-Crash!!
Elysia crashed onto the training ground floor, but she stood up instantly, lunging forward with her blade flashing in a strange, flowing rhythm, as if water itself moved in harmony with her strikes. Her movements were seamless, elegant, and continuous, yet every attack was effortlessly deflected or stopped by Saint Alice.
Alice stood like an unmoving mountain, radiating a quiet, unyielding power that seemed to halt anything thrown her way.
Elysia moved with fluid grace, her blade shimmering faintly with moonlit mana, but a clean, forceful kick to her stomach sent her flying once again.
"You are leaving too many openings, and you haven’t even mastered the first form of the sword art. You need to train harder. Rest for a moment; you have been practicing all day. I just came to check on your progress," Alice said, her voice steady and cold, carrying both authority and concern.
It was evening, and after Ash had dropped Elysia at the academy’s training grounds, she had been practicing tirelessly. The academy was quiet, except for the few students who had no other place to go and remained in the dorms.
Still lying on the ground, Elysia looked up, chest heaving slightly, and asked softly,
"Teacher... am I not talented enough?"
Her question lingered in the empty room, carried on the quiet rustle of the evening wind from the window.
Alice tilted her head slightly, her thoughts drifting momentarily to Ash, whom she had also once doubted in potential. A self-deprecating smile crossed her face, though she quickly hid it.
So opposite...
"You do have talent, and it is far from small. It’s just... You are having trouble controlling your powers. Your Moon affinity has not fully bloomed, which places natural limits on you. As for blade art, you are progressing at a remarkable pace."
She paused, noticing that Elysia’s gaze had drifted, unfocused and distant.
Sighing, Alice moved closer and sat beside her. Despite her busy schedule, she had set aside this time for her disciple. Initially, she had taken Elysia under her wing because of Ash, but as she came to know her personally and witnessed the potential she held, she was genuinely glad she had.
As a Moon Blessed individual, Elysia was destined for power—if not today, then tomorrow.
"Are you thinking about your defeat against Melissia?" Alice asked softly.
Receiving no response, she continued, "Her bloodline, dormant for centuries, has awakened. That has given her an immense boost in strength. Now that she has returned home, I expect to see Phoenixes flying everywhere soon."
"So if you are going to compare yourself to that, then give it up. Focus on improving yourself, not worrying about others. Work harder, not bitterly."
Elysia nodded, but inside, a storm of thoughts raged.
Of course, I know Melissia awakened her bloodline, and I even know who helped her...
When she had stopped Ash from going on one of his anger-fueled streaks, he had told her the truth, and then the puzzle of pieces fit perfectly. She understood why Melissia disliked her so intensely.
...Love, huh...
Surprisingly, Elysia did not feel anger or jealousy. Instead, a hollow emptiness filled her chest.
I need to get strong...
She could not explain why, but she hated feeling perpetually on the losing end. She wanted to become stronger, strong enough to surpass anyone. She imagined herself rising beyond even a God’s reach so that nothing could ever come between her and her love.
But strength was not something that could be claimed easily. There were countless stages to overcome, and she was still struggling in the very early ones.
***
After talking with her for a bit, Alice finally left, leaving Elysia alone in the vast training grounds. Though her mind was crowded with thoughts, she deliberately pushed them aside, trying to focus on the moment rather than the whirlwind inside her.
The emptiness of the academy around her made each step feel heavier, yet somehow more peaceful, like a quiet lull between storms.
She took a long, warm bath, letting the water wash away the exhaustion of the day and the tension of practice.
Once ready, she moved toward the familiar meeting spot, where Ash came every day to pick her up. A deep, soft smile spread across her face as a thought reached her mind.
Today was the tenth of October, and in just a week...
Ash’s birthday is coming...
A subtle excitement stirred within her chest, a feeling she had not realized could exist so strongly. It would be Ash’s first birthday in this world, yet there was something almost magical about the timing.
Although it’s the birthdate based on this life...
She reminded herself that since their bodies had changed, their birthdays should reflect the present. Age would now be measured according to the body’s birth, not the remnants of a past life.
Though it’s strange... I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but Ash’s birthday in both lives is the same...
Elysia’s own birthday was entirely different, yet somehow, Ash’s aligned perfectly across both lives. The same was true for his name, too.
It’s too much of a coincidence...
She knew that her transmigration, and Ash’s, had not been random. Someone had orchestrated it. As for who it was and what they wanted from Ash and her, it was a mystery.
And she also recognized that this world was not a fantasy world, but a world of a Novel, though it would be quite a question whether someone created the world after reading the novel or the novel was written about the events based on the world.
She knew this was a novel world, not because Ash had told her, but because she had read enough stories to notice the patterns.
Even though she had not read this exact story, the signs were obvious. Ash’s early behavior of trying to stay away from her, when the demons attacked the academy, then Ash already knew about, he knew where and how to find a cure when she was injured, and the way he seemed to anticipate dangers, all pointed towards the truth that Ash somehow knew about the events of the world.
Only an idiot would not notice that.
Still, she knew there were limits to her guesses.
She did not know the full extent of his powers, where they came from, or the secrets he carried.
Those were things only he could reveal, in his own time. And she knew he would.
Her hands brushed the smooth, rainbow-glowing necklace around her neck, the one Ash had given her. She remembered the way he held it out to her, the faint warmth of his hand, and the silent reassurance in his eyes.
And then there was his strange act of disguising himself as Unknown... .
A quiet sigh escaped her lips. She had learned about it from Saint Alice, who had explained Ash’s careful, protective behavior whenever Elysia had been hurt or in danger.
Can’t he find a better name...
Despite her playful frustration, she understood. Every act, every strange behavior, every secret he kept was all to protect her, to shield her from dangers she could barely perceive.
That knowledge made her determination swell even more.
She wanted to grow strong, not merely for herself, but so she would not burden him with her weakness. She was still far from ready, and there were no shortcuts to the growth she desired, yet the fire in her heart refused to waver.
That’s why I need to give him the best birthday gift...
She had many plans for that day. She knew Ash had almost no friends, and she could guarantee there was not a single person who would claim him as theirs.
He was like that—he trusted no one. Even when he acted friendly and close to others, she knew it was always a carefully crafted façade.
He trusted no one except her. And that trust was perhaps the most precious thing to him: someone to whom he could reveal everything. A person who was his world—his mother, his friend, his girlfriend, his sadness, his happiness, his life, his death, his breathing, his blinking, his smile, his gaze.
And the same was true for her. Yet she knew that the love she felt for Ash paled in comparison to the depth of his feelings for her, which sometimes made her heart ache.
No, no... I will love him more than he will love me in this life...
With that vow silently sworn, she walked into the academy garden. There, beneath the soft golden light of the late evening sun, she saw Ash waiting. His posture was calm, yet every line of his body seemed alert, as though he had been expecting her. His gaze met hers, steady and unwavering, filled with a quiet intensity that made her chest tighten with anticipation.
Even from a distance, the faintest curl of a smile played at the corners of his lips, and the air between them seemed to hum with the unspoken understanding that had grown over countless shared moments.
****