"My lady, please stop thi-"
A desperate voice called out in hopes of calming down someone, only to be quickly silenced as a glass object was thrown at the side of her head. The maid in question quickly covered her face in fear of being hurt with the object, or suffering any scars from it's flying debris. A scream of rage soon followed after, causing the lone maid in the room to stiffened up in fear.
"How….DARE that peasant…!"
Elise's teeth ground together in anger and hatred as she thought back to the last words she heard from Zain before passing out.
"I don't think I'm above you. I am above you."
A vein formed on her head, just as she was about to smash another object in her room before her arm was held back by someone else. Her body swiftly turned to see who stopped her lively expression of hatred, only to quickly stop in her tracks.
"Father…."
"What's with all this noise? The maids are all disturbed." Elise's father stood in the center of her large room before inspecting everything. Torn curtains, a destroyed bed and pillows. Smashed furniture and vases, along with the ragged breathing of his daughter. He glared down at her before tossing her arm to the side and walking away.
"Come down for dinner...we need to have a talk." Elise lost most of the color in her face after hearing that. Unlike most families, the Wintry's never really had dinner together, unless they had to discuss something concerning the family. And Elise had no doubt in her mind that what they were about to talk about, was her complete defeat at the hands of Zain.
The air was silent to the point you could hear a pea drop to the floor. Maids and butlers adorned the wall, standing straight and formal with tightly knit lips, so as to not speak or even utter a word. Some even forgot to breathe a bit. The head of the household, Elise's father slowly cut into his meal, eating with dignity and grace as Elise sat across from him, only being able to stare down at her food.
"What's the matter dear? If you don't eat, your food will get cold soon…" Elise's mother voiced her worry at her daughter as she sat next to her husband, but before anything else could be said, her father spoke up.
"You attempted to enter the advanced classes today, correct? You passed the first test without issue, however for the second, I hear that you lost…" Bluntly, and without easing into it, her father exposed her in one swift motion. Her eyes opened in a mix of terror and anger as her mother looked towards her husband in shock.
"What? Elise what is your father talking about?"
Elise sat in silence after being cornered by both her parents. Her eyes rose up, only to meet the cold and stern glare of her father.
"Go on. I'd be delighted to know how it is you lost. And where you went wrong."
Her head lowered more as she grit her teeth before responding to his answer.
"I fought a black mage!"
Her father stopped eating for a moment, his hand being brought to a pause as he looked at Elise. He then sighed before putting his fork down.
"A black mage hm…? And here I was told you lost to a commoner of all things. If what you say is true then it's only natural you lost. I thought there was only one other person you would ever lose too in that school, but to think there's another…"
Elise let loose a slight sigh as felt somewhat relieved.
"Even so a loss is a loss. What a disappointment you are."
Yet, the final comment given to her by her father only made her grip the table cloth in anguish. The rest of the meal happened in silence before finally everyone left for their bedrooms.
Elise had found herself walking down a long hallway to one of her many spare bedrooms, after destroying her main one earlier. As she moved down the pathway her footsteps echoed through the hall as her shadow crawled along the floor, brought to life from the glow of the crescent moon above her. Her movement stopped as her fist clenched tightly, and two voices flowed into her head.
"I am above you." "What a disappointment you are."
Over and over they repeated in her head, reminding her of her failure. Her first ever failure, since becoming a mage. Her head rose as her eyes glared at the natural source of light that hung in the starry night sky.
"Mark my words...I will have my vengeance upon you, lowlife scum! Rest while you can tonight, for I will inflict pain on you that will leave you waking up in a cold sweat!"
As she walked the night halls the princess had sworn vengeance upon Zain, setting her sights on avenging her failure at his hands.
"I can't sleep…."
Zain sat in his pitch black room, only allowing the moon above him to be his light source. He sat near his window sill while looking at the outside world before turning around.
"I'm used to sleeping in rough terrains while constantly keeping an ear out for even the slightest noise...yet here I have a soft pillow, warm blankets and a comfortable bed. It's throwing off my senses. Hell even outside is too damn quiet for me…"
The future Zain came from can be described in a single word. Warzone. A constant state of suffering and battle, forcing one to condition themselves to accept everything uncomfortable in order to survive. However, after returning to the past where everything is still peaceful, his body was still on edge as he trained it to be. One mistake in the future could cost you your life.
Yet here, people spent their days in peace, having normal days without much to worry about. Even though his mind knew he could relax, his body wouldn't allow him, for fear of being attacked in his sleep by a stray demonic beast. Of course, they weren't as common at this point in time as they would be in the future. Yet, with a sigh, Zain reluctantly laid down on the cold floor of his room before looking to the ceiling.
"Well whatever the case, I need to sleep somehow…"
The cold hard floor was the only thing Zain found comfortable, and soon after, he finally found the rest he desired.