Winter came fast and hard.
By mid-December, or whatever this world called the equivalent month snow blanketed the Academy grounds. The training yards became treacherous sheets of ice. Students bundled in thick cloaks between classes. The cold seeped into everything, making even indoor spaces chilly despite magical heating.
The term was winding down. Final evaluations loomed. And Magnus and I were still struggling with the Cavalry Dance.
"No, no! You're supposed to move left when I feint right, its about mirroring with the intent to complement for my openings!" Magnus panted, practice sword lowering. We'd been at this for three hours. "The whole point is complementary movement!"
"I know! But I keep reading your tells wrong. You telegraph too much."
"I telegraph because you don't react fast enough!"
We glared at each other, both exhausted, both frustrated.
Then Magnus laughed. "Listen to us. We sound like an old married couple arguing."
Despite myself, I laughed too. "We kind of do."
"Again," he said, raising his sword. "From the top. And this time, actually pay attention to my footwork instead of just my blade."
We ran through the sequence again. Better this time. Still not perfect, but improving. We'd gone from completely out of sync to occasionally almost synchronized. Progress.
By the time we finished, night had fallen. Snow was falling steadily outside the training hall windows.
"Same time tomorrow?" Magnus asked, gathering his things.
"Same time."
"And I'm close on the candy formula. Just need to adjust the cooling rate one more time."
"You've been saying that for two weeks."
"Alchemy is precise! These things take time!" He paused at the door. "But actually, I think tomorrow might be it. The crystallization is finally stable."
"I'll believe it when I taste it."
"Ye of little faith." He left, heading back to Pearl Dorm.
I trudged through the snow to Stone Dorm, exhausted down to my bones. The Cavalry Dance was physically demanding, constant movement, maintaining synchronization, reading your partner's intentions. My muscles ached. My mana reserves were depleted from the constant enhancement we'd been practicing.
All I wanted was sleep.
I opened my door to find Asura already in bed, curled up under the blanket, fast asleep. Her white hair spread across the pillow. She looked genuinely childlike when she slept, almost like she was just a normal child, with no evil tendencies.
Maya floated near the ceiling, practicing some complex telekinesis pattern with floating objects.
"Rough training?" she asked quietly.
"Exhausting."
"Asura went to sleep an hour ago. Said something about how annoying it is that children bodies need so much sleep.
I smiled despite my tiredness. Changed into sleeping clothes, climbed into bed. Carefully pulled some of the blanket over to my side.
Asleep almost instantly.
Cold.
I woke up shivering. The blanket was gone, pulled completely to Asura's side. She was wrapped in it like a cocoon, still fast asleep.
I tugged it back over to my side. Warmth. Better.
Back to sleep.
Cold again.
Awake again.
The blanket was back on Asura's side. How did she keep doing that while sleeping?
I pulled it back. More firmly this time. Rolled onto it to anchor it with my body weight.
Sleep.
COLD.
She'd somehow extracted the blanket from under me and wrapped herself in it again. This was getting ridiculous.
I yanked it back. Hard.
Asura made a small noise of protest but didn't wake up.
I pulled the blanket to my side, held it firmly.
Sleep.
The next time I woke up, the blanket was being actively tugged away.
I opened my eyes to find Asura! Still asleep, pulling the blanket with some ridiculous strength.
I pulled back.
We engaged in a brief tug-of-war. Both still half-asleep. Both determined to have the blanket.
"Let go," I muttered.
"No, you let go!" she mumbled, eyes still closed.
We pulled simultaneously. The blanket didn't move.
Above us, I heard a sound I'd never heard before.
Maya was giggling. Actually giggling, her ghostly form shaking with silent laughter.
"You two..." she managed between giggles "....are ridiculous."
We both woke up fully. Realized we were having a blanket tug-of-war. Still didn't let go.
"You keep stealing the blanket," I accused.
"I'm cold! I'm a child, I'm more susceptible to the cold than you! I need the blanket!"
"First of all, I as a normal human being get cold and secondly, there is no way in hell you are getting off calling yourself a child!"
"I need it more! I'm smaller! Less body mass to generate heat!"
"That's not how it works!"
"Yes it is!"
"No it isn't!"
Maya was laughing so hard she was flickering. "Stop... stop arguing. I can solve this."
We both looked at her, still clutching our respective sides of the blanket.
"The problem," she said, getting herself under control, "is that you're sleeping too far apart. You're stretching the blanket. That's why you keep stealing it from each other, there's not enough to cover both of you at the distance you're maintaining."
We looked at the space between us. She had a point. We'd both instinctively pressed against our respective edges of the bed, leaving a good two feet of space between us.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Asura asked.
"Sleep closer together. Stop stretching the blanket. Then there's enough to cover both of you."
We looked at each other. Then at the space between us. Then back at each other.
"That's..." I started.
"Weird," Asura finished.
"Very," I agreed.
Maya with a hint of amusement then says, "I guess you both aren't ready to sleep. Enjoy shivering to death."
We looked at each other again.
Asura pouted, then pointed at me, while looking at Maya as if for help says "What if he touches me while I'm sleeping!"
I shot back. "Asura listen.... You're a child..."
"So noooow I'm a child!"
I sighed and placed my hand on my forehead, "You know what, lets share... I promise, I won't touch you"
"You'd better not."
We sat there in mutual discomfort for a moment.
Then Asura sighed. "Fine. We're being stupid. We're both freezing. The blanket is sufficient if we're not stretching it across the entire bed. We're sleeping closer. End of discussion."
"Okay."
We shifted toward the center of the bed. Pulled the blanket over both of us properly. There was definitely enough when we weren't stretching it to its limits.
Still awkward though.
"This is weird," I said.
Asura turned on her side, facing me, with a devious smirk on her face. What would people think? The crazy noble Dorm boy sleeping with a little girl?"
"Asura, that's not funny."
"It's a little funny." She was grinning now, enjoying my discomfort. "People already think you're crazy because you talk to yourself. This would really burn your chances at getting any good reputation."
"Please stop talking."
"Aldric the lolicon. Has a nice ring to it."
"I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight."
"Sure you are. With a cute little demon girl right next to you."
"You're at least a century old."
"But I look ten. That's what counts." She poked my arm. "Lolicon."
"Maya, tell her to stop."
Maya was still giggling. "Sorry, I'm staying out of this."
"Traitor."
"I'm dead. I'm allowed to find entertainment anywhere I can."
I pulled the blanket over my head. Tried to ignore Asura's quiet laughter.
Eventually, finally exhaustion won over awkwardness. The warmth of the properly distributed blanket, the comfort of not shivering...
I fell asleep.
Didn't notice when Asura stopped teasing and also drifted off.
Didn't notice Maya floating above us, smile soft and gentle, watching over her strange little group of friends.
Just slept. Warm. Comfortable. Finally.
Dawn came too early.
I was deep in sleep, actually good sleep for once, when something loud jolted me awake.
"ALDRIC! I DID IT! I FINALLY...."
The blanket was ripped off us.
Sudden blast of freezing morning air.
I jolted upright, disoriented, confused!
Asura made a sound of protest, tried to burrow deeper into—
Wait.
She was clinging to me. Arms wrapped around my side, face pressed against my shoulder. Apparently she'd migrated during the night, seeking warmth.
I froze.
I forgot to lock my room door.
At that point my brain ran through every possible excuse I could make that wouldn't make me sound like a freak."
Magnus stood at the foot of the bed, blanket in one hand, looking between us with an expression I couldn't quite read.
"I..." he said slowly. "I didn't know you were that kind of person."
"What? No! It's not! This isn't...."
Magnus looked so disappointed in me. "No.... Its okay....ummm I'm.... ummm... leaving
Asura woke up fully, realized the situation, and immediately let go of me. Then, instead of looking embarrassed, she started giggling. Covered her mouth with her hands, trying to suppress it, failing completely.
"Magnus, this is not what it looks like," I said quickly.
"It looks like you were sleeping with a small child clinging to you."
"She's my sister!"
The moment I said it, I realized how that sounded. Possibly worse.
Magnus's eyebrows rose. "Your... sister, sooo you're one of... those huh...."
"Blood-sister. My mother's only daughter.. Obviously." The lies were flowing now, born of panic. "She has a medical condition. She needs to drain mana from my body regularly. Has to be me specifically because we share the same mother, so we have similar mana composition. Like... umm... like a blood transfusion, but with mana."
Magnus's expression changed from horrified to thoughtful. "Mana Deficiency Syndrome? Where the body can't generate its own mana properly and needs supplementation from a blood relative?"
"Yes! Exactly that!" I seized on it. "That's exactly what she has."
"I've read about that. Very rare. Usually fatal without regular mana transfer." He looked at Asura with something like sympathy now. "That's why you look so young? The condition stunts physical development?"
Asura, to her credit, played along immediately. Put on a sad, pitiful expression. "I'm actually ummm twelve, but ummm.. I look ten, its because of the disease it keeps me small. Aldric has to share his mana with me at regular intervals or I'll die." She said over dramatically
"That's... actually really sad," Magnus said. "I'm sorry. That must be difficult."
"It's okay. At least I have my brother." She threw me a look that was pure mischief hidden behind fake sincerity.
I was going to kill her later.
"So you share a room because of her condition," Magnus concluded. "And the close sleeping is for efficient mana transfer during the night."
"Exactly."
"That makes sense." Then his expression shifted, becoming amused. "Though I have to say, bringing your sister to the Academy? And keeping her hidden in your room? That's pretty bold, even for you."
"The Academy doesn't need to know about her condition. We're managing it."
"Fair enough." He held up a small wrapped package. "Also, this changes the context of something. When you told me about making candy, you called them 'lollipops.' I thought it was just a random name. But now..." He looked between me and Asura. "You named your candy after your peculiar tastes huh? Lolli-pops? You goddamn creep." He said it as a joke but it kind of hurt my pride as a normal human being.
Behind him, I could see Maya, she was losing it laughing.
I tried to think of a retort but I was brain dead, frying my brain to come up with an excuse was over my thinking quota for the day.
"You know what? Yes. Named after my unnatural love for underage girls. Very sentimental of me."
Asura was shaking with suppressed laughter.
Magnus grinned, and looked at me seriously. "You do realize that you are cooked if this ever gets out right?"
I chuckled nervously, "But it won't right?"
He ignored the question and said: "Never took you for a sister-loving lolicon. But hey, family is family, right?"
"Please stop calling me a lolicon."
"Why? It's accurate. You love your Loli sister (And possibly other underage girls). You made Loli-pops. So you're a Loli-con. It's just facts."
"I hate you."
"No you don't. I perfected your candy." He changed the subject.
He tossed me the package. "Which I came here at the crack of dawn to show you, only to discover your weird family situation. But the candy is done! Perfect crystallization, stable at room temperature, consistent flavor distribution. It's ready."
I unwrapped it. A perfect lollipop. Clear, smooth, no imperfections. I licked it.
Strawberry flavor. Balanced sweetness. Perfect texture.
"This is incredible," I said honestly.
"I know." Magnus looked proud. "I documented the entire process. We can reproduce it consistently now. Your weird candy idea actually works."
"True. Partnership." He glanced at Asura again, who waved cheerfully at him. "Though you could have told me about your sister earlier. I wouldn't have judged."
"It's... complicated."
"Everything about you is complicated. I'm getting used to it." He headed for the door. "Anyway, get dressed. We need to practice the Cavalry Dance before class. And bring your sister if you need to do the mana transfer thing. Just explain she's family if anyone asks."
"I'll figure something out."
"Good luck with that. Aldric the lolicon, bye Aldric's sister! That's going to be a fun reputation if it gets out."
"It's not getting out."
"We'll see!" He left, door closing behind him.
Silence.
Then Asura burst out laughing. Full, unrestrained laughter. Fell back on the bed, holding her stomach.
"Lolicon!" she gasped between laughs. "He.... thinks...you're a....sister-loving..."
"This is your fault," I said.
"My fault? You're the one who called me your sister!"
"You're the one that was being clingy."
"Its not my fault that you were warm."
We both stopped for a second
"And now you're stuck with it! This is amazing!" She sat up, wiping tears from her eyes. "Oh, this is the funniest thing that's happened in a long time. I get to pretend to be your sickly little sister who needs constant care. This is fantastic."
Maya had was also near us, also laughing. "The look on Magnus's face when he pulled that blanket off! Priceless!"
"You're both terrible."
"We're the best thing that's ever happened to you," Asura corrected. She climbed out of bed, stretched. "Also, for the record, you're very warm. I wasn't faking about needing heat."
"I'm surrounded by demons and ghosts and they're all terrible."
"Come on, tell me you're not enjoying this too" Asura said.
"Enjoying what?"
"Waking up to laughs instead of to your own misery. You do. Admit it.
"Fine. Its not as bad as my life before. Its definitely an improvement from my life before I met you guys."
Asura's expression softened. "Good. Because we're stuck with you. Literally, in my case. Soul-bound demon and all."
"Lucky me."
"Very lucky you." She grabbed one of the perfected lollipops Magnus had left. "Now get dressed. We have a reputation to maintain. And candy to secretly develop. And a Cavalry Dance to perfect. And a fake medical condition to maintain. Busy day."
"Every day is busy with you around."
"That's what makes it fun."
I got dressed while she examined the new lollipops with professional interest and Maya provided commentary on our blanket war from her ethereal vantage point.
Just another morning at the Royal Academy.
With my demon "sister" who Magnus now thought I had an inappropriate attachment to.
And our ghost friend who found the whole situation hilarious.
My life was absurd.
But looking at Asura happily licking her lollipop and Maya smiling as she watched us...
I wouldn't swap out this life for anything.