Ana Grey awoke with a start, her heart racing as the heavy weight of her memories suffocated her. The cold, unfamiliar air wrapped around her like a cruel reminder of her betrayal. She could still hear her teacher's voice echoing in her mind, the same voice that once promised her protection, the same voice that now made her skin crawl.
Her gaze shifted to the bed beside her, where her fellow junior, Amiliya Scott, lay with a dramatic expression on her face. Ana's lips curled into a bitter smile as she watched Amiliya's feigned distress. How pathetic, she thought. How easily she manipulates everyone around her.
Oliver Clark, the man who had once been her mentor, stood beside the bed, his eyes fixated on Ana. His presence, once a source of comfort, now felt like an unbearable weight pressing down on her chest. His voice broke the silence, cutting through her thoughts.
"Ana," he said, his tone a mix of authority and expectation. "Give your Saint Heart to Amiliya. She cannot survive without it. Rest assured, I will protect you for the rest of your life."
Ana's blood ran cold at the words. Again? She had heard this request before, but in her past life, she had been foolish enough to believe it. She had sacrificed everything for those words, and in the end, she had been betrayed. The heartbreak, the humiliation—she remembered it all. She could never forget the look in his eyes when he condemned her, just as she had never been able to forget Amiliya's mocking laughter.
With a forced laugh, Ana shook her head. "Teacher, how many times must I hear this? Give my Saint Heart to her?" She felt the bitterness rise in her chest, and despite the raw pain, she didn't back down. "You know very well that my Saint Heart is the only thing that qualifies me to become an Archmage. You want me to give it to her? To a junior who can't even stand on her own two feet?"
Oliver's face hardened, the muscles in his jaw tightening as he looked down at her. "Don't you trust me?" he demanded. "If I tell you that I can protect you, I will. I have always treated you well. You know that."
Ana's laugh was a sharp, bitter sound that made Oliver flinch. "Treated me well? Is that what you call it? Always punishing me for the smallest mistakes in the name of 'training my mind'?" Her voice trembled with fury, but she held it back, refusing to let the tears fall. "But Amiliya—Amiliya makes mistakes bigger than I ever did, and you forgive her with just a few words. 'She's younger,' you say. She's just a few months younger than me!"
The anger she had buried for so long, the anger she had been forced to suppress, exploded within her. The betrayal, the countless hours spent serving the Mage Tower, defending the kingdom against the demon armies—all of it had been for nothing. He never cared.
Oliver took a step toward her, his voice trembling with irritation. "What are you saying? How could you even think—"
Before he could finish, Ana turned and walked toward Amiliya's bedside. She needed to see for herself. Was Amiliya really so injured? Or was it just another act to manipulate Oliver's fragile mind?
Oliver's eyes widened in shock, and in a sudden burst of rage, he unleashed his mana pressure, sending Ana crashing into the wall. Her body crumpled, pain searing through her chest. She gasped for breath as the force of his magic left her weak and breathless.
"Ana!" Oliver's voice cracked with fury as he stormed to Amiliya's side. He bent down, checking the junior's wounds with intense focus, completely ignoring Ana's crumpled form on the floor.
For a brief moment, Ana's eyes locked with Oliver's, and she saw something in his gaze—guilt. But it was fleeting, gone in an instant as he turned back to Amiliya. He was too busy fawning over her to even acknowledge Ana's suffering.
"You…" Ana's voice cracked as she forced herself to stand, her heart heavy with the weight of it all. "You treat me like a tool, something to be discarded when I no longer have any use to you." She wiped the blood from her lip, her face twisted in disgust. "I only wanted to see if she was faking her injury. Is that so wrong?"
Oliver's expression flickered for a moment, guilt flashing across his face, but he quickly masked it with anger. "How dare you? Do you think you're entitled to interfere with her heart's safety?"
Ana's chest tightened as he glared down at her, and his next words shattered what little was left of her resolve.
"Dig out your Saint Heart, Ana," he ordered, his voice cold and final. "If you refuse, I will break off our teacher-student relationship. Do you understand?"
Ana's heart cracked as the final blow struck. The words, cold and indifferent, pierced through the remnants of her faith. She had believed in him. She had trusted him. But now, standing here before her, he was nothing more than a hollow shell, a man who saw her only as a means to an end.
Her laughter came then, raw and broken, as she met his gaze with a strength she had never known. "You want me to dig it out? Fine," she spat, her voice low and venomous. "You want my saint heart Right "
For the first time in her life, Ana Grey saw clearly. The man she had once adored, the man who had promised to protect her, had only ever seen her as a tool to fulfill his own ambitions. The betrayal was complete, and she was done.
Oliver's eyes widened, and for a moment, she saw a flicker of regret, but it was too late.
"Ana…" His voice trembled as he reached out to her, but she took a step back, her heart hardening with every beat.
"You may have taught me magic," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the tears threatening to fall, "but you never taught me how to trust. And now, I know better."