Keegan made his way to the sparring circle, smirking and rolling his shoulders with casual arrogance.
"Show him he doesn't belong here, Keegan!" one of the students said.
"Yeah! A coreless wannabe wouldn't have been able to face a Chieftain!" another one replied.
Keegan, building confidence, looked at Michael, "The report definitely lied about your involvement, and I'll show everybody a commoner like you wouldn't be all that."
Michael didn't answer; he made his way to the circle and stayed formless, his hand in his pocket.
Before anyone could say something, the runes pulsed. Keegan, seeing the wide opening and believing Michael was a fake, moved first—a fast, textbook jab at Michael's face.
With a small step backward, the jab stopped a mere inch from his nose. Keegan blinked and tried to punch again, but every time he was only an inch away from landing his strike.
Gasps rippled through the class. Keegan snarled, regaining his stance. "Cheap tricks, fight me and stop running away"
Michael didn't rise to it. He just watched, breathing steadily. He wasn't nervous; this was his element.
Keegan lunged with a hook. Michael stepped in, inside the arc of the blow, his elbow drove into Keegan's chest. The noble heir staggered back, wheezing. Michael lowered his center of gravity and tripped him with a kick to Keegan's ankles.
Keegan fell with a loud thud, trying to gasp for air. The class went silent.
"Enough."
Iroden's calm grey eyes weighed then for a long moment. "Control," he said softly, but it carried through the class. "Michael, you showed us good control. Keegan, you fought to impress. You need to master yourself."
Keegan's fists clenched, but he raised himself to offer the teacher a bow. Michael followed, without saying a word, he went back to his mat on the outside of the circle.
Nick leaned over from his mat, grinning. "Remind me not to piss you off."
Michael chuckled a little bit, "It was nothing impressive..." Thinking about how the Aldcroft would've punished him, with him not striking with all the opportunities Keegan offered him.
"Nick and Luna, to the circle."
Nick dragged himself into the circle, slouching like a condemned man.
Luna was waiting, posture upright, arms loose at her sides. Her white hair was tied back, face unreadable. She didn't square up like most students. She didn't even raise her fists. She just… stood there.
Nick frowned. "You're not even gonna guard?"
"Begin," Iroden said.
Nick lunged, swinging wildly, hoping to catch her off guard.
Snap.
Her hand deflected his strike away like she was parrying with a blade. Before Nick could recover, the edge of her palm drove into his ribs. He gasped, tried again with his other arm—another parry, then a flick of her wrist that skimmed just past his throat. The crowd hissed. It looked like she'd nearly slit it.
Nick stumbled back, panic in his eyes now. He threw a desperate punch. Luna flowed in, too close, her hand chopping down across his wrist, the other already pressing against his chest. With a twist, she shoved, and Nick was on the floor staring up at the ceiling.
She rested two fingers against his throat, the gesture like a blade's tip at his neck.
"Done," she said flatly.
The hall was silent.
Iroden's voice carried, calm but edged. "Notice her form, no wasted motion. Every strike is an ending." He glanced at Nick, who groaned on the ground. "And notice the danger of a fight without discipline. Your strength means nothing if it isn't used with control."
Nick wheezed, raising one hand. "I think I've been… assassinated…"
A ripple of laughter passed through the mats.
"This is our princess, alright."
"Nobody in the first year could actually beat her."
Luna made her way back to her mat while the other students commented on her spar.
Michael didn't laugh, though. He watched Luna walk back to her seat, hands loose at her sides again—like two blades waiting to be drawn. 'Could I take her on? Probably, but not unscathed' analyzed Michael. Luna glanced at Michael, feeling him stare and gave him a quick nod.
Iroden sent students into the circle two at a time until each had their turn. When the last spar ended, he clapped once, and every eye turned to him. "Discipline and control, the body is your first and last weapon. Remember this."
His gaze swept across the room. He let the silence stretch just long enough for the words to settle, then gave the command:
"Class dismissed."
The mats rustled as students got up. Nick slid over to Michael with his usual grin, despite still rubbing his ribs.
"Man, you sure gave me a surprise," he said, smirking. "Didn't expect you to put Keegan on his back in your first class. If I'd known we were showing off, I would've given Luna a piece of my mind too."
Michael choked, nearly tripping over his own mat. "What are you talking about? I went before you."
Nick clapped him on the back, laughing loud enough to turn a few heads. "Details, details. History will remember it my way."
Michael sighed, shaking his head with a smile tugging his lips as they started toward the door. Am I a magnet for weird people or what?
"So what is our next class?" Michael asked Nick while they made their way to the cafeteria.
"So, what's our next class?" Michael asked as they filed out of the hall, heading toward the cafeteria with the flow of first-years.
Nick shoved his hands in his pockets, still grinning like he hadn't just been choked out minutes earlier. "Depends. If the schedule they gave us is right, it's Monsterology. Y'know, the fun one."
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Fun?"
"Sure," Nick said. "If your definition of fun is hearing how many ways a slime can eat your face." He made a chomping gesture with his hands. "Puts things in perspective, huh?"
Before Michael could comment, Nick was already pushing the cafeteria doors open, the smell of food flooding out to meet them.
Well, Michael thought dryly, this is a long way from powdered eggs.
Inside, the hall was alive with noise. Long oak tables stretched wall to wall, a station with runes glowing faintly along their edges to keep the food hot. Trays clattered, voices overlapped, the air was buzzing like a marketplace jammed into four walls.
Students were clustered in the front, laughing just loud enough to be overheard. Loners kept their heads down in the back and a few eccentrics scribbled runes on napkins instead of eating. Nick didn't notice any of it, he was already at the station piling food onto his tray like a man who've been starved.
When Michael reached his side, "Rule number one," Nick said with a grin, "eat fast before the nobles take the good food."
Michael looked at him weird but grabbed a tray anyway. They found an empty spot near the edge of the hall and sat. Michael had barely taken his first bite before a collective gasp and murmurs made him raise his head.
Luna sat down, wordless, setting her tray on the table.
Nick choked on his bite. "Uh.. Hey?"
She didn't answer, just began eating quietly.