The week passed in silence and bruises.
Combat classes grew harder. Magical theory demanded memorization of impossible glyphs. Elemental training nearly singed Alex's eyebrows twice. But he endured. He adapted.
Because something had changed within him.
Each night, as others slept, he sat beneath the obsidian dome of Veilshade's observatory, whispering into the darkness.
Kaer Thalor answered.
And slowly, the boundary between bloodline and self began to thin.
---
It was in the fourth week of term that the Academy hosted its first official "dueling pairs trial."
A two-person spar against a summoned entity of the instructors' choosing—to test coordination, spell control, and will.
Names were drawn. When Nikki's name was called, Alex silently hoped it wouldn't be paired with his.
It was.
"Nikki of Frostwood. Alex of Bramblehold. Arena Seven."
Nikki met his gaze across the courtyard. She shrugged. "Guess we're partners."
Alex offered a lopsided smile. "Let's not die."
---
Arena Seven was smaller than the main stadium, but no less dangerous. Its floor was etched with containment wards. The sky above shimmered, sealed by a dome of protective magic.
Therion stood by the archway, watching them approach.
"You will face a fragment spirit," he said. "Old, but weak. It will test how well your flames and arrows dance together."
A rune pulsed. A gate opened.
And the creature emerged.
It was not weak.
A burning jackal made of molten ash stalked into the ring. Flame curled from its spine. Its eyes were pits of coals.
Nikki drew her bow instantly. "Cover me. Don't rush it."
Alex nodded, blade drawn. The jackal lunged.
Nikki's first arrow struck its leg, dispersing flame. Alex darted forward, slashing a line across its flank. The spirit howled—not in pain, but fury.
It split into three.
Alex froze. "Illusions?"
"No," Nikki muttered. "Fragments."
The fight escalated.
One jackal charged Nikki. She rolled aside, launching three arrows in quick succession, pinning it briefly.
The second turned on Alex.
> "Now."
Kaer Thalor's voice echoed.
Alex blinked.
Time slowed. Mana rose within him, thick and burning.
He channeled it through his blade.
Not a spell. Not a chant.
Just will.
The sword ignited in deep red light—not fire, not raw energy, but essence.
He slashed.
The jackal burst apart.
Across the ring, Nikki disabled the second.
But the third had circled behind them both.
It pounced.
Alex threw himself in front of Nikki without thinking.
The jackal struck.
Agony.
It tore into his shoulder, flames eating flesh.
But before he fell, his body moved on its own.
His arm rose.
And a spiral of runes ignited in the air around him.
Not his. Not the Academy's.
Bloodline runes.
The jackal hit the wall with a sound like thunder.
Nikki dragged Alex to his feet. "Are you—?"
"Not dead yet," he gasped.
---
Later, wrapped in salve-soaked bandages, Alex sat alone in the infirmary's quiet.
Therion entered without knocking.
"You should've died."
"Maybe I'm lucky."
"Or cursed."
Alex didn't argue.
The instructor paused. "Do you know what you did back there?"
"Used my bloodline. Without meaning to."
"No. You invoked it. Through reflex. That's not normal. That's resonance."
Alex frowned. "Is that bad?"
"No. But it means you're bound more deeply than most."
Therion leaned closer.
"You're not just carrying a spirit. You're melding with it."
Alex's blood ran cold. "What happens if it takes over?"
Therion's eyes gleamed. "Then I kill you before it kills everyone else."
---
That night, Alex did not go to the observatory.
He sat in silence in the dark, breathing shallowly, heart beating slow.
And still...
> "I will not consume you," Kaer Thalor whispered. "But I will burn with you."
Alex whispered back, "Then burn bright."