Liora's Pov.
The classroom smelled of polished wood and old books, mixed with the faint tang of magic residue from last year's students. Rows of desks stretched neatly, and at the front, a tall, stern-looking teacher stood with a clipboard. The chatter quieted as she cleared her throat.
"Welcome, students, to your first year at the Academy of Arcanum," she began, voice crisp and authoritative. "I am your adviser, Mistress Selene. I will be overseeing your studies, your dorm assignments, and your progress in the coming year. Please pay attention."
She began calling out names, explaining which dorms each student would be staying in. Some students whispered excitedly, others exchanged nervous glances. My pulse quickened as she approached my name.
"Princess Liora," she said, glancing briefly at me with polite admiration, "you will be staying in the Western Wing Dorm, room 12. A comfortable space, arranged to meet all your needs."
I smiled, genuinely this time. Finally—a space of my own within this academy. Somewhere I could feel a semblance of control. Somewhere I didn't have to bow or perform constantly.
Before I could even settle the thought, my curiosity got the better of me. "Mistress Selene," I asked, tilting my head slightly, "what about… Una? Does she have a dorm? A roommate?"
Mistress Selene's eyes widened just a fraction, and she shook her head sharply.
"No, Princess. Una requires a private room. She is… dangerous. Her mother, Queen Noctaris of the Northern Kingdom, personally requested a secure space for her, as she cannot control herself at night. It would be far too risky to place anyone near her."
My stomach tightened, but my resolve hardened. Dangerous or not… Una shouldn't be alone. I wouldn't leave her isolated just because everyone else feared her.
"I insist," I said, firm, though my voice barely rose above polite. "I want to be her roommate."
Mistress Selene's jaw almost dropped. "That… that is absurd, Princess. You have no idea what you're asking." Her tone carried a mixture of disbelief and fear.
"And your father," she added, her voice sharp, "the King of the Western Kingdom, will be furious if anything happens to you. You understand that?"
I clenched my fists under the desk, frustration rising. "I don't care what my father thinks," I muttered, though polite enough for her to hear. "I want to do this. I want to stay with her."
She blinked, unable to believe what I was saying. Then she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "You may not understand, Princess… Una is not an ordinary princess. She wields the opposite of the Divine."
I froze. "Opposite of… Divine?" I asked, my heart beating faster.
"Yes," Mistress Selene said, exasperated. "The Divine power is what allows our world to flourish, to heal, to protect. Una… carries its opposite. Destruction, chaos… energy she cannot control. That is why she must remain isolated, why precautions are necessary. Your safety is the priority, not your desire to be reckless."
I felt my fists tighten, nails biting into my palms. "So… they think I'm fragile?" I muttered under my breath, jaw tightening. They think I need to be protected because I'm a princess, while hiding the fact that I, too, carry Divine power?
Mistress Selene shook her head again, almost giving up. "Just… stay out of trouble, Princess. And do not approach Una. For your own good."
And then she walked away, leaving me with the sting of indignation and the swirl of my own thoughts.
I sank back into my seat, glaring at the empty space where Una would eventually be placed. They think they can hide things from me, I thought bitterly. They think I'm fragile. They think I'm weak. But I have the Divine… and Una has the opposite. And they—my father included—kept it from me.
A flush of frustration rose in my chest, burning hot enough to make me clench my teeth. I had always followed the rules, always been polite, always performed perfectly… but this? This was something different. This was a secret I wouldn't accept quietly.
And deep down, beneath my annoyance and my pride, something else stirred—curiosity, a pull toward Una, and an instinctive understanding that our powers, opposite as they were, somehow belonged together.
The night was heavy, thick with silence, yet my heart hammered so loudly I could hear it over everything. I couldn't sleep. Every nerve in me screamed that I shouldn't be idle. Something—an instinct, a pull I couldn't name—was calling me.
I slipped from my dorm in my nightgown, quiet as a shadow, and climbed to the balcony. The moon hung low, silver and still, casting its light across the academy gardens. I leaned against the railing, inhaling the cold night air. Calm… quiet… peaceful. Or so I thought.
And then I saw her.
Una.
She stood on the opposite balcony, shoulders stiff, eyes fixed somewhere beyond me. She didn't look at me. She didn't acknowledge me. And yet, the presence she carried pressed into the night, drawing me in as if the air itself whispered her name.
I swallowed. I shouldn't—no, I mustn't—but words spilled anyway. "Una… hi." My voice was soft, trembling slightly with anticipation.
No answer.
I tried again, speaking slowly, carefully, trying to coax her out of the silence. I asked about classes, about the academy, anything. I was the only one talking, filling the void between us. My words were light, almost teasing—but inside, I was tense, unsure if she would ever respond.
Finally, I asked the question I'd been dying to know. "Una… what's your power? It must be amazing…"
She froze. I caught the slight twitch of her hand along the railing, the faint flare of her dark eyes toward me, and then… she spoke.
"Destruction," she said, voice cold, precise. "I can create chaos. Total chaos. I… can't control it."
I blinked, and my chest surged—not with fear, not with dread—but awe. "That's incredible," I breathed. "Absolutely incredible."
Her eyes narrowed. Suspicion burned there. "You're just saying that because you pity me," she muttered.
"No!" I shook my head, heart racing. "I mean it. I'm… amazed. Not pitying."
A shadow passed over her features, uncertainty flickering for the first time. "They call me a monster… everyone. My family even. They call me an Oath…" Her hands gripped the railing, white-knuckled. I noticed the trembling, the tension running up her arms, and a pang of helplessness struck me.
Before I could say more, she turned, moving away, the moonlight glinting off her hair like silver threads. Something dark stirred around her—shadows that writhed and twisted unnaturally—and I felt a chill crawl up my spine.
Instinct took over. I climbed. I jumped. My hands scraped against the stone, my nightgown catching on the railing, but I made it—barely—to her balcony.
The air changed instantly. Thick, suffocating, heavy. The night itself seemed to darken, and my stomach dropped as I saw her fully in the moonlight. Shadows curled and writhed around her like living smoke, and her eyes widened with panic.
And then she screamed.
It wasn't just a scream. It was raw, bone-deep, cutting through the night, rattling the walls, twisting my chest. My knees trembled, my hands shook, and I staggered, breath ragged. How… how is anyone supposed to survive this alone?
And then… silence.
The silence was worse than the scream. I moved forward, opening the balcony door, stepping into the room—and everything inside shifted. Candles flickered, the shadows bent unnaturally, and darkness wrapped around her like chains. She was on her knees, shaking, hands clawing at the air, trying to fight it back, but the chaos was relentless.
I froze for a moment, my mind racing, heart hammering. She's alone. She's terrified. I can't leave her.
I dove. I plunged into the darkness wrapping around her, the cold biting at my skin, the pressure pushing me back—but I forced myself forward. "Una! Look at me!" I shouted, voice raw. "I'm here! You don't have to fight alone! You don't have to be a monster! Hold onto me!"
The shadows lashed at me, twisting, sharp, almost physical in their force. I bit back a scream, gritted my teeth, and forced my body forward. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to retreat—but my hands kept reaching, stretching toward her.
I could feel her trembling, her energy fraying at the edges. I reached out, fingertips brushing hers, and a jolt of raw power surged through me. My Divine energy flared—bright, warm, protective—and slowly, ever so slowly, it pushed back against the darkness. I could feel the shadows resist, fight, curl tighter around her, but there was a tiny space… a space I created for her to breathe.
Her knees scraped against the balcony floor. Her head was bowed, her hair spilling over her shoulders, hiding her face. She shook violently, gasping, trying to wrest control back from the chaos clawing at her from every direction.
"Una… it's okay. I'm here," I whispered, voice soft but steady. "You don't have to do this alone. You don't have to fight alone. I'm here. Look at me… hold onto me…"
Her fingers twitched toward mine, tentative, desperate. I gritted my teeth harder, pushing against the pull of the shadows, letting my warmth flow, letting my power ease her struggle just slightly. I didn't know if it was enough. I didn't know if I could stop the darkness. I only knew I had to try.
Minutes—or hours—it felt like hours, passed in silence and struggle. I kept speaking, my words a lifeline, half-coherent, half instinctive. "You're not alone. You're not a monster. You're stronger than this… you're stronger than what they say. Hold onto me… just hold onto me…"
And then, finally… her trembling fingers closed around mine.
It wasn't complete control. She wasn't safe. The darkness still writhed. But she wasn't alone. And for the first time, I saw her—really saw her—look at me with something that wasn't fear. Something that wasn't suspicion. Something fragile, but real.
I didn't hesitate. I reached harder, letting my Divine power flow through both of us, carving a small pocket of light in the suffocating darkness. I whispered again, "I've got you. You don't have to fight alone. I'm here. I won't leave you."
The darkness recoiled at last, retreating reluctantly as my hands pressed against the swirling shadows, forcing them back, making space for her to breathe. Her trembling slowed, tiny shudders rolling through her body as I pulled her closer.
"Got you," I whispered, voice soft but steady. My fingers brushed her arms, her shoulders, until I could wrap my arms around her fully.
She stiffened at first, and then—slowly—hugged me back. Fragile, hesitant, but real. I could feel the tension in her entire body, the residual panic, the weight of power she hadn't yet mastered. I let my warmth, my Divine energy, flow gently through her, calming her, coaxing her back to herself.
The flickering lights steadied. The wind shifted smoothly through the balcony, no longer thrashing violently around us. The room felt safe, quiet, alive with only the sound of her soft breathing. I exhaled slowly, relief washing over me in a rush so strong it made my chest ache.
And then I realized… she'd fallen asleep.
She didn't pull away. Not even a little. Her fingers curled around my sleeve, clinging to me as if she feared the darkness would return the moment she let go. My chest warmed at the gesture. She trusted me, even if she couldn't yet put it into words.
I carefully shifted her in my arms, lifting her gently and carrying her to her bed. Her weight was light, yet every inch of her radiated tension, fear, and exhaustion. I laid her on the bed, smoothing her hair away from her face, covering her with the blanket.
"You're safe now, Una," I whispered, brushing my fingers over her cheek. "I'll be here until you wake up."
Her eyes were closed, but her lips moved slightly, a faint, almost inaudible whisper. "Thank… you…"
My heart skipped. I crouched beside her bed, leaning close with a gentle smile. "You don't have to thank me," I said softly. "I'll always be here. You don't have to face it alone. Ever."
She murmured something else, a faint sound that made my heart twist—soft, sleepy, but heartfelt. "Thank… you… for saving me…"
A small laugh escaped me, warm and quiet. "I promise," I said, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "From now on… I'll be here. Always."
I stayed by her side for a while, watching her chest rise and fall with steady breaths, listening to the faint hum of the academy at night, feeling the faint residue of her chaos lingering in the air. But now… now it was calm. Safe.
I rested my hand lightly on the blanket over her, finally allowing myself to smile fully. For the first time since arriving at the academy, I felt… right. I had reached her. Protected her. And somehow, in that quiet, dangerous, chaotic night, we had begun something neither of us could yet name.