Ava was once more attending Sanctuary Academy where different races mingled together on neutral territory. Now sixteen years old, she was studying in the high school building and had attracted quite a bit of attention since she suddenly showed up during the year. Of course, that was nothing compared to her Observer who was in the same class.

“Kyaaah!! He’s so dreamy!” [High school girl]

“Look over here, please!” [High school girl]

“Elves really are gorgeous! I’m jealous, but mostly happy!” [High school girl]

“““… KILL!!!””” [High school guys]

The girls in her class were all enamored by him the second they saw his face and the guys all wanted to kill him, though the person himself didn’t care about any of them.

“This is Ava and this is Elyon. The two of them will be joining us for the next year.” [Teacher]

After the teacher gave a simple introduction for the entire class, her Observer, Elyon captivated all of the girls with just one word.

“… Hello.” [Elyon]

“““KYAAAAAAHH!!!””” [High school girls]

During breaks between lessons, students from other classes would swarm the door to get a look at the beautiful male elf whose blonde hair seemed to shine. Because of the racket, Ava had to put up with all the noise. But, on one hand, he attracted all of the attention, so she had it easier. If no one noticed her, then no one was bothering her.

But, the commotion was still troublesome, especially because of one guy.

“WOULD YOU GIRLS QUIT SCREAMING ALREADY!!?” [???]

His roaring angry voice caused everyone to go quiet. Then, as everyone stared his way, they whispered to their neighbors.

“Crap, Goro’s mad.” [Student]

“Definitely mad.” [Student]

“Maybe he’s just jealous since he’s not popular.” [Student]

“Shh! Quiet or he’ll beat you up!” [Student]

Their classmate, and a symbol of fear, Goro, glared at the chattering students with his amber eyes. He was tall, packed muscles under his red shirt, had messy green hair and a mean look on his face.

“Huh?! If you have something to say, then say it!” [Goro]

He slammed his fist on his desk. No one dared to go against him. After all, he was a dragon, part of a powerful race that ravaged the lands during the last war a hundred years ago. His two splendid, beige-colored horns and his green tail poking out right above his grey pants proved it. If he took his shirt off, then one would be able to see his skin turning into scales on his back.

“Acting like headless chickens just because some elf showed up.” [Goro]

“Why don’t you speak up if you have something to say? Those were your words, I believe.” [Elyon]

Hearing his grumbling, Elyon, who had kept quiet, said provokingly and he coldly stared at him. His chilling gaze would have frozen anyone in place, but it only served to annoy Goro even more.

“Then I’ll say it. I don’t like the look in your eyes. Don’t look down on me.” [Goro]

The young dragon showed his canines as he glared at the haughty elf. Their bad relationship was firmly established. The tension in the class was palpable and everyone gulped nervously, except for Ava who was intently staring at the palm of her hand. Even when class began, for hours, her eyes were fixated only on her hand.

When it was finally time for lunch, she told her Observer where she was going to be at.

“… Alright. Don’t cause any trouble.” [Elyon]

Elyon nodded slightly without looking at her and stayed at his seat. He didn’t want to be around the half-breed too much, so he let her do as she pleased so long as she was discreet. If she wanted to go eat on the roof, then he wouldn’t stop her. However, he took his job seriously. If she caused some sort of mess, he would be sure to clean up after her, have her stay out of sight and report it to his kingdom so that they could return immediately. Although he was given the honor of being chosen as the Observer because of his talents, he didn’t like it.

Leaving behind the popular elf that was receiving heated gazes all around, Ava headed for the rooftop’s entrance where she met up with Allen and Fyr. The harpy happily waved her winged arms above her head while the red-haired human raised a paper bag containing her lunch.

“Ava! Hurry up!” [Fyr]

“I bought your lunch. Ham sandwich and milk, right?” [Allen]

She once more noted that they had grown, but didn’t change much. Fyr was wearing a vibrant yellow shirt that looked like a camisole, brown shorts and a big pouch hanging on her waist. Allen had a black vest with red linings over a white work shirt and black pants. The harpy had a lively appearance while the human seemed to be in formal wear. Once Ava unlocked the door, they headed for the roof, sat down, dug in their respective meals under the blue sky and talked about anything that came to mind.

The two heard about Elyon since he instantly became the hottest topic and asked Ava a few questions, but they didn’t learn anything new other than what she told them last time. As such, they chose to talk about what they’ve been doing for the past two years. Unfortunately, besides saying that she was an indoor type of person, Ava didn’t disclose much information on this topic either. Nevertheless, Allen and Fyr were content with the current situation… For now.

“Huh? There are already people here?” [Goro]

Forcing its way into their conversation was Goro’s voice that always sounded irritated for some reason. The three looked at the dragon that was standing before the door in silence. Allen and Fyr didn’t know how to react. They never went to the rooftop during lunch, so they didn’t know that Goro had the same habit as them. As for Ava…

“… Told you I wasn’t the only one that picked locks in school.” [Ava]

She said to the two in a carefree tone.

“You three, leave. I always sleep here during lunch.” [Goro]

Goro glared at them through the gaps of his fringe. It was getting annoying since it sometimes got in his eyes. It was about time for him to cut his hair.

“We already claimed this place as our own. Go back.” [Ava]

“What’d you say to me?” [Goro]

“Go back and sleep, idiot.” [Ava]

“Huuh?! Are you picking a fight?!” [Goro]

Usually, this would be where the other party would back out, but he was dealing with Ava.

“No, but I’ll buy it if you’re selling me one.” [Ava]

“You think I won’t hit you because you’re a girl? Scram!” [Goro]

“Are you blind, kid? I’m a guy.” [Ava]

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

On the side, Allen and Fyr were panicking. Before they could speak up to stop them, the situation already devolved into a mess where Goro was staring daggers at Ava as he walked towards her.

“Idiot? Kid? You’ve got some nerve.” [Goro]

When he was right in front of her, he leaned down, grabbed her collar and pulled her right up to his face.

“Leave before I beat your face in, you half-bre-.” [Goro]

Interrupting his words was Allen who firmly placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Stop that.” [Allen]

His flustered appearance was gone. Instead, he was calmly holding his ground before Goro, who was taller than him, and even returned his glare. In response, the green-haired dragon was practically snarling at them.

“You want to fight too? Bring it, human. I’ll take on the both of you!” [Goro]

He flung Allen’s hand away and punched his chest. Although Allen winced from the pain, he swiftly grabbed onto his arm. Goro’s eyes widened slightly at his action since the human took his punch and wasn’t rolling on the ground in pain. However, his attention was soon taken by the half-elf.

“Sucker punch!” [Ava]

Accompanied by a loud, deadpan voice, she delivered a left hook to his chin while he was still holding her collar. His head jerked to the side from the blow and he let her go. Still, it wasn’t enough to knock him out and he slowly turned his head, returning his gaze on her.

“… Crap.” [Ava]

Seeing how little the effect of her attack had on him, the half-elf muttered and got ready for a fight. The dragon’s glare felt like it was piercing right through her. She dropped her waist, took half a step back and raised her arms.

“You really got guts, don’t ya? Then I won’t hold back!” [Goro]

Sensing that Goro was about to attack her, Allen let go of his arm and punched his side. The dragon barely flinched and began to pummel him with a couple of blows to the face and torso. The red-haired human tried to defend and retaliate, but he was being overwhelmed.

“A-Allen!!” [Fyr]

Ava jumped in the fray, ignoring Fyr’s frantic and worried voice. When she got in range, Goro’s eyes locked onto her and he unleashed a swift punch. She barely dodged it by stepping to the side and countered with her own attack, but he shrugged it off and struck again. Her body didn’t move like she wanted. Simple training in a room wouldn’t get her to the same combat level that she originally had. Although she possessed the experience, there was no way her current body could react fast enough to grab her opponent’s arm and pin him down.

Moreover, Goro was ridiculously strong. Even with Allen fighting on the other side, he was easily dealing with the two of them. His hits were heavy and he brushed off any attack that landed. Ava got hit a few times in the stomach and the damage was slowing her down. Just as Allen, who was clinging to one arm, was flung away, Fyr made her move.

“STOOOOP!!!” [Fyr]

She inserted herself between Goro and Ava and spread her arms to the sides.

“No more!!” [Fyr]

Facing off against the menacing young dragon that had his fist frozen in the air, she glared at him. Yet, her knees were shaking. Even so, Goro clenched his teeth, hesitating on striking her small figure.

“… If you’re not gonna fight, then get lost! MOVE IT!” [Goro]

“N-No!!” [Fyr]

“I TOLD YOU TO MOVE IT, HARPY!!” [Goro]

“NO! I WON’T! DON’T HURT MY FRIENDS ANYMORE!!” [Fyr]

“Huh? Who’s hurting who? I totally have him on the ropes. Oi, you listening?” [Ava]

Ava couldn’t read the intense mood and inserted herself in their conversation while leaning forward and holding her stomach. But, besides Goro who glared at her for a second, they mostly ignored her.

“GET LOST!!” [Goro]

“I WON’T!!” [Fyr]

Goro raised his fist to intimidate Fyr and she flinched in fear, but her feet were firmly rooted in place. Seeing the burning determination in her eyes, he clicked his tongue and turned around, heading for the door. However, there was one person that wasn’t going to let him go so easily.

“Get back here, brat. I want to at least break your nose with another sucker punch.” [Ava]

Ava said to his back, making him stop in his tracks.

“… You’ve got guts. I’ll give you that, half-elf.” [Goro]

Leaving only those words, he left the roof in an irritated mood.

“… Well that sucks. I lost some school brawl. Dragons are tougher than I thought… Whatever. I’ll get him next time.” [Ava]

Once he was gone, Ava muttered a complaint, shrugged her shoulders and pushed Goro to the back of her mind. On the other hand, Fyr fell to her knees, trembling.

“Th, that was scary…” [Fyr]

“Your fault for sticking your neck out, shorty. But, nice job anyway.” [Ava]

After patting the harpy’s head twice, the half-elf walked towards Allen, who was down for the count.

“Whoa, you look like crap.” [Ava]

“… Heh… Heheh… You’re… Really blunt…” [Allen]

His face had a few bruises not to mention of his chest and stomach. When she heard his voice, Fyr snapped out of it and ran towards him.

“I-I’m sorry! If I acted faster…!” [Fyr]

She apologized while taking out bandages as well as alcohol from her pouch.

“No… It’s not your fault. Ouch, ouch, ouch! I’m still too weak, that’s all. I just hope we don’t get yelled at by the teachers for this later. Ava would sleep through their scolding.” [Allen]

Allen groaned in pain as he sat up properly and made a small joke to relieve her anxiety. Fyr proceeded to check his wounds and asked Ava to wait a bit since he was more wounded than her.

“Well, the enemy was a dragon, so of course I couldn’t win… Ouch!” [Allen]

“Yeah. That guy’s skin was tough as hell and he hit hard as hell. It’s a good thing he’s soft or we’d be writhing in pain about now.” [Ava]

“Soft? Ouch!” [Allen]

“You’re completely beat up, right?” [Ava]

“… Thanks for reminding me.” [Allen]

“But, what about me? Sure, he punched my stomach three of four times, but my face was left intact, unlike yours.” [Ava]

Allen and Fyr’s eyes widened as they stared at her, realizing what she was talking about.

“He said he’ll still hit girls, but he avoids punching my face because I’m a… Ugh… A girl… Pretty sure he held back during the fight too.” [Ava]

Ava scratched her head with a displeased expression because of her own words and looked at the door from which the green-haired dragon left. Elves had the same strength as humans, but dragons were much more powerful. It was no wonder that people tended to avoid confrontations with the dragon race.

“Damn brat.” [Ava]

The half-elf grumbled out her insult, but was also happy that her face was unbruised. It would make hiding this fight from her Observer much easier. At the same time, she considered finding an opportunity to give Goro a power up to add his Shadow Puppet to her forces. Then, she shifted her gaze towards the other two on the roof.

“Anyway, you guys held your ground pretty well. Fyr was already something, but Allen, you’re still conscious despite the beating you took. Not bad, kids. Not bad at all.” [Ava]

 “… Of course. We’re not the same as two years ago.” [Allen]

Allen said as he was being treated. His voice had bitterness in it and Fyr looked down sadly.

“… We’re stronger now… And we’ll definitely get even stronger…” [Allen]

He said with contained, but burning determination as memories resurfaced. When the mercenaries attacked the school, he was faced with death as one of them tried to kill him. It was a terrifying experience that made his blood run cold. However, what really marked him was how Ava was taken by the invaders, how all he could do was call out to her and how, in the end, she saved his life by angering them and running away. It was the same for Fyr who was too scared to do anything.

That’s why, for the next two years, the two bettered themselves in their selected fields. Allen focused on getting stronger, picking up a weapon and training wholeheartedly. Fyr poured in more effort to learn about medicine than she did with her studies, becoming good enough to help the school’s nurse. One would protect while the other would heal. That was what they decided on two years ago.

After lunch was over, the three returned to their respective classes. Elyon didn’t suspect anything and Goro didn’t approach the half-elf, so nothing out of the ordinary happened for the rest of the day. However, since morning, sitting at her desk, Ava, instead of taking notes, was adamantly staring at her hand, as if searching for something. Her eyes wavered and she tightly clenched her trembling hand into a fist.

It had been sixteen years, and she reached her limit.

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Classes were over an hour ago and there weren’t many students left walking about in the hallways. They were back at their dorms, working or hanging out with their friends. Goro, who was in a bad mood, was heading towards the rooftop. The room in his dorm felt cramped, so he preferred to nap under the sky, on top of the high school building.

On the fifth floor, he picked the lock and pushed open the door leading to the roof.

“I can’t! I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t! Not my body, it’s not my body. It’s not my body! This isn’t it! Who I am! It’s slipping! Fuzzy! Everything! I-I can’t. I’m forgetting. It’s not real. Was it real? It’s not real! Forget, I’m forgetting. My name, my name! My promise! I can’t forget! Damn! Damn! DAMN IT ALL!!!” [Ava]

The figure he saw and the voice he heard stunned him. Standing alone under the blue sky, Ava had her back turned to him, but when she finally sensed his presence, she reflexively faced his way. She was crying. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes widened when they met his and she hurriedly looked away while wiping off her tears using her sleeve. Goro couldn’t find anything to say. He couldn’t even more and just stared at her, frozen like a statue.

“What?” [Ava]

The half-elf asked him in a displeased, shaky voice.

“… Uh, I, uh, wanted to sleep…” [Goro]

He managed to voice out an answer, but he knew that wasn’t what she wanted to ask. In the end, he kept dumbly standing at the door. Too surprised at the sight of the impudent half-elf who picked a fight with him in such a crazed, fragile state, the thought of leaving didn’t cross his mind.

“Then sleep.” [Ava]

Ava said in a barely audible whisper and walked towards him, intending to leave. She pushed him to the side and the dragon didn’t resist.

“Oi, wa, wait!” [Goro]

“… What?” [Ava]

He called out to her back without thinking.

“… Are you ok?” [Goro]

Goro said awkwardly. It was a weird thing to ask for someone who fought her and her friend only a couple of hours ago. After exchanging blows, he knew that she had a strong character. The will in her eyes felt unbreakable and she never shed a tear despite him punching her stomach multiple times. That was why her current appearance perplexed him. He didn’t think it was because of their fight that she was deliriously yelling like that. It was something else, something much worse that made her appear so vulnerable.

“I’m fine, brat.” [Ava]

Ava turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder.

“Forget you saw me here.” [Ava]

She replied in an annoyed voice and walked away. Her eyes were still slightly red from crying.