Eliz's final semester at the university drew near, and the promise of freedom painted a smile across her lips.
The days of endless lectures, dimly lit dorm rooms, and the heavy burden of assignments were drawing to a close, soon she'd be leaving the hell hole others would refer to as home; and her dreams would come to life.
Her gaze danced across the classroom, alighting upon the empty chairs nestled in the shadowy recesses of the back corner.
A whimsical notion whispered through her thoughts, teasing her with the prospect of kindling new connections during this final year.
Yet, like a fleeting breeze, that notion scattered. Eliz was no stranger to the treacherous terrain of camaraderie, where even the most promising bonds could unravel into the worst dramas.
It was a storm she had no desire to weather again.
As she nestled into her seat, Eliz's lips moved in a hushed murmur.
"Timing is key,"
she breathed, the words a soft mantra that had steered her life's course, a reminder of the ebb and flow that shaped her choices.
As Professor Alvis strode into the lecture hall, a hush fell over the room. His presence commanded attention, a testament to his innate charisma.
Dressed in a tailored-fit beige trouser, a white collared shirt neatly tucked in, and the brown pleated sweater vest that complemented his appearance in the sunlit room.
His eyes, a mesmerizing shade of honey-brown, seemed to catch the sunlight and reflect it, casting a gentle glow on his almond brown skin with a hint of olive undertones.
It was as if he carried a piece of the sun's radiance within him.
Professor Alvis, at just 26 years old, stood as one of the youngest faculty members at Bei Towan University.
Despite his youth, he commanded respect throughout the institution, known for his sharp mind and irresistible charisma.
Eliz's gaze roamed over the tall figure before her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was an unspoken attraction drawing her to Professor Alvis.
However, she was acutely aware of the environment and knew better than to let her emotions show.
As he meticulously arranged books on his desk and approached the whiteboard with a grace that seemed effortless, Eliz's heart quickened its pace. Her breaths came just a little shallower as anticipation hung thick in the air.
"Today's lesson," Professor Alvis began, his voice sonorous and captivating, "will delve into the annals of Leopenia—a land that thrived millenniums ago as the epicenter of three mighty dynasties: Zestria, Franxx, and Xethen."
His words held the students captive, each sentence a brushstroke painting vivid images in their minds.
Professor Alvis possessed a rare talent for ensnaring attention, and today was no different.
"We will focus," he continued, drawing out the anticipation, "on the rise and fall of the Zestria dynasty."
A collective groan rippled through the auditorium as he began distributing the hefty guidebooks. Complaints cascaded through the room like a waterfall.
"Seriously? More material? I can barely carry my backpack as it is," grumbled one student, casting a resentful glare at the weighty tome.
Another student chimed in with exasperation, "This is getting ridiculous. I thought last semester was bad, but this... this is on a whole new level. Are they trying to turn us into walking libraries or something?"
"I heard there's a stack of assignments due next week too," added a third student, shaking their head in disbelief. "It's like they want us to have zero social life."
A fourth student, with a hint of resignation, muttered, "I'm seriously considering joining a monastery at this point. At least they won't bury me beneath mountains of textbooks."
Professor Alvis, undeterred by the chorus of discontent, raised his voice once more.
"This will be your source material for understanding our topic today," he announced sternly.
"You should each provide an additional summary based on what you read here for your final exam."
Then, just as the collective sighs and grumbles began to settle into reluctant acceptance, a gentle hand found its way to Eliz's. Her name, uttered softly, drew her attention like a whispered secret.
She looked up, meeting the warm gaze of Professor Alvis. In his hand, he held a book summary—a lifeline of knowledge in the sea of textbooks.
As he handed her the paper, his touch lingered, sending a delicate shiver down her spine.
It was a touch that defied the boundaries of the ordinary, an electric current of connection.
Heat flooded her cheeks as she gasped, a gasp that seemed to reverberate through the hall, causing curious glances to dart her way.
But Professor Alvis, with a suppressed chuckle, simply continued with the lecture.
Eliz, her heart still racing, couldn't help but dive under her desk, feeling the weight of a hundred eyes upon her.
She drew in a slow, steadying breath, her gaze rising as her posture straightened, only for the solemn pronouncement of Professor Alvis to fill the room.
It was a declaration that echoed through the lecture hall, asserting that Vela von Kaylon had played a solitary role in the downfall of Zestria.
" Not like it was her fault" Professor Alvis sighed.
Amid the hushed murmurs, Professor Alvis calmly instructed,
"Flip to page 57 in your guides for more information."
The sound of shuffling papers and turning pages filled the air as students scrambled to locate the fateful page.
There she was, Vela von Kaylon, an enigmatic figure with striking pink hair and eyes that gleamed like the ocean on a sunny day.
She stood out amidst her siblings, each bearing their own unique features - hazel eyes or fiery red hair.
Yet, it was Vela who inherited her mother's captivating eyes and a color of hair far off from the Kaylon family tree.
As Professor Alvis began to narrate the tale of Vela, the room fell into rapt attention.
"Her beauty was the beginning of legends, whispered among the stars themselves. Men were drawn to her like moths to a flame, but they also cowered in fear of her relentless pursuit of the crown prince.
The methods she employed to get closer to him sent shivers down the spines of all who knew, for they understood the dire consequences that awaited those who dared cross her path."
"But her boundless affection for the crown prince ultimately led to her tragic demise atop Mount Ryuvoin, a desolate sanctuary reserved for society's most notorious. She found herself ensnared in Lady Bertha's cunning web, the very lady whom the crown prince had forsaken Vela for. Lady Bertha accused Vela of orchestrating her own kidnapping and subjecting her to unspeakable torment during Vela's own birthday celebration," Professor Alvis appended to the narrative.
'But before Vela's tragic story went deeper. Her mother had met a cruel fate during childbirth, and her father, the duke, had reacted with rejection and rage.
This rejection extended to a cold distancing, with the duke refusing even to acknowledge Vela's existence. Her siblings, rather than confront their father's behavior, chose the path of indifference."
Eliz, sitting in the lecture hall, couldn't help but find a strange connection to Vela's plight. Her life was no different from hers.
She had been thrust into the care of Mr. Brooks due to a single night's stand involving her mother.
But it wasn't Mr. Brooks's benevolence that kept her there; it was a powerful spell, a legacy of her late mother, that bound them.
This curse was no ordinary affliction. It harnessed the power of mana, only visible to those attuned to such energies but since they were no more cultivators of mana as of today no one could undo nor break the spell which terrified Mr. Brooks.
Because in a world where mana had once granted extraordinary abilities - strength, speed, and even the conjuration of unimaginable wonders - such powers had led to a cataclysmic war, leaving the world in ruins which led to ban of mana users/cultivators but that didn't stop the government from harnessing it into technology.
"How shallow of them" Eliz murmured.
Mrs. Freya Allan, Eliz's mother, lingered in her thoughts like a shadow. She yearned for the presence of a caring mother throughout her childhood, but bitterness also welled within her for being abandoned to an abusive and deceptive father.
Mr. Brooks's loathing for his own daughter was palpable. He couldn't bear to look at the girl who resembled her mother so closely - jet-black hair, crimson-red eyes, and pale skin.
Every encounter with him was a torrent of obscenities, or worse, a barrage of empty wine bottles followed by kicks and punches.
Eliz's frail frame made her an easy target for her father's pent-up anger, a constant reminder of a past he wished to erase.
Even in the eyes of the community that held Mr. Brooks in high regard, Eliz was afforded no special treatment. Instead, she was made to feel like a living, breathing mistake every day.
Her brothers, unable to shield her from their father's wrath, often turned away, their silent wishes echoing in their hearts - that the poor girl would have never been born into their family.
Pathetic, isn't it?
Eliz felt her eyes sting and her throat constrict with emotions she fought hard to suppress. She yearned to escape this suffocating existence but stood her ground, taking a moment to regain her composure.
She inhaled deeply, the scent of freshly cut grass drifting in through the window, a brief respite that calmed her racing heart.
Wiping away any hint of tears before they could fall, she hardened her expression, a shield against further vulnerability.
"It will all be in the past once I move out."
Just as she found her resolve, Professor Alvis's voice shattered her reverie.
"Miss Brooks!"
The sound of his voice echoed, drawing the attention of the entire class. Embarrassment flushed Eliz's cheeks as she realized her momentary lapse had not gone unnoticed.
'Hahhh,' she mused inwardly, 'I really need to stop dwelling on such memories.' With a solemn nod, she acknowledged Professor Alvis's concern, determined to focus on the present.