As Rin and Ella walked toward the training fields, Rin asked in his mind, "Hey Ella, what are Jin's attributes?"
"I'm not sure," she replied gently.
Rin glanced at her, confused. "Huh? What do you mean? Don't you have those freaky eyes that can see people's attributes?"
"Yeah, but I have to activate my ability for that. I didn't use it last time I saw him."
"Tch… well, I only know two of his elements so far," Rin muttered internally.
"And they are?"
"Light and plant control."
"Interesting," Ella mused.
They reached the training grounds. Inside the arena, Rin glanced around, then spoke mentally, "Are you sure people won't think I'm nuts? I'll be out here punching the air like a lunatic."
"Don't worry," she said. "To everyone else, you'll just look like a guy practicing alone. Dodging, striking — totally normal."
"That's exactly what worries me," Rin grumbled.
"Focus. Now, here's the plan: I'll dodge your attacks for five minutes, then you'll do the same. After that, we'll both dodge and attack at the same time. We'll repeat this until midnight. You get a 15-minute break every hour. Clear?"
Rin cracked his knuckles, fire igniting around his fists. "Wow… you sound like an actual drill sergeant now. Alright then. Let's go."
He charged forward, throwing punches. Ella weaved through them with ease.
"Your footwork is weak. Your stance? Trash. Keep your hands up — especially if you rely on fists in combat. Don't give your enemy a free shot."
Rin tried adjusting. She was right. Again.
A few minutes passed. "My turn. Only dodge."
Rin nodded, preparing to evade. But her hands slipped through him like ghosts, each pass leaving a strange, tingling sensation.
"Ugh… that feels weird," he muttered.
"Don't lose focus. No matter what happens, never take your eyes off your opponent. Even if your best friend is dying beside you — your enemy won't wait."
A strike whizzed past his face. Rin ducked, grinning — only for another to slip through his head.
"You lost focus again."
More minutes passed.
"Alright," Ella said. "Now both of us: attack and dodge."
"I'm already tired. Can you go easy on me?"
"I am going easy on you."
"Nice joke," Rin muttered.
They moved. Rin attacked, Ella dodged.
"Use your electricity."
"Got it."
The flames vanished, replaced by crackling bolts of electricity racing across Rin's skin.
"This… feels different."
He launched forward. His speed surged, and Ella nodded, barely dodging.
"Good — but you still lack control."
Then something snapped. His body pulsed violently.
"Shit—my electricity's gone haywire!"
He shut his eyes. "I'm gonna explode—"
And then—
A soft kiss pressed against his forehead.
He opened his eyes, stunned. "Oh right… you have that calming ability. Still feels weird, though."
"You okay?" Ella smiled. "Did that little kiss fluster you?"
Rin looked at her suspiciously. "How the hell did I feel that? We're not even able to touch each other. Are you messing with me? Is this all some weird joke?"
"No, no!" she waved her hands. "I kissed your soul, not your body."
"That… doesn't explain anything."
"I transformed just the part I touched into a visible, tangible form — just for a moment. It takes a lot of mana though."
"Oh… sorry. I didn't realize you'd go that far."
"I should've told you sooner. Anyway — enough talking. Back to training."
---
Later that night, after hours of sparring, Rin staggered toward his dorm room, barely able to walk.
"I'm sooooo tired…"
"You did a lot today," Ella said, walking beside him.
Rin collapsed into his bed.
"Sleep well," she said softly.
Rin mumbled, "Night, Ella."
Just as his eyes began to close—
"Hey, before you sleep… can I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"You know how we share emotions, right?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Well… every time your flames lit up or your electricity surged… I didn't feel excitement. Or joy. I only felt… hatred. Why?"
Rin stared at the ceiling, silent. Then slowly, like the weight of something finally caught up to him, he sat up. His voice was low.
"…Are you sure you want to hear this?"
"Yes," she said. "We're bound together forever, remember?"
He gave a breathy laugh, no humor in it. "You say that like it's simple."
Another pause. Then:
"Do you know why I joined this academy?"
"No…"
"I didn't have a choice. When I was two — not even old enough to read — my mom made me sign a contract. If I didn't get accepted here… I'd die."
"W-What?"
"And that's not the worst part."
He looked down at his hands. "I awakened fire at six. I was thrilled. I thought… this is it. This is what'll finally make her proud."
"I ran to her. Told her with the biggest smile I could manage. She didn't even flinch. Just… sighed like I'd brought her the wrong groceries."
"It wasn't that she was worried. It was disappointment. Plain and sharp. I wasn't rare enough. Not worth showing off. Just another average kid. And average, to her, meant failure."
He gave a bitter chuckle. "You ever sit in a room full of parents bragging about their kids and wonder if yours ever does the same? Spoiler: mine didn't."
"I tried everything. Top grades, perfect attendance, overachieving in classes I hated. I lived on the edge of burnout just to hear, 'I'm proud of you.' But every time I brought home something good, she'd find a way to cut it down."
'Did anyone do better?' she'd ask.
And if I said yes? 'Then why didn't you?'
Then the slap came."
Rin's voice shook. "After a while, I stopped talking to her. I started lying. Said I was doing great. Pretended I didn't notice when she missed my ceremonies. Or forgot my birthday. Or introduced me as 'just her kid' without even saying my name."
He looked at the floor.
"But the worst part wasn't the yelling. It was the silence. The way she'd walk past me like I wasn't even there."
"There were nights I'd lie awake just listening — hoping I'd hear her door open, hear her footsteps come check on me. Just… something. But she never did."
He laughed again, this time softer. "I remember seeing other kids get picked up after school. Their parents hugged them. Talked about their day. I used to pretend my mom was just late. That maybe she got stuck in some kind of situation. But she never came. I walked home alone. Every time."
He took a shaky breath.
"You know what's cruel? Even after all that, I still wanted her to love me. I still believed maybe if I just fixed one more thing about myself, she'd change."
"But at some point… I started asking myself: why should I keep studying things I hate just to get praised by someone who never cared? Why try to be perfect for someone who only noticed when I messed up?"
"I thought… maybe if I could've just gotten a job and lived on my own, life would've been better. At least I wouldn't have to beg for love. At least I could stop pretending everything was okay."
"But after all i did, her last words to me were, 'I fucking hate you.' Not yelled in anger. Just… cold. Final."
He blinked fast, eyes glossy.
"And I still can't stop wondering… maybe she was right. Maybe I was just a burden she never asked for. Maybe I was never meant to be loved in the first place."
Then—
Warmth.
Arms wrapped around him. Ella pulled him into her embrace, his head resting gently against her shoulder. She stroked his hair.
"You're not a failure," she whispered. "You're a person who tried. That's enough."
She held him tighter.
"You just wanted to be loved for existing. That doesn't make you weak… it makes you human."
"Please… stop letting the past steal your future."
She pressed her lips gently to his forehead.
"You deserved better than that bitch."
Rin's tears slowed. His breathing steadied.
"I'm here. Always," she whispered. "No matter what."
Rin fell asleep in her arms.
She tucked him into bed, pulled the blanket over him, and brushed a hand gently through his hair.
"You don't have to carry it all alone anymore. Sleep well, Rin."
---
To be continued…