The chill breeze caresses Olivia’s skin, although it’s effect was cold, but every touch was like a sting in her.
She grimaced at every step, the open wound on her leg gushed out more blood whenever her feet touched the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
Her hand tightened around the core in her pocket. She dragged herself towards the direction of the dorm.
As she walked further, she saw the disdainful look on the other students’ gaze. Her mind beca foggy with different thoughts, their faces distorting in her eyes.
She shook her head to clear her mind. The world seems to tilt before becoming normal again. The ground deepened as if soone had just dug a hole in a matter of seconds.
Her leg hung midair, inches away from the ground, she shook her head again. But everything beca more distorted, and she could hear weird noises echoing inside her head.
She held her head with both of her hands, groaning in pain, her knees buckled to the ground.
She wanted to cry for help, her lips parted, but no words ca out.
Her body slowly gave out, collapsing onto the cold stone path.
Her vision blurred into patches of light and darkness. She could hear footsteps rushing toward her, but she couldn’t lift her head.
A faint silhouette appeared in her dimming sight — soone with silver white hair, approaching her.
She blinked weakly, trying to see who it was.
’Lucian?’ she thought.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see the face clearly. Only the glimr of silver hair dancing against the breeze.
A low voice said sothing she couldn’t hear. Then warm arms lifted her gently off the ground.
That was the last thing she rembered before everything went black.
...
When Olivia opened her eyes again, the room around her was dimly lit. The air slled faintly of herbs and dicine.
She groaned quietly, her body heavy like stone. "Lucian..." she muttered weakly.
Her heart fluttered with hope, was he the one who had saved her?
But when her vision cleared, she froze. Hovering over her was not Lucian, It was soone else.
A man with short dark hair, strong features, and piercing blue eyes. His broad fra blocked out part of the weak light above.
It was Stefan Danmonwalk.
Olivia’s body tensed instantly. Her fingers clutched the blanket beneath her. Her instincts scread at her to be careful.
What did he want with her? Her mind began to search for ways to escape from him.
"What... are you doing here?" her voice croaked.
Stefan looked down at her, calm as ever, and offered a small, non-threatening smile.
"Relax. I’m not here to hurt you," he said simply.
She didn’t believe him. Her heart hamred painfully against her ribs. Why would Stefan of all people be tending to her?
"You passed out near the training grounds," he explained, wiping her forehead with a cold cloth.
"Lucian found you. He brought you here."
At the ntion of Lucian’s na, Olivia’s muscles slowly relaxed. She let out a shaky breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.
"Lucian..." she whispered.
"Yes," Stefan said. "He couldn’t stay long. He went to find soone with better healing abilities. You needed more help than I could offer."
Olivia swallowed hard, nodding weakly.
If Lucian was involved, maybe she wasn’t in as much danger as she thought.
Still, she kept her guard up. Stefan Danmonwalk was not soone she could afford to trust easily.
As he finished tending to her wounds, he sat down beside the bed, studying her quietly.
After a few monts of silence, he spoke again.
"I have a proposal for you."
Olivia narrowed her eyes. "What kind of proposal?"
Stefan leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. His voice was low but steady.
"I saw you fight that monster. You have potential. Raw potential, but you’re reckless, sloppy, and... emotional."
Olivia’s fists clenched weakly by her side.
He continued, "You need soone to shape you properly. To train you to survive in this world."
"And let guess," Olivia said bitterly, "you want to be that soone?"
A slight smirk tugged at the corner of Stefan’s lips.
"Smart girl."
She turned her face away, staring at the cracked ceiling.
"Why would you want to train ?" she asked, suspicion lacing her voice.
"Because," Stefan said simply, "I don’t like wasting resources. And I don’t like watching idiots die when they could be useful."
He stood up, towering over her frail form.
"If you agree to beco my student, I’ll train you properly. I’ll make sure you survive the next ti you’re thrown into a pit with sothing twice as dangerous."
"And if I say no?" she asked, eting his gaze.
He shrugged. "Then you can keep wandering around like a headless chicken until sothing eventually kills you."
Olivia bit her lip, her mind spinning.
Trusting Stefan felt dangerous. But not having any allies at all... felt even more dangerous now.
She had no family. Yes, she had chosen to consider herself as an orphan. She would no longer crave for feelings she couldn’t get.
However, Lucian had proved to be more reliable than anyone else, he had been trying to help her in his own way, but he couldn’t always be there.
Maybe... just maybe... she needed soone brutal enough to shape her into sothing more.
"I need ti to think," she said, her voice hoarse.
"You have until tomorrow," Stefan said, turning to leave. "After that, the offer expires."
He paused at the door.
"And Olivia," he said without looking back, "don’t waste this chance. You won’t get another."
The door creaked shut behind him, leaving her alone in the dim silence.
Olivia turned her head, staring at the red core resting beside her on the small table.
It pulsed with a faint glow, a reminder of what she had fought for, and what she had lost.
She closed her eyes, exhaustion pulling at her. ’If I want to survive,’ she thought grimly, ’I need to beco stronger.’
No more running. No more depending on luck. Tomorrow, she will decide.
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