A calm yet raging arrogance spilled out of Asher, filling up the space.
The reason he didn't kill Ana was just as he said, because she was now a student at the academy.
Asher had years of experience with why and what the academy could do. If he killed a student for no valid reason, he would be hunted down by the academy to the end of the world, even if he was the top student at the academy.
The reason for this was, the academy sees something like this as betrayal, an untrustworthy person to whom the academy couldn't put their faith upon. The academy wants a loyal, nationalist, and devoted to the academy type of student.
"But, don't ever try to be an obstacle in my path, or I might kill you without a second thought." Asher gave a glaring vow with wide, firm eyes.
…
EverGreen Academy - Third Arm, girls dormitory.
"Ahhh…" Ana slumped her body on a soft, comfy bed, closing her eyes.
A few seconds later, she opened them and looked at the white concrete ceiling. She was currently in her room, which just had this bed, a table, a wide window with an open view, and a small device.
This device was called the Temperature Adjuster; it was a magic device built to make a small, spacious room that could increase or decrease the room's temperature. It was fueled by mana crystals, making it hard for common people to use, and it was only found and built-in bigger cities.
Still lying on the bed, Ana whispered to herself. "It is so hard…so hard to act strong."
"Papa Arash, mama Vienna, and Papa Max, it is so hard. I want to be spoiled by you all, but I have to become strong to make my new parents proud and have Papa Max come back." Ana spoke with a strong, firm voice, but if someone looked at her face, they would see she had tears flowing down her eyes, trying to hold back herself from crying.
Ana might look strong, but it was all just an act to show everyone she was strong, which she had been doing since her birth on Earth.
Yes, on the planet Earth, from where she came.
When Ana was born, she was a naughty and cheerful kid. She would laugh and joke around with her 3-year-old vocabulary.
But that changed when she felt what her mother was doing. She neglected Ana and went to bars, parties, and casinos. She would come back every night with a new guy. This made Ana very sad, as she wanted to know who her father was, as she saw the neighbor's kids, who were the same or close to her age, playing happily with their father.
Ana would get yelled at for asking this question and her behavior, sometimes getting beaten up too. Her mother got annoyed with her and shoved her to her parents, letting them know everything and letting them take care of her.
Ana was hopeful at first, thinking he would get nice grandparents like the old men and women on the streets who spoiled her and doted on her when she met them.
But unfortunately for her, she met the same fate here. Despite being at such a young age, Ana could feel the scornful gaze of her grandparents.
So from then on, Ana decided to not cry in the corner every day and look at them hopefully — she wanted to be strong. Fortunately, someone was there to help her with it, and this person was none other than the maid of the house.
She would secretly take care of Ana and tell her all about how to become a strong and independent woman.
But one day, the maid overheard something at night where the grandparents were discussing throwing Ana at an orphanage as they felt she was wasting their money.
The maid was horrified and didn't know what to do. Eventually, she decided to contact Ana's mother and beg her to give Ana back to her father.
At first, Ana's mother didn't agree; only after continuous nagging and begging did she agree.
That is how Ana was handed to Max—as an extra useless object that nobody wanted.
Ana thought she had found bliss after meeting her father, despite him being a little cold-hearted at first. But that happiness also vanished.
In this new world where there were countless possibilities, she would try to achieve her goal even if she had to sacrifice her nature.
"I hope you are watching me, Papa Max." Ana gazed at her ceiling, but instead of seeing the same old concrete walls, she saw the face of Max, smiling down on her.
Knock Knock
At that moment, the sound of her door knocking resounded throughout her room.
Ana quickly wiped the tears from her face and eyes and stood up. She asked. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Lily." Lily's cheerful voice came from the opposite side of the door.
Ana regained her composure and walked toward the door with a smile instead of having a deadpan face. She felt she would at least remain true to herself before those who she felt were close to her.
Ana opened her door, just to see Lily's excited face again. She curiously asked. "What happened? You look very enthusiastic."
Lily didn't say anything but first pulled Ana out of her room by grabbed her hand. She explained to her that along the way, Ana saw many girls moving in the same direction. "They posted the ranking of the tests we took along the way."
"Oh," Ana's interest piqued, as she also wanted to know where she stood.
In a few minutes, they arrived before a long and wide board where many names were written. Ana was standing behind many others, but that didn't matter as her and many others' visions were far superior.
She first looked at the top, then traced down. Then her eyes finally locked onto her ranking, making her have a forced smile on her face. "It looks like I am still weak."
Rank 16 - Ana Silveria