Perspective: Kaiser Everhart
Date: March 15, 2012
Time: 9:28 PM
Location: Asura Academy — Central Campus
3 years at the Asura Academy, and time had done its work.
We were 15 now. Final-year students staring down national evaluations and graduation. The changes had crept in quietly—altered uniform hems, broader shoulders, and the steady, ruthless erosion of childhood.
Elfie grew tall. Her wild pink hair had settled into soft, luminous waves. Her celestial magic, once an erratic spray of sparks and runaway backlashes, refined into an A-rank aura that turned heads every time she crossed the classes.
And with that growth came the distance.
It started 2 months ago. Advanced exams, private tutoring with senior lords, endless tactical drills. Missed dinners stopped being accidents and became the routine. The noisy banter, the stolen pastries, the absurd complaints about cafeteria turnips—all of it thinned out into polite nods in passing corridors and unread messages on my slate.
She hadn't spoken to me in 4 days.
Her text from 6 PM sat on my screen:
`Need tonight to myself. Lots of revision. Please don't come by or bother me.`
I looked down at the cardboard box in my hands. Tied with red baker's twine, cool against my fingers. Inside sat a thick slice of strawberry sponge cake—her favorite, layered with whipped cream and glazed berries from the lower market.
12 silver coins. An absolute financial catastrophe for a boy carrying 7,000 gold in debts, but exam stress always killed her appetite. Past 9 PM, her blood sugar crashed, her focus shattered, and she woke up with migraines.
A slice of cake wouldn't kill anyone.
30 seconds. Drop the box on her entryway table. Walk away. She won't even have to look up from her scrolls.
Room 402.
I raised my hand to knock, but my knuckles hovered 2 inches off the wood.
My senses caught the room before my eyes did.
A 2nd presence.
A heavy, radiant current of solar mana bled through the frame—dense, immaculate, smelling faintly of sun-warmed cedar and noble incense. Beside it, Elfie's celestial aura fluttered. Not panicked. Not defensive. Rapid, flushed, and warm.
The door sat unlatched, resting half an inch out of the strike plate.
My boots made zero sound against the carpet as I stepped closer.
Through the crack, amber lamplight spilled across the floorboards.
My pupils dilated.
Elfie wasn't studying. Her grimoires lay shut on the desk.
She stood pinned against the far wall by the bookcase, her home dress rumpled, her spine pressed flat against the floral paper. Her hands weren't turning pages. Both arms looped tightly around a boy's neck, her fingers digging deep into thick golden hair, dragging him down with breathless, desperate hunger.
Not a stranger. Not some lucky commoner from the lower ranks.
Aurelius Vaelcrest.
Class A prodigy. Heir to House Vaelcrest. Tailored white-and-gold coat, broad shoulders, the kind of immaculate aristocratic profile that made artists look clumsy.
He had both hands braced flat against the wall on either side of her shoulders, caging her in, leaning over her.
He was kissing her.
This was deep, heavy, and practiced. Aurelius leaned his weight forward, pressing her into the plaster, his mouth moving against hers with slow, quiet certainty.
Elfie let out a broken, shuddering whimper into his throat.
She didn't push. She didn't flinch. She arched up onto her toes, pulling him down harder, her fingers knotting into his blond hair.
"...Aurelius..." Her voice came out ragged, flushed "...kiss me harder..."
Aurelius let out a low, quiet chuckle against her lips, shifting 1 hand from the wall to cup the curve of her jaw, tilting her head back to take her deeper.
I stood in the dark hall.
The air in my lungs turned to glass.
My thumb pressed down on the bakery string, denting the cardboard lid with a faint crunch.
Then the tension vanished.
Just an empty, flat freeze.
I see.
I stepped back into the shadows. Reaching out with care, my fingers took the brass knob. Without letting the latch rattle, I pulled the heavy oak door shut until the deadbolt clicked into the frame.
Snap.
Locked from the outside.
You're welcome, Vaelcrest. Courtesy concierge service. Wouldn't want a prefect interrupting Class A's golden romance.
I dropped to 1 knee on the mat.
I placed the strawberry cake squarely in the center of the welcome rug. Pulled the graphite stub from my pocket, flipped the bakery tag, and wrote in clean, even print:
Cake for you, Elfie. Eat it up once you're free.
I stood up, pulled the Dwarvian phone from my pocket, and sent a single line:
`Are you happy? What are you doing right now?`
I waited in the hall. 60 seconds of dead silence.
The slate chimed.
`Yes! Super busy studying right now, Kai. Please don't message or bother me for a little bit, okay?`
Yes.
Question 1 answered 1st.
I tapped the screen.
👍
Phone back in my pocket. Turned around. Walked away.
*
Should I head back to my room next to hers?
If I go into that room, the ceiling will crush me.
Ridiculous. Yeah...
I turned around, bypassed the residential corridors, and took the service stairs up to the roof. Shoved the iron latch open. Stepped out into the wind.
The autumn gale hit me hard—cold, sharp, carrying the scent of mountain rain.
Below, Lucentia spread out like a field of gold embers, spires and carriage streets glowing under the mist. Above, the sky hung vast, black, and completely indifferent, crowded with freezing stars.
I walked to a battered wooden bench by the parapet and sat down, elbows on my knees.
She chose him.
The sentence hit like a lead weight.
Of course she did. Vaelcrest is Class A. High nobility. Celestial mana. His family owns half the banks in the capital. He's tall, graceful, wealthy, and looks like handsome. He doesn't carry 7,000 gold in black-market debt. He doesn't trick adventurers, negotiate with the homless, or scam dock bosses to pay for dinner. He can walk with respect and love.
And what was I?
Maybe delusional. I actually projected 12 years into the future. A house. A marriage contract at 18. I genuinely believed... god, what a clown. An absolute, delusional hopes. Hahaha...
Then the cold hit my stomach. Actually no, I've had worse.
Wait.
Her condition.
I snapped upright on the bench, breath hitching.
The TASS flares. The mana crystallization.
I haven't cured it. The protocol only buys time. Aetherblock-7, Aetherzyme-C, Aetherbind-X. She needs the chelation cycles every 4 weeks. If exam stress spikes her cortisol, the deposits will start shredding organs in 48 hours.
Does Vaelcrest know?
Does he know she needs a hot compress when her temperature drops to 34 degrees? Does he know her veins collapse if you inject Dose 1 cold? Does he know she bites when the pain peaks, and you have to hold her until her heart rate drops under 70?
My fingers clamped onto the wooden slats, splinters digging under my nails.
I have to give him the logs. Tomorrow morning. All 4 notebooks. The ingredient suppliers in Valerion, the dosage ratios, the emergency counter-measures. Vaelcrest has money. His house keeps private alchemists and royal physicians on retainer. He can buy the grade-A reagents I had to steal. He can keep her alive.
I'll hand him the notes. Explain the injections. Make sure he doesn't mess it up.
As long as she doesn't die. That's all that matters.
I stopped.
The wind whipped my coat collar against my neck.
I looked down at my hands.
Thick, calloused skin. White scar lines crossing my knuckles. Palms hardened by years of hauling stone, stirring caustic reagents, and clawing copper coins out of the dirt. Frayed grey cuffs. Bruised wrists from combat practice.
I suppose I've always been a little poor.
No strong name. No title. No magic. No future.
Nothing.
Who was I trying to kid? I'm just an arrogant idiot who thought reading books faster than other gutter rats made me a genius.
She had spent years attached to a broken, paranoid boy who couldn't even sleep properly. Now she had someone who could give her luxury, safety, and a clean name in the daylight.
She was happy.
I am glad she made her choice.
I leaned back against the bench, looking up into the freezing constellations.
A dry, raspy sound rattled in my chest.
"Haha..."
The laugh scraped empty against the wind.
"Haha... I guess I won't be seeing any more stars."
My fists closed tight.
It's fine. I'll watch from a distance. If Vaelcrest ever hurts her, I'll burn his family's estates to ash. But if he's good to her... I'll step out. Clean exit.
And yet, sitting alone in the freezing dark, the floor gave out underneath it.
A single, useless crack.
Why not me?
The stars blurred above me.
Why couldn't it be me?
Why did I have to be the 1 who should always be the... I don't know... who plays the monster so everyone else can think of themselves as heros?Why couldn't I be the 1 she looked at like that?
Come on, Kaiser. Cut the drama. Don't be pathetic. You did the job. She survived. She's happy. That was the deal.
I forced a bitter grin into the dark, trying to joke it away.
Look at the bright side. Massive future ahead of ya. My monthly operating costs just dropped by 100%. No more black-market trades runs in the rain. No more dodging loansharks who think I'm a degenerate gambler. I'm 15 and I can enter full-time retirement.
I'll buy 2 acres of dirt out in the eastern boonies. Become the empire's number #1 farmer. Just me, a rusty hoe, and the soil...
I let out a short, dry chuckle.
"Haha..."
The sound died instantly.
The silence rushed back in, suffocating and cold.
My jaw trembled. A dull, burning ache pressed behind my eyes.
Maybe...
Maybe I just wanted to be happy too.
Was that really too much to ask?
I stared up at the sky for 1 last heartbeat.
Then I dragged my right arm over my face, blocking out the light of the stars. I curled onto my side on the hard wooden slats, pulling my knees up against the biting wind, shivering in the dark.
That's life.
I shut my eyes, and tried to sleep.
*
Date: March 15, 2012
Time: 10:45 AM
Location: Asura Academy — Girls' Dormitory, Elfie's Room
The cold wind and the distant stars slowly melted away.
I dripped awake.
Soft cotton sheets. The faint scent of dried lavender and clean linen. Morning sunlight spilled through the pale curtains, painting warm amber stripes across the wooden floorboards.
My eyes cracked open.
Elfie was lying on her side right in front of me, facing my chest, breathing in deep, steady rhythms. Both of her small, warm hands were clamped tight over mine, pinning my right palm flat against her chest, right over the steady, quiet beat of her heart.
A dream.
The suffocating roof, the strawberry cake, the golden hair in the doorway—none of it was real.
A quiet breath escaped my nose. A faint, dry chuckle rattled in my throat, but I caught it behind my teeth, keeping it down so I didn't disturb her rest.
I twitched my right fingers slightly, testing her grip.
Elfie instantly scrunched her nose. Her face burrowed deeper into the crook of my collarbone, her tangled pink hair tickling my chin as she let out a sleepy, possessive mumble.
"...Kai..."
I brought my free left hand up and slowly rubbed the crown of her head, smoothing down the messy strands. The small knot between her eyebrows eased. A soft, contented smile curved her lips, her body relaxing into the mattress.
I began easing my right hand out from under hers, millimeter by millimeter.
It was almost 11 AM. Last night's dual-dose treatment had burned through her energy; when she woke up, her blood sugar would be depleted and she would be starving. My responsibility was clear: get food in her tummy before the morning nausea set in.
As my palm slipped free, her fingers closed on empty air.
Elfie flinched in her sleep. Her forehead puckered, her lower lip trembling as if she were on the verge of tears, shivering as the cold morning air hit her chest. She curled into a tighter, smaller ball beneath the quilt, tucking her chin into her knees.
I'll be back in 15 minutes, Okay princess? I noted, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
I slipped off the mattress without making the timber frame creak. I turned the brass latch of the connecting door to my adjoining dorm, stepped through, and clicked it shut, locking her side from the outside so no morning hallway noise could disturb her.
In my room, I kept the routine simple. Brushed my teeth. Splashed freezing water on my face.
Knocked out 200 pushups, 500 sit-ups, and 5 minutes of core stretches. (Just kidding, I'm not a health nut like that).
Just did the regulars and drank mochi! (Black gum & Hot water AHAHHA)
Dressed in clean trousers and a plain grey tunic, I walked over to the corner where Rocky usually bush camped.
Empty.
Right. The bird had defected to Elfie's room last night during her treatment.
I unlocked the connecting door and stepped back into her room. Elfie hadn't moved an inch, still curled into a tight pink shrimp under the blankets.
Rocky was perched proudly atop her wicker laundry hamper, feathers puffed up against the morning chill.
I walked over and crouched down at eye level.
"Yo, Rocky. Do you have eggs?"
Rocky blinked his bead-like yellow eyes, tilting his head with profound, aristocratic arrogance.
"Pak. Pak. Pak."
I nodded slowly, maintaining a deadpan gaze, as if we were professional comedians. I didn't understand a single "PAK".
Rocky tilted his head to the left. I tilted my head to the left.
Rocky hopped aside with a sharp flutter of his wings, revealing 2 perfect, warm brown eggs nestled neatly in a folded wool scarf.
My eyes widened in genuine respect.
"Yo man, 2 eggs. Let's go. I knew you were the chosen 1."
I reached out to scoop them up.
Rocky instantly snapped his beak downward, lunging straight for my knuckles.
My right hand flashed forward on reflex, catching the bird gently by the neck before the beak connected. We locked eyes in a dead silence.
"Tomorrow, 3 eggs."
Rocky's throat bobbed. "...Pak!!!!" 🐔💢
I released him, scooped up the 2 eggs, and walked into her small kitchenette, a faint smirk tugging at my mouth.
I lit the iron stove with a flick of a match, setting a heavy skillet over the flame.
Golden Brioche Egg-Drop Toast. It was the fastest way to get dense calories into her. I sliced 2 thick slabs of sweet bakery brioche, dropping them onto the hot cast iron with a generous pat of butter until the crust turned rich, fragrant, and golden brown. In a ceramic bowl, I cracked Rocky's 2 eggs, whisking the deep orange yolks with a splash of milk and a pinch of salt until velvety, then poured them into a sizzling pan of melted butter, folding them with a wooden spatula into soft, creamy curds.
The aroma of toasted butter and warm eggs filled the small kitchen.
And as the butter hissed in the pan, the silence crept back in.
The dream returned, settling over my chest like a cold, wet cloth.
It was just a dream.
I told myself that. But the sting hadn't completely washed out.
In that nightmare, she had looked at someone else the way she used to look at me. I had been relegated to 2nd place. An old friend from an orphanage, easily replaced once a real prince walked into the room.
And if she is happier with someone else... that should be enough.
A dry, bitter chuckle rattled in my chest as I stirred the eggs.
I wasn't rich. I wasn't strong. I had no noble lineage, no dazzling celestial magic, and no title. All I had were scarred knuckles, 7,000 gold in debts, and a habit of being an oversmart.*
Aurelius Vaelcrest had everything I lacked. Light. Wealth. Elegance. Respect.
I'm just a broke loser who is lucky.
Once she grew up, once she saw the rest of the world, why would she stay tethered to an ugly shadow?
I forced a faint, mocking smile into the skillet, watching the eggs set.
I am truly nothing special.
"KAI!"
A piercing, shattered scream ripped through the bedroom.
The wooden spatula slipped from my fingers, clattering against the stovetop.
I whipped around.
Elfie was standing upright on the mattress. Her pink hair was an explosive mess, her face blotchy and crimson, tears pouring down her cheeks in heavy, uncontrollable rivers. Her chest was heaving so violently her thin nightgown shook.
Before I could take half a step, she grabbed the heavy feather pillow off the bed and hurled it across the room with all the strength in her small arms.
"W-WHY—WHY D-DID YOU—YOU DO THAT TO ME?!" she shrieked, her voice cracking in half, raw with agonizing betrayal.
The pillow bounced off my chest. I caught it in 1 hand, my mind instantly scanning for injury.
"Elfie—"
She scrambled off the bed, her bare feet smacking the floorboards, grabbing whatever she could reach off her bedside table—a rolled parchment, a hairbrush, a wool slipper—and hurling them at me in a hysterical fury.
"I h-hate you! I hate you—I hate you so much!" she wailed, sobbing so hard she choked on her own breath, tears flying. "H-How could you... h-how could you do that to me?! You broke—you b-broke my trust! You broke my heart, Kai!"
"Elfie, stop, what hurts—"
I closed the distance in 2 strides, dropping the pillow to catch her.
She slammed straight into my chest, her fists hammering into my shoulders and ribs. They were light, trembling blows, devoid of mana, but packed with pure, devastated agony.
"Y-You betrayed me!" she screamed into my collar, her face contorting as fresh tears soaked straight through my linen shirt. "W-Why her?! How could you—how could you leave me for her?! H-How could you just... just walk away from m-me?!"
Her voice splintered into jagged, breathless sobs. The fury crumbled, leaving behind a terrifying, naked grief that made my throat lock up.
"I-I loved you today..." she stammered, her voice trembling so violently her teeth clicked together, clutching the cloth of my chest with white knuckles. "A-And I—I was g-gonna love you even more tomorrow! I always think... I always think y-you like me when you look at me... but you don't! You d-don't! You don't!"
"Elfie, listen—"
"I love—I love everything about you!" she cried, her forehead pressing hard against my sternum as she shook uncontrollably, hiccuping against my ribs.
"I love your stupid smile! Your voice... your d-dumb jokes... your hair... everything! All I wanted... all I ever wanted was someone to c-cuddle with at night so I could fall asleep... someone to hug... someone to b-be there for me... someone to trust! And you—you looked at her! You l-left me!"
Her knees gave out completely.
If I hadn't caught her under the arms, she would have collapsed onto the floorboards. I pulled her up, wrapping both arms securely around her back, pulling her shivering body flush against mine.
"P-Please don't leave me!" she wept, burying her face into my neck, her tears burning hot against my collarbone. "Don't leave me, Kai! I-I can be better... I won't complain about anything—I won't! I won't steal your time... I'll practice my magic... I'll b-be a good girl! Just... why her?! W-Why would you do that to me?!"
I sank onto the edge of the mattress, pulling her onto my lap, holding her with both arms as she cried like a child whose entire world had just been torn to pieces.
Wait.
The words clicked together in my head.
She had the nightmare.
In my sleep, she had chosen someone else and walked away.
In her sleep... I had chosen someone else and left her behind.
A soul-resonance bleed? A psychological mirror triggered by last night's intensive treatment? Or just the cruel, identical fear of 2 orphans terrified of being abandoned?
I rested my chin against the top of her head, smoothing down her tangled pink hair.
"Elfie," I said, keeping my voice low, steady, and grounding. "Look at me. I'm right here. I didn't leave."
Elfie sniffled violently, pulling her face back 2 inches. Her blue eyes were swollen and bloodshot, her lower lip quivering with murderous indignation.
"Y-You cheated on me!" she shouted, a broken hiccup cutting through her throat as she pointed an accusatory finger right between my eyes.
"You were k-kissing her!"
I blinked, keeping my tone gentle. "Elfie, what are you talking about? I wasn't kissing anyone. I was literally by the stove making breakfast."
"You d-did it in my dream!"
"In your dream," I said softly. "Elfie, that was a nightmare. It wasn't real."
"It's the same thing!" she argued furiously, stomping her bare heel against my thigh, sniffling through her teeth. "HE—HE HAD YOUR FACE!"
"Elfie, dream-me isn't me. I don't control what happens in your sleep."
"He had your d-dumb blue eyes!" she ranted, her voice stumbling and hiccuping over every word. "He had your stupid coat! You were h-holding her hands! You were kissing her right in front of the dining hall! You t-told me you didn't need me anymore! You p-promised I was always gonna be your priority! You promised we'd be together forever!"
She drew in a sharp, ragged breath, fresh tears spilling over her lashes, her voice dropping into a small, crushed whisper:
"And then... and then you just walked off with some girl who had pretty normal hair and didn't have weird hair like me..."
The words landed like lead.
My chest tightened.
That was it.
It wasn't about another girl. It was the disease. The fear that her broken body, the seizures, the bitter potions, and the endless medical debt made her a liability I would eventually discard for someone normal.
I know what I have to do.
I leaned down and pressed my lips firmly against hers.
Elfie froze.
The frantic rant died in her throat. Her tear-stained eyelashes fluttered wide, her breath catching as the warmth of the kiss settled over her lips—steady, real, and absolute.
I held it for 3 long seconds, then pulled back just enough to look into her stunned, watery eyes.
I kept my hand on the back of her neck, gently rubbing her skin with my thumb.
"I'm not leaving you," I said quietly. "Not for another girl. Not for an imperial princess. Not for anyone. You are my priority, Elfie. You've always been my priority."
Elfie's face turned bright, radiant crimson.
She let out a tiny, wet hiccup, her hands curling into the front of my shirt again.
"Promise?" she whispered, her voice tiny and vulnerable. "Promise you won't leave me? Ever, ever, ever?"
I pulled 1 leg up onto the bed, shifting her weight so she was nestled securely across my lap, her arms wrapped around my neck.
"I promise."
She buried her face into my chest again, letting out a long, shuddering sigh of relief, soaking in my heartbeat.
I sat there in the morning light, holding her.
And as my mind began to process the ridiculous symmetry of our morning, a strange, quiet curiosity surfaced.
In my dream, I had to accept it. I had to swallow the pain, step aside, and convince myself to move on so she could have a bright future.
Did Elfie do the same? Did she stand there in her dream, heartbroken, trying to figure out how to live without me?
I looked down at her messy pink hair.
"Elfie."
She sniffled against my collar. "What?"
"In your dream... after I walked away with that girl... what happened?"
Elfie went quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
Her fingers stopped fidgeting with my shirt buttons. Her breathing went completely still.
"Elfie."
"...What?"
"What happened to the girl? Did you have to tell yourself to move on?"
A long, heavy pause stretched across the room.
Elfie slowly lifted her head from my chest. The watery, fragile vulnerability in her blue eyes had completely vanished, replaced by an icy, flat, unblinking glare that radiated absolute menace.
"I killed her."
I stared at her.
"...You did what?"
"I killed her," Elfie said, her tone as casual as someone describing the weather. "She kept touching you. So I called down tiny celestial slices, blew her into tiny burning ashes, grabbed your wrist, and dragged you away."
I held her gaze for a few seconds.
"Elfie... in your dream, I was the 1 who chose her. I cheated on you voluntarily."
Elfie didn't even blink.
"She was still involved," she said with ruthless, terrifying conviction. "And once I got rid of her, you had no 1 else to go to except me. That's all that matters."
I sat in silence.
Terrifying conclusion, I noted. Definitely remind me never to introduce her to any girls.
A faint chuckle slipped past my lips. I leaned in and pressed a firm, lingering kiss to her forehead.
Definitely the lingering neurological effects of yesterday's dosage. Definitely.
Elfie stayed on my lap for another minute, letting the warmth settle into her bones. Then, her eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait!"
She scrambled off my lap, her bare feet padding quickly across the floorboards to her wooden wardrobe. She pulled open the small top drawer, reached under a pile of folded ribbons, and pulled out a small black velvet box.
She snapped it open.
The silver band of the 2-Hearts Soul Ring gleamed softly in the morning light.
Without hesitation, Elfie picked up the ring, slid it onto the 4th (ring) finger of her left hand, and pushed it down firmly until it rested snug against her knuckle.
She turned around, holding her hand out toward me, her chin raised with stubborn pride.
"Look."
I looked at the silver band. "You're wearing it."
"I'm never taking it off," she declared, her eyes bright and fierce. "Ever."
"What if your hand swells during combat training?"
"Then I'll cut off my finger and keep it in my pocket with the ring on it."
"Please don't mutilate yourself for just the ring."
"I'm serious!" she huffed, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at me. "You'll have to steal my whole hand if you want this ring back, Kai."
I looked down at the faint, purple bite marks she had left across my right knuckles while sleeping last night.
"Apparently," I muttered dryly, "hands are already seen worse."
Elfie tilted her head, blinking in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing, princess," I said, standing up and nodding toward the stove. "Go wash your face. The eggs are getting cold."
Elfie's mood flipped like a switch, all the lingering storm clouds vanishing behind an explosion of pure, bubbly sunshine.
She bounded over in 2 quick steps, throwing both of her arms around my left elbow, hugging my arm tightly against her chest as she looked up with wide, sparkling pink eyes. ✨🥺
"Kai... today we go out together, right? Just the 2 of us?"
I looked down at her radiant, expectant face. A genuine, quiet smile touched the corners of my mouth.
I raised my right hand and gave the top of her head a gentle, affectionate pat.
"Yes, princess. Just you and me."
"YIPPEE!"
Elfie practically bounced on the tips of her toes, squeezing my arm so hard my bicep complained, her cheek resting affectionately against my shoulder.
"Don't ever leave me, okay?" she whispered softly, her grip tightening by another fraction. "Never ever."
I nodded, letting my hand rest warmly against her hair.
"I won't."
I gave her another slow head pat.
Honestly...
Looking down at her smiling face, a quiet, amused thought crossed my mind.
Overestimating the universe and doubting her was kind of stupid.
I had spent years building complicated behavioral models, worrying she would outgrow me, worrying she would find someone better, richer, and more normal to take my place. And yet here she was—ready to drop a celestial star and incinerate hypothetical rivals in her sleep just so I had nobody else to turn to.
Her dream has a much higher chance of coming true than mine.
The sheer absurdity of it made a quiet chuckle slip through my chest. It was terrifying, unhinged, and completely ridiculous.
And yet, somehow, it felt like the safest thing in the world.
My hand paused atop her hair for half a heartbeat.
Elfie instantly noticed. She puffed her cheeks out, playfully nudging her head against my palm with a bubbly giggle.
"Hey! Keep patting! Pat my head more!"
I let out a soft laugh, giving her head another gentle pat, smoothing down the messy pink locks as she clung to my arm with stubborn, laughing warmth.
"Alright, alright," I smiled. "Go eat, princess."
*
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Central District, Oakhaven — Outside the Asura Academy Gates
By 12:15 PM, breakfast was cleared, dishes were stacked, and we were finally stepping through the grand iron gates of the academy into the bustling afternoon sunlight.
Elfie had taken 40 minutes to get ready, and the result was nothing short of devastating.
She had chosen 1 of her absolute favorite baby doll dresses—soft pastel pink with delicate white lace lining the square neckline, puffed ruffled sleeves, and a silk ribbon tied neatly behind her waist. A matching pink ribbon held her soft waves in place, framing her wide, sparkling blue eyes.
She looked breathtakingly pretty. The kind of pretty that made passing Class B students stumble on the cobblestones.
I, on the other hand, was wearing my standard grey tunic, dark trousers, and worn leather boots. Practical. Plain. Completely invisible.
Elfie didn't care. The moment my boots touched the pavement, she linked her left arm through mine, her small, warm fingers sliding between mine until our hands were completely interlocked.
Her thumb brushed against the silver band of the 2-Hearts Soul Ring resting on her 4th finger. She didn't let go. Not for 1 heartbeat.
Even with breakfast in her stomach, the morning's emotional storm had left her with faint, sleepy shadows beneath her eyes. She leaned her weight against my shoulder, yawning softly like a drowsy kitten.
"Kai... I'm still a little awakey-wakey..." she mumbled, blinking against the noon sun. 🥱🌸
"Hmm? Cafe?"
She beamed, nodding eagerly. "Yayyy!" ✨
We stopped at a quaint, brick-walled cafe tucked under a canopy of ivy.
I stepped up to the counter and glanced at the brass chalkboard menu. My eyes tracked down the pricing list.
Specialty Roasted Bean Drip: 4 silver.
Honey-Glazed Almond Croissant: 6 silver.
Nah man. Completely out of my budget. I'm practically will be selling myself if I were to buy anything.
Elfie tugged on my sleeve, pointing at the chalkboard with wide, hopeful eyes. "Can I get a warm sweet vanilla coffee, Kai? Please?" ☕🥺
"Of course, princess."
I handed the barista 4 silver coins.
"1 sweet vanilla coffee," I told the man, "and 1 tap water."
2 minutes later, we were sitting at an outdoor iron table. Elfie wrapped both hands around her steaming ceramic mug, taking a slow, blissful sip, letting out a happy hum against the rim. I sat across from her, holding my glass of room-temperature tap water, swirling it with the quiet dignity of a nobleman sampling a rare vintage.
Free water was truly the peak of my life. 💧
After finishing her drink, we strolled into the central municipal park.
The willow trees swayed over a wide, sunlit duck pond. Families and children were scattered along the grassy banks, tossing breadcrumbs into the rippling green water.
Elfie's eyes instantly lit up like twin stars.
"Ducks!" she gasped, squeezing my hand and pulling me toward the water's edge. "Kai, look! Duckies! Can we feed them?! Please, please, please?!" 🦆✨
"Hold on."
I walked over to a vendor cart by the bridge and bought a loaf of crusty day-old rye bread for 2 copper.
Elfie took half the loaf, tearing off delicate little crumbs, tossing them into the water with delighted squeals as a dozen mallards paddled furiously toward her boots.
Meanwhile, because my last meal had been a single egg yolk and a glass of water, I stood 3 paces behind her, casually tearing off massive fistfuls of crust and eating the other half of the loaf myself.
The ducks noticed. 🤞🦆
Animals possessed an acute, mercenary sense for resource distribution. Within 30 seconds, 6 oversized, aggressive geese turned their backs on Elfie's tiny crumbs, locked their beady eyes on the half-eaten loaf in my right hand, and charged up the muddy bank with furious, honking waddles.
"Hiss! Honk!"
I backed away with crisp, tactical footwork, dodging snapping beaks with minimal, deadpan sidesteps while clutching the bread against my chest.
"Shoo," I muttered. "This is private lunch. Go eat grass."
The geese honked louder, flanking my retreat.
Elfie turned around, saw the empire's most calculating tactical mind getting actively pursued across the lawn by 6 angry birds, and collapsed onto the grass, clutching her stomach and giggling so hard she could barely breathe.
"K-Kai!" she laughed, tears of pure joy spilling down her cheeks. "Share with them! Don't fight the ducks!" 🤣🦆
"FINE! EAT EM UP BIRDS!" I yelled, tossing the remaining crust into the pond and watching the birds scramble back into the water.
By 2 PM, the afternoon sun had climbed high, warming the stone avenues until the air felt thick and lazy.
Elfie fanned her flushed cheeks with both hands, looking around the crowded market square until her gaze locked onto a striped awning.
"Ice cream!" she bounced, tugging my wrist. "Kai, it's so warm out! Look at the big cones! Can I have ice cream?!" 🍦😋
"Sure."
I led her to the cart. I pointed to the premier luxury option on the glass display—a crisp waffle cone loaded with 3 scoops of triple-berry sweet cream, dusted with crushed sugar crystals and fresh strawberries. 8 silver.
While the vendor scooped the berries, I leaned over the wooden counter, lowered my voice, and whispered with total seriousness:
"Man... do you have 0.01 copper ice cream?"
The vendor froze, his scoop hovering over the bucket. He looked at my deadpan face, then looked at my clothes, his brow furrowing in utter disbelief.
"Kid," the man said, "do you want ice cream for free, or are you begging?"
"Nah man, it's okay," I replied smoothly. "Just testing market poverty."
I paid the 8 silver and handed the towering pink cone to Elfie.
She took a massive, joyful lick, humming in absolute heaven. Then she paused, looking at my empty hands, her brow furrowing with genuine concern.
"What about you, Kai? Where's your ice cream?"
I stared into the middle distance, my face completely blank.
"I'm not feeling that way."
"Li-ar," she giggled, holding the cone straight toward my mouth. "Here! Take a bite! It's super sweet!"
I took a small bite of the cold berry cream. It was sweet, rich, and dangerously expensive.
"Yummy," I noted.
Elfie beamed, happily devouring the rest as we walked.
By 2:30 PM, the walking and the sugar had burned through her reserves, and her stomach let out an audible, rumbling growl that turned her face bright pink. 🌸🙈
We ducked into a warm, bustling family tavern near the merchant plaza.
We took a small wooden booth near the window. Elfie opened the leather-bound menu, her pink eyes darting hungrily across the meat platters, stews, and roasted breads. Then she hesitated, peeking up at me over the top of the menu, biting her lower lip with cute, guilty hesitation.
"Kai..." she whispered shyly, tapping her index fingers together. "Is it okay if I order a lot of things? I'm... really, really hungry..." 🥺👉👈
"Order whatever you want, princess."
Elfie's eyes sparkled. Within 2 minutes, she had ordered a bowl of creamy garlic potato soup, 4 skewers of honey-roasted pork, a plate of buttered egg noodles, and a dish of sweet fruit dumplings.
I looked at the server. "A small garden salad for me. Extra Tap Water."
When the food arrived, Elfie attacked the table like a starving squirrel.
She shoved a spoonful of hot potato soup into her mouth, followed immediately by half a pork skewer, her cheeks puffing out until she looked entirely spherical.
"Mmh! This is so—cough!COUGH!"
She choked.
Her eyes widened in panic, her small hands grabbing at her throat as the hot soup went down the wrong pipe.
I didn't hesitate. I slid out of my seat, moved to her side of the booth, and placed 1 firm, steady hand on the center of her back, delivering rhythmic, upward pats between her shoulder blades. With my other hand, I gently massaged the base of her skull, helping her throat muscles relax.
"Breathe out," I commanded softly. "Don't swallow yet. Cough it clear."
She coughed 3 times, sputtering, before drawing in a sharp, gasping breath.
I picked up her glass of cold water, brought the rim directly to her lips, and tipped it slowly. "Small sips. Just wet your throat."
She drank obediently, her small hands clutching my wrist for balance. Once her breathing steadied, I took a clean linen napkin from the holder and gently dabbed the speck of potato soup and pork glaze from the corner of her lips.
"You chew before you swallow," I softly scolded. "That's how eating works."
Elfie sniffled, nodding sheepishly, her face bright red. "Thank you, Kai..." 🥺
At the counter 10 paces away, 2 young tavern waitresses were leaning over the beer taps, their hands clasped over their aprons, squealing in hushed, collective adoration.
"Look at him taking care of her..." 1 whispered. "He's so gentle with his little girlfriend! Gods, that's the sweetest thing I've ever seen!"
Elfie had sharp celestial hearing. She caught every word.
Her entire face erupted into crimson fire, and she immediately buried her nose straight into my tunic sleeve, refusing to look at the room.
Uhh what happened?
I sat back down, calmly eating my salad while she happily cleared the rest of the table.
I picked up my glass of tap water. Ah yes, free water. Truly the peak of my life.
After lunch, we wandered into the outdoor gaming plaza near the east canal.
Elfie stopped in front of a wide wooden table surrounded by a cheering crowd of older students.
"Kai, look!" she gasped, pointing at the colorful board laid out across the velvet cloth. "A board game! Can we play?! Please?!" 🎲✨
I narrowed my eyes, zooming in on the board.
Snakes & Ladders.
A betting variant. 2 smug men were running the table, taking 5 silver buy-ins from gullible freshmen. The mechanics were pure probability and dice-reading.
My internal scammer flared to life.
Time to earn the budget.
"Come on," I said, pulling her toward the bench.
I bought 2 seats for 1 silver.
The 2 men smirked, sizing up a 12-year-old kid in a plain grey tunic and his cute girlfriend. "Friendly wager, kid? Winner takes the pot?"
"Sure," I said, tossing all 4 silver remaining in my pocket onto the felt.
13 turns later, the game was over.
I had tracked the weight distribution of their carved bone dice, called every roll, angled every bounce, climbed 3 consecutive ladders, and dodged every single painted SNAKE on the board with cheating.
I swept my pawn straight into the winner's square.
The 2 guys jumped to their feet, their chairs scraping the stone flags.
"Cheating!" the taller 1 roared, slamming his fist on the wood. "That's completely impossible! Not a single snake bit you! You rolled past 4 traps in a row!"
I looked up at him, maintaining an expression of absolute, tranquil innocence.
"Snakes are my best friends," I stated without blinking. "I was raised by anacondas in the southern jungles when I was little. We have an understanding." 🐍🐣
The 2 guys froze, their jaws dropping in utter bewilderment.
"WHAT?!"
Before their minds realize I was cheating, I scooped 20 silver coins off the felt into my pouch, grabbed Elfie's hand, and vanished into the crowd.
By 5:45 PM, the sky was beginning to bruise into rich shades of lavender and fiery gold.
We reached the high coastal promenade overlooking the western sea. A cool ocean breeze swept off the water, rustling Elfie's pink dress as the waves crashed against the sea-wall below.
A beverage cart sat near the stone overlook.
"Smoothie!" Elfie chirped, bouncing on her heels. "Mango strawberry smoothie!" 🍓🥭
I bought her the fruit smoothie, and ordered myself a cup of roasted milk tea loaded with chewy black tapioca pearls.
We leaned against the carved stone balustrade, watching the sun dip into the horizon, setting the entire ocean ablaze in molten gold.
Elfie rested her chin on her arms, listening to the rhythmic roar of the tide, her voice turning soft and dreamy.
"Kai... I wish there was music. It would make the sunset so pretty..." 🌅🎵
Where am I supposed to get music now? I thought dryly. I can't make a Dwarvian radio from thin air.
I scanned the terrace. 50 paces down the promenade, beneath an arbor of blooming wisteria vines, an acoustic quartet of street musicians was tuning their violins and woodwinds.
I took her hand. "Come here."
I led her to a curved stone bench right beside the arbor. A heartbeat later, the musicians raised their bows, and a slow, gentle waltz drifted across the terrace, blending with the sound of the evening waves.
Elfie let out a contented sigh. She leaned her head softly against my shoulder, sipping her smoothie, her small hand warm and secure inside mine as the music carried us into the twilight.
By 7:30 PM, the sunset had faded into deep indigo, and the festival grounds along the bay came roaring to life.
Lanterns. Thousands of glowing crystal lanterns strung between towering wooden poles, bathing the entire district in brilliant amber and violet light. The smell of roasted nuts, spun sugar, and spiced cider hung heavy in the cool night air. The distant rumble of steam engines and carnival music echoed across the bay.
Elfie's mouth fell open in breathless wonder.
"The fair..." she whispered, her eyes reflecting the dazzling lights. "Kai, look at it!" 🎡✨
She spotted a wooden stall swarming with children.
"Cotton candy!" she gasped, pointing at the massive spun clouds on wooden sticks. "Giant pink cotton candy! Kai, please!" 🍬
"Of course, princess."
I pulled out my coin pouch, looking at the dwindling silver.
Man, I am becoming poorer than beggars. Soon the beggars on the bridge are going to start handing me spare change out of pity. Street orphans are going to adopt me. I'll have to conserve electricity for brighter ideas, I'm that broke.
I'm going to have to go scam the dockside dice rings tomorrow just to pay for next week's salt.
Out loud, I handed the vendor 2 silver without hesitation.
I took the giant, fluffy pink cloud and handed it to her.
I looked at the massive ball of pink sugar. Then I looked at Elfie's fluffy pink hair and her pink baby doll dress.
A soft, genuine chuckle slipped past my lips.
"You look like cotton candy."
Elfie froze. Her cheeks puffed out into an indignant pout, stomping her little shoe against the cobblestones.
"I don't!" she huffed, glaring up at me with adorable fury. "I don't, I don't, I don't!" 😤
"You really do look like cotton candy," I insisted, deadpan. "Identical shade. Same cuteness."
"Hmph!"
She took a massive bite out of the sugar cloud, chewing with furious satisfaction. A heartbeat later, her eyes melted into pure bliss.
"Mmm... so yummy!" 😋
She wiped a speck of sugar from her nose, looking past the crowded food stalls toward the center of the festival grounds.
Towering over the entire bay was a colossal, iron-framed Ferris wheel. It rotated slowly against the night sky, strung with hundreds of pulsing blue and gold mana lanterns, lifting open wooden passenger gondolas high above the glittering capital.
Elfie's breath hitched in her throat.
"Can we take rides?!" she squealed, grabbing my forearm with both hands, her eyes practically shining with stars. "Kai, look! The Ferris wheel! I want to ride the Ferris wheel with you!" 🎡💖
She didn't wait for an answer. She interlocked her fingers firmly into mine, pulling me through the laughing crowd with bouncy, bubbly laughter, practically chanting with every step:
"Fair, fair, Ferris wheel! Ferris wheel, just me and you!"
I smiled, letting her drag me along the stone lane. "Yes, yes. We're going, princess."
Seeing her radiant, laughing face beneath the lanterns, the last lingering shadows of the morning's nightmare washed away.
Everything was fine. She was here. She was safe.
And then—
My peripheral vision caught a shift in the crowd.
20 paces ahead, standing motionless beside the heavy iron support struts of the Ferris wheel machinery:
A figure in a dark, hooded traveler's cloak.
The person wasn't looking at the ride. They weren't looking at the festival.
They were staring directly at me and Elfie.
The instant my cold blue eyes locked onto the shadow beneath the hood, the figure turned on their heel and vanished into the surging crowd.
My pulse flattened into ice.
I strained my auditory focus—tracking footstep cadence, weight distribution, boot friction—but the deafening roar of the brass bands and laughing civilians swallowed the signal completely.
I stopped walking.
Elfie felt the sudden resistance on her hand. She paused 2 steps ahead, turning back to look at me, blinking in confusion.
"Kai? What's wrong?"
I didn't answer.
My left arm moved on pure combat reflex, wrapping firmly around her waist and pulling her back against my right shoulder, using my own body to shield her blind spots from the surrounding crowd.
A suffocating, creeping chill crawled up the back of my neck.
This area isn't safe.
Something is fundamentally wrong with this fair.
My analytical mind spun out observations with ruthless speed:
1. The crowd density was artificially excessive. There were at least 1,500 civilians packed into a seaside plaza designed for 500.
2. Today was March 15. The official Grand Kingdom Festival wasn't scheduled to open for another 2 to 3 days. This was merely an unsanctioned, early-bird carnival, yet hundreds of high-ranking noble heirs and academy students had been drawn here like moths to a flame.
3. A prime slaughter corridor. An attack here wouldn't just claim civilian lives; it would wipe out the next generation of noble houses, humiliate the Royal Knights, and paralyze the capital right before the national evaluations.
Someone is orchestrating an attack. But who?
Just then, the dense crowd parted by 2 paces.
Walking past us along the stone lane was a woman.
She was tall—several inches taller than me. She wore an exquisite, backless black cocktail dress that hugged her slender frame with lethal elegance, her porcelain skin exposed to the night air. Long, cascading waves of spun-gold blonde hair brushed her bare shoulders.
Her profile turned slightly as she walked past.
Deep, mesmerizing sapphire-blue eyes flickered toward me—ancient, bottomless, and completely detached from the mortal world.
And as her dress brushed past my sleeve, an immense, suffocating tidal wave of mana crashed over my senses. It wasn't celestial. It wasn't solar. It was something vast, ancient, and terrifyingly cold—a pressure so dense it felt like the ocean itself was pressing against my skull.
My breath locked in my throat.
I whipped my head around to track her, but within 2 strides, the blonde woman in the black dress had dissolved seamlessly into the sea of laughing people, leaving zero magical trace behind.
And in that exact fraction of a heartbeat—
Every alarm in my nervous system shrieked.
A high-pitched, tearing whistle ripped through the upper atmosphere.
My eyes snapped straight up toward the pitch-black sky above the glowing Ferris wheel.
High above the clouds, a streak of blinding, catastrophic violet fire was screaming downward like a falling meteor, aimed dead-center at the heart of the fair.
An explosive. They want to wipe the entire fair out in 1 strike.
I have to do something now...