Zarnis stepped into the wide corridor that overlooked the academy's central courtyard. He had barely taken ten steps before he heard it, Books hitting the ground, laughter, a girl's sharp intake of breath.
He looked.
Two older students were shoving someone against the wall, a short girl with choppy red hair and warm brown eyes. Her clothes were plain, her satchel overturned, and thick books scattered across the stone floor. She scrambled to gather them, only for one of the boys to step on a tome with a smirk."What's wrong, commoner? Lose your servant on the way in?"
Zarnis narrowed his eyes.But he didn't move, not yet.
His gaze dropped to the girl's hand.It was trembling, not from fear, from pressure.Raw mana coiled around her palm like smoke before a spark, uncontrolled, instinctive, way too much for someone her age to be using unsupervised.
If she let it go like that...
He stepped forward.Calm, measured, not rushing.
One of the boys turned, "You got a problem, freshman?"
Zarnis didn't answer. He shifted his stance and drove a punch into the boy's ribs. The hit made him stumble, air knocked out.
The second swung hard, catching Zarnis across the head. He dropped to the ground, vision swimming, pain blooming behind his eyes.The first boy raised a foot to stomp him.
Then everything stopped.
An invisible weight crushed the air around them.Both bullies froze mid-step, backs stiffening as if someone had chained their spines to stone. A suffocating force clamped down on the corridor, not magical, not visible, but felt in every bone.
Zarnis knew that sensation.Presence. Not as overwhelming as Aina's, but enough to silence a room. Enough to crush two idiots mid-step.
He turned his head slightly.
A tall girl stood a few steps away, long silver hair tied back, silver eyes sharp and unreadable. She wore tailored dueling armor, immaculate despite the dusty floor, and a noble crest pinned to her collar.Not a mage. A warrior.But one raised in nobility. And unlike the idiots picking on the girl, this one had real training.Zarnis recognized it immediately.
Her gaze swept over the bullies like a blade, and they staggered back, not from an attack, but from sheer instinct.
Zarnis slowly pushed himself up.He met the noble girl's eyes, just for a second.
Then, with a perfectly practiced flourish, Zarnis stepped slightly to the side, placed one foot behind the other, one hand to his chest, and dipped into a deep, elegant bow, the kind reserved for greeting royalty."Much appreciated, oh noble warrior," he said, voice rich with theatrical courtesy, "Next time you feel like performing a charitable act, perhaps tone down the presence a little, no need for the entire academy to witness the spectacle."
He glanced to the side.Sure enough, half the corridor had come to a halt, silently watching.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an entrance exam to attend."
Before she could respond, he straightened and walked past her without another word.
The red-haired girl had already collected most of her books and was starting to walk away, clutching the stack tightly, trying to vanish.
Zarnis caught up with her in a few strides."You alright?" he asked, voice low.
She didn't meet his gaze, "I didn't need help."
"I know," he said, "But if I hadn't stepped in, those two would probably be piles of ash by now. And with the amount of theory books you're carrying, I'm pretty sure you know what happens if a commoner kills two nobles, even by accident, before admission day."
She frowned, "I was just going to—"
"Cast a simple bolt? Sure," he interrupted softly.
Zarnis leaned slightly closer as they walked."Here's something strange. I can see the flow of mana in people. Don't ask me how. It sounds fake, I know. But believe it or not."
She blinked.
"So unless you were planning to erase them from the courtyard, which I doubt, looking at you, I'd say you're like me."
He offered the last of her books, one that had slid under a bench."Someone who had to learn everything alone."
She hesitated, then gave a small nod and took the book quietly.They walked on.
Behind them, the tall noble girl remained silent, still watching Zarnis, still unsure whether she'd just helped a hero or a lunatic.Either way, he hadn't even looked back.
After a few quiet steps, Zarnis glanced at the red-haired girl beside him."What's your name?" he asked.
She hesitated again, then replied softly, "Lira. Lira Vael."
"Zarnis Arxal," he said, offering a light nod.
Lira blinked. "Arxal? I saw how you spoke to that noble earlier, but… with a name like that, aren't you one too?"
He chuckled. "Let's just say it's noble in name only. At home, even the dogs get more good mornings than I do."
She stared for a second, then gave a small, amused breath through her nose.
Zarnis tilted his head slightly. "Would you mind if I walked with you to the test site?"
She looked at him, uncertain for a breath, then gave a small shrug."I guess not."
Zarnis smiled faintly."Then lead the way, Lira."