The next morning, sunlight spilled gently through the academy courtyard.
Students gathered in lines across the field, chatting and stretching, their laughter filling the air.
It was almost peaceful almost normal.
Milly stood at the edge of the PE grounds, arms crossed, her white hair glimmering faintly in the sun. To the students, she was just Miss Mila, their strict yet oddly patient instructor.
No one could tell she'd barely slept, her mind still replaying the voice that had spoken through her the night before.
"Alright," she said finally, clapping her hands once. "You know the drill. Warm-ups three laps around the field. Move!"
Her Class F students groaned in unison.
"Miss Mila, you're too harsh in the morning!" one complained, stretching exaggeratedly.
She smirked faintly. "Complain after you finish your laps. Go."
The students started jogging, though a few already lagged behind. Milly watched them with her usual composed expression, but her mind wasn't calm at all.
Every heartbeat echoed the whisper she'd heard.
Why do you bind me again…?
She pressed her fingers against her temple. "Focus, Milly," she muttered under her breath. "You're fine. You're in control."
A student's voice broke her thoughts. "Miss Mila! We're done!"
She blinked and looked up. "Good. Now stamina drills. Same as yesterday. Remember, control your breathing."
As they began, the Sage walked by the edge of the field, arms behind his back. His gaze lingered on her for just a moment, unreadable.
Milly noticed but said nothing. She simply continued the class, demonstrating basic movement drills steps, dodges, balanced posture.
A student raised his hand. "Miss Mila! How come you never get tired?"
The class chuckled, nodding.
Milly smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe I just run on pure willpower," she joked lightly.
"Or maybe you're secretly not human!" one shouted teasingly.
The others laughed but Milly froze for half a second before forcing a chuckle. "What gave you that idea?"
She kept smiling, but deep down, her heart tightened. If only you knew…
As the class ended, she dismissed her students and sat alone on the bleachers, watching the clouds drift lazily above.
Her hand trembled slightly as she looked down at it. There, faint marks, dark and shimmering, where the strange energy had bound her the night before.
"…So it wasn't a dream after all," she whispered.
For a moment, her golden eyes flickered beneath the illusion of blue.
And deep inside her chest, something stirred quiet, waiting.