"I conclude that is why you absolutely must join an extracurricular that you'll enjoy," announced Niklas, taking in a deep breath after his half-hour ramble to convince Kaden to follow his own ideals after the latter had briefly mentioned waiting for a list of classes he was to take.

"Wait, wait. I need to run. Sorry, I agreed to meet up with some people to discuss one of our classes. I'll see you later, Kaden! Don't miss me too much!"

The bell had rung, and the first week was only a half day of school while students decided how they wanted to spend the second half of their day. His classes had continued in a similar fashion—scorn, rumours, and the typical experience.

After waving farewell to Niklas, Kaden chewed on his food, glancing at the person who sat opposite him. The cheerful commoner had dragged both his row-mates, or whatever one called them, to lunch with him. Noah, surprisingly, hadn't refused, shrugging Niklas's grubby hands off and following quietly on his own.

There was something Kaden noticed, staring at Noah's place. The food was eaten clean with thorough care, but a small pile of bright red vegetables gathered together pitifully.

"Aren't you going to eat those?"

Noah glanced up, staring back down at the neat collection he'd made. Then, he shook his head. "I won't."

Kaden, who'd grown up with a strong belief in eating almost everything when he always had too little to allow room for pickiness, frowned. "It's a waste of food."

"Look at your own plate." The dragon calmly gestured to the much smaller pile of chopped olives, carefully picked out.

"That's different. Olives are the only things I won't eat."

"Tomatoes are the only things I will not eat."

"They taste great though," insisted Kaden stubbornly, more out of amusement at the other's picky habits than real anger. "I love eating them. As much as I like you."

Noah narrowed his eyes, seeming to scrutinize his expression before letting out a soft sigh of annoyance. He ignored the confession that had been tagged onto the end of the sentence, as always.

It was clear that there was no point in arguing.

He stretched out a hand to pull the plates closer, resolutely dumping his collection of cherry tomatoes onto the opposite plate, while scooping up the pile of olives. He slid the plates back to their proper position and resumed eating calmly. Kaden blinked, once, then twice before lowering his head to eat up the ripe tomatoes.

He couldn't stop the disobedient quirk of his lips and the slight curve of his eyes.

They ate quickly, though peacefully. It was a strange experience to witness, both hero and villain, sitting at the same table.

Their roles would only become set in stone after the Academy, however.

The thought dulled Kaden's senses as he lowered his eyes reluctantly. He could run away, live an easy life—though running would be difficult, and escaping Reed's grasp near impossible.

But he could try to break completely away from the original timeline. Yet he craved vengeance, desired it more than anything else. Not to mention, what else could he do?

The path he had chosen to embark on was the only one that seemed to guarantee everybody's happiness. He'd never even considered including himself to begin with, in the happiness that he sought for others.

"What are you thinking about?"

Kaden paused, his cutlery almost slipping out of his hands, before he lifted his head, smiling. "Are you curious about me, Bellamy? If you are, then I'm flattered."

"How can I make a judgment on you if I know nothing?" replied the Dragon curtly, with that determined, without hesitation, tone of his. "I'm trying to understand you, Kaden Chauvet."

"...Is there any point in doing that?"

"Is there any point in not?"

It was clear to Noah, to his observant gaze, that the man in front of him had undergone an extreme change compared to the rumours. Not only rumours, but facts. He'd seen Kaden's dramatic acts in the past, and the quiet, somewhat unsettled character in front of him was anything but that.

Though it seemed like the man was trying to continue his flirtatious, stupid role, Noah just didn't know if that was the true him. Or if it were a facade plastered on, stuck with permanent glue.

Therefore, once he saw the stricken pale face during the testing, he concluded that it wouldn't be terrible to understand his roommate more carefully. More thoroughly.

There was always something wonderfully satisfying about dissecting a person that no other could piece apart. Like discovering a good book sandwiched between various others, gone unknown until they were turned, until they were seen.

Until they were made great by a single viewer's gaze.

Noah wasn't entirely sure if Kaden would ultimately end up being a good book to read, but since the man had taken it upon himself to latch onto the dragon, then Noah would at least judge the man properly.

Kaden hurriedly swallowed the tomatoes on his plate before pushing his chair out and standing. It screeched loudly, and he paused as the dark gaze flicked up to him. He wondered if he ultimately helped Noah while tricking Reed, if that would bring him some sort of satisfaction. Would he feel like a hero—was that what he wanted? Looking at Noah confused him, unsettled him.

Noah, the hero. Noah, the beautiful and powerful.

He wondered what it would be like to sit so calmly, to look with a gaze that told of no fear. And then another, nagging thought itched at him. And he wondered if by chance, everything he knew about Noah could be wrong. But he didn't intend to find out.

A moment of hesitation.

Then he smiled, taking his plate and turning to leave. "Well, that was fun~ let's eat again tomorrow, how about it?"

Noah watched him, taking his time to finish eating. "Very well."

"...right, then." Kaden blinked, not expecting the other to agree so easily. He left without another word.

The walk back was quiet compared to the unexpected day, from his blessing from the Watcher of Delusions and that unwanted hallucination, to eating dinner with a man who had cursed him for loneliness in the path.

Granted, the Kaden of that time had deserved such a fate after all the sins he'd committed.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of all sorts of negative thoughts. The mood had been too somber for him recently, and he didn't want to waste his time like that in this life.

Although revenge was his primary goal, he decided he wanted to experience the things he hadn't. A whole world, unknown, and now he had the chance to witness it with his own eyes.

He clutched the books he'd picked up from the library a little closer, staring out the expansive windows that lined the hallways. Curious eyes peered at the gardens, at the students walking and laughing together.

'I want to see more.'

The wind blew past him, from a crack in one of the open windows, and a piece of paper rushed by his face.

Kaden stretched out a hand to grab it, pulling it closer to take a look. Colours filled the page, and bold print stood out against the white.

The Fairy Festival.

An event where the entire world would come to life in the deep night, sparkling with vibrant beauty. The fairies and townsfolk joined together to create a memorable evening, once a year.

Sparkles and magical delights. Sights that couldn't be commonly seen. A show spread across the skies, of dancing creatures filled with life, and the wafting aroma of food that filled the streets.

He'd always wanted to go, but stayed inside in fear of doing anything that wasn't by Reed's orders.

However, the man couldn't punish him if he went, not unless he did something truly bad. Kaden simply had been too scared to go—and perhaps, Reed preferred that he remained a coward, locked in his room.

Kaden deliberated over it. Although Reed's curse of obedience marked his skin, it wasn't one powerful enough to completely limit his freedom.

"Oh! Are you thinking of going to the Fairy Festival, Kaden?"

He jerked around, startled by the bright, fresh voice that spoke from behind him. A young lady smiled when he turned, softly curving her pale cherry eyes. There was a softness in them that he wasn't used to.

"You are..." started Kaden uncertainly, narrowing his gaze.

However, she revealed no fear and treated him as she would any other. "My name is Nicola Akasha. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaden."