Episode 3: Threads of Jealousy

Eldoria never slept.

It only pretended to.

At dawn, the academy shimmered with restless magic—runes shifting colors, corridors rearranging themselves when no one looked too closely. Joy had begun to notice these things. Or maybe… they had begun to notice him.

Jack was already gone when Joy woke up.

His bed was empty. Cold.

Joy didn’t know why that bothered him.

Training Grounds

The open field buzzed with energy as students gathered for combat practice. Floating targets hovered in the air, changing shape and speed unpredictably.

“Pair up!”

Joy scanned the crowd instinctively.

Jack stood across the field—talking to Nick.

Nick wasn’t loud. He rarely spoke. But when Jack leaned closer to explain something, Nick listened with an intensity that made the world around him disappear.

Joy’s chest tightened.

Why do I care?

He looked away.

“Joy!”

Liya waved, dragging Mork along. “You’re with us today.”

Before Joy could answer, Emma stepped beside him, her presence smooth and deliberate.“Professor asked me to observe you,” she said lightly. “You attract… reactions.”

Jack looked up.

His eyes flicked from Emma’s hand—resting a little too close to Joy’s arm—back to Joy’s face.

Something dark crossed his expression.

“Joy,” Jack called sharply. “You’re with me.”

Emma tilted her head. “Are you sure he wants that?”

Joy didn’t know why, but the answer left his mouth without hesitation.

“Yes.”

Jack turned and walked away.

Joy followed.

Sparring Circle

They stood opposite each other now, magic crackling faintly between them.

“This isn’t a resonance drill,” Jack said coolly. “Focus.”

Joy lifted his hands. “You’re tense.”“Because you’re distracted.”

Joy’s brows knit together. “By what?”

Jack’s jaw clenched. “Everyone.”

The signal rang.

Joy attacked first—pure instinct. Light surged, fast and unrefined. Jack countered smoothly, shadows folding around his spell like silk.

Their magic collided.

Instead of exploding, it bent—curving, reshaping, responding to their emotions.

The crowd murmured.

“Again,” Jack said, breathless.

This time Joy stepped closer.

Too close.

The magic flared gold and silver, spiraling around them like a living thing. Joy felt Jack’s hand grip his wrist—not to stop him, but to steady him.

“You trust too easily,” Jack muttered.

Joy met his eyes. “Only you.”

Jack froze.

The spell collapsed.

Silence followed.

From the edge of the field, Nick watched, something unreadable flickering behind his calm expression.After Class

Joy found Jack alone near the rune fountain, water flowing upward instead of down.

“You didn’t like Emma standing near me,” Joy said quietly.

Jack didn’t deny it. “She studies people.”

“So?”

“So she’ll see things she shouldn’t.”

Joy stepped closer. “And what about Nick?”

Jack turned sharply. “What about him?”

Joy hesitated. “…You trust him.”

Jack’s voice dropped. “He’s dangerous.”

Joy blinked. “You just said people who see too much are dangerous.”

Jack looked away.

That Evening

Nick stood in the dim corridor outside the labs, adjusting his gloves when Jack approached.

“You felt it too,” Nick said softly.

Jack stopped. “Don’t say it.”

Nick’s eyes lifted. “The bond. It’s forming.”

Jack’s voice was tight. “It can’t.”

Nick stepped closer. “Magic doesn’t care what we want.”

From the far end of the hallway, Joy watched them.Close. Quiet. Intimate.

Something twisted in his chest—sharp, unfamiliar.

Jealousy.

High above Eldoria, the dark crystal pulsed faster.

William laughed softly.

“Good,” he whispered.

“Let them doubt. Let them ache.”

Because love, once tangled in magic—

—never untangles cleanly.

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