Chapter 379: Chapter 378- Reflection

Aries was nervous.

It was early morning, and like every other third-year student, she was walking out of the dormitory toward the main building.

Today marked the start of the Aegis Trials.

There would be two exams spread over two days. The first one was today—the written test. The second would be a quick-response round, where students had to answer questions within a few minutes or lose points.

The written test carried seventy percent of the total marks, which was why everyone took it so seriously.

Usually, the same groups of students would chat while walking to class, but today was different.

Everyone held small notes or books in their hands, reading as they walked. No one looked anywhere else. Even the top students were sweating nervously.

After all, the Aegis Trials might be the safest in terms of physical challenges—but they were also the hardest of all exams.

Aries, however, hadn’t even opened her book since last night.

After what had happened, she could barely hope she’d be allowed into the exam hall at all.

’I should feel lucky if they don’t expel me…’

A student could repeat a year, or if they hadn’t failed the exams by a huge margin, they could retake them later.

Aries would have accepted either of those options gladly. She just didn’t want to be expelled and labeled a cheater. That would be worse than failing.

’Shouldn’t you have thought about that before pulling such a stunt?’ She scolded herself, groaning quietly.

Just as she stepped out of the dorm building, a voice called out, “Ah, senior Aries.”

She turned around and saw a familiar first-year student.

“Brendon… how are you?” she asked softly.

It was the same boy who had been chosen to join the team during the tournament—and the one who had nearly lost his life back then.

His forehead was shining with sweat, and his breathing was uneven. He must’ve run a long way to get here.

As he came closer, he said with a smile, “I can see that even you’re not an exception to exam anxiety.”

Aries smiled awkwardly. “What gave me away?”

He shrugged. “It’s your face. You look nervous.”

Aries chuckled. “Well, that should be obvious, shouldn’t it?”

Brendon nodded. “Yeah… but not for you, actually.”

Aries blinked. “What do you mean?”

Brendon scratched his head shyly. “I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person who doesn’t give up, no matter how bad things get. Someone who can still smile, even when everything’s falling apart… like you, senior.”

He looked at her earnestly. “I admire you. You never seem afraid to face difficult situations. I hope I can be like that someday.”

Aries froze, forgetting to breathe for a moment.

Me? Brave?

Was she really?

She’d always stood beside someone everyone called extraordinary, so she wasn’t used to hearing words like that.

But to think someone younger than her looked up to her… that someone saw her as an example to follow—

Suddenly, the fear of being rejected by her father and family felt so small, so meaningless.

Aries almost felt ashamed of herself for being so weak.

“Senior?” Brendon called out, suddenly worried that his words had disturbed her concentration.

But then he noticed the change in her expression — her usual confident smirk had returned.

“Praising me so openly, saying you admire your senior…” Aries teased, tilting her head with a mischievous grin. “Is this your way of confessing your feelings, junior?”

Brendon’s face turned bright red. His shoulders stiffened, and he froze on the spot, completely thrown off by her words.

Aries laughed softly at his reaction, giving his shoulder a gentle pat. “Thanks, junior… I needed that.”

Leaving those words behind, she walked past him and headed toward the academic block with a steadier stride and a fire in her chest.

Forget the exams. Forget the academy. Forget her father or that damned family.

Even if she got expelled — she didn’t care anymore.

From this moment on, everything she did would be for herself.

Her dreams didn’t need a stamp of approval from anyone, not from the academy and certainly not from her father.

She would carve her own path and claim her happiness — without worrying about what others thought of her.

Soon, she reached the main building and stepped inside. The long corridors echoed with hurried footsteps and murmurs of anxious students.

At the entrance of the exam hall stood Adrian, checking everyone’s examination cards one by one.

When his gaze lifted and met hers — that familiar raven-haired girl walking toward him with a smile — something in his expression flickered.

“You can go,” he said to the last girl showing her card. She nodded quickly and disappeared inside.

Now, only Aries remained.

With her fingers looped through her bag’s straps, she gave him a half-smile. “So? What is it? A public execution?”

Adrian blinked, startled. “What?”

“I mean,” she said, adjusting her tone with mock seriousness, “am I getting expelled publicly?”

Adrian raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound very scared about the punishment.”

Aries grinned, her tone light but her eyes glimmering with something deeper. “I just found someone who showed me a mirror… and I couldn’t face myself in that reflection. I felt ashamed of what I’d become. So rather than breaking the mirror, I decided to change what I see in it.”

Her words hung in the air for a moment, soft but powerful. Adrian looked at her silently, reading the honesty in her voice. He understood exactly what she meant.

But still, his lips curved into a teasing smile. “Are you sure you’re not saying all that just so I’ll let you into the examination hall?”

Aries blinked, then pouted dramatically, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. “How rude, Professor. Calling my self-rebuilding something as pitiful as emotional blackmail.”

Adrian sighed, shaking his head, though there was a soft amusement in his eyes. “You never change.” Then, after a short pause, he straightened his posture and said more seriously, “Go ahead and take the exams.”

Aries froze. “For real?”

He nodded. “Yes. I discussed your situation with the Headmistress. While she’s definitely going to punish you for what happened, she has no intention of stopping you from taking the trials.”

For a moment, Aries didn’t move. Then her eyes widened and a genuine smile spread across her face—one that carried relief, disbelief, and gratitude all at once. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Say nothing,” Adrian replied with a calm smile. “Just prove you deserve this chance. Don’t make me regret it.”

Aries nodded firmly, her earlier nervousness replaced by quiet determination. “I won’t. I’ll make sure you don’t.”

As she stepped past him toward the hall, Adrian spoke again, his tone softer this time. “Aries.”

She stopped and turned.

“Don’t lose that reflection you talked about,” he said. “Once you fix it… hold onto it.”

Her smile deepened, eyes gleaming with resolve. “I will, Professor.”

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