Alden looked at the girl hugging him tightly.

Nyx.

Tears still clung to her cheeks, although her breathing had grown steady now.

He didn't know what had broken her… Or why was she holding him like she was afraid he might vanish if she let go.

And yet… he didn't push her away.

His hand rose on instinct, tapping her back softly, as if that small rhythm could promise her safety.

But his mind was anything but calm.

Something was wrong… Very wrong.

Jeremy.

It had to be that bastard.

Alden's jaw tightened.

He had known Jeremy would try to take over his body eventually.

That smug disciple-master bond with Nyx had always reeked of manipulation.

He had once even suspected that Nyx came from some other world… and maybe she was even sister of Ren—the lunatic he met in trial to claim his weapon art.

But that seemed impossible now.

He didn't know how… but he was sure that there was some restriction keeping other worlders away from this world.

Caera—his sister—had said something about it when she left.

So, the reason behind Nyx's strange behaviour had to be that bastard Jeremy.

Is he going to make a move during the inter-academy?

Alden had seen the look in her eyes.

The look of someone being forced into betrayal they never wanted.

It made him angry.

Anger coiled tight in his chest. But he couldn't strike Jeremy directly.

Not yet.

The bastard's power and authority ran too deep.

Still… there was someone else.

Cipher.

She had been moving through the academy like a shadow, her interest in Jeremy barely concealed.

She didn't tell him what her mission exactly was.

But from what Vanyaa had told him…

… Cipher was definitely here for Jeremy.

Rather than some personal interest, it definitely had something to do with the Luminous Accord.

Are they also suspicious of Jeremy?

If even they were sniffing around him… then maybe Alden wasn't being as paranoid as he feared.

His thoughts circled like wolves, but a soft sound pulled him back.

Breathing.

He looked down.

Nyx had fallen asleep against him.

Her black hair spilled over his chest and her grip on his waist was even tighter in sleep.

She looked… small like this.

He slowly brushed a loose strand of her black hair on her face away and tucked it behind her ear.

For a moment… it almost felt like he could believe her tears had nothing to do with betrayal and everything to do with trust.

Just then, the door to his apartment clicked open without a knock or warning.

A girl with white hair and violet eyes stepped inside.

Amyra.

"Hey, Alden—"

Before she could say anything, her body froze.

Because in the soft light of the apartment, she saw Nyx clinging to Alden's waist with her face buried against him… while his hand rested gently on her back.

A scene of intimacy neither of them could explain.

Her expression flickered through countless shades—disbelief, anger, sorrow—and yet no words came.

She didn't crash out like usual.

She didn't spit something cold.

Instead, she turned around and ran.

The door slammed shut behind her with a bang.

He heart pounded against her ribs as her footsteps quickened.

She didn't know what she felt at this moment.

She had wanted to see Alden.

Maybe talk.

Maybe steal a moment with him alone, especially after watching his fate line twist into darkness.

She wanted to understand what was happening.

But she had never expected that.

Why was he holding Nyx like that?

Why was she crying into his chest?

Why did his eyes look so… warm?

The questions swirled in her head, each sting sharper than the last.

Jealousy. Envy. Hate.

They surged in her chest.

And yet… one thought broke through the noise.

Is Nyx okay?

Amyra had seen the cracks forming in her friend these past few days.

And now, seeing her sobbing in Alden's arms, she couldn't deny it, Nyx was carrying something heavy, something she hadn't spoken aloud.

Amyra's heart ached with contradiction.

For all her obsession with Alden, for all the fire and possessiveness that ruled her… she still respected Nyx.

Still cared for her even when she didn't wish to accept.

And that hurt more than anything else.

Especially when she saw her with the one she loved.

Nyx had once admitted she loved Alden, but Amyra hadn't taken it seriously.

She had convinced herself Nyx was only saying the words, that it was a passing fancy, something shallow.

But now… seeing her in Alden's arms—her dear's arms… it made her heart twist like nothing else.

Her heart ached with envy, sorrow and guilt. She couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

She somehow entered her apartment a few doors down from Alden's.

The door clicked shut behind her and with trembling fingers she turned the lock.

Only then did the weight in her chest break loose.

She slid down the door with her back pressing against the cold wood, until she slumped onto the ground.

Her breathing was shallow.

Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to hold herself together as the image of Nyx and Alden replayed again and again.

That warmth that should have been hers.

And worse than the jealousy, worse than that, was the guilt.

Because part of her still cared if Nyx was alright.

And that contradiction was tearing her apart.

"Why are emotions… so complicated?" she whispered, her voice raw.

The words felt bitter as a memory stirred.

Her first life.

When she had felt nothing.

No envy. No warmth. No love. No ache.

Back then, she had been an unbroken stone, a perfect blade and she had thought that was strength.

Now, curled on the floor with her chest aching and her throat tight, she realized the truth.

Feelings were harder than any battle.

And it was breaking her in ways no enemy ever had.

—

✦ Author's Note ✦

Amyra might look "childish" here despite her past strength but remember, in her first life she never truly felt emotions, at least not for most of her life.

Now, every feeling is new, raw, and overwhelming.

Power doesn't protect you from your feelings.

That's why she's messy and that's why she's human.

Thanks for reading.

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