Alisia von Valerion — POV
Classes resumed three days after the tournament ended.
On paper, everything returned to normal.
Schedules were restored. Bells rang at their appointed hours. Professors resumed lectures with practiced ease, as if the Neutral Island had not nearly shattered beneath clashing authorities, as if the arena had not borne witness to power that should not exist among students.
On paper—
Normalcy prevailed.
In reality, nothing was the same.
I noticed it the moment Alden entered the main lecture hall.
The door opened, and a ripple passed through the room—soft at first, then unmistakable. Conversations stalled. Pages stopped turning. Even the ambient mana in the air shifted, attention gathering like frost creeping toward exposed skin.
Alden von Astra walked in calmly, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his course tablet.
Black hair. Crimson eyes. Tall frame honed by battle rather than vanity.
Champion.
Not the quiet anomaly anymore.
Not the overlooked background figure who slipped through corridors unnoticed.
Every gaze followed him.
I sat by the window, posture straight, hands folded neatly atop my desk, watching the change with detached precision.
Girls whispered.
Some didn't bother lowering their voices.
"That's him, right?"
"The champion?"
"I heard he dismantled an entire team alone."
"No—he almost tied with Alisia in the finals."
"So that means they're equals?"
"He's taller than I expected…"
One girl leaned forward as Alden passed, pretending to adjust her bag. Another brushed her sleeve against his arm deliberately, cheeks flushing as she glanced back to see if he noticed.
He didn't.
Of course he didn't.
Alden took his seat two rows ahead of me, expression neutral, as if none of it registered. As if the weight of attention pressing down on him was no different from ambient noise.
That was part of what made it unbearable.
I felt it then.
A familiar sensation.
Cold.
Not the clean, disciplined chill of Absolute Zero—but something sharper. Thinner. More personal.
Possessive.
My fingers tightened slightly.
Interesting, I thought calmly. So this is how they see him now.
A trophy.
A spectacle.
Something to admire.
Something to take.
The professor cleared his throat and began the lecture, voice droning steadily about mana convergence theory. I listened, took notes, asked a question when appropriate.
Outwardly—
I was composed.
Inwardly—
I was cataloging.
The girl with auburn hair who kept glancing back at Alden every thirty seconds.
The blonde who leaned too close when asking him about a missed assignment.
The quiet one who stared without blinking, as if committing his profile to memory.
I memorized them all.
Not their names.
Their patterns.
When the lecture ended, the room erupted into movement. Chairs scraped. Students stood. Conversations resumed—this time louder, more animated.
And then—
They swarmed.
"Hey, Alden, right?"
"I loved your fight in the semi-finals!"
"Are you free later? I wanted to ask about Void-Step—"
"I heard you're still single."
That one made my pen snap.
The sound was small. Almost unnoticeable.
But Alden turned.
His eyes met mine briefly across the room.
Just for a moment.
Something eased in my chest.
He looked away again, polite but distant, deflecting questions with practiced neutrality. "Sorry, I have another class." "Maybe later." "I don't really teach."
They laughed. Pressed closer.
I stood.
The movement was quiet, controlled—but the air shifted.
The temperature dropped by a fraction of a degree.
Not enough for alarms.
Enough for instinct.
The nearest students stiffened unconsciously, shivering without knowing why. A few glanced around, confused.
I walked toward them.
Each step was measured. Elegant.
My smile was perfect.
"Good morning," I said pleasantly, stopping beside Alden. "Am I interrupting?"
The effect was immediate.
The girls froze.
One stammered, "N-no, Lady Valerion, we were just—"
"I see," I replied gently, silver eyes sweeping over them. "I wasn't aware this was a public discussion."
"It's fine," Alden said, scratching his cheek. "They were just asking—"
I placed a hand lightly on his arm.
Not gripping.
Just enough.
"Come," I said softly. "You're late for Applied Spatial Theory."
His body responded before his mind did.
He followed.
I felt it.
That subtle instinctive trust.
Behind us, the group parted as if an invisible wall had been erected. Whispers followed, sharper now. Less admiring. More cautious.
As we walked down the corridor, Alden glanced at me sideways. "You didn't have to do that."
"I know," I replied.
Silence stretched.
The windows cast pale light across the stone floor, illuminating dust motes drifting lazily through the air.
"…Thanks," he added after a moment.
I smiled.
"Of course."
We stopped at the junction where our classes diverged.
He hesitated. "Hey, Alisia—about yesterday—"
"I remember," I said smoothly.
His ears reddened faintly.
"I just meant—"
"I said I would walk with you," I interrupted gently. "Not interrogate you."
He relaxed, chuckling softly. "Right. See you later?"
"Yes," I said. "Later."
He turned and left.
I watched until he disappeared around the corner.
Only then did my smile fade.
*****
They tried again at lunch.
The central dining hall buzzed with energy, the scent of warm food and mana-infused ingredients hanging thick in the air. Alden sat with Edwin and Sarah, trays half-finished as conversation flowed easily.
I observed from a distance, seated alone by choice.
Three girls approached their table.
Confident ones this time.
One placed her tray down without asking. Another leaned against the table's edge. The third smiled brightly, eyes locked on Alden.
"Mind if we join?" she asked sweetly.
Edwin looked between them, then at Alden. "Uh—"
"Sure," Alden said automatically.
I exhaled slowly.
He really is hopeless.
The girl laughed, touching Alden's sleeve. "So, Champion, are you always this popular, or is this new?"
"I—"
The table frosted.
Not visibly.
Not dramatically.
But the metal tray beneath her hand chilled instantly, biting cold seeping through porcelain and skin.
She yelped softly, pulling her hand back. "S-sorry—!"
The girl beside her stiffened. "Did it just—?"
I stood.
Walked over.
Placed my tray down calmly at the empty seat beside Alden.
"Good afternoon," I said politely. "Is there a problem?"
They turned.
Recognition dawned.
Fear followed.
"N-no," one said quickly. "We were just leaving."
They stood almost in unison, gathering their things with forced laughter.
"Sorry to bother you!"
"We didn't mean to intrude!"
They fled.
Edwin stared after them, mouth open. "Wow. You didn't even say anything threatening."
Sarah smiled knowingly. "That was scarier."
Alden blinked. "Did… something happen?"
I picked up my spoon. "No."
He eyed the frost creeping along the edge of the table. "…You're sure?"
"Yes," I said sweetly. "Eat before it gets cold."
He did.
*****
That night, I stood on the balcony outside my dorm room, the academy grounds stretching out beneath the moonlight. Students moved along the paths in scattered groups, laughter drifting upward.
Alden walked below, heading toward the library.
Two girls slowed as he passed.
One turned back.
I felt it.
The intent.
The curiosity sharpened into desire.
My mana stirred.
Unbidden.
The air around me crystallized faintly, frost forming along the balcony rail beneath my fingers.
No, I told myself calmly.
Not here.
Not yet.
I closed my eyes.
Breathed.
When I opened them again, the frost retreated—but the feeling did not.
He was changing the world around him simply by existing within it.
And the world was responding.
Greedily.
Possessively.
I tilted my head, watching his retreating figure.
"So many eyes," I murmured softly. "So many hands reaching."
A smile curved my lips.
Not gentle.
Not cruel.
Certain.
"It's fine," I whispered. "I already wished for you."
The night wind carried my words away.
But the frost remembered.