The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Lady Magda stood with her hands on her hips, her presence commanding as she scanned the room of eager, half eager and non-eager faces. Her sharp eyes gleamed as she addressed the students, her voice resonating with authority.

"Now that our three initiates have stepped forward, it's time to complete their teams. These teams will be your Dungeon Squads for today and perhaps — if you do well, they will remain your teammates for every other training inside the Mock Dungeon.

"Their performance will reflect not just your individual skill but also your ability to work together as a unit. Remember, a Dungeon doesn't care how strong one of you is — success depends on everyone doing their part."

She gestured toward Aeric, Meira, and Linnette. "For the Son of Starlight..."

Aeric narrowed his eyes, calmly waiting.

"...your team will include Phoebe of Elysium, Nyx of Twilight, and Misty of Starlight."

Aeric lifted his head and saw the three girls, initially surprised at first, began to come down from the rows of seats, approaching the stage.

Phoebe strode shyly, glancing at her sister as though seeking some assurance or confidence from her. Nyx followed with her usual sassy, spitfire character, her red hair flowing and her blue eyes sharp.

Last came his sister, visibly more nervous than the others with her hand clutching the other, her raven dark curls bouncing as she carefully skipped down the steps.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

'Misty and Phoebe. Not very powerful teammates,' Aeric thought, frowning to himself. 'But Nyx is Gold Ranked so I guess she will be impactful.'

Magda continued, her tone brisk. "For Meira, Daughter of Dawn, your team will consist of Melina of Moonlight, Erebelle of Twilight, and Cecilia of Dawn."

The three girls descended in turn. Melina, the Moonlight Daughter that Aeric was well accustomed to, walked with the steady grace of leadership and pride that she had learned from her sister, her silver hair gleaming under the enchanted lights of the hall.

Erebelle was more reserved, just like her mother and unlike her younger sisters, her dark blue hair framing a thoughtful expression. She had small lips and a nice pair of round breasts, which even though were huge, were still one of the smallest amongst the Daughters.

Cecilia, the last, had a playful smirk that seemed to set her apart. With her red hair tied back in a simple ponytail, she looked a little bit like Faeryn. But all the Elysium Daughters did look strikingly alike.

Aeric stood straight as his own team reached and stood beside him, saying nothing. Even though Nyx smirked flirtatiously at him.

Meira's team greeted her warmly though, causing her nervous energy to be replaced by a growing confidence.

Finally, Magda addressed Linnette. "For you, Linnette of Elysium, your team will include Rosette of Starlight, Aryanne of Moonlight, and Elara of Dawn."

Aeric slit his eyes. 'Unfortunate that a kind girl like Linnette has to work with my devil sister.'

Rosette got down with her usual apathetic face, even though apathetic, it still bordered on some kind of annoyance. Aryanne followed, her silver hair falling over her shoulders. She didn't seem too interested in this, but that was certainly going to change as long as it was a competition against Aeric.

Elara, Celestia's elder sister, also joined her. She had brown hair, darker than her sisters' blond, and robust features, just like her sisters.

Linnette, as gleeful as she always was, beamed at her team, her excitement palpable. But then she noticed something when the new teams assembled. Linnette raised her hand. "Lady Magda, there's one problem. Aren't there supposed to be five members per team? Each of us is still one short."

Magda nodded. "That is true. Good observation, Linnette. I was about to explain. For this exercise, I will allow each of you to choose your final team member. This ensures that at least one person in your group is someone you trust and work well with. With that, your connection with that person can then extend to the rest of your teammates. Friendship, after all, can become the foundation for strong team dynamics."

Aeric lifted his eyes to the rows of chairs once again. He had intended to ask that question ever since Lady Magda called out his own teammates. However, now, he knew exactly who was going to call.

He was looking right at her.

Lady Magda turned to the rest of the Daughters. "Before you begin deliberating, I will also note that certain strong Dungeon Clearers — such as Daughter Faeryn, Daughter Daphne, and Daughter Luna — have been excluded from this selection. The goal is to ensure fairness. Your performance must reflect the teamwork you build, not an overwhelming advantage."

The room murmured with agreement as Aeric leaned back slightly, observing the unfolding scene with mild interest. 'It's not like I was going to pick them, but I had no idea that Daphne and Luna were great Dungeon Clearers like Faeryn.'

"Daughter Linnette, you go first," Lady Magda gestured.

Linnette looked up, a smile on her face and her voice steady. "I choose Faelys. She's my sister, and we've trained together countless times."

From the back, a tall girl with a striking resemblance to Linnette stood. Linnette was the only one amongst their family with pink hair. Just like their mother, Mother Aphra, Faelys had green hair, same as Phoebe, while Faeryn and Cecilia had red hair.

Faelys nodded toward her sister before making her way to the stage.

Looking into the crowd, first at her immediate elder sister, Celestia, Meira changed her mind halfway, earning a sigh of relief from Aeric and even Celestia herself when she chose; "Nyssa. I choose Nyssa."

Over the past few days, since Meira became a student at the Institution, she'd formed a friendship with Nyssa surprisingly, who was a bit more reserved than her twin sister, Nyx. Perhaps that was why they made a great pair.

Nyssa had a surprising warm smile light up her face when she heard that. So she stood, her curly red hair bouncing as she joined Meira's team, exchanging a quick, encouraging word with her.

Finally, it was Aeric's turn. He didn't even think about it like the girls, he just shifted his body and pointed at the beautiful blonde girl he had been sitting beside.