Rai'en's departure came soon. Auren left his VR game and found that it was still day and Rai'en was returning to Genesis Academy.
His departure left the house quieter than Auren had expected. He had watched his older brother mount the carriage, the wheels crunching against the gravel until the sound faded into the distance.
The front gates closed with a dull clang, and just like that, another presence was gone. Auren stood by the window for a while longer, staring at the empty path.
His fingers tapped idly against the frame, not out of impatience but to fill the hollow silence that pressed around him. Even though his parents at diner with him that single day before he returns to school felt lonely.
Within the same day, he logged into Mortal's Heaven a few times but it wasn't the same. Without Zevaros and his little clues and games, the virtual world felt muted.
When time came for Auren to return to Nexus Academy he didn't hesitate. The house was too quiet for his liking. Han, his ever loyal butler, accompanied him to the carriage.
"Young Master, please be well." Auren tilted his head toward the window, not answering immediately, but he allowed himself a small nod just enough for Han to see.
The journey passed in steady silence and when the towering spires of Nexus Academy rose into view, Auren felt a strange mix of relief and challenge.
This place was still loud and bustling and it still demanded masks and performance but at least it was something. Auren had been in his comfort ground because the stronger you are, the more influence one has.
At the gates, students spilled across the courtyards. Some dragged their luggages, others already immersed in chatter.
Servants in crisp uniforms hurried to and fro, their faces expressionless as they carried burdens far heavier than their posture suggested.
Auren's own luggage was whisked away before he even had to gesture. He followed the familiar path to the domitory and the servant selected the 8th floor.
The moment they arrived at the floor, Auren walked towards his door, his step measured, his face unreadable. When he opened the door, Auren's ears were numb.
"Ah~ Gray. More, give me more."
The voice was high pitched and breathless and the moan was full of pleasure followed by a deep grunt of satisfaction.
Auren's expression didn't flicker, he closed the door as calmly as he opened it, turning on his heel. The servants behind him carried his belongings inside without so much as a blink.
[They've seen worse no doubt. Is Gray an Alpha?]
Auren let out a faint huff of amusement as he walked away. Gray was clearly keeping himself entertained in his absence. With nothing else to distract him, Auren wandered the Academy grounds.
The familiar walkways soon blurred together and it was only when he strayed past the library that he noticed a path less traveled. It was full of cracked stones, half hidden under weeds, leading to a forgotten wing of the grounds.
At the end of the path stood a structure it glass and iron. It was a garden or rather, what used to be one.
The sight arrested him. The glass panes were fracture, some shattered entirely, jagged teeth of light catching in the cracks.
The air inside was stale and heavy, the flowers nothing but husks curled into themselves, roots tangled in dry soil. The vines had turned brittle, drooping lifelessly across the metal frame.
Auren stepped through the broken doorway, crunching dead petals beneath his boots. Something tugged at him, deeply. This ruin, this decay, was more than just neglect. It was him.
Auren saw the boy devoured by the system, in his past life he was stripped of his self until nothing but a hollow husk remained. He saw chains that had dragged him through cycles if suffering, the way even his memories had been abandoned.
The glass garden was a mirror, reflecting the part of himself he hated to acknowledge. The forgotten, the withered and the discarded.
And yet.....
A spark lit up inside his chest. If this place could be restored, then so could he. If this ruin could be claimed, rebuilt, reborn, then perhaps he could shape his own reflection too.
The thought bloomed into obsession. [I will restore this place. I will not let it remain in ruin.]
Auren returned to his dorm room and greeted Gray with a smirk. Gray flushed but returns the greeting, rushing back to his room.
The night seemed to last forever for Auren because he wanted to acquire that garden. When morning came, Auren went straight into the administration office.
"I want the glass garden behind the library," he said flatly.
The clerks, who had just opened the office, exchanged uneasy looks. One clear8his throat, "That property is the school's young man. It is not for use or for sale."
"Sell it to me." Auren's tone didn't rise, but the weight in his voice pressed down on the room like a storm.
"As I said. It's not for sale.. you misunderstand..."
"No," Auren cut in, eyes narrowing. "You misunderstand. That place is mine. Whether you call it abandoned, forgotten or even condemned. It belongs to me now."
The staff fumbled for excuses. "The structure is unsafe. It has no value and it...."
Auren leaned foward, hands flat on the desk. His voice dropped to a low dangerous murmur. "Do you think value decides ownership? Do you think safety matters to me? Sign the papers or I will make this office regret dragging it's feet."
This was the first time Auren spoke this much in school. And if the rumors are true then the staff had no choice. The weight of his gaze was unbearable. The clerks shifted, sweat beading at their temples. One tried to protest again, but Auren's smirk, sharp and cold silenced him.
By the time he left with the deed in hand, the air behind him was heavy with relief. He had gotten what he wanted. As always.Now, standing before the ruined garden again, Auren pressed a palm to the cracked glass.
"Eternal Glass," he whispered. The name settled into him, final and unshakable. This place would rise again. Just as he did, [It will be reborn like I was.] Auren stayed within the garden for a few more minutes before returning to the form.
By the time he returned to the dormitory, all the students had settled into their rooms. Auren sent a message to Eiran on the terminal because throughout the short holiday, they hadn't spoken much. When he entered his room, Gray had left his room a smile on his face.
Gray greeted him with unusual brightness, his hair mussed but his grin wide. The room was startlingly clean—bed made, clothes folded, the lingering scent of soap in the air. When Auren left this earlier morning, things were still a bit messy.
"Welcome back!" Gray said, throwing an arm dramatically across the back of his chair. "I cleaned up just for you."
Auren raised an eyebrow. "No. You cleaned because someone else was here."
Gray flushed. "Maybe. Maybe not." He didn't think that Auren stayed the night in his room and actually thought that he'd returned from outside this morning.
"Your girlfriend." Auren asked, eyes glinting with interest.
Gray groaned, covering his face with one hand. "You're impossible. Yes, fine. It's my girlfriend , she visited me when she returned early since I didn't go home for the holidays. I had missed her so we… celebrated. Don't judge me."
Auren smirked faintly, loosening his cloak. "I don't judge. I only pity the servants."
Gray wanted to throw a pillow at him but couldn't. "Boss please don't tease me."
The light banter filled the space more than Auren had expected. After a brief one-sided ramble from Gray about his girlfriend's cooking and laughter, Auren retired to his bed be there was nothing much to do today. Classes would resume tomorrow and Eiran had yet to respond.
He lay staring at the ceiling, mind circling back to the garden. His garden that he named, Eternal Glass. The obsession throbbed inside him not as a weakness, but as a sense of control. For the first time in a long while, he felt he owned something untouched by anyone else.
Even though many things he has is for himself, they've been chosen for him. This he chose for himself. As the hours passed by and day turned to night, Auren was content with his decision to buy the glass garden. After packing everything into his drawers and hanging his clothes, Auren settled in his bed.
His thoughts drifted to the memories of Zevaros. He had talked about the Inter-Academy Games which will be held at Genesis Academy. The promise of meeting with Zevaros again lingered in his mind. The path forward was dangerous, but it was his. Even if he gets burned by the flames of pursuit, he will push forward.
"This time," he whispered into the dark, "nothing will be taken from me."