Chapter 54
Flaw—fluw!
'She was worried I would be influenced by Aldraya.
A mindset too straight, so pure, saturated with faith and rules—all of which, to Erietta, was poison.
Because she lived off small lies she justified to survive.
I understood her past, including the reasons behind the cheating she committed during the Star Academy exam.
It was never about ambition, but a form of desperation under family pressure that left her no other choice.
And perhaps, that moment sparked her hatred toward someone like Aldraya—a person with the privilege to always choose honesty.'
Fiiiia—fiuuu!
'So when she saw me approaching Aldraya, what she saw wasn't me possibly changing, but herself being reminded of her past sins.
Erietta feared the mirror that would reveal who she truly was—and unfortunately, this time, that mirror was in my eyes.'
Theo remained standing, his body slightly leaning forward, staring into emptiness as if weighing something invisible to others.
He realized that Erietta's concern wasn't merely because he was a teacher who suddenly appeared in her life, but because there were many hidden layers behind the girl's calm gaze.
There was a subtle fear, an anxiety that Theo's thoughts could be influenced by Aldraya's worldview—a worldview always entwined with faith, piety, and rigid moral order.
All of this could reopen old wounds, recalling Erietta's past when she was forced to take deceitful paths to face the Star Academy entrance test, struggling so her family would not continue to block her life's path.
Theo felt the weight of that responsibility in his chest.
Not merely as a teacher, but as someone whose life now stood at the crossroads between reality and the world of Flo Viva Mythology.
He knew that every movement, every decision he made could create a resonance far greater than what could be seen.
In his silence, he weighed five steps ahead, trying to map possibilities to maintain balance between himself, Erietta, and the scenario that threatened to consume them all.
These thoughts were not just strategies but protection for a girl who had walked a difficult path before the world even acknowledged her existence.
'Too still, until I almost believed time around her had stopped.
No movement, no rise and fall of breath, even the light in her eyes dimmed.
I could wait, trying to end this conversation with softer words.
But my instincts knew that every second wasted meant losing the chance to read a scenario that could shift at any moment.
Ilux and Aldraya… soon they would depart.'
"I'm leaving now."
Erietta Bathee remained frozen, her body motionless like a statue carved from morning shadows, every breath seemingly absorbed by the surrounding silence.
Her eyes stared blankly, yet Theo could sense the intensity of judgment contained there, sharp and uncompromising.
Time felt fleeting, the seconds stretching before them like fine sand falling too fast.
This awareness pressed on Theo, that in just a few minutes Ilux and Aldraya would begin their first date from the ten planned points, and here lay the boundary between opportunity and loss revealed plainly.
With a held breath, Theo lowered his head for a moment, as if borrowing the remaining time to steady his steps, calm his heartbeat, and ensure every next movement was precise.
Then his body exploded into full propulsion, his feet striking the ground with maximum force, sprinting away from where Erietta stood.
In the girl's eyes, Theo vanished instantly, as if consumed by space and time, leaving only a faint shadow and the breeze brushing through Erietta's hair.
At diminishing distance, Theo felt adrenaline surge, his body adjusting speed with instinct, every step the result of a honed calculation, balancing avoidance of Erietta's gaze while maintaining control over the scenario he had mapped in his mind.
Even while running without looking back, every move was strategy.
Being out of sight was a small victory in an unseen battlefield full of consequences.
In an instant, he disappeared from Erietta's sight, leaving the yard silent once more, only the sound of wind and morning dew witnessing his departure.
"Theo Viktor, the teacher, was a man who never asked me to believe.
Yet somehow, his presence made me want to prove something.
I wanted to perfect every responsibility, correct every mistake I had ever left behind.
This desire was not compelled by the world, but the fruit of lessons he unknowingly taught."
Frawasssh!
"Then so be it.
I will become more than he expects.
Not through prayer.
Not through rules, but by my own way.
Because if Theo truly wants to see who Erietta Bathee really is—then he will know that I was not created to stand under anyone's shadow, not even Aldraya's."
Krrrk!
Erietta remained silent, her body stiff, her breath seemingly held within ten minutes of suspended silence, time frozen around the yard.
Each second passed as if vanished without trace, leaving empty space where Theo's departure pressed against her chest.
But when the tenth second passed, something within her moved slowly.
Her gaze, once flat and lifeless, turned wearily toward where Theo had disappeared from view.
The fatigue in her eyes did not impede a determination emerging in her heart.
She promised herself to correct all mistakes, to weave together the broken pieces, creating results more refined and precise than her sudden teacher had expected.
A heartbeat almost paused, as if the world held its breath with her, when Erietta's gaze brushed against the memory of Theo's farewell, leaving a small yet tangible wound in the girl's heart.
She felt a subtle but strong refusal, an unwillingness to be left behind merely to follow Aldraya on a date, the primadona who always radiated an untouchable aura.
Aldraya, a silver-haired woman both hated and admired, became a symbol of challenge that unsettled Erietta's emotional balance, because Aldraya's vision emphasizing faith, piety, and rules made Erietta feel cornered yet driven to surpass the limits she had known.
Within her, that resolve transformed into calm yet determined energy.
She closed the gaps of creeping doubt, focusing all attention and ability to perfect her steps, sharpening herself more acutely than before.
The small disappointment at Theo's departure turned into burning motivation, pushing her not only to meet expectations but to quietly rewrite her own limits under the unseen watch of her teacher's shadow.
For a moment, Erietta stared blankly in the same direction, still upright, her breath returning, and in the lingering silence, a promise was born.
That she would grow, weave, and become stronger, cleverer, and more perfect than anyone had ever imagined.
'Finally arriving, right at the place where it all began.'
Fuaaah!
'This garden is too calm for something that might end in chaos.'
Theo kept moving.
Every step felt heavy despite his speed, carrying his body along the path bathed in morning light.
To be continued…