(Salem's POV)
Magister Eleris stood as she always did — motionless enough to blend with the frost that edged the upper terraces. A constant stillness, but not the peaceful kind. It was the kind forged from tension — a bowstring stretched tight, but never loosed.
I approached slowly. Respectfully.
Her gaze met mine long before I reached her.
"You needed me?," she said.
I bowed my head slightly, then lifted it.
"Yes, It's about Prefect Lycian."
Her expression didn't shift, but I felt the slight push of her mana — not aggressive. Just… attentive.
I took a breath. "He's been spending a lot of time on the west field. Nights, mostly. Four confirmed trips this week. Sometimes alone. Sometimes… not."
"Who else?"
"I can't always tell because i keep my distance. Students. One at a time. But when I try to read their mana, it feels muted. Like something's dampening their presence."
"An enchantment?"
"Could be. But it feels organic. Not like suppression. Like… willful silence."
Eleris narrowed her eyes, not at me — at something further away.
I stepped closer. "Yesterday, I was watching from the boundary. He didn't see me. But when he spoke to one of the student, I caught part of it. He said, 'You deserve more than this.'"
Her jaw tensed.
"There's more," I added. "Annabel felt something. A mental intrusion — subtle, almost like it belonged to her. But it didn't . A phrase. 'Don't you want more?'"
At that, Eleris did move. A small shift, but her mana surged cold and clear for half a breath before settling.
"You're sure it didn't come from your bond?"
"Positive. And she shut it out fast. Called it by name."
"Name?"
"Tempting Whisper," I said. "A Devil-born talent. High-tier. Can't be faked. Not by charm magic."
Silence stretched.
I filled it. "I know every student here's been vetted. I know background checks were clean. But if he's using this kind of ability—and students are leaving those meetings acting off—we need to assume he's not who he says he is."
Eleris didn't answer right away.
When she finally spoke, her voice was calm. "And you're sure Annabel isn't compromised?"
"She trusts him. Deeply," I admitted. "That's part of what worries me. If he's here for something — someone — she might not see it. Not until it's too late."
The magister exhaled slowly, the breath misting sharp in the morning chill.
"Keep watching," she said. "Don't act. Don't confront. And don't tell her anything yet."
"I won't," I said.
Eleris turned slightly toward the west. "If he's what you suspect, he's already moving pieces. We can't afford to misstep."
I nodded, then withdrew.
(Annabel's pov)
Behind me, I felt her gaze follow me a moment longer than usual.
The ground beneath my feet was already hard-packed, rippling faintly with the residue of shaped mana — not mine.
Rōko's. Dense and grounded. Earth, steady and loud in the way only pressure could be. She stood opposite me, her mana signature solid and muscular — not overwhelming, but immovable. She was good at this. Better than me.
"Same rules?" she asked.
I nodded. "No weapons. I only use ice."
"Fair," she said, and then: "Begin."
The spar ignited like a fuse.
She didn't bother with finesse. Earth rippled under my feet, a jagged wall rising to block lateral movement. I countered with a pulse of frost, slicking the surface of the field to slow her push — but she'd already adjusted, bracing.
A tremor signaled the next move — a buckling pulse beneath my stance. I jumped just as the soil burst upward, an uneven spike that would've caught my shin if I'd stayed grounded.
"You always dodge early," Rōko said. Not mocking — observing.
"And you always go for the legs first," I returned.
She huffed a laugh, then went silent again.
Another wave — this time broader, less focused. She wasn't trying to tag me. She was hemming me in. Smart.
I flared frost beneath me in a controlled ring, then shaped a narrow arc of cold along her flank — just enough to force a shift.
She powered through it, mana flooding into the soles of her feet, grounding her against the slip. My ice cracked. She was already mid-step when I felt the shockwave.
A tremor rippled through my core as she landed a solid pulse — not a hit, not contact, but the mana tag was enough.
"Dead," she said.
I exhaled. "Again?"
"Yup. Later." She sounded like she wasn't even winded.
I pushed a hand through my braid, shaking out residual frost.
"You've gotten sharper," she added.
"You're still heavier," I replied.
"Thank the gods for that," she smirked.
It was then I felt it — another signature crossing from the west.
Smoother than Rōko's. Cooler. Not by temperature — by design.
Lycian.
"Didn't mean to interrupt," he said as he crossed the edge of the sparring circle.
"You did," Rōko replied, stretching her shoulders.
"But you're done anyway."
She grunted noncommittally.
I turned slightly toward the outline of him. His mana wasn't flaring. It was clean — but too clean. Not passive. Just… composed.
"You've missed practice all week," Rōko pointed out.
"Had patrol. Didn't want to fall behind," he said lightly. "Figured I'd make up for it."
He took another step forward, close enough now that I could feel the edges of his presence — relaxed, but watching. Always watching.
"You mind if I join the next round?" he asked, tone warm.
I felt the shift in his weight, slight as it was. Like a hunter approaching gently. No sudden moves.
"Just a clean spar," he added. "Ice only."
I tilted my head. "You don't have ice magic."
"I'll fake it," he said with a grin in his voice.
"Not how that works."
"Then let's call it footwork and reflexes," he replied smoothly. "You're better at reading movement than anyone here. Might as well test myself."
Rōko was already walking off. "She'll kick your ass," she said.
Lycian didn't flinch. "Wouldn't be the worst thing."
I considered it a beat longer.
Then nodded. "Fine."
I stepped back into stance.
He mirrored me.
And we began.
We stood across from each other — no mana flaring, no elemental shaping. Just weight, breath, and instinct.
Lycian didn't radiate tension. He stood loose, comfortable, like this didn't matter. But I could feel the control in his stance. Coiled in his limbs. Waiting.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Not even close," he said with a crooked grin. "But go ahead."
I moved first. Quick step, pivot, jab — controlled and centered. He blocked. Smooth. Not countering, not yet. Just watching me work.
"Still sharp," he murmured. "You always lead with your left?"
I didn't answer.
Another strike — elbow faint, low — he dodged but only barely.
"That's why I wanted to spar you," he said. "You fight like you already know how it ends."
I circled. "You talk a lot during combat."
"Is it annoying?"
"A little."
"Or are you just afraid I'll get in your head?"
He said it with a smirk in his mana. Teasing. But something in the timbre of the words tugged strange at the edge of my thoughts. Like a ribbon brushed by wind.
I lunged again — fast and precise, i clipped his ribs. He grunted.
"Point," I said.
He chuckled. "I deserved that."
I stepped back, resetting. His pressure didn't rise. If anything, it folded inward — like he was listening more than reacting. His mana traced mine softly, not forceful. Familiar.
"You're still holding back," he said.
"No."
"You are. You always do. Even with Fay and rōko, even now."
I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
He shifted forward again — not attacking, just movement. His voice dropped half a tone. "You know what you could be if you stopped worrying about balance."
Something rippled. Soft. Not sound — not magic. Just… suggestion.
You deserve more.
I hesitated. Just a beat. The thought felt like my own.
His hand reached out — I blocked it, twisted under, tagged his shoulder.
Another point. But my mind felt… slightly off-kilter. Like I'd missed something.
"I'm not trying to win," he said casually. "I'm just testing a theory."
"What theory?"
"That even someone like you might want more. Power. Clarity. Control."
The words slipped inside like breath. Not commanding. Not insistent.
Just present.
I don't need more, I told myself.
But the thought echoed. Are you sure?
Another exchange. I ducked a sweeping arm, swept his leg, and he stumbled back, laughing.
"Alright, alright—!" he said, breathless. "That's three, right?"
"Four," I corrected.
"Ruthless,"
He didn't feel like he was losing. Not really. His mana read calm. Satisfied.
Rōko called from the edge of the field, amused. "You done getting your ass handed?"
"Very done," he said, still smiling. "Thanks for the beating."
"You're welcome," I replied, brushing my braid back over my shoulder. My pulse had settled. Everything felt normal.
Almost.
There was just… a moment — a strange flutter in the back of my mind, like a word I couldn't remember. Not wrong. Not frightening. Just… faint.
I shook it off.
The three of us walked back toward the stone steps, casual laughter in the air. Rōko teased him. Lycian teased back. I said little, but I was smiling.
He'd lost the spar.
But somehow, he didn't seem like the one who'd come away with less.
Eventually after spending the afternoon together, having a bite to eat — creating some new potions Arwen taught us, evening came and we parted ways for today.
Rōko was first to leave.
"See you both tomorrow." She turned to Lycian.
"You have to stop being such a weirdo."
Lycian turned to her. "You really have it out for me eh?"
"Just reminding you snake boy." She laughed and walked off.
Now it was just me and Lycian — walking through the hallway, the silence stretched almost awkwardly.
He only spoke up the moment we were supposed to part corners.
"You'll understand someday."
And than he walked off before i could respond
What could he even mean with that?
Was it a warning? A message?
Ugh sometimes i really don't understand him.
I went to my room — Salem already waiting for me. Of course she was, she's become my anchor lately.
I plopped on the bed and sighed. "Damn i'm beat, training has been rough ever since Draumhold fell."
She went to lay next to me, her breath close. "Then sleep, you deserve the rest you can get, they aren't gonna slow down tomorrow." I could feel her smiling at me.
So comfortable.
So safe.
"You do the same, Salem — get rest." I said already pondering off to sleep, as Salem crept in close to me.