(by tomorrow i should finish setting traps where novel didn’t ntion because i know it will appear here only)
He rembered which paths the beast was never supposed to take. That was exactly where he placed the traps. If the beast did sothing unexpected—like go off-script—Kael would be ready.
By the ti he finally sat down to rest, his hands were dirty, and his clothes were covered in leaves and mud. But his eyes were sharp, scanning everything.
He had turned the unknown part of the story into his own battlefield.
It was nearly morning now. The sky had started to lighten with the first hints of dawn, casting a soft glow over the tops of the trees. Birds were beginning to chirp faintly in the distance, and a cool breeze brushed against Kael’s face.
His body felt heavy. His arms ached, and his legs were sore from walking, crouching, and working through the night. His eyes were red and half-closed from exhaustion.
"I’ll finish the rest later tonight," he muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes. "Since there are no classes until tomorrow, I should get so rest while I can."
His voice was quiet and rough, worn down by the long night.
Kael stood up, dusted so dirt off his cloak, and looked around the forest one last ti. Then, without wasting another second, he started walking quickly toward the direction of the terminal.
His steps were hurried but clumsy, his tired body fighting to stay upright.
His clothes were ssy—sared with dusts, bits of leaves stuck to his boots, and his hands were still stained from setting traps and working with rope.
His hair was slightly damp with sweat, and he looked more like a lost hunter than a student of Arcadia.
Eventually, he reached the Elaris-to-Arcadia transit terminal.
As soon as Kael stepped out on the other side—back at the Arcadia terminal—he blinked against the morning sun.
His eyes were still half-shut, and he looked ready to collapse into bed.
But just then, soone else stepped out of the terminal at the exact sa ti.
A soft clack of boots echoed beside him.
He turned his head slowly, and his drowsy eyes widened slightly.
It was Cecelia.
Her uniform was perfectly clean, and her expression was calm and beautiful.
(Cecelia?) Kael blinked. (What is she doing out during free ti?)
He stared at her for a mont, but quickly looked away, not wanting to draw attention. His clothes were filthy, and he looked like he’d just crawled out of a ditch—not the kind of state to run into one of the top students.
Kael pulled his hood up a bit and began walking toward the dorms, hoping Cecelia hadn’t noticed him.
Just as Kael tried to slip past unnoticed, a soft voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Kael... is that you?"
His heart skipped for a mont.
He turned around slowly.
Standing just a few steps behind was Cecelia, her gentle eyes narrowing slightly as she took in his appearance. Her tone wasn’t harsh—it was filled with concern.
"You... are you okay?" she asked, walking a bit closer. "Why are your eyes so red? And your clothes—what happened? You look like you rolled in mud."
Kael stiffened for a second, his mind racing.
(Cecelia... Of all people. I can’t let her—or anyone—know what I was actually doing last night.)
He forced a tired smile and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to sound casual.
"I... worked overnight," he said. "At one of the restaurants in Elaris."
Cecelia blinked. "A restaurant?"
"Yeah," Kael nodded quickly, keeping his voice steady. "They were short-staffed, and there were way too many custors. I spent most of the night in the back cleaning, so I got a bit ssy."
He laughed weakly, trying to sell the story.
Cecelia didn’t say anything for a mont. Her eyes lingered on the dirt stains on his shirt and the dried mud on his boots. She looked as if she wanted to ask more—but chose not to push it.
"...I see," she said softly.
(What a pity)
Then she pulled sothing from the bag she was carrying.
"I brought this for you."
Kael looked at it, confused for a mont—then realized what it was.
A freshly folded Academic uniform, neatly pressed and clean and it was new.
"I noticed you didn’t have a second set," Cecelia continued. "You’ve been so focused lately, I thought... you might forget to ask for a replacent."
Kael was caught off guard. His mouth opened slightly, unsure of what to say.
"You didn’t have to..." he started.
"It’s fine," she said with a faint smile. "It’s not much, but you looked like you needed it."
He took the uniform slowly from her hands, feeling the smooth fabric under his fingers. For a mont, he felt a strange warmth rise in his chest. No one had done sothing like this for him in a long ti.
"...Thanks," he said, his voice quieter than before.
She nodded.
"Since today is a holiday," she began, brushing her hair behind her ear, "I ca to ask you sothing."
Kael raised a brow, slightly surprised. "Go ahead."
She looked down for a mont, gathering her courage, then looked up and said softly, "I was wondering if you’d like to go out with ... to Elaris City today."
Kael blinked.
"That’s why I ca to find you," she added quickly. "Only if you’re free, of course! I thought it might be nice to get so fresh air... and maybe explore a bit together."
She paused, noticing the tired look in his eyes and the slight sluggishness in his movents.
"You look exhausted," she said, her tone more concerned. "Here, take this."
She held out an elixir.
"It’ll help with your fatigue. Just drink it."
Kael hesitated for a mont, but then took the bottle gently from her hand.
"...Thanks," he murmured, unscrewing the cap.
The potion was slightly sweet with a refreshing aftertaste. As it went down, he could feel its warmth spread through his chest, clearing the heaviness from his body and mind.
He let out a soft breath. "That helped."
Cecelia smiled, clearly happy he was feeling better. "So... what do you think? Are you free today?"
Kael glanced up at her. Her eyes were full of hope.
He thought for a mont.
(Going out, huh... Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to take a break—just for a while.)
"Today, Elysia went sowhere else, so I ca quickly"
(Cecelia... she’s really too kind.)
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