For several days, nothing happened.
The life inside the academy returned to its familiar rhythm with the bells, the lectures, and the constant pressure of eyes that never quite landed on anyone.
There was no emerged cultists from shadows and there was no cryptic warnings.
The old book remained silent, describing its pages as stubbornly ordinary.
Anyway, the only real change here was the food. The meals began arriving at his dormitory twice a day. At first, Baston thought it was a mistake.
The first tray had been generous, warm, and unmistakably well-prepared. The second followed to compete with the first one.
When more arrived, something surely wasn't right because he had a hunch that each meal was trying to overwhelm each other.
The result was catastrophic since finishing two portions at once left him painfully full.
His body was sluggish and his thoughts dulled. He could almost feel the weight that was clinging to him heavily as if the people behind were determined to mold him into something slower, softer, and easier to overlook.
That thing haunted him because his fat was not just flesh. It was an excuse and a label for people to not take him seriously. Anyway, he did the unthinkable since there should be a limit.
He sent a message back that he only needed small portions which was only consisted of one meal and no more. It was polite, careful, and almost apologetic. After all, it was free meal yet he dared to reject the blessing. It was just like he was an ungrateful being.
When the change took effect, Baston exhaled a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding.
*****
Meanwhile, Panto and Alicia noticed on their part since they pondered the meaning behind the request.
Was Baston refusing the charity?
Was he testing the boundaries?
Was he signaling his rejection?
In the end, both of them didn't know for sure and just complied. It cost them nothing since they didn't have any problem regarding the money.
For Baston, it meant survival. With his body that was no longer weighed down by such excess fat, his focus sharpened. The puppet responded better to his intent now and it was less sluggish in its transformations.
He practiced in private with steady hands and concentrated mind, shaping the puppet into animals, tools, or even crude imitations of people. He learned how a posture altered the perception.
How a slight change in gait could suggest confidence or fear. How silence could unsettle the observers far more than words. The puppet eventually became an extension of his senses.
In night, it became his eyes since he shaped it into a rat. It was small, quick, and unremarkable. He sent it skittering into the academy's streets under the cover of darkness.
The campus felt different at night. It was quiet with sparse people in different spot. The stone paths stretched longer and the shadows clung to the corners where the laughter had existed during the day.
Baston couldn't see much through the rat's eyes but he could hear everything from the scrape of boots, the murmur of the voices, and the faint hum of residual mana. It was perfect for observation.
He was already preparing to recall the puppet when some voices drifted into the range.
"Damn it… Today was awful…"
"Tell me about it… I was late for the class and I got a harsh lecture. The teacher didn't even care that I'm a noble."
"That's because his status is higher than yours," another voice scoffed, "We're being targeted. Look at this, I got an entire page of homework while the others barely got half."
"That's because you're lazy."
The laughter followed while Baston kept listening. He did not move from his spot since his curiosity took the best of him.
Just from their tones, they were petty, aggrieved, and entitled. What he didn't know and what he couldn't know was that Alicia had already acted before.
When she had first noticed the bullying, she hadn't cared much since the minor cruelty was common at the academy and the fat boy himself seemed oddly detached from it. But then, she thought of him.
How quietly he endured things and how easily the resentment could grow in silence. She did not intervene directly but moved her influence efficiently.
With the extra assignments, the stricter oversight, and the consequences framed as the discipline, she was able to teach them a lesson that struck their hearts.
In the end, no one would know who had targeted them.
To Alicia, it was kind of protection for the noble boys. Once they knew who they had dared to disturb, the regrets would soon come.
Unfortunately for the boys, it was persecution and they felt indignant toward what had happened. They held a grudge over the matter. For Baston who had already forgotten the incident entirely, it meant nothing at all.
"By the way… What about the magic circle?"
"I set it yesterday…"
"So… What's the next one?"
"Next, we only wait for the explosion to happen..."
Baston stilled, listening to what he supposedly must never hear. The previous grudge suddenly became bigger to handle.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"Relax, you've seen it before. It's basically just fireworks..."
The word of fireworks didn't comfort him. The boys spoke with the carelessness of people who had never paid for the consequences themselves.
Baston pieced together what little he knew. How they would flaunt their status in the cafeteria section, waste the food, and angered the cafeteria head in the end. They already earned their punishment yet they never repented.
The punishment without humiliation was meaningless to them. What they wanted to do now was a revenge. It was a spectacle they must do before the satisfaction occurred.
If they dared to do this, they must have believed they wouldn't be caught. It could mean they had their own safeguards.
"I need to check the magic circle tomorrow…" Baston murmured.
The cafeteria wasn't just a building. It was stability since the place was filled with activity and food. Without it, he would return to dry bread and gnawing hunger. That thing was unacceptable.
He then recalled the puppet and retreated, already planning his next move.
*****
The following morning, Baston didn't return to his dormitory after the class. Instead, he went to the cafeteria.
Panto and Alicia noticed immediately. They were careful not to overreact.
Alicia's presence alone had already stirred enough whispers among the students. The nobles rarely lingered near the commoner side unless something or someone interested them.
Baston didn't order food and he also didn't collect his free meal. He scanned the room once, then he slipped toward the back. His curiosity overcame the caution.
Panto followed easily while Alicia struggled because she was delayed by the admirers and whispered greetings.
In the meantime, Baston was circling the area behind the cafeteria. His eyes narrowed and his movements were careful toward the ground.
Panto hid himself first, saying nothing while looking at Baston.
"What is he doing?" Alicia whispered, finally coming to the side after greeting everyone.
Panto shook his head, but unfortunately, Alicia misread the gesture.
"So he won't tell me…" Alicia thought.
Her lips pressed together. The withheld words were the information that was worth uncovering. Her curiosity couldn't be blocked easily.
If Panto didn't want to talk, then she would just need to approach the main target by herself. She soon confidently went toward Baston.
She stepped forward, "What are you doing?"
Baston flinched before he returned into his focus, "I'm looking for a magic circle."
"What magic circle?"
"I don't know exactly," he said while shrugging, "Someone placed it yesterday anyway."
He stopped there and Alicia's curiosity sharpened. She didn't press him but she joined the search.
Panto quickly followed while reluctantly enlisted. They searched the walls, the corners, and the crates but they found nothing. Their doubts crept in until Baston looked at somewhere else.
By then, he looked above at something, "No wonder I can't find it. The magic circle was up there…"
He climbed the wall before reaching the roof. At there, the magic circle was revealed in front of him. The seemingly supposed fireworks felt complex on his eyes.
The magic circle was etched faintly into the stone. It was quite elegant and complex.
Panto climbed up after him in curiosity, "It's real…"
Alicia also joined them using wind magic to propel herself up. By then, her expression darkened.
"This design… I don't recognize it…"
The magic circle did not look like something meant for mischief only.
Even at a glance, Alicia could tell that much because its lines were very precise. It was etched deep enough into the stone that time alone could not have worn them away. The mana channels intersected at unfamiliar angles, weaving together in an excessive pattern.
"This isn't academy-standard," Alicia said quietly and her fingers were hovering inches above the surface, "Even the fireworks circle don't require this complex drawing."
Panto swallowed, "Then… Why would they put it here?"
"I don't know for sure…" she replied, "This magic circle could not be done simply by our students. It must be done by someone else."
Baston said nothing and he was staring at the center of the circle.
It pulsed faintly like a heartbeat. The magic circle was not active but it was seemingly waiting for any sign to work. The sensation crawled along his spine.
He wanted to reach out, examining the so-called magic circle. Even though the danger loomed in front of him, the urge to touch it seemed to be stronger. His fingers slowly started to explore the array line.
"We should leave for now," Panto said and his voice was tight, "It's better to call the teachers…"
"Yes…" Alicia agreed, already stepping back, "I'll inform…"
Unexpectedly, the magic circle flared out of nowhere.
The mana surged outward in a violent wave, snapping the air like a whip. The stone beneath their feet vibrated and the etched lines were ignited one by one.
Alicia's breath hitched, "It's activating on its own!"
She didn't hesitate to launch a complex barrier spell that was unfolded around her. The translucent layers were stacking over another one like the panes of reinforced glass.
The barrier just slammed into the place when the first shockwave gave a hit.
The impact was immediate and the barrier screamed. It wasn't audible but through the mana itself, Alicia felt the feedback rip through her control. Her carefully constructed spell was buckling as if it was struck by something far heavier than the raw force.
"It's too strong!" she shouted, "This magic output is not dispersing!"
The magic circle wasn't exploding outward like a normal detonation. It was collapsing inward before it would release everything at once.
The cracks began to appear across Alicia's barrier. The layers shattered one by one and each of them was breaking faster than the last.
The barrier was being overwhelmed and it would be just a matter of time before it collapsed entirely. Panto could only freeze in terror
Alicia gritted her teeth, pouring more mana into the barrier even though her instincts screamed that it was useless.
The barrier trembled violently and her mana shook greatly as it was forced through the pathways that had never meant to carry such pressure.
Alicia's vision blurred and her teeth clenched so tightly that her jaw ached. The sweat ran down her temples as she reinforced the spell again and again, layering her barrier atop one another in sheer refusal to let it fail.
It didn't matter whether she worked hard or not because it was futile in the end.
The cracks widened and the entire sections of the barrier simply vanished as if the magic explosion was passing through. The spell structure collapsed inward, folding in on itself like the glass that was pulled into a vacuum.
Alicia's breath was caught in her throat, "I can't stop it!"
The words barely left her mouth before the barrier shattered completely. The mana backlash threw everyone nearby backward.
She hit the ground hard and the air was ripping from her lungs as the pain flared through her ribs. Her ears rang and the world was spinning as she struggled to focus.
Panto could only scream wherever he stood since he was hopeless in front of such devastating explosion. He even did not have a time to think whether he could still be alive or not after this.
Even the pain in the back had already been forgotten fully since the accumulated mana in front of him was more dangerous than anything. The magic circle reached its peak and it almost blinded him of light.
Baston stood frozen inside of the blast radius after getting up. Not because he was afraid but because his mind was moving too fast.
Running was impossible because the pressure alone made any movement feel like wading through deep water. Moreover, he could not leave everyone here.
Alicia was down and Panto was paralyzed. Their fates were imminent.
There was no time to get away and there was no time to explain. He must do whatever he could to save everyone including himself.
In the middle of the blinding light, he summoned the puppet from deep inside the old book. The puppet erupted into existence in front of him and he poured everything into it.
Its form was quickly expanding violently as he forced more order into the structure. It was not shaped like an animal this time nor a tool. It became a mass dense and layered with its surface that was folding inward again and again as if the puppet was trying to become heavier.
It was a shield born from his desperation.
Baston planted himself behind it, spreading wide enough to cover not just him but the space where Alicia and Panto lay.
The magic circle soon detonated and the world then vanished in white.
The pressure slammed into the puppet like a tidal wave. Its surface was warping instantly, cracking under the force.
Baston screamed as the impact drove him to his knees. The pain was exploding through his arms and shoulders. The puppet groaned and started to crack.
Fortunately, it held just long enough before the explosion swallowed everything.
"BAM!!!"