Maya’s POV :- (So Scene may be different from the cannon one since this past is about the reseted tiline Maya, in the OG tiline not the novel timline but In Lyrium’s tiline Maya didn’t exist)
*****
Today... today was one of the most exciting days of the year.
Freshman admission, the Obelisk Trials, the physical assessnts... the whole academy buzzing with energy.
Every corner of the campus seed alive, students rushing, practicing, testing their skills, the air practically humming with mana.
I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.
New faces, new talent... the next generation of elental sages was arriving.
So of them would be strong, maybe even stronger than anyone we’ve seen before.
So would have powers we’ve only read about in the ancient records.
The thought made my chest tighten with anticipation.
I an, who wouldn’t want to see the future of our world unfolding right in front of them?
And then... I saw him.
It was like the world slowed down for a fraction of a second.
White hair that shimred almost like sunlight on snow, tall, slim, and his presence... there was sothing about him that drew my eyes instantly.
I don’t even rember his na at first, I just rember feeling my heart skip a beat, that strange pull like I had known him sowhere, sohow, long before.
His crimson eyes, yes, they were blood-red, looked calm, yet sothing fierce glimred beneath them.
And his posture... he walked with this quiet confidence, the kind that made people notice him without even trying.
I swear, I could feel it... like the air around him just shifted, pulling everyone’s attention toward him.
And ? I... I don’t know. I just... I couldn’t look away.
Love at first sight? Maybe.
But it wasn’t just his appearance... it was sothing deeper, sothing about him that made want to know him, to understand him, to be close to him.
For a mont, I just stood there, heart hamring in my chest, completely forgetting the chaos of the day.
New students, trials, assessnts... none of that mattered.
All I could see was him.
And in that instant... I knew my life was about to get a lot more complicated.
Just as I was still staring, completely lost in my thoughts, the faint sound of footsteps echoed behind . I turned slightly and saw... Rihana.
Her usual composed expression was there, but there was sothing in her eyes, a tiny smirk, the kind that imdiately made feel like she knew exactly what I was thinking.
"You’re... giggling,"
She said calmly, almost teasingly, tilting her head just enough for to feel exposed.
I froze.
"W-What? No, I’m not—"
"Mm-hm,"
He interrupted, voice smooth, almost amused.
"Sure, Maya. You’re not staring at him, completely srized, with that ridiculous little smile on your face."
I felt my cheeks burning.
"I-I’m not! I just... he’s... different! I’ve never seen anyone like him before!"
Rihana chuckled softly, crossing her arms.
"Different, huh? Interesting choice of words. You do know who he is, right?"
I blinked at her, confusion written all over my face.
"Uh... not really. I an... I just saw him for the first ti. He’s... incredible, but I don’t even know his na."
Rihana’s smirk widened.
"Maya... that’s my little brother you’re looking at."
My eyes nearly popped out.
"W-What? Your little brother?!"
"Yes,"
She said, her tone calm but with a faint teasing lilt.
"Lyrium. And judging by that smile, I can tell you’ve... taken quite a liking to him."
I scrambled to cover my face, heart hamring in my chest.
"I-I didn’t an, I didn’t even know! I an... love at first sight or whatever, it’s... it’s nothing!"
Rihana’s chuckle turned into a soft laugh.
"Maya... love at first sight, huh? Well... that explains a lot. Just... rember who he is. He’s my brother, so don’t go overboard, alright?"
I swallowed nervously, my mind racing.
"Y-Yeah... I... I’ll... try."
Rihana’s eyes twinkled faintly.
"Good. Just... don’t faint or scream when he looks your way, alright? That could get ssy."
I could barely nod, still flustered, watching Lyrium from across the hall.
My heart wasn’t listening to reason, it had already made its choice.
*****
The Obelisk Trial had already started, and one by one, the freshn demonstrated their abilities.
Fire blazed, water surged, wind whipped, each display precise, controlled.
I watched intently, my excitent building as new elental sages stepped forward.
Then... it was his turn.
Lyrium stepped into the arena, tall and striking as ever, white hair glinting under the light.
His crimson eyes scanned the Obelisk, a flicker of determination crossing his face.
My heart thumped, I couldn’t look away.
He raised his hands and summoned his elent... lightning. But sothing about the way it crackled and sparked looked slightly off.
His movents weren’t perfectly smooth, not like the other students who had practiced endlessly.
There were hesitations, slight misfires, a tension in his stance as if he were wrestling with the power rather than commanding it.
And then... it happened.
From him, out of nowhere, dark matter began to seep and swirl.
It wasn’t lightning, this was sothing else entirely.
Thick, shadowy tendrils of energy ford around his arms, almost alive, twisting unpredictably.
The crowd gasped, stepping back instinctively, and the instructors leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
It was raw, chaotic, and dangerous, but controlled enough not to spiral out of his command entirely.
My chest tightened, my pulse racing as I realized... this wasn’t just elental energy.
It was sothing else, sothing anomalous, sothing that shouldn’t exist.
Lyrium’s lightning flashed alongside the dark energy, sparks scattering, arcs clashing with shadows in ways I couldn’t comprehend.
The Obelisk trembled slightly under the force, and a hush fell over the audience.
I gripped the edge of my seat, wide-eyed.
"What... what is that?!"
I whispered, almost unable to breathe.
"I’ve never... never seen anything like this before..."
Even in the chaos, there was a strange beauty to it.
The lightning that was imperfect, erratic, and the dark energy that shouldn’t exist... together, forming sothing powerful and terrifying.
And he... he was the center of it all, completely unaware of how much it drew every eye toward him.
From that mont on, I knew: he wasn’t like anyone else.
The academy would never feel ordinary again.
And for ... my heart had already been stolen.
*****
The hallway was packed, students cramd shoulder to shoulder, so standing on tiptoe, others craning their necks just to get a glimpse.
The giant LED panel on the wall stread the live broadcast from the arena: Lyrium’s match.
The arena itself was huge, but even on the screen it felt suffocating.
There he was, Lyrium, facing off against one of the most powerful professors of Deviants Academy.
A man known for crushing arrogant first-years and reminding them of their place.
I leaned forward, my heart pounding.
The fight began.
The professor’s strikes were brutal, calculated, and impossibly fast.
Lyrium dodged the first blow, barely.
Sparks of his lightning flickered around him as he tried to retaliate, but his movents were ragged, not perfectly honed like a veteran’s.
Crack.
A shockwave rippled across the arena floor, dust flying.
Lyrium stumbled but stayed on his feet.
"He’s... he’s holding on."
Soone whispered behind .
The professor pressed harder, summoning a massive burst of energy that split the ground.
Lyrium countered with his lightning again, erratic, imperfect, but desperate.
It lashed at the professor, exploding against his barrier.
The crowd gasped at the impact.
I bit my lip.
He’s getting overwheld... but he’s still... still standing.
Blow after blow landed on him.
He skidded back, his knees buckling, his uniform torn and scorched.
Another strike, and he slamd into the arena wall.
For a heartbeat, the crowd went silent.
Then he pushed himself up.
Slowly.
Painfully.
His hands trembled, blood dripping from his lip, yet his eyes burned with defiance.
"He’s not giving up..."
I murmured under my breath, my chest tightening.
"Why isn’t he giving up...?"
The professor’s expression shifted, just slightly, from arrogance to interest.
Lyrium charged again, this ti faster than before, lightning crackling wildly around him.
It wasn’t a perfect technique, it wasn’t clean, but it was raw, unyielding willpower made visible.
Beside , soone shifted.
I turned and realized, Margaret Windsor, the Ice Princess herself, was standing only a few steps away.
She wasn’t watching the professor.
Her sharp, elegant eyes were fixed entirely on Lyrium.
And then... they flicked to .
For a split second, our eyes t.
Margaret Windsor, perfect posture, perfect hair, perfect everything, was glaring at .
Her gaze was cool, unreadable, but it carried sothing heavy.
I looked away quickly, my stomach twisting.
Why is she... staring at like that?
Back on the screen, Lyrium took another blow, his body trembling as he rose once again.
Bruised, battered, but never bowing.
My fists clenched at my sides.
This boy... this boy won’t stop.
Even against soone that strong.
And in that mont, I realized sothing.
He wasn’t just strong.
He was dangerous, not because of his power, but because of that relentless will.
The kind of will that made people watch, hold their breath, and forget to blink.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Margaret Windsor’s eyes never left him.
*****
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