WARNING: Y'all know the drill, I am not responsible for any brain damage caused by this story ;-;
Hope you like ittt <33
- x -
"Useless. Utterly worthless. You call this worthy of acknowledgment, Y/N?"
Those harsh words cut through your soul as you nervously lowered your gaze in front of your teacher. Waving a small stack of papers in front of your face, you flinched as you watched him throw them on the floor. You watched sullenly as your life's work fluttered down, landing at your feet.
"But sir I-"
"Do not interrupt me when I'm talking," your teacher glared at you, forcing your gaze even lower.
"This is garbage. Do you really expect the higher-ups to accept this grade?" he spat. You shifted nervously, fidgeting with the hem of your sleeve as you tried to respond.
"Here at the Akademiya, our standards are high," he continued. "If you can't even manage to stay in the top 5% of the nation, you don't deserve to stay here. Now get out,"
Quickly bending down to pick up your papers, you rushed out of the room as soon as your teacher turned around. Pushing your way through the crowds of scholars, you could finally rest after reaching a small park on the outskirts of the Akademiya.
You plopped down onto the first empty bench you could find and tilted your head up to stare at the mid-afternoon sky. A warm tear slowly rolled down your cheek, followed by many more as your teacher's disappointed face flashed through your mind.
"Why is it never enough...." you murmured, feeling somewhat comforted as you watched the clouds lazily drift through the azure sky. Wiping the tears off your face with your sleeve, you looked down at the papers tightly clutched in your hands. You unwrinkled them slowly to see a large red "98/100" at the top right corner.
An exasperated sigh escaped your lips as your mind wandered to how this all started...
Originally an aspiring student from Liyue, you managed to beat out hundreds of thousands of applicants to gain a spot at the highly selective yet prestigious Akademiya in Sumeru. The esteem was high but the expectations were even higher. As young and naive as you were, receiving acceptance from the Akademiya was a dream come true. Little did you know it would turn out to be a horrible nightmare
As soon as you arrived, you were overwhelmed by everything. The students at the Akademiya dedicated their entire lives to studying and research - anything less than the best was absolutely unacceptable. Exhausted faces with eyebags as dark as night were the only things you saw at the Akademiya. Determined to not fall behind, you pulled multiple all-nighters at the library and made time for nothing other than studying and breathing. Time to eat was considered a luxury.
You had worked so hard to get a decent grade on the first major exam of the year, entering the exam hall with a heart full of optimism. But the scolding you had just gotten from your teacher told you otherwise.
"I was stupid.... to think I could've achieved a decent score...." you let out a bitter laugh as you looked down at the exam results you held, which were now wet from all your tears. That final score was a slap from reality; a mere reminder that you were never going to be enough.
The spark that motivated you to come study at the Akademiya had died out long before, leaving only the dry desperation to pass.
"Y/N! Y/N!"
You turned to see where the voice was coming from and your gaze met the teacher's assistant running towards you.
Quickly wiping the tears off your face, you stood up and put on the best smile you could muster.
"Need something?", you asked, hiding your exam results behind your back.
"It's the teacher," he paused, catching his breath. "He wants to see you in his office,"
"whAT?!" you blurted, panic rising in your voice. What happened this time? Were you going to get killed? Or even worse....expelled??
The teacher's assistant shrugged, fixing his glasses so they rested in a perfect line on his nose bridge. "It sounded urgent...you'd better hurry,"
Just great....
.
.
.
Dread flooded every cell in your body as you anxiously made your way back to the teacher's office. You could feel your palms getting sweaty and your breathing started getting faster. You stood outside his door for a few moments, composing yourself before knocking twice.
"Sir...you called for me..?"
"Come in,"
You took a deep breath before gathering the courage to open the door and step inside. The inside of his room was lined with bookshelves, each one threatening to overflow with books. There were messy stacks of paper everywhere, the only source of light coming from the small window behind his desk and a few dimly lit lamps.
"Was there something you needed...?" you asked hesitantly, picking up a book to avoid eye contact.
"Look Y/N, you're a bright student," he said, crossing his legs as he leaned back in his chair. Unable to look him in the eye, your gaze fell to the large 3D globe on the floor beside him.
"You have so much potential and I just don't want to see you waste it," he continued. "We have to keep pushing you to be the best version of yourself. After all, coal only turns into a diamond after being put under extreme pressure,"
Unsure of how to feel after being compared to a lump of coal, you just nodded along.
"So, as a solution.....I found a tutor to help you," he said as a grin spread across his face.
A tutor...? Wasn't he the one who was supposed to teach?! You bit back your words and smiled back at him instead.
"Sir, I can assure you I don't need a tutor. I'll work even harder from now on, I promi-"
You were cut off as your teacher let out a chuckle. "Oh but this is an offer you can't refuse. You see, the tutor I found is none other than an esteemed student right here at the Akademiya. One of the very best. Perhaps you've heard of him....a scholar named Alhaitham?"
Your mouth fell open as the book you held fell to the floor with a loud thud.
-x-
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