Magnus lifted Kara in his arms and carried her to the healing room in the building, while Lusian, sore and with his body aching, headed to his room determined to rest and avoid contact with anyone for the rest of the day. However, just as he was about to leave, he heard Emily's concerned voice calling him.
—Lusian, are you okay? —she asked, her eyes full of worry.
—Yeah... I just need to rest for a couple of days —he replied, trying to keep his composure while hiding the pain from his broken ribs.
—Even though I'm still a beginner, I think I can help you with the healing magic I've learned these past few days —Emily said, stepping forward timidly, but with genuine determination.
Emily approached carefully, placing her hands over the injured area. She murmured the spell softly, and a faint blue glow enveloped her palms. The healing warmth spread across Lusian's side.
And that was when something broke.
Not the pain —that remained— but the calm he shouldn't have felt.
The touch was gentle. Precise. Honest. That was what froze him.
His body reacted before his mind: his muscles tensed, not from pain, but from an uncomfortable, almost superstitious certainty. As if that very warmth, so much like a blessing, belonged to a moment that shouldn't exist yet.
Because in the destiny that awaited him, in the future that moved inevitably toward him, Emily would not be by his side when the world began to burn.
He clenched his jaw.
It wasn't fear of the wound. It was fear of getting used to it.
—Thank you, Emily —he finally said, forcing his voice to sound normal—. Your help has been very valuable.
And it was. That was precisely the worst part.
Emily smiled softly and let him lean on her arm, guiding him slowly and carefully down the hallway, making sure not to worsen his pain. Lusian moved with effort, but her presence made the burden a little lighter.
At a distance, Alejandro watched from the shadow of a column. His expression was a mix of contained fury and poorly concealed jealousy. His hands tightened until his knuckles turned white, and his eyes followed every movement Emily made, every gesture, every word of closeness she shared with Lusian.
For Alejandro, it wasn't just an uncomfortable scene. It was an affront. And affronts… were paid for.
By the end of the week, the combat rankings began in classroom 1A.
The murmur of the students faded when Professor Clara raised her hand. On the platform, Jaslin Erkham and Sandra The Mondring stood four meters apart. Neither spoke. Both understood that the silence was part of the test.
—Begin.
Sandra moved first.
Water surged violently, rising into a dense mass that blocked the ceiling light before crashing down like a living wave over Jaslin. The impact promised to sweep everything away.
Jaslin reacted just in time.
The air turned sharp. The water froze mid-advance, shattering into fragments of ice that struck the platform with a dry crack. The rest scattered into a freezing rain that soaked the ground.
When it was over, Jaslin was still standing... but breathing heavily.
Emily noticed it immediately. The spell had worked, yes, but his hands were trembling.
Sandra dropped to her knees seconds later. Part of her arm was covered in frost, her skin reddened and stiff. She didn't scream, but her expression said enough.
Emily felt a slight chill. Blocking didn't mean coming out unharmed.
The platform was restored with a gesture from Clara.
—Next.
Emily stepped forward when she heard her name. Across from her, Summer Kesller was already gathering wind around herself.
The sphere of light appeared above Emily's head, floating with forced stability. It was heavier than it looked. It always was.
The tornado rose with a growing roar.
The first bolt struck the current of air and deflected, pulling a gasp from her. Emily gritted her teeth and corrected the angle. The second impact was better. The third, painful.
She could feel the energy draining from her arms, her chest, from the very base of her concentration.
I can't hold it much longer...
Summer wasn't doing much better. The wind responded, yes, but her stance was beginning to falter, her feet sliding across the platform.
When she fell, exhausted, the silence lasted a single heartbeat.
Emily lowered the sphere of light and had to drop to one knee. She had won.
But if the fight had lasted a few seconds longer... she wasn't sure she would still be standing.
The next match was different from the start.
Naomi Sneider and Abdel Brown didn't measure each other. They attacked.
Fire devoured the platform. The heat forced several students to step back instinctively. Advanced flames collided, exploding into blazing columns that distorted the air.
Naomi endured. Minor burns, heavy breathing, but still standing.
Abdel did not.
When he fell, the fire still wrapped around his body.
Clara intervened immediately.
The silence was absolute.
No one applauded.
Emily felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she watched Abdel being carried away, unconscious. That had been dangerously close to having no return.
—Teacher! —Naomi exclaimed, still euphoric—. We're ready to face the knights and burn them to the bone!
Clara looked at her without harshness... but without indulgence.
—A spell like that takes between ten and fifteen seconds to cast —she said—. A trained knight needs five to take you down.
Naomi opened her mouth... and closed it.
—Is there really that much of a difference...? —she murmured.
—Yes —Clara replied—. That's why, if you rely only on power, you will die. This isn't about who casts the biggest spell, but who stays standing.
Emily swallowed.
For the first time, the idea of facing a knight didn't sound like a test.
It sounded like a threat.
At that moment, the announcement of the next duel echoed throughout the academy.
A knight versus a mage.
The murmur returned, heavy with expectation. The students of class 1A moved toward the arena, knowing —even if no one said it out loud— that what they were about to witness would not be a lesson.
It would be a warning.