"All right, everyone! Pair up and spread out across the field. I want to see what you're actually made of!"
Professor Ginsberry's voice carried across the training grounds, sharp and commanding. He was built solid, all muscle and no-nonsense energy, with short-cropped gray hair and scars running down his left arm. The kind of person who'd probably fought in actual wars and had zero patience for excuses.
I stood at the edge of the field, watching everyone scramble to find partners. This was our third class of the day, after Elemental Studies, where I'd stared blankly at floating orbs of water I couldn't manipulate, and Combat Theory, where I'd taken notes on fighting techniques I'd never use. Now came Combat Practical, and this was where my plan really started.
The plan was simple: fail. Fail so spectacularly, so consistently, that the university had no choice but to move me down to D-Class where I belonged. Where I could fade into the background and stop being the center of unwanted attention.
I'd already laid some groundwork. Showing up to Elemental Studies without my practice crystals. Asking basic questions in Combat Theory that anyone with half a brain should've known. You know, small things. But this, Combat Practical, this was where I could really cement my reputation as someone who didn't belong in A-Class.
So I'd waited. Taken my time getting ready. Let everyone else leave the changing rooms while I retied my boots three times and reorganized my bag. By the time I made it to the training grounds, most pairs had already formed.
And I'd conveniently left my training gear in my dorm room.
Professor Ginsberry spotted me immediately, a scowl appearing on his already angry-looking face.
"Miss Cole. How generous of you to join us."
"Sorry, Professor. I got turned around on the way here." I kept my voice apologetic, shoulders slightly hunched. "And I think I left my gear back in..."
"You'll participate anyway." He cut me off with a wave of his hand. "Training gear is recommended, not required. Find a partner."
I glanced around the field. Everyone was already paired up; nobles with nobles, warriors with warriors. Malachi stood with some tall guy who had lightning crackling between his fingers for no reason. Serena was partnered (thank goodness) with a girl who looked equally prissy and overdressed for combat training.
And then there was Kai.
He stood alone near the center of the field, arms crossed, watching me with that same judgmental expression from this morning. When our eyes met, he started walking toward me.
Great.
"I'll partner with her," Kai announced when he reached Professor Ginsberry. His voice carried that same blunt edge. "Someone needs to train the weakling."
A few students nearby snickered. I felt a rush of irritation and displeasure but I kept my expression as blank as normal. This was fine. This worked for my plan, actually. Getting demolished by Kai in front of everyone would just prove I didn't belong here.
"Fine," Professor Ginsberry said. "But go easy on her, Kai. She's clearly not at your level."
"I'll try," he said, though his tone suggested he wouldn't try very hard.
I followed him to an open section of the field, dirt crunching under my boots. The training grounds were really big, easily the size of three football fields, with marked circles for dueling and various obstacles scattered around for tactical practice. Other pairs were already warming up, magic flaring in bursts of color across the space.
Kai stopped inside one of the circles and turned to face me. "Do you even know how to form a shield?"
"Yeah," I said. I did know, technically. The execution was where things got complicated.
"Show me."
I held out my hand, trying to summon... something. Anything. A faint shimmer appeared in the air in front of me, barely visible, and then fizzled out immediately.
Kai's emotions were so easy to read. I could see he was ticked off. "That's not a shield. That's barely a suggestion of a shield."
"I'm working on it."
"Work faster. When I attack, you need to block it. Understand?"
I nodded.
He didn't give me time to prepare. His hand shot forward, and a blast of pure force slammed into me. I'd been expecting it... sort of... but I still wasn't ready. The impact hit me square in the chest and I stumbled backward, landing hard on my butt in the dirt.
Pain radiated up my tailbone. I winced, pushing myself up on my elbows.
"Again," Kai said. "Get up."
I stood, brushing dirt off my uniform. My hands were shaking slightly, but I hid them behind my back. This was good. This was exactly what I needed. Public humiliation, visible weakness, proof that I couldn't handle A-Class training.
"Shield up this time," Kai instructed.
I raised my hand again, summoning that pathetic shimmer. It lasted maybe two seconds before Kai's next attack blew right through it. I hit the ground again, this time on my side. The air knocked out of my lungs.
"You're not even trying!" Kai's frustration was palpable. "You have to commit to the shield. Put energy into it."
I got up slower this time. My ribs ached. "I am trying."
"No, you're not. You're just standing there waiting to get hit."
He wasn't wrong, but I couldn't exactly tell him that.
We went again. And again. Each time, I put up the bare minimum of defense, just enough that it looked I was attempting something, and each time, Kai knocked me down. The impacts got harder. My body started collecting bruises. Dirt caked my uniform.
Around us, other pairs were having actual duels. Magic flew back and forth, shields shimmering and holding, attacks being deflected and countered. They looked competent and skilled. Everything I was pretending not to be.
"Miss Cole!"
Professor Ginsberry's voice stretched out through the noise. He strode toward our circle, face thunderous.
I was on the ground again, having just taken another hit to the shoulder. I sat up slowly, wincing.
"Miss Cole, you're not even trying!"
There it was. The accusation I'd been waiting for.
I looked up at him, making my expression as helpless as possible. "I'm sorry, Professor. I just... I don't think I'm cut out for combat magic."
His eyes flashed with vexation. "That's not an excuse. Everyone in A-Class is here because they have potential. You need to apply yourself."
"I am applying myself," I said quietly. "This is just... really hard for me."
"Then work harder!" He gestured at Kai. "Your partner is holding back significantly and you still can't maintain a basic shield. That's unacceptable."
Kai shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable for the first time. "Professor, maybe she needs more foundational training before—"
"She's in A-Class. She should already have foundational training." Professor Ginsberry turned back to me. "Again. And this time, I want to see actual effort."
I nodded, getting to my feet. Everything hurt. My plan was working perfectly, but that didn't make the physical pain any less real.
Kai and I faced each other again. He looked almost apologetic now, which was weird. "I'm going to go slower this time," he said quietly. "Just... try to hold the shield for more than a second, okay?"
"Okay."
He gathered energy in his palm, I could see it swirling, golden and bright, and released it in a controlled stream rather than a blast. I put up my pathetic excuse for a shield and let it collapse immediately. The energy hit me in the stomach and I doubled over, gasping.
Professor Ginsberry made a disgusted sound and walked away to observe other students.
I stayed bent over, hands on my knees, catching my breath. Through the gaps between students, I could see Malachi watching from across the field. His duel had paused. His partner was saying something to him, but Malachi wasn't listening. He was staring at me, and his face...
Worry. Clear, obvious worry.
He started walking toward our circle, but he only made it three steps before a group of students intercepted him. Girls, mostly, all talking at once, asking questions, touching his arm, demanding his attention. His admirers. The people who followed him around because he was handsome, powerful, important and everything they wanted to be associated with.
He tried to move past them, but they closed ranks, blocking his path. One girl laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him back toward their section of the field.
Another started asking about his technique in their last duel.
Malachi's eyes met mine across the distance. That worry was still there, mixed with frustration now.
I looked away first. Turned back to Kai, who was watching the whole interaction with an unreadable expression.
"You good to keep going?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "Let's keep going."
We did. I hit the ground seven more times before Professor Ginsberry finally called an end to the session. By then, I was covered in dirt and bruises, my uniform torn at the knee, my hair falling out of its tie.
Perfect.
I looked exactly how I felt: completely out of my depth and utterly unsuited for A-Class.
The plan was working.