Mrs. Lira found herself staring at Jae again and caught herself, the heat in her cheeks rising quick and uninvited. Don’t do that, she told herself, a quiet scolding ant to push the thoughts away.
She straightened her back, forcing her shoulders to loosen as the cool night air slid over her skin. It carried the clean scent of pine and damp earth, the sort of sll that could cut through the stale, stone-heavy mustiness clinging to her from the dungeon.
Lantern light from the academy’s carriages cast a soft, golden glow over the clearing, spreading in gentle pools around the clusters of students and teachers gathered outside the dungeon’s entrance.
The flickering flas caught on armor, hair, and the occasional glint of polished weaponry, creating a warm haze against the dark.
Her fingers tightened around the folds of her robe. She felt the coarse weave pressing against her skin, sothing solid to focus on. It grounded her, kept her from letting her gaze linger too long on Jae.
But even with that anchor, her heart had not yet steadied. The earlier thoughts kept slipping back in, how much he had changed since the first day she had t him.
Jae walked on, one arm draped around Elise’s shoulders. He spoke with a kind of energy that seed to draw people closer without him trying. "I hit it with everything, Mana Blade, Gravity Touch, kept slashing until it broke," he said, his free hand gesturing as though he still held the blade.
His torn uniform clung to the sweat on his arms and chest, the fabric pulling slightly with every movent. His eyes shone with the simple, undeniable pride of soone who had done sothing no one else had.
Elise leaned into him, her dark hair catching and holding the lantern light so it glimred like strands of silk. Her eyes held admiration, but there was tension behind it, like she was holding back more than she wanted to say.
Jae’s goal was simple, own this mont. Let everyone see that he had succeeded where others had failed. Yet, even as Elise pressed close, his gaze slid past her.
Tirel, the young fire mage, had drifted nearer. Her wide eyes were fixed on him, unblinking, hanging on every word he spoke.
His lips curved into a small smirk. A new target, he thought, enjoying the pull of her attention even while keeping his arm around Elise.
Elise’s voice slipped in, quiet enough for only him to hear. "Can I co to your room tonight?" Her fingers brushed his arm, light and deliberate, her tone carrying sothing fragile beneath it.
The smirk faltered. Guilt pinched tight in his chest. "I’m with Yuna tonight," he said, keeping his voice gentle but leaving no room for doubt.
Her smile didn’t hold. The brightness in her eyes dimd, and her shoulders lowered a fraction. "Okay." The word ca out small, as though she was speaking to herself more than to him. Her fingers curled into the hem of her sleeve.
He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and a kiss before she stepped back, disappearing into the safety of the crowd. The cool night air brushed her face, cooling the warmth still lingering there, and her steps slowed as she folded inward.
That night, Jae’s dorm felt different. It was warm and close, more like a private den than a simple room. The air carried a faint spice from worn leather, mixed with the earthy sll of his exploration clothes.
Shadows moved lazily across the stone walls, stirred by the soft, flickering glow of a single light crystal set in the corner.
Yuna stood at the center, slipping the shadow cloak from her shoulders. It fell in a dark pool around her feet, the heavy fabric swallowing what light touched it.
She crossed to his bed and sat down, the mattress dipping under her weight. The sound of the shift in the bedding was loud in the quiet. Her hair hung loose and bright, catching the crystal’s glow so it seed to shine in threads of gold.
Jae stayed by the door, his boots scuffing softly against the stone. He couldn’t seem to look away from her. His heart gave a heavier beat.
He had fought for hours in the dungeon, but this mont carried its own kind of tension. Her face was as delicate as porcelain, frad by the fall of her hair.
Her fitted tunic hugged her in a way that drew his eyes before he could stop them. His hands itched to close the distance, but he leaned against the doorfra instead, letting himself take her in.
She glanced up at him. Her lips parted, brushing lightly against her teeth before curving into a small pout. "You’ve been an to ," she said, her tone playful but carrying an edge he didn’t miss.
His brow furrowed. "How?" He took a step forward, the cold from the stone floor seeping up through his boots.
"You barely pay attention to ." Her voice softened. "And you flirt with other girls." She smoothed a fold in the blanket, her eyes lowered.
He let a small grin pull at his lips, folding his arms loosely across his chest. "They flirt with ," he said, making it sound like the most natural thing in the world. Still, mories flickered, Elise leaning against him, Tirel’s intense gaze, and even Mrs. Lira’s blush in the lantern light.
"That doesn’t make it better." A faint blush touched her cheeks, her gaze sharpening on him.
He stepped closer, and his shadow stretched across her. "You jealous?" His voice dipped low, not accusing but faintly amused.
Her chin tilted up. "I’m not jealous." The words ca quick, but her eyes didn’t match the certainty in her tone. "Even though you went into that cave with Elise and wouldn’t with ."
His grin softened. "I wanted our first ti to be special," he said, the thought weighed down by the mories of the chaos inside that dungeon.
Her arms loosened, her hands stilling on the blanket. Then she stood up. "Being with you is already special." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the way she looked at him stole the last of the tension between them.
Sothing in the air shifted. The edge in her tone had faded, replaced by sothing more open and certain. He stopped a step away from her, his voice dropping lower. "What do you want?"
"I want you." The words ca without hesitation, steady and clear.
That was all it took for him to move. He closed the space between them, his hands coming to rest on either side of her, caging her in without trapping her.
His kiss was slow, deliberate, the kind you don’t rush. Her hands rose at once, pulling him closer, their lips pressing together harder.
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