After the session with Dukun Rosso, Rai and Jony headed to the training grounds—an open area used by students who had already bonded with their khodams and jin slaves. The place was quiet, with only the footsteps and the wind breaking the silence.
Jony rolled up his sleeves and said flatly, "Let's test your strength."
Rai nodded. She summoned her khodam—a winged angelic figure, one of its wings now darkened due to the influence of vodoo energy. With a wave of her hand, she opened the first page of her artificial khodam book: Skeleton Army. Ten skeletal warriors rose from the ground, awaiting orders.
On Jony's side, a dark mist spread across the earth. From it emerged a tall, muscular man with a commanding presence. A giant snake tail extended from his lower back, alive and moving, while eight smaller snake tails protruded like living ornaments. His hands were shaped like serpent heads—complete with fangs and flickering tongues.
Jony gave a slight smirk. "Begin."
The battle erupted. The skeleton soldiers charged forward, but none could land a single blow. With swift movements, Jony's khodam struck—his serpent-hand bit into one of the skeletons. Instantly, the bones turned green, vibrated, then shattered into green dust. Even bone couldn't withstand that venom.
Rai gritted her teeth. She flipped to the second page—Thunder Falcons. Three massive lightning-charged birds soared into the sky, diving with crackling energy.
Jony raised a hand. "Unleash."
From his neck, his jin slave emerged—a massive serpent coiled around him transformed into a humanoid figure covered in scales. With slitted eyes and a flickering tongue, the snake-man leapt into the air. One by one, the falcons were struck down with venomous black fog. Upon contact, the birds exploded into sparks and vanished.
"Giant Octopus!" Rai shouted, opening the third page. A monstrous octopus emerged from a swirling pool, its tentacles writhing with power.
But Jony's khodam extended his main tail, striking the octopus from above. Poison seeped in, turning the tentacles black. One by one, they rotted away until the giant sea beast dissolved into vapor.
From the trees, Keil observed silently. He leaned against a trunk, one brow raised, a faint smile on his lips.
"Interesting," he murmured. Known as a charming playboy among the students, Keil was friendly and quick to bond with women—but despite the rumors, he had never actually dated anyone. In truth, he was still untouched, misunderstood for his outgoing nature.
His eyes glinted as he watched the fight. One's a poison king… the other's a summoner general. I wonder who the girls will fall for first.
Stepping out from the shadows, Keil clapped slowly.
"Nice show. You really brought this place to life," he said with his usual confident grin.
Jony gave him a silent glance, while Rai wiped sweat from her brow. But deep inside, all three of them knew… this was just the beginning.
"You up for a match?" Keil smirked, stepping into the open field and locking eyes with Jony.
Jony tilted his head, interested but silent.
Without waiting for a response, Keil summoned his khodam—a tall, humanoid eagle warrior with massive feathered wings and sharp, golden eyes. The khodam's gaze pierced through the air like a predator tracking its prey, every movement seeming to slow down under his keen vision.
Keil then drew a sword from his back, its blade humming with wind energy. At the same time, a golden eagle circled above him, then descended and transformed mid-air into a golden-winged humanoid being—radiant, graceful, and brimming with aura.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense and the battle was about to begin, Jony casually glanced at his wristwatch.
"Ah… sorry," he said coolly. "Looks like it's time for me to help Dukun Rosso with his class."
He turned around and walked off without hesitation, leaving Keil mid-pose, sword drawn, khodam summoned, and utterly bewildered.
Keil stood frozen for a few seconds, then slowly lowered his weapon. "Huh?"
In the distance, Rai watched the entire scene unfold. She had been expecting an intense battle—but instead, she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at Jony's unshakable discipline and perfectly timed exit.
Keil finally sat down in the corner of the field, a dark aura hanging around him like a raincloud. His khodam dissipated without a word.
Rai couldn't hold it in anymore. A soft laugh escaped her lips.
Keil looked up, defeated. "You… nothing happened in the training ground. Got it?"
Rai held her mouth, still giggling. "Yes, yes. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing."
Just as they exited the training area, they ran into Houyi, Anna, and Unna, who were heading in with cheerful energy.
"Hey! You guys were training?" Unna greeted with a big smile.
Rai immediately shook her head. "Nope! Nothing happened. At all."
"Huh?" Houyi blinked. Anna and Unna exchanged glances, clearly confused.
"What do you mean, 'nothing happened'?" Unna asked, raising an eyebrow. "What could've happened?"
Rai looked away awkwardly while Keil sighed heavily, pulling his cloak over his head in embarrassment.
From that point on, the phrase "nothing happened" would echo around campus more than it should have—especially among those who missed the so-called "event" in the training field.
After they stepped into the training hall, the three friends started stretching, but their minds were somewhere else.
Unna crossed her arms, squinting suspiciously.
"Did you catch what Rai said when we asked what happened earlier?"
Anna mimicked Rai's voice mockingly, "Nothing happened..." with an awkward little smile.
Houyi clicked her tongue. "That's exactly what people say when something did happen."
Unna: "Right? It was too specific. She could've just said 'we trained' or 'it was fine'."
Anna: "And don't forget Keil! He was sitting in the corner like he just got dumped… or accidentally confessed and got rejected."
Houyi: "What if something happened during training? Like they got too close—maybe Rai tripped and fell on him or something."
Unna: (grinning) "Or their faces got super close and there was an almost kiss...?"
Anna: "I bet that's why Keil looked so out of it. Post-almost-kiss confusion."
The three gasped like they'd uncovered a royal scandal.
---
By dinner, the gossip had spread through the academy like wildfire:
> "I heard Keil and Rai were alone in the training room... and when they came out, she said 'nothing happened'. Sounds fishy, right?"
> "Word is, they had a moment. Like, face-close, maybe even... kissed."
> "Apparently Keil looked totally stunned after. Some say he couldn't even talk properly."
> "Someone from Class B said their khodams disappeared for a few minutes. What were they doing while their masters were... distracted?"
> "Rai laughed when she left—classic sign of someone trying to hide embarrassment."
> "And Keil? He's been avoiding eye contact with everyone."