Location: Accordum Academy Grounds
Date: 785th year, 8th month, 22nd day
Weather: Too bright. Too loud. My head still hurts.
I woke with the tail-end of the hangover still gnawing at my temples.
Yesterday was supposed to be rest.
But then Evelyn arrived.
And now the new scholarship students are here — bright-eyed, loud-voiced, and already full of ambition.
Tradition calls them "fools."
Not out of cruelty, but practicality.
They haven't tasted failure yet. They need a lesson before one finds them.
And today, the Academy offered up a perfect one.
---
Selvaring
Half-Gorgon. Blessed by the Goddess of Love and Charm. Two eyes that don't belong to mortals.
Right: Charm. Works on weak minds.
Left: Purification. Turns you to stone if your soul's not "clean."
(Most of us don't qualify.)
He was all silk and smiles when he walked in.
His magic flared before his name was even spoken.
He flirted first with Alice, who stared through him like glass.
Then turned to Lily, who simply tilted her head — a smile already forming at the corner of her lips.
That's when I arrived.
He noticed how they moved, ever so subtly, toward me.
Not hiding. Just... gravitating.
> "You must be the famous Commander," he said, voice dipped in confidence.
"Tell me — are your subordinates this loyal? Or are they just in love?"
I didn't answer right away.
Not because I was offended. Just… tired.
> "You're new," I said flatly.
"So I'll forgive the question."
---
The Duel
He challenged me in the courtyard. Said it was for honor.
He wanted to make a name.
It didn't take long for word to spread.
Within ten minutes, the entire second-year class was watching from the upper balconies.
Not to laugh.
To learn.
Because these duels have become more than humiliation.
They're lessons — and I'm their unwilling professor.
Anna and Leander were already setting up like sports commentators.
> "How long we giving him?" Anna whispered.
"Three swings," Leander said. "Five if the Commander's feeling generous."
They weren't wrong.
Selvaring strutted into position, his blade polished, his aura visible.
I stepped onto the field slowly, shoulders sore from the drink two days ago, still half-hungover.
I didn't draw right away. I rarely do.
---
He moved first.
Fast. Graceful.
His sword danced with divine motion. His right eye flared golden — the charm magic activating.
It hit me like warm wind.
Temptation. Soft. Gentle.
But... my heart didn't move.
It hasn't moved in a long time.
Not in that way.
I shifted my stance. Turned the strike aside. Let the magic fail on its own.
Then, his left eye lit.
Bright. White-hot.
A wave of purifying energy cracked the earth beneath our feet.
Still… I stood.
No barrier.
No counterspell.
Just movement.
One step forward.
I drew my sword.
Carved a single glyph in the air — tight, efficient, controlled.
Seal. Bind. Silence.
The charm eye dimmed.
The purify magic shattered.
Selvaring dropped to his knees — stunned.
Unhurt. But undone.
---
The students clapped — not mockery, not cheering.
Appreciation.
They came to watch magic.
What they saw was control.
Leander:
> "He should be teaching a course called 'How to Obliterate Someone Politely.'"
Anna:
> "He's tired. You can tell. But even hungover, he teaches better than most professors."
Selvaring stayed kneeling.
I walked past without a word.
Lily passed me with a smile — that same quiet one she gives when something's exactly as it should be.
She looked at me a little longer than usual.
I nodded. Didn't say anything.
She didn't need me to.
---
Dorm Routine – Evelyn Watching
Back in the dorm, Evelyn was sipping tea with Riya.
She hadn't gone to the duel — not openly.
But I know she watched.
> "You're still tired," she said when I walked past.
"And yet you still took the challenge."
> "He wouldn't have let it go."
> "He won't forget it either."
She's watching.
Always noting.
Like someone preparing for something more than an entrance exam.
---
Night Watch
It's quiet now. The dorm's asleep.
I sit near the hallway window, sword resting on my lap.
The moon's out tonight, full and soft.
Lily appeared sometime past midnight.
She didn't ask. Just stood beside me, close enough to lean if she wanted to.
> "You didn't even break a sweat," she said softly.
> "He wasn't strong. He was loud. That's different."
We stayed there, looking at the sky.
> "Stars are quiet tonight."
> "Feels good," I said.
She smiled. A real one. Warm.
She didn't stay long. Just enough. Just… close.
After she left, I remained.
No thoughts. No plans.
Just quiet.
Just me.
And that's enough.
For now.