Later that evening, in the dim glow of a torch-lit corridor within the knight school, Oluis sat atop a stone railing, legs swinging slowly, cloak draped around his shoulders like a shroud. His expression was brooding, but behind his clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, something else stirred curiosity.
He replayed the fight in his head. Kajala had danced around him like wind dodging wind, and that chain... It wasn't just a weapon. It moved like it had a will of its own.
"I underestimated him," Oluis muttered, eyes sharpening.
"You always do," a soft voice echoed from the hallway.
A girl stepped out from the shadows older, elegant, with silver-lined robes and a book tucked under her arm. She wore the symbol of the upper-class students: a silver pin shaped like a phoenix.
"Ravielle," Oluis greeted her stiffly.
"You're not used to losing," she said, tilting her head. "But that boy... Kajala, was it? He's interesting."
"I could've beaten him," Oluis growled.
"I don't doubt it," Ravielle said smoothly. "But not with brute speed. Not with just wind." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Esteria will need more than flashy swings and arrogance, Oluis. If you want to stand among the overseers, you'll need to grow."
His jaw tightened. "I will. And I'll beat him next time."
She smiled faintly. "I look forward to seeing it."
As she walked off, Oluis clenched his fist. In that moment, he didn't feel humiliated anymore. He felt challenged. Excited, even.
"I'll figure you out, Kajala," he muttered. "And when I do, the wind will tear that smile right off your face."
That night, the dorm was quiet again.
Rei lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day still echoed in his head — the duel, the rewind, the panic, the fight with Oluis. It was like the world was starting to move faster, pulling him in directions he didn't fully understand.
Across the room, Kajala was still awake, lying on his stomach with his legs swinging in the air, flipping through a comic book.
"…Hey," Rei said suddenly, voice low.
Kajala glanced up. "Yeah?"
"That book I found in the library," Rei said, turning his head, "the one about the feline tamer. Do you know anything about him?"
Kajala blinked. "Oh, that old myth? The guy who controlled beasts with chains and shadow magic? Yeah, I've heard of it. Thought it was just a bedtime story."
"He had a name," Rei said. "I read it in the book. Leo Geyer."
Kajala's brows lifted slightly. "Leo Geyer… huh. That does sound familiar. Supposedly, he was once a king of beasts tamed massive monsters, walked in the shadows like a ghost. Fought the Queen of the Lock, Felora, right? Lost his power after that."
Rei nodded. "The book ended with a question. Wondering if he'd ever appear again."
Kajala rolled onto his side, resting his head on his arm. "Why so interested?"
"I don't know," Rei muttered. "Something about it just felt… connected. Like I was supposed to find it."
Kajala stared at him for a moment, then smiled. "You're mysterious, you know that? Quiet, brooding, full of secrets. It's kinda cool."
"Stop."
Kajala chuckled, tossing a pillow at him. "Alright, alright. But hey… if you ever start summoning giant shadow cats, let me ride one."
Rei scoffed quietly, but there was a faint smile on his lips. "No promises."
Kajala looked up at the ceiling now. "Today was wild. That Oluis guy was strong, but I gotta say… you handled things better than I thought. You okay?"
"…Sort of," Rei replied after a long pause. "Still piecing things together. Still scared."
Kajala didn't say anything for a moment, then rolled over and shut his eyes. "Well, I'm here. Rika's here. Regulus is here too, even if he slips more than he walks. Whatever's happening, you don't have to carry it alone, alright?"
Rei glanced at him in the moonlight.
"…Thanks."
Silence fell over the room. Peaceful, for once.
Outside the window, the clouds drifted slowly past the moon. And far beneath the surface of everything fate stirred again.
The sun was just rising when Rei stepped out of the dorm, the sky still a soft orange. Everyone else was asleep even Kajala, who was curled up like a cat under his blanket. Rei didn't want to wake anyone. He just needed some quiet.
He made his way to the training yard. It was empty this early. The grass was wet with morning dew, and the air was cool and calm. He walked past the sparring dummies and wooden swords to the corner of the yard, where some old weights were stacked under a tarp.
He pulled the tarp off and grabbed the biggest barbell he could find thick metal plates on each side. Most students needed magic to lift it. But Rei didn't use any.
He bent down, gripped the bar, and stood up.
It was heavy. But it moved.
His muscles tensed. Sweat ran down his back. But he kept lifting over and over.
If he couldn't use magic, then he had to be stronger than anyone who did.
He trained in silence, the weights clinking with each rep.
This was how he would catch up. This was how he'd win.
Rei had just finished his third set, arms shaking slightly, when he heard footsteps crunching over the gravel behind him.
He turned.
Ravielle stood there tall, sharp-eyed, and dressed in full training gear. She was one of the top spell-enhancers in their year. Her magic let her move faster, hit harder, and see through illusions. She didn't talk much, but when she did, people listened.
She stared at the weight in Rei's hands, then at him.
"You're not using enhance magic," she said flatly.
Rei didn't answer. He just set the bar down with a thud and wiped the sweat from his face.
"That weight—" she stepped closer, brows furrowed. "Even with spells, most can't lift it without straining."
Rei shrugged. "Then they should train harder."
Ravielle didn't smile. But something in her expression changed a flicker of respect, or maybe curiosity.
"You're different," she said. "No magic. No blessings. And yet… you're still pushing like this."
He picked the bar back up.
"I don't need magic," Rei said quietly. "I just need to be stronger."
Ravielle watched him in silence for a few seconds longer, then turned to leave. But just before she walked off, she muttered under her breath:
"Maybe you're the scariest one here."