Chapter 256
An unseen gaze seemed to slowly sweep over every detail of the scene, recording it without judgment.
It caught how the shy rays of dawn brushed against the tips of Theo's fingers dangling at the side of the bed, as if trying to wake him but lacking the heart to do so.
It noted the long shadows formed by stacks of books and electronic devices in the corner of the room, shaping strange silhouettes that danced silently in the strengthening light.
The atmosphere hanging in the air felt heavy with productive silence, as though this room were a laboratory where newly forged dreams were being cooled before release into the real world.
A world had stopped turning, or perhaps had just finished being created.
This calm was not emptiness, but abundance that had reached its peak and then settled, like stardust after a supernova's explosion.
And at the center of it all, the architect himself remained asleep, unaware that he was the focal point of this orbit of silence.
"Just a little… it feels like the world on the left side is calmer."
"Not to the left… it's cold… stay here."
In the dim quiet of dawn, Theo Vkytor's body slowly began to shift.
At first he lay flat on his back like an abandoned statue, both arms stretched out helplessly at his sides, the deep and steady rhythm of his snoring still the only marker of time in the room.
Yet the muscles beneath his tired skin began to stir, sending subtle signals along his spine.
Unconsciously, the instinct to seek a more comfortable position urged his left shoulder to press into the mattress, initiating a slow rolling motion to transfer his entire weight to the left side.
That half-aware movement had not yet reached even a ten-degree angle when a soft sound was heard.
Not words, but a brief murmur laden with meaning, emerging from somewhere near his chest.
It was a subtle vibration instantly recognized by his subconscious, a signal more effective than any alarm.
It was a protest, and at the same time a warning, a veto delivered in a sulking yet firm tone.
That sound conveyed an absolute disapproval of Theo's intention to turn away.
In response to that sound, and to Theo's continuing movement, another presence on the bed began to move as well.
From beneath the blanket and the darkness, there first appeared a crown of white hair, as pure as first snow, faintly gleaming as the creeping dawnlight grew stronger.
The hair fell long and disheveled, spreading across the pillow and part of Theo's chest and lips.
Then, the entire body of a girl was slowly revealed.
She, who had been pressed tightly against Theo's chest as if she were part of his heartbeat itself, began to roll with a motion that was anything but stiff—on the contrary, it appeared natural and deeply familiar.
Her movement followed the direction of Theo's turn with perfect precision, like two celestial bodies bound by the same gravity.
She maintained that physical contact without interruption, not even for a moment.
Her cheek remained pressed against the chest that was now beginning to tilt, her arms that had already been wrapped around Theo tightening their grip, and her slender form effortlessly adjusting to the new curves and angles shaped by Theo's body.
At last, their new position locked into place.
Theo now lay on his left side, but not alone.
In front of him, the white-haired girl clung like a faithful shadow, her face buried in the hollow of Theo's neck and shoulder, both arms wrapped firmly around him from the front with undeniable possessiveness.
Though Theo's body was now slightly tilted, the girl remained a living support and anchor, a warm weight that prevented him from moving any farther.
Within that unspoken embrace, another small sigh was heard, this time filled with satisfaction, before silence once again enveloped the room—deeper and more peaceful than before.
"My cheek isn't candy… and it's definitely not a snack."
In the calm of the room still bathed in dawnlight, the white-haired girl embracing Theo was Aldraya Kansh Que.
Her existence on the bed was not an ordinary presence.
She was the manifestation of a great transformation.
Several days earlier, she had undergone a profound fusion with the essence of TKNA, a process that completely eroded her former form while preserving the core of her existence.
From the ruins of collapsed dogma, from the ashes of betrayal and blind faith she had once made into her philosophy of life, there now emerged a desire that was simple yet powerful.
The desire to always draw close to Theo.
He was the samurai who, with the cruel blade of his truth, had illuminated Aldraya's inner path, shining light into the darkness and errors she had long mistaken for illumination.
Now, that physical closeness was the simplest translation of gratitude, dependence, and an acknowledgment that she had found a new center of gravity in her newly born personal universe.
The bombing incident and acts of terror she had committed earlier had set unavoidable consequences into motion.
Her position as a teacher at the Star Academy was officially revoked, though in a manner that still respected her past service.
Yet behind that disciplinary action, the Head of the Star Academy saw further ahead.
His sharp eyes perceived the pure potential still glowing within Aldraya, potential as an extraordinary Human Change.
There was a hidden fear that if Aldraya were completely cast out, she would easily be welcomed by rival institutions elsewhere, turning her newfound power into a weapon against the academy she had once served.
Thus, as both a strategic consideration and an act of cold mercy, the Head of the Academy granted conditional forgiveness.
Aldraya was allowed to remain within the academy's walls, but her once-noble status had fallen away.
From a respected instructor, she was now reduced to the same standing as the students she had once taught, required to submit to the same rules and to occupy a far lower position within the academy's social hierarchy.
When the decision to strip her of her position was decreed, its practical consequences struck immediately.
The female teachers' dormitory, which had once been her refuge and a symbol of her status, promptly closed its doors.
Its residents and administrators, perhaps driven by fear, suspicion, or mere blind obedience to regulations, firmly expelled Aldraya.
In that very moment, she was no longer a colleague, no longer a figure of authority.
She became an outsider, a former presence, deemed no longer suitable for an environment reserved for educators.
That expulsion was a second blow after the fall of her dignity, a brutal reminder that the outside world—even within the orderly confines of an academic institution—does not easily forget or forgive.
In the quiet despair following her expulsion from the teachers' dormitory, the grand corridors of the Star Academy felt like a labyrinth without an exit to Aldraya.
The night wind coursing through the empty hallways felt sharper than usual, haunting her as she stood with nothing but the clothes on her body and anxiety in her chest.
Theo was the only coordinate left on the map of her now-chaotic world.
With steps burdened by hesitation yet driven by the most primal need—for shelter—she went to Theo.
Her question was straightforward, sounding fragile in the still air.
Was there a space, no matter how small, that she could inhabit?
A temporary place to stay until she could prove herself, until she could reclaim the title of "teacher" she had lost—not merely as a position, but as an identity and a form of redemption.
To be continued…