The carriage somehow survived the journey to the academy.
Barely.
Every uneven stone on the road had become Kael's personal enemy by the end of it.
By the time the carriage finally stopped, silence had already settled heavily inside.
Kael stepped out first.
Then turned back quietly.
"Careful."
His voice was low as he offered Elior his hand again while helping him out of the carriage, far more attentive than necessary.
Elior accepted it without much thought now.
Perhaps it had already become habit.
Or perhaps Kael himself had made it one.
The two walked toward the academy building together.
Morning classes had already begun filling the halls with noise, students moving from corridor to corridor in restless waves.
But the moment they entered the classroom—
Aevrin was already there.
Waiting.
His dark eyes immediately landed on Elior.
A small smile appeared naturally on his lips.
"Good morning, Elior."
Warm.
Gentle.
Perfectly normal.
Too normal.
Kael's expression immediately cooled.
That familiar displeased look returned to his face so naturally that even he no longer noticed it happening.
Elior, completely unaware of the invisible hostility between them, greeted Aevrin normally before sitting down.
Classes began soon afterward.
The room slowly settled into routine.
Pages turning.
Professors speaking.
Pens moving.
Yet Aevrin's attention wandered elsewhere entirely.
More specifically—
toward Kael.
Something felt strange today.
Kael kept touching the inner pocket of his long coat.
Not casually.
Not absentmindedly.
Protectively.
His fingers occasionally pressed against it as though checking whether something was still there.
And whatever it was—
it clearly was not small.
The shape beneath the fabric looked uneven. Slightly rounded. Wrapped carefully in something.
Aevrin narrowed his eyes faintly.
Coronal magic flickered softly behind his gaze.
Not enough to expose details completely.
Just enough to sharpen outlines.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
What exactly was Kael hiding so carefully?
Aevrin watched him for another few moments.
That grip again.
Tight.
Possessive.
Like a merchant protecting treasure from thieves.
Or worse—
like someone hiding something important before presenting it to another person.
A dangerous thought suddenly entered Aevrin's mind.
…Wait.
No way.
Could it be for Elior?
His expression stiffened almost invisibly.
What if Kael planned to give Elior something?
What if he intended to gain closeness through it?
Aevrin immediately disliked the idea.
Deeply.
His curiosity sharpened into irritation.
No.
No, Kael.
You will not suddenly advance ahead without me noticing.
I absolutely refuse.
The thoughts ran quickly through his head, calm on the surface yet strangely intense underneath.
Then—
Kael looked up.
Directly at him.
Aevrin realized too late that he had been staring too openly at the coat pocket.
Their eyes locked instantly.
Silence.
Cold met curiosity.
Kael's gaze was sharp enough to freeze air itself.
Aevrin's remained calm outwardly, though the intensity beneath it refused to retreat.
Neither looked away.
Seconds passed.
Then more.
The classroom faded around them.
Voices blurred into meaningless noise.
Neither blinked.
Neither moved.
It no longer even mattered what they had originally been thinking about.
The moment their gazes collided, something else entirely took over.
Competition.
Instinct.
Challenge.
Two rivals sitting silently in the same room—
yet somehow making the atmosphere feel heavier than battle itself.
Ironically,
they were no longer looking at the person both cared about most.
They were only looking at each other.
Like whoever broke eye contact first would lose something invisible.
The tension stretched further.
And further.
Until—
"Haaah…"
Elior sighed softly beside them, leaning back lazily in his chair while stretching his arms upward slightly.
The movement broke everything instantly.
Both Kael and Aevrin blinked almost at the same time before looking away naturally, as though nothing had happened at all.
Silence returned to the classroom.
But somewhere beneath it—
the rivalry had quietly deepened.
"..."
Afternoon arrived slowly beneath the warmth of sunlight spilling through the academy windows.
The three of them eventually made their way toward the cafeteria together.
Today, Elior sat across from Kael as usual.
But somehow—
Aevrin ended up beside Kael instead.
An unfortunate arrangement.
At least in Kael's opinion.
The moment they sat down, invisible hostility immediately resumed.
Kael occasionally threw cold glances sideways.
Aevrin returned them just as smoothly.
Neither spoke about it.
Neither intended to stop.
Meanwhile—
Elior continued eating peacefully in complete ignorance, entirely unaware that the atmosphere around him resembled a silent battlefield.
The tension only deepened.
Then suddenly, Elior smiled softly and picked up a piece of chicken before placing it onto Aevrin's plate.
"You should eat properly," he said gently. "Your health still hasn't fully recovered."
Aevrin blinked once.
Then smiled brightly.
Warmly.
Suspiciously victoriously.
"Thank you, Elior."
He ate it immediately while looking directly at Kael with unmistakable satisfaction written across his face.
See?
I won.
Kael's expression darkened instantly.
Elior noticed far too late.
"…Ah."
He awkwardly looked between the two.
Then, panicking slightly, grabbed vegetables from another plate and placed them onto Kael's tray.
"K-Kael… you should eat too. To… get stronger."
The moment the words left his mouth, Elior immediately regretted everything.
His face flushed deeply in embarrassment.
Kael, however, looked down at the vegetables before slowly turning toward Aevrin with a calm expression that practically screamed:
See?
I also received something.
Aevrin clicked his tongue quietly.
"Tsk."
Irritation.
Very visible irritation.
Kael suddenly felt oddly satisfied.
Then—
while reaching for his drink, Aevrin's hand brushed lightly against the inner side of Kael's coat near his pocket.
A tiny touch.
Accidental.
Probably.
But Kael immediately narrowed his eyes.
From morning until now, Aevrin had clearly been curious about whatever Kael was hiding inside that coat pocket.
And not knowing the answer was slowly driving him insane.
Kael noticed it.
Every glance.
Every suspicious look.
Every moment Aevrin tried pretending not to stare.
A slow smirk almost appeared on Kael's lips.
Interesting.
So this mysterious object had somehow become Aevrin's enemy now.
And strangely enough—
watching Aevrin suffer from curiosity was incredibly entertaining.
Kael leaned back slightly in his chair.
Then slowly leaned closer toward Aevrin.
Closer.
Enough that the distance between his lips and Aevrin's ear nearly disappeared.
Exactly like yesterday.
Exactly like the way Aevrin had whispered near him before.
Kael usually disliked unnecessary closeness.
But this?
This was revenge.
And revenge felt wonderful.
His voice dropped lower.
"Aevrin."
The way he said the name was deliberate.
Slow.
Close.
Almost enough to send chills directly down someone's spine.
Then quietly—
"Do you want to know what's inside my pocket?"
Aevrin froze.
Completely.
His body stiffened instantly.
Heat rushed violently across his ears and the edges of his cheeks before he could stop it.
Goosebumps spread unexpectedly along his skin.
His breathing faltered for half a second.
Kael noticed everything.
Every single reaction.
And his satisfaction deepened immediately.
Aevrin pushed him away lightly with visible irritation.
Kael leaned back calmly, clearly amused now.
"What happened?" he asked smoothly. "You get goosebumps just because I said your name?"
Aevrin's expression darkened.
Furious.
Embarrassed.
Humiliated.
And Kael finally understood something important.
Returning what he had suffered yesterday—
felt incredibly satisfying.
Especially when the victim was Aevrin.
Inside, Kael smiled fully for the first time that day.
".."
The awkwardness from lunch somehow survived the entire afternoon.
Classes continued normally on the surface.
Professors taught.
Students listened.
Pages turned quietly beneath the drifting warmth of afternoon light.
Yet beneath that ordinary calm—
something deeply childish had begun between Kael and Aevrin.
And neither intended to stop first.
Aevrin occasionally glanced sideways at Kael during class.
Subtle.
Careful.
Trying not to make it obvious.
But every single time—
Kael noticed.
Of course he noticed.
And every time their eyes nearly met, Kael's lips would curve ever so slightly.
Smug.
Infuriating.
As though he had already won something invisible.
Then finally—
Aevrin looked again.
Just briefly.
Toward the pocket.
Kael leaned back lazily in his chair.
His eyes slid toward Aevrin slowly before a faint smirk appeared.
Then—
without making a sound loud enough for anyone else to hear—
his lips moved.
"Do you want to know what it is?"
No voice.
Barely even breath.
Just words shaped silently for Aevrin alone.
Aevrin's eyes narrowed instantly.
Kael saw it.
And the satisfaction inside him deepened further.
Then Kael tilted his head slightly.
His gaze steady.
Cold.
Victorious.
And this time—
he whispered.
Very softly.
"Aevrin."
The name left his lips in an almost unfairly smooth voice, low enough that no one else in the classroom noticed anything at all.
Only Aevrin did.
Only Aevrin heard it.
And somehow—
that made it worse.
Heat immediately rose again along Aevrin's ears.
His fingers tightened faintly around the pen in his hand.
Kael watched the reaction carefully.
Completely entertained now.
Ah.
So this is how it feels.
Returning the attack.
Watching Aevrin lose composure little by little.
It was unexpectedly enjoyable.
Meanwhile Elior sat between them completely unaware, peacefully taking notes while two emotionally unstable rivals silently fought psychological warfare beside him.
"..."
Evening arrived quietly beneath the fading gold of sunset.
By the time the final class ended, the strange tension between Kael and Aevrin had calmed slightly—
or perhaps merely buried itself deeper beneath silence.
Shortly afterward, the three of them headed toward one of the academy's private magic practice halls.
Normally, students were not permitted inside without supervision.
But after the previous incident and the unusual synchronization ability the three of them shared, the principal had personally granted them permission to train there whenever necessary.
The large practice room was empty when they entered.
Silent.
Wide.
Only the faint glow of magic crystals embedded along the walls illuminated the hall softly.
Kael walked toward the center table and carefully placed the old book down.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
The playful rivalry from earlier faded little by little.
Because now—
they had returned to the reason the three of them were connected in the first place.
Combat synchronization.
Power resonance.
And whatever mysterious force continued binding their abilities together.
Elior stared uncertainly at the open pages.
"…How exactly are we supposed to practice this?"
Kael flipped through several marked sections calmly.
"I read through most of it earlier," he said. "The book explains where our previous synchronization failed."
Aevrin stepped closer as well.
For now, whatever irritation still lingered between him and Kael remained hidden beneath his usual composed expression.
Surprisingly—
the three of them began discussing things almost normally.
Like friends.
Or perhaps something dangerously close to becoming one.
Kael's fingers paused over one particular page.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"The problem was never our ability to synchronize."
Elior blinked.
"…Then what is it?"
Kael leaned lightly against the table.
"Our power stabilizes properly," he explained. "We can combine magic. We can maintain balance."
Aevrin crossed his arms nearby.
"But every time we try pushing beyond that point," he continued calmly, "everything stops progressing."
Neither failure.
Nor success.
Simply—
stagnation.
Like their synchronization reached a wall it could not pass.
Elior frowned faintly while listening.
"…So we're missing something?"
Silence settled briefly.
Then Kael tapped lightly against a faded section of text inside the book.
"…Synchronization isn't only about connecting magic."
Aevrin's eyes narrowed slightly as he read beside him.
The old writing was worn with age, yet still understandable.
Three forces acting separately will only overlap.
Three forces understanding one another will resonate.
The room grew quieter.
Elior tilted his head slightly.
"…I don't understand."
This time, neither Kael nor Aevrin looked irritated.
Instead, Kael thought carefully before explaining.
"When we fight," he said slowly, "we still think individually first."
Aevrin immediately understood what Kael meant.
"And only afterward do we adjust to each other."
Kael nodded once.
"That delay creates conflict inside the flow of synchronization."
Elior's expression tightened faintly in concentration.
So Kael explained further.
"Our emotions synchronize naturally," he said. "That's why our powers connect so easily."
"But combat doesn't rely only on emotion," Aevrin added calmly. "It relies on prediction."
Kael continued naturally from there.
"We still don't fully understand how each other thinks during battle."
Aevrin glanced toward Elior.
"You react defensively first."
Then toward Kael.
"He attacks directly."
Finally toward himself.
"And I control positioning and flow."
Elior looked between them slowly.
"…So even if our magic connects… our decisions still clash?"
"Exactly," Kael answered immediately.
Aevrin leaned slightly against the table.
"We synchronize power," he said quietly. "But not intent."
That sentence settled heavily in the room.
And suddenly—
everything became clearer.
Their abilities were not failing because they lacked strength.
Nor because they lacked control.
The problem was understanding.
Instinct.
Reaction.
Theoretical combat awareness.
They could feel each other emotionally.
But they still could not predict one another naturally in battle.
Elior lowered his gaze toward the book again.
"…So before fighting together," he murmured softly, "we first need to understand how each of us moves."
Kael nodded faintly.
For the first time that evening, the tension inside the room eased slightly.
Not because they had solved the problem completely—
but because they had finally discovered the wall standing in front of them.
And somehow,
that alone felt like progress.
The old book remained open beneath the crystal light silently watching over the three of them.
As though it had been waiting all along for them to reach this understanding together.
— by Aurea;"Revenge becomes dangerously satisfying
when the person suffering is the one who taught you how to tease in the first place."