The next day, as soft sunlight filtered through the academy windows, Yujin walked down the hallway toward his classroom. The air was still chilly after a light morning snow, and his mind was focused on refining his magic circuits in the next practical class.
But he stopped in his tracks.
At the edge of the main hallway, partially hidden behind a tall pillar, he spotted Kain Vagor standing with Mira Kisaragi.
They weren't arguing. But the tension in the air was heavy.
Mira said something, her expression calm but distant, before turning and walking away. Kain didn't stop her. He just stood there, fists clenched, as she disappeared into the crowd.
Curious, Yujin quietly moved to a nearby bush outside the hall's window to observe without being seen. When Mira was gone, he approached.
"You looked like someone who just lost a war," Yujin commented, trying to keep the mood light.
Kain didn't answer immediately. He sighed, shoulders dropping slightly.
"We were together when we were seventeen," he finally said. "Back then, I was obsessed with power. Training, competing, winning—that was all that mattered. Mira tried to stay, but I pushed her away."
Yujin tilted his head. "Do you still care for her?"
Kain gave a slow nod. "I do. But she won't give me another chance. I messed up too badly."
Yujin smirked a little. "What if I told you I could help you fix this?"
Kain looked at him, confused. "You?"
"Yes. But there's a condition," Yujin said, stepping closer. "If I help you make things right, you agree to work with me after graduation. As partners."
Kain hesitated. The rivalry between them had been intense, but Yujin was no ordinary cadet—he was different. After a moment, Kain gave a firm nod. "Deal."
To pull this off, Yujin knew he needed help. And only one person had the charm, status, and smarts to help orchestrate something delicate and personal like this: Sylvia Estelle.
Later that day, Yujin visited her in the Moonlight Guild's academy branch office. Sylvia sat at her polished oak desk, typing swiftly on a floating holographic keyboard, surrounded by reports and market charts. The crest of Moonlight Frontier Co.—her family's mega-corporation—glimmered on a glass wall behind her.
"You need what?" she asked after hearing his request.
"I need your help patching up two hearts that were once one," he said with a smile.
Sylvia sighed. "You're hopelessly dramatic."
"But also right," he added.
It took them several days. Sylvia used her influence to invite Mira to a guild-sponsored mixer event disguised as a networking gathering for aspiring cadet entrepreneurs. Yujin subtly invited Kain.
At the event, Yujin and Sylvia carefully steered the two toward each other. They made sure the atmosphere was just right—nostalgic music, soft lighting, even setting the venue near an old training ground Mira and Kain used to visit.
It wasn't easy. Mira was cautious, guarded. Kain was nervous but sincere. But Sylvia's gentle interventions and Yujin's careful words slowly thawed the ice.
Eventually, under the night sky, after heartfelt apologies and a tearful conversation, the two reconnected—not instantly as lovers, but as people willing to start again.
Yujin leaned on a railing, watching them talk in the moonlight. Sylvia joined him, handing him a warm drink.
"You're good at this," she said. "You'd make a fine politician."
"I'll pass," he chuckled.
As he glanced at his status window, a faint blue glow flickered:
Mistake Solved 4: Reuniting the Broken Bond.
He smiled, satisfied. Another piece of his past, corrected. He looked up at Sylvia. "Thanks. Couldn't have done it without you."
She smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You owe me."
And she handed him a carefully wrapped bundle—a ginseng herb over a hundred years old. "It's a rare medicinal plant. Improves mana concentration and helps level advancement. Consider it a gift."
He blinked. "This is incredibly valuable."
"You're valuable too," she replied, then turned away before he could say anything else.
Yujin stood there for a moment, stunned… then quietly smiled.
In his heart, he felt something shift—not just in the world, but in him.
--