CHAPTER 36
Mornings at Sterella Academy were as blinding as they were exhausting.
Between lectures on magical theory, endless recitations, and rigorous combat training, Sorayael barely had time to breathe. Her uniform, pressed but slightly faded at the hem-whipped at her legs as she rushed through marble corridors, the Academy's spires casting long shadows in the dawnlight.
She was just another student among many. At least, that's what she told herself.
But at night, her world shifted.
By moonlight, Sorayael donned a different face, not with glamour, but with determination.
The worn apprentice robes of Lyrenna's shop always smelled faintly of dust, aged scrolls, and bitter herbs, and her tasks ranged from cataloging grimoires to running errands that sometimes involved bartering with creatures that spoke in riddles.
Lyrenna, the cold-eyed enchantress who ran the shop, had been reluctant at first.
"Assistants are liabilities," she had said with a glance sharp enough to cut.
But over the nights, something began to change.
Sorayael's quick wit, her quiet efficiency, the way she learned without being told twice chipped at the frost Lyrenna wore like armor.
One evening, as Sorayael organized a shelf lined with volatile memory crystals, Lyrenna spoke without warning.
Sorayael blinked. "Should I?"
Lyrenna turned back to her alchemical work. "Most do. Especially around cursed objects."
There was no praise in her tone. But the silence that followed felt a little less heavy.
And always, in the background of Sorayael's second life, was Azi.
He never said he was following her, never admitted he was worried. But every time she crept out through the Academy's wall, he was already waiting, leaning against a lamppost, or sitting on the edge of a rooftop with a sweet bun in hand.
Sorayael would roll her eyes. "Don't you have royal things to do?"
She never told him to stop following. And he never asked if he could stay.
Together, they slipped through Sterella's edge like whispers, two students tangled in things bigger than themselves. One running toward something she didn't fully understand, the other protecting someone he wasn't allowed to care for.
But shadows had long memories. And soon, someone else would take notice. Someone who remembered the last time a girl like Sorayael appeared. Someone who knew what her presence truly meant.
...........
The morning sun filtered through the high glass windows of Sterella's training hall, casting warm light across the polished stone floor. The clang of weapons and bursts of elemental magic echoed in the air as students paired off for combat training.
Sorayael adjusted her gloves, her eyes scanning the room. Before she could make a move, a cheerful voice called her name.
She smiled back softly. "Sure-"
But before their hands could even clasp, a hand cut between them.
Sorayael blinked, looking up to find Azren standing between her and Zacchaeus, his ocean-blue eyes calm yet sharp, as if daring anyone to object. His hand was already loosely around Sorayael's wrist.
Zacchaeus looked confused, then chuckled lightly. "Oh... did you two already agree to pair?"
He grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Around them, whispers and amused glances were exchanged.
Even the instructor looked up from their notes with an amused sigh.
Zacchaeus simply smiled, stepping back. "I'll partner with Kieran then. Good luck, Sorayael!" His tone held no bitterness, only genuine support.
Azi rolled his shoulders. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, facing the wrath of my favorite troublemaker."
The rest of the class had stopped pretending not to watch. Even the instructor had gone silent, simply observing with a mix of astonishment and caution.
And as the final blow met between them, Sorayael's light-bound blade clashing against Azi's jagged obsidian edge, there was a burst of energy that sent a ripple through the room, leaving only the echo of magic behind.
Azi exhaled, grinning. "You really don't disappoint."
Sorayael twirled her wrist, dismissing her weapon. "That's because I'm amazing."
She looked at him, startled but before she could speak, the instructor clapped their hands.
They stepped apart, but their gazes lingered.
And from a distance, Zacchaeus watched them both, still smiling, but quieter now.
The training field was still echoing with the clash of mana and steel when Zarethian finally moved. He had watched the whole sparring match in silence, his sharp golden eyes flicking from Sorayael's quick footwork to Azi's too-relaxed grin.
He didn't like it. Not one bit.
As the crowd dispersed and Sorayael wiped the sweat from her brow, laughing at something Azi muttered, Zarethian stepped forward like a looming shadow.
She blinked up at him, surprised. "Zan?"
Before she could protest, he took her by the wrist, not rough, but firm enough to mean no arguing. Azi straightened from his lean against the post, watching them closely. His eyes narrowed a fraction when Zarethian turned to him with a cold stare.
Her brows furrowed. "Huh?"
Sorayael let out a scandalized gasp. "Zan! What the hell?!"
He didn't flinch. "I'm serious."
Zarethian raised an eyebrow. "You did laugh at all his stupid jokes."
He exhaled slowly, gaze heavy on her. "Then you're not denying you like him?"
She paused.
Then gave a hard scoff. "What's there to like? His ego is as big as the Aethenroth estate and twice as flammable."
Zarethian narrowed his eyes. "Sorayael."
He leaned in slightly, not teasing, not smiling. "If he hurts you, even once-"
She turned back, gaze firm. "Zan. I can handle myself."
He studied her for another heartbeat, something unreadable flickering in his expression. A twist of protectiveness, maybe jealousy, maybe something like a brother.
As they walked back together, her eyes drifted toward the end of the corridor, where she knew Azi would be waiting. She wouldn't admit it out loud, not to Zarethian, not even to herself, but there was something about that idiot pyromancer that had her heart all out of rhythm.
But no. She wasn't ready to call it anything... not yet.
.........
The stars were softer that night, veiled behind drifting clouds as if the heavens themselves were drowsy.
The Academy grounds had long since settled into silence, lantern lights dimmed and dormitory windows dark.
But two shadows moved along the edges of the walls, slipping between gaps like whispers.
Sorayael adjusted the hood of her cloak, careful not to step too loudly. Azi walked beside her, hands in his pockets, annoyingly relaxed as usual.
She snorted, shoving his shoulder lightly. "You mean stationary."
They slipped past the gate, the town's glow just beyond the trees. The smell of late-night food stalls drifted on the wind-roasted skewers, sweet buns, grilled corn with herb butter. Azi tugged her toward the scent with a grin.
He gave her a side-glance, mischief in his smile. "Keep telling yourself that, Feifei."
They wandered through the cobbled streets, moonlight bouncing off puddles from an earlier rain. Children's laughter echoed distantly from a group still playing under lanterns, and somewhere, a bard sang about stars and lost lovers.
For a moment, everything felt oddly... peaceful.
As they reached the edge of the merchant's quarter, Sorayael slowed. She looked up at the night sky, then let her gaze fall quietly to the boy walking beside her.
Azi was humming under his breath, a skewer of grilled meat in one hand, eyes half-lidded and content.
The breeze stirred his hair, and his oceanic blue eyes, too bright, too sad sometimes, flicked toward her as if sensing the stare.
She looked away quickly. "Nothing."
He raised an eyebrow, but didn't press. Instead, he passed her the second skewer he'd bought, and for once, she didn't argue.
As she chewed silently, her thoughts ran faster than her heartbeat.
'I have a lot of things to finish. I'm still young. I don't have time to like someone at the moment.' She told herself that firmly, like a vow she couldn't afford to break.
But still... she glanced at him again.
And this time, she didn't look away so quickly.
Far above them, in the highest tower of the Academy, someone watched through a glass scrying mirror. A shadow cloaked in magic, eyes gleaming faintly like the moons.