"You did it, Vivian!" Cassian said, practically glowing with pride, as if he had been the one to land the hit. "You actually landed a hit on the Demon Spartan!"
"I…I really did it!" Vivian bounced on her feet, joy spilling out of her. Before either of them could think, they threw their arms around each other in a tight hug.
Then reality caught up. They froze and pulled apart far too quickly.
Both turned their faces away, ears burning red.
I watched the entire exchange with a flat stare.
"So," I said dryly, crossing my arms, "since you won… what exactly are you planning to make me do?"
Vivian's smile turned dangerous.
"Well," she said sweetly, "for that, we need to go back to our room."
I should have known.
That devilish smirk was never a good sign.
Ten minutes later, I was fighting for my dignity at the threshold of our dorm room.
"No," I said, planting my feet firmly. "Absolutely not."
Vivian had both hands gripping my arm, dragging me with frightening determination.
"Come on! You look good!"
"It's not about looking good," I snapped, teeth clenched. "I know I'm beautiful."
She had stripped me of my usual trousers, the ones I always wore beneath my skirt and left me with just the skirt. On top of that, she'd braided my hair to the side, neat and elegant, framing my face far too softly for my liking.
This was a setup.
A malicious one.
From behind me, Nox leaned in and whispered, far too amused,
"She really got you good.
"Don't laugh," I muttered.
"Stop being stubborn," Vivian said, tugging harder. "Look, even I changed, didn't I?"
"What did you even change? You're wearing the same exact thing you wear every day."
"Look closely," she and that final pull dragged me fully out into the hallway.
…Silence.
Every student who passed us froze.
Heads turned. Then, it turned again.
And whispers followed like a wave.
I felt it immediately, the second glances, the lingering stares. The way eyes traced the unfamiliar lines of me, unguarded, softer, openly seen.
I scowled.
Yet they still dared to stare.
Vivian walked beside me, beaming proudly, completely unbothered by the attention.
I hated it.
…And yet, somewhere deep down, something twisted, unfamiliar and dangerously close to embarrassment.
I shot Vivian, a sideways glare. "You're enjoying this far too much."
She smiled innocently.
"A Deal's a deal, Lia."
I exhaled sharply.
This was going to be a very long day.
The moment we entered the classroom, every head turned.
Whispers followed immediately low, curious, relentless.
It scraped against my nerves like dull blades. I was one step away from murder.
I ignored them and walked to my assigned seat. Unfortunately… it was beside that vermin. At least he wasn't here yet.
"Asier is late," Vivian whispered from behind me.
That alone was enough to sour my mood further.
"Isn't this enough for you?" I muttered. "Why aren't you satisfied with this? Yet you still want him to show up?"
As if summoned by my irritation, the door slid open.
He walked in unhurriedly, composed and took the seat beside me without sparing me a glance.
Perfect.
"Good morning, Asier," Vivian chirped cheerfully.
He merely nodded.
The instructor arrived soon after, and class began.
I allowed myself to relax just a little, thinking the worst of the embarrassment was over.
Then fate, as always, proved me wrong.
"Cecilia," the instructor said, tapping the board, "solve this mana equation."
"I'm sorry, Instructor," I said evenly. "I can't solve this."
The room froze.
Every student stared at me as if they'd just witnessed an illusion.
"But," the instructor frowned, "you solved this exact equation in your assignment."
"My apologies," I replied, tone flat.
Murmurs erupted.
Then—
"Instructor," he said coolly, "you shouldn't force someone who can't solve something this basic."
Every word out of his mouth scraped my patience and provoked me.
I had stood unmoved on battlefields soaked in blood.
Yet somehow, this man managed to provoke me.
"For your information," I said coldly, "I am the top-ranked student. Unlike you whose standing is still undecided. For all we know, you could be scraping the very bottom."
A few gasps followed.
"I'll solve it," I added sharply.
In my irritation, I forgot one crucial detail.
I was wearing a skirt.
He glanced at me and smirked.
"Are you going on a date later?" he asked lazily.
"Or are you planning to hook up with someone?"
My mana flared instinctively with full intentions of killing him right there and then.
"What the hell did you just say?" I demanded, my voice edged with lethal intent.
He didn't stop.
"The way you're dressed," he continued, eyes cold, "only people in the red-light district dress like that. Did your mother not teach you how not to dress like a—"
Everything went quiet. The killing intent vanished. So did my expression.
"There's a boundary," I said calmly, dangerously so, "you do not cross."
"You want to fight?" he challenged.
I turned away instead, ignoring his entire existence as if he did not exist.
"Instructor," I said, voice steady, "my apologies. Please inform the Headmaster that I've left."
"Lia—wait," Vivian called, panic apparent in her voice. "That wasn't my intention."
"I know," I replied without turning back. "I just… want to be alone for a while."
I left the classroom.
Behind me, Nox's mana unfurled—dark, oppressive, unmistakably lethal. The air itself seemed to constrict. He was angry on my behalf.
Students gasped, clutching their throats as pressure bore down on them.
"Don't," I warned silently. "They're not worth killing."
The pressure lifted.
But the damage was already done.
I didn't stop flying until the academy walls were far behind me.
The noise faded first.
Then the eyes.
Then the pressure of pretending I was fine.
Only when I reached the quiet stretch of the abyss forest did I finally stop.
I sat down hard against the stone steps, staring at my hands.
They were steady.
Too steady.
"…You crossed a line," I murmured to no one.
The words replayed in my head not his insult, but that part.
The part that scraped against something old. Something buried deep and deliberately forgotten.
My chest tightened.
I sucked in a breath and failed to fill my lungs.
Then warmth wrapped around me.
Nox knelt in front of me, one hand braced on the stone, the other resting lightly over my wrist. Grounding me.
"I stopped myself," he said quietly, as if answering a question I hadn't voiced. "Barely."
He laughed once, sharp and humourless.
"Figures. I almost lost it too."
"I ran," I said flatly.
Nox's grip tightened just a fraction.
"No, you didn't" he said, eyes dark and steady.
Silence settled between us.
"It was supposed to hurt me when he said that," I murmured. "But in that moment… I felt nothing."
Not anger.
Nothing
Just a hollow, freezing emptiness.
"If it were the old me," I continued quietly, "I would have killed him twice right there in his seat."
"…Have I become soft since coming here?" My voice cracked despite myself.
The words tasted bitter.
"No," he said firmly. "I can assure you of that." Nox didn't hesitate.
I looked at him.
"You're growing," he continued, calmer now. "You're starting to see the world from more than one angle. And that's not a weakness. That's change and it's a good thing."
I let out a slow breath.
"From the moment I found you," he went on, "I've watched over you. For years you survived by acting a certain way—because you had to. I hoped that coming here would let you experience something closer to a childhood." His voice softened. "But how misjudged I was. And I see that now."
"That's not true," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Yes, I've been hurt since coming here. More than once. But that doesn't mean I didn't gain anything."
A small smile slipped through despite the heaviness in my chest.
"I made friends," I said. "Real ones."
He studied me, then nodded slowly.
"…You nearly exposed yourself today," I said after a moment. "Why? You're usually composed. You don't lose control like that."
"I wanted to kill that brat."Nox exhaled sharply, "But I didn't," he said. "And you stopped yourself too."
"If I hadn't," I shot back. "I'd be in a cell right now."
"And I would've broken you out," he replied without missing a beat.
I snorted softly.
Then my expression darkened again.
"…Do you think the reason I hate him so much," I asked slowly, "is because he's affiliated with the temple? Because of that divine energy and mana he carries?"
His gaze sharpened.
"You noticed too," he said.
"How could I not?" I replied flatly. "It was painfully obvious."
The cold in my chest stirred not fading, but shifting.
Whatever that boy was…
He wasn't just provoking me by accident.
And that made everything far more dangerous.
"Do you think the temple sent him," I asked quietly, "because they thought I would be here?"
Nox tilted his head, considering it for a brief moment before shaking it.
"I doubt it," he said with a casual shrug. "Didn't I take care of that problem back then?"
We did.
Completely.
And yet—
"Then why is that vermin here?" I muttered, unease creeping beneath my calm. "The temple has its own academy. They never send their assets elsewhere unless there's a reason."
The thought lingered, sharp and unpleasant.
Coincidence was a luxury I didn't believe in.
"Something doesn't add up," I said, rising to my feet. "Whether he was sent for me or not… his presence here isn't accidental."
Nox's expression darkened, the faintest glint of red flickering in his eyes.
"Whatever their reason is," he said softly, "we'll find out."
I floated off the ground slowly.
"Let's go back," I said. "Before Damian decides to tear the academy apart looking for me."
Nox chuckled under his breath as he followed.
But as we walked, the question refused to leave my mind.
If the temple hadn't sent him for me. Then what, exactly, was he really here for?
By the time I returned, dusk had already settled over the academy.
I slipped back into my room through the balcony, carefully, silently only to freeze the moment my feet touched the floor.
Crying.
Vivian's voice, raw and broken, seeped through the half-closed inner door.
And Cassian… how did he even get in here?
I shouldn't listen.
Yet my body refused to obey.
"It's all my fault," Vivian sobbed. "Lia left because of me. She looked so hurt… I shouldn't have forced her to wear just her skirt."
"That's not true," Cassian said softly, his voice awkward but sincere. "Cecilia wouldn't leave because of you. You know that."
"But still…" Vivian's voice cracked again. "If I hadn't—"
I stayed where I was, back pressed to the door, listening like a coward.
"Aren't you going to comfort her?" Nox asked quietly.
"You know I can't," I muttered. "I'm terrible at that. I always make things worse."
"The least you could do," he replied, maddeningly calm, "is try."
I opened my mouth to argue—
And somehow, inexplicably, that was how I ended up lying on the bed with Vivian curled against me, her breathing slow and even, tears dried on her lashes, and somewhere between the chaos, she had fallen asleep clinging to my sleeve like it was an anchor.
I stared at the ceiling, completely still.
"…Are you happy with this outcome?" I whispered, shooting Nox a glare from the corner of my eye.
He looked down at us, thoroughly amused.
"Well," he said, smirking, "I can't say I'm not enjoying it."
"Don't even think about it," I warned.
"Oh, come on," he said cheerfully. "Let me record this on a video crystal. Future generations deserve to see this moment."
"Don't you dare," I hissed.
He laughed quietly, while I lay there stiff as a board unable to move without waking Vivian.
…Yet, despite myself, I didn't push her away.
That vermin tried to apologize on several occasions over the past few days. But I ignored him every single time, so thoroughly that it was as if he didn't exist at all.
I'd extended the same treatment to Damian. He'd summoned me more than once, but I never went.
"Lia…" Vivian said carefully, breaking the quiet between us. "Don't you think you should forgive the headmaster and Asier by now?"
She hesitated, then gestured across the dining hall. Cassian was sitting far away at a table with that vermin. The distance between us felt louder than any argument.
I took another slow sip of my tea, letting the warmth settle before answering. Or rather, not answering.
She didn't give up.
I finally set the cup down with a soft clink and sighed.
"Vivian, if you want to join them, you can. I'm not stopping you."
Her eyes widened.
"But… then you'll be all alone."
"I'm fine with being alone. I've been alone all my life. I won't die just because you spend time with other people."
The words came out smoothly and too coldly. It didn't matter or make much of a difference to me if people stayed or not.
She studied my face, searching for something I refused to show. The bustling dining hall filled the silence between us, laughter and conversation flowing around a table that suddenly felt too quiet.
In the end, she said nothing.
And I picked my teacup back up, returned to reading my book, and pretended like I'd always been doing.
------
I trained them every day without rest.
Cassian was already on the verge of unlocking his Aura—the most crucial step for any knight who aspired to become a swordmaster. In between pushing the two of them to their limits, I trained with Nox, attended my classes, and spent whatever spare time I had buried in the archives.
Sleep was optional. Progress wasn't.
"Take five," I said at last.
Vivian and Cassian collapsed almost instantly, struggling to catch their breath.
"She's evil," Cassian groaned, flopping flat onto the ground. "Absolutely evil."
"She's definitely taking her frustration out on us," Vivian added, hands on her knees as she panted.
"Any luck?" Cassian asked in a low voice.
Vivian shook her head. "None. I've tried everything. She's an impenetrable wall, I get shut down at every turn."
"Then we need a new approach," Cassian muttered.
They leaned closer, whispering as if secrecy still existed between us.
But I heard every word. They really think they're subtle, How cute
"They're plotting something," Nox said, thoroughly amused.
I snorted. "Let them try. But there's something else that concerns me."
I glanced at Lux, whom I'd brought along today. He clearly thought I hadn't noticed his little act.
That was his first mistake.
"Lux," I said calmly.
He opened his eyes slowly, far too slowly.
"M-Master…" he said hesitantly, forcing a smile. "A very fine morning, isn't it?"
"Lux," I continued evenly, "there's something I despise more than anything and you're doing exactly that."
His wings twitched. "A-And what would that be, Master?"
"When a subordinate refuses to carry out what they've been asked to do." My tone turned glacial. "Do you know what I used to do to those who disobeyed me?"
He shook his tiny head, trembling.
"Usually," I said casually, "I'd cut out their tongues. Or gouge out an eye. Sometimes I'd take a limb depending on how much trouble they caused."
Terror flickered across his face, yet he still glanced at Nox, as if hoping for mercy there.
I smiled.
It didn't reach my eyes.
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention one very small detail," I said softly. "I've slain two dragons. A shadow dragon and a black dragon."
I leaned closer.
"So what do you say we drop this little act you've been putting on… and stop pretending you can't transform with all the mana I've been pouring?"
The smile stayed fixed, sharp and empty.
Lux nodded immediately, like a creature being hunted by a bloodhound. Though if we were being honest, comparing me to a bloodhound was far too generous and docile.
I poured every ounce of mana I had into Lux, refusing to stop until he was completely submerged, no drowned in the ocean of power I forced upon him.
At first, he trembled. Then his body began to expand, scales forming where soft light once shimmered. Mana roared through the air, heavy and intense, until Lux finally transformed into a magnificent dragon.
I stared.
"I… didn't expect that," I admitted quietly.
His scales were a deep, luminous purple. There was only one kind of dragon recorded with that colour, a calamity-class dragon, otherwise also known as a shadow dragon.
Lux spread his wings, and they were breathtaking. Under the morning light, they looked as though gemstones were embedded beneath each scale, catching and refracting the sun with every slight movement.
"You're really obsessed with dragons," Nox said. "Your fixation rubbed off so hard that even Lux turned into one."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "What can I say?"
Then, more seriously, "Lux, can you turn back to normal?"
He let out a low growl. "I'll… try," he rumbled.
Moments later, his massive form shrank, mana folding in on itself until he returned to his usual size, wings gone as if they had never existed.
"LIA! CECILIA!"
Two very shocked voices called my name from behind.
Ah. Right.
I had completely forgotten about them.
I turned around slowly.
"W–What was that?" Vivian asked, eyes wide. "Did Lux really just transform into a dragon?"
For a split second, a thought crossed my mind.
Should I erase their memories of today?
"…Yeah," I said instead. "He did. You remember how I've been pouring my mana into him? Looks like it finally bore fruit."
"That's so awesome!" Cassian exclaimed, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I've never seen a dragon in my life!"
"Me neither!" Vivian said, practically bouncing. "Lia, can I ride Lux? Please?"
Cassian immediately raised his hand. "I want a ride too."
I shrugged. "Sure, why not? But not today. We're going on a dungeon expedition."
Vivian groaned. "Right…"
"Vivi, let's go," I reminded her gently. "You still need to pack. We'll see you after the expedition, Cassian."
"Have a safe trip," he said with a grin.
She lingered, studying me carefully. "Are you really going on this expedition, Lia?"
"Yes," I replied flatly. "How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?"
She frowned. "It's hard to believe since you used to say dungeon expeditions were a waste of time and refused to come along every time I asked you?"
I looked away.
It's not like I could tell her the real reason.
That I was going because of Nox's core.
I had already checked on it once and gotten rid of an annoying pest, but I'd been short on time. If I'd had longer, I would've taken the core then and there.
This expedition was merely a second opportunity.
To be continued....