Chapter 31: "Thorns and Thunder"

(Lilia's POV)

The Price of Sunlight

Lilia Meadowspring knew nobles hated her. She just hadn't realized how much until Lady Elara Voss trapped her in the alchemy supply closet with a swarm of enchanted rose thorns.

"Scholarship rats belong in cages," Elara sneered through the door, her cronies giggling. "Don't worry—we'll water you… eventually."

Sir Spicy hissed, roasting thorns to ash, but the vines regrew faster than he could burn them. Lilia slumped against the wall, her sunflower-patterned skirt singed and her optimism fraying.

Mom would say, "Smile through the stings!" she thought, plucking a thorn from her hair. But Mom never met a sentient rosebush.

The Anatomy of Bullies

Elara Voss was everything Lilia wasn't: rich, ruthless, and blessed with magic that made flowers wither. Her clique included:

Dalia: A fire mage with a pyromaniac's grin.

Mirien: A silent earth mage who made rocks float in threatening shapes.

Beatrice: Elara's lapdog, who laughed like a hyena with a sore throat.

"You're so lucky Baron Phoenix isn't here," Elara purred, vines tightening around the closet. "He'd melt your little salamander into soup."

Sir Spicy growled, flames sputtering. Lilia hugged him close. "He's not little."

"Aw, defending her pet!" Beatrice cooed. "How commoner."

The Spark Before the Storm

Lilia's magic itched. Golden light pooled in her palms, but she clenched her fists. Not here. Not now.

The last time she'd lost control, she'd accidentally turned the cafeteria pudding into sentient slime. Professor Thorn still had nightmares.

"Let me out," she said, voice steady. "Please."

Elara's laughter was a blade. "Beg louder, gutter rat."

Sir Spicy lunged, scorching the door handle. Dalia retaliated with a fire whip, searing his tail.

"NO!" Lilia's magic erupted—a burst of light that shattered the vines… and the closet door… and several nearby windows.

The Hero in Shadows

Grey found her kneeling in the wreckage, cradling Sir Spicy. Elara's gang loomed, their smirks faltering as lightning crackled in the hall.

"Walk away," Grey said, his voice soft but edged.

Elara flicked a rose thorn at him. "Or what, scholarship bodyguard?"

He caught it midair, the thorn dissolving into sparks. "Or I'll reintroduce you to gravity."

Dalia snorted. "You're a lightning mage. What's lightning without a storm?"

Grey's eyes flashed. "A warning."

The Dance of Thunder

The fight was brief, brutal, and very loud.

Dalia's fire whip fizzled under a rain of charged ions.

Mirien's rocks magnetized into a makeshift cage.

Beatrice tripped over her own heels (gravity did exist).

Elara lunged, thorns spiraling from her sleeves. Grey sidestepped, his lightning weaving a net that pinned her to the wall.

"Yield," he said.

"You'll regret this," Elara spat.

Sir Spicy burped a flame at her shoes.

"Yield," Grey repeated.

The Ice Queen's Entrance

Stephanie arrived like a blizzard, frost creeping up Elara's trapped limbs. "Torturing vermin again, Voss? How pedestrian."

Elara paled. "L-Lady Redwyne! This gutter rat—"

"Broke your pathetic thorns?" Stephanie's smile was glacial. "How embarrassing for you."

Lilia blinked. Did she just… defend me?

Stephanie turned, her gaze slicing through Grey. "You. Explain."

He shrugged. "They started it."

"Obviously."

The Aftermath of Sunbeams

Lilia sat on the infirmary cot later, Sir Spicy snoozing in her lap. Grey leaned against the doorframe, his lightning scars hidden under bandages.

"Thanks," she said. "But you didn't have to—"

"Yes, I did."

She fiddled with her burnt skirt. "Why?"

He hesitated. "Because you're… you."

Vague, she thought. But sweet.

The Yandere's Warning

Stephanie cornered her at sunset, frostbloom crown gleaming. "Don't mistake today for kindness. I despise incompetence, and Voss's bullying was… amateurish."

Lilia grinned. "So you do care!"

"I care about efficiency." Stephanie froze Lilia's shoelaces together. "But if you die, I'll resurrect you just to kill you again. Understood?"

Sir Spicy burped a heart-shaped flame.

"…Understood."

The Protagonist's Resolve

That night, Lilia scribbled in her journal by candlelight:

~~Heroine Handbook Rule #1: Smile through the stings!~~

NEW Rule #1: Burn the stings.

She tucked Grey's bandage ribbon (retrieved from the trash) between the pages.

Maybe heroes aren't just born, she thought. Maybe they're forged in supply closets.