Kara teleports from one place to another, her movements unfocused.
She stopped near the small hill where the giant bourder stands.
Her chest hammers so hard it hurts, she presses her hand to her face like a shield, hugging herself.
For a split second, silver eyes flash with faint crimson — then it's gone.
CRACK!
She stumbles into a cluster of saplings, her palm slamming into the wood. Tree trunk's cracking in her hold.
The brunette doesn't register the crash — just staggers back, gasping in short, ragged bursts that leave her lightheaded. Black spots crowd her vision. The only thing that exists is her racing heart and the loop in her head.
'You messed up . . .'
"Kara. Breathe slowly."
Lamia's hologram appears infront of her, glow soft and unobtrusive. Her voice is steady, "You'll lose control if you don't calm down. Come on, breathe in. . ."
Kara follows along without thinking. In, hold, out. In, hold, out. The gasps smooth out. Spots fade. Crimson's gone entirely.
Her legs buckle, and she falls to her knees in the grass.
"…I couldn't do it," she whispers, barely audible. "My hands wouldn't stop shaking. Just like back then."
Lamia drifts down to a nearby mossy stone, face calm as still water.
She watches her quietly, "I remembered. . . This is the second time this happened."
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[ENTRANCE EXAM-AFTERWARD]
The entrance tunnel was cool and quiet, a world away from the noisy battle field. Kara slid down the wall until she hit the ground, her back thudding against the hard surface.
Her gun hung limp in her hand, and the gem on her jacket flickered until dim, she'd keep hold of herself when she'd let the boy land that final hit.
She sat there, shoulders hunched, breathing in short, shallow bursts that made her throat burn.
Kara pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them like a shield.
"Hey."
Lamia materialized in front of her, looking at the brunette as if she missed a lottery. "You let him win. What was that about?"
"Yeah, that was my fault. . ." Kara looked away, her chin tucked to her chest. "He needed it more anyway."
"Did he?" Lamia asked, crossing her arms.
Kara's breathe out. She couldn't lie to her. "Both."
"It's not like I'll fail when i lose there. . . but with that win, he'll have a better chance passing."
The tunnel stayed quiet. Then Lamia spoke, gently this time. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel like I'm going to suffocate every time there's too many eyes on me," she mumbled.
Ancestor sighed, not knowing what to say. "Just take it slow. . . for now."
.
.
.
.
Kara looks up at Lamia, her silver eyes glassy but clear. "I thought I was getting better. Everything was going so well then. . . and i just bunker that shot."
The brunette sinks forward, forehead resting against her knees. The ground beneath her is damp and cool, seeping through the fabric of her uniform's skirt.
"Maybe this is hopeless. . ."
She stays that way, shoulders rounded, until the only shape she can make out is the dark patch of grass growing flat under her weight.
"One week. Just let the place surprised you, it has a way of doing that. . ."
"Nothing changes, Papa." The thought is heavy as stone, settling in her chest. "I'm still as pathetic as before."
Lamia doesn't move, just watches the way Kara's shoulders hunch like she's trying to shrink into the ground itself. The only sound is the rustle of leaves and the distant call of a bird.
"It's still too early to think that," She says, her voice soft enough to blend with the rustle of leaves. "You said it yourself, didn't you? It won't just vanished overnight."
"Mhn. . ." Kara lifts her head just a little, eyes fixed on the distant line where forest grass dance with the gentle wind.
She pulls her hood up, hiding her face in shadow. "The week's not even halfway done. And here I am... running away, ruining everything we started."
Her gaze goes slack, unfocused. Silver irises glaze over, and for a moment. . . Crimson edges at their corners, faint as a shadow cast by fire.
Lamia opens her mouth to speak—
"KARA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Serina's voice carries the breeze.
The brunette blinked—and the crimson disappear in a heartbeat.
"Kara. . . Come out, please. I brought pastries from the bakery. They're still warm, mostly." The blonde continue, breathless.
"Go to her, " Lamia urge calmly. "She's not angry, she's worried."
With that, her hologram flicker and disappeared.
The grass rustles as Serina stumbled through the undergrowth, finally finding herself in the clearing. When she spots Kara huddled on the ground, her shoulders slump in relief, then soften with worry.
"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." She slows her steps, approaching carefully.
Kara doesn't look up, just keeps her face hidden in her hood. Her shoulders are still tight, like she's bracing for another lecture.
Serina sinks down beside her, not too close, just sitting close enough that their shoulders almost brush.
"Okay, so… they're not completely warm anymore," She admits with a small, shaky laugh. "I may have dropped them once on the way. But I made them extra special, since you seem to like what I bake yesterday."
The blonde reaches into her bag and pulls out a flaky pastry wrap in cloth, holding it out palm-up. "I know you probably don't feel like eating. But… maybe just a little bite? I baked something new today, one with apple filling inside."
Kara's hood shifts slightly. A glimpse of silver eyes peeks out, then quickly ducks back down. But she doesn't pull away when Serina gently sets the pastry in her lap.
"I'm sorry about Seth," the blonde says quietly, picking at a loose thread on her skirt. "He didn't mean it—well, okay, he did mean it, but only because he's real serious about this too. When he gets angry like that… I guess it's just his way of panicking."
She sighs, staring out at the swaying grass. "You know, when I first met him, I thought he was the biggest jerk alive. He told me my Arcana was 'unreliable' and that I'd never make it to the Grand Ascend if I kept relying on copying others."
Serina shook her head with a small smile. "He was right, actually. But he said it like it was a bad thing, like how i do things was not enough. I wanted to punch him so bad."
She leans toward Kara, her head resting over the brunette's. "He's not a bad person, though. Just someone with almost the same dream as me, but the way he do things are sometimes unbearable."
"He's not wrong." Kara finally lifts her head a little, "Unlike you two. . . I'm someone with no dream."
Her fingers find the pastry in her lap, tracing the crinkled cloth wrapping. "I only signed up for the Arcanist Course because it sounded interesting. Like a game I wanted to try out just because I watched countless tournaments on my slate." She lets out a quiet, bitter laugh. "Seth was right about me. . . I picked this on a whim. No grand ambitions, no drive to make it to the Grand Ascend like you both do."
She pulls her knees tighter to her chest, the pastry still untouched. "I should've just gone for the Scholar Course instead. Have a normal, uneventful school life. . ."
'Just I did in my past life. Something i don't want to do again.. but.. if this doesn't happen anymore then.. maybe..'
"I don't even know what I want. And I'm holding you back because of it. . ."
The wind picks up again, sending grass blades dancing around them as Serina watches her, face soft with understanding rather than pity.
The blonde looked up, watching the steady clouds. "Does that even matter?"
Kara turned to her, eyes wide in surprised. Serina meet hers with a smile as she continue.
"I mean, i also join the academy at first because being an Arcanist looks cool. I want to conquer the Grand Ascend because standing in the same battlefield as Davel sounds cool too."
"Of course, there are other reason. But the main thing I chose this path is because I wanted to." She wink at her, "And I always prioritize what i want to do first, I'm that selfish."
The brunette smile weakly, "That's different from me. . . You had it all figured it out, It's like you've never been unsure with your choices."
Serina chuckled, "That's not entire true, there are times when i feel like I don't know what to do either. ." Looking down at her shoes, her legs folded to bring her knees up. "But you know what?"
She push forward, rising to her feet. "Taking one step at a time isn't so bad. If you have nothing, why not fill it in piece by piece? Until the puzzle start to form into one big purpose."
The brunette watched her, expression doubtful. ". . .How will that work?"
Serina reply without a beat, "Start something small, what do you enjoy doing? Dreams don't have to be some grand event, you know." She twirl around, making the hem of her uniform skirt flare out.
The blonde leans forward a little, hands resting casually on her back as she turns to face Kara properly.
"It could be the most simplest things, like leaning to bake a cake! There's no stopping you from doing that, right? Even If it ends in a failure, you still achieve something."
Serina walked up to her slowly, her movements gentle. She settled down in front of Kara, head leans on her hand as their eyes were nearly level.
"So? After finally attending Soulbound Academy. . . What do you wanted to do, Kara?"
The brunette's fingers tighten around the pastry in her lap, crinkling the cloth wrapping. She stares at the ground for a long moment before lifting her head, silver eyes glistening.
'What.. i want..'
The words echo in her head, clear against the quiet thrum of her own heartbeat.
'For so long, I'd answered that question with. .
I don't know.'
What does she want?
'Even when Serina asked me to be partners, part of me had thought maybe this is just what I'm supposed to do. . .'
But now, sitting here with the sun warm on her shoulders and the blonde's gentle gaze on her face, the truth bubbles up from somewhere deep.
'What do i want?'
"I. . . I wanted to make friends. . . Genuinely, I want to form bonds with people again."
"Then, let's make that happen." The blonde smiles softly, a warm, genuine curve of her lips that reaches her blue eyes as she extends a hand toward her.
Sunlight catches in her hair, turning strands of gold to pure light.
"Hi, my name is Serina, just call me Sena for short. Do you want to be my friend, Kara?"
Kara's eyes widen, tears prick at the corners of her eyes, hot and sudden.
She stares at her outstretched hand for a moment, then slowly reaches out to take it. Their fingers wrap together, and for the first time since she ran away, a real smile touches her lips.
"I'd loved to. . ." Her voice cracks.
The blonde pulled her up, blue meeting her silver eyes. "I'll be in your care. . . Partner!"