The soft echo of footsteps bounced off the polished marble walls, creating a rhythm that felt too loud in the otherwise quiet hallway.
Yuki's pace was swift, her heels clicking sharply against the floor, She didn't glance back, her posture rigid and unyielding, but she knew he was there.
His presence lingered, a weight that pressed against her back with every step she took.
Jaylen followed a few paces behind, his blank expression hiding his underlying feelings. His strides were deliberate, steady, refusing to let the growing distance between them become symbolic of something larger.
When Yuki finally came to an abrupt halt, Jaylen stopped as well. For a moment, nothing was said. Only a faint hum filled the air,
With a silence that hung heavy in the air, Yuki finally broke through, her voice slicing through the tension like a winter chill. It was as icy and frigid as the North Pole. "Why are you following me"
She turned toward Jaylen, her icy glare as sharp as a knife, her arms were crossed tightly over her chest.
"Why the sudden change in heart? An Engagement, I thought you hated my soul" He responded, not backing down at her frigidness.
"What, I thought you'd be happy you finally got what you wanted," Yuki jeered her tone laced with venom.
"Yuki, do I look like a pushover to you?" Jaylen questioned, furrowing his brow as he sensed the gravity in his voice intensifying.
"You, Pushover can't even begin to describe you" Yuki scoffed.
Jaylen's face darkened, his jaw tightened, his voice steady but low, like a restrained growl. "I don't care about the engagement"
"All it is… is the wish of a naive boy and a delusional girl who fell in love with the first person she had as a friend," Jaylen said harshly as a shadow flickered in his gaze.
Yuki's cold exterior faltered for a brief moment, replaced by a spark of something unreadable in her piercing eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came, her expression hardening again.
The room seemed to drop a few degrees as Yuki's voice, laden with frost, followed suit. "If you hate it so much why don't you just break off the engagement then?"
"Now why would I do that?" He asked why smiling teasingly
Leaning in closer he whispered into her ear "Wouldn't that just be playing into your hand? You hate the Engagement and wish to break it, but I couldn't care less."
Yuki's fist tightened in a determined grip, her cheeks burning with a deep shade of crimson as embarrassment washed over her.
Stepping back, Jaylen, holding his head high, smirked at Yuki's apparent frustration, "If you want the engagement broken, get stronger and defeat me in a spar"
With a hopeful glint in his eye, Jaylen extended his hand toward Yuki, inviting her to grasp it as a sign of her willingness to accept his offer.
Anticipation hung in the air, but the moment he had eagerly awaited slipped through his fingers like sand. In a swift motion, Yuki smacked his hand away, leaving him stunned and bewildered.
"Enough! I don't have time for this," she snapped back, turning on her heel, making it clear she was leaving.
As she walked away, Jaylen was left standing there, speechless at her sudden outburst.
"If she didn't want to, she could've just said no," He joked to no one in particular before leaving himself.
Or at least that's what he thought while navigating the corridors of white walls with celestial images of different kinds until he made it out of the Libra complex.
Wiping the imaginary sweat off his forehead, he joked, "Talk about a labyrinth, it almost makes me question what's harder to navigate a relationship or that"
Done coping with his past, Jaylen looked at the unfamiliar path before him. He was sure he hadn't walked this path before, this path held a distinct aura that separated it from the rest.
But even then, he was determined to walk down this path. Sil had always told him, that the more dangerous the path the quicker he would get to his destination, even if he had to swat a few flies along the way.
As he made his way down the path, it felt as if he was walking on hallowed ground, and that feeling only got stronger as he walked.
Finally, he caught a glimpse of what created this ethereal aura. There, bathed in the soft glow of ambient light, was a grand fountain that seemed to shimmer, casting a gentle luminescence.
At the heart stood a regal statue, as he got closer, the intricate details of the statue came to life. The fluid lines of her celestial robes seemed to ripple, and her eyes held the timeless wisdom of a deity who had witnessed the eons unfold.
"The Goddess Ibik," Jaylen whispered so as not to disturb the tranquility of the soothing melody created by the soft murmur of flowing water.
He knew who she was: the goddess of knowledge and eternal queen of scholars, he had studied about her and just about anything else that piqued his interest when he was bored.
But that wasn't of importance; what truly mattered was the fountain itself, it was a celestial ruin. Jaylen had heard of celestial ruins but had never seen one.
They were relics of a bygone era, crafted to worship the divine and anyone who neared such a level.
While Jaylen was lost in thought studying this piece of history, a sudden voice rang out next to him. "It's your first time seeing one, I take it. How unexpected for the first transcendent,"
"Yes, it is… Now, if I may ask, who are you?" he asked calmly, his face showing no fluctuation, but he was deeply shocked at her sudden appearance inwardly.
Maybe it was because she was too weak, he thought, looking at her skinny, slender frame that probably couldn't lift even a sword. Or perhaps she just was too short for him to notice her, her head barely went over his shoulders.
"Oh, pardon me. Nice to meet you. My name is Feyra Ash, the tenth transcendent," She introduced as she pushed her glass up further.
"Alright then, nice to meet you, Feyra I'm–"
Putting up her hand to halt him, she firmly stated, "You don't have to tell me who you are; I already know. Jaylen Orpheus, the first transcendent with a perfect score."
"Right. Well then, about The Fountain–" He started again only to once again be interrupted by a voice from behind.
"There you are, Jaylen! I and Aunt Mell were waiting for you," yelled Lilith as she walked over to him.
Jaylen's eyes twitched ever so slightly at being interrupted once again. Suppressing a hint of irritation, he turned towards Lilith's direction with a forced smile. "Lilith, sorry to keep you and Aunt Mell waiting. I'm coming."
Turning back to Feyra, Jaylen gave a short but respectful bow "Well, Ms Feyra, it seems I've got to go, but I guess I'll be seeing you around school then,"
Feyra nodded curtly, already pulling a book from her bag. Without a word, she made her way to the fountain, claiming a spot on its edge before flipping through the pages with disinterest.
"Come on, Aunt Mell is going to be mad at you," Lilith pressed, already heading back toward the halls.
Jaylen rolled his eyes and groaned, falling into step behind her. "Ugh, anything but that."
Lilith shot him a quick glance over her shoulder, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "You're not seriously scared of Aunt Mell, are you?"
"You've seen her temper," he muttered, shuddering as if recalling a harrowing memory.
As they disappeared into the halls, the faint sound of a page-turning from the fountain area was the only sign Feyra was still there, her presence quiet but lingering.