The morning sunlight spilled over the garden, painting every leaf and petal in gold. Chroma Valen, just a boy then, sat on the soft grass, laughing as a young girl darted around him with uncontainable energy. They were the same age, yet in this fleeting moment, the world seemed theirs alone.
Chroma reached into his satchel and pulled out a small, delicate hairclip — a gift he had made for her. He held it out, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement.
> Chroma (young): "Here… I made this for you."
The girl's eyes sparkled as she took it, fastening it into her hair. She twirled in delight, then looked back at him with a serious expression, her small hands clasped together.
> Young Girl: "Chroma… can you promise me? When we become adults, you'll marry me?"
Young Chroma (smiling warmly): "Of course… I promise."
They laughed together, the sound like the wind through the garden. Their smiles reflected a bond unspoken but deeply understood.
---
Suddenly, the scene twisted. The golden warmth was gone, replaced by smoke and the stench of charred wood. The village he remembered so vividly was reduced to ashes. Houses lay collapsed, fires still smoldering in corners. Amid the rubble, he saw it: the hairclip he had once gifted her, now buried beneath the remains of her home.
His chest tightened. The laughter, the joy, the promise — all swallowed by the devastation.
Chroma woke with a start, sweat beading on his forehead.
> Professor Chroma (thinking, quietly): "That dream… again…"
He shook his head, pushing the memory away, and prepared for his day. Duty awaited.
---
The Imperial Academy loomed ahead, its spires glinting in the morning sun. Principal Alice, one of the three most formidable humans alive, waited inside. Despite her youthful appearance, she was a mage of unmatched genius. Her playful demeanor could deceive anyone into thinking her an ordinary young girl, yet her sharp mind and observant nature marked her as the apex of magical prowess. Even Chroma, a slayer of armies and dragons, admitted quietly to himself that matching her intellect and skill was a rare impossibility.
> Chroma (thinking): She offered me the role after I retired from adventuring… Instructor of the Academy. A position of honor and responsibility.
Inside the classroom, Chroma assumed his role as Head Professor of Class S. The students before him were extraordinary — far beyond their years.
Sho Ardenthal, the son of a duchess and duke, with raw talent and a strategic mind; Princess Arisa Varellis, elegant, sharp, and disciplined; and the unreadable Liyana Lufinze, whose abilities and potential remained a mystery even to him. These three were no ordinary youth, and in guiding them, he felt both the weight of responsibility and the thrill of possibility.
He demonstrated swordsmanship, provided precise lectures on magical integration, and assigned exercises to push their limits.
Yet, even amidst teaching, his mind drifted.
> Professor Chroma (thinking): After every class, I find myself staring at the stars… thinking of regrets, of chances I never took. If I hadn't been a coward back then… perhaps I could have saved her…
The sky darkened slowly with the fading sun, the golden streaks reminding him of the garden, the laughter, and the promise.
> Professor Chroma (whispering to himself): even i become strong now... It's still useless that i can't use it to save the precious person that i love.. So what's the point of being the strongest.. That you don't have anything left.
And in the quiet of the academy, surrounded by the brilliance of his students and the weight of his memories, the shadow of his regrets lingered — a promise to himself, as much as to the past.
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