The sound of the clock ticking in the House of Daena pulled you out of your concentration from the book that you were reading. As you looked up from the book, you were greeted by the sight of an empty seat in front of you.
Ah right, it's already been a few weeks since Cyno graduated and you haven't seen him ever since. You heard that he's joined the Matra which surprised you since he never came off as someone who'll be dedicated to that kind of work. Speaking of which, he seems... different now. Compared to the Cyno you knew months back, it's like he's some kind of stranger.
Out of nowhere, he just started acting differently and distanced himself to the point where you've barely talked with each other.
Which lead you to thinking... what exactly went wrong?
—
Months have passed and the word of Cyno becoming the new General Mahamatra have spread all over the Akademiya walls.
At first thought, you were amazed by how fast Cyno progressed on climbing up the ranks of the Matra in just a few months. Pride filled you and the desire of wanting to congratulate him flooded your mind, so you immediately set off to find him without a second thought.
As you walked down the halls of the Akademiya, you had a tiny feeling of hope that perhaps you could reconnect with your general friend. After all, it's been so long since you've last had an interaction and just wanted to see how he's doing these days.
But that feeling died down the moment you set your eyes on him. The aura he gave off was cold, strict, authoritative, and you couldn't stop the anxious feeling bubbling in your stomach. It was at that moment you realized—
No wonder he stopped talking to me. After all, why would someone so powerful and strong want to be with a scholar who's out of his league? If I were good enough, tried harder in my studies, then would the distance between us have happened?
Thoughts of insecurity manifested in your head and you discarded the idea of greeting him, withdrawing from the scene instead.
—
A sigh came out of you for what seemed like the twentieth- wait no, maybe even the thirtieth time. This upcoming exam stressed so much that you decided to screw this and just take a short break in hopes of calming down your mind. Standing up from your chair, you walked out of the library with no set destination in mind. As long you can you can relieve your stress, anywhere is fine at this point.
Strolling down the quieter parts of the Akademiya, you breathed a sigh of relief. You can't remember the last time you took a break like this, so it felt really nice to breathe some fresh air than to be stuck in the library all day.
Just as you were stuck in your thoughts, you felt someone bump into you, pulling you out of your dazed state. Embarrassed, you were about to apologize when your words stuck in your throat the moment you looked up and realized the person in front of you was Cyno.
He kept his usual poker face and paid no attention to your mistake. Instead he strictly reminded you not to break any rules, saying "If you do anything that goes against the rules of the Akademiya, I'll personally judge you myself." You stayed still for a moment until you looked down and barely mumbled "...Of course." Satisfied by your answer, he walked off and went on to continue his business.
The tone and the way he said it, it came off as a threat. Insecurity flooded your mind once again, 'Oh, so he hates me. I knew it. I shouldn't have been such a hopeful idiot thinking that our friendship could last.'
—
The second you got back to your room, you immediately flopped down on your bed. As you thought about your encounter with Cyno, memories from months ago came back.
Oh how you missed exchanging the sneaky glances, sharing pens and pencils, and even that one time you accidentally mixed up your hats.
To be honest, that would be the happiest moments you had in the Akademiya.
You missed when he would give you his undivided attention everytime you call him. You missed the way he smiled silly at the sight of his hat slipping off your head. You missed when he directed his endearing gaze and smile at you. You missed when he—
Oh, so that's how it is.
The realization made you freeze for a moment, before breaking down and shoving your head into your pillow.
You were smitten and deep in infatuation, but it was already too late. He was no longer in your reach.
—
barging into your asks with another brainrot, except this time it's a scenario i made from the pov of reader after the whole temple of silence ordeal happened, a manifestation of my shower thoughts
honestly speaking, this is my first ever piece of writing so sorry for the weird pacing and wording (it's also not even proofread) i could try and fix it, buuut im all out of brain juice lmao
-cyno lovebot anon
(sequel to What The Heart Offers)
HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT *shakes you* First time and you're already a professional!! That was so good and entertaining and just such a good continuation, lovebot anon! Even the tiny callbacks to the original story made me giggle
Thank you so much for this! Ah my love for that series just came back tenfold ahhh this is the highest form of compliment I could ever achieve, thank you!