[Aurelia - 1st person POV, 3 days before ]
The moonlight spilled across my room in silver threads, casting a pale glow on the mirror before me. I stood there, arms folded, staring at my own reflection.
"Hmph. He didn't join my club," I muttered, tilting my chin up as if defiance could hide the faint sting in my chest. "It's not like I was hoping for him to join or anything."
My red hair tumbled over my shoulders in a silken cascade as I brushed through it, each stroke crisp in the quiet night. The brush paused mid-motion, and I caught my own eyes narrowing in the glass.
"But… he's grown so much more powerful now. That too in such a short time."
A slow breath left me.
"He's only a first-year, yet he's already broken every record they've ever had. And even among the second-years… he's only a rank behind me."
