"Fire Arrow!"
The moment the words left her lips, ten scorching bolts of fire erupted from her fingertips, blazing through the air in perfectly aimed arcs.
They cut through the moving targets with sharp precision, each impact leaving behind a trail of heat and embers.
The targets disappeared.
Then, twenty more appeared.
Melissia didn't even pause.
"Fire Arrow!"
The second volley shot forward at blinding speed—but this time, one missed.
Melissia's fingers twitched. A sharp, irritating heat crawled under her skin, not from the fire magic but from something else—something deeper.
Her teeth pressed together as she clenched her jaw.
"It's still not enough"
Without wasting a second, she raised her hand again, magic surging, pushing herself to be faster, to be stronger, to be better.
Each repetition drained her mana faster.
Each time, the frustration built.
She refused to stop.
Not until—
A wave of dizziness hit her.
Her vision blurred for just a second. The edges of the targets flickered like mirages.
Her knees almost buckled.
Almost.
"Tch."
She clenched her fists and forced herself to stand.
Her body was giving out.
She hated it.
She hated feeling weak.
Melissia let out a frustrated sigh and turned away from the training field, walking toward the bench on the side.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, grabbed her water bottle, and took a long sip. The cold liquid barely cooled the heat in her chest.
Then, she heard it.
The low murmur of students talking nearby.
She didn't mean to listen. She had no reason to care.
And yet, the moment she caught the first few words, her muscles tensed instinctively.
"Hey, do you know when we'll finally meet the seniors?"
"Yeah, I heard their exams are still going on, so they're away from the academy."
"Forget the seniors—did you hear the rumor about Ray?"
"What rumor?"
"Oh, come on, you already know! That he fell in love with Elysia at first sight!"
"Yeah, he doesn't even talk to—"
Melissia's grip on her water bottle tightened, dangerously close to crushing it.
Her nails dug into the plastic, her fingers turning white from the force.
A bitter, suffocating heat coiled in her chest.
It wasn't new.
She had heard it before.
The rumors. The whispers. The way people talked about them like they were already a couple.
She had ignored it. Forced herself to push it away. To pretend it didn't matter.
But hearing it again—here, now, when she was already irritated, already frustrated, already feeling on edge—
It felt like someone had grabbed a dagger and twisted it deeper.
Her breath hitched for a fraction of a second.
"Why her?"
That ugly, unbearable question rose again, louder than ever.
"Why not me?"
She swallowed the thought down like poison, but it refused to leave.
Melissia gritted her teeth, forcing herself to calm down.
She had no right to complain.
She had no right to feel this way.
And yet, no matter how many times she told herself that—it still hurt.
Her fingers twitched again. Her magic stirred inside her, unstable, restless.
"I need to leave."
Melissia stood up abruptly, turning away from the voices.
***
She stormed through the academy grounds, her heartbeat loud in her ears. The cool evening air brushed against her skin, but it did nothing to ease the heat simmering beneath it.
"That bastard. That smug, stupid, oblivious—"
Her fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.
She hated this feeling.
She hated that it got to her.
And more than anything—she hated that it didn't get to him.
Then, as if the universe itself wanted to mock her, she saw him.
Ray.
Moving ahead at an easy pace, his hands tucked into his pockets, his golden eyes fixed straight ahead.
As if the entire academy wasn't buzzing with rumors about him.
As if none of it mattered.
Seeing him so unbothered,
Something inside her snapped.
She didn't think.
She just moved.
"Oi!"
Ray stopped mid-step. He turned slightly, blinking as his gaze landed on her.
"…Melissia?" His voice was calm, steady.
That irritated her even more.
She walked up to him, her crimson eyes glowing with heat. "You're really just walking around like nothing's happening?"
Ray frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Melissia scoffed, crossing her arms. Her nails dug into her skin. "Oh, come on, don't play dumb. Half the academy is talking about you and Elysia. About how you 'fell in love at first sight.'"
Her voice was laced with mockery, but even she could hear the bitter edge underneath.
Ray's expression didn't change. "So?"
Melissia blinked.
Her hands tightened.
"So?" she repeated, voice dangerously low. "That's all you have to say?"
Ray sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let them talk, Melissia. It means nothing to me."
Her stomach twisted.
She forced out a short, humorless laugh. "Oh, really? Because from where I'm standing, it seems like it matters to everyone but you."
Ray met her eyes, unfazed. "Because it doesn't change anything."
Melissia opened her mouth—then closed it.
Something inside her cracked.
She took a step closer, voice quieter now.
"So… it's true, then?"
Ray didn't hesitate.
"…Yeah."
Her breath hitched.
Her throat felt tight.
The dull ache that had been festering deep inside her chest suddenly sharpened into something raw.
She forced herself to smirk, even as her fingers trembled. "Hah… So that's it, then?"
Ray exhaled. "Melissia, why are you reacting this way?"
Her heart lurched.
She shouldn't have reacted. She shouldn't have flinched.
But she did.
Her lips parted, but she had no answer.
Because she didn't even know the answer herself.
Her emotions were tangled—a mess she couldn't untangle.
So, instead, she scoffed. "Tch. It nothing."
Ray frowned slightly. "Then why are you this angry?"
She hated that question.
She hated that he was looking at her like that.
Like he was actually trying to understand.
Like she was something he had never fully considered before.
Her nails bit into her palms.
"I'm not angry," she said, her voice almost a whisper.
Ray's brows furrowed.
She let out a bitter chuckle. "You know what? You're right. It doesn't matter. It was stupid of me to think otherwise."
Ray shifted slightly, as if something about her words didn't sit right with him.
"Melissia—"
She stepped back slightly.
"I have to go," she muttered, turning away before he could say anything else.
Her pace quickened.
She didn't wait for him to stop her.
Didn't wait for him to call her name.
Didn't wait for anything.
Because if she did—
She wasn't sure if she could hold it together.
***
By the time she reached her dormitory, her hands were trembling.
The key nearly slipped from her fingers.
She shoved it into the lock.
The door creaked open.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
And then—she stood there, frozen.
Her legs felt weak.
Her body felt too heavy.
And for the first time all night—she let herself sink.
She collapsed onto the bed, gripping the small, plush teddy bear by her pillow.
She pulled it close, fingers tightening around the worn fabric as if it could hold her together.
Burying her face into the soft fur, she exhaled—a slow, uneven breath meant to steady her, but instead, it cracked somewhere deep inside.
And then—her body tensed, her shoulders curled inward, and warmth slipped past her lashes, dampening the plush in her grasp.
No sobs, no sharp gasps, just the quiet tremor of a breaking heart, the kind of grief that didn't need sound to be unbearable.
Because it wasn't just about Ray.
It was about everything she had refused to admit—until now.
It was about all the little moments she hadn't realized mattered.
The stupid way her chest felt lighter when he was around.
The way his confidence had always annoyed her—but also made her admire him.
The way he had become important to her—without her even noticing.
And now, she was just another spectator.
"Stupid."
"So fucking stupid."
But no matter how much she cursed herself—it didn't stop hurting.
***
[Ray Dawson]
Ray stood still, his gaze fixed on the empty space where Melissia had been just moments ago.
The conversation played over in his mind, each word sharper in hindsight.
Her frustration.
Her anger.
The way her voice had wavered—just for a second—before she masked it with that bitter laugh.
His jaw tightened. He had never seen her like that before.
He exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair.
"What the hell was that about?"
Melissia got irritated over the smallest things—he was used to that. But this?
This wasn't just irritation.
She was mad.
Had he said something wrong?
No.
He had just told the truth.
"I like Elysia."
He had always known it. The moment he saw her, there had been something about her—something that pulled him in.
So why did Melissia's reaction stay with him?
Ray let out a scoff, shaking his head.
"She's just being Melissia. Overreacting, like always."
That should have been the end of it.
But—
As he turned away, a strange unease settled in his chest.
And for the first time in a long time, he wasn't sure if he liked it.
Just as he was about to move, a sharp chime echoed in his head.
A familiar golden screen flickered into his vision.
> [New Quest Generated: Travel to Iron hold City]
> [Time Limit: 1 day]
> [Reward: 10 Stat Points]
> [Failure: 50 Stat Reduction]
Ray's brows furrowed.
"What? A travel quest? Out of nowhere?"
Another chime followed before he could process the first.
> *[New Quest Generated: Clear C-Rank Dungeon ~Frostfang Grotto~]*
> *[Time Limit: 2 days]*
> *[Reward: ???]*
> *[Failure: Rank Reduction]*
His fingers twitched.
"A dungeon, too?"
His gaze lingered on the failure penalty.
50 stat points gone if he didn't make it in time, and a full Rank reduction.
That was insane.
"The hell is with that punishment?"
His jaw clenched as he focused on the system, sending a mental command.
"Hey, System, why is the penalty so damn harsh?"
But there was no reply.
His frown deepened.
He tried again.
"System?"
Still nothing.
Then, it hit him.
"Oh Shit," he muttered. "The system is still in sleep mode… I forgot."
For the next two days, he wouldn't be able to access system support.
He won't get extra information and guidance.
Just him, the quests, and whatever was waiting ahead.
He exhaled sharply, his eyes scanning over the quest details again.
"Is there some connection between the system's shutdown and these sudden quests?"
It was too much of a coincidence.
He didn't believe in coincidences.
And if the system wasn't here to give him answers—
Then he'd have to figure them out himself.
Ray turned on his heel, his mind already shifting away from Melissia's outburst.
There were more important matters to deal with now.
***