"I was born in the gutters. My mum had me alone after my father died. Then slowly, she got sick as well, falling sicker with every passing day, and there was nothing I could do to help her at all. So when I was barely eight, she died as well.

That was when I found Luka and the little group that became my home. We stole together, lived together, did everything together. Until one day, I discovered my talent for magic after watching a mage in the city. He cast a simple spell that stuck in my head.

That became the beginning of my learning magic. Luka loved the sword, and I loved magic, engrossed in it and learning whatever I could because I didn't have the luxury of relaxing.

But slowly, learning magic became all that mattered to me. I wanted to find ways to learn more, and I didn't care about the risk. That was when Lady Crimson, the one who watched over all of us, told me of the academy and what I could actually learn there.

I didn't want to leave the gutter since my friends and family were there, but she told me that the talent I had would be wasted looking for scraps to learn. She said she knew someone who would take interest in my talent.

And that was when I met Lady Green, and she instantly took me as a student. I left the gutters, left my family—everything that I lived for changed in an instant. It became like I was a new person, far from the dirty past that was in the gutters."

She took a deep breath to calm herself. Her eyes were slightly glassy from tears, but Raze couldn't find a single trace of remorse in them, she didn't regret what she had done, even in the slightest.

"That's the summary of my life in the great gutters," she said.

"I see. I understand why Luka was pained, but more importantly, I understand why you did what you did. I would never let anyone stop my search for knowledge. You didn't do anything wrong," Raze said. She looked at him and then let out a smile.

"It still hurts when I think about them and the fact that they refused all the help I tried to offer over the months."

"They'll come around if they ever really loved you. Also, they should know better than putting their lives at risk every time," Raze said.

She dropped her head. "Sigh, Luka is stubborn. He believes that he'll grow strong and take everyone with him, unlike me, who left everyone behind," she said.

"What does he know? Rather than take action, he's biting on delusions, while you, on the other hand, took action and made a difference," Raze said. He leaned back into the chair and placed his hands behind his head. "You shouldn't beat yourself down, but also don't give up on them," he added.

She looked at him and then looked forward. "Somehow, speaking about it with you made me stop feeling bad about my actions," she said. "Now, about what happened when I cast that spell, it has something to do with my body.

Lady Green discovered that I have an affinity for magic that very few people have ever had, but that isn't all. Magic is much easier for me compared to others, like it wants to be in me. Other people have to do all they can to channel mana, I do it easily. I can cast simple spells, and they come out extremely powerful.

I lose control. The magic just takes over me, and in the last months, I have hurt many people in duels because of it. It gave me the name 'Fiery Empress.'" She looked down with a smile.

"Up until now, you are the only person I've discovered with better magic than me in my age group, and yet you're capable of controlling your magic easily. That was one of the reasons I wanted to learn from you so much. I wanted to learn how to use my magic better and eliminate the risk of losing control."

"I see, that makes sense," Raze replied. "And honestly, you should have told me earlier," he said.

"I was scared you would be worried about me hurting you," she stated.

"Nah, I would have rather preferred to see you in action to know how it works. Also, I could have helped you find a solution," he explained.

"There isn't a solution. Lady Green has been working on it for a year now."

"Doesn't matter, I'm not her. The way I work is different. Don't worry, I'll do my best to ensure that you get control," he promised.

She looked at him for a few seconds, her eyes wide, then she smiled. "Thank you, Raze," she said, and then out of nowhere hugged him, her hands wrapped around his neck. Raze's eyes widened; he didn't know how to react. He slowly moved his hands to place them on her back.

"Mhmm... hmm..."

They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Raze turned and saw the teacher from the combat magic class standing there.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the headmistress wants you to come," the man said.

"Is it about the talisman?" Raze asked, as Ella released her hands from him.

"What talisman?" she asked.

"Oh, I fixed the talisman used to hold spells, to ensure that everyone can make one with cheap materials."

"You what? What the hell? How did you even do something like that?" she asked, shocked.

"It wasn't too hard. I'll explain when I'm done," Raze said and got up.

"No, no, I'm coming with," she said before getting up.

"Alright, let's go," Raze replied. The teacher led the way as they headed for the headmistress's office. Getting there, Raze used God's Eye and saw that she wasn't alone, a man and a woman were in the room with her.

'Who are they?'

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