January 15th, 2012 — 10:45 AM
The Row — The Gilded Cup Coffee-house
Perspective: Elfie
The bell above the coffee-house door jingled as the morning rush began to die down. We had managed to secure a circular wooden table near the frosted window, overlooking the bustling street of The Row.
Steam rose from the center of the table, carrying the rich, roasted scent of Asuran dark beans and sweet pastries.
I leaned forward, completely engrossed in the conversation. Leena sat across from me, gesturing wildly with her hands, while Rigel sat beside her, his massive shoulders taking up half the booth.
Kai sat next to me. He was the only one actually eating. He was methodically cutting a honey-glazed pastry into precise, mathematically even squares and chewing them with zero interest in the social dynamics happening around him.
"We've been friends since we were basically kids," Leena said, her bright green eyes sparkling. She rested her chin on her hands. "We grew up in a small village in the western province. We were kind of the stars there, you know? But Rigel here... he's different. He's a genius. He can find a solution to literally anything."
Rigel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Leena, you're exaggerating."
"I'm not!" She pointed at him, then looked at me. "Listen to this, Elfina. Three years ago, there was this massive drought. No rain for weeks. Our village's crops were literally turning into dust. People were panicking. So what does Rigel do?" She leaned in conspiratorially. "He locked himself in the village library for three days, studied the weather patterns, and then dragged me up a mountain."
My eyes widened. "What did he do?"
"He guided me to make artificial rain!" Leena beamed proudly.
Artificial rain? I was genuinely awestruck. "How is that even possible? What kind of spell system did you use?"
I looked at Rigel, who was looking deeply embarrassed.
"It wasn't a spell system, exactly," Rigel explained, his deep voice carrying a calm, steady rhythm. "It was natural philosophy applied through magic. Leena has an incredible wind affinity. I had her force high-altitude, moisture-heavy air currents to rapidly compress and cool against the mountain's natural thermals. By dropping the temperature of the condensed clouds abruptly, it forced the moisture to reach its dew point instantly. The atmospheric pressure did the rest."
I blinked. Dew point? Atmospheric pressure?
I nodded slowly, trying to pretend I fully understood the science behind it. "That is... amazing."
"Right?" Leena laughed. "But it's funny he even came to the Academy. I practically had to force him onto the carriage."
"Why?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Because he can't really use magic," Leena said matter-of-factly. "It's been really tough for him. His mana capacity is terribly low."
I blinked, shocked. My eyes drifted down to Rigel's arms—thick, muscular cords that looked like they belonged to a veteran soldier, not a teenager.
"Then... what are the muscles for?" I asked softly.
Rigel let out a low chuckle. "I use melee weapons. Heavy broadswords, mostly. If I can't cast a spell to solve a problem, hitting it very hard usually works as an excellent backup."
Leena nodded enthusiastically. "We've been doing that for years! Keeping the village safe, adventuring out in the forests. It was always so much fun. I'm incredibly lazy, honestly, but Rigel would always tutor me and teach me the things I didn't want to read. He's the brains, I'm the magic."
She smiled warmly. "What about you two?"
I opened my mouth, ready to explain how Kai and I grew up in the orphanage, how we stuck together but...
"We grew up in an orphanage," Kai interrupted seamlessly, taking a sip of his black coffee. "I've been an ordinary kid. A bookworm, you could say. But I have a bad memory, so I forget most of what I read. We didn't really do anything cool. Elfie here is the one that can use magic. I can't."
Leena's jaw dropped. She looked from Kai to Rigel, utterly shocked. "Wait, someone other than Rigel can't use magic?"
"It's a tragedy," Kai said, his voice entirely deadpan.
Liar, I thought, my eye twitching slightly. You literally memorized the entire library before you were 8. You never forget anything. But I kept my mouth shut. Kai was playing his game again.
"Well, that's fine!" Rigel said, leaning forward, steering the conversation back to business. "That makes tomorrow's exam strategy even more crucial. If we follow the plan, all four of us are guaranteed to pass and ascend into the Academy."
I thought about it. His strategy—trading lives by mutually throwing the academic and physical phases—was structurally flawless.
But...
I glanced at Kai. He was finishing his coffee, completely relaxed, without a single worry in the world. He hadn't contributed to the strategy at all. I puffed my cheeks into a small pout.
Then, a realization hit me.
"Wait," I said, looking back at Rigel. "If the loophole is that obvious... won't other students do the same thing?"
Rigel nodded slowly, looking impressed. "I considered that. Yes, if everyone did it, there would be no expulsions. But that's a rare case. You have to remember, getting two strangers to trust each other enough to willingly fail half the entrance exam is incredibly difficult. Hubris and paranoia will stop most from cooperating. Regardless, we should only worry about ourselves and what topics we can succeed in."
"That's true," I murmured.
"We should go out after this and find a quiet place to properly plan," Rigel suggested, checking the time. "But let's just eat for now."
Leena let out a loud groan, slumping dramatically against his arm. "You think too much! You should rest sometimes, Rigel. Your brain is going to overheat."
Rigel smiled, a genuine, soft expression that showed how much he cared for her. "We made a promise to graduate from the Academy together, Leena. And I am going to fulfill that."
Leena grinned brightly. "Yes, we will!"
She raised her hand, and Rigel met it with a sharp, echoing high-five.
I watched them. They are so similar to me and Kai, I thought, feeling a strange flutter in my chest. They protect each other. They cover each other's weaknesses. But... are they better?
Rigel was actively planning, actively taking charge to ensure Leena succeeded.
I moved my eyes back to Kai.
He was leaning back in his chair, staring blankly out the window, looking completely and utterly useless.
I love him, but sometimes he really is just a lazy bum, I thought with a soft sigh.
Breakfast finished quickly after that. Leena and Rigel stretched, their plates cleared, and they both stood up, ready to head out and begin the planning phase. I stood up with them, adjusting my skirt.
We were all about to leave the table when Kai finally spoke his first real words of the morning.
"Who exactly is paying?"
The three of us froze. We looked at each other. None of us had decided that.
Kai sighed, slowly reaching into his pocket.
"Wait!" Leena suddenly slapped her hand over his.
Kai blinked, staring down at her hand, then up at her. "Is there a problem?"
"We must decide by a competition," Leena declared, her eyes shining with competitive fire.
"A competition?" Kai asked slowly. "For breakfast?"
Leena ignored his skepticism and reached into her satchel, pulling out four blank sheets of parchment paper. She slammed them onto the table. "Whoever makes the best paper plane wins! The loser pays."
All three of us stared at her in complete shock.
Rigel groaned, dragging a massive hand down his face. "Not this again. Leena, we are in the capital. People are staring."
"It's fun!" Leena argued, already grabbing a sheet. "Come on! Where's your fighting spirit?"
Kai looked at the paper, then turned to me. "Do you want to try it?"
I looked at the crisp parchment, feeling a sudden burst of excitement. The sheer absurdity of it broke all the tension. "It sounds fun and refreshing!"
Kai nodded, immediately sitting back down. "Fine."
The waiters and a few patrons at nearby tables watched us in utter confusion as we hunched over our table, folding paper like our lives depended on it.
After a few minutes, we placed our creations on the table.
Leena's plane was sleek, sharp, and highly attractive—clearly designed for aerodynamics. Rigel's was complex, with sturdy folds and a balanced center of mass. My plane was cute and plain, folded exactly how the matron at the orphanage taught me when I was little.
Then, there was Kai's.
It looked incredibly complicated, with unnecessary wings, bizarre folds, and a completely uneven front. It was an absolute mess.
"Alright," Leena grinned, standing up. "On three. One. Two. Three!"
We threw our planes simultaneously across the spacious walkway of the coffee-house.
My cute little plane zoomed forward, catching a slight draft and racing Leena's sleek design for a few glorious seconds. But it quickly lost momentum, fluttering short and landing on the wooden floorboards.
Rigel's plane, however, cut through the air in a perfect, smooth arc, flying the furthest and landing gently near the entrance door.
"Yes!" Rigel cheered, pumping his fist.
"No way!" Leena gasped.
We all laughed, surprised by how far Rigel's plane had flown. Then, we turned around to check on Kai's.
It hadn't even flown. It had instantly nose-dived straight into his empty coffee cup.
"Kaiser," Leena asked, trying to hold back a snort. "How did you even make that?"
"I randomly folded it," Kai said, staring blankly at the soggy paper.
Leena completely lost it, bursting into laughter. Rigel raised his eyebrows, visibly amused by the sheer disaster of the design.
Kai raised both his hands in defeat. "Y'all got me. I'm not the best at origami."
As Kai pulled out his coins to pay the bill, I watched him from the corner of my eye.
Kai is acting differently, I thought, my brow furrowing slightly. He usually figures things out instantly. Did he purposely fold it wrong to lose? Or is he actually just bad at origami? I can never tell with him.
After leaving The Gilded Cup, we walked down the street until we found a quiet, nature-filled park bordering the Scholar's Canal. We sat down on a set of wide stone benches beneath the shade of a massive elm tree.
Rigel immediately pulled a small, leather-bound notebook from his pocket, his demeanor shifting back to serious focus.
"Alright," Rigel said, opening the pages. "Let's plan out the phases. We need to be smart about this."
He looked at Leena and me. "Leena, Elfie. You two are paired together."
Leena leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Elfie, can I take the battle win? I don't really want to fight you. You'll take the academic win instead."
I nodded instantly. "Sure! I'm fine with that."
"Wait," Rigel intervened, tapping his pen against the notebook. "That works for securing your lives, but your entrance exam scores can still be important to measure your overall standing. The instructors will be watching. You shouldn't just score zero or give up immediately."
Leena blinked. "So, what do we do?"
"You try your best," Rigel stated logically. "During the exam, give each other clues on what marks you're aiming for, so the one meant to win can score slightly higher. You control the outcome, but you don't make it look like a complete throw."
"That makes sense," I agreed, impressed by his reasoning.
Rigel looked down at his notes. "Leena, based on your previous grades back home, you're strong in Elemental Mastery but weak in theory." He turned to me. "Elfie, you should aim for specific mark goals to outpace her safely. For Celestial Magic, aim for an 80 out of 100."
He smirked, glancing at Leena. "Because Leena definitely can't score higher than that."
"Hey!" Leena pouted, playfully slapping Rigel's arm. "I'm not that bad!"
I stared at Rigel, completely stunned.
An 80 out of 100? I thought.
In Celestial Magic? That's so high... Most adults can't even score a 60 on academy-level theory. How does Rigel know exactly how to pace our scores?
"During the physical phase," Rigel continued, ignoring Leena's pout. "You should both do your best during combat. Just don't use lethal force, and control the final yield."
Leena nodded enthusiastically.
"I've never fought before, though," I admitted softly, looking down at my hands. "It'll be my first time fighting a person."
"Me too, actually," Leena said, her expression softening. "I have plenty of monster experience from the forests, but not against a real person. Except when I spar with Rigel." She grinned, pointing her thumb at him. "And Rigel is extremely good with the sword."
She turned her vibrant green eyes toward Kai, who was currently staring blankly up into the branches of the elm tree, looking completely detached from reality.
"Is he always this mindless?" Rigel asked, raising an eyebrow. "Lost in nature?"
"It's a surprise to me too," I admitted, sighing softly. "I've never actually sparred with Kai. When we were kids at the orphanage, his speed and physical abilities were just like a normal kid's."
Rigel nodded thoughtfully. "Average, then." He closed his notebook slightly and looked at Kai.
"Kaiser. Is it fine if I take the physical combat point, and you take the academic point?"
Kai blinked, slowly pulling his gaze away from the tree. "Oh. Yeah, sure. I'm fine with that."
Rigel smiled gently. "Don't worry about the academics. We can pace it."
"Though I'm pretty bad at those subjects, I can score above a 40 at least," Kai added, his voice flat.
Rigel looked surprised. "A 40? I can easily score a 70 plus on all of them."
I felt my jaw drop slightly. I stared at Rigel, my eyes wide.
Rigel can easily score a 70 plus?! My inner monologue was screaming.
He just said his mana capacity is incredibly low and he relies entirely on swords! Yet he can casually score a 70 in the highest academic institution in the world?! He's not just a warrior... he's an actual genius!
We spent the next half hour organizing our notes and strategies by the canal. The water rippled gently beside us, the sound of the stream providing a nice backdrop to Rigel's intense planning.
As we were looking over the curriculum list, something caught the corner of my eye.
Drifting slowly along the surface of the river was a flower. It wasn't just any flower—it was a stunning, luminescent white blossom. Its petals were slightly translucent, catching the sunlight and refracting it into tiny, prismatic rainbows. It drifted gently toward the grassy coast right near our bench.
I gasped softly. Leena followed my gaze and let out a loud gasp of her own.
"It's so pretty!" Leena squealed.
We both leaped up from the bench at the exact same time and rushed to the riverbank. We both reached down and grabbed the stem at the exact same moment.
We froze, looking at each other.
"Oh! You can have it, Leena!" I said instantly, pulling my hand back. It would look so pretty in my hair, my inner monologue cried out, but she's my new friend!
"No, no, you take it, Elfie!" Leena insisted, letting go as well. Her green eyes looked genuinely sad to part with it, but she forced a smile. "You saw it first!"
"I couldn't!" I protested, staring longingly at the beautiful white petals.
We both stood there, staring at the flower, offering it to each other while visibly looking completely devastated that we couldn't just keep it.
A dual, heavy sigh sounded behind us.
I looked back. Kai and Rigel were walking over to the riverbank, both looking incredibly exasperated.
Rigel rubbed his temples. "Instead of offering it to each other and acting like the world is ending, why don't you two just do rock, paper, scissors for it?"
Leena blinked, her face lighting up. "That's a great idea!"
I nodded enthusiastically.
We faced each other, raising our hands.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
I threw rock. Leena threw rock.
"Again!"
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
I threw scissors. Leena threw scissors.
"One more time!"
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
I threw paper. Leena threw paper.
We stared at our hands, completely deadlocked. Three draws in a row. Rigel raised his eyebrows, letting out another deep sigh.
Leena suddenly snapped her fingers, her elf ears twitching upward. "I have a better idea! Why don't you two fight over it? The winner's friend gets the flower!"
I blinked. "You mean like... a fight fight?"
Leena shook her head rapidly. "No, just a fun challenge! It'll be a mental and physical battle between Rigel and Kaiser!"
Kai and Rigel both stared at us.
"Why do we have to fight over it?" Rigel asked, looking genuinely confused.
"Yeah, I have zero investment in this flower," Kai added, his hands in his pockets.
Leena and I immediately turned to them, puffing our cheeks and giving them our most intense, devastatingly cute pouts. We didn't say a word. We just pouted, channeling all our combined feminine pressure into the two boys.
Rigel cracked first, averting his eyes with a groan. Kai just sighed, his shoulders slumping.
"Fine," Kai muttered.
"First up is the mental battle!" Leena announced cheerfully, stepping between them. "Is mental arithmetic fine with everyone?"
Rigel nodded. "That's acceptable."
"Oh, you're going to lose, Rigel!" I cheered, bouncing on my toes. "Kai is the best at math! He's a genius at numbers!"
Leena and Rigel immediately looked at Kai with newfound respect.
Kai blinked, pointing a finger at himself. "Wait, what? I am?"
"First question!" Leena clapped her hands. "What is 142 plus 389?"
Rigel closed his eyes for a brief second. "531."
Kai stared blankly into space, counting silently on his fingers.
Ten seconds later, he confidently said,
"520."
Leena giggled. "Point to Rigel! Second question! 834 minus 297?"
"537," Rigel answered smoothly after four seconds.
Kai stared very hard at the ground. "...400?"
"Wrong!" Leena laughed. "Rigel is at two points!"
I stared at Kai, my mouth hanging open. What is he doing?
Leena fired off two more multiplication questions. Rigel answered both perfectly. Kai answered with numbers that weren't even mathematically possible.
"Final question!" Leena announced. "A hard division with decimals! What is 345 divided by 1.5?"
Rigel frowned, his intense eyes narrowing as he concentrated. "230."
Kai took a deep breath, looking like he was putting his entire soul into the calculation.
"7."
Leena fell to her knees, laughing so hard she was clutching her stomach. Rigel let out a booming laugh, shaking his head.
"Rigel wins the mental battle!" Leena wheezed, wiping a tear from her eye.
I walked over to Kai and patted his arm comfortingly. "You did your best, Kai. It was honestly a really tough decimal question. But you can definitely do it in the next one!"
Kai nodded solemnly, adjusting his jacket. "Yes. I got it. I'll get that flower for you, Elfie."
"Next is the physical battle!" Leena said, standing back up.
"Arm wrestling!"
We moved to one of the flat stone benches. Kai and Rigel sat across from each other, locking their hands in the center.
I clasped my hands together, praying. Please win, Kai. Please.
Rigel rolled up the sleeve of his academy uniform, exposing a forearm that looked like it was carved out of solid oak. Thick veins pulsed along the muscle. It was genuinely terrifying for someone his age.
We all looked at Kai, waiting for him to roll up his sleeve.
Kai didn't move. "I'm not rolling it up."
"Why not?" Rigel asked.
"I have no muscles," Kai said with a straight face. "It'll be embarrassing if I show my twigs in front of everyone."
Leena giggled again, covering her mouth. Rigel let out a long, heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Just start."
"Ready, set, go!" Leena shouted.
The moment the match started, Kai's entire body tensed. He made absolutely weird, strained faces, gritting his teeth and even leaning his entire body weight to one side to try and force Rigel's arm down.
Rigel just sat there, looking completely unfazed. His arm didn't move a single inch.
With a soft sigh, Rigel gently but firmly pushed Kai's arm down until it pinned against the stone bench.
"I win," Rigel said simply.
He picked up the beautiful white flower from the bench and handed it to Leena. She smiled brightly, tucking it behind her long green ear. It looked stunning against her hair.
Kai collapsed back onto the bench, exhausted, breathing deeply like he had just run a marathon. He looked up at me.
"Sorry, Elfie."
"It's okay," I said softly, giving him a small smile.
Leena noticed my expression. Her ears twitched slightly. She walked over, reaching out her hand. "It's okay, Elfie! Put some of your celestial magic into your palm!"
I blinked, but did as she asked. I gathered a small pool of glowing, starlight-blue mana into my hands.
Leena smiled and placed her hands over mine. She channeled her nature magic, weaving thin, elegant strands of green wind and life energy through my celestial mana. In seconds, the magic bloomed, forming a perfect, artificial replica of the white flower, glowing with a soft, ethereal starlight.
She placed it gently into my hands.
"Here!" Leena beamed.
"Thank you, Leena," I smiled, genuinely liking the glowing construct.
But as I looked at it, my heart felt a little heavy.
For some reason... I really wanted Kai to win it for me, I thought, staring at the glowing petals. Now, having it just doesn't feel that great anymore.
I shook my head, silently scolding myself.
Kai did his best. I should be grateful, not annoyed. But... why couldn't he win? Rigel was simply stronger and more of a genius...
Just then, Kai reached out. He gently took the glowing, artificial flower from my hands and reached up, tucking it delicately behind my ear. His fingers brushed against my hair, soft and careful.
"It looks pretty," Kai said, his voice quiet.
I looked up at him, my cheeks warming. "Thank you."
But Kai shook his head slightly, his blue eyes meeting mine. "The flower isn't that pretty. You make it look pretty by wearing it."
My eyes widened. My heart did a sudden, massive flip in my chest. All of the disappointment instantly evaporated, replaced by a bubbling, overwhelming happiness.
Leena and Rigel watched us, Leena resting her chin on her hands with a soft smile as Kai effortlessly cheered me back up.
Kai cleared his throat, stepping back slightly and returning to his usual, flat demeanor.
"We've been talking for a while. It's almost noon."
He pulled out his Dwarvian Phone, tapping the dark crystal surface. "These things have a contact feature. I need to get used to it. We can message each other our scores and updates later. For now, we should probably depart to study."
Rigel nodded, standing up and brushing off his pants. "Agreed. We need to prepare. Let's meet tomorrow before the exams."
"See you tomorrow, Elfie!" Leena waved cheerfully, turning to walk with Rigel back toward the main campus.
I waved back, the glowing flower securely in my hair.
January 15th, 2012 — 9:15 PM
Valos Hall — Elfina's Dormitory Room
I let out a long, exaggerated groan, throwing my arms back as I stretched my entire body across the plush carpet of my room.
"I can't take it anymore," I whined, rubbing my eyes. "My brain is melting."
Kai was sitting cross-legged on my bed, surrounded by a mountain of textbooks, scattered notes, and glowing holographic projections from our Dwarvian Phones. He didn't even look up, casually flipping a page of Advanced Arcan Mathematics.
"We've been studying for 5 hours straight," I complained, rolling over to look at him. "And you haven't studied for yourself even once. You've just been hyper-focusing on me."
"I don't need to study," Kai said flatly, tapping his Phone to project a glowing breakdown of Leena's estimated academic capabilities alongside ours. "I've mapped out the expected scores. The exam spans six core subjects. Look."
He gestured to the glowing text:
* Elemental Mastery: "Leena is a Wind Mage with high affinity. She'll easily score a 80. You just need a safe 70 here."
* Arcane Sciences: "She'll coast around a 60. Your target is 65."
* Geographic & Ley Line Studies: "She'll get a 55. Your target is 60."
* Cursed Arts: "She'll get a 50. Your target is 55."
* Arcane Mathematics: "She is terribly lazy with calculations, so she'll likely land a 40."
* Celestial Magic: "She's great here. She'll probably get a 80, if that."
I looked at the math target. "And my math goal?"
"A 60," Kai said.
"60?!" I yelled, sitting up and pointing a finger at him. "Kai, you know I can barely get a 55! You have to use the Alliance Clause on Arcan Mathematics for me! I'll fail it otherwise!"
"Nah," Kai replied calmly, swiping the projection to the final subject. "I'm using the Alliance Clause to write your Celestial Magic section."
I blinked, completely baffled. "Celestial Magic? But that's my best subject! Why would you write that for me instead of the math I'm literally crying over?"
"Because Leena is great at Celestial Magic theory—you'll be lucky to get a 70. If you outpace her there, it secures the overall win. Plus, you're naturally better at math than she is. You can pass her on your own if you actually study. Whereas I'll guarantee you a perfect score in Celestial Magic."
"If you're forcing me to do math, then you better get a perfect 100 out of 100 on my Celestial Magic section," I demanded, crossing my arms.
"That's impossible," Kai said flatly.
"Why? You just spent the last 5 minutes praising how great Leena is at Celestial Magic," I pouted, feeling a sharp, possessive irritation in my chest. He should be praising me. Only me. "So you better get a 100!"
"Again, that's impossible," Kai sighed. "The maximum score you can get is a 95."
"100!" I insisted, leaning in close.
Kai let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. Just answer the ones you're absolutely certain of and leave the rest to me."
I smiled brightly. "Okie!"
We both knew I was only playfully demanding it, of course. A perfect 100 out of 100 was fundamentally impossible, given that ten of the exam questions are completely unsolvable.
"Plus, look at these practice questions I made for you," Kai added, tossing a thick stack of parchment down to me.
I looked at the questions. Complex runic formulas, spatial geometry, and layered elemental equations stared back at me.
"Kai, these are literally impossible!" I cried out, dramatically clutching the papers to my chest. "These are so hard! I'm going to fail!"
"They're just using the fundamentals of magic to create layered problems," Kai said, waving a hand dismissively. "It's easy. You can do it."
I narrowed my eyes at him. Easy? Rigel practically confirmed that the scouts assigned the best students first. Rose Valentine was first. But why Kai next...?
"Kai," I said slowly, resting my chin on my hands. "Rigel said the best students were chosen first during the pairings. Rose Valentine was first. Why were you paired with her if your stats are terrible?"
Kai didn't even blink. "An error occurred with my Phone."
"An error."
"Yes. A massive, systemic glitch in the Dwarvian artifact."
I gave him the sharpest, most skeptical glare I could muster. He completely ignored it.
I sighed, reaching for my Principles of Celestial Magic textbook. "Fine. Then explain this to me, Mr. Glitch."
"'The Aetherial Resonance Convergence dictates that the starlight mana frequency must strictly align with the caster's internal soul wavelength, lest the resulting dissonance cause a catastrophic mana backfire.' What does that even mean?"
Kai closed his math book. "Think of it like tuning an instrument. The star is a piano. Your soul is a guitar. If they play different notes, the song sounds terrible and your guitar strings snap. You just have to match the flavor."
He picked up a pen, twirling it. "Think of the acronym A.R.C. Apple Raspberry Cake. If the cake is apple, don't put raspberry frosting on it. Match the flavor. Match the resonance."
I blinked. Apple Raspberry Cake.
A massive smile broke across my face. "Got it! That makes so much sense!"
I quickly grabbed the math book, flipping randomly to the middle. "Okay, what about the Arcane Non-Euclidean Spatial Curvature theorem?"
"Folding a map," Kai answered instantly. "You want to travel from point A to point B. Instead of walking across the map, you fold the paper so the points touch. You calculate the folds, not the distance."
"Cursed Magic! Necrotic Mana Degradation!"
"Rot. Don't touch it. If you have to touch it, wear gloves made of holy magic. It's just weaponized bacteria."
"Science! Alchemical Transmutation of Base Elements!"
"Baking. Adding heat changes dough into bread. Adding mana changes iron into gold. You're just baking metal."
My eyes were wide. He was simplifying graduate-level academy theories into concepts a toddler could understand.
Determined to stump him, I grabbed my Geography & Ley Line Studies textbook and flipped all the way to the very last page.
"Okay, smart guy," I challenged. "What is the primary mana deposit composition beneath the Western Ridge of the Asura Empire?"
Kai sighed. "The book says it's crystallized fire mana due to natural tectonic friction."
"Yes!" I cheered.
"The book is wrong," Kai said seamlessly. "It's actually a dormant volcanic dragon vein. The geography there is tied to the ancient history of the Draconic War, not natural erosion. The fire mana is residual dragon breath, not tectonic. Your question is flawed. Turn to page 193. It references the war."
I froze. I slowly flipped the heavy book back to page 193.
There, buried in a tiny footnote at the bottom of the page, was a reference to the Draconic War altering the western landscape.
I stared at the footnote. Then I stared at Kai.
He memorized the entire book. He knows the book is wrong. And he simplified it so perfectly that I understand the actual history better than the textbook itself.
I slammed the book shut.
"That's it," I announced. "I've had enough."
I grabbed the soft, feathered pillow from the floor and chucked it directly at his face.
Smack.
Kai blinked, the pillow bouncing off his nose.
He looked at the pillow. Then he looked at me.
I grabbed another pillow and hit him again. "Take that! Mr. Glitch!"
Kai's eyes narrowed. He grabbed the pillow and swung it back.
For the next ten minutes, absolute chaos erupted in my dorm room. Feathers flew into the air as we engaged in a vicious, highly competitive pillow fight, laughing and dodging across the bed.
Eventually, I tackled him, pinning his arms down as we both collapsed onto the mattress, breathless and giggling.
I rested my chin on his chest, looking up at him. "Sleep next to me tonight."
Kai sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I can't. I have my own dorm room, Elfie. The instructors do checks."
"But at the orphanage, we always slept in the same bed!" I whined, pouting my lips.
"We were kids," Kai reasoned, trying to push me off. "We're teenagers now. It's against the rules."
I turned my head, looking at the heavy wooden door of my dorm room.
I snapped my fingers. A wave of freezing, glittering ice magic erupted from my hand, completely encasing the door, the handle, and the lock in a thick, unbreakable layer of solid permafrost.
I turned back to Kai, resting my head against his neck and wrapping my arms tightly around his waist.
"Not anymore," I whispered possessively. "You're all mine tonight."
Kai let out a long, heavy groan, trying to pry my arms off his waist. "Elfie, let go. I have to go back to my room."
"No!" I tightened my grip, burying my face into his warm shoulder. I threw my leg over his, completely trapping him. "I can't sleep without holding you!"
"You must learn to," Kai said, still struggling to lift my arm. "You are an independent student now."
"Nope!" I stuck my tongue out at him, even though he couldn't see it. "Never!"
Kai stopped struggling. He lay there for a moment, accepting his fate.
"Fine," he said quietly. "If you can get a 100 on the math test I just made for you, I'll stay."
"100?!" I shrieked, lifting my head. "Impossible! All I got was a 55 last time! You're just trying to trick me so you can leave!"
I pouted, squeezing him even tighter. "Unfair."
Kai sighed again, running a hand through his dark hair. "Fine. Get a 60."
My eyes lit up. "A 60?! Really?"
"Yes. A 60. Now get up."
"Deal!" I instantly let go of him, practically jumping off the bed and scrambling back to the mountain of notes. I pulled myself up and plopped down directly onto his lap, opening the math test with fierce determination.
We studied for one more grueling hour. Kai pointed out the spatial formulas, guided my hand through the equations, and patiently explained everything using the most ridiculous analogies until it finally clicked.
When he graded the paper, a red 62/100 was circled at the top.
I cheered, throwing my arms into the air. Kai had to stay.
An hour later, the lights were off. The room was illuminated only by the faint, starlight glow of the artificial flower Leena had made for me, resting on the bedside table.
I was snuggled deeply under the thick blankets, my arms wrapped securely around Kai's torso, my face buried in his chest. He had one arm resting casually around my shoulders, his breathing slow and steady. There was absolutely no way he could escape my grip without waking me up.
"Goodnight, Kai," I mumbled into his shirt.
"Goodnight, Elfie," he replied softly.
As I lay there, listening to his heartbeat, my mind drifted back over the events of the day.
Why is Kai acting like this? I thought sleepily. The evening paper plane competition... his complete lack of strategy regarding the exam rules... his terrible stats on the Phone... none of it makes sense.
He was a genius. He knew everything.
Yet he played the fool so perfectly that even Rigel—who was incredibly smart—completely bought it.
I slowly drifted closer to sleep, my grip on him tightening just a fraction.
It doesn't matter, I thought, feeling a profound sense of safety wash over me.
I looked up at his calm, sleeping face in the dim light.
I trusted him.
More than anyone else in the world. Whatever game he was playing, whatever mask he was wearing, I knew he would never let any harm come to me.
Tomorrow is our exam.
And with Kai here, I wasn't afraid at all.