What do you do when your first chapter doesn't go the way you want?
Or rather—when other people decide to rewrite what is yours without you knowing?
You tear them apart like paper.
Is it a bad way to begin? Fine. Let it be.
Because in that moment, no one there was her friend, candidate, or anything else.
She was against everyone.
Her denial and dissatisfaction weren't just about the position she sought, but about her dignity and pride being trampled for nothing. And with them crushed into the ground, it made little difference to Leo to step on them even harder to prove her point.
If I may comment, she thought, a terrible way to begin a new journey.
— Stop right now, Bellius! Don't start something you can't handle! — Alphonse shouted, firm. He, who had always been patient and unshakable, seemed to be trying to prevent a disaster.
But how do you "prevent" something that was already happening?
— I'm not capable? — Leonia cast a slanted glance around. — I trained with almost everyone here. I studied your strengths and weaknesses. I did everything to stand out in training and in the trials. You know exactly what I'm capable of—so I expected more conviction from someone like you, Commander.
In that moment, whatever respect she had for him was completely swallowed by her rage. Her wounded pride throbbed with every heartbeat, feeding the red fury rising toward her eyes.
She had always sought to be calm and perceptive. But today? Today was not that day.
She stood between the two groups. The candidates to her right remained still, alert, aware that any movement could be harmful to them. After all, what wouldn't a loser do to destroy their precious destinies?
To her left, the Heralds could very well react to the threat—even if she wasn't the kind of creature they usually hunted.
Leonia studied the faces around her—and then the Archduke's, seated on an available chair upon the dais, waiting for events to unfold, still protected by an Aura shield.
She didn't want a confrontation. She didn't want to hurt anyone. But there was no other choice.
On the other side, her friend Ryuu watched her in shock, his trembling hand gripping the pommel of his sword. When she exchanged a brief glance with him, Leo understood perfectly.
He didn't want to fight her either.
But honor and oath demanded it.
Releasing the breath trapped in her lungs, she reached for the other daggers strapped to her body. Even beneath the cold sun, the blade gleamed in the morning light.
— All that's left is to fight for what's mine, — she murmured, her gaze lost on the white ground covered in snow.
Leaning forward, she gathered momentum and charged.
Normally, attacks by humans were the responsibility of the Monteiro Knights, not the Heralds—but since they weren't present at the ceremony, they would have to defend themselves with what they had.
Her boot hooked behind the heel of the first Herald, throwing him off balance and dropping him onto the snow.
Next, three more came at her, and in a choreography she knew well, they attacked with their medium swords, aiming to wound her just enough to restrain her. When the central opponent lunged, she spun backward, parrying the thrust with her left hand while driving her blade into the shoulder guard of the second, making the metal groan.
In a cowardly strike from her blind side, a fist flew toward her face. Waiting until the last instant, she caught the punch, twisted the attacker's arm until his back turned, and hurled him away.
Two more came—one high strike with the right fist, one low with the left. She knew who they were, knew their names, but chose to erase them from her memory, keeping only her rage alive. Leo leapt backward, landing behind them; her first blade struck one in the calf, the other in the forearm.
She advanced only two steps before being yanked backward. She barely avoided being locked into an arm hold. Leo toppled sideways with the weight, rolling with the Herald on the ground. In a swift motion, she trapped his leg with her own and immobilized him.
— Nothing personal, but you're in my way.
She released him. She couldn't focus on one opponent at a time—if they came in numbers, she would have to be smart and knock them out before exhaustion overwhelmed her. None of them knew her Aura still hadn't awakened; even so, she was more skilled than a veteran knight.
— I don't want to hurt anyone. But since you resist and refuse to give me what I want, I will… — she said, eyes sparking.
The Heralds began to close in. It was obvious: the advantage was theirs.
But she had something more dangerous—nothing to lose.
Leo moved with flawless precision. Nights of training made it look as though she were merely dancing among them.
Cursed.
She dropped the next one with a precise punch to the ribs—he hadn't expected it, since she had engaged the others blade-to-blade.
Cursed and Rejected.
Every strike was calculated, measured to the millimeter.
More came, trying to restrain her—some with murder in their eyes, if it came to that. Even surrounded by threat, her rhythm never broke. Incredibly, she wasn't tired, using the gaps in the formation, provoking and answering each attack with precision.
Her footwork was perfect; despite her slender build, she was agile.
Leonia Bellius was the best. Why did they insist on this farce?
The cuts were clean—superficial enough to expose flaws in their defenses.
Perhaps spending more time training instead of hunting the creatures of Edris had kept her prepared for situations like this.
Deep down, she wanted only to prove one thing: she wasn't useless. She deserved to be among them.
When the next opponent stepped in front of her, there was no formation left—only chaos in the arena.
Her eyes lifted—and she froze.
It was Ryuu.
His expression was restrained, and yet his gaze held understanding? Pity…?
When he raised his sword, she understood.
Her face hardened; yesterday's words held no meaning today.
The unspoken words in Leo's eyes cut sharper than her blade: So you agree with them too?
Ryuu hesitated. Strange, coming from someone she thought she knew.
— I'm sorry — was all she could read on his lips, barely audible.
When he advanced, part of her was already ready to knock him out like the others.
But the attack that followed didn't feel right—nor lethal. The movement felt more like a performance meant to keep her attention on him.
Why was he doing this? He didn't want to hurt her?
There was a dry snap in the air.
Almost imperceptible.
And then she felt the sting at her neck. Her free hand flew to the spot, fingers closing around a small projectile.
Leo punched Ryuu square in his perfect face—just to gain distance and vent her frustration at the success of the improvised trap.
Turning her head, she searched for the accomplice and found him among the arena's stonework.
Her eyes met Alphonse—blowpipe between his lips—the only one who hadn't directly joined the fight.
— How did you become such a coward, Commander… — she taunted, her weak voice heavy with hatred.
Then she looked back at Ryuu and tasted betrayal on her lips.
So that was it…
The goal had been to distract her, make her lose awareness of her surroundings.
Her vision began to blur, and she realized she needed to get out—so she could try to resume her original plan.
And what was the original plan? Take them all down and…?
She should have known from the start that the idea was flawed.
Leonia had been so focused on proving she was worthy…
…that she'd been naïve enough not to see the trap.
When her hands began to tremble and her body grew heavy, she forced herself to run. The daggers slipped from her fingers and fell into the snow with a muffled sound.
She couldn't be caught. Not yet.
Two arms wrapped around her, and she turned to see him.
— You didn't give me a choice, Leo. We had to stop you.
— What the hell, Ryuu… — she snarled through clenched teeth, her vision speckled with black as her legs gave way.
— We'll fix this. I promise.
— You filthy traitor… — she spat.
And then darkness swallowed her whole.
She should have seen it coming.
Her final thought wasn't defeat.
It was betrayal—and the bitter taste of her own naïveté.