Hildr was at first confused by the strange atmosphere in the room below her, but as things developed, she finally remembered that most people actually valued different things than she did. In the room below, Adrian, who had dressed his best, moved closer to Amelia. Amelia took a step backwards, but that was to be expected in this situation, especially considering what had happened to her not even a year ago. Adrian was shaken by her moving backwards, but he did not give up. He had finally decided to go all in. From the moment he met the woman before him a few months back, his mind was filled with thoughts of her and her alone. No one would think that just a year ago, Adrian was a well-known playboy, and yet he had not spoken to another girl except Amelia in the past few months. He was convinced that this was the power of love. Only this mysterious thing he had heard so many people talk about had the power to stop him from chasing skirts, something that he had thought impossible. He now had but a single desire, and that was to get the love of the woman he so admired. He was willing to sacrifice everything in the name of love. He had wanted to confess his feelings on multiple occasions in the past, but he had always failed to come up with the words that could fully encompass his true feelings. He felt that no word could ever describe the ache in his heart. Even the word "love" felt insufficient at this point.
After months of gathering his courage, he was finally ready. He had called Amelia over to this room, and he was about to speak the words that would forever change who he was and how he lived.
"I never planned on falling in love, but I find myself head over heels for you. Amelia, you are the love of my life. Can you find a way to accept my love for you and who you are?" said Adrian. Up in the ventilation shaft, Hildr almost burst into laughter. She felt her stomach coil at the words.
"There is no way she falls for these cheesy lines," thought Hildr. Even though she was not on good terms with Amelia, she had already found the girl to be very bright.
"Only a fool would fall for words of love."
For some reason she was not fully aware of, Hildr had always disdained the very concept of love. She waited for Amelia to turn down the foolish boy, but the words of rejection did not come. She watched as Amelia slightly nodded her pretty little head, and Adrian began jumping up and down like a fool. Adrian moved in and kissed Amelia as deeply as anyone had ever been kissed. Hildr even saw their tongues fight each other as though trying to exchange a desire that could never be fully articulated.
Hildr sighed in disappointment at Amelia's choice, but this all had nothing to do with her, and so she moved to leave this place. Hildr felt the shaft creak slightly, and this was the only warning she got before the entire thing collapsed, and she fell face-first to the hard floor in the room.
She had stayed for far too long, and the shaft could not handle her weight. Hildr would never admit it, but she had been too fascinated by the happenings between the lovers and forgotten to take the necessary precautions. Adrian and Amelia separated and looked at Hildr, who lay before them. The two went completely red in the face. It was clear that they had been spied on, and on top of that, it was by this woman whom they considered their enemy.
Hildr felt shame well up in her heart. She hid all her emotions, including the embarrassment, and stood up as though nothing had happened. She cleared her voice as she patted herself down. Her blue dress was still in pristine condition, and there was no need to pat herself down, but she did it anyway. She then looked at the two as though surprised to find them here. She moved and tried to open the door. Since she did not have the key to the door and had enough shame not to ask for it, she ended up ripping the door off its hinges. She placed the door to the side and left in silence. Amelia did not know what to make of this situation.
Hildr thought about what had just happened for a few minutes as she tried not to think about it. She finally reached the coliseum, and there, she let out a deep breath. The place was designed with so much battle aesthetics that it made anyone who entered the place feel like fighting until they stood at the peak of all things. On top of this, all the statues of the former champions who had passed through this coliseum were so intricately carved that they seemed to have a life of their own. Hildr had lived in countless palaces and castles until now, but even she was moved by the grandeur of this place. She saw Luna, who had risen up. She was waving at her with so much enthusiasm that it was blinding. Hildr smiled at the young girl as she moved toward her. The place was, of course, filled with people, some of whom were not even students of the academy. She passed them easily since the coliseum had been constructed with comfort in mind. She moved and sat next to Luna, who handed her some kind of meat on a stick. She took it and began eating cheerfully as the two of them watched the matches taking place in the arena below. The people who were fighting were students, but they fought with so much skill and vigor that everything looked as though it were a fight to the death. Hildr recognized one of the students who were fighting. It was the young boy who had been first to be ranked in the Heroic realm during their first lecture with the Battle Master. At that time, the young boy had seemed naive and completely useless, but this was clearly no longer the case. He had even put on some muscle, making him look like a real warrior. As he fought, Hildr grew more invested in the battle.