CHAPTER 157: 157. REUNION

Saying so, Celia rummaged through her personal inventory and withdrew a seemingly simple orb. Its surface shimmered faintly, coated in a pearlescent sheen.

But what stood out wasn’t the orb itself—it was the emblem engraved at its center. A golden rose, intricately designed, gleamed with quiet dignity under the room’s warm light.

The moment I saw it, something clicked in my head.

"That’s a tracker, isn’t it?" I asked, stepping closer. "It links to the uniforms. Through the insignia."

Celia paused, blinking at me in mild surprise. "...Yes, actually. That’s not common knowledge. Did you read about it somewhere?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Just guessed. The insignia on our uniforms and that orb—it’s the exact same. Thought it wasn’t just for fashion."

She sighed and shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite the situation. "Could’ve just been a branding symbol, you know. Property of Rose Academy and all."

I clicked my tongue. "Come on, are we seriously going to waste time debating academy design choices right now? I need to find her. She’s not the brightest candle in the hundreds... No thousands of candles—she might already be in trouble."

Celia rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might fall out. "If you’re so worried, then why the hell weren’t you with her in the first place? Why weren’t you in the academic tour like the rest?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, caught slightly off guard by the direct jab. "We had a little fight, alright? A sibling spat. Nothing serious, just... needed some space. You know the saying, ’distance makes the heart grow fonder?’"

She groaned. "That’s complete bullshit."

I gave her a dry smile. "Sure is. But it helps me sleep at night."

She exhaled sharply, muttering something under her breath—probably something insulting—but didn’t argue further. "Fine. Let’s track her then."

She activated the orb with a touch of her mana. Glowing symbols began to spiral out from it—long strings of mixed characters and numbers, like a magical encryption code.

"What’s that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Serial numbers," Celia replied. "Every uniform issued by Rose Academy comes with a unique embedded signature. It’s how the tracking works. Every student has a personalized imprint coded into their insignia."

I raised an eyebrow. "So that’s the real reason Rose Academy insists on us wearing those uniforms. Not just for pomp and show."

She glanced at me again, more sharply this time. "Another guess?"

I nodded proudly.

Celia muttered something I couldn’t make out—probably a complaint about me being annoyingly right—and then focused on the orb.

Her fingers danced across the interface of floating runes and layered glyphs, trying to recall Mia’s exact code from memory. It took her nearly ten minutes before she punched in a final set of symbols with a frustrated grunt.

A moment later, a pale blue projection expanded from the orb, forming a full 3D map of Everhart and its surrounding regions. A pinpoint of light flickered.

"There," she said, tapping the projection. "Region 30. A bakery shop, according to the area records. You’ll probably find her there."

"Thank m—"

Before she could finish her sentence, I was already gone.

My body surged forward as I activated [Phantom Surge], the wind howling past me as I moved.

The scenery around me became a blur of color and shapes, my legs carrying me at speeds no ordinary student could match.

But despite the speed, Region 30 was far. It took over an hour even with [Phantom Surge] chaining across multiple regions. I didn’t rest. I didn’t slow.

When I arrived, sweat clung to my back and temples, but I barely noticed. I immediately began combing through the area—every alleyway, every market stall, every clustered corner of people.

I stopped a random local.

"Hey!" I called out, panting. "Short girl—black hair, black eyes. Wearing Rose Academy’s uniform. Have you seen her?"

The man blinked at me, surprised by my urgency, then slowly nodded. "Yeah... saw someone like that not long ago. She left the bakery shop with another girl. Said something about heading deeper inland."

"Which direction?"

He pointed. "That way. Maybe Region 31 by now."

"Thank you," I said with a sharp nod, already turning.

I activated [Phantom Surge] again, streaking toward Region 31.

And then, just at the bend of the road—a clearing behind a quiet, low-rise inn—I found her.

She sat at a stone bench beneath a tree, its flowering branches casting dappled shadows over her figure.

She was sipping tea from a paper cup, a half-eaten pastry on the bench beside her. Her expression was distant, like she was lost in her own world.

I nearly called out—nearly rushed in with relief.

Until I saw who was sitting next to her.

Blue hair.

Golden eyes.

A smug, serene expression that made my blood boil.

Verena.

Of course, it was her.

Of all the people Mia could’ve been with... it had to be her.

My steps slowed, body tense, lips curled into a silent scowl. The manipulative snake. She was the reason this entire stupid mess happened in the first place. The one who whispered doubts, stirred conflict, and distanced me from my sister.

And here she was, again—coiled like a viper beside Mia.

I shoved my hands deep into my pockets and strolled toward them. My eyes were locked onto the blue-haired devil sitting beside my sister, but I kept my tone casual. Fake casual.

"Hey, sis! Long time no see," I said, voice deliberately light, laced with thorns. "You’ve been doing great, huh? Must be nice, chilling around with your fabulous best friend here."

I didn’t even try to hide the venom. After a beat, I added with a deadpan look at Verena, "That was sarcasm, by the way. Just in case you’re too thick to catch it."

Verena’s lips curled into a smirk as she stood, towering above me like some self-righteous demigod sent to hand out moral lessons. "Yeah, no shit. Of course, I got it," she scoffed.

"What else would come out of your mouth except more of that stuck-up garbage? You only ever care about yourself. I bet you’re here to drag Mia off again, right? Just like always. Doesn’t matter what she wants or feels. You only see her as a part of your plan. What’ll you do if she refuses this time? Throw a tantrum? Hit a wall? Shout your superiority again, you prick?"

I clicked my tongue, holding back the urge to spit out every insult stacking up in my brain. What made it worse was that—dammit—she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Yeah, I was selfish. And yeah, maybe I always ended up making Mia follow decisions she didn’t want. But what she didn’t get, what none of them ever did, was that Mia’s choices were catastrophically dumb.

Evan was proof of that. The biggest flaming disaster in the shape of a "choice" my sister had ever made.

I exhaled hard through my nose, dragging my gaze off Verena and locking it on Mia instead. She looked startled. Her hands trembled slightly as she held her tea cup.

"Mia," I said, voice firm but quieter, "I need to talk to you. Alone. Just us. Just siblings."

She blinked, then gently placed her tea down beside her half-eaten pastry. Slowly, she stood up, brushing nonexistent dust off her skirt.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Let’s go. It’s been a while... and truthfully, I missed you. I’m sorry."

Verena practically exploded. Her hand shot out and gripped Mia’s shoulder, spinning her around.

"What are you saying?" she cried, voice shrill and furious. "Mia, seriously? You’re apologizing to him? This manipulative jerk who only sees you as a burden to drag around? You’re just letting yourself be used again! Every time! Why do you act so damn submissive around him?"

That word hit me like a slap.

Submissive?

’My ass.’

Mia was one of only two people in this world who had ever slapped me and lived to tell the tale. She had insulted me, screamed at me, and once bit my hand just to stop me from dragging her away from Evan.

She wasn’t submissive.

I was.

But I didn’t say anything. Not yet. Not when I was finally getting a chance to reconnect. This wasn’t about being right. It wasn’t about some superiority contest like Verena thought.

This was about making sure Mia was safe. That was all.

Mia gently shook off Verena’s grip and smiled—not a smug or polite one, but soft. Honest.

"No, Verena. You don’t get it," she said softly. "He’s my brother. He’s always cared about me—even if it’s... a little twisted sometimes. Yeah, he can be overbearing. And forceful. But I’ve come to understand, that’s just his way of protecting me. He’s the only person in this world who’s always been there for me. Even when I had no one to rely on. Not my parents. Not friends. Just him."

I blinked.

Those words shouldn’t have made my chest tighten—but they did.

She was ashamed.

Ashamed for doubting me.

And honestly, it stung that she ever had.

But whatever. That wasn’t the point now.

Verena looked like she’d been slapped with a brick. She glared at Mia with wide, disbelieving eyes, and then pulled her into a tight hug as if she could stop the emotional tide from swallowing her up.

"You... you’re such a kind person, Mia," she whispered. "You’re so good. But why? Why waste all that kindness on him? On someone like that? All nobles are the same—they’re fake. Proud. Rotten. They’ll never understand people like us. He’s one of them."

’The fuck? Nobles? When did she—Oh!’

There it was.

All of it made sense now.

Verena had overheard something that day. Probably our fight, the day I got out of the infirmary. The one where Mia and I had argued within her dorm. Wasn’t she her roommate technically? Verena was probably nearby, watching, eavesdropping.

’That’s why she was glaring at me like an ice princess outside the dorm. She probably mistook me as some noble young master who bullies his younger adopted sister. Does she read contemporary romance or shit like that?’

And what she heard, she used.

She saw her opening and took it.

The next day, Mia started acting distant. She’d been gaslighted, manipulated into believing Verena cared more for her than her own brother.

I gritted my teeth.

What pissed me off wasn’t that Verena tried to twist my sister’s heart.

It was that it worked.

Even for a little while.

Mia, still hugging Verena, gently rubbed her back and said with soft finality, "You’re overthinking it. You’re trying to protect me, and I’m grateful. But I’ve looked back on everything—every single moment. And the truth is... he was there. Every time. When I was sick. When I cried. When I failed. Not even our parents stood by me, but he did. Even when he had nothing. Even when he was hurting too. I... I can’t believe I let a few words make me doubt him."

She pulled away and stepped toward me, eyes steady. "I did believe you, Verena. For a while. But no more. I don’t want to lose my brother over misunderstandings and resentment. Not again. Please..."