(Layra)
When Nora and I finished our lessons with the Monsters instructor, we went our separate ways.
Nora looked exhausted—upset, frustrated, and completely drained. I suggested she get some rest, and she agreed, heading back to the dormitory.
After saying goodbye to her, I went to the library.
I wanted to escape my nightmares by losing myself in stories.
The moment I stepped inside, I saw Elai slam his fist hard against a table.
My breath caught.
Was he really doing that badly?
Maybe I should talk to him. On the outside, he looks timid and fragile, but I think there’s courage and kindness somewhere inside him.
Still… I treat him the same way I treat everyone else.
Cold. Distant. Strong. Emotionless.
I learned as a child that this kind of behavior keeps people from entering my circle.
I snap back to reality when I notice Elai suddenly walking quickly toward the librarian’s desk. I pause, waiting for him to finish whatever he’s doing.
But then—
He nods at something the librarian says… and walks into the room behind the shelves.
Heat rushes through my veins.
Anger rises first. Then sadness. Disappointment. Helplessness.
He’s a liar. A traitor.
And I was stupid enough to trust him. I told him everything.
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He’s probably working with the school.
I don’t want to believe it.
Elai seemed like a good person.
You should never trust people so easily, you idiot, my mind snaps at me, fighting against what my heart wants to believe.
I don’t know which one to listen to.
My face feels hot—probably red from anger at both myself and Elai—as I storm back into the dormitory.
Nora lowers her book. Her expression had been calm… before I walked in.
“H-hey, slow down… what happened?” she asks, startled.
I grab her hand and pull her up without thinking. Emotions crash through me—anger, grief, betrayal. I barely understand what I’m doing.
Nora pulls her hand back.
“Layra… what’s wrong with you? Yeah, you figured things out first, but there’s no need to be violent. We’re with you too…”
My blood boils.
“We?” I snap, my voice sharp and wild. “The person you’re worried about betrayed us on the very first day. He exposed us!”
Nora’s eyes widen.
“W-what? You mean… Ela—”
Before she can finish saying his name, I grab her wrist again and drag her toward the girls’ restroom. She stumbles behind me, struggling to keep up, but I can’t stop.
If I don’t say it now, I feel like I’ll explode.
She has to know.
She has to know Elai betrayed us.
We reach an empty restroom between floors. I pull her inside.
“What happened? Tell me!” she demands.
“That bastard… he betrayed us,” I say quickly. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
A wave of sadness rises through me, starting from my fingertips.
How could he?
He seemed like a good person.
At least for a few days… to me… he felt kind. Like a real friend.
Nora exhales slowly.
“Okay… I get that. But what exactly did you see?”
I summarize everything in two sentences.
“He agreed with the librarian—the monster—and then he… he went into the librarian’s secret room.”
Even I can tell I sound more hurt than angry.
Nora sighs deeply.
“Layra… don’t you think you might be judging too fast? I mean… last time you jumped at him over just one sentence too. Maybe… I don’t know… maybe you should just ask him?”
She’s right.
A large part of me wants to believe that.
I don’t want to think I trusted a traitor.
“Y-you’re sure?” My voice trembles.
Why am I like this?
My father always said: Never let anyone see your weakness. Only show your strength.
I suddenly miss his embrace.
“I… I have to talk to that bastard,” I say quickly. “I need to know why he nodded to that monster.”
I clench my teeth without realizing it.
Nora gently rubs my arm.
“Hey. Calm down. Not now—you’re really angry. You should rest a little. Talk to him tomorrow at breakfast, okay?”
I want—more than anything—to hold onto the small hope that Elai isn’t a traitor.
So I nod.
Will Lyra finally understand what really happened with Elai…?
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
