"Thanks, Vivian. If it weren't for you, I might still be stuck in that crowd."
The two walked down the dim emergency stairwell, their footsteps echoing through the narrow space.
After Greg thanked her, Vivian, who was walking ahead of him, did not answer right away. Instead, she stayed silent for quite a while.
The yellowish light of the Magic Crystal lamps cast her slender silhouette, her signature long blue hair swaying gently with each step.
At last, she stopped and turned around. Her eyes, usually as calm as a frozen lake, now held a barely perceptible ripple.
"Are you... planning to transfer to the Ember-Eyed Tower Magic Academy?"
The question came out of nowhere, leaving Greg stunned.
Where had that rumor come from?
Even the Academy Head was practically an ally now. When he had nothing to do, he could tease that little gray-haired girl, and when he was feeling down, he could seek comfort from Sylvia. How could he bear to leave such a comfortable life?
"Not at all!"
Greg hurriedly waved his hands, his tone firm.
"I've never even thought about transferring to the Ember-Eyed Tower. Glory Kail is great. I'm not going anywhere."
Those words slipped into Vivian's heart like a gentle current of warmth.
The faint unease that had lingered in her eyes finally melted away.
I knew it. Greg won't leave, for my sake.
At that thought, an impulse unlike anything she had ever felt welled up inside Vivian-she wanted to do something for him, to reward that promise.
"Greg, close your eyes."
Vivian's voice was as cool as ever, but it carried a tremor so faint it was almost inaudible.
Greg was puzzled, unsure why she suddenly wanted him to close his eyes. Still, he trusted that Vivian would never hurt him, so