When rlin woke, the first thing he noticed was the faint sound of sothing sizzling in the kitchen.
His eyes flickered open, unfocused for a mont as he stared at the ceiling. Soft light filtered through the curtains, casting shifting patterns against the walls. His body ached—not from exhaustion, but from sothing more insidious. A tension that never truly faded, an awareness that never dulled.
He exhaled, pressing a hand against his face.
'So he's still here.'
rlin sighed and rolled out of bed, thodically moving through his morning routine. His uniform was neatly pressed, the Star Power Academy emblem stitched cleanly onto the chest of his navy blazer. He adjusted his collar, smoothing out any imperfections before stepping into the common area.
The scent of sothing… edible? drifted toward him.
Nathan stood by the stove, sleeves rolled up, humming to himself as he flipped sothing in a pan. He moved with casual ease, like he belonged there. Like he had any right to make himself at ho.
rlin watched for a mont before speaking.
"…What are you doing?"
Nathan glanced over his shoulder with an easy grin. "Making breakfast. Obviously."
rlin's gaze flickered toward the stove, then back to Nathan. "Since when can you cook?"
Nathan scoffed, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. "Excuse you, I'm not completely useless." He gestured toward the plates on the counter. "I kept it simple so I wouldn't burn your kitchen down—eggs and toast. Even you can't complain about that."
rlin didn't respond, but he did grab a plate.
Nathan slid into the seat across from him, already digging in. "Victoria left early. Told to remind you not to be late."
rlin took a bite of toast. "I wasn't planning to be."
Nathan smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Perfect student and all."
rlin ignored him.
Breakfast passed without much conversation—Nathan occasionally filling the silence with half-hearted complaints about morning classes, rlin answering in single-word responses. It was familiar. Unchanging.
By the ti they finished, Nathan stretched with a satisfied sigh. "Alright, ready to go?"
rlin grabbed his bag. "We'll take a taxi."
Nathan raised a brow. "What, too lazy to take the train?"
rlin didn't acknowledge the comnt, already heading toward the door.
"Oi, wait for !" Nathan scrambled after him.
—
The taxi ride was uneventful. The city blurred past the window, towering skyscrapers and digital billboards flickering with advertisents. The morning rush had already begun, the streets filled with pedestrians and vehicles moving in their orchestrated chaos.
Nathan leaned back, watching the city roll by. "Man, I always forget how big this place is."
rlin didn't look at him.
"You live here."
"Yeah, but I don't pay attention to it," Nathan shot back. He tilted his head, expression turning vaguely thoughtful. "You ever think about how much Lunar it takes to keep a city like this running?"
rlin didn't answer. He had thought about it before, but the chanics of the economy weren't his concern.
His focus was elsewhere.
The academy. The people within it. The story he had been thrown into.
The system's error last night still lingered in the back of his mind, an unresolved thread that tugged at him. But for now, it could wait.
The taxi pulled up to Star Power Academy, and they stepped out, passing through the academy gates into the familiar energy of the campus.
Students milled about in small groups, so engaged in idle conversation, others already practicing their magic in the designated training areas.
Nathan stretched, adjusting his bag. "Alright, ti to survive another day."
rlin didn't respond. He just walked forward.
—
The academy corridors were as busy as ever, filled with students chatting, hurrying to class, or showing off their affinities in controlled bursts of magic.
Nathan walked beside rlin with an easy stride. "Applied Combat Magic first thing in the morning? Rough start."
rlin didn't bother answering.
Applied Combat Magic was one of the most important courses at the Academy—one of the few that actually mattered. It wasn't about theory. It was about survival. Real combat, real applications.
The training hall was already filled with students when they arrived. The facility itself was state-of-the-art—polished floors embedded with magical circuits, reinforced walls designed to withstand high-impact spells, and an array of automated training dummies standing by.
Among the gathered students, familiar faces stood out.
Seraphina, standing with her usual composed air, arms crossed as she observed the others. Dorian, leaning against the far wall, crimson eyes half-lidded in disinterest. Elara, standing apart, silver hair falling perfectly into place.
At the front of the room, Vivienne waited, her ever-present warm smile in place.
"Alright, settle down!" she called, clapping her hands together. "I know it's early, but that just ans we get to wake up with so sparring."
A few students groaned. Nathan included.
Vivienne ignored them. "Before we start, let's go over the basics again. Combat magic isn't just about power—it's about efficiency, control, and timing. If you can't land a hit or defend yourself, it doesn't matter how strong you are."
Her gaze swept the room before settling on rlin. "We'll start with basic mana reinforcent drills. rlin, demonstrate."
rlin didn't hesitate.
He raised his arm, and silver-blue mana flared to life around him, coating his limbs in a seamless layer of reinforcent. Smooth. Controlled. No excess, no flickering.
Vivienne's eyes glinted with approval. "Good. Nathan, you too."
Nathan grinned, stepping forward as his own bright azure mana wrapped around him.
Vivienne turned back to the rest of the class. "See? It's not impossible. I expect you all to reach at least this level by the end of the session."
As the students partnered up, Vivienne turned back to rlin. "You'll be sparring with today."
Silence settled over the room. A few students exchanged glances.
Nathan blinked. "Wait, what?"
Seraphina raised an eyebrow. Even Dorian looked vaguely interested.
Vivienne tilted her head, smiling. "It's been a while since I've seen you fight seriously. I want to assess your progress firsthand."
There was no real reason to refuse.
rlin simply nodded.
Vivienne's smile widened. "Good. Everyone else, continue your drills. rlin, center stage."
Nathan gave rlin a look that said good luck, but rlin ignored him, stepping forward.
Vivienne loosened her stance, rolling her shoulders. "No affinities. Just reinforcent. Understood?"
rlin nodded.
Vivienne smiled.
"Begin."
She vanished.
'Fast.'
rlin barely shifted to the side before her fist grazed past him, the air bending around her strike.
She was already moving again. Relentless.
A kick—he blocked, but the impact rattled through his bones. He countered instantly, striking for her ribs, but she tilted—just slightly—enough to slip past it.
rlin adjusted. Analyzing, adapting.
But so was she.
Her next attack slipped through his guard—her palm striking his ribs in a precise, controlled hit.
rlin exhaled sharply but didn't stagger.
Vivienne tilted her head. "Not bad. But you're still too rigid."
rlin didn't respond. He had already moved.
A sharp twist, a feint, then—contact.
His strike landed, but Vivienne absorbed the impact effortlessly, countering before he could press the advantage.
The exchange continued, a brutal back-and-forth of reinforced blows—each one precise, refined, and lethal in intent.
Then—
Vivienne stepped in. Too close.
rlin's eyes widened as her reinforced palm stopped just inches from his throat.
Vivienne grinned. "Checkmate."
The training hall was silent.
Then, she stepped back, nodding. "You've improved. But you're still predictable."
rlin exhaled, lowering his stance.
"Alright," Vivienne said, turning to the rest of the class. "Next pair."
rlin barely heard her.
He was already replaying the fight in his head. Analyzing the entire fight in his mind.
The murmurs in the training hall grew louder as the tension slowly faded.
Students whispered among themselves, casting sideways glances at rlin. So looked impressed. Others… pitying.
rlin clenched his jaw, ignoring them.
His body ached. His breath ca unevenly. But that wasn't what bothered him.
It was the simple, irrefutable fact—he lost.
Vivienne watched him carefully, arms crossed. "You don't fight like soone used to losing," she mused.
rlin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, forcing himself to et her gaze. "I didn't lose in a while."
Vivienne smirked. "Well, you just did."
A few chuckles rippled through the watching students.
rlin's fingers curled at his sides. He wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to failing.
Nathan stepped up, hands in his pockets. "Damn, man. She wiped the floor with you."
rlin shot him a look. "I noticed."
Nathan grinned. "I an, I knew she was gonna win, but I thought you'd last a little longer."
rlin exhaled sharply. His mind was still running through the fight—where he misstepped, where he hesitated.
He hated how easily she read him.
He hated how slow he felt.
He hated that she barely tried.
Vivienne studied him for a mont longer, then shook her head. "You're talented. No question about that."
rlin frowned. "But?"
"But," she continued, "you're too rigid. Too controlled."
He frowned deeper. "That's a flaw?"
Vivienne smirked. "It is when you rely on calculation over instinct. You're always trying to predict your opponent, to break them down into patterns."
rlin didn't deny it. That was how he fought.
"And it works," he said.
Vivienne lifted a brow. "Does it?"
rlin inhaled slowly. He knew the answer.
If he had been fighting anyone else, maybe.
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