Ares woke up the next day as usual, washing his face and getting ready for the day. As he opened his dorm door, he ran into Sunny, who had done the same.
"Morning, Ares. Feeling better?" A hint of concern flickered in her dark eyes.
"Didn't I tell you it was just a stupid dream? I'm tougher than I look. See?" He flexed his biceps, grinning from ear to ear, trying to put her at ease.
Sunny rolled her eyes with a playful sigh. "What a muscle head. Let's just go eat, I'm starving."
Her stomach growled audibly, and she rubbed it with a groan. She needed to fill her malnourished body before the winter solstice, and food was her priority now.
She led the way, Ares following just behind, but his smile faded like it was never there, his thoughts a secret only he knew.
As they entered the cafeteria, they could feel a hundred eyes on them, especially Ares, but neither of them cared.
"Looks like you've become a superstar," Sunny teased, raising an eyebrow. "Should I get an autograph~?"
"How about I get away from you instead? Your 'good' reputation might drag me through the mud," Ares shot back, grinning.
Sunny scoffed. "What did you say, you beast? I'll have you know your reputation isn't any better!"
Ares swatted her playfully on the head. "Yeah, yeah, get to eating, Miss Pervert."
"Hey! I'm not a pervert!" Sunny huffed, her cheeks turning pink. "I'm just honest. The most honest person in two worlds, even!" She grumbled under her breath, 'As if her shadow wasn't lurking in my room just yesterday.'
Ignoring the stares around them, they piled their trays with mountains of food, eating with unbridled hunger. No morsel went uneaten.
Sunny was in a surprisingly good mood. She slept on a soft bed, ate meals that would have lasted her months in the outskirts, and had a companion, a fellow rat, who didn't judge her.
Granted, she still didn't completely trust Ares, but everything he had done so far was with good intentions or had at least not harmed her in any way. Plus, he didn't mind spending time with her, even when she was close to last place. It gave him no real advantage, but still, he stuck around.
Her heart softened just a little. It was nice not to feel alone, not to be seen as a freak or a pervert. Not to be pitied or looked down on.
She hummed as she ate, savoring each bite, occasionally glancing at Ares, who was stuffing his face with an almost comical amount of food. A tiny part of her liked this, the simple moments. Waking up, eating, bickering, studying, resting. It was the life she had always secretly longed for.
But as usual, her [Fated] attribute had other plans.
Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a tall girl with silver hair walking toward them, her movements graceful, almost like an artist's brushstroke.
'Is it just me, or is she walking this way? Nah, can't be. Ares beat her to a pulp just two days ago, right? Any sane person would avoid him... right?'
Apparently, Nephis wasn't sane.
Without a word, Nephis sat right next to Ares, her tray of food in hand, and began eating, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
'Did Ares give her brain damage or something?! Doesn't she see the stares? At least greet us or something!' Sunny glared daggers at Nephis, her expression clearly one of irritation.
Nephis didn't even glance in Sunny's direction, her eyes fixed on her food, eating with the calmness of someone who had no care in the world.
"So, what brought you here?" Ares finally broke the silence, his voice weirdly steady as he swallowed a mouthful. "Want something?"
Nephis turned to him, her expression as blank as ever. She stared at him for a long moment, and then, with a voice loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear, she said simply, "You."
The cafeteria went completely silent.
Ares choked on his food. "Pfft—cough cough!" He sputtered, struggling to breathe.
Sunny's body twitched, her face a shade of red that could rival a tomato. A vein bulged on her forehead, and her lips parted, ready to unleash a string of curses, but Ares quickly intervened.
He shot a look at Nephis, his voice lower but still audible, "You better explain yourself. That could be... easily misunderstood."
A tiny ding sounded in Nephis's head as if a light bulb went off. She blinked, her eyes widening slightly. Realizing what she'd just said, her ears flushed red. She hastily stuffed another mouthful of food in her mouth, clearly trying to escape the awkwardness. But before she left, she leaned in close, her breath warm against Ares's ear.
"Tonight," she whispered, her voice so soft it sent a chill down his spine.
And just like that, she was gone, leaving behind a stunned silence and a room full of curious onlookers.
"Are all true-named people like this?" Sunny muttered, her cute little face scrunched up in confusion, forgetting she also has a true name. "What's wrong with her?"
Ares waved it off, shrugging nonchalantly. "Don't mind her. She's just shy and awkward, I guess."
Sunny narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You two seem close... Is she a masochist?" She leaned forward, her gaze intense. "Or are you a sadist?"
Ares leaned in, his mischievous smile widening. Sunny flinched slightly, and his hand slowly reached out to brush a tiny smudge of food from her cheek.
"Try eating properly next time~" he teased, then flicked her hard on the forehead before standing up, laughing at the midget before him.
"Class is waiting. We don't want to make Julius wait," he said, dodging her as she glared up at him.
"That scumbag!" Sunny spat, her face redder than ever. She couldn't believe she'd frozen earlier.
"I swear I'm going to get you back for this one day, just you wait!" she muttered under her breath, but she couldn't suppress the small smile tugging at her lips.
With a frustrated huff, she followed him like a little duck, bickering all the way to class.
############
Ares had just split up with Sunny after being done with their survival class, Sunny already entered her room, doing God knows what, and since he still had some time to kill before his meeting with nephis, he decided to go for a walk around the academy.
'The academy is really spacious, makes you wonder how many resources they spent on this place.'
That's when he set foot in a small garden area, where greenery surrounded the place, a small fountain lay in the middle, not far from it a big beautiful tree, hiding underneath its leaves a simple wooden bench.
On the said bench was a beautiful girl, her blond long hair shining despite the protection of the tree, her white smooth face clear of imperfections, akin to a sacred porcelain doll.
Taking a closer look, the figure was staring lifelessly at the sky, her unfocused enchanting blue eyes unable to catch its beauty, her sight taken and her life sealed to death by fate.
Tears fell from her lifeless eyes, her face unmoving as they fell down, leaving marks on her white dress.
She cried and cried and cried...till tears stopped pouring, completely dried out, she wanted to scream to the world, act upon the injustice she felt, but she couldn't. She never chose to be a carrier of the spell, never chose to have her sight taken away from her, never chose to leave her loving family, just to enter her death.
She felt powerless, weak, fragile, her death was inevitable...it was only a matter of time....should she accept her ugly fate? simply give up? Submit to its will?
The bench shifted gently as someone sat beside her. She didn't startle—his presence wasn't sharp enough to frighten her, only soft enough to be noticed.
"Is it difficult?" the man asked, his voice calm and warm.
"…yes," she whispered.
"Do you dislike living this way?"
She nodded, unable to speak.
He was quiet for a moment, but there was no judgment in the silence—only understanding.
"Then don't surrender to it," he said gently.
She let out a fragile breath. "…Why not? It feels useless."
A faint change stirred in the air—subtle, not oppressive, like standing near a fire that was large enough to sense even with eyes closed. Not threatening. Just… powerful.
Cassie felt a flicker, a silhouette behind her sight: a figure crowned in crimson light, a king who stood alone against the world and refused to break.
It vanished, leaving only the steadiness of the man beside her.
"I used to believe all effort was pointless," he said softly. "That fate would devour whatever I tried to build."
She turned her head slightly. His voice held something deep—experience, not anger.
"And what changed?" she asked.
"I lost everything," he answered, but the words weren't bitter. If anything… they were gentle. "And when I found myself again, I realized I still wanted to stay standing."
Her fingers clutched her dress. "I'm not like you," she whispered. "I'm not strong."
He shook his head slowly. "You don't need strength right now."
"Then what do I need?"
"Something inside you," he said, "—something small, but yours. A reason to keep moving. Even if it's just one spark."
Cassie's breath trembled. "And if I fall?"
"Then I'll help you stand again," he said, the warmth in his tone unmistakable. "Falling isn't failing. Staying down is the only real danger."
Her throat tightened.
"I'm so tired…" she admitted softly.
His voice softened even more. "Everyone gets tired. That's why we don't walk alone."
A warm, steadying presence brushed her shoulder—not a command, not pressure, simply reassurance. "Let me carry a little of the weight with you."
Cassie swallowed, emotion tightening her chest. "You sound like I can… still change."
"You can," he said. "And you don't have to become me. Just become someone who refuses to disappear."
The words settled into her like a gentle flame.
"Why help me?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
He hesitated only briefly, as if searching for the correct truth.
"Because I know what it feels like to be alone in the dark," he said quietly. "And I don't want you to face it the same way I did."
Her sightless eyes shimmered.
"I don't want to disappear," she said.
"Then don't," he murmured. "Not while you still have a voice to speak with and a heart that feels."
A warm silence wrapped around them. For the first time in a long while, Cassie felt something shift inside her—small, but alive.
"Will you guide me?" she asked.
He rose to his feet slowly, his presence neither overwhelming nor distant—steady, like a hand held out in the dark.
"I'll be ahead of you," he said. "And whenever you feel lost, you can follow my steps."
He took a few slow steps, but she called out softly,
"…please. Your name?"
She already knew it somehow. But she needed to hear it—from him.
He turned slightly, golden light brushing against his silhouette.
"Ares," he said gently.
Then, with quiet pride:
"The Scarlet King."
Cassie sat beneath the tree long after he left. Her eyes remained unfocused, but the darkness around her felt different.
Not empty.
Not hopeless.
Warmer.
A small flame flickered inside her chest—fragile, but finally her own.
.
.
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Another chapter finished! I personally really like this one, tell me how I did xd
And happy late new years!
Peace be upon you!