Enchanted University of Magemenos

Chapter 109:What Exactly Was Between These Boys?

Nathan doesn't say a word.

He just stands there.

Still.

Watching me with an expression I can't even read anymore.

He stared at me like I was some lost rabbit stranded in the middle of a highway--confused, fragile, and one wrong step away from disaster.

But there was something else in his expression, too.

Guilt.

Or maybe it was just that irritating Nathan ego, silently celebrating the fact that he'd somehow been right again.

"Nat, what did you even say to her?" Kate snapped, moving closer to me. "She can barely hold herself together."

Nathan's jaw tightened instantly.

For the briefest second, I caught it--a flicker of concern in his eyes. Real concern. The kind he usually buried beneath sarcasm and cold stares.

But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

Without saying a word, he turned around and walked away, hands shoved into his pockets like escaping emotions was a casual hobby of his.

"Sorry," she said softly. "He says things he doesn't mean."

I turned to her immediately, frustration bubbling up. "Kate, you do not always have to apologise for him. He can do that himself when he thinks he's done something wrong."

"Are you okay?" Kate asked quietly this time, her eyes filled with concern that practically screamed louder than her words.

I quickly wiped at the tears that had betrayed me before anyone could comment on them.

"Yes," I lied with a small nod. "Perfectly fine."

My eyes immediately landed on Keith--his fist tightly gripping Nathan's collar while both of them stood inches apart, breathing heavily like wild animals ready to tear each other apart.

"What the hell...?" I whispered.

Their voices overlapped in angry chaos, too fast and heated for me to understand. But whatever they were arguing about, it wasn't small. There was rage in Keith's eyes I had never seen before, and Nathan's expression had lost its usual calmness completely.

For a few seconds, they just stood there glaring at each other like loaded guns.

And then--

The first punch flew.

Keith's fist slammed straight into Nathan's jaw with a sickening crack, sending him stumbling backwards into the chairs. Before I could even react, Nathan lunged back, shoving Keith hard against the wall.

Blood splattered onto the polished floor.

The silence of the conference hall shattered instantly into chaos: heavy breathing, fists colliding, chairs scraping violently across the ground.

It wasn't just a fight anymore.

It looked personal. Deeply personal.

Keith swung again, eyes burning with fury. Nathan blocked him, but not before another punch caught his lip, splitting it open. Blood dripped down his chin, yet he barely seemed to care.

"What are you even hiding anymore?!" Keith shouted.

Their hatred felt raw. Old. Like this fight had started long before tonight.

And standing there, frozen in the shadows, I realised something terrifying--

This wasn't about the game anymore.

Kate rushed toward them before things could escalate further. She grabbed Nathan's arm, then Keith's, whispering something sharp and hurried that I could barely make out. Whatever she said worked, because a second later, both of them pulled away from each other and went in opposite directions like angry magnets forced apart.

The tension in the air still lingered, though.

Keith was the first to come back toward me. He extended a hand, his expression softer now, less dramatic for once.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

I stared at his hand for a second before taking it. He pulled me up gently, steadying me when I almost lost balance again.

"Were you fighting for me?" I asked, brushing the dust off my clothes while eyeing him suspiciously.

Keith tilted his head, that familiar playful smirk slowly returning.
"Would you believe me if I said yes?" he questioned.

"No, not at all," I replied quickly, folding my arms defensively.

"Then don't ask," Keith said instantly.

His playful expression from before was gone. Completely.

For once, there was no teasing smile, no dramatic flirting, no fake movie-star charm. Just a sharp seriousness in his eyes that caught me off guard.

"There's a new rule between us," he continued, voice low and firm. "I'll answer any question you ask me... but if there's something I don't want to answer, you stay silent and never ask me about it again."

He stared straight at me while saying it, almost like it wasn't a request--it was a warning.

The air between us suddenly felt heavier.

I frowned. "That sounds suspiciously like you're hiding crimes."

Keith smirked faintly, but it didn't fully reach his eyes this time. "Maybe I am."

"Okay?? Like I care that much, bruh," I muttered, brushing off the awkwardness with a shrug.

Normally, Keith was the least serious person alive. The same man who flirted with danger, walls, mirrors, and probably oxygen itself. Half the time, I couldn't tell if he was a celebrity or a malfunctioning comedy show.

But right now?

There was no teasing smirk.
No dramatic "Rose, my eternal love."
No fake accent.

Just seriousness.

Raw, unsettling seriousness.

And somehow... that scared me more than if he had yelled.

Nathan stood a little behind him, unusually quiet too, his gaze fixed sharply on me. The tension between those two felt different now—not their usual childish bickering, but something heavier. Something old.

What exactly was between these boys?