I had barely finished my food when the doors to the cafeteria opened again.
The arrogant second-year was striding toward Leon's table, clearly ready to make a scene.
I leaned back in my corner seat, stabbing my fork into a piece of food, and giggling to myself.
Ohhh this is perfect. The look on his face when Leon casually ruins him… the cafeteria going silent… the mental chaos… ahhh, yes.
I was so lost in my own imagination that I didn't notice the movement in front of me—until a small hand slammed down on my table.
I jerked my head up.
And froze.
Sitting across from me was a beautiful girl.
Long black hair.
Purple eyes that shimmered in the cafeteria lights.
Her features looked oddly familiar—like mine—but way more feminine, way more… perfect.
"…Uh… hello?" I muttered, my fork halfway to my mouth.
Before I could even react further, she grabbed my wrist with surprising strength and pulled me to my feet.
"What the—?!"
Students all around the cafeteria immediately stopped talking.
Some of them whispered.
Others gaped openly.
"She's the Student Council President!"
"She's… beautiful…"
"Her aura… it's unreal…"
I was still trying to process what was happening as she practically dragged me toward the doors.
"…Wait—what are you doing?! Where are you taking me?!" I shouted, panic rising.
She didn't answer. Her expression was calm, almost unreadable, and she moved with the sort of effortless authority that made everyone else fall silent.
I could feel dozens of eyes following us as we left the cafeteria.
My stomach churned.
"…Well," I muttered to myself, "I definitely didn't see this coming.".
The cafeteria had been noisy a moment ago.
Then a hush fell over the room.
Leon looked up, glancing toward the entrance.
A girl was moving through the crowd.
Long black hair. Purple eyes that seemed to shimmer with power.
Every step she took made the chatter fade. Students instinctively stepped aside.
"Is that…?" Lia murmured, eyes wide.
"She is…" Rina whispered, leaning back in her chair.
Carl didn't move, but the slight stiffening of his posture said it all.
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly.
Yelena Zephyr.
Fourth-year. Student Council President. Legendary prodigy. Known for lightning magic that could level a courtyard in seconds.
And now… she was walking straight past everyone, dragging someone along with her.
Leon's group followed with their gaze, confused.
The first-year being dragged looked… startled. Flailing a little.
"…Who is that?" Lia whispered.
"…Well," Leon muttered under his breath, watching her disappear down the hall, dragging the flailing first-year with her, "this is… unexpected."
Lia tilted her head. "Who is that… first-year?."
Rina snorted. "No idea. Doesn't seem important."
Carl's gaze remained calm, but he raised an eyebrow slightly.
Leon frowned, still watching. "…Yeah, but why would the Student Council President personally—?"
Before anyone could finish, a sharp, amused voice spoke from across the table.
"Well," said Nia Veridian, resting her chin on her hand, her bright blue eyes sparkling, "if you must know… that's the last ranked kid in class."
There was a beat of silence.
"…Last ranked?" Lia repeated.
"Yes," Nia said casually, as if she were mentioning the weather. "Ranked 2500 out of 2500. The absolute bottom of the class."
Leon blinked.
Leon's brow furrowed. "…Why would the Student Council President personally take an irrelevant first-year?"
Rina crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed but slightly intrigued. "That makes no sense. He's nothing. Doesn't even have a name anyone would know."
Carl tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "…Is she… testing him? Or something else?"
Lia shook her head. "No idea. But this is highly unusual. Yelena doesn't waste time on people like him."
Nia leaned back, still smirking, her voice dripping with amusement. "Honestly? I have no clue what she sees in him. This is… weird."
The entire group fell silent for a moment, all exchanging glances.
POV: Chrono
Barely had a moment to catch my breath before Yelena Zephyr stopped dragging me into some empty classroom.
And then she released me.
I stumbled forward, almost collapsing into a chair, and sat down as quickly as I could.
I pressed my hands against my knees, trying to make myself as small as possible.
"…Okay. Okay. Calm," I muttered under my breath.
My eyes flicked up just slightly… and froze.
She was standing right in front of me.
Tall. Regal. Terrifying. The kind of presence that made it feel like the air itself was bending around her.
I couldn't even bring myself to move my gaze fully toward her.
I was trembling in my chair, like a leaf in a storm.
And then… I remembered.
Yelena Zephyr.
The same Yelena from Leon's Odyssey.
The legendary prodigy of the fourth year.
The one who had played a critical role in the Calamity War.
The one who had been so strong she could have wiped out entire battalions on her own… and had eventually perished in the novel.
And now… she was looking at me.
Her purple eyes met mine—calm, sharp, unreadable.
And my brain immediately went blank.
She didn't speak. She didn't need to. The sheer aura of power radiating from her was enough to make me question every life choice I'd ever made.
"…what the hell does she want from me" I whispered to myself.
I remembered everything from the novel.
Her battles. Her lightning magic. Her courage. Her… devastating final moments.
And now… she was alive. Standing in front of me.
I swallowed hard.
My hands clenched the edges of the chair.
And then I realized…
She wasn't moving.
Not yet.
Then I heard her gasp.
I looked up to see her.
"Mhm-?"
I sat frozen, trembling, as her eyes—no longer sharp, no longer cold—quivered.
"…Brother…"
"!!!"
The single word shattered me.
My knees buckled. My hands shot to my head.
I screamed, a raw, ragged sound that tore through the room.
Memories came crashing into me, unrelenting, unstoppable:
'W-whats AGGH!!'
The mansion in flames, smoke choking the sky.
The shouts of a woman and a man, terrified, screaming for us to run.
'M-mother? F-father NOOO'
Yelena, small but determined, dragging me by the hand, refusing to let go.
Me, crying, stumbling, desperately trying to run toward them, to stay close, to survive.
More memories flooded in, each sharper, each heavier:
Being taken in by the Zephyr family after the calamity, learning rules I could never fully meet.
The endless strain between Yelena and me, the tension, the arguments, the silent resentment that had grown over the years.
'WE COULDVE HELPED THEM IF YOU HAD LET ME GO'
'NO w-we c-couldnt Chrono YOU WOULDVE DIED TOO'
The heated outburst a month ago, words thrown in anger, cutting deeper than intended, and my disappearance afterward.
Images, sounds, feelings—all collapsing at once in my mind.
I screamed again, clutching my head, rocking back and forth.
"…No… no… no…" I whispered brokenly between sobs. "…I didn't… I didn't mean… I didn't…!"
My scream tore through the empty room, raw and desperate, as memories crashed into me like a tidal wave.
Yelena's eyes widened in shock, and without a second thought, she stepped forward.
Her arms wrapped around me tightly.
I tried to push away at first, my trembling frantic and uncontrollable, but she held me firmly.
"Shhh… it's okay… it's okay," she whispered, her voice soft but filled with a strength that grounded me.
I clutched at her, still sobbing, my body shaking as I curled slightly into her embrace.
Slowly, slowly, the screaming began to fade. My tears still fell, but the panic in my chest loosened its grip.
Her head rested lightly against mine, her purple eyes glimmering with unshed tears.