The Silverstaff Institute Arc
Episode 7: Trixie, Aria, and the Forged Devil
February 28th, NE 567
"Two hundred and twenty-two… two hundred and twenty-three… two hundred and twenty-four…"
Amani Roya sat cross-legged on the floor of her room with her eyes closed.
"Two hundred and twenty-five… two hundred and twenty-six…"
She breathed slowly.
Her hands rested upon her knees.
The room was silent except for the ticking of the clock and the soft rhythm of her counting.
Meditation was supposed to clear the mind.
That was what every book claimed.
Amani was beginning to suspect every book had been written by people who possessed significantly fewer problems.
The previous day had been exhausting.
Her father had discovered where she was hiding.
Cyprus had arrived to drag her back to Oceania.
Yin had nearly beaten several students beyond recovery while something whispered inside his mind.
The Silverstaff Institute had questioned Amani for hours about the missing students, forcing her to redirect suspicion away from Yin without making herself look involved.
Then she spent half the night wondering whether her closest friend was becoming something neither of them understood.
"Eight hundred and sixty-eight… eight hundred and sixty-nine… eight hundred and…"
The memory of Yin's blood-covered hands returned.
His terrified expression.
The black portal beneath the bodies.
Amani's concentration shattered.
"Damn it!"
She struck the side of her head with one hand.
A sharp headache immediately punished her for the decision.
"That was stupid."
Amani opened her eyes.
Morning light spilled through the window.
She glanced toward the clock and decided there was no point remaining in the room.
She needed coffee.
Preferably frozen.
Preferably strong enough to make consciousness negotiable.
Amani changed into casual clothes without paying much attention to appearances. She wore a loose jacket, dark trousers, and comfortable shoes rather than anything that announced her noble status.
Before leaving, her eyes moved toward a small notepad resting on the counter.
She hesitated.
Then slipped it into her pocket.
An Early Morning Café
The streets of Rize were nearly empty.
Most students were still asleep, while shopkeepers had only begun opening their stores.
Amani walked toward a small café not far from Silverstaff.
The place was quiet, warm, and smelled of roasted beans.
Perfect.
She ordered a frozen coffee and selected a booth with cushioned seats and a dark wooden table.
After settling down, Amani closed her eyes again.
This time, she did not count.
She focused on nothing.
Not Yin.
Not Cyprus.
Not the school.
Not the pressure inside her own mind.
The noise around her faded.
Her breathing slowed.
Darkness formed behind her eyes.
For several peaceful seconds, Amani's consciousness became an empty space.
No thoughts.
No foreign memories.
No voices stored through Täuschung.
Only stillness.
Then the darkness changed.
Amani opened her eyes.
She was no longer inside the café.
She stood upon a vast stone platform beneath a colorless sky.
Behind her was a cliff.
Below it rested another platform, similar to the one beneath her feet, though smaller and much farther away.
In front of her stood a wall.
No.
A boundary.
It rose so high that she could not see its end. Its surface disappeared into an impossible distance above her, dividing the empty world in two.
Amani slowly approached it.
"What is this?"
This was not her usual mental space.
She understood the architecture of her own mind. Memories appeared as rooms. Foreign thoughts gathered like books waiting to be sorted. Damaged sections felt like broken glass beneath water.
This place was different.
It resembled a staircase where every step had been replaced by an entire world.
The platform behind her was reachable.
The wall ahead was not.
She sensed something beyond it.
A greater level of consciousness.
More space.
More knowledge.
Perhaps another stage of her mind abilities.
But the moment she imagined climbing it, pain rippled through her skull.
Amani pressed one hand against her temple.
"Merely attempting it causes strain."
She studied the impossible structure.
Her mind had created a limit.
Or discovered one.
Amani lifted her hand toward the wall.
Her fingertips came within an inch of touching it.
"Ma'am!"
The world shattered.
Amani's eyes opened.
A café employee stood beside the table, visibly annoyed.
"This isn't a place to sleep. Don't you have school?"
Amani blinked.
She looked toward the clock.
"Six-thirty?!"
Two hours had passed.
The employee crossed his arms.
Amani immediately stood.
"Sorry."
She placed several coins on the table.
"For the coffee and the inconvenience."
Then she hurried outside.
A Brief Detour
Amani raced through the streets toward Silverstaff Institute.
She still had time, but not much.
As she turned a corner, she saw one man forcing another against a wall.
Magic surrounded the attacker's hand, pinning the frightened boy in place.
"Give me everything."
"I don't have anything else!"
"Then I'll take the bag."
Amani slowed.
She checked the time.
Then stared at the criminal.
"Why do people insist on creating problems before breakfast?"
She slammed one foot into the ground, stopping immediately.
Amani removed the notepad from her pocket and threw it into the air.
"Transport koordinieren."
Spatial light surrounded the notebook.
The mugger vanished from beside the victim.
At the same instant, the notepad appeared where the mugger had been standing.
The criminal reappeared directly beside Amani.
"What the—"
She grabbed his shirt.
Then slammed him into the street.
BOOM!
Nearby lamps flickered out from the impact.
The criminal lost consciousness immediately.
Amani stared at the cracked stone.
She sighed.
"More property damage."
She checked the victim for injuries, dragged the mugger away from the road, paid a nearby shopkeeper for the broken lights, recovered her notepad, and resumed running.
"Hopefully the teachers consider attempted civic responsibility a valid excuse."
A Star at Silverstaff
When Amani reached the Institute square, she found an enormous crowd blocking the entrance.
Students gathered around the center courtyard.
Several instructors stood nearby, though none appeared interested in dispersing them.
Amani stopped.
"What happened now?"
Music drifted over the crowd.
At its center stood a girl with thick, curly hair dyed in bright shades of blue and purple. She wore a colorful dress rather than the standard Silverstaff uniform.
Multicolored lights floated around her.
A porcelain teacup rested gracefully in one hand.
"Besties, it's me!"
Her voice carried across the courtyard.
The gathered students cheered.
The girl raised her cup.
"Care for some tea?"
Amani stared.
One person had turned the entire entrance plaza into a festival.
She pushed closer and examined the girl's face.
"Why does she look familiar?"
A student beside her looked shocked.
"You don't know?"
"No."
"That's Trixie."
Amani waited.
The student stared.
"The pop idol."
"Right."
"She's famous across half the continent."
"I spend most of my time reading philosophy and stopping my friends from injuring themselves."
The student nodded as if that somehow explained everything.
"She's apparently attending Silverstaff now."
Amani looked back toward Trixie.
"An idol at school."
She could understand the crowd now.
Most importantly, every teacher was distracted.
Amani casually slipped around the outer edge.
Technically, I arrived while nobody was taking attendance.
That counted as being on time.
Probably.
Trixie continued humming as she selected a random student from the crowd.
She took the stunned boy's hand and raised his arm.
Then she twirled beneath it without spilling a single drop of tea.
When she released him, the student remained frozen in awe.
Trixie looked toward the entrance.
Her sparkling eyes settled directly upon Amani.
Amani felt the attention immediately.
She turned.
Trixie was staring at her.
Amani awkwardly lifted one hand.
"Uh…"
She cleared her throat.
"Hello. Your performance was excellent, Miss Trixie."
Trixie laughed sweetly.
"There's no need for 'Miss.' Trixie is fine."
She adjusted the pink messenger bag filled with schoolbooks resting across her shoulder.
"We attend the same Institute now. That doesn't place either of us above the other."
Amani's interest sharpened.
"And thank you," Trixie added. "You're very kind."
She turned away from the crowd and walked toward the school entrance.
Amani quickly followed.
"You're genuinely studying here?"
"Yep!"
"I assumed idols had schedules packed with performances, interviews, and public appearances."
"They do."
"Doesn't that become stressful?"
Trixie smiled.
"It would be a shame not to receive a proper education."
She raised one finger.
"School is my priority. Everything else is arranged around it."
"That sounds impossibly organized."
"If the schedule is prepared correctly, there should be no stress."
Trixie paused.
"Assuming everything behaves."
Amani nodded.
"So the actual problem is reality."
"Exactly."
"A friend once told me to expect the unexpected."
Trixie tilted her head.
"But the unexpected cannot be expected."
"That's what I told him."
Amani became more animated.
"The most anyone can do is reduce the probability of disruption. Stress cannot be completely contained because unknown variables always exist."
Trixie listened closely.
Amani continued.
"Still, valuing education despite your public position is admirable. Many people with status forget how important learning is once everyone starts praising them."
Trixie placed both hands on her hips.
"It can be painful, but it's a necessary evil."
"You have some wise friends," she added. "Keep them close."
Amani almost laughed.
"Wise may be generous."
Yin and Wander Arrive
"Amani!"
A familiar voice called from behind them.
Yin jogged across the courtyard.
His long red-and-black hair was tied back, but everything else about him appeared to have lost a fight with the earth.
Dirt covered his face.
His clothes were torn.
Several pieces of grass remained stuck to his coat.
Despite this, Yin wore an enormous grin.
Amani stared.
"What happened to you?"
"Training."
"You look like you were buried."
"That was part of the training."
"You cannot attend class like this!"
She rushed toward him and began brushing dirt from his clothing.
"Have you never heard of basic decency?"
Yin laughed.
"As long as I'm here, it's fine."
"It is not fine."
Trixie stood nearby with a handkerchief prepared.
After watching Amani attack the dirt personally, she slowly lowered it.
Another voice called from across the courtyard.
"I was looking for you two!"
Wander approached.
He was on fire.
Not surrounded by fire.
Physically on fire.
His shirt was missing, his trousers were singed, and several tears crossed his remaining clothing. Smoke drifted from his messy black hair.
Amani stopped cleaning Yin.
Her eyes moved toward Wander.
Then back toward Trixie.
"Still think my friends are wise?"
Trixie offered an awkward smile.
"Everyone has difficult mornings."
Yin's eye twitched.
He flicked the back of Amani's head.
"Ow."
"I'll see you later."
Yin walked away.
Wander noticed and began following.
"I should leave before another crowd forms."
He started jogging.
"Oi, wait!"
Yin ignored him.
He approached a random student near the hall.
"Excuse me. Can you point me toward the library?"
The student looked at Yin's dirty appearance.
Then laughed and walked away.
Yin stared after him.
"Alright."
He continued toward the southeastern section of the Institute.
"I'll find it myself."
Amani watched both boys vanish.
She sighed.
"Sorry. They can become difficult."
Trixie rubbed the back of her neck.
"I believe we were discussing strange friends."
A brief silence formed between them.
Then Trixie's expression changed.
She looked toward the students still gathered outside.
"This may sound odd."
Amani waited.
"Do you think I fit here?"
The question surprised her.
Trixie's smile remained, but it had lost some of its brightness.
Amani considered her answer.
"That depends on what you mean by fitting in."
Trixie looked toward her.
"People usually define it as belonging within a group or place," Amani explained. "But belonging has several meanings."
She raised one finger.
"You may belong because you are similar to everyone around you."
A second.
"You may belong because the place needs you. A school needs students and teachers, so both belong within it."
A third.
"But the most important form of belonging comes from whether you believe you should be there."
Trixie remained quiet.
"Self-confidence does not automatically erase rejection," Amani continued. "But it prevents other people from deciding your entire place in the world."
She looked directly at the idol.
"So the actual question isn't whether everyone here believes you fit."
Amani smiled.
"Do you want to belong here?"
Trixie's expression softened.
Ren Sato's Classroom
Ren Sato slept with his head resting between his crossed arms.
The desk was cold against his skin.
Students rushed into the classroom as the lesson began, yet Ren barely noticed.
He had slept inside Silverstaff again.
The headmaster allowed it because of his unusual living circumstances, though Ren knew it was hardly permanent.
He needed to find somewhere else eventually.
His instructor continued speaking.
Ren heard almost none of it.
Yesterday's confrontation with Wander returned to his thoughts.
He had attacked someone based on the words of students who manipulated him.
The mistake bothered him more than the damaged hallway.
Ren had already begun creating rules for himself.
Never use destruction directly against another person.
Never act without reliable information.
The second rule should have been obvious.
Unfortunately, loneliness had made him eager to believe someone genuinely needed him.
Ren's thoughts drifted.
Then darkness pulled him into sleep.
"Kill him, Ren!"
A voice screamed from the past.
"What a waste of power!"
"Not even capable of destroying a worthless insect!"
"Do it!"
Ren remained frozen.
"DO IT!"
His hands trembled.
"No."
The figure before him raised a weapon.
"You are nothing but defective energy!"
Ren closed his eyes.
Shut up.
"Ren."
His eyes opened.
"Ren!"
His teacher, Ms. Locke, stood at the front with visible irritation.
Her green eyes looked almost red beneath the classroom lights.
Ren lifted his head.
"Here."
"Would you care to answer?"
He looked toward the board.
He had no idea what the question was.
"What was the question?"
No one laughed.
Most students avoided drawing attention to him.
Ms. Locke sighed.
"Explain why certain magical abilities can be associated with phenomena that do not naturally exist."
Ren straightened slightly.
That was easy.
"Magic in its pure form is noncorporeal."
The instructor waited.
"It does not originate as material within the physical world," Ren continued. "It manifests through will, interpretation, and authority. Therefore, magic can imitate or create phenomena that natural matter never produced."
Ms. Locke nodded.
"Correct."
Ren lowered his head again.
At least he managed that.
Aria Cecelia
Because Ren attended fewer classes than most students, he received several free periods throughout the day.
He used them to wander the Institute or speak with upperclassmen skipping lessons.
As he crossed one hallway, a girl rushed toward him.
"Hey!"
Ren stopped.
She had pale skin, long pink hair, and clothing that ignored every part of Silverstaff's uniform code. Her eyes sparkled with almost dangerous excitement.
"You're Ren Sato, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you need assistance?" Ren asked.
"Not exactly."
She clasped her hands.
"I watched you during the middle-school tournament."
Ren's expression changed.
"You were incredible."
"I forfeited."
"That's what made it incredible."
The girl leaned closer.
"You possessed the power to destroy your opponent's body, but when territorial attacks failed, you surrendered instead."
Ren became wary.
"I cannot use my abilities on living people."
The girl laughed.
"Yes, you can."
Ren froze.
She pointed toward her eyes.
"My magic allows me to see the limits of abilities."
Ren had never considered that someone might identify what he deliberately concealed.
"I see."
He shifted uncomfortably.
"Thank you for the compliment. You said you needed something?"
The girl brightened.
"I'm creating a band club."
Ren stared.
That was not what he expected.
"My voice doesn't reach many people here," she explained. "Nobody takes me seriously. But if someone like you helped advertise it, people might listen."
Ren looked behind her.
No hidden students.
No obvious trap.
Only a girl asking for help with music.
"First, what is your name?"
She slapped one hand against her forehead.
"I forgot!"
She held out her hand.
"Aria Cecelia. My friends call me Ari."
Ren accepted the handshake.
"Ren."
"I know."
"Right."
He released her hand.
"I would be willing to help. I was interested in music as a child."
Aria's eyes lit up.
"Awesome!"
She began jumping in place.
"Can we start now?"
"I have free time."
Aria removed an enormous planner from her bag.
Ren stared at its size.
He had no idea how it fit inside.
She opened it.
"Step one: instruments."
"Shouldn't members come before equipment?"
"I haven't had anyone to practice with."
Aria grinned.
"I want to make sure we synchronize."
Ren considered the logic.
It was unusual.
Not entirely wrong.
"I cannot leave Institute grounds during working hours."
Aria nodded rapidly.
"Then meet me at the music shop after school."
Before Ren could respond, she ran away.
He watched her disappear around the corner.
"She has excessive energy."
Still, Ren had plans after school for the first time in years.
Training with Headmaster Mei
Elsewhere in Silverstaff, Yin trained beneath the personal supervision of Headmaster Raiden Mei.
Their swords collided across a private training hall.
Yin swung from the left.
Mei blocked.
He changed into a horizontal slash.
She stepped beneath it.
Yin reversed direction.
Mei rotated completely and struck the side of his head with the flat of her blade.
THUNK!
Yin hit the ground.
"Stop forcing every attack," Mei told him.
He groaned.
"If you commit too much…"
She rested the sword against her shoulder.
"…you leave yourself open."
Yin pushed himself upright.
"I guess I lost again."
"You have lost fourteen times."
"Thank you for counting."
He stood.
His legs trembled.
Then they gave out.
Mei moved toward him.
"Yin!"
The world disappeared before she reached him.
Yin opened his eyes.
He stood inside the Pendragon Kingdom.
The streets were empty.
No dragons crossed the sky.
No citizens moved between the buildings.
A nearby house had been destroyed.
Its cellar door remained open.
Yin stared.
"That wasn't there before."
He entered.
Stone stairs descended into darkness.
His enhanced senses found nothing.
No scent.
No aura.
No heartbeat.
At the bottom waited another door.
Yin kicked it open.
Only darkness existed beyond it.
He stepped inside.
Nothing happened.
"This is pointless."
He turned to leave.
Breathing came from behind him.
Slow.
Deep.
Too large to belong to anything human.
Yin froze.
He could not smell a dragon.
He could not sense a creature.
Still, the breathing continued.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
He turned.
A massive blue eye opened directly before him.
Yin screamed.
He awoke inside the Silverstaff infirmary.
His entire body jerked upward.
"AH!"
The scream echoed through the room.
A brown-haired nurse stood beside the bed holding a clipboard.
She did not flinch.
"The Pendragon finally woke up."
Yin breathed heavily.
Bandages covered parts of his face and arms.
He looked around.
"What happened?"
"You collapsed during training."
The nurse wrote something.
"Headmaster Mei carried you here."
Yin placed one hand against his chest.
The enormous eye remained vivid inside his memory.
Mei knew something about him.
He was certain now.
The question was how much.
Wander Gets Lost Again
Wander Nozu had somehow left school grounds.
He did not realize this until he reached the middle of Rize City.
"Whoops."
He turned around.
"The Institute should be this way."
Several minutes later, he arrived at the same intersection.
Wander frowned.
"Fine."
He selected another road.
That road led him into a marketplace.
The next brought him beside a canal.
The one after that returned him to the original intersection.
Wander stared at the street.
"Someone designed this city incorrectly."
A robed figure passed behind him.
Wander stopped.
The atmosphere changed.
The crowded city suddenly felt empty.
Voices disappeared.
Footsteps faded.
Only one presence remained.
A threat.
Wander turned quickly.
Nothing unusual stood behind him.
Clouds began covering the sun, darkening the street.
"I know something was there."
He remained alert while continuing to search for the Institute.
Eventually, he found a religious site.
A white church stood between several old buildings.
Wander remembered seeing students wear symbols similar to the cross above its doors.
Perhaps someone inside could offer directions.
Before he knocked, the door opened.
A priest stepped outside.
He wore white robes lined in gold.
The cross around his neck matched the emblem above the church.
Then Wander sensed the man's aura.
It was enormous.
Greater than Amani's.
Cold despite its connection to light.
The priest smiled.
"Welcome, child."
His gaze felt as though it pierced directly through Wander's body.
"Do you require assistance?"
Wander's instincts screamed at him to leave.
"Y-Yeah."
His voice came out weaker than intended.
"I'm lost."
"Then come inside."
The priest stepped aside.
"You can explain what confuses you about our city."
Wander wanted to refuse.
Fear made the decision for him.
He entered.
"I get lost frequently."
The priest walked ahead.
"So I can see."
Wander kept his markings covered.
The church was larger inside than it appeared from the street.
Rows of seats faced an altar made from polished white stone.
The priest continued deeper.
"I would be delighted to help."
He pointed toward a dark side chamber.
"But I require assistance first."
Wander looked toward it.
"Could you repair the lights inside, Wander?"
Wander stopped.
Every muscle tightened.
"I never told you my name."
A beam of light erupted from the priest's hand.
Wander rolled aside.
The attack burned through the floor.
His arms transformed.
Skin became black like forged coal.
Orange cracks glowed beneath the surface.
"I don't know who you are."
Wander lowered his stance.
"But I'm guessing I don't leave without a fight."
The priest laughed.
"My mistake."
He removed a spellbook from his robes.
"Still, nothing a little cleaning cannot solve."
A massive sword of light appeared above him.
It was nearly the size of a pillar.
The blade swung.
Wander barely avoided it.
The edge tore through his clothes and exposed the orange markings across his body.
He slammed one hand against the floor.
Metal Knight Art: Tenpira Crash!
Pillars of magma and rock erupted throughout the church.
They flew toward the priest.
A sphere of photon light formed around him.
Several pillars shattered against the barrier.
Others penetrated it.
Molten debris struck his body and threw him backward.
The priest stared at Wander's markings.
"What are you?"
Wander rushed forward.
The priest condensed the surrounding light into a sphere upon one finger.
"You believe yourself powerful?"
The energy became blinding.
"This attack surpasses ordinary universal speed."
Wander continued advancing.
"Even I cannot follow it once released."
The priest aimed.
"It carries heat beyond your precious magma."
Wander leapt.
"Then I'll stop you before you fire!"
The priest released the beam.
It struck Wander's leg.
Flesh vanished beneath the light.
Wander's fist still reached him.
BOOM!
The priest flew into rows of chairs.
He coughed and looked toward Wander's regenerating leg.
"That speed…"
His eyes widened.
"The markings."
Magma dripped from Wander's wound as new flesh formed.
"No."
The priest's face filled with horror.
"An Alloyed Devil."
Wander stopped.
"What did you call me?"
His voice became quiet.
The orange markings brightened.
He approached slowly.
Each footprint melted the floor.
The priest pushed himself backward.
Wander's fist returned to normal.
"Say it again."
Fear and hatred twisted across the priest's face.
"ALLOYED DEVIL!"
He raised his hand.
"Your race should have remained extinct!"
A sun-hot laser struck Wander directly in the face.
Part of his head disappeared.
His body stopped.
The priest began laughing nervously.
Then magma flowed across the missing section.
Bone reformed.
Flesh followed.
Wander's face returned.
"Is that all?"
His voice carried none of its usual childishness.
"To think you had me worried."
The priest unleashed spell after spell.
Light spears.
Explosions.
Burning chains.
Wander walked through all of them.
"Do you know why none of this works?"
The priest continued retreating.
Wander towered above him.
"Legend says my people were forged in the greatest heat."
He raised one molten fist.
"That's why we were called the Forged."
The priest's fear became rage.
"It did not save your race!"
Wander froze.
The priest saw the reaction and continued.
"Explain how your precious Forged were exterminated!"
Wander struck him.
The priest's head snapped sideways.
Then another punch landed.
And another.
The blows grew heavier.
Blood splattered across the church floor.
The priest's jaw broke.
His consciousness began fading.
Wander raised his fist again.
Then stopped.
He grabbed the priest by the robes and threw him onto the floor.
"You know what I am."
The priest trembled.
"So listen carefully."
Wander turned toward the doors.
"If you harm my friends…"
He looked back over his shoulder.
Orange light burned through the darkness.
"…I will feed you your own heart."
The priest went still.
"This is your first warning."
Wander opened the doors.
"And your last."
He left the church.
The doors slammed behind him, shaking the entire building.
Yin's Research
Later, Yin sat inside the Silverstaff library.
Books surrounded him.
Some covered cosmology.
Others discussed ancient dragons, world-lines, and forgotten realms.
Yin read one passage several times.
Eolorial had not always possessed its current size.
According to the text, the gods expanded the world until it became forty times larger than its original form.
The expansion created or exposed connected realms.
The Void.
Heaven.
Hell.
The World-Line Sea.
The Multiversal Plate.
And countless others.
Yin turned the page.
"The Ancient Dragon Realm remains connected to Eolorial?"
That contradicted everything Leon taught him.
His father claimed Tiamat destroyed or severed the realm long ago.
Another section described the Material World.
Every universe contained infinite world-lines, each representing alternate outcomes and timelines.
Death did not always mark the end of a being's existence.
Different realms governed souls, memories, and possibilities after life ended.
Yin leaned back.
"The world is much larger than anyone admits."
His thoughts returned to the Dragon Realm.
If it still existed, perhaps he could train the power of his body without relying upon magic.
Perhaps he could understand the eye within the dream.
Yin closed the book.
"I need to find it."
Ren and Aria's First Practice
After school, Ren left the Institute grounds.
Students still gathered around the perimeter, speaking with friends before returning home.
"Ren!"
Aria waved both arms from outside the gates.
He approached.
"Where is the music shop?"
"I'll show you."
She led him through several streets until they reached a shop named Yamada.
Inside, instruments filled long aisles.
Strings.
Brass.
Woodwinds.
Percussion.
Aria looked around with delight.
"What should I choose?"
"Do you already play something?"
"All of them."
Ren stared.
"All?"
"Most."
"How?"
"I never owned any instruments," Aria explained. "So whenever I could rent one or borrow one from a friend, I learned as much as possible."
She counted on her fingers.
"I have around ninety hours of experience with eighty percent of what's here."
Ren struggled to process that.
"That is not ordinary."
"I get that a lot."
He considered the options.
"You should choose something difficult for most people. That way, future members won't feel pressured to learn it."
Aria nodded.
"Which one is the most difficult?"
"I do not know."
Ren pointed toward the store employee.
"We can ask."
The man behind the counter appeared irritated by the empty shop.
Ren approached.
"Excuse me. Which instrument is commonly considered the most difficult?"
The employee looked at them.
"Why is it always overconfident teenagers trying to learn the hardest instrument first?"
Ren remained calm.
"It is for positional value within a band."
The man's attitude softened slightly.
"In that case, perhaps the oboe."
"Why?"
"It requires constant maintenance and places significant physical demands upon the player."
Ren glanced toward the woodwind section.
"What about the clarinet? Both use reeds."
The man's eyes lit up.
"Not exactly. The oboe also requires stricter pitch control."
He continued explaining.
Ren listened carefully.
By the time the employee finished, his earlier irritation had vanished.
Ren purchased an oboe for Aria.
For himself, he selected a violin.
He gave the employee two additional silver coins before leaving.
Outside, Ren looked toward Aria.
"Where will we practice?"
She froze.
"I planned on using my house."
"You did not ask me."
"I forgot."
Aria lightly knocked the side of her head.
"The garage?"
"That is acceptable."
Her home stood in a secluded neighborhood far from Silverstaff.
Ren looked toward the long road.
"Is traveling to school difficult?"
"Not really."
Aria removed the oboe from its case.
"Walking alone is unpleasant, though."
She adjusted to the instrument quickly.
Far too quickly.
Ren spent much longer attempting to control the violin.
After an hour, his sounds remained rough.
Aria listened.
"You understand the notes."
"Connecting them is the problem."
"You're pressing too hard."
"The strings are stiff."
"That's why you need less force."
She took the violin.
Her bow moved gently.
The sound that emerged matched exactly what Ren had attempted to create.
Aria handed it back.
"The violin is similar to people."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"That is an unusual comparison."
"If you respond to something hard by becoming harder, you may break it."
She tapped one string.
"Pressure is necessary, but too much ruins the sound."
Ren looked at the instrument.
"Do not fight fire with fire."
"Exactly."
He considered her words.
Aria was more thoughtful than her energy suggested.
They continued practicing.
Three hours passed.
Ren eventually collapsed backward onto the garage floor.
The clock read 22:00.
He should leave.
He did not want to.
Ren had never experienced an evening like this.
No fear.
No requests for violence.
No one examining him like a weapon.
Only music.
Mistakes.
Laughter.
"You should probably return," Aria said.
"I should."
Ren packed the violin.
"This was enjoyable."
Aria smiled.
"Come back the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes."
Before leaving, Ren paused.
"I have one question."
"Ask."
"Your ability reveals the limits of magic."
Aria nodded.
"Can you identify the strongest person at Silverstaff?"
She thought carefully.
"Not with complete certainty."
"Why?"
"Some students entered without standard power examinations. Others conceal their abilities."
Aria leaned against the wall.
"Among those I can read, you possess the greatest potential destructive output."
Ren looked surprised.
"But raw output is not everything," she continued. "Several instructors conceal their limits. Mr. Satsuki is one."
"Concealing magic?"
"Probably."
Aria's expression became serious.
"I don't trust him."
"Why?"
"He has met privately with questionable people."
She lowered her voice.
"And there is one student whose power I cannot properly measure."
"An instructor?"
"A girl."
Aria described pitch-black hair and an oppressive aura.
"Even you, capable of destroying a mountain range if you abandoned restraint, are only a fraction of what I sense from her."
Ren remained silent.
"Using my ability on her drains me," Aria continued. "Mr. Satsuki recommended her personally. I have seen them speaking alone."
"Did they notice you listening?"
"I think so."
"That is dangerous."
"I know."
Ren secured the violin case.
"Thank you."
"Be careful."
"I will."
He returned to Silverstaff later that night and slept at his usual desk.
For once, no nightmares disturbed him.
Deep Within Yin's Consciousness
Will Breaker watched everything through Yin's eyes.
His fear.
His questions.
His growing need for answers.
She stood beside the colossal Dragon of Judgment as power slowly moved beneath its scales.
The dreams had pushed Yin toward the ancient realms.
The cruelty of others fed his anger.
Every emotional wound became energy.
Will Breaker smiled.
"Keep searching."
One massive claw shifted within the darkness.
"The truth will lead you exactly where I need you."
A blue eye opened somewhere beyond the sleeping dragon.
Not crimson.
Not its own.
Something else was watching Yin's consciousness.
Will Breaker's smile slowly disappeared.
To Be Continued ➡️