The weekend arrived with clear skies and a welcome break from classes. Zane woke earlier than usual, feeling restless. He had plans today that were different from his normal routine of training and studying.
Dinner with Seraphina.
She'd suggested it a few days ago, mentioning that there was a nice restaurant in the academy town where students often went on weekends. It would be their first real outing since arriving at the academy, and despite his usual preference for solitude, Zane had agreed.
He got dressed in his casual clothes and came out to the common area where Eliza was already preparing breakfast.
"Good morning, Young Master," she said cheerfully. "You're up early for a weekend."
"Couldn't sleep much." Zane sat down at the small table. "Too much on my mind."
"About your dinner plans?" Eliza set a plate of eggs and toast in front of him with a knowing smile. "You seem nervous."
"I'm not nervous." Zane took a bite of the eggs. "It's just dinner."
"With Lady Seraphina. Your fiancée. Who's been supporting you quietly while enduring whispers about why she stays engaged to the 'disgraced Morgenstern.'" Eliza poured him tea. "I'd say a little nervousness is perfectly natural."
"You're enjoying this too much."
"Maybe a little." She sat across from him with her own plate. "But honestly, Young Master, I think it's good that you're spending time with her. She clearly cares about you, and you've been so focused on training and classes that you haven't had much chance to just... be normal."
Zane considered that. She was right, in a way. Since arriving at the academy, he'd been completely focused on getting stronger and avoiding complications. But Seraphina was already part of his life, whether he'd planned for it or not. And she deserved more than just cold practicality.
"What should I even talk about?" he asked.
Eliza laughed. "Young Master, you're overthinking this. Just be yourself. Talk about classes, training, whatever comes naturally. Lady Seraphina isn't expecting you to suddenly become a smooth-talking romantic."
"That's reassuring, I think."
They finished breakfast together, and Zane spent the rest of the morning reviewing some study materials. He tried to focus, but his mind kept wandering to the evening ahead.
Around midday, Eliza came into his room carrying a set of clothes she'd carefully selected and pressed.
"These should work well," she said, laying out a dark blue shirt and black pants. "Formal enough to show respect, but not so formal that you look like you're attending a state dinner."
"You've put a lot of thought into this."
"Someone has to." She gave him a gentle push toward the clothes. "Now get ready. You're meeting Lady Seraphina at sunset, and you should leave early so you're not rushing."
Zane changed into the clothes and examined himself in the mirror. The outfit was simple but well-fitted, and it suited him better than he'd expected. The dark blue brought out his silver eyes, and his white hair looked less stark against the darker colors.
"How do I look?" he asked, turning to Eliza.
She smiled warmly. "Like a proper gentleman. Lady Seraphina will be very pleased."
"You're not coming along, right?"
"And be the third wheel on your dinner date? Absolutely not." She shooed him toward the door. "I'll stay here and read. You two enjoy yourselves."
"If anything happens, "
"Nothing will happen, Young Master. It's a peaceful weekend evening. What could possibly go wrong?" Eliza opened the door for him. "Now go, before you're late."
Zane nodded and left the dormitory building. The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. He had about forty-five minutes before he was supposed to meet Seraphina at the restaurant, which gave him plenty of time to walk there at a leisurely pace.
The campus was quieter on weekends. Most students were either in town, visiting the training facilities, or relaxing in their dormitories. Zane followed a path that cut through one of the garden areas, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and the cool evening breeze.
The gardens were beautiful this time of day. Flowering plants lined the pathways, and small fountains provided a soothing background sound. It was easy to forget, in moments like this, that he was living in a world heading toward destruction.
He was about halfway through the garden when his [Danger Sense] suddenly screamed a warning.
Zane threw himself to the side just as a spike of ice erupted from the ground where he'd been standing. The spike was easily six feet tall and razor-sharp, glittering in the fading sunlight.
He rolled to his feet and immediately scanned his surroundings. Standing at the edge of the garden path was Freya Valemont, her platinum blonde hair perfectly styled and her gray eyes cold as winter frost.
"Good reflexes," Freya said, her voice carrying across the garden. "I was expecting that to at least graze you."
Zane's hand moved to his sword, but he forced himself to stay calm and assess the situation. "Freya Valemont. What's the meaning of this?"
"What's the meaning?" She laughed, though there was no humor in it. "You've been getting quite a bit of attention lately, haven't you? The disowned Morgenstern who suddenly shows Apprentice-tier abilities. Who defeats Lady Ashcroft in sparring. Who attracts the interest of people like Zara Luminelle."
She raised her hand and ice began forming around her fingers, crystallizing into sharp fragments that floated in the air around her.
"I despise people who get too far ahead of themselves. Who act like they're special when they're nothing but trash pretending to be gold." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "So I've decided to put you back in your place."
Before Zane could respond, Freya launched a barrage of ice shards directly at him. He channeled Aura into his legs and burst to the side with enhanced speed. The shards whistled past him and embedded themselves in a nearby tree with sharp thunking sounds.
"You're insane," Zane said, drawing his sword. "Attacking another student outside of sanctioned duels is grounds for expulsion."
"Only if someone reports it." Freya formed another ice construct, this time a floating sphere that orbited around her body protectively. "And you won't be in any condition to report anything once I'm done with you."
She thrust her hand forward and the ice sphere shot toward him like a cannonball. Zane raised his sword and channeled Aura through the blade, using [Aura Blade] to slice through the construct. It shattered into a thousand fragments that scattered across the garden path like deadly snow.
Freya didn't give him time to recover. She was already casting again, her hands moving in complex patterns as Mana gathered around her in visible streams. The temperature dropped sharply, and frost began forming on the plants and stones nearby.
A wall of ice erupted between them, and then more walls appeared to either side, forming a cage. Zane realized she was trying to trap him, to limit his movement while she bombarded him from a distance.
He wouldn't give her that chance.
Zane channeled Aura through his entire body and charged directly at the ice wall in front of him. His Aura-enhanced strength shattered it like glass, and he burst through the opening before Freya could complete her next spell.
She stumbled back, clearly surprised by his speed. Zane closed the distance and swung his sword at her, but she managed to form an ice shield just in time. His blade crashed against the shield and cracked it deeply, but didn't break through completely.
"You're faster than I expected," Freya said, breathing harder now. She thrust her palm forward and a blast of freezing wind erupted from it, forcing Zane back several steps.
The wind was bitterly cold and carried tiny ice crystals that stung his exposed skin like needles. Zane raised his arm to shield his face and channeled more Aura to maintain his body temperature and prevent frostbite.
This wasn't just a simple attack. Freya was a specialist in ice magic, and she was genuinely skilled at it. Her control was precise and her casting speed was impressive for a first-year student. If she'd attacked anyone else with this level of skill, they would have been overwhelmed already.
But Zane wasn't like other first-years.
He gathered wind Mana and released it in a sharp burst, dispersing the freezing wind and creating a clear path. Then he extended his shadow across the ground, sending it snaking toward Freya's position like a living thing.
She noticed too late. The shadow wrapped around her ankle and yanked her off balance. She fell hard onto the stone path, and Zane was on her in an instant.
He raised his sword to deliver a disabling strike to her shoulder when his [Danger Sense] flared again, not from Freya, but from behind him.
Zane spun around and saw a massive ice spear hurtling through the air toward him. This wasn't Freya's active magic. The angle was wrong, and he'd been watching her the entire time.
Then he realized. She'd set up a delayed spell while they were fighting, hiding it somewhere in the garden to activate once he let his guard down. It was a trap within a trap.
Zane tried to dodge, but the spear was too close and too fast. It was going to hit him.
Then someone else moved.
Eliza appeared from the path behind him, running at full speed. She must have followed him when he left, worried about him going out alone despite her cheerful words. She saw the ice spear and didn't hesitate for even a moment.
She threw herself in front of Zane.
The spear caught her in the side with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed across the garden path as the ice pierced through her body and continued past, finally embedding itself in the ground several feet away.
Eliza collapsed.
"ELIZA!"