Academy Playground

February 12th — 7:15 PM

Perspective: Elfie

The swing creaked.

It was a slow, grating sound that rose and fell with the howling wind. The iron chains were freezing, biting into my palms, but I didn’t let go.

I just sat there, my head bowed, letting the downpour wash over me.

My pink hair was plastered to my forehead, dripping water into my eyes. My dress was heavy, soaked through, clinging cold against my skin. It had been an hour. Maybe more. The sky above was a sheet of dark iron, blocking out the night, leaving the playground in a dull, grey shadow.

I’m so cold.

I didn’t circulate my mana. I didn’t summon a starlight barrier to push the rain away.

I didn’t deserve to be warm.

He gave her his sweater.

When Leena shivered, he didn’t hesitate. He took it off and gave it to her. And then he walked straight into the storm, gathering bamboo and wire and a discarded noble banner, just to build her an umbrella.

He took care of her.

But he never does that when I’m there.

When he’s with me, I’m the one who commands. I’m the one who grabs his sleeve, locks his doors, and makes lists of rules. I tell him who he can carry, who he can talk to, who he can look at.

I trap him in my cage, and he just lets me.

Because he tolerates me.

I thought I was his world.

I closed my eyes, but the darkness behind my eyelids only brought back the orphanage.

I was six when they brought me there. A small, trembling freak with pink hair and weird eyes that everyone avoided.

"Ay look—it’s ghost girl again."

"Look at her. She’s even uglier than a ghost."

Melo’s voice echoed in my head. Tanner pointing at me. Jude laughing.

They took my doll. The last thing my mother had made for me before the monsters tore her and Papa to pieces.

They made me crawl in the grass. They made me bark. I did it. I did all of it just to get her back, but they only threw her hand into the mud.

And when I cried in Mr. Clive’s office, he struck my hand with a ruler.

"You will not come into my office making noise like some kicked animal. Apologize."

"I-I’m s-sorry... I-I’ll n-never speak ag-gain..."

I had resolved to go silent. To fade into the walls.

But the next morning, Kai was there.

Waving at my window. Smiling at me.

Holding my doll. Stitched back by his hands.

He didn’t care that I was a freak. He changed my way of living. He made others give me blankets and food. He faked his math tests, scoring 4 out of 20, just to stay in the shadows and keep the attention off us.

He carried my depression when I was nothing.

And then we went to the hill.

I wanted to make him fly because he said he wanted to.

I spent the entire night trying to fuse wind magic with my celestial soul, falling on the grass, scraping my knees, crying because I wasn’t strong enough. But he knelt beside me. He read the book, solved the equation, and held my hand.

We flew.

We saw the green forests, the dark mountains, the floating capital.

And when we fell, I gave him my mana.

"Seyla ventura... ashenai mor’ilen..."

I saved him.

That was the lie I told myself for four years. I saved his life, so he belonged to me.

I had the right to lock him away, to keep him close, to growl at anyone who looked at him.

But it was a lie.

He saved me a thousand times before that. He saved my soul.

And now I’m 12. I’m Class Representative. I’m Rank Zero.

But internally, I’m still that same pathetic, selfish girl barking in the mud, clutching a torn doll’s hand.

I’m a parasite.

I force him to hold back. He plays a magicless weakling, letting Milo and Sukuna and the entire academy treat him like garbage, just to keep me safe.

Just to keep my mind stable.

But today, he wasn’t holding back.

He convinced the artisan, he paid the bill, he built a shield against the storm. He was so kind. So warm.

He was happy.

If he stays with me, he has to be a monster.

He has to be a cold psychopath who discards the world just to protect one broken girl.

He has to lock himself in my starlight cage and never smile a real smile.

But there are so many girls here now. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

They are beautiful. They fit in. They don’t have broken pasts. They don’t have orphanage nightmares.

He will realize it.

One day, he will look at her, and then he will look at me.

He will see how much of a burden I am.

He will see how much I restrict him, how much I drag him down into the dirt just so I can feel secure.

And he will leave.

The thought made my chest collapse. A sob broke out of my throat, loud and wet, instantly swallowed by the sound of the rain. I clutched my arms around my chest, shaking violently, but the cold inside me wouldn’t shift.

I looked down at my bare left ring finger.

The Sea of the Heart ring wasn’t there. I had left it in its box, terrified someone would steal the only physical bond we shared.

I’m so afraid of losing you.

But I’m the one who’s hurting you.

I gripped the freezing chains of the swing, pressing my forehead against the cold iron.

Will you be happier if I just let you go?

The rain didn’t answer. It only kept falling, washing away the tears I couldn’t stop.

I stared at the puddles forming at my feet.

The water rippled with each raindrop, distorting the reflection of the swing set and the tall, dark academy buildings behind me. The playground was completely abandoned. The other kids were probably inside their warm dorms, drinking tea or talking about the exams.

I was the only one out here.

The freak who doesn’t belong.

I remembered how Kaiser looked at Leena when they were making pottery. He had asked her so many questions about her past, letting her talk, listening with that quiet attention of his. He didn’t treat her like a chore. He didn’t treat her like a problem he had to solve just to keep her from breaking down.

He treated her like a friend.

When was the last time we just talked like that?

It was always me complaining. Me crying. Me demanding he buy me strawberry shortcake, or demanding he sleep in my room, or screaming at him because another boy sent me a text.

I had made myself the center of his world, but I never asked him what he wanted.

I just assumed he wanted to be with me.

Because he said he would.

"It’s alright. I’ll be yours then."

He had said those words when we were 8.

He had wiped my tears and promised to be mine. And I had grabbed onto that promise like a drowning person clutching a rope. I never let go. I never even let him breathe.

Did he want to be a monster?

No. Nobody wants to be a monster. He did it because he had to.

Because I was too weak to protect myself, and he was the only one who cared.

But I’m not weak anymore.

I’m Rank Zero.

I can wipe the dungeon bosses in minutes. I can fold space and tear apart reality.

I don’t need him to hide in the shadows to protect me.

But he’s still doing it.

He still works shifts at the tavern to buy me gifts. He still lets Sukuna call him prey in front of the class. He still lets the class mock him. He still pretends to be a useless coward because if he shows his true strength, the academy will watch him. The instructors will investigate him. And if they investigate him, they might find out about us.

They might realize he’s the one who’s been guiding me all along.

He’s hiding his genius to keep my crown safe.

And what do I give him in return?

A list of rules.

I had screamed at Serena when she called me insecure. I had threatened to cut her tongue out. But standing here in the freezing downpour, I knew she was right.

I was terrified.

They are everything I’m not.

The girls here have families. They have lineages. They have proper manners and beautiful elven graces. They aren’t haunted by the smell of blood and monsters. They don’t wake up screaming in the middle of the night, clutching a ruined plushy.

If he leaves me, I’ll have nothing.

I’ll go back to being that girl in the broom closet.

The memories suffocated me. I could feel the dust of the closet in my throat, the darkness pressing down on my chest, my small fists banging on the locked wooden door.

"Please... someone... open the door..."

Nobody had opened it. I had shivered there for hours until the evening, holding the torn hand of my doll, knowing that no one was ever coming for me.

Kai was the only one who opened the door.

He was the only one who ever pulled me out of the dark.

I clutched my head, the rain stinging my face.

I love you.

I love you so much it hurts.

But I don’t want to lock you in the closet with me.

I looked up at the grey sky, the water stream running down my nose, my lips trembling as I whispered into the howling wind.

"I’m sorry, Kai..."

"I’m so sorry..."

The swing squeaked again, a lonely, grating sound that filled the empty playground.

I just want you to be happy.

Even if I’m not the one who makes you smile.

"Get up."

A voice broke through the sound of the rain.

I flinched, my hands tightening on the cold chains of the swing. I didn’t want to look up. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.

"Get lost, Rigel." I muttered, my voice barely carrying over the storm.

But he didn’t leave. He stepped closer, his heavy boots splashing in the mud.

He stopped right in front of me, looking down. I forced myself to look up at him, my pink eyes squinting through the downpour.

He was soaked. His brown hair was matted to his forehead, and his shoulders were hunched, tense.

And then I saw his eyes.

They were red. Swollen. The water running down his cheeks wasn’t just rain—it was coming from his eyes, dripping off his chin.

"You’re crying too." I said, a bitter, half-strangled laugh escaping my throat. "Go weep somewhere else. I don’t need your pity."

Rigel didn’t look away. He wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, a rough, angry gesture. "I’m not pitying you. I’m telling you to get up. Sitting here crying isn’t going to make Kaiser look at you the way he did when you were kids."

"Shut up!" I snapped, my mana flaring for a fraction of a second, crackling the wet air. "You don’t know anything about us! You don’t know what he did for me!"

"I know he faked his tests." Rigel’s voice was flat, carrying no anger, only a dull, aching exhaustion.

"I know he is more capable than he shows. I know he is limiting himself every day in class. And I know you let him."

He sat down on the empty swing next to mine, the chains groaning under his weight. He rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the mud.

"Crying won’t change it, Elfie. It just makes you look weak. And if you look weak, he has to keep playing the mastermind. He has to keep protecting you."

I bit my lip so hard it bled. The copper taste mixed with the rain. "He saved me from the orphanage. When I was 6... I wanted to die... To end this isolated suffering. To end this torment. Kai was the only one who didn’t look at me like a freak. He promised to be my friend... He’s the only reason I didn’t disappear."

Rigel let out a quiet, raw breath. "You think you’re the only one who had a savior?"

I turned my head slightly, looking at him through the sheets of rain.

"I was a slave on the Grelynn estate." Rigel whispered, his fingers clenching into fists so tight his knuckles went white. "Not a servant. A slave. I knelt in the freezing mud, scraping manure off the carriage paths with my bare nails. When the wind howled like this, they made me stand outside for hours holding garden lanterns just so the guests wouldn’t trip. I ate dog-scavenged bone marrow because there was nothing else."

He looked up at the dark sky, the rain washing over his face.

"At our age, most kids are whining about test scores or who got the highest rank. But I had the cruelty of needing to mature quickly just to survive. I had to learn how to keep a knife in my boot so I wouldn’t be slaughtered in my sleep."

He lowered his head, his voice cracking.

"And then Leena found me. I was bleeding, my finger torn from the cold. She didn’t look at me like I was a slave. She healed it. She smiled and asked me to play. That was it. That was the moment I decided my entire life belonged to her. I became her knight because she gave me a reason to live."

The silence between us was heavy, filled only by the rhythm of the storm.

"She left her entire family behind to be with me..."

"But I can’t give her anything... anymore." Rigel confessed, his head bowing lower. "I have no magic. I have no special bloodline. I’m a fraud who found cheat strategies just to get into the Academy. Now, I’m pretending to be a protector while she has to restrict her own life, her own friendships, just to keep me from crashing out. I can’t give her what another person could."

"Did you hear them on the call today?" Rigel asked, his voice barely cutting through the wind.

I nodded slowly, my pink hair dripping water onto my lap. "I did."

"She must have forgotten we were listening." Rigel stared blankly into the dark rain. "I’ve known Leena my entire life, Elfie. I have never once heard her reveal her past to anyone. Not like that. Not to a classmate."

"Kai is the same." I whispered, hugging my knees. "He never goes out with anyone. He doesn’t act that friendly for nothing in return. It was surprising."

Rigel let out a dry, rattling breath.

"Every time I see her talking to someone else, my throat closes up." Rigel confessed, his knuckles tightening again. "I feel like that boy in the mud again. I’m terrified that if she realizes she doesn’t need me to survive, then I’m nothing to her. I’ll just be a memory of a slave estate she wants to forget."

He turned his head to look at me, his eyes bloodshot.

"I get angry. I make excuses. I tell myself I’m just protecting her, but really, I’m just trying to keep myself relevant. I’m trying to make sure I still exist in her world. I hate that I’m like this. I hate that my first instinct when she smiles at someone else is to want to tear down their world."

I looked down at my wet shoes, the truth of his words sinking deep into my chest.

"I’m afraid of not making him happy anymore..." I admitted, the rain washing the heat from my cheeks. "When Kai is quiet, I feel like he is adding distance between us again. I scream, I demand rules, I lock his doors because if he steps out of my reach, I think he’s going to walk away and never look back. I wanted him to be mine because if he isn’t, I don’t know who I am."

I wiped my face, but the water was relentless.

"I thought that by making him mine, I could stop the loneliness from coming back. But I was just pulling him into my darkness with me."

Rigel nodded, his expression softening into a grim understanding.

"We’re the same in that. It makes us reflect, doesn’t it?" Rigel said, staring down at the puddles. "We can’t keep relying on them to hold us together. If we want to protect them, we have to be strong—mentally and physically. We have to be someone they can lean on, not someone they have to carry."

He is right.

I’ve been using my Celestial Mana to become stronger, but my mind is still weak. I wanted Kai to carry my flaws, but a real partner carries their own mind first.

"I don’t want to be his weakness anymore." I whispered, my fingers clutching the cold swing chain.

"I want to be the one who stands in front when the world looks at him."

We linked our names to theirs.

We thought because they saved us from the dark, we owned them.

Rigel looked at me, his eyes fierce despite the tears. "We’re parasites, Elfie. We thought our pain gave us the right to cage them. But they don’t belong to us."

"I know..." I whispered, my voice breaking. "I know. Kaiser... he’s too kind to leave me. That’s what scares me the most. He’ll keep wearing the mask. He’ll keep pretending to be weak, letting everyone mock him, just because he knows I’ll break if he walks away. I’m exploiting his kindness."

"They won’t leave." Rigel agreed. "Leena won’t leave me either. They’re waiting for us."

"Waiting?"

"To be worthy." Rigel stood up, his boots splashing in the water. "They aren’t looking for someone to drag them down. They’re waiting for us to stand beside them. Not behind them, needing to be saved, but next to them. If we really want them, we have to change. We have to heal. We have to control this pathetic jealousy."

He looked down at me, extending a wet, calloused hand.

"We have to be proud to choose them. Not choose to limit them just to make ourselves feel safe."

I stared at his hand.

A partner.

Not a parasite.

Not a scared girl crying in the rain.

I reached out and grabbed his hand. He pulled me up, my feet landing firmly on the wet grass. My knees shook, but I didn’t fall.

"I’m sorry." Rigel said quietly, looking away. "For yesterday. I was a jerk when you asked to spar."

"You were." I replied, a small, genuine smile finally cracking through my lips. "But I forgive you."

I took a deep breath, circulating my mana. The celestial energy hummed in my veins, warm and bright, pushing against the freezing cold of the rain. I raised my hand, folding the space in front of me, and summoned a training sword made of dense, glittering celestial ice.

I threw it at him.

Rigel caught it out of the air, the cold hilt fitting perfectly in his grip. He blinked in surprise.

I raised my other hand. The air crackled with silver-blue sparks, and Hastam Caelestem materialized in my grip, its tip glowing with a soft, steady starlight.

"The weather is perfect." I said, my voice steady, the fear in my chest finally melting into resolve.

Rigel stared at the sword, then at me. A grin slowly broke through his wet face.

"Yeah." Rigel raised the blade, stepping into a mercenary stance. "It is."

We didn’t promise with words. We didn’t need to.

We promised to train, to sweat, to bleed, and to fight until the gap between us and the ones we loved didn’t exist anymore.

We would become worthy.

Together.

I will stand beside you, Kai.

My jealousy isn’t an insecurity anymore—it’s just the fuel that will drive me to reach you.

I won’t let you hide in the shadows to keep my crown safe.

Just wait for me.

I’m going to earn the right to be yours.

*

Kaiser’s Dorm Room

February 12th — 8:32 PM

Perspective: Leena

I slumped back in the wooden chair, my shoulders dropping as a long sigh escaped my lips. My legs felt like lead.

"Are you done yet, Kaiser?" I called out, tilting my head back to look at the ceiling.

"Yeah. Dishes are done."

Kaiser walked into the small living area, wiping his hands on a clean dish towel. He hung the towel over the back of a chair and sat down across from me at the small wooden table. He looked relaxed, his dark hair slightly messy, completely unaffected by the storm that was still drumming heavily against his window.

He looked so normal. It was hard to reconcile this calm boy with the pariah the academy kept whispering about.

On the table sat the remains of our dinner. We had made a chopped antipasto salad—tossing together salami, olives, and cheese—and finished off the fresh fruit we had bought. Kaiser had even helped me squeeze the oranges and grapes into fresh juices.

"I am completely stuffed." I said, patting my stomach with a lazy grin. "Kaiser, you’re honestly amazing at cooking. I didn’t think a simple salad could taste that good."

"I just chopped the meat." Kaiser replied, shaking his head slightly.

"You’re the one who did the real work. The way you balanced the oil and acid in the dressing was perfect. And your dicing of the cheese was incredibly even. It made the texture much better."

I felt a warm smile spread across my face.

He always does that.

Whenever I praise him, he immediately finds a way to shift the credit back to me. It’s not like the fake, grand compliments the elven nobles used to throw around. It feels... genuine. Simple.

I casually glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and froze.

8:32 PM.

My eyes widened, and I sat up straight, my fatigue instantly vanishing.

"Oh my gosh... is that really the time?" I stammered, pointing at the clock.

"I—I only asked you to have lunch with me. Kaiser, I took up your entire day! The afternoon, the evening, and now dinner... I’m so sorry!"

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. I had wanted to spend a little time with him to clear my head, but I hadn’t realized how easily the hours had slipped by.

Kaiser just shook his head, a soft, reassuring expression on his face.

"Nothing bad has happened, right? We enjoyed each other’s presence and we were happy. We’re friends, after all."

"Yes! We are!" I nodded quickly, the knot of embarrassment in my chest instantly untying.

I pulled out my phone, intending to check if my father had sent any messages. But as the screen lit up, my eyes caught the group call log.

The call ended hours ago.

My heart did a little flutter of worry. Rigel, Elfie, and the Class C girls... they had been listening in. I wondered what they were thinking right now.

Had they heard how comfortable I was with him? Did they see a side of Kaiser they didn’t expect?

Kaiser is so different when we’re alone.

He doesn’t use those cold, analytical words. He doesn’t act like a brick wall.

He is just... a boy who makes sure you don’t get wet in the rain, and who praises your knife work on a block of cheese.

Why does standing near him make the world much simpler?

"Do you have something on your mind, Leena?"

Kaiser’s quiet voice broke my train of thought.

I looked down at the dark screen of my phone. The question hovered on the tip of my tongue.

Should I ask him about the question in my mind...?

No. It would just be a burden to him.

"It’s nothing." I said, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

I pushed my chair back and stood up, giving him a warm, apologetic smile.

"It’s getting really late, though. I should probably head back to my dorm. Thank you so much for today, Kaiser."

I turned to grab my jacket, but his voice stopped me.

"Leaving so soon? I actually had a question for you, Leena."

I paused, turning back to him in surprise. "A question? What is it?"

Kaiser rested his hands on the table, looking up at me with those steady, deep blue eyes.

"Why did you come to this academy? What is it you’re trying to achieve here?"

I blinked, taken aback by the sudden depth of the question. I shifted my weight, trying to summon my usual cheerful, casual tone.

"Well... I just want to live a better life away from the village. In the capital, with the academy’s support, I can find a better class and a quality of life that’s usually kept only for the highest ranks. It’s a pretty standard dream, isn’t it? Becoming all powerful and wealthy, living the life I was always wanted."

Kaiser didn’t nod. He just kept looking at me.

"Okay." he said quietly. "Then, one last question."

"Leena, is it wrong to lie to your friends?"

The air in the room suddenly felt very cold.

My breath caught in my throat.

Why did he...?

No way. Does he know?

"You’re hardworking, kind, and you care about everyone." Kaiser said, his voice soft, almost gentle. "You’re protective of your friends—even the weak ones like me. If you just chased power and an easier life, you would have never left Elvion. You’re not that kind of person, Leena."

I stood frozen beside the table, my fingers clenching the fabric of my dress.

It was a strange, disorienting feeling.

He sees me.

"Why..." my voice came out barely a whisper. "Why do you think that way about me?"

Kaiser smiled, a small, gentle curve of his lips that reached his eyes.

"Because you’re my friend, Leena. And I want to understand you."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying an earnest warmth that made my chest ache.

"Can you tell me, Leena, why you’re here at the academy? Why did you abandon everything behind as a noble elf? What is the secret of your heart that makes you work so hard? What is this dream you strived for, that makes you stay up and be who you are?"

My heart began to hammer against my ribs. My breathing turned shallow, heavy, as the walls of the room seemed to press in.

The secret I had kept locked away, the guilt that choked me every time I looked at Rigel, the shame of my family’s ruin—it was all bubbling up to the surface.

I wanted to run.

But I also wanted, more than anything, to let someone else to hear my story, just a second.

"I..." I started, my voice trembling. I swallowed hard, looking at him with desperate eyes. "I want to ask you something first. Just... your opinion."

"I’ll share it." Kaiser promised, his gaze unwavering. "But only after I hear everything."

I looked down at the wooden tabletop, my fingers twisting the hem of my dress into tight, wrinkled knots. The rain outside was deafening, a relentless barrage that mirrored the chaos in my mind.

I took a deep breath, my voice shaking as I finally let the question escape.

"Is it wrong of me to betray Rigel and want to befriend the elves?"

Kaiser didn’t answer right away.

The silence stretched between us, filled only by the heavy, rhythmic drumming of the rain against the window pane. He sat perfectly still, his hands resting flat on the table, his deep blue eyes watching me with a quiet, patient calm. He wasn’t judging. He wasn’t rushing.

I clutched the fabric of my dress.

"Every time Rinsha or Novenol look at me, a part of me wants to go back." My voice trembled, the words spilling out like water from a cracked dam.

"I see their clean robes, their perfect manners, the way they talk about our history... and I miss it. I want to be accepted by them. I want to fit in with my own kind. But if I do that... if I try to become one of them again..."

I swallowed hard, a lump of pure guilt rising in my throat.

"It feels like I’m leaving Rigel behind. He was a slave, Kaiser. The elves treated him like dirt, like a dog. For me to want their approval, to want to laugh and study with the people who tortured him... it feels like a betrayal. He is my closest friend. He left his entire life behind to follow me into exile, and here I am, secretly wishing I could have the life he was forced to serve."

I looked down, my vision blurring slightly.

"I called Elfie last night. I asked her what I should do. She told me to choose Rigel. And I did. I chose him, and I want to keep choosing him. My heart wants to protect him. But... there’s this hollow feeling inside me. It’s like I’m split in two, and no matter which side I choose, I’m tearing myself apart. I don’t know how to put it into words. It just... it hurts."

I forced my breathing to slow down, biting the inside of my cheek to keep the tears back. I couldn’t break down here. Not in front of him.

"You miss your family, Leena."

Kaiser’s voice was very soft.

I froze, my chest tightening so hard I couldn’t draw breath. I looked up at him, my green eyes wide. The words hit me like a physical blow, striking a chord so deep within my chest that I felt my heart ache.

It was the one truth I had kept locked away in the darkest corner of my mind, the one thing I never allowed myself to speak out loud.

"I do." I whispered, the confession escaping before I could stop it. "I miss them so much. When I was little... I was so happy. My mama used to braid my hair every morning. My papa would tell me stories about the ancient forests, and my older sister... she would let me sleep in her bed whenever there was a storm like this. I was spoiled. I was raised with so much love and care. I had everything."

My voice cracked, a small, choked sob breaking through my throat.

"But I left it all. I walked away from their love."

"Why did you do that?" Kaiser asked.

He didn’t ask it with suspicion or curiosity. He asked it like a friend simply wanting to know where the wound started.

"Because I couldn’t stand the lies." I said, a single tear finally escaping and running down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly with the back of my hand.

"I hated the way we lived. I hated seeing the human servants kneeling in the dirt. I hated knowing that the food on my plate and the silk on my back were paid for by the blood and sweat of people who weren’t allowed to look me in the eye. I hated that we called ourselves noble while acting like monsters. I couldn’t watch it anymore. So... I ran away."

I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

"But I’m just a coward, Kaiser. A hypocrite."

The floodgates opened, and the ugly truths I had hidden from myself came rushing out, one by one.

"I tried to talk to them before I left. I stood in front of my parents, my sister, my friends... I tried to tell them that slavery was wrong. I tried to argue that humans deserved to be free. But they just laughed at me. They called me silly. My sister told me I was too young to understand, that I couldn’t change Elvian culture, and that I should just give up and accept the world as it was. And instead of staying and fighting..."

"I ran. I used Rigel’s freedom as a righteous excuse to escape my own expectations."

I gripped my head, my elbows resting on the table.

"I told myself I was saving him. But the truth is, I was just lonely. I was terrified of being alone in a human village, so I let him follow me. I let him carry my guilt, let him act as my knight and protect me from the human bullies, all while I played the bubbly, carefree girl who didn’t have a care in the world. I exploited his loyalty. I let him bleed for me, let him challenge Novenol to a duel and get beaten to a pulp, just so I could feel safe."

I wiped my face with both arms, my sleeves soaking up the moisture, but more tears kept falling.

"And now... I want to befriend the elves again. I want the neighborhood of the elven dorms. I look at Novenol and Rinsha and I feel jealous of their rights... To be who they are."

"I’m so selfish. I’m naive, I’m manipulative, and I’m a coward who uses her friends to hide from her own choices."

I sat there, my shoulders shaking, waiting for him to agree. I waited for him to look at me with the disgust I felt for myself.

Instead, I heard the sound of his chair scraping against the floor.

Kaiser stood up and walked around the small table, stopping right beside me. He didn’t offer a hug, and he didn’t give me a handkerchief. He just stood there, a solid, quiet presence in the room.

"You can’t lie to yourself, Leena." Kaiser said, his voice firm but entirely devoid of anger.

"The Leena I know doesn’t run."

I looked up at him through my blurred vision, my breathing erratic.

"You call yourself a coward." Kaiser continued, looking down at me with absolute certainty.

"But I’ve watched you. I see how much effort you put into learning magic every single day. I see the raw wind burn on your fingers when you practice late at night when you think everyone is asleep. That isn’t cowardice. That is dedication."

He leaned against the edge of the table, his expression earnest.

"You call yourself selfish. But when Elfie was struggling with her celestial formulas, you sat with her for hours, translating and adjusting the wind currents to balance her mana, even though you were exhausted. That is selflessness. And when Daniel and Roman blocked our path in the corridor, insulting me and calling me garbage... you didn’t run. You dropped your cheerful nature, stood in front of me, and told them to move. You protected a magicless deadweight because you believed it was right. That is courage."

He reached out, his hand gently resting on my shoulder.

"And most of all, you have loyalty. You chose Rigel when you were a little girl, and you are still choosing him now, even when it tears you apart."

"You aren’t a hypocrite, Leena. You’re just a girl carrying a heavy burden that was never meant to be yours."

The dam broke.

A loud, wet sob ripped out of my chest. I collapsed forward, burying my face in my hands as the ugly cry took over. My posture completely ruined, my shoulders heaving as I gasped for air, crying so hard my chest felt like it was splitting open. It wasn’t beautiful. It was messy, painful, and exhausting, the sound of my voice choked and raw in the quiet room.

Kaiser didn’t move. He kept his hand firmly on my shoulder, anchoring me to the floor, letting me wail until the worst of the storm inside me began to pass.

"I... I always wanted to prove them wrong." I choked out between gasps, wiping my nose with the sleeve of my dress, not caring how ugly I looked.

"The elves... their pride is going to ruin them. I wanted to prove that it’s wrong to look down on others, to slave them. I wanted to show my parents, my sister, everyone... that we don’t have to be like that."

I looked up at him, my eyes red and swollen, my face wet with tears.

"That’s why I left. I chose to abandon my family, my home, everything... because I wanted to find a way to change it. I wanted to grow strong enough to make them listen. And Rigel... he was the first person I wanted to help. I wanted him to be free, truly free, not just a servant who escaped."

Kaiser looked at me quietly for a long moment.

"Have you ever felt like it was impossible?"

"Every single day." I confessed, my voice barely a whisper as the tears continued to flow.

"I wanted to believe I could do it. I thought that if I graduated from the academy with its support, I could go back to Elvion. I could buy out the slave contracts, establish a sanctuary for the exiles, and force the high council to recognize human worth by showing that I, an exile, became a grandmaster with human allies. But now..."

"I look at how weak I am. I look at how much Rigel has to suffer just to keep me safe... and I feel like I’m just dreaming a stupid child’s dream."

We went quiet.

The only sound was the rain outside and the ragged, trembling breaths I took as I tried to calm my racing heart. Kaiser’s hand remained on my shoulder, a steady, warm weight that kept me from floating away into the dark.

"You’re brave, Leena." Kaiser said, his voice breaking the silence.

"You want to protect this world from cruelty. You want to change the elves, to carry the weight of an entire culture’s sins on your shoulders. You’ve sacrificed your family, your home, and your peace of mind to chase a dream that most people wouldn’t even dare to whisper."

He looked down at me, his blue eyes searching my face with a deep, quiet sincerity.

"Yet, what will make you happy, Leena?"

I stared at him, my vision swimming in sheets of warm, blurred water.

"What... makes me happy?" I whispered, my voice barely a breath.

The question felt heavy, almost foreign.

I had spent the last four years prioritizing my magic, focusing on my training, and trying to find ways to appease the village humans so we wouldn’t be cast out again. I had worried about Elfie, the Class C girls’ opinions, and our reputation. I had spent every single day carrying Rigel’s burden, trying to make sure he didn’t feel sad, and carrying the guilt of my family’s ruined name.

I had built my entire life around making others feel secure.

But I had never once stopped to ask what I wanted.

Kaiser didn’t answer right away. He slowly knelt down on the wooden floor in front of my chair, bringing himself to my eye level. He looked up at me, his dark hair falling slightly over his forehead, his face calm and serious. There was no pity in his blue eyes, only a quiet, patient space waiting for me to step into it.

"I... I want everyone to be happy." I choked out, my voice cracking, a small, desperate sound.

"I want Rigel to be safe. I want my parents to smile again without that sad, defeated look they had when we left. I want Elfie and the class to be safe. I want..."

Kaiser reached up. His thumb was warm, dry, and rough from manual labor at the tavern as it gently wiped a tear from the edge of my eyelid.

"But I want to see you happy, Leena." Kaiser said, his voice quiet, holding a gentle but absolute weight.

"Not everyone. Just you."

"Make yourself happy first."

"Don’t expect happiness to come from others."

"Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy."

"And be with the people who make you smile."

My heart did a strange, violent flutter.

The touch of his hand against my cheek was so gentle it made my breath hitch. It wasn’t the protective, tense grip of Rigel shielding me from a fight, nor was it the competitive pressure of the academy. It was the simple, unconditional warmth of someone who just wanted me to exist, to breathe, without needing to be strong or noble.

His touch is so warm.

I feel like the freezing cold of my exile is melting away, just from the pressure of his thumb against my skin.

"K-Kai..." I tried to speak, but the name caught in my throat. I couldn’t even pronounce it properly, the letters breaking apart on my lips under the weight of my crying.

"K-Kaiser..."

"You’re pretty, Leena." he said, his blue eyes reflecting the dim light of the ceiling lamp.

"Not just by heart, but by the goal you’ve set out to do."

"But I deeply believe that happiness makes a girl prettier."

"It’s an undeniable glow."

"I may have seen a glimpse of that glow today, in the time we spent together... but I want to see that true glow you had."

"The one that comes from what makes you the happiest."

He smiled, a soft, genuine expression that softened the sharp lines of his face.

"Because the Leena I know... if she ever saw someone without a smile, she’d give them one of hers."

The words shattered the last of my defenses.

A sob tore through my chest, louder and deeper than before. I broke down completely, my head dropping forward, my forehead resting against his shoulder as the ugly cry returned. I didn’t care about my elven grace, my noble pride, or the mess I was making of his clean shirt. I just wept, the sheer weight of his validation crushing the walls I had spent years building around my heart.

He was right.

I was so tired of pretending to be strong. I was so tired of wearing the cheerful mask all the time.

"I... I miss them." I wailed, the words muffled against his shoulder, my voice choked with tears.

"I miss my family the most. I miss my mama... I miss my papa... and my older sister, Elvy. I miss them so much it hurts every single day."

I clutched his shirt, my fingers digging into the fabric, holding onto him like a lifeline in the middle of a storm.

"I want... I want to make them proud." I confessed, my voice trembling violently as the memories flooded back.

"I want to work so hard, to graduate and prove to the council that I was right."

"And then... when it’s all done... I want to go back."

"I want to go back to the Silverbloom Valley of Elvion... where the white lilies bloom across the hills."

"I want my parents to stand back and watch us."

"I want to run through the fields and behave like kids again... holding Elvy’s hand... laughing under the sun... just like we did before the exile."

I squeezed my eyes shut, the image of the white flowers and my sister’s laughter filling my mind.

"I want that so much... it’s all I want..."

I felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me closer.

He stood up slightly, pulling me into a tight, warm hug. His grip was firm and steady. The scent of rain and clean laundry washed over me, wrapping me in a safety I hadn’t felt since the day I was cast out of my home.

"K-Kaiser..." I whispered, my voice shaking as I buried my face in his neck. "Am I... am I too selfish? Wanting to go back to them... wanting to be happy with my own kind... while Rigel has to suffer?"

"You’re not selfish, Leena." Kaiser’s voice was right next to my ear, warm and soothing.

"Not even for a second. The sign of a beautiful person is that they always see the beauty in others. And there is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others."

He rubbed my back, his hand moving in slow, comforting circles that eased the tension in my spine.

"You don’t have to choose, Leena."

I flinched slightly, my breath catching. "What...?"

"I understand." Kaiser said. "You feel like if you choose Rigel, you’re giving up on your family and your home forever. And if you choose the elves, you’re betraying the boy who sacrificed everything for you. But you don’t have to live in that split. Choose both."

Choose... both?

The idea felt impossible, yet the sheer certainty in his voice made the tension in my limbs begin to melt away.

I felt weak, emotionally yielding, letting his words rewrite the rules I had bound myself to.

"Rigel isn’t your responsibility, Leena." Kaiser said softly. "He is his own person. He chose to follow you because he wants to, not because you forced him. He will stand by your side to help you achieve your goal, because he is that type of person. He won’t hold you back. I want you to be happy, Leena. Not just successful. But... I want to wait for the day when you prove all the elves wrong and change the world."

My eyes filled with fresh tears, but they didn’t feel as heavy this time.

"So choose Rigel." Kaiser whispered. "And choose yourself."

"You deserve to be loved, Leena. And most importantly, you deserve to have the future that makes you the happiest."

I couldn’t speak. I just nodded against his shoulder, my fingers tightening on his shirt as I let the tears run dry.

"T-Thank you..." I choked out, my voice cracked and stuttering. "K-Kaiser... t-thank you..."

"It’s okay." he murmured, his hand gently rubbing my back. "You don’t have to speak anymore. Relax, I’ve got you. It’s okay to cry."

We stayed like that for a long time.

The rain outside slowly began to soften, its fierce drumming fading into a gentle, steady patter against the window. The warmth of the room felt thick, safe, keeping the cold dark of the academy at bay.

I was so blinded.

I thought I had to choose. I thought my life was a path of constant sacrifice, that I had to pay for my dream with my own happiness. But he showed me a different way.

I can choose both.

I can stand next to Rigel, and I can still strive to go home.

I closed my eyes, letting the last of my tears soak into his shirt.

How does he do this?

He is just a classmate, a magicless boy whom everyone looks down on. Yet, in this small, quiet room, he made the entire world feel safe. He made me feel seen in a way my own family never did.

Any girl would lose her mind if he looked at her like this. If he held her with this quiet, gentle strength, telling her she was beautiful and that she deserved to be happy. It is a terrifying, sweet feeling that makes you want to yield completely.

For a moment, I understood Elfie’s madness.

I understood why she locked him away, why she snarled at anyone who dared to step between them.

He is a treasure.

A dangerous, beautiful treasure that makes you want to keep him all to yourself.

Thank you, Kaiser.

Thank you for giving me my smile back.

*

Kaiser’s Dorm Room

February 12th — 9:12 PM

Perspective: Kaiser

The digital clock on my desk ticked over to 9:12 PM.

It had been a while since Leena had stopped crying, but the remnants of her breakdown were still written all over her face. She sat at the table, her cheeks flushed a dark red, her long green elven ears twitching with embarrassment. She kept her eyes focused on her lap, refusing to look directly at me.

I walked over to the small cooling box on my counter, retrieved a plastic bag filled with the fresh fruit juice we had squeezed earlier, and set it on the table in front of her.

"Here. Take this back to your dorm."

Leena jumped slightly, looking at the bag before reaching out to grab it. Her fingers brushed mine, and her face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. Even her ears were tinted pink at the tips now.

"Are you sick, Leena? Your face is all red. And your ears, too."

"I—I’m not sick!" Leena stammered, quickly pulling her hands back to clasp the juice bag tightly against her chest. "I’m completely fine! It’s just... it’s really hot in here! That’s all!"

Hot?

I checked the room’s temperature regulator 10 minutes ago. It is set to exactly 21 degrees. The ventilation is functioning normally. Why would she feel warm while holding a cold bag of fresh juice?

Perhaps she is developing a fever from sitting in the damp air earlier.

Leena tried to hide her face behind a lock of her green hair, clearing her throat.

"Thank you, Kaiser. Seriously. For today... and for listening to all of that. You didn’t have to."

"You don’t need to thank me, Leena." I said, letting a soft smile show on my face.

"Friends don’t thank each other for things like this. If you ever need something, you can always come here. I might not be of much help with magic or combat, but I will always sit down and listen to you. Even if it just relieves the weight a little bit."

Leena stared at me, her ears twitching rapidly, her eyes wide. She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead, she just gave a quick, flustered nod.

"Y-Yeah. I will. Goodnight, Kaiser!"

She stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly against the floor, and she practically sprinted out of the room. I followed her to the doorway, watching her go before closing the door and locking it.

I walked back to the window, leaning my forehead against the cool glass. The storm had passed, leaving behind a steady, quiet drizzle.

I checked the sensor log on my phone. The door to Elfie’s room remained locked and silent. She hadn’t returned.

It seems it is the ideal outcome for everyone.

I walked over to my bed, letting myself fall backward onto the mattress. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed a contact. The line rang twice before the connection went through.

"Well, well. Look who decided to call." Serena Sylvester’s voice came through the speaker, carrying her usual lazy, amused drawl.

"Did the counseling session go well, Kaiser?"

"Did you tell Rigel and Elfie what they needed to hear?" I asked, my voice flat, dropping the warm tone I had used with Leena.

"Yep, I did." Serena chuckles. "I told them both exactly how their silly jealousy was trapping you and Leena. You should have seen their faces. It was hilarious how worked up they got. You really know how to play the gentleman when you want to, don’t you?"

"Where are they now?"

"As you demanded, I trailed them. They’re at the training park near the southern sector. They’ve been sparring in the rain for the past hour. Seriously, they’re absolute weirdos. Who trains in a downpour like this?"

"Thank you for the information."

Serena let out a long, crackling sigh.

"You’re terrifying, you know that? Setting up this entire drama just to force them into a corner. You even blackmailed me to get me to help. You’re like a green planet with a giant red sun circling it. I can’t tell if you’re a green flag or a red flag anymore."

"I’m a white flag."

"A white flag? Surrender?"

"No. Neutrality." I replied calmly. "And in return for your assistance today, I will keep my word. I won’t tell the class that you are the spy leaking Class C’s secrets to Sylvia."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Serena spoke, her tone shifting to a quieter, more serious note.

"Thanks. But still... how can you be so cruel and calculative? Everyone in class thinks you’re just some mediocre nobody who got lucky. Yet you fooled all of them. You used their deepest insecurities to force them to grow. You’re not a magicless deadweight, Kaiser. You’re a mastermind."

"Forget today ever happened, Serena."

I hung up before she could reply, throwing the phone onto the mattress beside me. I folded my arms behind my head, staring back up at the white ceiling.

Rigel and Elfie’s unnecessary jealousy was going to cost us the future.

If they didn’t combat it early, they would never grow. Especially Elfie. The scene she created during the exam results announcement was dangerous. If she showed more obsession towards me, it would signal to the other students as a massive vulnerability, and it would destroy her reputation.

Her being out this late and training tells me Rigel finally became useful and inspired her.

My plan had 2 potential outcomes.

Outcome 1 was simple. She would have come to my dorm earlier. I would have soothed her, making her realize that my happiness is always dependent on her safety. She would have strived to remove her insecurities and the things holding her back. I never really saw them as insecurities—I still loved her for them—but I couldn’t risk her getting hurt. Because of her jealousy, she went to floor 27 in the dungeon and risked her life. I won’t let that repeat. I want her to lose her jealousy and focus on herself.

But Outcome 2 is much more ideal.

Rigel acted as a catalyst. As a broken man himself, he could inspire her to train, achieving both goals simultaneously. Rigel grows, and Elfie grows.

And finally, Leena.

She will be more herself from now on. She will grow exponentially over the next few years after our chat. I may have even secured a closer friendship with her.

The Decaying Foundation taught me to see people as tools to be used and discarded once our goals are fulfilled. It was an indoctrination no student could reject, or else they failed.

But I believe "tools" is a false concept.

Why see people as tools that must be thrown away once they are broken?

I rather see them as dolls.

Even if they are cut, ruined, or broken, I can stitch them back together. I can sew some strings and make them brand new. There is no need to find another.

Leena and Rigel’s realizations will grow Elfie, which helps her achieve her goal. That is all that matters.

Yeah... doesn’t it?

Oh come on, Kaiser. Don’t lie to yourself.

"Ahahahah..."

A quiet laugh escaped my lips, echoing softly in the empty room.

If I were really a product of the Decaying Foundation, I would have seen them as tools. But I have surpassed their education.

I smiled.

I know everything I do is for Elfie. But still... Rigel will become a stronger person, leaving his past doubts behind. Leena will be much happier.

And lastly, Elfie. She will find herself, and I will be able to see her most beautiful sides in the near future.

I am happy for those 3. Even if my actions were manipulative, I’m glad it all worked out.

I heard once that miracles are just good people with kind hearts.

Do I have a kind heart?

Probably not. Mine is rotten and should be thrown away, yet it’s fine.

The best thing you can be is a good person.

And the day I met Elfie, I wanted to try.

A small smile came to my mind. I reached for my phone again, opening the gallery to see a picture I took of me and her.

I’ll do my best my dear princess.