UNENDING PATH

Prologue

It started, perhaps, with a question.

Zyrellis Seyer Maxilla is a professor and the owner of one renowned university in the Philippines.

A young woman’s raised hand, poised so thoughtfully in the back of her class, would be the first step toward something that would shift the very foundation of her quiet, carefully ordered life.

Yet, here she was, sitting alone in her office late into the evening, revisiting the young girl's answer that was full of desires. Every word that came out from her mouth was perfection.

Every time she asks a question during her class, the young girl won't hesitate a thing and confidently raises its hands and answers so bravely.

She could still feel the intensity of those eyes—bright, curious, so different from the sea of faces that came and went each semester.

She was her student. Her duty, her responsibility. But beyond titles, beyond roles, there was an undeniable energy in the air whenever Vanniya Quenifa Costallira was near.

Zyrellis had caught herself looking her way too often, drawn to her laughter, her insightful questions, her fierce intelligence. Every time Vanniya lingered after class, she found herself hoping those moments would stretch a little longer.

"How could you do this to me, Vanniya? You're making me insane..."

It wasn’t simply her words or her talent. It was the warmth that radiated from her, a quiet confidence that lit up the room. And in those rare moments when she caught Vanniya's gaze, Zyrellis felt as though she was seeing a reflection of something she’d long hidden—a loneliness, a yearning she’d locked away behind years of academic achievements and perfectly constructed walls.

She had always known the line that divided them, a line she never dreamed of crossing. Yet her heart refused to obey the logic that had always governed her life. It was as if something inside her had awoken, something long buried and half-forgotten. And now, it seemed impossible to silence.

Each evening, Zyrellis reminded herself of who she was, of what was at stake. She was Vanniya's professor, a figure of authority and guidance. But when she imagined the sound of her name on Vanniya's lips, spoken softly, perhaps in the intimacy of a different world, Zyrellis could feel her resolve slipping, the careful walls crumbling, brick by agonizing brick.

In the world outside, she was the poised, respected professor. But here, alone in her office, she was simply Zyrellis—a woman who longed to know more, to speak freely, to let herself feel something she’d convinced herself was forbidden.

She couldn’t say where this path would lead or if she’d ever dare take a step further. But the pull of it, the allure of a love that felt boundless, kept her heart lingering at that uncertain edge, wondering if, somehow, it might all be worth it.