{Stella's POV}

20,000 years ago, when I first came to the grassland, most people called me a beauty, a sight for sore eyes. My family has lived here for many generations. Everyone had successful lives, but even if your life wasn’t perfect, we still supported each other.

When I first got to the academy, I caught a lot of glances and ended up regretting that many years later. Homeroom was super noisy since I was a new student; every guy tried hard to flirt with me or pretend to be my friend. I felt really uncomfortable, so the only place I could escape everyone was the big yard.

One day while I was in the big yard, using my magic to bring the dead flowers back to life, Leonard came up to me. I didn’t know his name at first, but his kindness made him the only boy I ever felt at ease with. Months went by, and I started to form a small group of friends, and that’s when I met you, Albert P. With your intelligence, I was able to learn a foreign language in just one day to talk to everyone else.

Everything was going great until one person flipped my life upside down. Kian was the kind of person who would meddle in other people's affairs. He was someone I could never get along with. Around this time, Leonard and I were secretly dating. We had to be very careful about where we met. We got caught by our classmates several times, but they never told on us. To my surprise, they were happy for us.

One thing I can share about my first love, Leonard, is that he was incredibly caring. During the many dates we had, he was just so charming. The day before the festival, Kian was acting really suspicious. I didn’t want anything bad to happen, but I changed my appearance to follow him everywhere and listen in on his conversations.

One night, I trailed him, and I wished I could wipe that memory from my mind, but I sensed something dark was lurking. Kian wasn’t an angel at all; he was a demon. Those angel wings he wore at school were just a disguise. When he was away from the academy, he took them off, revealing his dark wings. Kian was plotting to kill his best friend on the festival day. You weren’t the only one aware of his plan. I did warn Leonard about it, but he brushed it off. I know you told him too, and he reacted the same way.

On the festival day, after Leonard gave his speech and left the podium, I saw Kian approach us and ask if he could speak to him alone. I replied, "Yes, go ahead," so Kian took Leonard away to a hidden spot. I was hiding behind a tree, listening to everything, until it happened.

Kian pulled out an axe he had hidden behind his fake angel wings and struck Leonard on the head. Leonard screamed in agony; Kian kept swinging the axe to chop off both of his wings. It was terrifying to witness. I wanted to help, but Leonard knew I was there; he knew I saw everything. Leonard’s lifeless body was in so much pain.

Just before Kian swung the axe one last time, I intervened and pushed him with my magic, causing him to hit his head on a tree branch. I warned Kian about his actions, but he quickly ran away from the scene. I turned back to Leonard, and his final words were, "Take revenge for me; destroy him, but remember that I will always love you." I cried out for help until you came out from the shadows. The medical team showed up after you went to find them. I just couldn’t handle seeing his lifeless body, buried underground.

After the funeral, Kian said he wanted to be my boyfriend. I agreed, but I was secretly plotting revenge for what he did to my first love. The easiest way was to act like I was fine. My small group of friends knew that Kian was a possessive angel who only wanted things for himself. With the plan we devised, I was able to carefully orchestrate my breakup and leave.

When the day arrived, I ended things with him, packed my belongings, and left the academy. I changed my look to be less attractive, wore glasses, and got a bob haircut, living a quiet life so no one would recognize me. I faced severe bullying, and the principal and teachers didn’t care. My parents died from an illness. The rumors that I was to blame and that my parents were executed are all false.

The people they executed were just ordinary folks. So on January 4, I set the Academy Excellence Achievers on fire, but some parts of the building still stand today. Short story: That’s when I transformed into a demon and, of course, a queen. And as for that jerk Kian, he never made it to heaven like he claimed he would. He’s in hell with Hades, working until his guilt consumes him.

"Wow, that was graphic, but how did you know I was there?" "I have more magical abilities than anyone else here. I can feel when someone is approaching or hiding." "Thanks for sharing your story with me. Just a heads up, I won’t reveal your identity; your secret is safe with me, but please be more careful if you show up unexpectedly."

Stella took a deep breath and let her magic shift into the Bridgette persona. She left the author's place and made her way to where Marvin was. Marvin, who was just leaving the place with his friends, spotted Bridgette flying towards him in the sky.

"I thought you were waiting for me at the house." "What? I can’t just go where you are. You’re so rude." "I’m not rude; what I meant—never mind, let’s go."

Marvin took Bridgette’s hand and they walked back to the house. Once they arrived, still holding her hand, they went inside, where he released her and went to the kitchen to make some food. Bridgette, rubbing her hand, felt a warm sensation.

"What was all that about? Anyway, I need to return this book to the library when I get a chance," Bridgette murmured to herself as she pulled out her homework. Marvin called out to Bridgette that the food was ready. She got up and walked to the dining table where the food was already laid out.

They both sat down at the table before Marvin asked Bridgette where she had been.

"Where did you go?" "Somewhere." "Somewhere where?" "Somewhere that’s not your concern." "It is my concern to know where you went. I just—I need to keep an eye on you. As a friend, it's my responsibility, I just—" Before Marvin could say anything, he noticed something outside the window. What he saw was a flying scroll.

Marvin stepped closer to the flying scroll; he attempted to grab it, but it zipped past him, directly confronting Bridgette. Bridgette, who had finished her meal, put down her fork, took the flying scroll, and opened it; she hurried to her room and locked the door behind her.

“Bridgette, let me in. You can't just lock yourself in there. What are you hiding?” Marvin called out, knocking repeatedly on the door. “I need some time alone to read this. It's really important,” Bridgette shouted from inside the room.

“What could possibly be so important? Reading a silly flying scroll that no one uses anymore.” “For your information, it’s not silly; it’s an ancient method of communicating with my brother, well, my half-brother.”

“Half-brother? You have a brother?” “Yes, now can you please give me some privacy for a few minutes to read and respond?” “Alright.”

Marvin stepped away from the door and returned to the dining table to finish his meal. After he finished and cleaned the dishes, he settled in the living room and glanced at Bridgette’s homework. Bridgette cleared some space on the desk to unfold the scroll and began reading it softly.

Dear Stella, This is Amon reaching out. The kingdom is currently in lockdown due to orders from Father Komoku. I’m not sure how much longer this will last. Father has been watching you closely and discovered something quite intriguing. On two separate occasions, your secret identity was exposed at that burned academy and just a few hours ago at someone’s house. Father is not happy about you revealing your true self like that. However, he has more faith in you than he does in me. Stella, please return home. We really need you! This lockdown feels pointless; even the main leader, Blaze, is out here keeping watch during shifts. By the way, make sure to write to Blaze when you get the chance; he’s been missing you. Anyway, I have to leave now; there’s something going on with Hades, and Father is warning me that a terrible storm is approaching.

Bridgette began to bang her fist on the desk, feeling sorry for what was going on in her own kingdom. She went to look for a blank scroll that she had tucked away under her pillow. Using her magic, she conjured an ink pen and started to write a response.

Dear Amon, This is Stella writing to you. I’ll be home really soon; I just need a year before I can leave this place. I was at a friend's house, a guy I knew a long time ago when I was in my original form. He assured me that my secret is safe with him. I’m really close to figuring out what happened after I went to join the demon kingdom [timeline]. Blaze misses me? I haven’t talked to him since I took the throne. You should show him how to write back to me using the scroll; teach him how to do it. Regarding the lockdown, go to my room, and on that uncolored drawer, there should be an old scroll that hasn’t been opened in years; keep it safe. Don’t open it until I say so. I’ll write to you when it’s the right time to open it. The scroll contains a very, very old ancient language that will be super useful between Hades and the other person; before that ‘ugly storm is coming,’ just like you said, it will stop it completely.

Bridgette swiftly rolled up the scroll, approached the window, and released it into the air. She then unlocked the door and noticed Marvin working on his homework. Taking a seat, she reached for her own assignments and sensed an odd presence. Glancing around, she dismissed it.

"Hey, why are you so keen on taking that ancient language class? Don't you want to explore anything else?" Marvin inquired. "Nope. Ancient languages are actually pretty fascinating once you dive into them. I learned from Beckett that they visit the library once a week to read those old books that hardly anyone knows about. Plus, at the end of each month, they go on a mini field trip to learn about the history. That sounds exciting to me," Bridgette replied with a grin.

"Still, I just can’t stand Beckett. Don’t get too close to him; Hermione has a crush on him, and she’s tried countless times to catch his eye. He was even looking at you during lunch," Marvin said, feeling a bit uneasy. "Besides, I’m not looking to date anyone, but I appreciate the heads-up. Let’s talk about something else. If you need help with your homework, I can assist you. I’ve got the brains," Bridgette said, pointing to a math problem on Marvin’s paper.