After the day wound down, I made my way to Professor Nero's office. The corridors of Mythos Academy were still bustling with late-night energy—students cramming for exams, cadets running simulations in the VR rooms, and drones humming overhead, running maintenance on the academy's high-tech infrastructure.
I stopped in front of the magnetic sliding door and knocked lightly. It hissed open without a sound.
"Co in, Arthur," Nero's voice greeted from inside.
I stepped through, the door sealing shut behind with a quiet thud. The office was minimalist in design—sleek, glass walls, floating holographic screens displaying various reports, and a single tallic desk that seed to adjust itself based on Nero's posture. He sat behind it, his usual unreadable expression in place.
"Take a seat." He gestured to the chair across from him.
I did, sitting up straight as his sharp gaze flickered over , no doubt already running a silent assessnt in his head.
"You reported that you unlocked your Gift over the fall break," he began, cutting straight to the point. "Describe it for in detail."
I nodded, having already prepared for this. "Yes, Professor. My Gift is called Lucent Harmony. It grants affinity with all eleven elents of mana, even those I naturally lack. I can also cast a limited number of five-circle spells through spell weaving. Finally, it enhances my ability to control ambient mana with extre precision, which increases my overall effectiveness in combat."
Nero tapped a few commands into his desk, a data file opening in midair, likely my student profile being updated in real ti. He studied my words carefully before nodding.
"Hmm," he mused, fingers steepling together. "A multi-elental Gift, limited five-circle casting, and fine-tuned control over ambient mana. This is an incredibly versatile ability, Arthur." He paused before adding, "And a dangerous one."
I raised an eyebrow. "Dangerous?"
"Because versatility, when mastered, can turn into unpredictability," he said simply. "That is sothing neither your allies nor your enemies will ever be fully prepared for."
I absorbed his words, letting them settle. He wasn't wrong. The ability to adapt to any situation using multiple elents, combined with precise mana manipulation, made difficult to read.
"Since you've also reached high Silver-rank, I need to adjust the assignnt I originally intended for you and Seraphina," he continued.
I nodded, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Given that you now have access to five-circle magic—even if limited—I'm recomnding that you be placed in Spellcasting III. Your previous assignnt already showcased perfect use of mana weaving. At this rate, it would be a waste not to hone your spellcasting further."
A small flash of satisfaction sparked in . Spellcasting III was a class reserved for White-rank students or anomalies like . Even Rachel, with her prodigious magic talent, had not entered it yet.
"Your progress has been exceptional, Arthur," Nero said, his tone firm. "Continue to work hard."
I stood, offering him a slight nod. "Thank you, Professor."
He didn't reply, already turning his attention back to the floating screens in front of him. Taking that as my cue, I exited the office, the door whispering shut behind .
As I walked down the corridor, I felt Luna's presence stir within my mind.
'Spellcasting III,' she mused, her voice a serene hum in my thoughts. 'Five-circle magic will serve you well.'
'Do I really need it, though?' I questioned, adjusting my jacket as I stepped into the academy's main atrium. It was quieter now, the evening rush settling into scattered conversations and dimd neon signs.
'Yes,' Luna answered with certainty. 'My magic as a Qilin follows different laws from human spellcraft. While it grants you greater control, it does not inherently complent structured spellcasting. Mastering human magic will only make you stronger.'
That made sense. Luna's power was instinctual, raw, woven into the very essence of nature. Human magic, in contrast, was calculated—structured through formulas and theoretical fraworks. The more I understood both, the more I could refine my abilities.
'Understood,' I replied.
As I exited the main building, heading toward the student hub, I sent a quick ssage through my neural interface.
[Arthur: You at the usual place?]
[Rose: Yep. Thought you forgot about .]
I chuckled to myself. I hadn't seen Rose yet since coming back from the Northern Continent.
Ti to change that.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The cafe was one of those cozy, tucked-away spots that managed to be both futuristic and tiless. Holographic nus floated over every table, displaying shifting images of coffee, desserts, and every possible customization a caffeine addict could dream of. The air slled of roasted beans and sothing faintly sweet—maybe vanilla or caral.
It had been nine days since I last saw Rose, which was strange, considering how often we used to et. Between the trip to the Northern Continent, the chaos at the Isle of Azure Breeze, and then returning straight into the madness of the academy, I hadn't even had ti to check in with her properly.
She was already seated when I walked in, a steaming cup in front of her. She looked up as I approached, her eyes narrowing just slightly before she leaned back in her seat.
"Well, well," Rose drawled, tapping her spoon against the edge of her cup. "Look who finally rembered I exist."
I sighed, sliding into the seat across from her. "Nice to see you too, Rose."
She tilted her head, studying with an unreadable expression before huffing out a soft laugh. "You look like hell."
"Thanks," I said dryly, flagging down a passing drone server. "I've been busy."
"Yeah, no kidding," she muttered. "I heard you nearly got yourself eaten by a six-star beast."
The drone chirped as I placed my order—just a simple coffee, no frills. I turned back to her. "Not eaten. Just… strategically outmatched."
Rose arched a brow. "Strategically outmatched?"
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Fine. I ran for my life while other people handled it."
Her lips twitched, but she didn't push. "And here I thought you liked keeping a low profile. First, you co back from the Island Survival as Rank 1, then you sohow outmaneuver an entire year's worth of second-years in the VR war. Now you're off fighting six-star monsters and coming back with…" She gestured vaguely at . "A Gift?"
I t her gaze, surprised. "You heard about that?"
She snorted. "Please. The mont you stepped back onto campus, people started talking. It's not every day soone suddenly unlocks their Gift mid-sester. So, what is it?"
"Lucent Harmony," I admitted, leaning back as my coffee arrived. "It lets use all elents, control ambient mana, and cast limited five-circle spells."
She whistled. "Not bad. And here I thought you were going to be stuck as 'that guy with decent aura control.'"
"Glad to exceed your expectations," I said, taking a sip. The bitterness was grounding, a welco contrast to the sheer unpredictability of the past few weeks.
Rose rested her chin on her hand, watching with an expression that was a mix of curiosity and mild exasperation. "So, are you ever going to tell why you didn't send so much as a single ssage for nine days? Or do I have to guess?"
Guilt pricked at , but I shrugged. "It wasn't intentional. I barely had ti to think between all the missions and training. And when I got back, things just kept piling up."
"Uh-huh," she said, unimpressed. "You know, normal people at least check in when they go off risking their lives against overgrown lizards."
I set my cup down. "You worried about ?"
She rolled her eyes. "I was curious. There's a difference."
I smirked. "Sure."
She clicked her tongue, but there was no real heat behind it. "So, how's the next disaster looking?"
I raised a brow. "What makes you think there's a next disaster?"
Rose gave a flat look. "Arthur, you attract chaos like a black hole. I'd be more surprised if things were finally normal."
She wasn't wrong.
I sighed. "Paired evaluation. They're having us fight six-star beasts in teams to test synergy."
"Of course they are," Rose muttered, stirring her drink. "And let guess—you got paired with soone who makes things extra complicated?"
"Seraphina Zenith."
Rose blinked, then let out a soft laugh. "The ice queen herself? Wow. Good luck."
I snorted. "She's not that bad."
"Oh, sure. She's not bad. She's just... difficult."
I thought about Seraphina's blank expression, her detached way of interacting with the world. She wasn't difficult in the way Cecilia or Ren were—she wasn't openly hostile or dismissive. But she had an air of untouchability, a quiet indifference that made it hard to tell what she was actually thinking.
"It'll be fine," I said.
Rose didn't look convinced. "You know, if you keep saying that every ti you're thrown into a ss, I might start believing you actually enjoy this stuff."
I chuckled. "I enjoy winning."
"And yet, you still suck at keeping in touch."
I raised my hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll make sure to send a ssage next ti I go off fighting nightmare creatures. Happy?"
She smirked. "Extrely."
We lapsed into a comfortable silence after that, the kind that ca from knowing each other long enough that words weren't always necessary. The last nine days had been a whirlwind, and sitting here, drinking coffee with Rose, felt like the first mont of normalcy I'd had in a while.
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