I turned back to face Lyanna, my heart hamring with anticipation and dread. Her ice-blue eyes were sharp with that analytical intensity that ant she’d figured sothing out.
Shit. Here it cos. She’s going to ask about Cassandra, about the bond, about why we’re both acting different.
"Yes?" I asked, putting on my most innocent expression.
She walked over to , studying my face like she was trying to solve a particularly complex equation. "Your awakening ceremony... the materials Magister Celestine brought. Did she ntion anything about advanced training techniques? Theoretical applications?"
Wait, what? That’s... not what I was expecting.
"Um, not really," I said honestly. "Why?"
"Just curious about the academic approach to unprecedented magic types. The academy’s curriculum must be fascinating for soone with your unique abilities." She shrugged. "Sleep well, little brother."
That’s it? That’s what she wanted to ask?
I blinked in surprise. "Oh. Okay. Good night, Lyanna."
As I walked back to my room, I couldn’t help but laugh quietly. All that tension, all that worry about being discovered, and she just wanted to talk about magical theory.
My guilty conscience is making paranoid. I need to get a grip.
Back in my room, I found myself too restless to sleep. The events of the day were still buzzing through my mind, and I had all this new magical power just waiting to be explored.
Might as well see what I can actually do with these abilities.
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I started with Ti Magic, since that was supposedly my most impressive awakening. I focused on the sensation I’d felt during the ceremony, trying to recreate that feeling of temporal awareness.
Nothing.
I tried visualizing ti as a river I could step into, like in so of the ani I’d watched. Still nothing.
Co on, you’re supposed to be Unclassifiable in this school. Maybe I need to think about it differently... like a dating sim where I can save and reload?
I spent the better part of an hour trying different approaches—ditation, emotional focus, even trying to recreate the life-or-death intensity of my original death. All I got for my efforts was a mild headache and growing frustration.
Great. I have god-tier ti magic and can’t even slow down a clock. This is like having cheat codes but not knowing the button combination.
Giving up on ti manipulation for now, I decided to try sothing simpler. I slipped out of my room and made my way to the manor’s gardens, where I could practice without accidentally destroying anything expensive.
Maybe Ti Magic is too advanced to just figure out on my own. The academy probably exists for a reason—even broken protagonists need tutorial levels.
Giving up on ti manipulation for now, I decided to try sothing simpler. I slipped out of my room and made my way to the manor’s gardens, where I could practice without worrying about accidentally destroying furniture.
The gardens were beautiful at night—moonlight casting silver shadows through carefully cultivated flower beds and ornantal trees. The air was warm and fragrant, perfect for magical experintation.
Let’s see what this Life Magic can do. Hopefully it’s more user-friendly than my temperantal ti powers.
I knelt beside a patch of wilted flowers that hadn’t been getting enough attention from the gardeners. Placing my hand gently on the soil, I focused on the sensation of growth, of vitality, of life force flowing through living things.
This ti, the magic responded imdiately.
A different kind of vibrant green energy flowed from my fingers into the earth, and I watched in amazent as the flowers straightened, their petals brightening and expanding. Within monts, what had been a sad patch of dying blooms beca a vibrant display of color and life.
Holy shit. That actually worked. It’s like having a green thumb, except the thumb is made of pure magical steroids.
Encouraged, I moved to a small ornantal tree that had been struggling with so kind of blight. I placed both hands on its trunk and let the Life Magic flow.
The change was dramatic. Diseased bark healed and smoothed, new leaves sprouted from previously bare branches, and the entire tree seed to pulse with renewed vigor. It went from sickly to magnificent in less than a minute.
This is incredible. I can actually feel the life force, manipulate it, strengthen it. I’m like a magical paradic for plants.
Next ca Fire Magic, courtesy of my bond with Cassandra. I held out my hand and focused on the mory of her flas, the way they had danced around her fingers during our more heated monts.
Pun intended.
Fire blood in my palm—not the wild, uncontrolled fla of a beginner, but the sophisticated, precisely controlled fire of an SS-rank mage. I could feel its temperature, adjust its color, shape it into complex patterns. The knowledge felt like it had always been part of .
SS-rank Fire Magic from a single bonding session. The Snatch ability is absolutely broken. I basically just downloaded Cassandra’s entire magical education straight into my brain through the power of really, really good sex.
I experinted with different fla types—cold fire that glowed but didn’t burn, blue flas hot enough to lt steel, even multi-colored fire that shifted through the spectrum like a magical rainbow. Each technique ca as naturally as breathing.
This is what Cassandra spent decades mastering, and I just absorbed it in an afternoon. No wonder the Bond is so overpowered.
I was so focused on practicing that I almost didn’t notice the small audience I’d attracted.
Several of the manor’s female servants had found excuses to be in the garden area—tending to late-night tasks, checking the magical lighting arrays, or simply taking evening strolls. They were trying to be discrete about it, but I could feel their eyes on as I worked.
Right. Enhanced physical appeal plus magical power display. That’s going to draw attention.
One of the younger maids, a pretty brunette I’d seen around the manor, walked a bit closer than the others. Her breathing was slightly elevated, her pupils dilated, and there was a flush to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the warm night air.
A few weeks ago, this kind of attention would have made nervous as hell. Now...
Now it felt natural. Expected, even. With the hints about my potential incubus bloodline, it would have been more surprising if they didn’t react to my presence this way.
I’m getting used to being irresistible. That’s probably not a healthy adjustnt, but here we are. From convenience store virgin to supernatural heartthrob in less than a week. Talk about character developnt.
I gave the maid a gentle smile—not encouraging, just acknowledging her presence—and she practically lted on the spot. I could see the other servants watching the interaction with a mixture of envy and arousal.
Yeah, definitely supernatural charm effect going on. The Charm and life magic’s influence is getting stronger. At this rate, I’m going to need a revolving door installed in my bedroom.
The thought should have been concerning, but honestly? After seventeen years of being completely invisible to won, having the opposite problem felt like a pretty good trade-off.
After another hour of practice, I decided I’d pushed my luck enough for one evening. The servants were getting bolder in their attention, and I didn’t want to cause any incidents that might reach Mother’s ears.
Ti to head back inside. But maybe not to my own room.
As I walked back through the manor’s hallways, I found myself pausing outside Cassandra’s door. No light showed beneath it, but I could sense her presence through our bond—awake, restless, and very much aware of my proximity.
A soft knock, barely audible.
"Co in," ca her whispered voice from the other side.
Can’t turn down a beauty’s invitation, can we now?
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A/N: It’s ti to...?
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