Aiden woke before dawn feeling worse than the day before. His entire body felt heavy, like he was moving through thick mud. Dark circles ringed his eyes in the mirror, and his hands had a slight tremor he couldn't quite control.
"You look like hell," Jamie observed from his bed.
"Thanks for the encouragement," Aiden muttered, splashing cold water on his face. The shock helped clear his head slightly, but the bone-deep exhaustion remained.
The semifinal brackets were posted in the main hall, drawing crowds of excited students. Aiden pushed through the throng to read the matchups, though he already suspected what he'd find.
**Semifinals - Day 1**
**Match 1: Marcus Aldrich vs. Aiden Cross**
**Match 2: Princess Elena vs. Catherine Pembroke**
Perfect. The academy's golden boy against the slum rat, with Princess Elena waiting in the wings. Aiden wondered if the matchups were truly random or if certain influences had arranged this confrontation.
"Nervous?" Sarah appeared beside him, studying the bracket with concern.
"Should I be?"
"Marcus has been preparing specifically for you. I've seen him in the training rooms, working with instructors on anti-hypnosis techniques." She lowered her voice. "There are rumors he's been given special equipment too."
Aiden wasn't surprised. The nobility would never allow one of their own to lose to someone like him without stacking the deck first.
"Are you okay though? You've seemed off lately. Tired, distracted." Sarah's healer instincts were clearly bothered by something she saw in him.
"I'm fine. Just focused on the match."
Sarah looked like she wanted to say more, but the crowd around them was growing larger and more excited. Students were already placing bets on the outcome, with odds heavily favoring Marcus.
The morning passed in a blur of classes where Aiden could barely concentrate. His fatigue was getting worse, accompanied by occasional dizzy spells that left him gripping his desk for support. Whatever was happening to him, it was accelerating.
During lunch, Professor Blackwood approached his table with a satisfied smile.
"Feeling confident about this afternoon?" the instructor asked.
"As confident as I can be."
"Good. Because after your match, we'll need to discuss that favor I mentioned. Derek Mills has been particularly disruptive lately." Blackwood's eyes gleamed. "I trust you remember our agreement?"
Aiden nodded, adding another subtle suggestion to his ongoing manipulation of the instructor. "Of course. Though I should mention, my talent works better when I'm not under stress. Big matches like this can affect my precision."
"Naturally. Don't worry about our arrangement until after the semifinals." Blackwood patted Aiden's shoulder in what looked like encouragement but felt like a threat. "Just focus on putting on a good show."
After the instructor left, Aiden sat alone at his table, mind racing despite his exhaustion. Something about Blackwood's behavior bothered him. The man seemed too confident, too satisfied with how things were progressing.
The afternoon combat evaluation drew the largest crowd yet. The entire academy seemed to have turned out for the semifinals, with faculty members joining the student spectators in the arena stands. Even some outside observers were present - men and women in expensive suits who had the look of Hero Guild representatives and corporate sponsors.
Aiden made his way to the preparation area, where Marcus was already waiting. The duke's son looked immaculate as always, his uniform perfectly pressed, golden hair styled flawlessly. But there was something different about him today. A cold confidence that went beyond his usual arrogance.
"Cross," Marcus said pleasantly. "Ready for our dance?"
"Looking forward to it."
Marcus smiled, and Aiden noticed something metallic glinting at the noble's collar. Some kind of small device, almost hidden by his uniform's high neckline.
"I have to admit, you've impressed me," Marcus continued. "Making it this far with such a... unique talent. But I'm afraid your little run ends here."
Before Aiden could respond, Professor Vale called them to enter the arena. The crowd's roar was deafening as they walked onto the combat floor, with most of the cheers clearly directed at Marcus.
"Semifinal match one," Vale announced. "Marcus Aldrich versus Aiden Cross. Standard combat rules apply. Match ends with yield, unconsciousness, or inability to continue."
The two fighters took their positions on opposite ends of the arena. Aiden began his preparation, whispering the familiar self-enhancement mantras under his breath. But something felt wrong. The usual tingle of hypnotic energy was muted, like trying to start a fire with damp kindling.
"Begin!" Vale shouted.
Marcus didn't immediately attack. Instead, he stood calmly in the center of the arena, golden electricity crackling around his hands in a controlled display.
"Having trouble, Cross?" he called out. "Feeling a bit... off today?"
Aiden tried to push more energy into his self-hypnosis, but the enhancement felt weak and unstable. His strength increased slightly, but nowhere near his usual levels. Worse, the effort left him feeling more drained than before.
"I did some research after our last conversation," Marcus continued, slowly advancing. "Fascinating stuff about hypnosis and mental fatigue. Turns out there are ways to interfere with psychological talents."
The device at Marcus's collar - it wasn't just decoration. Some kind of mental disruption field, probably provided by his family's resources. Expensive technology designed specifically to counter Aiden's abilities.
"The beauty of it," Marcus went on, "is that it doesn't block hypnosis entirely. That would be too obvious. Instead, it makes the talent work against itself. Every time you use it, the feedback gets stronger. The exhaustion builds up until..."
Marcus gestured at Aiden's trembling hands, his pale complexion, his obvious fatigue.
"Until you can barely stand, let alone fight."
The crowd was getting restless, wondering why the two fighters were talking instead of attacking. But Aiden was focused on a more immediate problem. If Marcus was right, if the device had been affecting him for days or even weeks, then he was in serious trouble.
His hypnosis wasn't just weakened - it was actively harming him now.
Marcus seemed to sense his realization. "Don't look so surprised. Did you really think the nobility would let trash like you rise above your station without consequences?"
Lightning exploded from Marcus's hands, not aimed at Aiden but at the arena floor around him. The electrical discharge created a crackling barrier, cutting off potential escape routes while demonstrating the noble's overwhelming power.
"This is what real strength looks like," Marcus declared. "Not parlor tricks and mind games, but pure force that can reshape the world."
Aiden tried to enhance his speed for evasion, but the hypnosis sputtered and failed. The mental disruption was complete now, turning his greatest weapon into a liability. Every attempt to use his talent sent waves of pain through his skull.
Marcus raised his hand, preparing a lightning bolt that would end the fight in a single devastating strike. "Any last words, slum rat?"
But as Aiden stood there, exhausted and seemingly helpless, his mind was working frantically. Marcus had made one crucial mistake in his gloating - he'd revealed the source of the interference.
If the device was technological rather than natural, then it had limitations. Power sources, range restrictions, specific frequencies it operated on. And if Aiden couldn't use his hypnosis on himself...
He could still use it on others.
"Just one thing," Aiden said, looking directly into Marcus's eyes. "You're absolutely right. I am exactly what you think I am."
The words carried no hypnotic force - the device prevented that. But they didn't need to. Because Aiden wasn't trying to change Marcus's mind.
He was confirming what the noble already believed.
Marcus smiled triumphantly and unleashed his lightning. But in that moment of absolute confidence, he never noticed the subtle shift in Professor Vale's posture behind him. The referee, who had been slowly moving closer throughout their conversation, who had heard every word of Marcus's gloating confession about the illegal interference device.
The lightning never reached its target. Vale's own talent - kinetic absorption - swallowed the electrical energy completely.
"Match suspended," Vale announced, his voice carrying clearly across the stunned arena. "Equipment inspection required."
The crowd erupted in confusion as academy security moved onto the combat floor. Marcus spun around, finally realizing his mistake, but it was too late.
"The device," Vale said calmly, pointing at Marcus's collar. "Remove it."
As the security team surrounded the duke's son, Aiden allowed himself a small smile despite his exhaustion. He might not have won the fight, but he'd turned Marcus's arrogance against him.
Sometimes the best victory was simply surviving to fight another day.
But as the chaos unfolded around him, Aiden knew this was far from over. The nobility had just shown their hand, revealed how far they'd go to maintain their power.
Now it was his turn to show them what a cornered animal could do.