"Brandon, you have to get treated first!"
"No, I have to relay the message."
"That can wait. How will you relay the message if you die from blood loss!?"
Brandon walked around the academy, followed by Belle and Amelia, who was trying to advise him to take it easy.
They couldn't help it.
Because he would stumble occasionally as he walked, and the two had no choice but to support him.
In fact, it looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion, evident by the exhausted look in his eyes.
Leading them to where Bellion was, Evelyn strode forward. She had glanced behind her occasionally, meeting Brandon's gaze.
But all Brandon would give her was a sorrowful look.
"...."
It was as she feared.
It was highly likely, the urgent message entailed the fates of Yi Jihyeon and the rest of Blood Crescent Moon.
Because Brandon was the sole returnee from the tower.
Clenching her fist tightly, she gritted her teeth.
It truly was a shitty birthday.
She didn't know how to feel at the moment, the reality hadn't sunk in just yet.
Because she couldn't believe it.
'Miss Jihyeon is.... dead?'
She kept questioning herself the same sentence, repeatedly echoing in her mind.
She continued following them, but she was lost deep in her thoughts.
Her mind replayed core memories of her time with Yi Jihyeon.
—Repeat after me. It's Yi.... Ji.... Hyeon.
—You might be strong, but you severely lack in the social department, Eve.
—Do it once, pretty please~ Call me Big Sis Jihyeon~"
—Oh? You want that? I can buy it for you.
She was still a child at the time, about 13—years old. Yi Jihyeon and the rest of Incandescent Flames found her passed out deep within the forest.
She recalled her words back then, the moment she woke up, only to find several strangers around her.
'....Please don't hurt me.'
—What's your name? Where are your parents?
'Evelyn, I don't have parents.... Only a friend.... Where is he?'
—Evelyn.... A friend? Can you describe what he looks like?
'It's....'
Evelyn's head started to hurt, and the memory suddenly grew fuzzy.
It had always been like that.
Whenever she tried to remember the man with black eyes, pain would engulf her head.
And additionally, she couldn't remember his face.
Just his eyes.
But Evelyn had already put him in the back of her mind.
If she couldn't remember him, then so be it.
Just like her father, he had abandoned her.
The man that had taught her everything she knew about [Celestial] magic.
In any case, they arrived at the room where Bellion was, and entered.
Bellion was slumped on the table. An officer was standing right beside him, seemingly debriefing him something.
Or was it a ranker?
Brandon couldn't tell. He wasn't paying attention to him in the first place.
However, upon their entrance, Bellion raised his head, and the officer turned around.
It was as if Yi Jihyeon was there herself.
She recalled certain moments with Yi Jihyeon once again as she took a long drag of her cigarette.
*Puff*
'Jihyeon, your affinity is so pretty~'
—Is it? Yours is way prettier though.
'Mine's boring.... The icy flowers you make are way prettier~'
—Is that so? You know my enemies would say otherwise.
The cold.
It reminded her of Yi Jihyeon.
The memory felt so distant now.
In a blink of an eye, she had turned twenty five.
A total of twelve years had passed since they had met.
At first, she found Yi Jihyeon tiresome.
No, tiresome was an understatement.
But Evelyn didn't want to speak ill of her anymore.
"If you had just stopped teasing me...."
Now teasing was just her sugarcoating it.
When Yi Jihyeon got serious, she had a personality.
It was the sole reason why Evelyn was a bit afraid of her.
"Big sis...."
She muttered after exhaling, the smoke blending with the icy mist that left her breath.
—You're so gloomy Eve, you'll never get a boyfriend like that.
Evelyn's brows furrowed as she recalled a certain memory.
But now that she pondered deeper, maybe....
Maybe she was just looking out for her, when everyone else had already left?
The teasing.... was her own way to cheer her up?
*Puff*
"Hic."
A strange sound escaped Evelyn's lips, and her vision started growing blurry.
Something seemed to be stuck in the back of her throat, and Evelyn didn't feel like smoking anymore.
Evelyn dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath her foot.
Tak.
"Hic."
That felt oddly relieving.
Tak.
She crushed it again.
Tak.
And again.
Tak.
And again.
Tak.
Until the strange sounds frequented, turning into sobs.
Her chest seemed to tighten, and Evelyn couldn't help but clench her chest.
And then....
Drip.
Tears.