CHAPTER 822: CHAPTER 127 - GRADUATION DISASTER (4)

It was finally here... the graduation ceremony, I mean.

The culmination of four long years that had felt like an eternity of endless pressure, suffocating expectations, and the gnawing dread of promotion and demotion chasing our every breath. The fourth year had been utter chaos for everyone with sleepless nights spent on edge, training till our bodies nearly broke, and hearts beating wildly at every announcement of the new rankings being posted on the bulletin boards.

Now, I found myself standing rigid at the very front line of the Silver Class with my eyes fixed dead ahead.

Even as the excitement and restless whispers buzzed around me, my mind felt oddly empty. Maybe it was the numbness. Maybe I’d simply run out of tears. The sting had dulled over time and worn away by resignation. By the time graduation actually came, all I had left inside was this heavy acceptance.

Yeah, it sucked. Of course it did. But what else could I do? The results were carved into stone. And that was that.

Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. They announced the one who had risen above us all, whose name now shimmered in gold at the very top of the final rankings.

It was naturally Gabrielle.

The applause that followed felt like it shook the air itself. The cheers erupted with the claps echoing off the walls and voices merging into a single deafening roar of celebration.

I watched her climb the steps to the podium, the light catching on the crisp folds of her new magic knight uniform, the emblem of our academy shining proudly on her chest. She stood tall with her chin lifted and every inch of her radiating that calm, composed confidence that had always set her apart.

Even through the haze of disappointment that clouded my heart, I felt the genuine pride in my heart.

Gabrielle had done it. Balanced being the council president and a cadet, pushed herself beyond exhaustion, and still ended up at the top. Even if Rose and I hadn’t made it alongside her, she deserved every bit of what she’d achieved.

For a fleeting moment, it almost felt beautiful. Like maybe all those years of shared dreams weren’t wasted.

Then her gaze swept the hall. Slowly and methodically, her eyes moved over the crowd—until they landed on me.

And for just a heartbeat, I couldn’t breathe.

I’d seen that look before.

I’d seen it when I told my parents about my final ranking. When they found out I’d been demoted to Silver Class.

It was disappointment. My parents were very much disappointed in me.

Gabrielle... was disappointed in me.

And in that instant, I understood.

Well, she had wanted the three of us to stand together at the end. To see us all in the Gold Class, side by side, sharing in that victory. Instead, Rose and I had fallen, and she’d been left standing alone at the top.

Maybe it wasn’t anger. Maybe it was grief, dressed up as disappointment.

The applause faded, the room settled into expectant silence, and Gabrielle stepped forward to give her speech.

She began gently with her voice smooth and strong. Words of gratitude flowed easily, thanking the instructors who had guided us, the staff who’d supported us, and the academy that had shaped who we’d become.

"For those who managed to make it into the Gold Class and who will soon officially become magic knights protecting the kingdom’s integrity and people—I truly congratulate you. You earned it."

The applause rose again, softer this time.

But then, as quickly as it began, it died when Gabrielle’s gaze settled back on me.

And her voice changed.

It was colder... and firmer with each word like ice pressed to the skin.

"And for those who didn’t make it... I’m sorry to say, there is no do-over. There was no second chance waiting for you. I know this sounds harsh, but if you couldn’t even get into the Gold Class, I can only see that as failure. Nothing more than rejects who weren’t strong enough to reach the heights required."

The words slammed into me with each syllable heavier than the last.

All around me, Silver Class cadets shifted in their seats, some faces paling, others flushing with shame or anger. The sting wasn’t subtle. It was raw and deliberate.

Gabrielle kept going, voice unwavering.

"If you’re mad at me for saying this, then it only proves what I’m saying is true. Don’t get me wrong—I don’t hate you. I just pity you. Pity you for being so incompetent that even after everything, you couldn’t rise above."

A staff member finally rushed forward, whispering hurriedly in her ear, trying to pull her back before the room erupted into something worse.

Gabrielle paused, eyes still sharp with her posture stiff.

Then she dipped her head slightly.

"I apologize for showing something so unsightly. That concludes my speech."

No applause came this time.

Only silence. A silence so heavy it seemed to press on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

And then, before I even fully realized what I was doing, I stood up.

My legs trembled, my breath caught in my throat, but I forced myself to rise and meet Gabrielle’s gaze head-on.

One by one, eyes turned toward me. The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.

"You’re... those words... they’re directed at me, aren’t they?" I asked, my voice cracking around the edges, each word tasting bitter on my tongue.

Gabrielle stopped in her tracks, her foot hovering just above the next step, before slowly turning her head back toward me.

For a brief moment, the space between us felt like it shrank to nothing.

"What makes you say that?" she shot back, her tone calm. It was almost too calm, in fact, like icy water sliding over stone.

I swallowed hard, the dryness in my throat scraping like sandpaper. "You’ve been looking me dead in the eyes the entire time you were saying all that," I said, my voice tightening. "That’s why I can’t help but feel those words were meant for me... that it wasn’t just some general speech. It felt like you were talking to me. Only me."

Gabrielle’s gaze didn’t flicker and didn’t soften. She just stared, eyes cold and unblinking behind those glasses that always made her look so damn composed.

"What do you even mean?" she asked, her voice slicing clean through the tension. "Did you really think you’re privileged enough that I’d stand here and craft a separate speech just for you? Don’t flatter yourself."

She continued. "I said those words because I truly believe them—from my heart. Anyone who didn’t manage to get up there... they’re failures. That’s what I meant. And it wasn’t aimed at just you. It was for all of you. Stop deluding yourself."

The way she said it—so casual and so goddamn unbothered—made something twist and boil inside me.

It was like she was peeling away everything we’d shared over these years and showing what lay beneath.

...the real her...

This person standing there, so proud, so unwavering, so quick to look down on those who couldn’t keep up...

Was this the same Gabrielle we’d laughed with, trained beside, and dreamed alongside?

My jaw tightened so hard my teeth ached. My chest burned.

I bit down on my lip so fiercely I tasted copper.

All I could think in that moment, through the pounding in my ears and the sting in my eyes, was...

Why the hell was I ever friends with someone like this?

This person—this was her true face. Her real feelings laid bare.

And it made me feel sick to my stomach.