The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

Last night was… a lot.

Taking out the early main villain and secret mastermind behind the academy's chaos—Avi—wasn't as easy as it might sound on paper.

Mentally, physically, emotionally… it drained me in ways I didn't even know I could be drained.

But now, it's done.

It's over.

And strangely, I'm not stressed anymore. Just tired. Like every muscle in my body finally realized it could stop holding tension.

Ah—but wait. There's one thing I forgot to mention.

Leona.

Right.

The day before I confronted Avi, she was upset with me. Really upset. And for good reason. I'd been dodging her questions left and right, especially when she asked what I was planning.

Which, of course, was killing Avi.

But I couldn't tell her that. No way.

So, I stayed quiet. Gave her half-hearted replies. Maybe a vague smile here and there. That silence only made things worse. She picked up on it immediately—how could she not? So, naturally, she got frustrated and walked away.

Honestly, I get it. I would've been mad too.

But I couldn't continue like that.

After everything went down—after I killed Avi, had that unexpected heart-to-heart with Aria Collins, and finally dragged myself back to the dorms—I knew I had to smooth things over.

I couldn't tell Leona the truth. Not yet. Maybe not ever. So, I went with the next best thing.

An excuse.

Not a flimsy one, either. I needed something solid. Believable.

So I told her I'd gone into a low-level dungeon alone after our last class with Professor Lena. Said I wanted to test out my new strength and see how far I'd come. That was the reason for all the bruises and cuts on me. The exhaustion.

And to my surprise… it worked.

Well—sort of.

Leona's eyes widened in horror when I told her. She gasped like I'd just announced I'd eaten a live rat.

"You went alone?" she practically shrieked. "Why didn't you take me with you?!"

There it was. The same frustration as before, just redirected.

I gave her the most exhausted, straight-faced look I could manage.

"Because," I said, "I needed to be alone for this."

I shrugged a little for effect, careful not to wince too visibly from the soreness. "It was something I had to do by myself. A personal benchmark."

She didn't look thrilled with the answer, but she didn't argue either. Maybe it was the bruises. Maybe it was the bags under my eyes. Or maybe she just knew me well enough to tell when I'd made up my mind about something.

Still, she grumbled under her breath. "You're reckless."

"And you're dramatic," I said with a faint smile.

She punched my arm. Not hard. Just enough to say don't do that again.

Honestly, I felt a little guilty. She deserved the truth. But for now, this was the only version I could give her.

She stayed by my side anyway. No more lectures. No more angry looks. Just quiet presence, which I appreciated more than I could say.

So yeah, the excuse wasn't perfect. But it worked.

And for now, that's enough.

But the flashback isn't over yet.

We sat in the quiet hallway outside the dorms, the only light coming from the dim lamps lining the corridor.

Leona leaned against the wall beside me, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Her usual confidence was still there, but softer somehow.

"So," she began, her voice low. "Did you at least win?"

I glanced at her, then down at the bandages wrapped around my knuckles. "Yeah."

"That all you're gonna say?"

I gave a half-hearted chuckle. "What do you want me to say? I fought some monsters, took a few hits, learned a bit more about myself. Not exactly thrilling."

Leona tilted her head slightly, watching me. "You're a terrible liar."

That caught me off guard.

"What?"

"I said you're a terrible liar," she repeated, a bit more gently this time. "You think I believed that dungeon story just because you looked like you fell down a flight of stairs?"

I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say.

She didn't press. Instead, she sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. "I'm not asking you to tell me everything. I just… want you to trust me enough to let me in."

"…I know."

Silence stretched between us. Not awkward—just heavy.

After a moment, I spoke. "I didn't go in there to prove anything. I just… had to handle something. Alone. If I'd brought you, you would've tried to protect me, or talk me out of it, or worse—gotten hurt. I couldn't let that happen."

She turned her face to me. "You think I can't handle myself?"

"That's not it." I shook my head. "I know you can. You're strong. Probably stronger than me in a lot of ways. But this… this wasn't your fight."

A beat passed. Then another.

"…You sound like an idiot," she muttered.

I snorted. "Probably because I am one."

She smiled, just a little. "At least you know it."

We both chuckled, and for the first time all day, the air felt lighter.

Leona reached over and gently flicked my forehead. "Next time, just say you're going to disappear for a while, alright? Don't make me guess."

"Deal," I said, rubbing the spot where she flicked me. "But only if you stop calling me reckless every five minutes."

"No promises."

I rolled my eyes. "Fair enough."

She stood up and stretched. "Come on, idiot. You need rest. You look like death."

"I feel like death."

"Good. Then I won't have to punch you again."

We headed back toward the dorms, walking slowly. Not because we were tired—okay, I was tired—but because it felt good to move forward.

Even if I was hiding the truth.

Even if there was still a storm ahead.

For now… this was enough.

----

Author Note:

Thank you for reading the chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.

I also hope you like this novel.