Chapter 5 - Gamble With Her

I tilted my head slightly, my crimson eyes catching the glint of the eight symbols etched into the iron gates-each mark lined with ancient script. Elian had mentioned them before. Caelvaris worshipped the Eight Sigils.

I stepped forward. Not yet through the gate, but close enough to smell the roses. They didn't smell like roses at all.

They smelled like blood. Not even the roses could hide it.

The air was unnaturally crisp, as if filtered through layers of enchantments. It smelled faintly of roses, parchment, and something old-dusty magic clinging to the edges of existence. Every breath tasted refined, controlled. Nothing here felt wild. Not on the surface.

The academy grounds were immaculate-unsettlingly so. Cobblestone paths twisted through vast gardens trimmed with impossible precision. Ivory roses bloomed beside jet-black orchids: an unnatural pairing that shouldn't exist, yet did-and beautifully. The trees flanking the walkway had silver-threaded trunks, faintly pulsing with light, as if the roots themselves whispered ancient truths into the soil.

The buildings towered above, sculpted from alabaster stone laced with veins of deep blue crystal. They shimmered faintly beneath the sun, casting reflections that didn't match the sky. Gothic arches soared over rippling glass windows that bent like liquid under the wind's touch. The architecture felt elegant and sharp-every curve deliberate. Like the academy hadn't been built, but grown.

Despite the distant chatter of students and the flutter of enchanted banners overhead, there was a silence beneath it all. A deep, observing stillness. As if the academy itself were alive. Watching.

And somewhere beneath the golden spires and shimmering halls, I could feel it.

Secrets.

Like roots beneath a perfect garden.

I stepped past the gate.

The moment I crossed the threshold, something shifted. The air settled differently around me-colder.

Students milled through the marble courtyard, their uniforms a monochrome sea of black and white. Sharp lines. Precise folds. No color. They all looked like walking monograms. And yet, as I moved forward, heads turned.

Not toward my face.

But toward the ribbon.

The red silk ribbon, tied neatly at my collar that I used in place of the standard black necktie.

A sharp voice cut through the quiet murmur.

"You there."

I turned.

A tall girl approached me, steps confident, posture straight. Her brown hair was swept back into a ribbon of her own-black, of course. But it wasn't her that drew my eye-it was that stone.

A small, palm-sized rock trotted beside her, each step leaving behind tiny, glowing footprints that faded instantly. It had no face, yet somehow exuded attitude. It looked..

'Cute.' I thought to myself.

The girl stopped in front of me, eyes scanning me slowly-calculating, not cruel. Authority radiated from her like polished metal.

"You're not wearing the proper uniform," she said. "The red ribbon isn't authorized. It's not... regulation."

I blinked slowly. "No one informed me color was a crime."

The girl didn't flinch. "Not a crime. But in this place, order is everything. You're drawing attention."

"Good," I said as I grinned. "Let them look."

The girl frowned slightly, then extended a hand. "Sera Velmire. Student Council, Disciplinary Division. You'll be reported if you keep that on."

She looked me dead in the eye. Who gave this one a backbone? She talks like she owns the place. Cute. Confidence like that either belongs to someone important... or an absolute fool.

"But if you're as interesting as you seem... I'd rather you came to the council office. Voluntarily. There are... things we'd like to discuss."

The rock at her feet let out a faint, gravelly chirp.

As she stared at me, I smirked and slowly readied my scythe-until a sudden gust of wind sliced through the moment, disrupting my thoughts. She noticed it too. Her eyes flicked around, alert.

The air wasn't normal. It felt sharp, sleek-like it could cut down anyone who dared to breathe it in. That feeling...

I moved on instinct.

In a blink, my scythe was summoned-its edge poised against the throat of a girl standing behind me.

She didn't flinch.

She just stood there, calm, arms full of books, a gentle smile curling her lips. And in her eyes-quiet amusement. Familiar.

She was the one I saw atop the building when I first arrived. The one who erased those monsters like they were nothing.

She looked so innocent.

But her hands? Drenched in blood.

As I stared her down, a loud voice suddenly rang out behind me.

"M-Miss Daphne! Hey! What are you doing!? How could you point your scythe at Miss Daphne!?"

It was Sera, her eyes wide, face red with disbelief and fury.

Did she say Daphne? Daphne Falaire? The Princess?

I lowered my scythe slowly. And the once-palm-sized rock beside Sera changed, growing into a massive stone beast as it walked towards me.

Well. Not so cute anymore.

"I don't even know where to begin..." Sera groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Not only did you ignore the dress code by wearing that ridiculous ribbon-now you've gone and pointed your weapon at Miss Daphne!"

She raised her hand, and the rock-creature responded immediately, its massive arms extending toward me.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Daphne. I'll make sure she's thoroughly-"

"Miss Sera," Daphne interrupted gently, "It's perfectly alright. Would you mind letting Miss Rose go?"

Her tone was soft and her smile was kind. Like she was doing me a great favor. But her eyes never left mine. She looked at me with that disgusting smile on her face. Like she'd just discovered a very useful tool.

"Of course-wait, what...?"

Sera blinked in confusion as Daphne just smiled and casually shrugged. "Well, I'm pretty sure there's a rule allowing some students to alter their uniforms, isn't there?"

Oh? So they can alter uniforms after all.

"B-but that only applies to student council members..." Sera muttered, clearly thrown off.

That's when Daphne's kind smile curled into something sharper-mischievous. For a second, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

"Well then," she said sweetly, "if Miss Rose were to become part of the student council, her... fashion choice and her little slip-up with the scythe could both be excused, don't you think?"

Sera stared at her, stunned. To be fair-I was just as caught off guard.

"What...? What do you mea-"

I interrupted, my voice low. "Exactly what do you mean by that, Princess?"

I smiled at her. The same smile she had worn since earlier.

"Exactly what I said," she replied simply.

"Miss Daphne, you can't be serious! You're not actually saying she's joining the student council, are you?!"

At that, Daphne turned to Sera, her tone soft as the breeze, yet somehow firm enough to silence Sera.

"As the secretary, I do believe I hold enough authority to ask you to look the other way... just this once. Correct?"

Sera flinched. "Yes... but-"

"Then that's all I needed to hear."

Daphne looked back at me. "Miss Rose will be excused for her actions. After all, she is a respected guest of the President. Now, if you'd kindly give us a moment. Your duty here is done."

The way she shut her down-so smooth, so.. brutal yet wrapped in silk. Her voice was so kind, you wouldn't even suspect.

I'm slowly starting to get a better picture of how this academy truly operates.

Sera's eyes flickered, her pride bruised. The massive rock beside her shrank back to its palm-sized form with a faint grumble, defeated. Then she slowly, turned away and left-not without glaring at me of course.

As I watched her silhouette in the distance, standing beside her strange, rock-like companion, Daphne's voice echoed once more.

"So, what do you think of my offer?" she asked, still wearing that nauseatingly sweet smile.

I didn't hesitate.

"No thanks. I don't plan on becoming someone's tool," I said coldly, turning to walk away.

But then-

"𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚜, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜."

I froze mid-step.

That voice... it wasn't hers.

It was something else. Something far too close.

I turned back to Daphne, only for darkness to engulf my vision. The world vanished in an instant.

The voices came next-soft at first, then deafening, like a rising tide crashing against my skull. My heart clenched violently. I couldn't breathe. I gasped, but the air wouldn't come. My body stood frozen as the voices wrapped around me, suffocating, relentless.

"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎... 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎."

"𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚞𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛'𝚜..."

"𝚃𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎, 𝙺𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊-𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚍?"

"𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜? 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚖𝚎."

"𝙷𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍... 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚎."

"𝙶𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚜."

"𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎."

"𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜."

"𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏."

"𝙾𝚑 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎... 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐.. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎."

"...Rose... Miss Rose-!"

Gasp.

I jolted upright, eyes wide. I was back. The same place. The same moment.

Two trembling hands clutched my shoulders, shaking me awake. I looked up to see Daphne, her face pale, her expression tight with worry. Her hands trembled.

I shoved her off in a panic. She stumbled backward, startled. I stared down at my own hands, shaking uncontrollably, sweat dripping cold from my brow.

Daphne steadied herself, still looking concerned.

"A-Are you oka-?"

"I'm fine," I snapped, glaring.

The voices... Who were they? They hadn't appeared before-not when I arrived months ago, not even when I stepped on this cursed school. They started when Daphne showed up. Could she be connected to them? But she looked so... innocent. But what if she's not?

I gnawed at my nail-an old habit. I bit until my finger bled, and she seemed noticed it too.

"I... I apologize. I didn't mean to frighten you," she said softly, her voice gentle this time, eyes full of something that almost felt real-regret, maybe.

"It wasn't you," I replied curtly, unable to look at her with that drenched-puppy look she gave me. At my words, she seemed to relax.

"...About your offer. Mind explaining it again?"

Her expression brightened. This smile was warmer, more genuine.

"I can offer you position, support, wealth, information... anything you need. So long as you complete my task."

"Oh?" I tilted my head. "So if I asked you for a favor, you'd agree?" She nodded.

If she is connected to those voices... I can get information. I don't even need to dig that deep-she's offering herself up.

"So, what task requires such a generous offer?"

Her smile widened-too radiant for the shadow she cast.

"I want you to become the new Vice President. Replace the current one."

I blinked.

"...What?"

"Replace her. Defeat her. Take her position."

I stared, disbelief plain on my face. "...Just like that?"

"Yes."

What kind of nonsense...? Is this some kind of fantasy school politics?

"I'm sorry-could you elaborate? Why me? Can't you choose someone else? And how exactly am I supposed to 'defeat' her?"

She thought for a moment before replying.

"You know how all freshmen are required to attend the opening ceremony, yes? To keep them in check-and to entertain-we host an annual duel event. Freshmen are allowed to challenge a student council officer or a senior."

It clicked.

"So I challenge her. Duel her. And if I win-?"

"You ask her to gamble with you. Bet her position."

I froze.

"Gamble...?" I asked cautiously.

She nodded, serene as if this all made perfect sense. "Say the words 'Are you afraid?' That'll push her to accept. Trust me."

This entire situation reeked of lunacy... and yet, it lined up too well.

"And who exactly am I challenging?" I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes.

She smiled once more.

"Yvette Luminara Moonstone."