The first thing I registered was pain, a dull, throbbing sensation that seemed to emanate from every cell in my body simultaneously. The second thing was the nauseating smell of medicinal herbs and antiseptic magic that could only mean one place: the infirmary.
I cracked open my eyes, immediately regretting it as harsh light sent spikes of pain through my skull. A blurry figure leaned over me, gradually coming into focus as Lady Althea's stern face.
"Ardent," she said, her voice carrying that unique blend of professional detachment and grudging concern, "how many fingers am I holding up?"
I squinted at her hand. "Three. Or five if you count the ghostly afterimages."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "The visual distortions will fade within the hour. You're lucky you're not blind after the stunt you pulled."
"What exactly did I..." The memories flooded back in a rush: Valentina's relentless assault, the mysterious Vagabond echo, the void between probabilities, and the sensation of becoming probability itself. "Oh."
"Oh, indeed." Lady Althea's expression was a masterpiece of disapproval. "You expanded your probability field beyond its natural boundaries and essentially turned yourself into a walking reality distortion. Your magical pathways are raw, your probability center is inflamed, and you were bleeding from every orifice in your head. Quite the dramatic finish."
I attempted to sit up, wincing as my muscles protested. "Is that why everything hurts?"
"Partially. The rest is your body's natural response to being exposed to multiple probability states simultaneously." She checked something off on her enchanted clipboard. "It's perfectly logical pain, considering you briefly existed in several potential realities at once."
"Logical pain. That's a new one."
"HE LIVES!" A familiar voice called from beside me.
I turned to see Finn grinning at me from a chair next to my bed. He looked nearly as bad as I felt, his face was peppered with small cuts, an impressive bruise bloomed along his jawline, and his left arm was wrapped in a glowing bandage.
"You look terrible," I told him.
"Says the literal probability disaster," he shot back. "That was the most badass thing I've ever seen, by the way. One second Valentina's about to turn you into a smoldering crater, the next you're standing there bleeding from your face while reality bends around you. Bloombastic lost his mind, he literally started sprouting emergency blossoms all over the commentator's booth."
Despite the pain, I couldn't help but smile. "Wish I could remember how I did it."
"The tournament healers have been swamped," Finn explained, gesturing around the infirmary. I noticed for the first time that nearly every bed was occupied with students in various states of magical exhaustion and injury. Several apprentice healers rushed between patients while Lady Althea's senior staff worked on the more serious cases. "They couldn't waste full healing on minor injuries like mine when they had to save people like you from probability-induced brain hemorrhages."
"Sounds dramatic when you put it that way." I glanced around the infirmary, noting the familiar faces of tournament competitors. Across the room, Valentina sat on the edge of a bed while a healer worked on her. She caught my eye and glared with such intensity that I half-expected to burst into flames.
"I see Valentina's still holding a grudge," I muttered.
"That's putting it mildly. She's been staring daggers at you since they brought you in."
I scanned the room again, frowning when I didn't see a particular face. "Where's Gavril?"
Finn's expression darkened immediately, the joy of our banter evaporating. He pointed wordlessly to a large magical viewing screen visible through the infirmary's open doors.
"His duel is still going on? How is that possible?" I stared at the screen in disbelief. "Finn, what's happening?"
But Finn just shook his head, his face grim.
"Ardent, you are in no condition to leave that bed," Lady Althea warned, apparently reading my intention before I'd even fully formed it myself.
I ignored her, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The room tilted alarmingly, but I gritted my teeth against the vertigo. "I need to see this."
"Arde…" Lady Althea began, but I was already standing, my bare feet cold against the stone floor.
One of the healer apprentices tried to block my path. "Sir, please return to your bed immediately…"
"Let him go," Lady Althea sighed. "Some lessons about magical recovery can only be learned the hard way."
I staggered toward the doorway, Finn close behind me as if expecting to catch me when I inevitably collapsed. By some miracle, or perhaps Lady Fortune's rare benevolence, made it to the threshold without falling. What I saw on the screen made me freeze in place.
The duel between Gavril and Vael had transformed their arena into something unrecognizable. The original landscape was obscured beneath layers of warped space and churning water. Gavril stood at one end, his clothing torn and soaked with what might have been water, blood, or both. His right arm hung at an unnatural angle, clearly broken, but his left hand traced complex patterns in the air, maintaining a shimmering barrier of folded space around him.
Across from him, Vael looked hardly better. Her normally immaculate appearance was in ruins; her braids had come undone, her uniform was charred in several places, and a nasty gash ran across her cheek. But her stance remained proud as she commanded tendrils of water that moved with unnatural precision.
"How long has this been going on?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Almost twice as long as your match with Valentina," Finn replied. "They're both refusing to yield."
On screen, Vael unleashed a barrage of ice shards that should have shredded Gavril where he stood. Instead, he created a spatial fold that swallowed the attack and redirected it behind Vael. She barely had time to dodge, losing a few strands of hair to her own ice.
"Incredible spatial manipulation from the younger Moridian!" Professor Zephyr's voice boomed from the speakers. "He's using dimensional displacement techniques far beyond first-year curriculum!"
"Indeed," Professor Gravitas agreed, sounding genuinely impressed. "The precision required to redirect an attack of that magnitude without losing control of the spatial tear is remarkable."
"AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!" Bloombastic gurgled enthusiastically. "THE SAP IS RISING IN HOUSE MORIDIAN TODAY, FOLKS!"
But watching Gavril's face told a different story. There was no triumph there, only grim determination mixed with something that looked painfully like despair.
"This isn't about the tournament anymore, is it?" I asked.
Finn shook his head. "It never was. This is about House Moridian, about generations of expectations. Vael can't be seen losing to a secondary branch member, and Gavril..."
"Gavril can't keep living in her shadow," I finished.
On screen, Vael had created a swirling vortex of water that began to freeze from the outside in, creating a spinning cage of ice that closed in on Gavril from all sides. In response, he did something I'd never seen before, he seemed to fold himself through space, his body momentarily existing in multiple locations simultaneously before resolving in a position behind Vael.
The crowd erupted in cheers at the incredible technique, but I could see the toll it took. Blood trickled from Gavril's nose, and his movements had become sluggish. Whatever that spatial manipulation was, it had cost him dearly.
Vael spun around, bringing a wave of water with her that knocked Gavril off his feet. He hit the ground hard but immediately created a spatial distortion that swallowed Vael's follow-up attack. The two cousins faced each other, both visibly exhausted.
"Yield," Vael commanded, her voice carrying across the arena. "You've proven your point, Gavril."
"I can't," he replied, his voice barely audible through the screen's audio. "You know I can't."
Something passed between them then, a look of understanding, perhaps even respect. Vael straightened her posture, gathering her remaining magical energy for one final assault.
Gavril did the same, pooling what little strength he had left as the air around him began to warp and distort.
Their final attacks collided in a spectacular display of light and power. Water and warped space intertwined, creating a swirling vortex of magical energy that consumed both duelists. When the light faded, both Moridians stood on opposite sides of the arena, wavering on their feet but still conscious.
"DRAW!" Bloombastic announced as the magical scoreboards confirmed what everyone could see. "WHAT A SHOWDOWN BETWEEN THE MORIDIAN COUSINS!"
Before the audience's applause had even begun to fade, Gavril's legs gave out. Vael, despite her own exhaustion, was at his side in an instant, catching him before he hit the ground. The transport magic activated, whisking them both back to the tournament medical area.
"Come on," I said to Finn, pushing away from the doorframe. "They'll be bringing him here."
We moved as quickly as my unsteady legs would allow, reaching the arrival platform just as Gavril and Vael materialized. Gavril was barely conscious, supported entirely by his cousin's shoulder. Vael herself looked ready to collapse but maintained her composure with typical Moridian pride.
"Help me with him," she said as Finn and I approached. Her voice carried no command this time, only exhaustion and concern.
We each took a side, supporting Gavril between us as we made our way back to the infirmary. Lady Althea was already waiting, directing us to an empty bed beside mine.
"Another Moridian trying to rewrite the laws of magic," she muttered as she began examining Gavril. "Severe magical exhaustion, spatial displacement strain, minor internal bleeding... what were you thinking, attempting a multi-point existence fold without proper training?"
Gavril managed a weak smile. "It worked, didn't it?"
"Barely," Lady Althea sniffed, but there was a hint of reluctant admiration in her voice. "Rest. No magic for at least forty-eight hours."
As Lady Althea moved on to examine Vael, Finn and I took positions on either side of Gavril's bed.
"So," I said, attempting a casual tone, "on a scale of 'slightly singed' to 'Asher's daily existence,' how bad was it?"
That got a chuckle from Gavril, followed by a wince of pain. "Somewhere between 'struck by lightning' and 'trapped in one of Valentina's transmutation fields,' I'd say."
"You were incredible out there," Finn said earnestly. "That multi-point existence thing? I didn't even know that was possible."
"It's not supposed to be," Gavril admitted. "At least, not without years of specialized training. I was working on the theory but hadn't planned to attempt it yet. Desperation makes for interesting innovation, I guess."
I glanced toward Vael, who was stoically enduring Lady Althea's examination nearby. "You held your own against the Moridian prodigy. That counts for something."
"It was a draw," Gavril said quietly, and I heard the weight behind those words. In the eyes of House Moridian, a draw against the primary bloodline's champion wasn't a victory, it was simply not a loss.
"Hey," Finn clapped a hand on Gavril's uninjured shoulder. "You know what they call someone who goes toe-to-toe with a Moridian water master for forty minutes and walks away? Besides 'insane,' I mean."
"What?" Gavril asked.
"A spatial manipulation prodigy," I answered, catching Finn's meaning. "Seriously, Gavril. Professor Gravitas called your techniques 'remarkable.' When was the last time you heard him praise a first-year?"
A small smile tugged at the corner of Gavril's mouth. "He did say that, didn't he?"
"And Professor Parallax was losing his almost the entire duel," Finn added. "You basically invented a new application of her spatial displacement theories on the spot."
"While getting pummeled by ice daggers, no less," I added. "Very impressive multitasking."
Gavril's smile grew a bit more genuine. "Thanks, guys. I just... I wanted to prove something, you know?"
"To Vael?" I asked.
"To myself," he replied quietly. "I've spent my whole life feeling like the lesser Moridian. Today I wanted to be just... Gavril."
Before we could respond, a chime sounded throughout the infirmary, and the large scoreboard outside began to update. Lady Althea let out an exasperated sigh.
"Here come the new rankings," she muttered. "As if these students need more to worry about while they're bleeding internally."
The scoreboard flickered, shimmering with light as names, numbers, and glowing sigils rearranged themselves. Unlike earlier displays, this one included more detail: the top 84 students who had successfully advanced, their total point tallies, and the points required to pass Level One.
Cutoff to Advance: 360 Points.
A brief silence swept through the infirmary as the crowd absorbed the data.
I scanned quickly for our names.
Asher Ardent — Rank 72, 392 pointsFinn Thorne — Rank 78, 367 pointsGavril Moridian — Rank 74, 386 points
"Look at us climbing the ranks," Finn said with a grin. "Though I'm a bit offended you both ended up ahead of me."
I continued scanning upward:
Elias Aurellian — Rank 53, 441 pointsSoren Valdris — Rank 58, 428 pointsVael Moridian — Rank 62, 417 pointsValentina Morgenstern — Rank 64, 410 points
"The number of advancing students dropped again," Gavril noted, his analytical mind functioning despite his exhaustion. "Down to 81."
"The academy is too severe with these tournaments," Lady Althea grumbled as she applied a healing poultice to Vael's shoulder. "These challenges are designed to push students beyond their limits, and sometimes past the breaking point. And for what? Entertainment? Prestige? Pah!"
"With all due respect, Lady Althea," Vael spoke up, her voice surprisingly soft, "today I saw my cousin perform magic I didn't think was possible for him. Sometimes we need to be pushed to discover what we're truly capable of."
Lady Althea's expression softened slightly. "Perhaps. But that doesn't mean I have to like patching you all back together afterward."
"We all made it through Level One," Finn said, bringing my attention back to our immediate circle. "That's something to celebrate, right?"
"Definitely," I agreed, though my body protested at the very thought of celebration. "Once we can all walk without wincing."
"And once the room stops spinning," Gavril added with a weak laugh.
"AND NOW! LET'S HEAR ABOUT LEVEL 2!" Bloombastic voice boomed from everywhere, disturbing our banter.