William woke up before the bell.
That alone felt suspicious.
He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling of his dorm room, waiting for someone to announce it was a trap.
No one did.
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the academy's outer barriers and the occasional sound of footsteps in the hallway beyond the door.
His roommate, Rowan, was still asleep—face half buried in a pillow, one arm hanging off the bed like he had been defeated in battle during the night.
William considered waking him.
Then chose kindness.
Or laziness.
Hard to tell.
He sat up slowly.
The ring Mara had given him was still on his finger.
Cold.
Plain.
Expensive-looking in a way that made him nervous.
He flexed his hand.
The pulse was still there underneath his skin.
Muted.
Waiting.
"…Good morning to you too," William muttered.
Rowan's muffled voice came from the bed.
"Who are you talking to?"
"My growing list of problems."
"Reasonable."
He didn't move again.
Impressive.
The training grounds were already crowded when William arrived.
Students spread across several wide platforms built from dark stone, each marked with glowing circles and symbols. Some practiced spells. Others sparred with wooden weapons. One boy was trying to summon fire and mostly succeeding at smoke.
Kai was on another platform laughing while being chased by what looked like three floating rocks.
Jonah stood nearby with hands in his pockets, somehow untouched by chaos.
Normal.
Vale stood at the center platform.
Arms behind her back.
Expression sharp enough to cut wood.
"You are late," she said the moment William stepped closer.
"I'm exactly on time."
"You were expected earlier."
"That sounds like your mistake."
Several students snorted.
Vale ignored them.
"Today's lesson is controlled output."
William looked around.
"That sounds optimistic."
"It is mandatory."
"That sounds less optimistic."
She raised one hand.
The platforms around them shifted.
Stone walls rose between sections, separating groups.
Runes ignited across the floor.
A low hum filled the air.
William looked impressed despite himself.
"…Okay," he admitted. "That was dramatic."
"Focus."
"You people hate joy."
Vale pointed toward a circle marked in silver.
"You. Center."
He walked into it carefully.
Nothing happened.
Yet.
The other students gathered around the edges to watch.
Excellent.
Public suffering.
His favorite.
Vale stepped in front of him.
"Your ability reacts under pressure. So we will create pressure."
"That sentence belongs in a lawsuit."
She ignored him.
"Your goal is simple. Touch the target behind me."
A metal sphere rose from the floor ten feet away.
"That's it?"
"That is it."
William smiled.
Finally something easy.
He took one step—
The floor exploded upward.
A wall of stone shot between him and the sphere.
He yelped and stumbled back.
The class laughed openly.
Vale remained expressionless.
"Begin."
"You could have warned me."
"I just did."
He moved left.
The wall slid with him.
He moved right.
The floor cracked and another pillar rose.
William stopped.
"…This is cheating."
"This is teaching."
"No one likes your version."
He rushed forward.
Three chains of light snapped from the floor toward his ankles.
He jumped instinctively.
Twisted midair.
Landed badly.
Nearly fell.
Recovered with dignity.
Minimal dignity.
The chains missed.
The moment his feet touched stone—
his hand pulsed.
Sharp.
The world tilted.
Not physically.
Something stranger.
The chains seemed slower.
The air clearer.
William moved without thinking.
One step.
Then another.
He slipped past the next rising wall before it fully formed.
Gasps from the students.
Vale's eyes narrowed.
He reached for the sphere—
Then the pulse vanished.
So did his balance.
William ran face-first into the metal target.
A loud gong echoed across the grounds.
Silence.
Then roaring laughter.
William peeled himself off the sphere.
"…I touched it."
Vale nodded once.
"Technically."
"I choose to celebrate."
Kai was bent over laughing from the next platform.
"I saw your soul leave your body!"
"It came back disappointed."
Even Jonah looked mildly entertained.
That was hurtful.
Vale motioned him back.
"Again."
"No."
"Again."
"Yes, ma'am."
The second attempt went worse.
The third involved accidental smoke.
The fourth ended when William somehow caused the target to appear behind him.
No one explained that.
By the fifth attempt, sweat ran down his neck and irritation burned hotter than exhaustion.
He stood in the center breathing hard.
"Can I ask something?"
"You may."
"Are you trying to train me or publicly destroy my confidence?"
"Yes."
"That was one question."
"I answered honestly."
Vale stepped closer.
"Stop trying to outrun the trap."
William frowned.
"It's trying to hit me."
"You react after danger appears."
"That is generally when danger matters."
"Wrong."
She tapped two fingers against his chest.
"Feel before movement."
"That sentence means nothing."
"It means your power senses fractures before you do."
He stared at her.
"…Fractures?"
"In timing. Motion. Intention. Space."
"That sounds made up."
"It kept you alive."
Fair point.
He hated fair points.
He reset in the circle.
This time he closed his eyes.
The class murmured immediately.
Someone whispered, "He's giving up."
William raised one finger without opening them.
"Still hearing things."
More laughter.
Then he breathed slowly.
Listened.
The hum beneath the runes.
The scrape of shoes outside the ring.
Wind over stone.
And beneath it—
something else.
Tiny disturbances.
Like ripples before impact.
He moved left.
A pillar erupted where he had stood.
More sharply now, he turned.
A chain snapped through the air where his arm had been.
His hand pulsed once.
He stepped forward.
Clean.
A wall rose too late.
Another pulse.
He pivoted around it.
Students went quiet.
He heard Vale's voice somewhere distant.
"Good."
The sphere was ahead.
Three steps.
Two—
A burst of flame shot across the ring.
William jerked back.
The fire missed him and scorched the floor.
He spun.
Daren stood outside the platform, hand raised.
Grinning.
"Wanted to test something."
The room tensed instantly.
Vale's voice dropped cold.
"Step forward."
Daren's grin faded.
"It was a joke."
"Step forward."
Even William felt bad for him.
Slightly.
Daren walked into the ring.
Vale pointed at the scorched stone.
"You attacked during instruction."
"I was helping."
"You were stupid."
The class froze.
Vale rarely raised her voice.
Didn't need to.
She looked at William.
"Would you like to respond?"
William blinked.
"…Legally?"
"Within academy limits."
Daren's eyes widened.
"That feels unfair."
William considered.
Then smiled slowly.
"Oh, I have something."
He stepped back.
Raised his hand toward the target sphere.
Focused on the pulse.
The shift came.
Sharper than before.
He touched the timing around the metal sphere—
and released.
The sphere shot across the ring like a cannonball.
It slammed into Daren's chest and launched him backward into a padded barrier.
The whole training ground gasped.
Then erupted.
Kai screamed laughing.
Jonah actually smiled.
Vale looked almost satisfied.
Daren groaned from the wall.
"…I hate this school."
William brushed off his hands.
"Technically, I touched the target again."
Later, as students dispersed, Vale stopped beside him.
"You improved."
"That sounded painful for you."
"It was."
She glanced at the ring on his finger.
"You moved the sphere without touching it."
"Yeah."
"You interfered with its momentum."
"That sounds impressive."
"It is dangerous."
"There it is."
She faced him fully.
"Listen carefully, William. Most students use power like fuel."
He nodded.
"Okay."
"You use power like a mistake in reality."
He stared.
"…You people really need better motivational speeches."
She walked away.
Then paused.
"Tomorrow," she said, "we begin combat."
William sighed.
"Of course we do."
From behind him, Kai shouted:
"Please let me watch!"
William looked at the sky.
"Things were simpler when monsters chased me in the street."