Life had beco a relentless gauntlet of misery. Every morning, the sun mocked with its cheerful rise, as if daring to survive another day. School, followed by the nightmare of training with her Seraphis, the tyrant masquerading as an instructor. My body ached, my mind reeled, and my soul yearned for one thing: a break.
This morning was no different. I lay in bed, staring at the ornate ceiling of my room in Enara's castle, my mind sluggish from exhaustion. But even in my groggy state, I noticed sothing odd: Ananara was missing. Again.
That arrogant pineapple had been sneaking off during the nights recently, returning just in ti for breakfast with so vague excuse or another. I had long stopped questioning it; dealing with him was exhausting at the best of tis. Still, his absence sparked an idea one so ridiculous it just might work.
With a surge of hope, I sat up, brushing my mismatched hair out of my face. "System," I called out ntally, trying to keep the desperation from leaking into my tone.
[Yes, Host? What is it this ti?] The system's voice dripped with casual indifference, like it had better things to do than humor .
"Do you have so sort of... skill? A way to make seem sick so I can skip school today?" I asked, clasping my hands in silent prayer.
For a mont, there was only silence, and then was that laughter? The system was laughing at .
[Host, you never fail to amuse . You're asking to fake illness? Truly, your ingenuity knows no bounds.]
"Just answer the question!" I hissed, glancing at the door to make sure no one overheard yelling at what appeared to be thin air.
[Very well. I do, in fact, have a skill that can simulate symptoms of illness. Phantom Plague: it mimics fever, pallor, and fatigue. Completely harmless but quite convincing.]
"That's perfect!" I grinned. "Activate it!"
[Ah, ah, Host. Not so fast. Using this skill will cost you 50 mana, and you'll only be able to maintain the illusion for a few hours. Are you sure this is worth it?]
"Yes! A hundred tis yes!" I practically shouted.
[As you wish.]
The mont the skill activated, a wave of warmth flushed through , followed by a bone-deep lethargy. I stumbled to the mirror and inspected myself. My complexion had paled, beads of sweat dotted my forehead, and my eyes looked sunken.
"Wow," I murmured. "I actually look like death."
[Thank you, Host. I aim to please.]
Now ca the tricky part selling the act. As footsteps echoed down the hall, I hurriedly slumped back into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. Monts later, Enara burst into the room, her usual commanding presence making the walls feel smaller.
"Liria, get up! We're going to be late again, and I refuse to give that smug professor another reason to scold us."
I let out a weak groan, turning my head to face her. "I... don't think I can go today, Enara," I croaked.
Her midnight eyes narrowed, suspicion dancing across her face. "What are you talking about? You were fine yesterday."
"I don't know." I coughed pathetically for emphasis. "I think I might've caught sothing. I feel awful."
Enara leaned closer, inspecting like a jewel appraiser. For a terrifying mont, I thought she might see through the ruse. But then her frown deepened, and she stepped back.
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"You do look terrible," she admitted. "Stay here. I'll send soone to fetch the healer."
"No!" I blurted, panic flaring in my chest. "I just need rest. A healer would be a waste of their ti."
Enara arched an eyebrow but seed to accept my protest. "Fine. But if you're not better by tonight, I'm dragging you to the infirmary myself."
After Enara left, I let out a sigh of relief. The system's skill was holding up brilliantly. I spent the morning tucked in bed, occasionally coughing or groaning loud enough for anyone passing by to hear.
Ananara finally made an appearance during breakfast, perched on my bedside table with his usual air of disdain.
"You look even more pathetic than usual," he remarked. "What's this charade about?"
"I'm skipping school," I whispered, shooting him a warning glare. "And you're not going to ruin it."
"Relax, I don't care what idiotic gas you play," he replied, his leaves twitching dismissively. "Just don't expect to cover for you."
"So familiar you are," I muttered.
Just when I thought I'd pulled off the perfect scam, there was a knock at the door. Before I could respond, it opened to reveal Seraphis.
My heart plumted.
"Playing hooky, are we?" she said, her tone dangerously pleasant.
"I'm sick," I rasped, clutching the blankets tighter around .
Seraphis strode into the room, her spear resting against her shoulder. "You think I don't know when one of my students is faking it? Your little magic trick doesn't fool ."
I shot a ntal glare at the system. "You said this would work!"
[It did. Against normal observers. Seraphis is anything but.]
"Get up," Seraphis ordered, her golden eyes narrowing. "We're going to the training grounds. If you have enough energy to concoct sches, you have enough to spar."
My groan was genuine this ti.
"Worst. Day. Ever," I muttered, dragging myself out of bed as Ananara chuckled in the corner.
Before I could fully process the misery of being dragged to the training grounds, the door opened again this ti revealing Daena in all her imposing glory. Her obsidian skin shimred faintly, the silver flecks catching the light, and her massive horns curved with an air of regal nace. She looked at Seraphis, then at , her glowing violet eyes narrowing slightly.
"Seraphis," Daena said coolly, her voice like velvet over steel. "What are you doing here?"
"Ensuring my student doesn't shirk her responsibilities," Seraphis replied, crossing her arms and fixing Daena with a look that could shatter glass.
"She's been working hard," Daena countered, stepping fully into the room and positioning herself slightly in front of . "Liria has undergone rigorous training sessions every day this week. Surely you can grant her a day to recover?"
Seraphis's golden eyes flickered with annoyance. "Hardly rigorous. The girl has potential, yes, but she's far from reaching her limits. You, of all people, should understand the necessity of discipline."
Daena's tail swished behind her, a subtle but telling sign of her irritation. "Discipline is one thing. Overworking is another. I won't have her collapse from exhaustion because you can't manage your expectations."
My gaze ping-ponged between them like a spectator at a tennis match. The tension in the room was palpable, and I half-expected the air to crackle with lightning at any mont.
"Are you questioning my teaching thods?" Seraphis asked, her tone deceptively calm.
"Not questioning," Daena replied with a small, cutting smile. "Stating."
Seraphis stepped closer, her tall, muscular fra radiating restrained fury. "Careful, Daena. Your personal biases are showing."
"And yours aren't?" Daena shot back, her wings flaring slightly. "You've always had a tendency to push too hard, Seraphis. Not everyone can thrive under your... particular thods."
I blinked, realizing I was witnessing sothing much deeper than a disagreent about my training schedule. Their words were laced with more than just frustration; there was a history here, one steeped in bitterness and unresolved anger.
"Let guess," Seraphis said with a mocking edge. "You think I'm taking my frustration out on her because of what happened between us? Don't flatter yourself."
Daena's expression didn't waver, but her voice dipped into a lower, more dangerous register. "This isn't about us. It's about Liria. She needs ti to rest, and I'll make sure she gets it."
Before Seraphis could respond, I cleared my throat, feeling increasingly like collateral damage in their war of words. "Um, not to interrupt your... whatever this is, but can I just stay here today? I promise I'll make it up later."
Seraphis turned her fiery gaze on , and for a mont, I thought she might drag out of bed anyway. But then she sighed, stepping back. "Fine. Rest today, but don't think this gets you out of training tomorrow."
She turned on her heel, her spear glinting as she marched out of the room. The tension didn't leave with her; it lingered like smoke, thick and suffocating.
Daena's shoulders relaxed slightly, and she turned to , her expression softening. "Are you alright, child?"
"Peachy," I muttered, flopping back onto the bed. "But thanks for that. I thought she was going to throw into the training pit."
"She might have," Daena said with a faint smile. "She's always been... relentless."
I sat up slightly, my curiosity outweighing my exhaustion. "Relentless, sure. But it's not just that, is it?"
Daena's violet eyes flickered to mine, a hint of wariness breaking through her usual composure. "What do you an, child?"
I shrugged, trying to keep my tone light despite the weight of what I was about to say. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it has sothing to do with the whole betrayal thing? You know, the one Enara ntioned and you confird."
Her expression tightened, her jaw clenching just enough for to notice. "That's a matter long buried, Liria."
"Is it, though?" I pressed, emboldened by the rare opportunity to get under Daena's skin. "Because it doesn't seem like either of you has really moved on. The way you two were going at it just now, I half-expected soone to start throwing punches. Or spears."
Daena's wings twitched slightly, a telltale sign of her irritation. "Seraphis and I have... unresolved issues. But that's none of your concern."
"Maybe not," I said, leaning back against the headboard. "But it's hard to ignore when those 'issues' keep spilling over into my life. Like, I get it love, betrayal, dramatic speeches but could you two not drag into your soap opera?"
Daena's lips twitched, as though she were suppressing a smile. "You have a remarkable talent for testing my patience, child."
"Must be all the relentless training," I quipped.
She huffed softly, shaking her head. "Rest, Liria. We'll deal with Seraphis and everything else in due ti."
As she left, I couldn't help but wonder how much of that "everything else" had to do with .
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