As the days passed, Alicia watched girls her age getting boyfriends and having silly lovers' quarrels in the academy halls. Even her mother, Serena, kept teasing her—pushing her to find someone.
But Alicia remembered it clearly.
The first Crestvale head with the same powers as hers… had killed her own lover.
That memory sat like a stone in her chest.
'If I fall in love and lose control… will I do the same?' she thought. 'What if I go berserk and hurt the person I care about most?'
One day, she shared these fears with her mentor, Selena Vega.
Selena's answer was simple.
"Then find someone stronger than you," she said.
To Alicia, it sounded impossible. Aside from Evelyn, she was sure no one her age could match her. Even most adults couldn't.
That was when she met Alex Dragonheart.
The boy who broke through intermediate rank in four months.
The one who managed to injure her in a duel despite being much weaker on paper.
