Chapter 1

The first time I saw the warning, I was training with Carter Hopkins. The comments told me I would one day be struck down by his sword, my inner core shattered, left crippled and discarded, and eventually tortured to death by wandering outlaws.

At that moment, Carter was standing behind me, correcting my grip on the sword.

I stiffened. The blade slipped from my hand and clattered to the ground.

Carter and I had grown up together. I never believed he would ever hurt me. At first, I thought I was either overtraining, losing my mind, or cursed by some foreign spell.

But then came the annual entrance trials for the Lumenism Sect.

Among the new disciples, a breathtakingly gifted lady took first place.

And then the comments flooded in again.

[Reeva is here. This is where Carter falls for her at first sight.]

That was the moment I gave up my last shred of denial.

I started avoiding them. I didn't want to be the tragic side character who dies horribly. I just wanted to live.

But something about Carter started to feel wrong.

*****

The Lumenism Sect's selection ceremony, held every three years, was nothing out of the ordinary. I rested my chin in my hand, barely keeping my eyes open.

With those screen comments flashing across my vision every single day, it was impossible not to dwell on them.

"What's wrong, Michelle?" Carter's hands gently cupped my face, and I caught a faint whiff of morning dew from his touch.

I opened my eyes to see Carter right in front of me. He frowned a little, sounding genuinely concerned. "Why have you been so sleepy lately?"

I started to answer, but before I could say anything, the screen comments flashed across my vision.

[Ugh, Michelle is at it again, stringing Carter along. Look at her, acting all clingy like she can't survive without him.]

[Exactly. Reeva Thomas is way better. She's a cool beauty, never the type to leech off anyone.]

[Alright, that's enough, guys. Carter only sees her as a little sister. But honestly, Michelle really is gorgeous. She's just miserable.]

[Once she loses her inner core, her looks end up bringing her nothing but trouble. Out there among mortals, she gets tortured to death by bandits.]

As I read the comments, a chill ran down my spine. Panic surged through me, and I quickly shoved Carter's hands away.

My heart pounding, I glanced up and met his surprised eyes. My gaze flickered, but I forced a steady tone. "It's nothing, Carter. I've just been training late these days, so I'm a little tired."

Just as I was about to say something to lighten the mood, the screen suddenly exploded with comments.

[Reeva has appeared. This is where Carter falls for her at first sight.]

[Who wouldn't love an elegant, icy beauty like Reeva, so gifted and smart?]

[Oh, they just made eye contact. The gentle Carter and the aloof, otherworldly Reeva—this ship is everything.]

[Age-gap romances are the best. Watching Carter slowly win over his cool junior is just too good.]

[When is Michelle finally going to leave the story? She's such an eyesore beside Carter.]

I was taken aback as I stared at the comments.

In the center of the arena, a girl dressed all in white stood tall, having just finished her match.

Her pure white scabbard blended perfectly with her robes, and her expression was as cool and distant. She was exactly the Reeva the screen couldn't stop talking about.

I found myself glancing at Carter without even realizing it.

His eyes went straight past the crowd and locked onto the girl in white on the stage. His brow furrowed ever so slightly, a thoughtful look flickering in his gaze.

He had never looked at me with that kind of focus before.

My heart dropped, hope fading away bit by bit.

The girl in white seemed to notice the attention from our side. She slowly lifted her gaze, her icy eyes drifting over and landing on Carter. She gave him just a slight nod, barely acknowledging him.

That glance stabbed right through whatever hope I had left.

I let out a quiet sigh, didn't say another word, and silently turned around, walking down the stands step by step, leaving the arena behind.

Reeva was here now, and the plot was kicking off.

So what about me? Where did I go from here?

Deep down, I still clung to a bit of hope. After all these years in the Lumenism Sect, after everything with Carter, surely my life couldn't just be some generic webnovel where the screen had already written me off as doomed.

But those lines kept flashing in front of me, over and over that I was just a disposable pawn.

I was just fuel for the main couple's romance.

I learned Reeva Thomas's name from the screen, and now her name echoed quietly in my mind.

The sect was lively that night. With a prodigy like Reeva joining, of course there had to be a big celebration.

I stayed shut inside my quarters, refusing to step out. My head was a complete mess.

Now that the main couple had finally met, I guessed the plot everyone kept talking about was really about to start.

I lay by the hot spring in my quarters, bored out of my mind, counting the stars and letting memories drift through my head.

Just then, I heard a soft knock at the door.

There were three knocks, not too hard, not too soft.

My heart clenched, and my fingers curled into fists.

It had to be Carter.

No one but him would go out of their way to find me here tonight.

I didn't answer, just held my breath, keeping quiet.

The knocking stopped, and after a moment, his voice came from outside—soft, cautious, and gentle. "Michelle, I know you're in there.

"The sect's throwing a party, but I didn't see you. I was worried you weren't feeling well.

"I brought you some cheese cake from the Velaris Table, and your favorite mulled wine. Can you open the door for me, please?"

His voice carried that familiar caring tone I knew so well, along with a hint of nervousness I could barely catch.