The cherry blossoms were in full bloom around Aurelia Academy.
Pale pink petals floated through the air like snow.
It should have been beautiful.
Romantic.
Hopeful.
But for Elian, it felt like a funeral.
Every step he took under those blooming trees was heavier than the last.
---
Rumors swirled around him like a storm.
He had humiliated Liliana Frost — the queen of the school.
Nobody dared to confront her directly.
Nobody survived it.
Whispers filled the corridors.
He's dead.
He's finished.
Liliana's going to destroy him.
---
Still, Elian kept walking.
Head up.
Shoulders straight.
Heart pounding.
Each day was a battle.
Each minute a war.
He had no illusions anymore.
Friendship?
Kindness?
They were rare treasures in a world full of knives.
---
At least he still had Maya.
Or so he thought.
---
"Hey, Elian!"
He turned, surprised.
It was Marcus, one of the few boys who had ever spoken to him without outright disgust.
Marcus was a tall, athletic guy with messy brown hair, tan skin, and a lazy grin.
Captain of the junior soccer team.
Friendly, laid-back.
Or so he seemed.
Today, Marcus looked strangely excited.
"We're having a secret party under the cherry trees after school," he said.
"Real low-key. No teachers. Just some music, snacks, chill stuff."
He flashed a grin.
"You should come."
---
Elian hesitated.
His instincts screamed trap.
But Marcus's tone was casual, almost genuine.
And for the first time in weeks, someone was inviting him, not mocking him.
Maybe... maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
Maybe he could have a moment of normalcy?
He glanced at Maya, who was standing nearby, biting her lip.
She gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
Encouraging.
---
And so, as the sun began to set, painting the sky in gold and crimson, Elian found himself walking toward the grove of cherry trees behind the sports field.
Music drifted through the air.
Soft laughter.
The sweet smell of spring.
For one fragile, trembling moment — Elian let himself hope.
Maybe tonight... he could forget.
Maybe tonight... he could just be a boy.
---
He stepped into the clearing.
And froze.
Dozens of students turned to look at him.
Their faces twisted into cruel smiles.
Phones already raised.
Recording.
Waiting.
The Golden Roses lounged under the biggest tree, dressed in glittering outfits.
Liliana Frost sat at the center, wearing a white dress that made her silver hair glow in the twilight.
Beside her sat Marcus.
Laughing.
Whispering.
Plotting.
Maya was there too.
Standing awkwardly at the edge of the crowd.
Her face pale.
Eyes wide with guilt.
---
"Welcome to the party, Elian," Liliana said sweetly.
She held up a sparkling drink in a crystal glass.
"Come have a toast with us."
More laughter.
Mocking.
Hungry.
Elian's throat closed.
He looked at Maya — silently begging for answers.
For rescue.
But she couldn't meet his eyes.
She turned away.
---
She knew.
She knew and she didn't stop it.
---
Elian's hands clenched so tightly around his bag that his knuckles turned white.
He should run.
He should leave.
But his feet stayed rooted.
Frozen.
Helpless.
---
"Don't be shy," Liliana said, her voice dripping with poison.
"After all, you're the guest of honor."
Students began chanting.
"Toast! Toast! Toast!"
Elian swallowed hard.
If he refused, they'd ruin him even worse.
If he accepted, he didn't know what they had planned.
Either way — he was trapped.
---
Trembling, he stepped forward.
Liliana smiled wider.
She handed him the glass.
It was filled with some glowing pink liquid.
Suspicious.
Deadly.
But Elian forced himself to take it.
He raised it shakily to his lips.
And just as he did —
Marcus lunged forward.
Slapped the glass out of his hand.
The drink splashed across Elian's chest, staining his borrowed clothes.
The crowd howled with laughter.
Flashing phones captured every second.
Someone threw a cake at him.
Someone else dumped a bucket of glitter over his head.
It wasn't a party.
It was an execution.
---
Through the roaring in his ears, Elian heard Liliana's voice.
"Oops," she said, fake innocent. "Clumsy."
Then softer, just for him:
"You should have kissed my shoes when you had the chance, trash."
---
Shaking, humiliated, Elian turned.
Maya was gone.
She had disappeared into the crowd.
Abandoned him.
---
He stumbled away from the grove blindly.
Cherry blossom petals stuck to his glittering, stained clothes.
Each step burned like acid.
Each breath tasted like betrayal.
---
Behind him, the party continued.
Music.
Laughter.
Celebration.
---
Above them all, hidden in the shadows, a black-clad figure lowered a camera.
Captured everything.
Recorded everything.
The man's lips curled into a smile.
"They're making it too easy," he whispered.
"Good."
"The boy needs to suffer first."
"Before he takes everything from them."
---
Far away, in a skyscraper reaching toward the stars, an old man looked down at a photo.
A photo of Elian.
Young.
Broken.
Burning.
The old man's voice was a whisper in the darkness.
"My heir."
"My vengeance."
---