"Let's figure it out after finals," Lyn murmured to himself. With just three days left before the final assessment, that was his most urgent concern.
"Lyn, want me to have someone help you haul it to campus?" asked Uncle Chen, noticing the boy deep in thought.
"No, it's fine, Uncle," Lyn quickly replied. Mechas were notoriously inconvenient—bulky, unwieldy, and impossible to carry around without drawing attention.
He found himself missing the dimensional rings of the Aurelian Continent. Back then, he'd had the skill to forge such artifacts. Here and now, though, his magic was still too weak for such feats.
After some thought, Lyn made his decision: he would take the ruined magical mech to Selina, the one person in this world he truly trusted. Her place was safe—and discreet.
One hour later, on the 68th floor of Nottingham Tower.
"What is this supposed to be?" Selina raised a perfectly shaped brow, eyeing the heap of scrap metal suspiciously.
"Auntie, don't ask. Just keep it hidden for me. And please—don't let anyone else see it."
Though Lyn trusted Selina with his life, he wasn't ready to tell her about the foreign memories of a mage now living inside him. Some truths were too strange to believe.
"Fine, I'll keep it. No questions," Selina replied, shrugging with a slight smile.
"Actually, I do have another favor to ask."Lyn took out a fading mana crystal and handed it to her."Could you ask around—quietly—and see if anyone's selling something like this?"
He wasn't sure if mana crystals even existed in this world, but it was worth a shot. Unlike in Aurelian, where such artifacts were rare and expensive, here they might be mistaken for decorative stones—cheap, and unappreciated.
He didn't want them for his mech, not yet. He needed them to accelerate his magical growth. Time wasn't on his side. His progress, while decent, was still too slow.
"What is this?" Selina examined it, holding it up to the light. "It's gorgeous—would make a stunning pendant."
"Some kind of mineral I came across. Not sure what it does. Just… if anyone has more, please buy them for me," Lyn said, guilt tugging at him for deceiving the woman who'd raised him like a mother.
"You're hiding something," Selina said suddenly, giving him a long look.
Lyn froze.
"But that's okay," she said, breaking into a gentle smile. "You're eighteen. You're allowed to have secrets."
He let out a breath of relief. She wouldn't push further.
"I'll head back to school, then," he said, hesitating slightly.
"Wait. How are things going with Bingbing?" Selina asked with a grin.
"Bingbing?" Lyn nearly choked. "Come on, Auntie, there's nothing going on!"
That wasn't entirely true. His first kiss had gone to her. Whether it was her first kiss, he didn't know. He hadn't seen her since that fateful moment.
"Well, I said a lot of good things about you to her! Don't let me down," Selina teased.
"She's… already engaged," he reminded her helplessly.
"Don't care. Get yourself a girlfriend—any girlfriend! You're eighteen and still single? That's a crime!"
He desperately wanted to retort, "You're twenty-eight, still single too!" But he valued his life too much to speak the words aloud.
"Okay, okay. I'll try, alright?"
He beat a hasty retreat. But he knew Selina's nagging came from love. She wanted someone to look after him. If he dated Bingbing, no one would dare bully him. And that, perhaps, was what she truly wanted—for him to be safe.
"Don't worry, Aunt Selina. I'll take care of myself. And I won't let anyone push me around anymore."
He meant every word.
He would not remain a disgrace to his ancient lineage. One day, he would ascend to the top—make his clan proud.
Walking back through campus, Lyn felt optimistic for the first time in weeks. The future, once hazy, now shimmered with potential.
But that peace was short-lived.
"Well, well, look who it is. If it isn't little Lyn," came a mocking voice.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
Standing in his path was Marcus Han, annoyingly handsome as ever, and draped over his arm was Charlotte, formerly Kurt's girlfriend.
Charlotte wasn't particularly beautiful—not compared to Bingbing—but rumors about her prowess in bed had earned her a certain reputation. Ever since Marcus snatched her away from Kurt, she'd held the title of his longest-standing girlfriend. A shocking record, considering Marcus's habit of changing girls like socks.
"Marcus, we're not friends. Don't talk to me," Lyn said coolly, though his fists clenched.
He remembered the last time all too well—every blow, every humiliation.
"Well, well. Got yourself some attitude now?" Marcus sneered. "Still got brain damage from our last meeting?"
"Move, mutt. Even a dog should know not to block the road," Lyn said coldly.
Marcus's face twisted with fury. He shoved Charlotte aside and lunged forward, arm raised for a slap.
"You think you're funny?!"
"You?" Lyn scoffed. His body shifted effortlessly, dodging the blow. A month of Qi training had transformed him. Even if he hadn't reached Level One of Stellar Qi, he was no longer the same weakling.
Marcus was startled. That should have landed.
"Let's see you dodge this one!"
Marcus's next punch was faster—angrier.
Thud!
A sudden force knocked him back several steps. But the punch hadn't struck Lyn.
Someone had intervened.
"Oh my god, it's him!""My prince!" squealed a girl from the growing crowd.
"Get real. Like Andre even knows you," another girl snorted.
Lyn turned, eyes wide.
The person who'd just stepped in was Andre Blaine.
They'd only met once—during that battle. And Lyn had left without a word.
"Andre, stay out of this!" Marcus growled.
"This isn't 'out of this.' Lyn's my friend," Andre replied calmly.
His voice was gentle—but carried a power that silenced the onlookers.
...