Opening my eyes, for what seemed like the first time in ages, I was immediatly met with Carissa's face.

Her pure-white pupils were trembling, her hair disheveled with leaves within, and her attention was completely directed at me.

The two blood-red wings on her back had long vanished when Anna had conceded control over her body and taken over mine, but she could still use them if she practiced enough.

Trees surrounded us, and the sound of foxes running around, crushing grass and bushes, and birds chirping filled my ears under the night sky, littered with stars and a half-moon.

Seeing my ocean-blue pupils, Carissa awkwardly opened her mouth, no voice coming out.

Raising my head and brushing back my messy pitch-black hair, I raised my head off her stomach and slowly crawled backward, letting out a dry cough.

Countless light-blue lines, aiming at every tree near us, were already appearing around me.

Taking our last moment of privacy, I said, interrupting her.

"It's over."

Carissa simply nodded her head, probably exhausted as well.

With those last words, I leaned against another tree trunk, allowing my heavy eyelids to close once again, and succumbed to the feeling of exhaustion surging throughout my body.

In no way, shape, or form was I ready to explain what had just happened to the main cast.

With my last sliver of vision, I saw Leo's blood-red pupils appear behind Carissa, with Magnus hanging onto Haerin's shoulder just a couple of meters behind.

Two cold hands grasped my shoulders from behind as well, trying to shake me awake, but I ignored them and simply muttered before losing consciousness.

"Let me sleep, will you, Serena?"

...

...

...

Stretching out my arms, before I even opened my eyes, I leaned backward, feeling a soft pillow against my back.

Opening my eyes, I found myself in my room, the window to my right, and another bed to my left.

The dark evening sky had transformed into a mix of light orange and light blue, signaling the approach of sunrise.

Every muscle aching in my body as if I had run a marathon and lifted yesterday, I pushed myself up and leaned against the hardwood bed, laying my hands on my lap.

To my right was Leo, his eyelids sealed shut as he got his long-needed sleep.

I wonder what excuse they gave for the destroyed patio.

Who carried me back?

Gazing out the window, from which I could see the valley I had been falling into, I smiled and slowly got out of bed.

A free day.

Perhaps, just for a day, I should enjoy myself here.

No one was up yet, so I could sneak out of the manor, call a cab, and head back into Mikanos to explore.

Everything else could wait.

Memories of yesterday flooded through my head, including the way in which Anna had performed the second movement of art, which I learned was called Heaven's Rebound.

Yet, I simply dismissed them, keeping them in the back of my head, while walking toward the restroom.

With warm water flooding down onto my head, I sat down under the showerhead and simply enjoyed the stress-free time.

Things hadn't gone to plan; they never would, but in the end, everything had been resolved.

It wouldn't be like this every time, so I should at least enjoy it when it did.

The next incident wasn't for a couple of weeks; there would just be progression moments for the main cast, like this upcoming week's practical exam.

So, I had all the time to plan and, of course, work toward gathering items.

Starting from preventing Zyn's djinn massacre, to even my saving of Carissa instead of Leo, I had already changed the plot enough, and there was no going back.

There was no need for me to hold back anymore; any overpowered items I needed would be mine.

I would plan so much and be powerful enough, so when the world deviated from my novel's storyline, I wouldn't need luck to save it.

Turning off the shower and grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around my waist and brushed my teeth while gazing at my shirtless reflection in the mirror.

There were red cut marks, presumably from the wind, all over my body, but, luckily, that was the extent of it.

Putting on a white collared shirt and some black jeans, I exited the dorm room, leaving Leo to sleep, and quietly descended the stairs, not making a creak.

Entering the massive living room, my stomach grumbling, I paused and headed toward the food trays that had been there yesterday.

However, as I passed the seating area, where people had been playing charades yesterday, I paused as a familiar figure came into view.

With her purple hair messily lying on her shoulders, Serena lay asleep, eyes closed, on the exact armchair I had been sitting on yesterday.

Quickly grabbing a piece of paper, I scribbled, "You missed me!" and left the note atop her lap with a smile.

It was worthwhile to form a relationship with her, as I would need her scientific expertise in the future.

It was also quite comical to see her get so angry, like a child throwing a tantrum.

Leaving the note, I skipped out of the manor, slipping out the open door and through the quartz-pillar entrance, out onto the grass.

Grabbing my smartwatch, I easily booked a cab and patiently waited until a yellow car, similar to a taxi from my hometown of New York City, pulled up.

The ride back to Mikanos was quite comfortable, because of the bumpy and unpaved roads, but within an hour, I arrived.

[Best Brunch Places in Mikonos]

[1. Hole in the Wall]

[2. Mom's Kitchen and Bar]

[3...]

Ignoring the searches on the smartwatch, I wandered the relatively empty streets, only a couple of locans in search of an uncrowded and unknown place.

Coincidentally, the exact store I had been waiting in yesterday appeared before me.

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