The first week established patterns.
Arthur attended every class, participated when called upon, and demonstrated consistent excellence. He didn't dominate discussions or show off—he simply existed at a level above everyone else, and that was enough. Students gave him space, respect, the wary distance afforded to apex predators.
He spoke to almost no one.
Except during combat training, where he partnered with different students each session, always polite, always instructive, always holding back just enough to not injure but never enough to let them forget the gap.
He never partnered with Silver.
Silver maintained his own patterns—quiet, unremarkable, the powerless transfer student who somehow kept passing classes through written work and theory. He avoided combat demonstrations when possible, took hits when unavoidable, and played the role perfectly.
Ada watched everything, cataloged everything, reported nothing because there was nothing yet to report.
Arthur was waiting.
Mary watched both of them with increasing curiosity.
FRIDAY - ESSENCE THEORY CLASS
"Today we discuss the nature of affinities," Ann-Katrin said, pulling up a display on the classroom board. "Many of you have trained your affinities since childhood, but few understand their fundamental nature."
Silver straightened slightly. This was the lesson Ada had mentioned—the one he'd missed by transferring in late. First-year material, but essential.
"The four great families each embody a primary affinity," Ann-Katrin continued. "Ackerman—darkness. Zopf—flame. Black—cosmic force. Grey—light. These are not random. These affinities represent fundamental forces of reality."
She gestured to the board, where symbols appeared representing each family.
"Darkness is not merely absence of light. It is the primordial void from which all things emerge and to which all things return. It is faster than light because light must travel—darkness simply is when light is not."
Arthur was taking notes, his expression neutral.
"Flame is transformation. Matter becoming energy, form becoming formlessness. The Zopf blue flame burns hot enough to change the fundamental state of materials. It is creation through destruction."
Prince scribbled furiously, probably trying to understand why his flames had been so easily neutralized.
"Cosmic force is natural law made manifest. Gravity, electromagnetism, nuclear forces, entropy—all of creation's binding principles. To master cosmic force is to command the very rules by which reality operates."
Mary's expression was carefully blank, but Silver saw her hand tighten on her pen.
"Light is revelation. Information made tangible. It exposes, illuminates, and defines. But light also blinds, burns, and judges. The Grey family understands that illumination and destruction are two sides of the same principle."
Ann-Katrin paused, letting that sink in.
"True mastery of your affinity requires accepting its complete nature. Not just what you wish it to be, but what it fundamentally is. Many of you possess technical skill but lack philosophical acceptance. This creates a ceiling on your power."
She looked directly at Mary, then at Prince, then swept her gaze across the room.
"To transcend that ceiling, you must accept uncomfortable truths about what you wield."
Silver absorbed every word. Darkness. Primordial void. Faster than light because it doesn't need to travel.
He'd been born in a void. Had absorbed raw nothingness for hours.
Was that why—
"Silver Pendragon."
His head snapped up. Ann-Katrin was looking at him.
"You have no essence signature. But you survived Prince's flames through evasion. Explain your methodology."
The classroom went silent. Every eye turned to him.
Silver kept his voice level. "I watched his attack patterns. Blue flame has a compression phase before release. I moved during that phase, predicting trajectory rather than reacting to impact."
"Logical," Ann-Katrin said. "But insufficient. Prediction alone wouldn't account for your survival rate. You took damage, yes, but you avoided every potentially lethal strike."
Silver said nothing.
"Luck?" Ann-Katrin suggested, her tone neutral. "Or perhaps something else?"
Behind him, Ada's essence flickered. A warning. Don't reveal anything.
"Luck," Silver said. "And good instruction from my maid."
Ann-Katrin held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded. "Ada, was it? She must be quite skilled."
"She is," Silver confirmed.
"Perhaps she should demonstrate for the class sometime. We're always interested in unconventional training methods." Ann-Katrin turned back to the board. "Now, regarding the interaction between affinities..."
The moment passed, but Silver felt Arthur's attention on the back of his neck like a physical weight.
His twin knew he was lying.
Everyone probably knew he was lying.
But proving it was another matter.
LATER - TRAINING GROUNDS
Silver had hoped to slip away after class, but Mary intercepted him in the hallway.
"Silver. A moment."
He stopped, Ada shifting position slightly to keep both Mary and the surrounding area in view.
Mary's dark eyes studied him with unsettling intensity. "That explanation you gave Ann-Katrin. About predicting Prince's attack patterns."
"Yes?"
"It was partially true," Mary said. "But incomplete. I watched that fight. You didn't just predict—you knew. Like you'd fought someone with blue flame techniques before."
Silver kept his expression neutral. "Maybe I have good instincts."
"Maybe." Mary didn't look convinced. "Or maybe you're more trained than you appear. Either way, I wanted to warn you."
"Warn me?"
"Arthur Ackerman has been watching you all week. Not obviously, but consistently. He looks at you the way hunters look at prey they're tracking." Mary's voice dropped. "I don't know why one of the great families would be interested in a powerless transfer student, but I recognize predatory attention when I see it."
Silver processed that. Mary was warning him. Actually trying to help.
"Why tell me?"
"Because attacking someone without essence is disgraceful. I stopped Prince from doing it, and I'll stop Arthur if I need to." Mary's expression hardened. "The four great families are supposed to uphold certain standards. Ackerman or not, I won't stand by and watch him hunt a cripple."
The irony was almost painful. Mary was trying to protect him from his own twin, not knowing that Silver was the one Arthur should be hunting, not knowing that Silver was far from helpless.
"I appreciate the warning," Silver said carefully. "But I can handle myself."
"Can you?" Mary looked skeptical. "Against an Ackerman? Someone who can erase matter with a touch?"
"If it comes to that, I'll manage."
Mary studied him for a long moment, then sighed. "You're either very brave or very foolish. Possibly both." She turned to leave, then paused. "If you need help—real help—find me. I meant what I said. I won't let him hunt you unchallenged."
She walked away before Silver could respond.
Ada stepped closer. "That was unexpected."
"She has a code," Silver murmured. "Honor. Standards. She really won't stand by and watch what she thinks is a massacre."
"Which complicates things. If she interferes during an actual confrontation between you and Arthur..."
"She'll get hurt trying to protect someone who doesn't need protection." Silver's jaw tightened. "We need to avoid that scenario entirely."
"Agreed. Which means maintaining your cover perfectly. No mistakes." Ada's expression was grim. "Arthur is waiting for you to slip. Don't give him the excuse."
Silver nodded.
But as he walked toward his next class, he couldn't shake the feeling that the walls were closing in.