Amara stood in the center with glowing eyes.
"Stop this! Both of you!" she yelled.
Her Summoner glyph shimred above her raised palm.
Victor stumbled back, breathing steadily.
Derek glared but didn't move.
Amara turned toward Victor. "I told you this was a mistake. Stay away from ."
Victor opened his mouth but no words ca.
She didn't wait a second more.
She turned and walked away with Derek as the summoned beast faded into light while they exited.
Victor stood alone.
The crowd parted. Murmurs echoed. A few instructors were rushing in from the distance.
Victor lowered his gaze and turned away, ignoring the stares, the whispers, the judgent.
He walked back to his dorm like a ghost.
Back in his room, he closed the door and leaned against it.
Everything he'd hoped for had exploded in front of him. And now the entire Academy would be talking about it.
He stared at the ceiling.
"Good job, idiot," he muttered.
A knock ca ten minutes later.
"Victor?" Danny's voice.
Victor didn't respond.
"I heard what happened, man. You good?"
Victor sighed. "Door's open."
Danny stepped in, looked around, and then flopped on the edge of the bed. "You know... when I said shoot your shot, I didn't an start World War III."
Victor cracked a small smile despite the situation.
Danny held up his hands. "Alright, alright. But seriously, what happened?"
Victor shrugged. "She kissed first. I kissed her back today. Derek showed up. Fight broke out."
Danny winced. "Oof. So... she dumped you both or...?"
Victor shook his head. "She told to stay away from her."
Danny was quiet for a mont. "Damn."
Victor exhaled slowly while tracing the cracks in the ceiling with his eyes.
"I knew I should have stayed away from romance in the Academy..."
Danny patted his shoulder. "It'll blow over. Probably. Maybe."
Victor chuckled, then sighed again.
"I'll be in the ga tonight. Gotta kill sothing."
Danny grinned. "Yeah, that's the spirit. Go murder a few smugglers or throw Tarkos into a ditch."
Victor grinned faintly. "I'll think about it."
...
...
The days that followed were far from kind to Victor.
What started as a burst of emotions in the garden with Amara spiraled into sothing far worse. The whispers traveled fast, like wildfire through dry fields. In less than twenty-four hours, the Academy's rumor mills had painted him in the darkest light imaginable.
"Isn't that the guy that forcefully kissed a girl?"
"I heard he tried to force himself on her."
"A pervert like that shouldn't be here."
It didn't matter that the situation was far more complex. That the truth had layers. That he never ant for any of it to happen. The truth was irrelevant when the lie was more convenient.
Victor walked through the halls alone now. People stepped out of his way, not with awe, but revulsion.
Despite it all, not everyone had abandoned him.
Reed who was loudmouthed as ever, had thrown an empty bottle at a group of gossiping students in defense of Victor.
Kai remained aloof as always, but whenever anyone tried to drag Victor's na in his presence, his silence beca a wall of defense. Aria was indifferent to social opinions and still tried to tell Victor she was stronger whenever their paths crossed.
Rylan offered him subtle nods and quiet encouragents during morning routines.
But the damage was done.
He wasn't allowed near Amara anymore.
A formal complaint had been filed. The Academy issued a restriction: Victor was to maintain at least a 20-ter distance from her at all tis.
There was no way to clear his na since he couldn't et the one person who knew very well that he wasn't a creep to set the record straight.
Victor sat in the corner of his room one evening with his head resting against the wall.
"Haha... I just had to do it," he muttered. "Shouldn't have listened to Danny."
---
Wednesday Morning - Swimming Routine
Wednesday had always been dedicated to aquatic combat training and stamina exercises. The massive lake-like training area for Camp 11 had artificial currents, various depths, and even sections enhanced with illusions to simulate open-water fear scenarios.
Victor, having grown up in the lower wards of New Avalon City, never had the luxury of learning to swim. That kind of thing was for the privileged few with pools in their penthouses and water-thed birthday parties.
However, he had picked up a little since coming to the Academy. With Vex Rhane's guidance, he had improved marginally.
Today, the instructor had introduced a new underwater combat stroke that was ant to mimic the movent of serpent-type magical beasts in water.
Victor had retreated to one of the less populated ends of the massive lake to practice it. There, he flailed and paddled while gasping between attempts but making progress, inch by inch.
He surfaced, took a breath, and wiped water from his eyes. In the distance, he could see the rest of Camp 11 scattered across the lake. So were swimming laps. Others were training their elental magic beneath the surface.
Victor sighed and dove again, this ti attempting to sweep his legs in a fluid kick.
He was halfway through the motion when he felt sothing...
A grip.
Two grips.
Hands had grabbed his ankles and suddenly jerked him downward with unnatural force.
Underwater, he caught sight of two unfamiliar faces. One was a boy with thin, rat-like features and dark ink swirling from a Mage crest on his palm. The other was bulkier with glowing red eyes — a Berserker.
Victor's instincts kicked in.
He pulled his right leg back and punched forward.
His fist connected with the Berserker's jaw, and the student spiraled backward into the murky water.
But the Mage was ready.
He conjured a shimring chain of mana instantly.
The chains clamped around Victor's wrists and ankles in an instant, and before he could react, they were tethered to two large rocks at the bottom.
Victor thrashed wildly.
His breath was running short and he wasn't exactly a swimming pro so this was quite the difficult scenario.
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