There was an epic magic battle.
Alicia acknowledged Anne but naturally, held back. Still, Anne surprised her once, through sheer grit and recklessness. It was enough to make Alicia smile, just once, reminded of her mother Marcy and their old duels from years ago; and decided to let her win, although - due to her demonic pride, this took some begrudging effort.
Through magic, Alicia cloaked Van in her magic and took off from the cave, leaving Anne alone with the rest of the kidnapped students.
"I... I don't know what to say, Anne..." one of the guys muttered.
And that was it. Just one sentence that can barely qualify as an apology. The rest were frozen, and unsure what to say, or do.
The truth is, when a bully's mask is torn off, they rarely admit what lies beneath. There's just shame, and anger. And worse... The knowledge that they can never wear that mask again. Not truly. They know it will always appear broken to those who've seen their true face. The face that cried for their parents to save them. The face that had seen the one they tormented come to their rescue.
A wound to the ego cuts deeper than a wound to the body, especially for those who've built their identity on pride. And in that moment, most of the students who had mocked Anne had never imagined they'd have to lower their faces . It was unthinkable.
So they said nothing.
Anne had nothing to say in return, as well. She merely looked at them as they looked down while passing her quietly, and left the cave. No words. Just silence.
But she could feel it. They wouldn't dare bother her again, not after what she'd done. If it hadn't been for Anne, they would've all been sold like cattle.
Soon enough, she was left alone in the cave's darkness, her Battleaxe Armament fading into thin air.
She looked toward the cave's mouth - to the path the two kidnappers had escaped through. It hit her only now, after seeing the faces of her now-former tormentors.
'Wait... aside from me, everyone else who was kidnapped were the same students who talked trash about me behind my back... And ONLY them!'
She gulped as the light shimmered at the entrance.
'It couldn't be... You... right?'
Her hand rose to her chest, heartbeat sharp beneath her palm.
It made sense. He had done it before, improving her image that day 2 years ago when they went to the pool together.
This time, too. It all felt too precise, too clean, too deliberate to be coincidence. Even the fake Van had mimicked him perfectly. His awkwardness, his expressions, his gait...
Why wouldn't it be Van?
She bit her lip, shaking her head.
...No. It's not him, she told herself.
She decided to quiet that voice.
Whether it was her hidden intellect or the instincts she'd honed over the years, she sensed it — acknowledging that this was Van, that he had looked out for her, would raise an uncomfortable question. One that would gnaw at her. And as her heartbeat grew harder, she realized what pulsed through it wasn't just confusion...
Who was that woman who seemed so close to him?
... Anne felt angry, recalling how casually that woman approached to fake-Van.
So, no; she told herself.
'I really miss you, you know?' She thought, sniffling quietly in the cave.
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I know it's a short af chapter, appreciate everyone who's been waiting. Just didn't feel like it needed more than this, and I wanted to move on to other things.
BIG THANKS to my supporters:
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