Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

On a cobblestone street lined with ancient trees and charming shops, there is a hidden gem: "Café Épure." This café is reserved exclusively for distinguished individuals with a certain status at the university, to the point that merely entering the establishment was an act worth bragging about for those just starting to climb the social ladder.

The beautiful café boasted a polished glass facade, while the interior featured white walls that reflected the warm light of geometric pendant lamps. This harmonized perfectly with the tables and chairs, which seemed to be a blend of natural wood and black metal. They were arranged in a meticulously calculated layout to create a harmonious flow.

In an elegant private room of the café, accessible only to the upper echelon of the order, three young women, appearing to be around 18 years old, were gathered around a sleek rectangular table. They sipped from their cups and conversed with distinguished manners, occasionally letting out small giggles.

"By the way, have you heard the latest news about Master Eldurdóttir's first disciple?" In the midst of the harmonious conversation, a stunning young woman with black hair and blue eyes asked with amusement as she looked at her two companions.

"No, what happened? Although the news that Master Eldurdóttir had taken on her first disciple spread like wildfire, very few people have actually seen him in person. I've heard rumors that he's very handsome." A beautiful, energetic-looking young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, commented showing interest as she looked into her blue-eyed companion's eyes.

"Well, there's actually a photo of him circulating because the heir of the Blackthorn family wants to test his skills, and many have tried to challenge him. But it seems he's a coward who doesn't dare accept a duel. It's a shame because he really is handsome."

As she responded, the black-haired young woman took out a crystal card from her storage ring, which projected a hologram of an elegant-looking, handsome young man with green eyes and starry black hair.

"Wow, he's really handsome," the blonde-haired young woman's eyes sparkled as she looked at Erik's image, but they quickly dimmed as she added with regret, "What a shame that he's actually too cowardly to accept a duel. It's a real pity."

After nodding in agreement with a slightly disappointed expression, the black-haired young woman turned to look at Liliana, who was sitting in her place drinking tea and had not commented since they began discussing Master Eldurdóttir's disciple. She then asked curiously.

"Liliana, do you know him? Your Master is the sworn sister of Master Eldurdóttir, so you should know something."

"I've seen him a couple of times, but I haven't spoken much with him, so I didn't know he was such a coward. I'm surprised too," Liliana responded with a similar expression to her companions, to which the other two young women nodded in understanding.

"I see, it's a shame. Who would have thought that the great first disciple of the incredible Master Eldurdóttir would be such a coward? Maybe Master Eldurdóttir doesn't have a good eye for choosing disciples after all; she rejected the best geniuses in the galaxy and ended up choosing a coward," the black-haired young woman commented with regret as she sipped from her porcelain cup.

"Well, Master Eldurdóttir is still very young; possibly she's lacking experience. But at the same time, it's a revealing experience—being the greatest genius in history doesn't make you good at everything," the blonde-haired young woman also expressed her opinion with some regret that turned into a reflective tone.

"Maybe you're right."

Liliana, for her part, commented softly and calmly, then elegantly resumed sipping her tea as if it had nothing to do with her. But inside, she was absolutely furious. She already knew that Erik was a damn coward, but she never imagined it would reach this point, where he was practically throwing mud on Master Eldurdóttir's face.

But that wasn't the worst of it. The truly bad thing was that if it came to light that her own Master had also accepted him as a disciple, part of that shame would pass on to her and, consequently, to Liliana herself—something she couldn't allow under any circumstances. After all, she didn't want to bear the stigma of being the elder sister of a coward.

Although she managed to maintain appearances, after a brief further conversation with her friends, Liliana made up a random excuse to leave, then headed directly to Master Eldurdóttir's mansion, fuming with rage. There, Seraphina greeted her with a smile and a courteous bow.

"Good afternoon, young Lady Liliana. How may I assist you?" Seraphina spoke in a polite and professional tone as she analyzed the young woman before her, whom she did not particularly like and only tolerated because she was Eleonora's disciple.

"Where is that coward?" Liliana asked in a dark tone while directing a piercing glare at Seraphina, her face red with anger.

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I don't understand what you mean by 'coward.' I truly don't know anyone in the residence who fits that description," Seraphina responded elegantly and respectfully, her expression flat—a look that Liliana could only perceive as mockingly 'confused.'

"I'M TALKING ABOUT ERIK! That coward has refused to accept a duel, and now the entire university is talking about it!" Liliana shouted, her eyes nearly bloodshot as she glared at the annoying woman in front of her.

"Oh, I see, you're referring to young master Erik. Although I strongly disagree with you that he's a coward, and it's best you don't refer to the young master in those terms, Miss Liliana, for your own sake," Seraphina said with a piercing look that chilled the young woman to the bone. But the professional maid quickly resumed her elegant smile and added courteously, "The young master is in the garden; please follow me."

"Hmph," Liliana huffed in annoyance, but fear was evident in her gaze as she silently followed Seraphina with her head bowed.

With a firm and elegant step, worthy of the professional maid that she was, Seraphina led Liliana to the garden. There Erik was playing with two giant wolves, one silver and one black, along with a large serpent with beautiful black scales that was 10 meters long. The creature had powerful limbs ending in three claws, making it resemble a dragon.

"ERIK!!!!"

Seeing the ridiculous scene, the fear Liliana felt vanished instantly, replaced by a rage that soared to its peak, forcing her to shout at the top of her lungs while she stomped toward him.

Hearing the shout, Erik took the Frisbee that Kaiser happily handed him, then turned in Liliana's direction while petting the head of the quasi-dragon serpent. He found the girl glaring at him indignantly, directing all the 'murderous intent' she could muster.

"Hello, Liliana. Why so angry? What do you need from me?" Erik greeted casually, which seemed to infuriate the chocolate-haired girl even more, who couldn't help but scream at the top of her lungs.

"ERIK, YOU DAMN COWARD! YOU'RE DRAGGING YOUR MASTER'S REPUTATION THROUGH THE MUD, AND YOU COULD ALSO TARNISH MY MASTER'S REPUTATION!"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Erik asked, genuinely confused, while the wolves and the quasi-dragon serpent looked at Liliana with confusion, tilting their heads.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN'?! OF COURSE, I'M TALKING ABOUT YOUR COWARDLY ATTITUDE IN REFUSING DUELS!!!!"

Liliana shouted furiously, panting like a bull, utterly exasperated by the useless person in front of her, while Erik and his group looked at her like she was crazy, which only further frayed the nerves of the agitated young woman.

"I don't understand what one thing has to do with the other," Erik commented, genuinely perplexed as he looked at the young woman, who responded angrily.

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT! A COUNTRY BUMPKIN, AFTER ALL! YOU'RE A DAMN DISGRACE TO MASTER ELDURDÓTTIR AND TO MY MAST—"

Liliana's shout was cut off abruptly as she suddenly began to feel terrifying murderous intent accompanied by a suffocating pressure emanating from the wolves, the serpent, and another from behind her. Where Seraphina could be seen elegantly smiling while the air around her seemed to bend on itself, creating a terrifying scene.

"Human girl, this is the last time I allow you to speak to Erik in those terms. Next time, you will pay with your life," Ebonique spoke in a cold, emotionless voice as she glared dangerously at Liliana, who was visibly trembling but dared not move.

"Calm down, Ebonique. Liliana is just a little upset; it's not worth losing your temper." Erik spoke calmly as he petted Ebonique's head, since there was no reason to get worked up over the outbursts of a child. This caused the serpent to lovingly wrap its tail around his waist, while the wolves shrank in size and began rubbing their heads against Erik's body.

"Alright, alright, I'll spoil you guys too. Don't be jealous," Erik said as he used his free hand to pet the wolves' heads while smiling amusedly, causing them to bark excitedly as they wagged their tails vigorously.

"Well, Liliana..."

After a moment, Erik looked back at Liliana and spoke as he made a table and two chairs appear from his storage ring, which he arranged in the garden with the help of his phantom hands. At the same time, he added.

“You’d better sit down and explain to me how refusing to accept duels is damaging my Master's reputation because I don’t understand.”

As Erik sat down in his chair and gestured to the other, Liliana could only nod robotically before sitting down, clearly terrified. Seeing this, the star-haired boy gave Seraphina a smile.

“Seraphina, could you bring us some tea to calm the nerves, please?” Erik requested in a calm voice as he looked at his reliable and playful maid.

“Of course, young master.”

After bowing respectfully, Seraphina smiled cheerfully and left, her hips swaying seductively with great enthusiasm. Erik could only smile wryly and shake his head slightly before turning to Liliana and asking.

“So, how is it that not accepting duels is bad for my Master's reputation?”

Not wanting to lose what little remained of her good image, Liliana took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, then spoke, trying to sound strong and composed.

“It’s very simple. Cowards are looked down upon, and if you don’t accept a duel, you’ll be seen as nothing more than a coward. This, in turn, will reflect poorly on your Master, as it indicates either that she didn’t educate you properly or that she doesn’t have a good eye for choosing disciples, which is just as bad, if not worse.”

As Liliana spoke, Seraphina returned, holding a beautiful porcelain teapot with a lovely design. She poured a cup for Liliana and placed a plate of cookies in front of Erik, who looked at her with delight and gratitude, before eating one with satisfaction.

“I see. I just wanted to avoid something as stupid as a duel to prove my skills because some egocentric idiot wants to see them, but who would have thought humans would still be so idiotic even after conquering the galaxy…”

After finishing his cookie, Erik commented before reflecting a bit, his hand on his chin. A few moments later, he turned his gaze to Seraphina and asked.

“Seraphina, do you think I should accept a duel?”

“Young master, I doubt that would change anything. Even if you win, they’ll just keep challenging you over and over, which will waste your valuable time—exactly what you want to avoid.” Seraphina responded elegantly and servilely, something with which Liliana couldn’t help but agree.

“That’s true as well,” Erik sighed wearily, then asked casually, “How do people here react to displays of power?”