The door to the Principal's office closed with a soft but decisive click.
Sophia Irene remained standing in the hallway, staring at the wood grain as if it might rearrange itself into answers. The image of the Grand Orb turning pitch black was burned into her retinas.
Arion stood beside her, hands tucked casually into his pockets, looking as bored as he did when he shattered the records five years ago.
"So," he said after a moment, tilting his head slightly. "What's now?"
Sophia did not respond immediately. Her thoughts were still inside the room. The darkness. The way the light had disappeared instead of glowing. And the way the Principal had looked at her with pure terror.
He is under your responsibility.
She exhaled slowly.
"Now," she said flatly. "You eat lunch."
Arion blinked. "That's anticlimactic."
"Most administrative disasters are."
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The bell rang through the corridor, echoing down the stone hallways. Doors opened. Students poured out in waves of chatter and polished shoes.
Sophia straightened instinctively. The lazy slouch she usually wore vanished, replaced by a rigid mask of authority.
"Walk," she said.
He followed at her side without question.
At first, no one noticed. Then, someone did.
A tall second-year nudged his friend as they passed.
"Isn't that him?"
"The last-ranked one?"
"The old guy. The one who failed five times."
"He's not that old."
"He's twenty-two."
"That's ancient."
Their eyes shifted between Arion and Sophia.
"Why is he with her?"
"Didn't he choose her yesterday?"
"Yeah. She had zero students."
"Then why would he pick her?"
Arion seemed blissfully unaware, studying the ceiling vaults as they descended the staircase.
"I like the stonework here," he murmured. "Very symmetrical."
Sophia, on the other hand, felt the air shift. Not hostile. Just attentive. She kept her expression neutral. Professional.
They entered the cafeteria together.
The noise didn't stop. But it changed. It was like a conversation adjusting its volume without fully dying.
Rows of long wooden tables filled the hall. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, catching silver and gold insignias stitched onto noble blazers. Servants moved between tables delivering plated meals to certain students who clearly had never carried their own trays.
Arion looked around with mild curiosity. "It smells expensive."
"That is cheese," Sophia replied.
She hesitated near the faculty table. If she separated now, it would look deliberate. If she stayed—it would also look deliberate.
She chose efficiency. She turned toward a side table instead.
The students noticed.
They sat across from one another. A reasonable distance apart. Technically appropriate. Visually questionable.
Arion reached for the water pitcher. His sleeve shifted.
The silver ring on his finger caught the sunlight.
A girl two tables away stiffened.
"…Is that a vow-band?"
Her friend leaned closer. "Where?"
"On his hand. The left one."
"That's not academy standard."
"It looks like a magical binding design."
"Binding with who?"
Across the hall, Exousia Ignis paused mid-step, her tray hovering slightly above the table as her sharp eyes locked onto the same glint of silver.
Arion poured water casually, unaware that he was igniting a scandal.
Sophia noticed the stares first. Then she followed their gaze.
The ring.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Since when do you wear jewelry?"
He glanced at his hand. "Oh. This?"
"Yes. That."
"It was a gift."
"From who?"
"My master."
She paused, her fork hovering over her salad. "You had a previous master?"
"Of course."
Her fingers folded neatly on the table. "Male?"
"No."
A beat.
"How old?"
He shrugged. "Ancient."
The word lingered longer than it should have.
Sophia looked down at the ring again. It was simple. Silver. A smooth band. But to her trained eyes, the mana signature was dense. Subtle. Controlled. It wasn't decorative. It was a limiter. Or a tracker. Or a promise.
Across the cafeteria, whispers sharpened into distinct theories.
"He chose her, didn't he?"
"Yeah. Yesterday. He said he wanted 'private lessons'."
"And now he's wearing that?"
"You think—?"
"I'm not saying anything."
"But you're thinking it."
Exousia set her tray down slowly without breaking eye contact with the table where Arion and Sophia sat. The fork in her hand began to glow red hot.
Arion took a sip of water. "So when do we start training?"
Sophia looked up at him sharply. "We are not training in my office."
"Why not? It has a nice couch."
"Because," she said evenly, "visibility matters."
He blinked. "We're just eating."
"Yes."
"And?"
"And you are already attracting attention."
He glanced around finally, noticing the sideways looks.
"Oh." A small smile tugged at his mouth. "Is it because I'm handsome?"
Her eye twitched.
"It is because you are a twenty-two-year-old first-year student who publicly chose a teacher with no other students and are now sitting with her during lunch while wearing a suspicious ring."
He considered that. "…When you say it like that, it does sound dramatic."
Across the room, the whisper traveled fully formed now: He chose her. He wears a vow-band. They're eating together.
Sophia rose from her seat. She couldn't take the atmosphere anymore.
"Finish quickly."
"Why?"
"We will train outside."
He stood as well, adjusting his sleeve. The silver ring caught the light again. And this time, half the cafeteria saw it.
By the time they walked toward the doors, the rumor no longer needed evidence. It had shape. And it was only the first day.
The "Outside" turned out to be a secluded grassy field behind the main colosseum. It was quiet, far from the prying eyes of the nobles, but close enough to the forest edge to feel isolated.
Sophia stopped and turned to face him. She didn't look lazy anymore.
"Arion."
"Yes, Master?"
"Don't call me that. It sounds weird now."
"Yes, Teacher Sophia."
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "The Orb turned black. Do you know what that means?"
"That I won?"
"No. It means your magic is either non-existent, which is impossible because I saw you use Porta, or it is something... else. Something the Academy can't categorize."
She raised her hand. A small flame ignited on her palm, swirling into a concentrated sphere.
"I need to see your reflexes. I need to see how your mana reacts to a threat. The entrance exam dummies don't fight back. I do."
Arion took a step back, raising his hands. "Whoa. Are we fighting? I just ate cheese."
"Defend yourself!"
She didn't wait. She flicked her wrist.
Fwoosh.
The fireball launched at him. It wasn't lethal, but it was fast—fast enough to singe eyebrows.
Arion didn't chant. He didn't draw a circle. He simply... stepped.
He shifted his weight to the left. The fireball whizzed past his right ear, close enough that he could feel the heat.
"Too slow," he muttered.
"Excuse me?" Sophia's eyebrow twitched.
She fired two more. Left. Right.
Arion swayed. He moved with the minimum effort required, like a leaf dodging raindrops. He didn't use a barrier. He didn't use a counter-spell. He just used physics and terrifyingly calm footwork.
"Is this the power of a prodigy?" Arion teased, checking his fingernails. "I expected more."
"Oh, you want more?"
Sophia smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. It was the smile of a twenty-one-year-old genius who had been insulted.
She raised both hands. The air around them began to heat up.
"Inferno Step."
She vanished.
Arion's eyes widened slightly. Speed magic?
She reappeared instantly behind him, her leg wreathed in flame, aiming a kick at his head.
It was a physical attack enhanced with magic. A Battle-Mage technique.
Arion didn't have time to dodge.
CLANG.
A metallic sound rang out through the field.
Sophia's flaming shin had connected... with Arion's arm.
He had blocked it. His forearm was raised, covered in the sleeve of his blazer. But the blazer wasn't burning.
Sophia hopped back, landing gracefully. She stared at his arm.
"You reinforced your skin with mana," she noted, her eyes narrowing. "Instantly. Without a chant."
"I drink a lot of milk," Arion said, shaking his arm out. "Strong bones."
"Liar."
She looked at him. Really looked at him. The orb was black because it couldn't read him. But she could read the fight. He wasn't struggling. He was holding back.
"Who trained you, Arion?" she asked softly.
Arion touched the silver ring on his finger. His expression softened for a split second.
"A terrifying woman," he said. "Much scarier than you."
Sophia opened her mouth to retort, but a rustle in the bushes interrupted them.
"I KNEW IT!"
Arion and Sophia both turned.
Bursting from the shrubbery like an angry badger was Exousia Ignis. Leaves were stuck in her hair.
Behind her, Sebastian Ambrose emerged, looking apologetic and dusting dirt off his pristine uniform.
"Exousia, please," Sebastian pleaded. "We are interrupting their private time."
"PRIVATE TIME?!" Exousia shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at Arion.
"I saw it! I saw you two dancing! He was whispering in your ear! And now you are breathless!"
Sophia looked at Arion. Arion looked at Sophia.
They were both sweating slightly from the spar. Sophia was flushed from using magic. Arion was adjusting his clothes.
"This looks bad," Arion noted.
"YOU!" Exousia marched up to Arion, grabbing his collar. "You have a vow-band! You have a secret teacher! And now you are doing... doing... physical activities in the woods!"
"It's called training," Arion said, lifting his hands. "Personal space, kid."
"Don't lie to me!" She glared at the ring. "Is she the one? Is this lazy woman your fiancée?!"
Sophia choked on air. "FIANCÉE?!"
"I am nobody's fiancée!" Sophia yelled, her dignity crumbling. "I am his teacher!"
"Then why does he have a ring?!" Exousia demanded.
"I don't know! Ask him!"
All three of them turned to Arion.
Arion looked at the ring. He remembered the Old Hag's words: Don't you dare take it off..
He sighed.
"It's a promise ring," Arion said solemnly.
"A PROMISE RING?!" Exousia and Sophia screamed in unison.
"Yes. I promised not to die."
"THAT MAKES NO SENSE!"
Arion laughed, dodging Exousia's attempt to stomp on his foot.
"Welcome to the Academy," he said, looking at the chaotic group—a screaming noble, a confused genius, and a blushing fanboy.
He smiled.
"I think I'm going to like it here."