"Sorry for eavesdropping…"
"I'm more sorry you had to witness such a pathetic sight."
With a single jump, Phoenix scaled the wall, and I followed him shortly after.
"I never thought I'd see the proud Sunlight family fighting among themselves."
"There's no such thing as perfection in this life, Frey Starlight… Our family is far from perfect. In fact, if you ask me, I'd say we're broken."
Currently, the Sunlight family was the strongest among all the noble houses, as they alone possessed three fighters ranked SS or higher.
So hearing Phoenix call them "broken" didn't seem realistic—but I knew better. I knew there was more going on behind the scenes.
"This is about the next family lord, isn't it?"
Phoenix nodded.
"That's right."
Standing side by side, we gazed down from above at the desolate land stretching far beyond us.
That's when Phoenix shared some truths about his family.
"The Sunlight family is a bit unique when it comes to inheriting the title of Lord…"
He raised his hand, summoning a crimson flame, then began manipulating it effortlessly.
"It started when I turned out to be the only one capable of enduring the family's current Lord combat Style—The Eternal Flame. In fact, I mastered it completely, something even Iris himself—the current Lord—was never able to do."
I nodded, understanding what he meant. That was a fact I already knew.
The Eternal Flame Style was dangerous, and only Iris Sunlight had ever used it before—but even he had never fully mastered it. It had left him with several lasting side effects, like a perpetually burning beard and the inability to feel heat or cold.
Phoenix, on the other hand, had perfected it ... achieved a 100% mastery. An unprecedented accomplishment.
"The title of Lord is given only to the strongest in our bloodline. That was my uncle, Iris Sunlight. But unlike him, who wielded great power, his children lacked both strength and talent."
Iris had only two children, twins: Ivan and Scarite.
Both were considered gifted by normal standards—but their competition wasn't ordinary.
"In the end, Iris chose me as his successor… completely overlooking his own children."
Compared to the blazing star that was Phoenix, the flames of Ivan and Scarite were faint ... barely there.
"I suppose that made them hate me, at least a little."
Phoenix smiled bitterly. That was when I realized—he never despised them. In fact, he had been trying to protect them with everything he had.
"If you ask me, you're far more fit to lead than either of them. You're not obligated to protect them, Phoenix. You don't owe anyone that."
Trying to save everyone had never been realistic. He could try, sure—but he'd ultimately fail, no matter how strong he was.
Xevier's death was the perfect example.
"I get what you're trying to say, Frey… but I can't help feeling responsible for them. If I can't even save this many people, how can I lead an entire family one day?"
So this is how Phoenix thinks…
It felt like I was beginning to understand him a little more.
Still—I didn't fully agree.
"No one in this world can do that, Phoenix."
"I know. But I'll try… in my own way. And one more thing—"
He turned to me with a faint smile.
"Your father could have done it. Easily."
For the first time during this conversation, my expression changed the moment he mentioned my father.
"Abraham Starlight once invaded the Ultras' territory all on his own, fought everyone there, and returned alive. I was just a kid back then—but I remember feeling this fire in my chest when I heard about it. Thinking, how did he do that?"
Phoenix spoke with excitement. He became a different person the moment my father entered the topic… but ...
"You shouldn't compare yourself to my father, Phoenix."
I replied bluntly.
My father had reached SSS rank, armed with knowledge and power from two lifetimes.
He was exceptional. That's what made his light shine so brightly.
"Hard to argue with that… especially coming from his son."
Phoenix's smile didn't falter—proof that he wasn't easily shaken.
We talked for a long while afterward. About my father, about the current situation. And once there was nothing left to say, we each went our separate ways.
I returned to the central building, where the rest of the elite class were staying.
That day… I felt like I finally understood Phoenix a little more.
…
…
…
A day had passed since Xevier's death.
His demise threw everyone into a state of heightened caution .. each afraid they'd be the next in line.
Among them, Sansa spent most of her time alone.
The other girls came to see her occasionally, and she never refused them…
But she found herself preferring solitude, away from everyone else.
'When did I become like this?'
The princess wondered, confused by her own state of mind.
Solitude used to be a prison that reminded her of her title—an heir without real connections.
But somehow, being alone lately gave her a sense of peace…
As if it had never been the source of her sadness.
Sitting in the temporary room she'd claimed for herself inside the abandoned city's central building, Sansa spent most of her time reflecting.
Most of all, she dwelled on a painful truth:
She was no longer like other humans.
Her gaze drifted to her elbow—the spot where she'd been bitten by that mutated human.
Only a day had passed, and yet her arm was already spotless.
Not a single scar remained.
She hadn't felt anything.
But unlike her, Xevier—her classmate—had died the moment he was bitten.
He died a pitiful death… and she lived, as if nothing had happened.
That only reinforced a single truth—
She was different.
Not human… but something else entirely.
Those thoughts consumed her for a while.
At least until a sudden knock on the door interrupted them.
The knock was soft—gentle enough that she immediately assumed it was a girl.
"Yes?"
Sansa answered briefly, prompting the voice behind the door to speak.
"It's me… I mean, Adriana. I brought some food."
Adriana's clumsy voice came from behind the door, which Sansa then opened.
"You didn't have to trouble yourself. I told you I didn't need anything."
Sansa's tone was firm—at first. But it quickly softened the moment she saw Adriana shrink back timidly.
The shy girl's demeanor made Sansa sigh in surrender.
"Come in."
"Um… okay."
Adriana stepped into the small, barren room .. barely furnished with just a single bed and a chair.
Both girls sat on the bed, and silence followed for a while.
Sansa quietly ate the simple meal of bread and mashed potatoes placed before her.
Meanwhile, Adriana looked as though she was trying to muster the courage to speak.
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
Sansa decided to help her out.
Adriana blushed, then nodded. Without delay, she bowed her head deeply.
"I'm sorry!"
The sudden apology made Sansa frown slightly.
"For what?"
"Everything. You've always been kind to me… even though you're a princess and I'm just a commoner.
Despite how well you treated me, I still doubted you. I saw you as… something inhuman."
Adriana paused for a moment. Sansa continued staring at her in silence.
"As your friend, I shouldn't have acted like that. I know I can't force you to forgive me…
But at the very least, I wanted to apologize. I'm really, truly sorry—for all of it."
The way Adriana's body trembled made it clear she had summoned a lot of courage just to say that.
It was the most she'd spoken in one go since the beginning.
Sansa spent a few moments just gazing at her, making Adriana visibly flinch…
But then, the princess finally broke the awkward silence.
"You know, Adriana… you're special."
"What?"
"Your face."
Sansa gently cupped Adriana's cheeks, her large, black eyes locking onto her.
"You probably don't know this, but I can read faces. There are only a handful of people who can truly hide from my ability."
To resist Sansa's perception required exceptional calm, emotional control, and a perfectly unreadable poker face.
Very few possessed all of that.
Even Frey had only developed that resistance after countless brushes with death.
"But you're different, Adriana. Even though you're just a naive, shy girl… I can't read your face at all."
Sansa pulled her hands away, finishing her observation.
"Still, your actions always reveal everything. You're so simple—and I think that's what I liked about you from the beginning."
Adriana was like an open book. Easy to read, easy to understand.
Unlike the rest of the elite students with powerful families and long-standing names, Adriana came from nothing.
No status. No lineage.
Her talent was the only thing that had brought her this far.
She was naive—deeply so.
But maybe that's exactly what made Sansa prefer her over the others.
"There's no need to apologize, Adriana. You didn't do anything wrong. If anything… you saved my life. I should be the one thanking you."
The princess smiled, but Adriana waved her hands rapidly in denial.
"N-No! I didn't do anything worth mentioning!"
She flustered in a panic, accidentally knocking her glasses off.
Sansa caught them midair and gently placed them back on her face—and both girls laughed together.
Perhaps not everything could be fixed…
But for now, their relationship had.
The two spent the rest of the night talking to each other—
And just like that, the second night came to an end.