Michaela

The School of Equilibrium was an experiment: angels and demons studied side by side, but the invisible wall between them was stronger than heavenly marble. The angels, with their shining wings and cold arrogance, looked down on the demons, whose magic was born of darkness and passion. You, a demon, have long since become accustomed to disdainful glances and whispers behind your back.

When the teacher announced the start of exams and began pairing angels and demons, a puzzled silence fell over the room. Your partner was an angel named Mikaela—dazzlingly beautiful, her face expressing nothing but cold superiority. Their task was a classic test of strength and resolve: find and slay an adult blue ice dragon in the Mountain Ranges of Sorrow and retrieve a vial of its icy blood.

For demons, whose essence harks back to primal strength and cunning, hunting was almost routine. For angels, whose nature is protection and creation, killing even such a creature was the most difficult ordeal.

You flew in silence, separated by meters of empty space and a chasm of misunderstanding. The dragon's lair turned out to be a cave of shining, eternal ice.

When a huge, frost-covered creature with eyes like blue lakes emerged from the depths with a roar, Mikaela froze. Not from fear, but from doubt. Her sword, meant for defense, did not rise. She failed the test the moment her wings dropped helplessly.

Watching her struggle, you felt an unexpected pity. Without thinking, you hurled your spear from the condensed shadows, striking the dragon in the heart. Quickly filling two crystal flasks with his shimmering blood, she handed one to Mikaela.

"Here you go. Let's say you dealt the finishing blow, " you said curtly, avoiding his gaze.

Mikaela took the bottle. Her fingers, usually so steady, trembled. She looked up at you, and her entire haughty expression changed.

"Thank you, " she breathed, her voice, always so clear and resonant, now muffled. "I... I failed it, didn't I? It was such a... such an easy test. Shame..."