Inside a grand and elegant mansion, a woman with silver hair and blue eyes stood with her head lowered, looking guilty. She remained silent as she endured the storm of anger directed at her.
In front of her, an older man with silver hair and blue eyes had a furious expression. "My daughter, can't you achieve the status I desire for you?" he asked, his voice sharp and filled with disappointment.
"I'm sorry, Father," she replied.
BANG!
The man slammed the table violently.
"ARE YOU JOKING?! I WANT YOU TO SUCCEED LIKE YOUR BROTHER!" he roared.
"LOOK AT WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT YOU!" He grabbed a glass and threw it to the floor, shattering it into countless pieces.
"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A USELESS CHILD! GET OUT! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE! GET OUT!!!"
The woman walked out with a blank expression, as if she had been through this countless times before.
Outside, she saw an older woman with silver hair and grey eyes waiting for her.
"Are you alright?" the older woman asked gently.
As she passed by, the younger woman replied without looking back. "Mother, don't worry. This is normal."
She walked further, seeking fresh air to clear her mind. But then, she heard approaching footsteps.
Zareth stood in front of her, his sharp gaze filled with concern. "Elysia, are you okay?"
"This is normal," Elysia answered flatly before walking away.
---
Elysia sat alone in her room, lost in thought. The painful memories of the past lingered in her mind.
She shook off the feeling, changed into fresh clothes, and stepped out for some air.
As she opened her door, she was met with the sight of a black-haired boy standing right in front of her.
"You're finally out. Took you long enough. You know, I'm starving right now," the boy, Nao, complained.
The emptiness she felt moments ago faded slightly as she saw him. "Nao, have you been waiting long?"
"Yeah," he grumbled.
Elysia let out a small smile, which Nao immediately noticed.
"Elysia… you okay?" he asked, sensing something was off.
"I'm fine. Let's go," she said, walking ahead with Nao following beside her.
---
(Tetsu's POV)
Something's weird about Nao and Elysia… Are they dating?
For five days, I've been tailing them, and the way they act together… They just fit.
"What are you doing here?" a voice suddenly asked.
I turned my head and saw Selene—a girl with purple hair—staring at me as I hid behind the bushes.
"Selene… I… um…" Before I could finish, she crouched beside me.
"There they are," she whispered, pointing at Nao and Elysia, who were talking at a nearby table.
"I've been observing them for a while now. Something's definitely going on," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"I thought the same!" I whispered back.
We continued watching. They were acting way too close, yet strangely, there were no rumors about them.
"Has Elysia always been like this?" I asked Selene.
"To be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen her show emotions," Selene admitted.
"Emotions? She just looks the same to me—expressionless," I argued.
"If you knew Elysia well, you'd notice the difference. She's actually alive when she's with him," Selene explained.
That was… surprising.
Wait, does that mean Nao feels the same way? But he doesn't act any different from usual…
"Are they in love or not?" I mumbled.
"What are you two doing?" a deep voice interrupted.
I turned around and almost jumped.
Theo was standing there with a serious face.
"Theo, we're observing them," I whispered, pointing at Nao and Elysia.
"Oh, them? Yeah, they're dating," Theo said casually.
"WHAT?!" Selene and I shouted in sync, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"You're joking, right?" Selene asked, her eyes wide.
"Nope," Theo shrugged.
"Where did you hear that?" I asked, still in disbelief.
"I heard rumors about them being a couple. It's all over the academy. How do you not know?" Theo said, tilting his head.
Wait… there are rumors now?!
"They're leaving," Theo suddenly said, noticing Nao and Elysia getting up.
Selene and I quickly grabbed Theo and pulled him into the bushes with us.
"Shhh!" I hushed him.
We watched them silently as they walked away and followed them until they reached their rooms.
They simply said "goodnight" and entered their respective rooms.
"…That's it?" I muttered, disappointed.
"No dramatic love confession?" Selene added.
"Alright, tomorrow, let's just ask them directly," she suggested.
I thought about it for a second. That actually seemed like a good idea.
"Fine. I'll ask Nao, and Selene, you ask Elysia," I said.
"What about me?" Theo asked.
"You just sit there and watch," I told him.
"Alright. Tomorrow, we're solving this mystery," I grinned.
---
Prison of Judgment
Loud sirens echoed through the prison, causing the guards to panic.
"What's going on?!" one of the guards yelled.
"There's been a prison break!" another guard answered as he rushed past.
All the guards gathered as the head of security addressed them.
"We have a fugitive on the loose. I want this place under 24-hour surveillance. If another one escapes, I will start firing people. Understood?!"
"YES, SIR!" the guards responded in unison.
The news of the escape spread quickly, sending waves of fear across the world.
---
Norman Village
Members of the Divine Inquisitors patrolled the village, keeping a watchful eye on everything.
Inside a small home, Norman sipped his tea while reading the newspaper—until he suddenly choked, causing his cup to slip from his hands and shatter on the floor.
"Papa," a young girl called out fearfully, clutching the newspaper tightly.
"Yena… we need to stay indoors again," Norman said with a grim expression.
---
Ship No. 145
A red-haired woman stared at the newspaper with a serious expression.
Her eyes moved toward her crew, who were already assembled in front of her.
"Listen up!" she commanded. "Keep this ship clean and block all foreign passengers! Got it?!"
"Yes, Captain!!" the crew shouted.
---
A Grand Estate
Under the night sky, Zareth enjoyed the cool evening breeze when a servant approached him.
"Sir Zareth," the servant bowed and handed him a newspaper.
Zareth's calm demeanor shifted as his eyes widened in shock.
His grip tightened around the paper before he crumpled it in his hand.
"…Zepr…" he muttered darkly.
---
The Next Day – Academy of Sandy
Students flooded the academy, all with cheerful faces—except for one person.
Nao.
His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at something completely unexpected.
"What the hell…?" he muttered, utterly stunned.