After all the glory, hardship, and relentless effort poured into the second term examinations, it was finally over.
The grueling, mind-bending trials that had pushed every Eldora student to the brink had at last come to an end, fading into memory like a passing storm. For Aldrich, the weight he had carried throughout those taxing days lifted quietly, like fog retreating at dawn.
Now, standing alone on the rooftop of the class building, hands resting lazily on the concrete railing, he allowed himself the rare luxury of serenity. His eyes wandered to the lively campus grounds below, watching students rejoice in the aftermath of their trials. He wasn't watching for any particular reason, just existing in the moment, soaking in the stillness that followed chaos.
This past week had been brutal, a whirlwind of battles and calculations. He had pushed both his body and his mana core past their limits, stretching the very fabric of his identity to keep pace with the others. It was more than just exhausting, it had been transformative.
He had risked everything, especially during the confrontation with Saldrich's team. That moment... that was the turning point. The most defining, the most dangerous. He had come dangerously close to failure. It hadn't been a gamble so much as a desperate all-in every ounce of his effort poured into a single, irreversible decision.
Fortune, or perhaps sheer stubbornness, had favored him that day.
Despite the narrow margin, he and his team managed to reach the ten-goal quota, barely avoiding dismissal from the exam. But they weren't granted a straight path forward. Unlike Saldrich's team, which advanced with a higher goal score, Aldrich's team was forced into a bonus round, one last obstacle to claw their way back into contention.
Fortunately, teamwork prevailed.
By leveraging each other's strengths and operating like a true unit, they navigated through the chaos of the bonus level. It wasn't easy, not by any stretch, but they came out victorious in the end.
Aldrich exhaled slowly, a smirk ghosting over his face.
"I guess for once, lady luck is starting to take my side."
The examination had given him more than just a passing score, it had offered him clarity. For the first time in a long while, he understood just how far he had come.
His current strength rivaled many within the S Class. In fact, when he truly measured it out, the only students standing clearly above him were Dante Pendragon and Saldrich Aldaman. That, in itself, was an astounding leap from where he'd started.
There were others like Camellia and Ian Somalder among them who still gave him pause. He considered them equals in terms of mystic ability. It was a delicate balance between the three of them, with each encounter potentially swaying the scales one way or the other depending on the slightest advantage.
But as for the rest?
Aldrich could say with confidence that he had soared above them.
And the reason? It wasn't just hard work. It wasn't luck alone either.
It was the Clover Eyes.
Without a doubt, that mysterious, phenomenal ability was the true cornerstone of his explosive growth. Sure, his physical training contributed, but it was the Clover Eyes that elevated him, placing him on a pedestal few could reach. It gave him insight, foresight, reflexes, everything he needed to grow tenfold faster than his peers.
And he hadn't even unlocked the final stage yet.
The third clover, the final evolution was still dormant within him. Just imagining the growth it would offer made Aldrich's heart pound with anticipation. How much stronger would he become once that final piece awakened?
"It's wild," he muttered, chuckling softly to himself, "how the author of this world never gave the Clover Eyes to the main character."
It was a strange decision, really.
Dante Pendragon made sense. He was the main character built to be an unstoppable force, a dragon-blooded prodigy from the very beginning. But Saldrich? Her rapid growth felt... suspicious. Too convenient.
Aldrich had started connecting the dots.
Dwayne Aldaman.
Saldrich Aldaman.
And now, himself.
The Clover Eyes were likely a bloodline trait tied to the Aldaman lineage. That explained a lot. And yet it raised an even more perplexing question: Why did the author bestow such a broken ability on side characters and not on the protagonists?
If anyone should have had the Clover Eyes, it should have been Edward Handerson, Dante's intended rival. The narrative could've been spectacular, Edward, armed with supreme mystic control, clashing against Dante's raw dragon might. A rivalry shaped by contrasting powers and philosophies.
How exhilarating would it have been to see those two constantly push each other to new heights?
"Maybe the characters' powers aren't even under the author's control," Aldrich mused aloud, his voice carried by the wind. "But that's insane. It's his story, his world. He writes the rules."
Still, it made him wonder.
Why would someone abandon such a potent narrative thread? To sideline a possible rival like Edward and instead empower characters like Dwayne Aldaman who, as far as Aldrich could recall had no real impact on the original story?
He tried to dig through his memory, sifting through fragments of the original novel Arthdal Chronicles.
Nothing came to mind.
No detailed backstory. No memorable arc. No defining moment.
"Did I forget something important?" he asked himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "Or have I just been too damn stressed lately?"
That, he couldn't deny.
Life at the Eldora Institute had been one trial after another. No moment to breathe, no time to reflect. Was it really a surprise that his memory of background characters had begun to fade?
But did it matter anymore?
This wasn't Arthdal Chronicles.
The narrative had diverged. The main cast was facing new challenges, and the story was no longer bound to the script written by some author from another world.
Aldrich had come to accept it.
His existence alone had shattered the original storyline. And for better or worse, he wasn't going to live every day walking on eggshells, terrified of altering the 'canon.'
He had a life here. A life he wanted to live fully not like a puppet dancing to someone else's strings.
And maybe that was the most liberating thought of all.
"Yeah," he whispered to the sky. "I'm done worrying about what was supposed to happen."