I don't have any classes today, but I have something I need to do, which is to search for the Gemstone of Energy. I don't know how I would recognize that specific stone since I have never seen or heard of it before, but I still need to look for it. It's better to do something than nothing at all. As I made my way through the hallways, inspecting anything that seemed weird or unusual, I spotted Belle, the nurse mage. Without hesitation, I followed her cheerfully; it had been a long time since we last talked. I was about to call out her name when I noticed that she wasn't paying much attention. It seemed like she didn't realize I was following her. Just as I was about to call out to her, someone else called her name.
"Belle," his voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't confirm if it was really him since the person was wearing a cloak, completely covering his face.
"What the heck are you doing here?" Belle shouted and started looking around, so I instinctively hid behind the wall.
"I have something I need to tell you," the guy continued.
"Let's talk inside. People might see us," Belle said, and I heard their footsteps as they entered the art room.
I came out from my hiding spot, and my curiosity was consuming me, so I decided to check on them. I walked slowly towards the door and listened closely, hoping to hear their conversation.
"What the hell?! Did he find it?!" Belle shouted from inside, almost making me jump. I had no idea she could get this angry.
"Not yet. He's still searching for it. He probably won't recognize the stone, as Eveline is the only one who can identify it," the guy replied.
"You don't know for sure if those two are working together to find the Gemstone?" Belle asked, furrowing my forehead in confusion.
"At the moment, I'm still observing them. Nothing seems out of the ordinary," the guy answered.
"Alright, just make sure not to get caught. Eveline might become suspicious of you, so be careful," Belle cautioned.
"You too. You need to get closer to her, deepen the connection, and gather more information from her," the guy responded.
"No need to worry; I can handle that," Belle replied.
Am I only imagining these things, or are they actually happening? Did Belle truly have ulterior motives in trying to get closer to me, not out of genuine desire, but out of necessity? Does this imply that I am being betrayed?
I was unable to react; I couldn't move or think clearly. I wanted to confront Belle once and for all, but my body remained frozen, incapable of budging. As I heard footsteps approaching the door, signaling that the two of them were about to leave, I remained motionless. Just as they were about to open the door, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me away.
"S-Storm?" The only word that came to mind as he dragged me somewhere.
"You wanted to get caught?" He glanced back briefly before refocusing on the path ahead.
"Is everything I heard... real?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice. All this time, I believed Belle was being honest with me, but it turns out she was merely using me.
"Yeah. No one would ever lie behind someone's back. She probably meant everything she said," he replied, releasing my arm as we reached the entrance of the forest.
"How did you hear their conversation?" I asked, still perplexed.
He smirked, then turned toward a tree and sat down on the grass. "I was following you. You probably never noticed."
"What?!" I exclaimed, and he turned toward me, studying my expression intently.
"I didn't know you could make a face like that," he said, smiling a little.
"Shut up!" I hissed, sitting down beside him. "Why were you following me?"
He bent his right leg and leaned toward it, looking at me. "I had a feeling something like this might happen earlier. I was there to prevent any unnecessary accidents or incidents."
"Wow, the way you said it makes it seem like I'm accident-prone. Do you think I'm that clumsy?" I asked, a hint of irritation in my voice.
"Yes, you are, completely," he agreed, chuckling lightly. I forced a fake smile and hit his arm hard.
"Ouch! So now you're resorting to physical affection. Do you like me that much?" he said, causing me to distance myself from him.
"Why would I like you?" I asked, rolling my eyes. But upon further reflection, I found it strange how he had been laughing and smiling at me today, as he usually displays little emotion. Something must be off with him today.
"Never mind," he replied, then lay down on the grass. He gazed up at the sky with a serious expression. "I hope we can resolve things quickly."
"You don't want to be associated with me anymore?" I asked absentmindedly, also looking up at the sky without lying down like he did.
"Not like that. I just want to end things with my father and die happily," he said with a peculiar tone of voice. I quickly turned my gaze back to him, and he remained fixated on the sky with a serious expression.
"Do you want to die?" I asked him. He briefly looked at me and then returned his gaze to the sky.
"It's not that I want to, but it's necessary for the order," he began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "It would likely cause chaos if a half-demon like me were to remain alive once everything returns to normal after I deal with my father. So, for the sake of maintaining order, I need to die. And the only person who can kill me..." He turned toward me and pointed his index finger. "Is you. So, if that day comes, I am granting you the honor of ending my life—"
I didn't let him finish his sentence. "No," I told him firmly. "I have no intention of killing you, so don't jump to conclusions. Perhaps I may have said I would kill you in the past, but things are different now. I won't kill you. Don't delude yourself into thinking that you will die by my hands because it will never happen." With that, I got up and left him behind. My hands trembled as I walked away from him. Just hearing those words from him made my body shiver like this. I can't. I won't. I will never allow him to die. Not with my hands, nor with anybody else's.
"Hey!" I jumped as Renz suddenly appeared in front of me just as I was about to enter the dorm door.
"Did I startle you that much? Enough for you to shake like this?" He asked, his face showing a hint of concern.
I swallowed hard before saying anything. "No, it's just... I'm glad to see you today."
He was taken aback by my words, and I saw a brief look of shock before he returned to his usual expression. "Don't make my heart flutter," he said, shaking his head before giving me a suspicious look. "You're a dangerous woman."
I smiled at his remark. "What makes you say that?"
"Never mind, but anyways, you look stressed out. Are you alright?" He asked, leaning closer to me to observe my expression more closely.
"You can tell that?" I asked, surprised as not everyone can discern my emotions like he just did.
"Yup." He took a deep breath and then stepped back a few paces, his gaze still fixed on me. "I can never distinguish a person's emotions, but I can tell that I can read yours. It's really weird. It's as if I know you that well," he added, leaving me frozen in my position.
"Hey?! Are you still listening?" He asked, snapping his fingers in front of me.
I snapped back to reality and smiled at him. He reminded me so much of Renz. I reached out my hand and touched his face, looking at him with sincere longing. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, making my vision blurry, but I could still see his face. I felt the warmth of his skin against mine as my tears slowly trickled down my cheeks.
"Hey!" Someone suddenly grabbed me from behind and tightly held both of my arms.
"S-Storm..." I could no longer hold myself together and started crying. "I must be going crazy... I... I can see him... I can even touch him... I can see and touch Renz..." I confided in him, my voice choked with tears. He immediately pulled me into a tight embrace, his chest against my wet face, and I could hear the thumping of his heart. I hugged him back, feeling the comfort he was providing.
"Ow, what's with this romantic atmosphere?" Storm and I immediately broke the hug to face Belle, who had just spotted us.
"Are you two, perhaps... dating already?" she asked in a suspicious tone. I quickly shook my head.
"No, it's not like that," I replied, still shaking my head.
"But from what I saw, it's hard for me to believe that," she teased us.
"Think whatever you want," Storm told her, seeming unfazed.
"Okay, I'll do just that, alright?" she smirked at us. "Oh, by the way, Eveline, I need to talk to you privately. Is that okay?" She directed her question at me but looked at Storm, as if seeking his permission, not mine.
Storm held onto my left arm, as if signaling me not to go, and Belle's eyes focused on his hand with a mischievous smirk. "What a protective boyfriend. Just like right after Cassandra died? Or maybe you didn't like her that much? Perhaps you were even happy when she died because no one could interrupt your relationship with her," Belle asked, and I could feel Storm getting uncomfortable with the mention of Cassandra's name but couldn't react in any way.
"It's none of your concern. If you want to talk to her, you can say it here. No need for privacy," Storm replied with a serious tone.
Belle rolled her eyes, blew out a breath, and then spoke, "Alright, if you say so. Eveline, just a little warning — don't trust this guy too much. He's probably just using you, like he did to Cassandra. So, consider it a friendly caution. You're a close friend of mine, and I don't want to see you get hurt. This guy right here," she pointed at Storm, "is a total jerk who will never stop using anyone for his own benefit."
I looked down, unable to face Belle directly. She was the one who betrayed me, yet now she was pretending to be concerned. It felt as though I was listening to someone telling lies, even though I already knew the whole truth.
"Yeah, thank you so much for the warning. I should probably distance myself from people who will only use me. Thanks a lot, Belle," I told her, giving her a warm smile. Then I grabbed Storm's hand, and we entered the dorm building. My hands were shaking, and I knew Storm could feel it too. He paused his steps, causing me to stop walking as well, but I didn't look back at him since I was walking ahead of him.
"You're shaking so much," he told me. He then grabbed my hand and held it, intertwining our fingers.
"Let's go," he said, leading the way, and I found myself following his footsteps.
"Do you want something to eat?" he asked as we made our way towards the elevator.
"I want homecooked food," I replied, feeling shy as I looked down.
"Not a problem. I'll cook for you at the Council's dorm room," he replied, and I felt his hand lightly pressing against mine.
"Wait, do you even know how to cook?" I looked up at him, and he just smiled at me, pressing his index finger against his lips as if to indicate it was a secret.
"I think you don't even know how to cook a proper meal," I told him with a warm smile.
"That's just the basics," he replied smugly, and I playfully rolled my eyes at him. I didn't know how things had unfolded or how our relationship had taken this turn, but I silently hoped for it to last. This feeling was so new to me, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was a warm and comfortable feeling that I desired.
"We still haven't seen the Gemstone," I told him, bringing up another topic to talk about.
"We will find it, no matter what," he replied with a light smile.
"You know what? You kinda look good when you're smiling like that," I complimented him, and his eyes briefly showed a moment of shock before he turned towards the elevator door. I could see his ears slowly turning red.
"Wait, are you blushing?" I teased him, trying to make him face me, but he nervously created distance between us.
"I'm not!" he defensively denied, still keeping his distance as I approached him, eventually cornering him against the elevator wall.
"You're definitely blushing. Did I make your heart flutter?" I asked, looking at his face, but he couldn't make eye contact and avoided it by looking away.
I laughed heartily at his reaction. "I didn't realize you could make a face like this. It's cute," I commented while still laughing, keeping my gaze fixed on him as I cornered him.
We were frozen in that position when suddenly, the elevator door opened.
"What the?! Were you two up to something dirty in the elevator?" I was shocked to hear that familiar voice and the familiar reaction. When I turned towards the door, I saw the elites standing there, their eyes and mouths wide open.
"No, it wasn't like th—" I wasn't able to finish my sentence.
"Oh, please, continue what you're doing. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience of interrupting," Loremae said as she started dragging the girls back to the dorm.
"Hey, it's a misunderstanding," I tried to explain, but they didn't want to listen and just entered the room, and the elevator door began closing.
I sighed deeply. "They're really hardheaded," I murmured to myself, but it was audible enough for Storm to hear.
"It's good that you have now found a place where you truly belong," he told me. I looked at him, and he was looking at me with a sincere expression. "I'm glad."
"Yeah, I'm also enjoying their company. But sometimes, I feel so scared. I don't want any of them to die in front of me again. Just the thought of it scares the shit out of me," I told him, my eyes welling up with tears and a desperate expression on my face.
"Again, I am deeply sorry for what I did with your friends in Quilak," he said, looking down and unable to face me directly. I was dumbfounded as this was the very first time I heard him ask for forgiveness regarding what happened in the past.
"No need for apologies. I understand now. You guys just didn't have any other choice. You were also only protecting those people you could save from the wrath and destruction of my friends if no one stepped up to stop them from going berserk and out of control," I replied to him. Just then, the elevator opened again, and we were now on the 50th floor where the Seven Council's dorm room was located. He stepped out of the elevator first and then offered his hand to me.
"Then let's do our best to make this world a better place to live," he suggested, and I smiled at his idea. Nodding in agreement, I took his hand with a light heart, hoping for a brighter future ahead of us.