Seraphina stood frozen, and terror overtook her. She also saw Narisse, who seemed to want to approach, which only worsened her fear. Bringing both hands to the center of her chest, she began to breathe with difficulty, memories she wanted to erase flooding her mind.
Seraphina felt her hair being pulled and saw Elowyn's amused gaze, immediately being transported back to when she was ten years old, in that same position, when she had tried to stop a fight between some children. Back then, she tried to help as many people as possible and simply wanted to stop a fight.
"From now on, you'll do the same every day, and I'll keep paying five bronze coins."
The children she had tried to help—kids her age who lived on the streets, to whom she gave coins—and the guards around Elowyn, all of them beat her every day. Some had refused and tried to help, but the next day they disappeared—not killed, but taken somewhere by the guards, and when they returned, they never tried to help again. Just like Elowyn said, those who accepted hit her in places that couldn't be seen—stomach, back, legs—because Seraphina liked wearing long clothes back then.
She couldn't take it and even thought about telling her parents the very day it all began, but Elowyn made one of the guards cause an "accident," and her parents were badly hurt and had to stay in bed for a week, unable to work.
"If you tell them anything, next time it'll be worse, and maybe they'll die."
So she stayed quiet, tormented every day, and even then she hoped—maybe if she endured, maybe if she still tried to help them, maybe they would go easier on her. But nothing changed. When it seemed like they were easing up, Elowyn increased the payment by a coin, and they went back to being even worse.
She could fake things well in front of her family. She didn't smile falsely because she still had hope. And that hope seemed to arrive—a cheerful girl her age started helping her. The girl's name was Narisse, and she always brought food, bandaged her wounds, taught her the basics of magic, and played with her when no one was watching. It was two magical weeks for her.
"You're my best friend."
After saying that, Seraphina received a hug from the girl. The next day, Narisse took her to a hideout she claimed was safe and where she could see amazing mages casting magic. Seraphina went with a light heart, but upon entering, she saw five children waiting with rocks in hand.
When Seraphina looked to the side, she saw Narisse beside Elowyn, who was sipping juice with both hands like a child, waiting for the show to begin. She didn't run when the blows came. She didn't scream from the pain. But when she saw Narisse smile as she fell, Seraphina broke—and only then did she scream, desperately. That night, she began gripping a knife tightly at home. It was also that day that she almost died, if not for her parents saving her.
"Sweetheart, wake up... please don't leave us."
Her mother had come home from work immediately that day and, finally crying, Seraphina told them everything. Her mother put her to bed and stayed by her side the whole day while her father went out to do something.
When she woke up, her father said they would move to another city. They couldn't do anything to Elowyn, but her father had managed to speak to the king after kneeling all day, and when granted an audience, the king promised to get them better jobs in another city and said he would talk to his daughter to leave Seraphina alone.
She couldn't believe everything was okay now. When she got into the carriage that took them far away, she cried with relief, with her father hugging her and her mother comforting her. After that day, it still took time for her to trust anyone besides her parents, but she gradually returned to playing with other children, with her ever-patient parents. She always told herself she had the best parents in the world, so to repay them, just like they trained in secret, she trained too and made a goal: "enter the best academy on the continent"—and she did it.
She was happy, but upon arriving at the academy, she saw how hard it was. She was ranked 240th and didn't give up, even if no one in her class was her friend. Classes below Class D fought hard to rise quickly before the first group was eliminated, always trying to sabotage each other. They would even warn newcomers to stay away from four students, but one day she bumped into a noble girl and her two subordinates.
Seraphina apologized, of course, but they didn't let her pass. She realized the three of them were among the four students who bothered others—Serenya, Elian, and Caelan. She got kicked in the stomach and immediately felt the gap between her and them. That kick brought the past back. Without noticing, she began to cry. Everything would repeat. She even began to hear a voice.
"Kill them… kill them… kill them…"
She didn't understand and grew even more desperate inside, wanting to run, until she heard a voice.
"What happened?"
A chubby boy. He was odd—he started talking about being mature and not childish, and to her surprise, it worked. Then she realized that boy was Enrico, one of the four who also bothered others—and he wasn't like what people said.
When Enrico picked up her backpack from the ground and handed it to her, Seraphina had to admit she trembled, expecting a blow, but it didn't come.
"Be careful, girl. And keep your eyes forward so you won't run into idiots again."
He was different from what they said, but she chose to move forward, thanking him for his help. From afar, she heard about him defeating a boy, surviving a dungeon that had gotten stronger like the rest across the continent. Still, she chose not to talk to him—at least until she saw him apologizing to a girl. He seemed sincere, someone who had accepted his mistakes, apologized genuinely, and helped the person he had hurt.
She admitted she was relieved that people existed who admitted their mistakes. Since then, she began watching him more and even discovered he had fire cancer, which saddened her. A good person was dying—and maybe it was because he was dying that he had changed. She even had a nice conversation with him that same day, and he asked his friends to help her train. She just didn't accept Serenya's help because, although she had changed, Seraphina preferred to wait a bit longer.
But now, looking at Elowyn's amused face, she couldn't stop trembling—she just couldn't.
But...
She really couldn't stop breathing with difficulty, but if Enrico, who used to be an idiot, could move forward…
even knowing he might die at twenty because of cancer, he keeps going
Elowyn stopped smiling when she saw Seraphina bite her lips and raise her hand toward her.
"What?"
"Painful Resonance."
Harmonic Magic—this was Seraphina's unique magic. Normally she used it for mental attacks, but it didn't work on those with more magic than her. So she created an attack that transformed the emotional pain she had felt into damage.
Elowyn was thrown back but managed to stop herself by creating a golden sword and stabbing it into the ground.
"Looks like the little bird grew wings."
Elowyn looked at Seraphina with irritation, while Seraphina still breathed heavily, trying to calm down.
"Nice one, Seraphina."
Serenya managed to approach after dodging an attack from Diana, and everyone began running to gather beside Seraphina to try to form a plan. Lan, seeing this, prepared to attack.
"Do these idiots really think they have a chance? I can't wait to see their faces when it's over—and then Enrico's face when he sees them."
Lan created two spears, one in each hand, and prepared to throw them. The group braced themselves to take the hit.
"Really? you missed me that much?"
An arm wrapped around Lan's shoulder. Everyone noticed—and all those beside Serenya and Seraphina smiled, especially the two of them. Valença even commented
"Finally, he showed up."
Enrico looked into Lan's eyes, who stepped back, trying to get away—when two arrows hit his stomach, sending him through three trees and knocking him unconscious.
'System'
Everyone on Elowyn's side was surprised to see the new boy they didn't recognize—except for Lan's two subordinates, who trembled slightly.
[Yes.]
'I accept the offered pact'
[Pact accepted. 20 permanent mana for improving one ability.]
Enrico snapped his fingers, and the ring on his hand glowed as its effect was activated. Enrico didn't look happy at all.