"Why are you acting like you’re so much better than us? Have you even once looked at what we had to do just to keep up with you?" I spat out, my voice trembling with anger I couldn’t hold back anymore. "Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I’ve spent, how many hours I’ve trained until my body almost broke, just so I wouldn’t slip even one rank? No—you don’t, do you? You never even bothered to look. Because all you’ve ever done is look at yourself, thinking you’re above it all, without a clue about what the rest of us were going through. And in the end, it’s because you really just didn’t give a damn."
Gabrielle let out a sharp scoff, the corners of her lips twitching into that familiar cold smirk.
"Well, you’re right about that part," she shot back, her tone dripping with casual cruelty. "I couldn’t really care less about soone who’s beneath ."
"Beneath , huh?" My voice was low, almost a growl, the words tearing out of my chest. "Then why don’t we prove it right here and now without using our abilities. Just the two of us. Let’s see who’s really the one beneath the other."
"I don’t think I even have the energy to waste going at it with soone like you," she replied, her tone flat, almost bored—but I could see sothing flicker in her eyes.
"What, are you scared you’ll get a scratch now that you can’t hide behind your ability?" My heart pounded so hard it felt like it was shaking my ribs. "All this ti, you’ve been clinging to the Guardian, feeling safe behind that wall because no one could touch you. So why don’t we do this in a way where there’s nowhere to hide? Can you do that?"
"You think I’m scared of you?" Her voice turned sharp, almost amused.
"You are," I shot back without blinking.
For a mont, the air felt thick enough to choke on. We locked eyes, our glares cutting into each other like blades.
All around us, the other cadets stayed frozen, barely breathing, just watching us like they couldn’t look away.
Truthfully, what I was doing right then felt so humiliating that part of wanted to sink into the ground and never co back out. I’d probably lock myself in my room for a month—or hell, maybe a year. But right then, that embarrassnt didn’t even register. All I could feel was the heat of my rage boiling in my chest, blurring everything else.
"I’m not scared of you, Irene," Gabrielle sneered, her words slicing the air. "I couldn’t possibly be afraid of soone so clearly beneath ."
And that was it. Sothing inside snapped so fast it felt like my vision went white for a second.
What happened next turned into sothing people at the academy still whispered about, even years later.
Gabrielle and I lunged at each other, and it turned into a raw, ugly catfight. We slapped, clawed, grabbed handfuls of hair, our breaths coming out in ragged gasps as we scratched each other like wild animals.
It felt ssy, undignified, and completely real in a way that training or sparring never could be.
It wasn’t until Rose, face pale and eyes wide, finally forced herself between us that we stopped, panting, hair tangled and clothes askew.
After that, I turned and walked out of the graduation, not bothering to look back—and I never returned. It beca one of the biggest embarrassnts I ever brought on my family. But in that mont, I didn’t regret it, not even a little.
She’d humiliated in front of everyone, acting like even knowing was sothing she was ashad of.
And so I didn’t back down. She made her choice, and I made mine. It felt like the only thing I could do.
Years passed, and I eventually ca back to the academy—but this ti, not as a student. I beca a professor, standing on the other side of the classroom.
Honestly, I thought I’d never see Gabrielle again. She’d already beco a magic knight, climbing higher than most could even dream of. I figured maybe we’d cross paths once or twice, but we’d never even bother to speak.
But sotis, no matter how small the chance, fate still pulls its tricks.
Gabrielle ca back too—this ti, as a professor.
At first, it honestly left speechless, and even Rose seed taken aback.
Gabrielle had already reached what most people would call the pinnacle of life. She was a magic knight, respected, powerful, with her place in history already written. So why would she co back to teach?
It made no sense—until I t Leon. And then, I found out who Leon really was to Gabrielle.
And the cruelest part? We’d both fallen for the sa man.
***
In the present...
My phone buzzed, and when I saw Rose’s na light up on the screen, I felt my chest tighten in surprise.
It had been a while since I’d last heard her voice, so for her to call out of the blue like this caught off guard.
She said she wanted to et up, to talk—and maybe grab a drink like we used to.
I didn’t really have anything urgent besides the mountain of schedules and paperwork waiting for , so I got myself ready.
I grabbed my keys, stepped into my car—still not completely comfortable driving, even after all this ti—and started the engine.
I drove to the sa bar where I’d shared drinks with Rose and Gabrielle all those years ago. Funny enough, it was also the bar where I’d t Leon... and where it led to us having sex for the first ti.
Thinking about it now, I realized most of my mories in that bar were pretty terrible, weren’t they?
When I finally parked, I took a deep breath and looked around, taking in how much everything had changed.
The streets felt different. The houses were sleek and modern, the storefronts brighter and more polished.
Even the bar itself—once nothing more than a wooden shell, slled of old liquor and sawdust—now stood tall, with clean concrete walls and smooth cent floors.
It felt strange, almost surreal, to see how fast everything had transford.
If soone had told back then that all of this—the new roads, the smartphones in everyone’s pockets, the shining cars gliding past—was thanks to one single person, I wouldn’t have believed it.
But it was true.
Leon had been the one who made it all happen.
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