The air in the secluded garden hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and the faint sweetness of blooming night lilies. Beneath the old oak, shadows pooled like ink, wrapping the two figures in an isolating hush. Somewhere beyond the hedges, the academy buzzed faintly with the chatter of students—but here, in this hidden corner, there was only the slow drip of water from a cracked fountain and the charged silence between Rena and Serafina.
Rena stood with her back straight, her long white hair cascading down her spine in a silken river, the crimson at its ends catching the late afternoon light like embers. Her crimson eyes, framed by long lashes, were locked on the girl in front of her—a gaze so sharp it could have cut glass.
Serafina tilted her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. The silver of her hair shimmered in the muted sun, her icy blue eyes glinting with that familiar mix of mockery and disdain. She stepped closer, the click of her polished boots on the cobblestone ringing out like tiny cracks in the tension.
"So," Serafina began, her voice smooth as silk but sharpened with venom, "I hear you're still playing the devoted little wife to that… pathetic excuse of a man, Jien. Must be exhausting, pretending he's worth anything."
The words landed like a slap without the touch.
Rena's fingers twitched at her sides, but she didn't move—yet. Her voice came low, like the growl of something dangerous forced into a human shape.
"Say whatever you want about me, Serafina. But don't talk about him."
Serafina's smirk widened, cruel amusement blooming in her eyes. "Oh, I'll talk about him all I want. Because everyone knows what he is. Weak. Naïve. Soft. You could do better by marrying a corpse—at least then you wouldn't have to deal with his pathetic attempts to act strong."
The sudden crack of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the garden as Rena's hand struck across Serafina's cheek, the sound sharp enough to startle the sparrows from the branches above.
"Shut your mouth," Rena hissed, her eyes blazing now, the red in them burning like molten steel. "This is between you and me—leave him out of it."
Serafina staggered back a step, her cheek blooming red, but the shock only lasted a heartbeat before her lips curled into a slow, mocking grin. "Oh, did I hit a nerve? Poor Rena, always so sensitive when it comes to her precious husband. Does he even know how to—"
She didn't get to finish.
Rena's hands shot out, gripping Serafina by the collar of her blouse and slamming her back against the rough bark of the oak. The force rattled the leaves above them, sending a few tumbling down. Rena's fingers closed around her throat—not crushing, but enough to make Serafina's breath hitch.
"I said," Rena's voice was a low, dangerous rumble, "leave him out of it."
Serafina's hands came up, shoving at Rena's shoulders, nails catching strands of her long white hair. In an instant, the tension snapped into violence. Serafina's fingers tangled in Rena's hair, yanking hard, dragging her head to the side. Rena responded with a sharp twist, pulling Serafina forward and throwing her down onto the soft grass.
They went down together, a tangle of limbs and flying hair. Rena landed on top, her knees pinning Serafina's arms, but Serafina bucked hard, rolling them until she was the one on top, her silver hair spilling forward like a curtain.
"You think you scare me?" Serafina spat, her voice shaking with a mixture of rage and exhilaration. "You're nothing but a spoiled little fire demon girl playing human."
Rena's lips peeled back in something between a snarl and a grin. With a sudden surge of strength, she shoved Serafina off, rolling to her feet in a single fluid motion. She grabbed a fistful of silver hair and yanked, dragging Serafina upright before slamming her back against the tree again.
Serafina let out a sharp laugh, breathless and defiant even with Rena's hand fisted in her hair. "That all you've got, Amperhart? I thought Phoenix blood made you stronger."
"It does," Rena said, her tone chilling in its calm. She shoved her forward, making her stumble. "And you're about to find out just how much."
The fight broke fully then—no words, just the sound of impact, the rasp of breath, the snap of hair being pulled and the sting of open-handed slaps. They moved like they had fought each other a hundred times in their heads, each knowing exactly how to provoke and hurt the other without mercy.
Somewhere, a petal drifted down from the tree, landing between them—delicate and out of place in the raw violence that churned the secluded garden into chaos.
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heat: Sarafina knows that Jin is stronger than her and not weak, but she only said that because Jin previously called her a stupid loser.