Truth be told, Kaiden was very surprised to hear Tessa's request. If Vaelira were to try something against him, he had her blessing to even kill the most promising prospect of her guild… That was not something he expected the woman to utter, especially because up until now, she was rather protective of Vaelira. At least, in a sense that she refused to anger the blonde woman by being strict.

However, evidently, the times were changing.

Tessa made her decision.

She valued being on good terms with Runewoven and Valhalla's Sinners more than retaining her guild's single A-tier prospect.

The woman's image instantly rose in his eyes. Kaiden had a very strong feeling that she had made the right decision. Now, all he had to do was ensure that was indeed the case.

But as he got out of the vehicle and laid his eyes on the Arcane Puppeteer, memories of their past slashed through his mind.

—

Years ago, in high school.

Kaiden remembered the quiet of that afternoon, the birds chirping and crickets going wild when he finally found Vaelira alone and asked the girl to follow him behind the gym.

His palms had been slick with sweat, his heart was hammering, and the words trembled when they came. But he wanted to push through his discomfort, thinking it was best to shoot his shot rather than watch from the sidelines before another man snatches up the girl he fancied. He just wanted to say it.

"Vaelira, I think you're amazing. Not just because you're beautiful, but because you're kind and fun to be around. I'd really like to spend more time with you. Maybe… would you want to grab a meal this weekend?"

For a moment, she had only blinked at him. A pause came, accompanied by a smile. It was tender, kind. Then she tilted her head and, in a soft voice, said, "Please give me some time."

His chest ached as he watched the girl walk away, but he told himself that was that. He did what he could, and frankly, it felt fantastic.

He'd been keeping these thoughts to himself for a while, watching Vaelira. She was a kind girl who was friendly to all, offering a bright smile to any who spoke to her. He interacted with her a few times as well, such as when they were in the same group project, though it was nothing deep or meaningful.

Finally going through with his plans and confessing felt outright liberating. A giant weight had been lifted from his chest.

The pain came the next day.

He walked into class, and suddenly everyone was looking at him. Whispering. Suppressed laughter. Then Vaelira, sitting in the center of her group of closest friends, namely the prettiest girls of the class, giggled and finished retelling the story, not caring one bit that he was present.

Only it wasn't the truth.

"He stuttered the whole time. Couldn't even look me in the eye. And then! Oh my god, you won't believe this; he had this stupid look, like he was about to drool. I thought he was gonna… You know. For a moment, I feared for my safety."

This sent the room into hysterics.

Kaiden remembered the heat burning his face as the football players roared with laughter, as the trendy girls whispered behind their hands, worried a creep might do something to them as well, and even the teacher, who was here to hear the tale, gave him that "you should know better" look.

And Vaelira, sweet little Vaelira, smiled as if she were the victim of a creep's unwanted obsession.

That was how he learned of Vaelira's true nature and how two-faced some people could truly be. But it wasn't the only lesson carved into him that day.

He learned how quickly people would believe a beautiful girl over an ordinary boy. He learned how fragile reputations were, how fast they could shatter from a single rumor. He learned that being earnest was a weakness in a world that only rewarded those who were willing to play the social games.

From that point on, his high school life was ruined. No one wanted to be associated with him. Friends who used to laugh with him stopped inviting him out. Classmates avoided eye contact in the halls, afraid of sharing in his ridicule. Kaiden himself stopped trying. He pulled away from clubs, from sports, from even casual conversations.

Instead, he buried himself in the glowing screen of his computer. It was safer there, where no one could sneer at him, no one could whisper lies behind his back. Games became his world, matches his escape. While others built friendships and memories, he built walls around himself.

And all of it traced back to one girl's smile.

The memory shattered.

Now, standing on broken gravel with monsters lurking in the distance, Kaiden stared at the woman she had become. Same golden hair. Same dazzling features that hid fangs from the unaware.

Only this time, he wasn't the trembling boy behind the gym.

Nor was she the queen bee of their class.

The crunch of boots slowed as Kaiden stopped dead in his tracks.

A soft shuffle announced the arrival of his girls. Luna and Aria stepped to his right, the Storm and Moon Valkyries observing the blonde with obvious distaste depicted on their faces, while Nyx and Bastet mirrored them on his left, a purr and a sunlit sneer framing his silence.

Four against one, yet Vaelira didn't show signs of distress.

The others noticed the silent commotion.

Members from both guilds slowed their pace, then stopped altogether. A loose circle began to form with curiosity rippling through the gathering as eyes darted between Kaiden and the golden-haired woman.

Both of them were known by the members: Kaiden as the famous upstart who took the world by storm in a few months, and Vaelira as the A-tier awakened. A-tiers were rare and extremely valuable combatants. Any guild would be happy to have them in its midst.

Even Runewoven only had 3 - one of whom was Talia, who wasn't a combatant - and they were a stronger guild than Nova Circuit.

The silence stretched for a long time.

Finally, Vaelira lifted her chin. Her voice, smooth and practiced, carried just enough strength to be heard by all.

"Kaiden Grey, Bastet Grey, Luna Aster, Nyx Cosmos, Aria Levander." She spoke his name carefully, like it might burn her tongue if she mishandled it. "I have… been disrespectful toward you and your companions. That was unbecoming of me as both an awakened and a representative of Nova Circuit."

Her eyes flicked to his girls, then back to him. "For that, I apologize."

On the surface, the words were polished, the apology proper. But pride clung to every syllable. She wasn't bowing, wasn't lowering her gaze, wasn't making herself small. She spoke as if reciting a statement in front of a boardroom, not begging forgiveness.

Her guildmates watched, their faces unreadable. If she slipped - if she snapped at him, growled like a loser, or growled for mercy - her authority would crumble in Nova Circuit. She knew it.

And so, she forced herself to stand tall, offering an apology that Tessa had no room to bring into question but one that retained her air of importance.

Kaiden knew it as well.

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