly this time. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask for me, okay?” Liam said to Julius with a kind hearted smile plastered on his face the entire time.

Julius maintained his own smile throughout the interaction and said, “Thanks, I will remember that.” The whole time he didn’t break his gaze with Liam’s ice-blue eyes.

Julius was able to feel that Liam wasn’t appreciating that Julius was looking right into his eyes, and wasn’t acting nervous like maybe he was expecting. However, Liam didn’t show anything and got up, saying goodbye before leaving Julius to his own devices.

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Julius still hadn’t dropped [Savage Dance] or his guard, he could still feel Liam’s aura lingering around feeling out Julius. It was only after a few minutes that Julius felt Liam’s aura recede and he took a deep breath in relief.

He lowered [Savage Dance] slowly. Julius’s temper had been about to tip over, it was only due to the skill that he hadn’t lashed out in anger. Bit by bit, Julius was able to get a handle on himself, decreasing [Savage Dance]’s influence in increments.