Teleportation ended without sensation.
One moment the pressure of the domain still clung to my skin—
the next, I stood before the castle doors as if nothing had happened.
A message surfaced in my mind.
[What happened in the negotiation?]
"He's targeting relatives," I replied. "Wants me tied to the academy's security. Protection during war."
[Did you agree?]
"Mostly rejected," I said. "In extreme scenarios, I gave a statement I don't intend to fulfill."
A pause.
[You didn't mean it.]
"No."
[Good. You will be sent to the dungeon again soon.]
"…I forgot about that."
[You should rest. Your vessel is unstable.]
I exhaled slowly. "Let me keep it a little longer."
Silence.
[If you clear two paths next time, the vessel will be yours for the night.]
"And speech?"
[Only with strangers.]
Fair enough.
I turned away from the castle and walked toward the lake.
Night had settled. The academy was quiet—too quiet. Students avoided the open grounds after dusk unless necessary. That made the figure sitting by the bench stand out.
A girl.
Student uniform. Black trim along the edges. Skirt neat. Posture relaxed. She was writing in a diary, legs crossed, pen moving steadily as if the world could not interrupt her.
Black hair. Dark eyes.
Human.
I sat beside her without a word and leaned back, staring at the sky.
My thoughts spiraled.
The more I tried to untangle them, the deeper they sank. Pressure built in my chest—not panic, not fear. Fatigue. Accumulated. Layered.
I wanted to scream.
Nothing came out.
I had screamed before. In places that answered with nothing but echo. Pain had taught me that sound doesn't change reality.
So instead, I raised my hand.
Mana coated my fingers, dipped into the lake, and pulled.
Water rose gently, shaping itself into small figures—light, translucent. Scenes formed.
A pillow fight.
Laughter.
Aeldir's voice on the first day.
A quiet trip before the accident.
Memories I no longer owned, replayed like borrowed light.
When they faded, I let the water scatter into butterflies. They drifted upward, dissolving into mist.
"Childish," the girl said calmly.
Then added, softer, "But happy."
I turned slightly. "Yes."
She closed her diary and looked at me properly now.
"You have water affinity," she observed. "But you don't use it to fight."
"I don't like wasting it."
She smiled faintly and offered her hand.
"I'm—" she hesitated, just for a fraction of a second.
"Seraphine. Just Seraphine."
I took her hand.
"…I'm a student," I replied after a moment. "Kind of."
She laughed quietly. "Same group?"
I nodded.
Her expression brightened, as if that mattered more than it should have.
"You don't look like the others," she said. "But you don't feel dangerous either."
The world softened.
The lake reflected the sky. The pressure eased.
I leaned back—
—and sleep took me.
"Rest well," she whispered, forming a gentle barrier of warmth around the bench.
"You look like you need it."