The night was quiet.
Roman lay alone on the academy's training ground, his eyes fixed on the stars above as his body rubbed the sand.
The moon hung high, bright and round, casting a soft glow over the field. A cool breeze blew through, rustling his clothes.
He let out a slow breath.
Everything from earlier kept playing in his mind—Ava frozen in fear, Aurelia thrown to the ground, the demon's roar, the blood, if it wasn't for him, then Ava would have been killed.
"If I were just a second late..." he muttered.
His hands were in his pockets, and his face was calm, but inside he felt heavy.
He knew Ava was powerful; there was no doubt about that. She was far stronger than he currently was, but in the face of danger, she couldn't move.
Roman wasn't sure if he would be the same, he couldn't rule that out since he wasn't the one in front of the demon, but Aurelia was definitely fearless.
"I need to be better... stronger," he whispered, clenching his fists.
